The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for 12/19/2019

Episode Date: December 19, 2019

Colin gives Odell Beckham Jr. credit for saying the right things repeatedly this season even though he doesn't believe that he wants to stay in Cleveland. He thinks parity in the NBA is a joke and we already know what the NBA Finals will look like. He talks with Greg Cosell of NFL Films about why the Seahawks don't run through Russell Wilson, why Drew Brees isn't regressing and how Carson Wentz is still winning without any of his top WRs. Plus, Colin gives his top 3 picks of bowl season in College Football including both semi-final games. 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. 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, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

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

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

or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio. It's a Thursday. Live in Los Angeles, chilly Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, one hour from now.

My favorite 10 minutes of the week, Greg Kosell, NFL meat sandwich. Look at our beautiful set, Joy Taylor. joining me today. This is a magnificent job by our staff to create our holiday set. Is it not beautiful? It's gorgeous. They always do a great job. Decorating our set. We've got us in the holiday spirit. Big night. Heat got a big win. Another big NBA game tonight. Yeah, Janus and the Lakers talk about that in a couple of minutes. The lead story today is Odell Beckham. Been a lot of rumors from a lot of people, I believe. When Jay Glazer said last year, the Giants are going to trade Odell Beckham and the giant said, no, no, no, no, we're not going

to do it and the Giants traded Odell Beckham. And there's guys like Jay Glazer again saying multiple people are saying that OBJ, you know, they went out of Cleveland. He's not happy. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham yesterday is like, no, no, no, I love it here. And it was actually a great sign of maturity by OBJ, not that he really loves Cleveland, but that he had the wherewithal to say this. I've been talking to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts.

You know, a couple of Canadian League teams that I'm also, you know, trying to get traded to. So it's been, it's been great conversations. It's just, it's done. It's old. You know, like, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here. We're going to figure this thing out. It's just too special to lead.

Okay, that's ball. not special. It's awful. Here's this funny story about Oddo Beckham Jr. Odell Beckham Jr. was never a problem at LSU. And he was never a problem his first year in New York. But the minute the Giants had chaos, Coughlin left, Ben McAdoo came in.

He did not deal well with chaos. He's one of those people. I'm the same way. I don't like chaos. I like habits. So he goes to Cleveland and what is it this year? It's chaos. He's not happy. Well, I bought a home in Cleveland. You make $15 million

dollars a year, you got to buy real estate somewhere and that's where he's going to live, right? Three or four years. We're just going to rent an apartment. Be part of a duplex downtown? Homes are cheap in Cleveland. He bought one. He'll run it out to stars that play in Cleveland for the next 25 years if he can't sell it. LeBron still has a place in Cleveland.

When you play in a city and you're a pro athlete, you buy houses, you buy real estate and you figure you're going to be there for four or five, six years. Family comes over, kids, whatever's. Here's the reality is, though. This was a a very smart thing for Odell Beckham to say. It's becoming more

of a wide receiver league, not to say that pound in the rock doesn't matter. Baltimore, San Francisco, New England. These are running teams. They're very good saints, too. But perimeter players matter more than ever. And coming into Cleveland, Odell Beckham's reputation

was, he's a little bit of a distraction, and he's hurt a lot. What are the two things Odell Beckham has done this year? They're very smart. He's played through injuries. He's hurt. He's not going to show you he's hurt. So he wants to switch that reputation. I'm not hurt. I'm fine. A little nagging injury, no big deal. He's trying to change that narrative, but I don't miss games. The second thing he's done, he was a little bit of the distraction

in New York. Yet this year, as the house is on fire in Cleveland, in the last six, eight weeks, he's been the stable guy. The helmet situation, the t-shirt with the coach, Baker calls out the medical staff. You know what you haven't heard from? Odell Beckham. He's been the voice of reason. It's too special here.

This is a very smart move by Odell Beckham. There are several teams in the NFL that would love to have him. Russell Wilson and Seattle, New England and Tom Brady, I think even New Orleans would peek at him if he wasn't as expensive as he is. But in an increasingly vertical league where special players separate, better athletes, Lamar and Mahomes and Tyree Kill, Michael Thomas are separating. He's got huge value and he has smartly, over the last two to three months,

changed the narrative. He doesn't get hurt as much and he's actually in dysfunctional Cleveland, very stable. By the way, the blame pie in Cleveland, I have never put Odell Beckham in it. I've said before 75% of the issues here are front office driven, that I think it's fair to say Baker and Freddie account for 25% 12.5 each. But I thought once again yesterday,

Odell Beckham, very smart, very mindful, very aware of his negative brands, hurt and a distraction, went the opposite way to shift it. He can tell me he loves Cleveland and it's special, but he's told me personally he hates chaos. In Cleveland right now leads the NFL in chaos. I still believe he wants out.

I was told he was going to stay in New York. I didn't believe that. I believe the reports. And I believe the reports now. He's not long for Cleveland. All right, tonight is quite possibly a preview of the NBA finals. Milwaukee is the best team in the east. There are several teams in the east that are interesting.

Miami's playing very well. In Boston, I watched them last night a little bit against Dallas, but I don't think Miami, Philadelphia, or Boston compete Janice and that coaching staff and the depth of Milwaukee four times in two weeks. And the Lakers are the hottest team in the NBA, and I think Utah's very interesting. I like watching them play in Denver and Houston. Dallas is now a very, very fun watch when Luca gets healthy.

But I don't think anybody can beat the Lakers four times in two weeks except the Clippers. So here we are once again. I was told all offseason, this is the year of parity. And we've got three teams that are clearly better than all the other teams. And I would say the four best players in the league play on those three teams, LeBron, Yonis, A.D. and Kauai. And we have no parity. And that's okay.

because nothing is phonier than people who just don't like the NBA using it as a jumping off point when there's games like tonight and when you have dominant performances saying, I don't, this is why I can't watch the NBA at lax parity. But do you like tennis? Because Serena's dominated one side of it. And Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic had dominated the guy's side. Do you like college football?

Because Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma are once again great. How about FCS football where North Dakota State will win its seventh national championship in eight years? Or in baseball where the Yankees basically guaranteed an American League Championship Series spot by signing Garrett Cole this week to a contract of $324 million. College basketball will be dominated by seven teams this year. Gonzaga, Duke, Carolina, Kansas, just to name a few. If you don't like the NBA, that's fine. But don't use the parody argument.

You know what I've never seen in my entire career since they invented the iPhone? I've never seen anybody go up and ask for a selfie with parody. Not one time. Hey, parody, can I get a selfie? You ask stars to get a selfie. You ask celebrities to get a selfie. You ask famous people to get selfies. And tonight, Janice, LeBron, and A.D. are celebrities.

and stars and famous people, and they'll get a nice rating tonight. And so will Ohio State and Clemson, that'll get a massive rating because it's full of stars and great quarterbacks and traditional powers. If I have to hear again how you want parody, I'm going to vomit. Nobody watches parody. Hockey has it, and it's crickets. They had to play games in blizzards to get people to watch. That's hockey, and they've got nothing but parity. tennis doesn't have it, women's sports, women's basketball doesn't have it.

Golf has it, and you all complained you missed Tiger. Then he won the Masters and the President's Cup, and you all went crazy over the course of the weekend. Oh my God, Tiger's back. He was dominant. He was the end of parody, and we all cry and go nuts. I watched Twitter this weekend. Everybody was talking golf. talking about that guy or they're talking about Tiger

and there was no parody with Tiger. So tonight it's LeBron and it's Yonis and it's the Bucks and the Lakers and only the clippers are good enough to potentially beat the Lakers or Yonis and the Bucks four times in two weeks. And I'm completely okay with it. Just admit it. You may not like the NBA.

But don't use it as a jumping off point ripping parity. College football doesn't have it. FCS football doesn't have it. Women's basketball doesn't have it. Men's and Women's Tennis doesn't have it. International soccer doesn't have it. Guess who's good in soccer internationally again? Let's go with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Germany, Spain.

Come on, give me a break. LeBron's going to end up either in the Western Conference Finals or the finals, and he's going to be Janus, and you're going to ask for a selfie if either of those two guys, LeBron or Janus, walk by in a hotel lobby. You wouldn't ask for a selfie from parody. And I'll be watching tonight. Live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific

on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies,

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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. 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, 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. 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 with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want 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 Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like,

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 ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, I've said this before, and I don't say it to be glib.

I think 30% or more of being an NFL quarterback is really resilience mentally. You have to have some physical gifts. Nobody doubts that. The all-time great guys, have a certain arm, size, speed, what-eves. Lamar, you can see it. Mahomes, you can see it.

Aaron Rogers, you can see it. But I would say Tom, Brady and Drew Bree's greatest strength is their resilience, is their mental toughness. And this is why I love Dak Prescott. Dak Prescott's hurt. He can't even throw till Saturday. Can't throw till Saturday. He's a quarterback.

The throwing thing's important. He can't throw all week at practice. That's how much pain he's in. His teammates will talk about it. Troy Aikman talked about it. reporters are talking about it, he pretty much doesn't want to talk about it. This is the thing I love about DAC. So, Dak Prescott is the most criticized player in the NFL the last three years.

It's not close. Now, first of all, Tony Romo was also the most criticized player in the NFL before him, so part of it is the position quarterback for the Cowboys, Romo got crushed. But what made Romo really good and why I loved him and why Romo is a great broadcaster because his instincts are good. great broadcasters like Romo, their instincts are good. They kind of know what to say. If you sit in a booth and every eight seconds you have to say something smart like Troy

Aikman or Tony Romo, you've got to have good instincts. Otherwise, bad instinct guy says something stupid and gets fired and he's gone. Romo always had good instincts. He had good instincts at a microphone. He has great instincts on television. So did Troy Aikman. But so does Dack. Romo didn't have the biggest arm.

Aikman didn't run around much. And Dack, arm, mobility. a lot of meh. But this is where it's great. Biggest game this year for DAC, he comes in hurt, he can't throw till Saturday, not a peep, no excuses,

doesn't respond to anybody. I tell young broadcasters this all the time. When you go to Twitter and fire back at your critics, that's not strength, it's weakness. You've got to be able to handle it. Aaron Rogers has talent, but too often gets snippy and defensive and has rabbit ears.

Baker Mayfield responds to everything, and I think Baker thinks it's a strength. It's a weakness. Here's Dak, biggest game hurt, won't talk about it. His teammates are all like he'd have to be dead to not play. He's the toughest guy I've ever seen. But his mental toughness,

three years, the most ripped, scrutinized, mocked, question player, biggest game, dude is hurt. Not a peep. I mean, can you imagine I mean, Baker Mayfield responds to everything. I know you think I hate the kid, but I defended him yesterday.

But remember this from Baker Mayfield. Can you imagine DAC melting down, forget a game or a fourth down, over a question at a press conference? I don't know. I just told you the clock was running and we had to help him. You want to give them the ball back? No, you don't play. You don't know it.

It's just plain and simple. Was I happy with the drive? No, we didn't score points. It's the dumbest question you get. ask. He melts down over a question from an Ohio reporter. Here's Dak in the center of the football world, the biggest game of the weekend. Not a peep. Won't talk about it. Doesn't respond. Teammates say he's tough. You've never seen a guy like him. Unwavering. Anthem controversy, not a problem. Big loss all season long. Dallas lost to this team and that team and this team.

and the ratings were huge and everybody talked about it, never, never responded to any of it harshly. That's why I like Dak. And I think there's about seven to eight. I got to say this. If you look around to the NFL right now, we are very lucky. Overwhelmingly, not only do we have all these gifted young quarterbacks, they have great quarterback DNA. Darnal doesn't respond to anything.

DeShon doesn't respond to anything. John doesn't respond to anything. Lamar doesn't respond to anything. Breeze, Brady. I mean, you go down the line. Baker's the exception. It is not just about your arm. It's how do you handle crisis?

Because in the NFL, quarterback, even Mahomes had a crisis this year and handled it like a pro. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. And with that, we go to one of my favorite guys, 40 years at NFL films, CoSell is joining us. Greg, how are you?

We're moving into the holiday season. Football matters more now. How are you doing? I'm doing great, Colin. How are you? I am fantastic. So you watch the Cowboys Against the Rams, and you're like, good, good God, what just happened? Was that Dallas? Was that the Rams? What did you make of the film? Well, I think Dallas, in a sense, went back to the drawing board. Let's look at their plays through the first three quarters when you could argue

that was the, I guess, the competitive phase of the game. They ran 56 plays through three quarters. 22 of those were Ezekiel Elliott carries. That's 40% of their offensive plays through three quarters were hand-offs to Elliot. I think they made a clear decision that this offense runs through Elliott. All the year I felt, Colin, that they've sort of been trying to figure out how all this works because they have a new coordinator in Killenmore who wants to do some cool stuff, and they've got three very good receivers,

and they have Prescott, who's in his fourth year, theoretically, you know, advancing each year. And they became, I think, a passing team in many ways, and I think they went back to the drawing board. And I think they put up big numbers throwing the ball, but I think there was an inconsistency. See, you have to remember one thing, too, the running game helps your defense because it shortens games and your defense plays less or plays fewer.

plays. And that has been a big part of what they've been over the last number of years. And we'll see if they continue to do that against Philadelphia. So maybe it's my imagination. But for the last several years, I think Brady's gotten a little tired in December. And I thought Drew Breeze was tired last year in December. That five games off, this is as good as Drew. I mean, he looks, his feet, his, I think, I mean, I think the time off helped. What's the film say? Well, it's funny you say that because I thought he moved very well this week. Yes.

You know, I thought that his, you know, and again, the movement with him is not running out of the pocket. It's just the movement within the pocket. He's always, in the prime of his career, he's had a powerful lower body, and he's moved extremely well within the pocket. But this is really a fun offense to watch. And I think they're very difficult to defend. Think of it this way. You're trying to gain as much of a very important. an advantage as possible before the ball is snapped as an offense.

So how do you do that? You do it with your use of personnel. You do it with formations. You do it with snap counts and cadence. You do it with motions and shifts. The saints are really, really good at all those things. And therefore, the defense at times just has to settle in and standardize. And then Breeze is an absolute maestro when it comes to what's eliminating what's not there and isolating what is there before the ball is snapped. So he plays incredibly decisively. Yeah. So a team that we love

for most of the year has now shown a couple times against Arizona, against Atlanta this week, against Seattle. There are little signs of inefficiency with the San Francisco 49ers.

But could I argue it's been two, three weeks ago, offensive injuries, and now it's defensive injuries. They did play Baltimore very tough. They beat New Orleans. Could this just be nothing more than they don't have some of their best guys.

Could be. You know, one thing that, and again, these are statistics, but statistics do mean something in their first eight or nine games of the season, they ran the ball over 30 times in each of those games. In the last six, they've run the ball less than 30 times in each of those games, and they're three and three. Again, it's a number, but I think ultimately this offense does start with the run game. Their offensive line was handled by Atlanta, by the way.

Yes. It was a really difficult day for their offensive line pretty much across the board. Garapolo never found his rhythm, and he's as pure a rhythm thrower as there is. You know, he's one of those guys that drops back, and he needs to get rid of the football. Yeah. He rarely looked comfortable. He played a little fast. You know, he did not look – he did not have one of his better games, and therefore their past game really was not a factor in the game.

Their too long as pass plays came on plays in which the receiver really, ran behind the line of scrimmage and just caught the ball in the flat and then ran for some yards. Yeah. Speaking of San Francisco, that division has come down to the Niners and the Seahawks. And Seattle, listen, Russell's been spectacular. We know Pete can coach. Russell is often seen as their identity, and I love him as a player. But that running game, when Penny and Carson are healthy, it's a pretty stout running game.

Does the film say that? Oh, the offense starts with the run game. Keep in mind that they play six offensive linemen, I think more than any team in the league, almost 25% of their snaps, and there's a reason for that. One reason is the run game, which makes obvious sense.

Another offensive lineman is a better blocker than a tight end, but they also use it in the past game. And you know why they use it in the past game? They often line up with six offensive linemen and three wide receivers. They use it in the past game, because Wilson is both a distributor and a playmaker.

So he becomes, in a sense, the fifth weapon. They don't necessarily need a fifth true receiver because of Wilson's improvisational ability becomes a weapon. So therefore, they can really shore up their blocking both in the run game and the past game with a sixth offensive lineman still knowing that the Wilson factor can add to their past game. Is that a hard matchup? Do you think for NFL defenses, if they're doing something nobody else is?

It's a hard matchup because defenses have to decide how they want to match up from a personnel standpoint. It's the same issue you face when you play Lamar Jackson. When they go big people, two and three tight ends, and you put big people on the field, you don't have enough speed. And so you get a little bit of that issue. Defenses against Seattle have to decide how to match up. So, you know, I've said something all year, and it's easy for me to say it, but you can break it down. When I watch Buffalo, I think that team is well coached. And here's how I say it. When my see consistency, don't give up cheap plays, rarely a blown coverage. I like Buffalo's personnel.

I think they're really interesting in the secondary safeties and they have an elite corner. But I watch Buffalo and I see coaching. I don't see, I mean, they do have an elite corner and a safety I like. But when you look at the Buffalo story, is it personnel or coaching? I think it's both because I think that they're a team that rarely makes mistakes on the defensive side of the ball. and I think they have better players than people think. See, Buffalo is Buffalo, so people just dismiss them, as you know. But I think that they're two linebackers in their nickel,

and they're a predominant nickel team. They don't really play dime. They play with five defensive backs. But Edmonds and Milano are really good nickel linebackers. Milano is never talked about. You know, Milano in college, because he had the same coach, played the same position at Boston College, that Tribal Peppers played in Michigan.

and Milano is a really, really good player. And Edmonds, as we know about him. And you mentioned the safeties. I think both Poyer and Hyde, in the context of that defense, are really good. They're interchangeable players. Yes. You know, one is not free and one is not strong. They both play on the back end, and they can both play in the box.

They both can cover tight ends man to man. I think they're really good player. I guarantee they're not overlooked by the teams that are preparing to play them. They might be overlooked nationally by the media, but that's irrelevant. of it. Yeah. No, when I watch Buffalo play, I just see I mean, first of all, they're really physical. They're never in the wrong

space. They've got playmakers on defense. I mean, I just, I think the Buffalo story to me, and I've watched them play Brady this year, I've watched them play good quarterbacks. Their offense still has limitations. I watch that defense, and I'm like, they don't give you an inch for free.

No, Brady was 18 for 39 for 150 yards in that week four matchup. So, okay, I got Two quarterbacks I want to talk about, Deshawn Watson. The Texans are infuriating. I've said this before. They're absurdly inconsistent, but they're not bad. There's a difference.

I think they feel sometimes to me they're two Deshawn Watson go make a play dependent. Do you buy this team as the weather gets cold, the coaching gets better in December and January, potentially in the playoffs? Well, I think Watson is inconsistent. I actually think they have a pretty consistent run game. Hyatt had 26 carries this week. He's been a pretty good back for them, and their run game has been pretty solid all year. I think that Watson has inconsistent tendencies in his play.

You know, he's another example of someone who has talked about as if he's on Mount Rushmore, and I like Deshawn Watson, and I think as he continues to improve, ideally that he can become really, I don't want to say special, but more consistent. He can make special plays at any time, and he does that. And then we talk about him in that way. But I think he needs to become more consistent making the routine plays. Like, I was really pleased this week when he hit the two touchdowns to stills. He got manned coverage.

He knew where to go with the ball, and he made two very, very good throws. Yes. Yeah. Here's one of them right there. Yeah. He also made some really good throws in the fourth quarter to Hopkins. Now, he does have that movement ability, and that's really special. One of the throws to Hopkins in the fourth quarter, he moved, and Hopkins did an unbelievable job of recognizing it as well. but when he throws from the pocket, because he's a good thrower,

he needs to be more consistent in that area. Yeah, no, he can be spectacular but sometimes inconsistent. I think that's a, and by the way, I think, Greg, that was the complaint out of college is that he wasn't a natural thrower or a consistent thrower. And I think the spectacular is not an issue for him, but I think he's become what a lot of the scouting report said is that there were some questions, and even today there are still some questions as a natural thrower in the pocket. Yeah, and I think that's fair.

And he's a bouncer. You see it when you watch the, you can see it on TV. He never really plants his back foot and throws with a firm base. He's a little bit of a bouncer. Yeah. No, I mean, we're watching that as you talk about it. Yeah. Greg Cosell.

Okay, this has been a very good last couple of weeks for me. Because for a couple years, I had to hear that Nick Foles was better than Wence, and I was just over it. Well, that's pointless. It's completely pointless. Yeah. I almost punched a multitude of people right in the forehead. I was over it.

Now Carson Wentz, working with a beyond skeleton crew. It's tight ends. He's working with me and you. I mean, he's got nothing. And he's coming from behind to win these games. And I just want to talk about Wentz because, listen, sometimes there's excuses. And other times there's reasons. He's got nobody to throw to.

No. Now, I think he still misses a few that he has to make, by the way. So I'm not going to sit here and tell you that he's playing pristine. He misses a few that he has to. to make. But overall, he's playing with, they have arguably the worst receiving core in the National Football League and with no speed whatsoever. You know, it's funny, they're playing a Dallas team this week that probably has the second or third best receiving core in the entire league. And here's Philly coming in with really no weapons whatsoever on the perimeter.

And that's what Wynce is dealing with every week. And their offense is sort of geared to the fact that they don't have any playmakers. So the play of the week this week is Carson Wins. Yeah, I decided to show the game-winning touchdown just because I think it's a simple but cool play. So let's start it just so people see it. And they came up to the line of scrimmage incredibly quickly here, and they had to snap the ball. They obviously needed to do that.

So once drops back and he lost one and he hits word for a touchdown. But there's a cool little element to this play. And as the Eagles were in what we call a tight bunch, and here they were in a tight bunch to the wide side of the field. And what they did is, they had Greg Ward. He was the outside receiver in the bunch, or number one. The point man in the bunch was J.J. Arthago-Whiteside, and you can see, he's on the line of scrimmage. Now, the Redskins played man-to-man. Johnson was matched on Arthago-White side, and Josh Norman was matched on

Ward. Now, they do a really nice job here. Arthago-White-Side as he releases, what he's basically going to do is set a pick. He's going to force Norman to have to go behind him. So right now, Norman's in a trailing position on Ward's crossing route. Norman is beat right now. So all Ward has to do is run across the field. Okay, that's the easy part. And you can see that clearly. Norman is in a trail position. He's a yard or two behind. Ward's going to beat him across the field. This throw now becomes what we call a spot throw. What Wence is going to do is he's going to loft it to a spot. He's not really looking at the receiver. He's lofting it to a spot based on the concept of the play.

And that's why he was able to throw it with precision ball placement because he's throwing it to a spot. And you see that clearly. Yeah, look at that. It's amazing how often in this game, it's the pick, it's the little stuff, it's the details. We blame the quarterback if that play doesn't go right, but if the pick's not set, there's nobody open. That's correct. It was clearly designed from the first moment of that play. That was the receiver that was supposed to get the ball.

No, that was the play design. And down there, you don't have a lot of time. You're not going through progressions there. That was the play design. Yep. And it worked. Greg Kosel, 40 years NFL films. Have a great holiday season, Greg.

Thanks, Colin. You too. I appreciate that. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeard Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. So John Gruden, there's a story by Mike Lombardi,

former NFL exec, well-connected dude. And he's like, listen, Derek Carr and John Gruden, it's like that impending divorce. When a better opportunity presents itself, John Gruden's going to move on. I would say, be very careful, John. Patrick Mahomes is going to drive you crazy. But Derek Carr's a franchise quarterback,

and depending on the Sunday, he's maybe 11th, 12th best in this league. It is remarkable how few teams are truly happy with their quarterback. and I'll give you an example. This morning, I was going to use emojis. And I thought, let's take all 32 teams. And the five categories of happiness.

So here are teams that are truly happy with their quarterback. Wouldn't trade them for the world. Chiefs, Eagles, Ravens, Packers, Saints, Seahawks, Titans. They are all in Philadelphia, Texans, by the way. What did I say? Texans, Seahawks, Saints. So basically, Mahomes, Wentz, Lamar, Rogers, Breeze, Russell, Deshaun. That's their guy.

They're financially vested. They're emotionally vested. And they really like him as they like him as dudes. All right. Here are, that's the next level. They're truly happy. The next level is they're happy for now. Jimmy G's good, but what if he stinks against Seattle next weekend

and gets whacked in the first round of the playoffs and throws three picks? The Cowboys, Falcons like Matt Ryan. The game is changing. He's not a great athlete. Brady, they like, but he's 42 in their signs of age. Ram, Steelers, Vikings. Again, they like Big Ben, but he's getting old, and Mason Rudolph's not the guy to replace him.

They're happy for now, but there are people in the room going, we got a draft one, the world's changing, there's things they can't do. Then there's the third category of quarterback. They're happy so far. Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold.

The teams are like, listen, there are guys. We're not paying him anything. So we're getting a huge discount at the most important position, and they've showed us something, even Baker. They've showed us something. They can win games. They got talent happy so far. And then the next two categories are the ones to really glom onto.

The next one is pretending to be happy, saying all the right things. Bears, Bucks, Colts, Lions, Raiders, Titans. Deep down, you've seen a lot of Tannahill and Stafford can't win enough big games. and Jacoby Brissette's a good kid, but he's no Andrew luck, and James has really good Sundays and really bad ones, and you're not sure what you're going to get, and the Bears with Trubisky have to sell it to the public. They're pretending to be happy, but they're not really happy.

Then they're the other ones, just not happy at all, and they're not going to BS about it. Bengals, Broncos, Chargers, Dolphins, Jags, Panthers, Redskins. Chargers won't come out and say it, but everybody in the world knows. Phillips old, unathletic, and makes dumb plays. Those teams are not happy at all. But here's the key to that.

And I've been watching the NFL for over 40 years. In the last two categories, you've got 13 teams, pretending to be happy or just unhappy. That is over a third of the league. So when Gruden says he's unhappy with Derek Carr and that story comes out, he's just pretending to be happy. That's my entire life been the league. over a third of the league is looking for somebody else. And there's always about two to three quarterbacks in the next draft that will satiate or assist or elevate a couple of teams.

But be very, very careful, John Gruden. Outside of Rich Gannon for about an hour and a half, you haven't liked any of your quarterbacks long term. It's hard to find them. It's hard to develop them. It's hard to get them the right offensive line to protect them. It's expensive to get the weapons, increasingly expensive to get the weapons to elevate them.

Be very careful on Derek Carr. Because over a third of the league's never happy with their quarterback and a lot of poor decisions or rushed judgment is made. 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 app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending.

Opinions are flying. and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions

everybody wants answered. 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 Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast,

Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. 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 line. You know these kids.

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, rec. My mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. And our podcast, Point Game is about Define. 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, I said, 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.

Ready to make some sweet cash, Colin's going to give you his three sure bets for the college football weekend. It's time for Collins Markey 3. Clemson versus Ohio State. Clemson minus two. I like Clemson to win by a touchdown. I thought the number was low. I think we're undervaluing Clemson.

I think we look at their conference and say they didn't play anybody, and that is a huge benefit. They are healthy. They've got a ton of depth. And I believe when you, You don't know who's going to win. You go with a coaching staff in college. And I think Clemson has the best coaching staff by a wide margin.

They have three current head coaches, capable guys that could run programs. Dabo is just the number one guy. I'm going to take Clemson here. First of all, Trevor Lawrence since week nine, good luck. Ohio State's defense gets the credit. I could argue Clemsons is actually better. First in the country in multiple categories. Trevor Lawrence since week nine has been unstoppable.

I don't think the ACC is great. But who in the Big Ten is amazing outside of Ohio State? Michigan? Lost all the good teams they played. Wisconsin? Well, coached, certainly. Not a ton of great NFL players. Who else just selling me in that conference?

Iowa? Okay, not special. Listen, right now Ohio State's defense is good, but in the last four games, they're allowing 21 a game. that's against Big Ten defenses. Clemson, NFL back, NFL quarterback, NFL offensive line, NFL tied-in, NFL receivers. I think Clemson is going to win 36 to 30. I'm not sure it will feel that close, but I think this is the kind of speed that Ohio State has not seen anything close to.

And Clemson has their 5-0 in the last two years against SEC. speed and they've blown most of those SEC teams like Alabama out. Oklahoma versus LSU. I'm going to take Oklahoma to cover here. Again, Oklahoma's going to hear for five weeks, you're going to get crushed. Do you know the number one seat has never won the college football championship? So LSU's winning the Heisman, Ed Orgeron, the best coach in the world, and Oklahoma's hearing how irrelevant they are.

Well, Jalen Hertz is the only quarterback with 30 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns. They're going to move the ball on LSU. LSU's defense is good, but was gashed by lesser offenses. Oklahoma's defense was pathetic last year. It was first in the Big 12 this year. It's a much better defense. Also, Oklahoma 3 and 0, we have seen Oklahoma in these big games against SEC teams. They gave Georgia trouble.

They beat Alabama years. ago, Oklahoma is big boy football. I think this game's going to feel very, very close. And I do think LSU escapes. I'm going to say 4130 Oklahoma, but it'll feel closer than that score. That's a late LSU touchdown. I think Oklahoma's going to move the ball in LSU. They're going to play with fire. The suspensions aren't going to change anything. You're going to get over 70 points in this football game. It's going to be a shootout. And Jalen Hertz is going to have a very very, very important. very interesting day because he can beat it with his feet or he can beat you throwing it. USC versus Iowa.

I think this is a coaching mismatch, otherwise two very even teams. The Trojans have better perimeter players. Iowa's got better line play, including my favorite or second favorite defensive linemen in the country and second favorite offensive linemen in the country. I'll take Iowa minus two. USC football, second most turnovers in the pack 12 and lots of penalties. That has been a hallmark of Clay Hilton football. A lot of penalties, lots of mistakes.

This is a program right now. Last two years, bowl record 500, out of conference about 500, against the Big Ten. It should be noted the Big Ten is six and one against the Pac-12 in bowl games the last two years. Why? Because the Big Ten is better right now than the Pack-12 is. And you'll notice it in line play. Iowa's offensive line is much. better than USC's offensive line, much more powerful.

And the pass rush from Iowa, I think, will be a problem for USC's freshman quarterback. Again, USC can score. They've got tremendous perimeter players. They'll beat Iowa over the top. But I think Nate Stanley, the quarterback, won't make a ton of mistakes. Iowa's defense this year has been excellent. It's always well coached. And I'm going to take Iowa, the better staff to win, 28 to 24, and give U.S.

USC's offense, a couple of cheap touchdowns over the top, but not sustaining any drives. As far as USC yesterday, and this is really hard to even say, USC in a 12-team conference, finished 12th in recruiting. Now, they didn't have a lot of scholarships to give out, but if you hit five-star players like they usually do in previous decades and years, you'd be like two or three in the conference. Listen, you could recruit deck furniture and beat Oregon State. This is a sign of the times for USC. And there's a lot of reasons that big brands like Alabama and Oklahoma and Florida State fail.

We've seen this, right? We've seen Oklahoma struggle. They had the wrong coach. We saw Alabama for a decade struggle. They had the wrong coach. Florida State Willie Taggart, not the right coach. College football is about coaching. Okay.

But here's the other thing that's damning. Kids grow up in America football players, and they want to play for the local school because they want their mom and dad to see them. 25 best California high school football players, none chose USC. When you lose the local kids, you've lost the program. We can talk about the president at USC.

We can talk about the athletic director at USC. We can talk about who, whoever you want at USC, you lost the 18-year-old at Sarah High School. You lost him. And when you lose the kids, the local kids who are willing to play seven-hour flight and drive away from home, mom and dad won't be able to see them play only on television. Cousins can't see him. Mom and dad can't see him.

And they're willing to go all the way to the south where you fly to Atlanta, then you get on another flight, and then you drive. an hour. It's a 12-hour schloid for your mom, your grandma, your dad, your uncles to come see you play, and they watched all your high school games, and you could play right down the street, and

you chose Clemson. Ever tried to get to Clemson from even Los Angeles? It's, I mean, it's good luck. Newfoundland is easier. I mean, honestly, the reality is when you lose the local

kids who whose dads have been SC fans who watch USC football in their living room for 18 years. And that kid chooses other states, hell, other regions, you lost the program. It's not about blaming the president. It's not about blaming the athletic director. They inherited this. But when you lose the high school kid and the high school family and dad says, you know what, son, you're probably right.

because kids want to win. They want to go play in TV. They want to be in full stadiums. They want to be developed. They want to play in the NFL. You lose them. You've lost the program. 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 SportsSlicse 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. street or Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. 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. And he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42.

Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs.

We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love.

This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.