The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Oct 01, 2020

Episode Date: October 1, 2020

-The NBA Finals looks like it's over-The Browns cannot beat the Cowboys if Baker makes it a shootout-Has LeBron had a better career than Michael Jordan?-Cam Newton would not be this successful outside of New EnglandGuests: Greg Cosell, NFL FilmsTristan Thompson, NBA Champion Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

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

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com Or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the Hurd. with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

Ah, it is a Thursday football tonight, baseball NBA last night, live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, right here on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, my favorite segment of the week, one hour from now, Greg CoSell, if you bet football or in fantasy football leagues or just love to get smarter. It is our NFL meat sandwich. 15 minutes of great with Greg Kosell on a Thursday in the herd one hour from now. Joy is a little down in the dumps today because of what transpired last night. It's not great.

The heat is not on, Colin. Not right now, no. Yeah. Yeah, it doesn't quite feel. Doesn't quite have. That's what it felt like last night. Well, they say, Joy, you should never overreact. react to game one of a series. It's easier in baseball because sometimes you just have a great

pitcher and nobody can hit him. But in basketball, you know, first game of a series, Spolstra's a great coach. He'll make changes. But there are two big issues for the Miami Heat, and I don't see these two issues changing. One, they're falling apart. Dragage is hurt. And number two is, this is a bad matchup. Let's just start with Bam out of Bayou, Miami. He's a nice young player, average 16 and 10 in the regular season. Against Boston, he looks like a great player. He averaged 22 a game. This is who he is.

No, that's who he is against Boston guarding Daniel Tice, where he can concentrate and be much more profound and dynamic on the offensive end because he doesn't have much of a defensive assignment. Now, BAM has to guard AD and occasionally LeBron, which will mean more fouls, sap more energy, and he will not be the offensive player he was in the Boston series. This matchup is not changing. He's a kid.

He's 23. LeBron and AD are not kids. They're going to go after him the entire series and should because it will take his offense away. This is a problem. The Lakers' front line is huge. 610 AD. 610 Dwight Howard, 6-9 LeBron.

They can bring in Javelle McGee. They are big and long and powerful and veterans. Miami's front line is 6-7 Duncan Robinson, who's a perimeter player, 6-6-J Crowder, and 6-9 Bam, who's a baby. They're going to have to play guys they don't necessarily want to play in this series. This matchup issue, Bam is a good young player. He averaged 16 a game.

That's what he is. 22 against the Celtics, a very small team that scores most of their points on the wing and in the back court is a different matchup. Boston was a very good matchup. This is a very bad matchup for the heat and bam. Here's the other thing. drogage is now hurt oh brother

and jimmy butler can get you 30 a night but you're going to have to score one 10 to 1 15 to win this series let's make it a math problem take out jimmy's 30 who's giving you the other 80 because bam's not dropping 22 a night in this series he'll be down to 15 16 17 because his defensive assignments are going to be so rigorous

can you imagine waking up who are you guarding tonight lebron and a d and you're 23 so the issue is druggage is hurt so you're not getting offense there. Bam's defensive assignments are tougher. You're not going to get huge offensive consistent output there. You need Tyler Hero to play, and he is a defensive liability. You don't have a choice now.

You need threes. You need somebody that can shoot. Tyler Hero's got to play because he's one of the great young shooters in the game. There are times he looks like Steph. I'm not saying he's step, but he's a great issue. And he's a defensive liability. Lakers go right after him. Lakers are a bunch of old veteran players.

They know the game. They know the sport. They don't have a lot of young players. They're going to go right after Tyler Hero. When he's on the floor, he is a defensive problem. But they've got to play him. It's a math problem. Jimmy Butler's giving you 25 to 30.

Hopefully he doesn't have an off night. Where are you getting your points? You're not going to get him from Bam like Boston. You're not getting him from Dragich. He was invisible. Now he's hurt. You've got to get him from Duncan Robinson and Tyler Hero and both are defensive liabilities, especially Tyler.

But you've got to pick your poison here. You've got to put him in, cross your fingers. He hits his threes. and cross your fingers, who he's guarding is not hot. Now, I don't think the Lakers will shoot like they did in the first half. Last night was one of those nights. The Lakers just, and this is a Laker team, we can never figure out who's going to score beyond LeBron and AD.

And last night, everybody was hitting. KCP was hitting. Caruso was hitting. Danny Green was hitting. But you got some issues here where it is a match-up problem. I mean, we watch Kansas City and Baltimore play on Monday. It's a match-up problem for Baltimore. It happens.

You know, the NBA, it's like fights. Mike Tyson was a bad. fit with Evander Holyfield. Evander Holyfield could take a punch. He could play the angles on Mike. He could deliver punches with Mike. He would get inside Mike Tyson. They could fight five times.

Evander Holyfield was a bad matchup for Mike Tyson. Baltimore, Kansas City's a bad matchup for him. Boston in Miami, Boston is so small. It allowed, bam, a young player to flourish. Defensive assignments weren't that rigorous. Good luck waking up in the morning if you're 23 years old, having to guard AD and LeBron. and Frank Vogel saw it.

And by the way, LeBron saw it after the game. He said, I can't wait. Just let's know what LeBron said after. I think you can learn so much more from a win than you can in a loss. And I can't wait for tomorrow for us to get back together and watch the film and see ways we can be better. Just keep pounding the ball to Anthony Davis. horse, bam, to have to guard Anthony and LeBron. It'll suck points away from his offensive game and it's a problem.

Here's the other advantage to the Lakers. I mean, when you watch like that kind of dominating performance, apathy sets in, right? Like, the Lakers have to convince themselves for the next three games they play. We've got to be mentally focused tonight or we cannot win and now Drogich is hurt. And that plays with your head. Like, what can they do? But there's not going to be apathy in this series because the Lakers want to get

hell out of the bubble. You're not going to have your typical apathy in a series where you win the first two games, you go on the road, you mailed it. Lakers want to go home. Lakers are an old team. Lakers guys are married. Lakers guys got kids. There's going to be no apathy here. They want to get the hell out of the bubble, go back to Los Angeles to their cribs in L.A. with beach views and their girlfriends, their wives, their fat. I don't see a sense of an apathy, which is always a problem when you have a game one blowout is you have to now convince the veteran team. These guys are really good. That was an aberration.

I guarantee you the heat now. I don't think the Lakers will shoot that well. I think Spolster's a great coach. I still think Miami wins a game or so in this series. But the matchups and now the mounting injuries, I think Miami's in trouble. I think they're in trouble. All right.

So it's going to be a very good NFL weekend. It starts tonight. Sam Darnold. I'll take the Jets, I think over Denver. I'll watch it. I mean, the NFL's got so much power. I'm going to watch two bad teams play. I think the Jets, Darnold,

probably probably find a way. to win narrowly, but it'll be really ugly football. One of the more entertaining games this weekend is going to be Cleveland against Dallas. This is Baker Mayfield, who's been, to say the least, a huge disappointment is the number one on the biggest stage playing in front of family and friends down in Texas. And Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, who frankly could be 0 and 3. They also could be 3 and 0, maybe 2 and 1. Baker Mayfield says, I am up for any kind of game we have to play.

When it comes down to it, we're playing the Cowboys defense. and we have to do whatever it takes to win. And if that is a shootout, then great. And if it's another game, we have to control the clock, then we'll do that. So whatever it takes to win. A no, if it is a shootout, it is not great. And this is going to be interesting for Baker Mayfield this weekend. He's going back home.

He's got dozens of friends and family in a stadium who played some high school and college football. He wants to show awful little. Baker's got a little ego. Baker wants to show the world. I can go toe to toe with Dak. Baker, take a deep breath. We now have a clear and inarguable truth about Baker Mayfield. You can no longer argue it.

The less Baker, the more they win. The Cleveland Browns are 7 and 1 with Baker Mayfield when they throw 26 or fewer times and he manages the offense. Don't ask a lot from him. Let him manage it, hand it off, and make a handful of big throws. They are 8 and 17. They're a bad, bad football team when they ask Baker to throw 27 or more. You can no longer argue it.

That's through multiple coaches. This GM and this head coach in Cleveland are brand new and have no loyalty to Baker. And they have discovered, to their credit, very quickly, more Baker, less winning. Less Baker, more winning. He cannot carry a film. He's not a lead. He can be Christopher Walkin and the Deer Hunter. He ain't De Niro.

First couple of years, everybody, number one pick. I know it's discouraging. I know it's disappointing. But I don't think it is. I think what's very encouraging for Cleveland and why I think they're going to win a lot of games this year, you know, Hollywood struggles with this. Actors in their early 20s.

Can Shia LaBuff be a lead? He does movies? What's the box office? You know, you find out. out. Some actors can be leads. Some actors are good two and threes. Baker's not a lead. And that's disappointing when you're a number one pick. But it's not disappointing if the new GM and the new coach can identify it and say, we can still get to the playoffs. We may not beat Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh, out. We can get to the playoffs with this. And I think they can. This is not a shootout weekend.

I know your family's going to be there and your friends. Your frat boys are going to be there. All the sooner fans, I get it. This team, Cleveland, if they run it 37, times can beat the Dallas Cowboys. If it becomes a shootout, Baker will make too many mistakes. It's no longer arguable. Seven and one when he doesn't throw much, eight and 17 when he throws too much. I like Dallas in a good game, and I actually do hope Baker understands what he is, and we get a great, great football game because it's not a great schedule this weekend of classic matchups. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having. having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jay and I'm Alex English Each episode we pick it here unpack what went down And try to make sense of how we survived it Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill Waxing all about crack in the 80s To be clear, 84 is big to me Not just because of crack

I'm down to talk about crack on day But just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack So I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So

Thank you for finishing that. sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests,

I'm talking. 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Jeff Van Gunny is an excellent broadcaster. Really good. Very good coach. People are rumored he's going to go to the Clippers. But, you know, there's always the LeBron and Michael debate. And, you know, people tend to romanticize the past. So, you know, a lot of people think, you know, everything was better in the 90s. I don't happen to be one of those people.

I think NBA players are much better now. Everybody can shoot. You know, you go back to the 80s and 90s. You'd have five guys on a roster that couldn't shoot, two or three starters that couldn't shoot. Everybody now can shoot. Seven footers can shoot. The game's much more skilled.

I mean, Anthony Davis is 6'10. He can ball handle. He can shoot. He can defend. I mean, it used to be guys like Anthony Davis were back to the basket. You couldn't run the floor, couldn't put the ball on the floor, couldn't beat anybody off the dribble, couldn't shoot. The league's never been better. LeBron's beating unbelievably talented players and making them all look small. But the game was also very physical back then.

It was a grab push hand check league and people argue that Michael's better and this and that, but you think LeBron would have struggled with the hand check? He's 6-9, 250 with a 3% body fat. He'd had done just fine in any era. Michael would have done very good in this era. Great players are great players. Will Chamberlain would have been good in this era. Kareem would have been good in the 50s or now. Great is great. But Jeff Van Guddy made a real point about the whole LeBron MJ debate. I don't like the whole comparison thing about who's better, but I would say at the end of

his career, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you're going to be able to make a case that one of them, and I would say LeBron James, is going to have the best career. Does that mean he's the best player? That's up for anybody else to debate. I mean, you're talking about a career longevity-wise? That's unparalleled other than Kareem. I mean, I watch Kareem. I'm old enough.

I watched Kareem at the very end. He was hobbling up and down the floor. You still couldn't stop the sky hook. There was a play before half. It didn't count with LeBron James. Let's roll the tape. This looks like a pitcher that's still throwing 99 miles an hour. It looks like a running back that's still rushing for 1,700 yards.

It didn't count, but look at LeBron. Year 17. Good hell. What is that? It's not close. Kareem and MJ were broken down. LeBron's not even close to the end of his career. He's got three.

He'll start next year as the best player in the league. And if he's not, he's two. So it's a whole different ballgame. Portland, Houston, and Denver, all three series. And by the way, this one too. What's the big question? Who can guard LeBron? Nobody on Portland could, nobody on Houston could, nobody on Denver could, and nobody,

Jimmy Butler can give it a run, but you can't have Jimmy Butler guarding him for 38 minutes. Jimmy Butler's got to work. He's going to be one of your only scores for Miami. Who can guard LeBron? I mean, that is the question now. He's the best player now. He'll be the best player at the start of next year. And the one thing is that LeBron is more adaptable than Michael.

Michael was the killer and the score, but he worked with one great teammate and one great coach. LeBron's worked with Bosch and Kyrie and D. Wade and Kevin Love and Anthony Davis. And LeBron's much more adaptable. He's much less rigid. He's gotten five head coaches to the finals. He's worked with multiple systems and multiple teammates and multiple old guys in multiple cities. Michael, think about it this. If they were not basketball players, if LeBron and Michael were CEOs, Michael would be the CEO that came to a company, rebuilt it, and hit it out of the park. then got burned out and quit, came back and did it again at the same company, then left and could never turn around another dysfunctional company of the Wizards.

LeBron would be the CEO that entered a company, built it up, but felt he didn't have the personnel to really crush it. Went to Miami, crush that company. Went back to the old company he couldn't win a title with, crush that company. Moves to L.A., crushes that company. No quitting, no taking time off. Different coaches, different employees, different systems, different infrastructures, boom, boom, boom.

It's more impressive what LeBron's doing. If you took the basketball out and just said they're both CEOs, one guy quit, one guy couldn't work without a head coach and without a co-star. LeBron's done it with Wade and Bosch and Love and Kyrie and Anthony Davis, guards and forwards and bigs and young and old and flaky and, I mean, everybody. It's just, it's a more impressive career. You can argue best player at their prime. Michael was about,

Michael's probably the most dynamic individual player I've ever seen in my life in the prime of his career is great six years. I would never deny that. Michael's great. But adaptable, the ability to work multiple level systems coaches. I don't think there's anything close to LeBron. And that play at the end of the half, I just laugh watching it. I'm like, that's a guy still throwing 99 on the corner.

That's not a pitcher. That's 99 miles an hour if you're a major league baseball pitcher in the series. in the series. That is running for 1,600 yards as a running back in the Super Bowl. Like, he's not close. He is not even close to the end of his career. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I thought it was interesting, Josh McDaniels,

the very, very talented offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots was talking about Cam Newton. And I think Cam Newton understood the urgency of this situation. There were not a lot of teams that wanted. them and there were two potential outcomes. Don't embrace New England system and your career could mostly be over. The big paydays are over. Or embrace it.

Play well. Win and potentially get a big payday after it. I think Cam Newton understood the urgency of it. Credit to him and Josh McDaniels talked about that. I've been super impressed with his humility. This guy has, you know, he's accomplished a lot in his career, you know, and being 10 years in the league and doing all the things he's done. coming here and having no familiarity with our coaching style or our system or the way we do things,

I have been incredibly impressed with the way he's embraced it. And I do think Cam deserves a lot of credit here. He understood there were multiple outcomes here. One really good, big payday coming up. One, you may be limited. There's too many good young quarterbacks. He comes in, doesn't embrace it. he's out.

But here's what I'm hearing a lot of now, my least favorite trait from the media. I cannot believe the league let Belichick have Cam. Oh, you're all experts now. That is implying two things. That had Cam gone to Detroit or Washington or the Chargers, it would have worked out this well. Tom Brady's career wouldn't have been Tom Brady's career in Detroit or Cincinnati.

You're implying that it would have looked at, just like this anywhere, and that Belichick and McDaniels aren't special. If you think that, get another job. They change the history of football. They changed Brady's career. Randy Moss was a mess, went to there, flourished, left, didn't do well. I mean, Randy Moss is an all-time great. He had like four, three years late in his career.

It was great. This place. They take big personalities. They just take anything on, and it almost always works. So the idea that Cam would have been this Cam in Detroit, or the Chargers or any other team, stop it. Secondly, then you're also implying that the previous four years, there weren't legitimate questions about Cam.

Ron Rivera didn't want him. He was hurt a lot. His last eight starts, he was 0 and 8 with more picks than interceptions. He was uneven at times moody, sometimes distracted. Those were all legitimate questions. We know we judge quarterbacks more harshly than we do receivers and linebackers and offensive guards. We expect them to be presidential.

quarterbackial, and sometimes Cam played with flair and was a little distracted. He didn't always elevate Carolina players offensively. Those were real legitimate questions. If you go 0 and 8 with more picks than interceptions in your last 8, start, and your head coach Ron Rivera, who's respected around the league, goes and get your backup and not you, those are legitimate questions that were year after year after year. It's a 500 quarterback post-Suber Bowl.

So let's not imply those two things. The questions about him were real, and Belichick and Josh McDaniels have given him a perfect home with a great defense. He doesn't have to win shootouts, very good offensive line, solid running backs, a great ecosystem, and mostly some winnable games in a mostly, you know, dysfunctional division outside of Buffalo now. So I think it's great. I've said this before. I like stories. Good or bad.

I like stories. NBA has always been a league. It's a great story league. I think the NFL in the last two years has surpassed the NBA in terms of stories. I always liked watching the NFL more, but it was very corporate. Sometimes it was very kind of stayed and suppressed. The league's better when cams in it and healthy. The good cam. The early cam in this cam, league's better. What you think it'd be better if Jared Stenham started? That's not as interesting. You know, like to be, to struggle and be interesting, you usually have to be like Baker or Burrow where you've got a lot of hype and a lot of talk and you're new and I haven't seen much and oh my god I watch baker early

and burrow now and they're not great and the teams aren't good but by and large I watch the teams with the good quarterbacks who win a bunch of games the early cam and this cam is good for the league but let's not imply that it would have just turned out like this without bellichick and Josh they changed tom Brady they changed the history of the league I mean literally it's the only 20-year dynasty in the history of the sport all other dynasties like the dallas and 49ers dynasty looks small look tiny compared to this one more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day seven days a week within the iHeart radio app search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like a man who has worked

for 41 years at nfl films just my favorite 12 15 minutes of the week gregg cocell is joining us via the coward global satellite network all right so we'll we'll we'll revisit a question that I asked you last week, but we have another game and more tape for you, Greg. So let's just revisit. We know Carson Wentz is struggling. Same issues against Cincinnati, in your opinion? Well, I think right now he's fighting it mentally, Colin. I think what you're seeing is a quarterback that is just not seeing it as clearly as he should. His recognition of what he's looking at is not quite as clean. So his elimination of what's not there and his isolation of what is there is not as quick as it needs to be. He's clearly having some ball placement issues. But you do see that moments,

the touchdown he threw to Ward was a big time play because of what he did recognize. So, you know, I've made this analogy numerous times talking to different people this week. To me, it's almost like a hitter in baseball. When you're red hot, it doesn't matter who the pitcher is. The ball looks like a beach ball. When you're in a slump, it doesn't. doesn't matter who the pitcher is, the ball looks like a BB. He's fighting it right now. And all you can do is work through that. Yeah. Speaking of working through it, so I've watched every snap of Tom Brady. I think I mentioned this last week. He's never had this many options. He didn't have preseason. In a weird way, Chris Godwin being out for another week is an interesting element where maybe he gets to work more with

Evans and more with the tight ends and more with Scotty Miller. So what are you seeing Tom week to week? far? I think it's been a little up and down. There's been moments where you say, hey, that's Tom Brady. Great sense of timing and rhythm. I thought he made an unbelievable throw two weeks ago to Mike Evans for 50 yards against cover two. Just classic Brady timing touch, precise ball placement. You see that. But then I think you see some other throws where maybe he's just not quite as comfortable. Godwin will be out again this week. So the receiving core, when they go to three wide, will likely be Evans, Watson, Miller. Maybe the rookie Tyler Johnson will get more snaps.

So I still think he's working through that because he's such a mechanically sound, rhythmic timing player. It's all about repetitive mechanics doing the same thing over and over and over again. Maybe he and Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Maybe there's no one like that who's played, but that's the way Tom Brady is. Okay. So one player, I talked to a scout last night in the NFL. And he said, Colin, privately, if you ask some GMs this morning after three weeks in the year about Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, I think there'd be some that would move to Josh Allen's side because we knew he had a big arm.

We knew he was athletic. His accuracy now, I mean, you've got to give Brian Daibel the offensive coordinator some credit, Greg. He has made a jump. I didn't know he could make. What does the film say on Josh Allen? Well, there's still a little bit of the Josh Allen experience, Colin. You know, it's like the Jimmy Hendricks experience, I guess. But there's no question at times.

There's still a frenetic nature to his game. I think he'll always be like that. I think the goal with him is as he gets more experience, you try to channel that a little. He probably channels it on his own. But he is a big physical kid who can make throws. He's been consistently more accurate. He's been better within structure.

They're a team that does like to push the ball down the field. so that fits his style. You know, I remember when I came out there a number of years ago and he had just finished his junior year in college, and you and I talked and I said, you've got to keep your eye on Josh Allen. This is going to be a top 10 pick. And he's just so physically gifted,

and they're really doing a good job with him. I think you'll see them cut down on his design runs. They'll use it in strategic tactical moments, but it won't be the same as a Lamar Jackson. Now, he's a better thrower than Lamar Jackson, just a pure thrower of the football. Yeah. So I want to ask two questions on that Monday night debacle. Let's start with this. What happened to Baltimore's defense? They were often, it felt like the alignment was wrong.

There were too many blown coverage. What was wrong with Baltimore's defense? Well, could I answer it this way if you don't mind? I think the bigger question, because Patrick Mahomes is pretty much going to put up 30 on anybody. I don't think it's a surprise when Kansas City scores 30, correct? Right. I don't think we're surprised by that. The bigger surprise, I think, was the fact that Baltimore's offense looked a little discombobulated. And I think what Steve Spagnolo did was just absolutely brilliant. Now, don't forget, he does have in his back pocket the fact that he knows his offense will likely put up 30 plus.

But he came out and here's what he said on third down and other downs. He said, we're going to play press man, we're going to blitz, and we're going to make the receivers have to win one-on-one, and we're going to have to make Lamar make precise ball placement throws. to beat us. That's the challenge. Can you guys accept it? Because that's what you're going to have to do to beat us. And you know what? If Lamar, you make a couple of great runaround plays, great. More power to you. I don't think you can do enough of that to score 35. And that's what they did. Now, I'm not a big blueprint guy, Colin, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you, well, every team's going to do that. It depends on your team. And the fact that the chiefs can obviously score a lot of points. Not every team can do that. But we'll see that the Baltimore offense, as I've told you, many times the foundational and philosophical structure is Lamar Jackson as a runner. That's where it begins. Everything works off of that.

I think he's an improving thrower, but I don't think they want. They're telling you how they want to play, by the way. This is not me. They're telling you, I don't think they want to be in a situation where he's a drop-back quarterback just yet. He may get there, but not just yet. 41 years watching NFL films. Greg Kossel joining us.

All right. So I think self-identifying your limitations is really important in this league and your strengths. I think Baker Mayfield can win a bunch of games throwing it 23 times. He is 7 and 1 throwing 26 or fewer. He's 8 and 17 throwing 27 or more. I like what I see from Cleveland. And I think Kevin Stefansky's identified very early. We don't think he's a number one pick.

Somebody else did that. But we do think there's a structure in which he can win. It looks like it's fairly clear what Cleveland thinks of Baker and their offense. Yeah, and I think that's a Stefansky belief anyway. In some ways, they're like Tennessee. I think you have two teams that they start with the run game. That's exactly how Cleveland starts. And by the way, they've expanded the run game.

Everyone thought of Stefansky, based on his history, is a zone run game guy. You've seen a lot more of what we call Gap Scheme pulling guards this year. They've been really good at it. I think that will be their approach. Now, the main issue with an approach like that is if you do get behind and you do have to throw the ball. Now, I think Baker is capable. He's a very good thrower. Now, there's other things that he probably has to work through in order to become a much higher level quarterback overall. But this is the way they want to play. Now, much of that then depends on your defense. They're going to go into Dallas this week. Dallas puts up a lot of points.

If they get into a shootout, that profile changes. You can't throw it 23 times. and have your backs run it 35 times. The profile has to change by necessity. So much depends on the ability of their defense to keep games together so that they can play offensively the way they really want to play. It's interesting. I think the Chicago Bears story for three years has been a story of a very good coach, Matt and Aggie, very clever, who is limited by his GM, who I don't love, and his quarterback.

Now they're 3-0, and they've got Nick Foles, who let it rip Nick, has his moments. Do you think differently this morning watching the Bears at 3-0 with this quarterback than Trubisky? Do you think it's a more legit three and O, a more legit team going forward in that division? Well, I think Foles gives you more consistency on a play-to-play quarter-to-quarter game-to-game basis. I think when you talk to coaches in the league, they'll tell you that Foles has limitations. Everyone knows what they are, but he's more consistent, as I said, just play to play. And I think that Nick knows where he's going with the football. He's willing to turn it loose. I think he's unfazed by moments. He's played in big moments and just his demeanor. You can tell it's

just it's just the next play to him. And I think he's tough in the pocket. And I think that always means something to teammates when a quarterback stands in there and takes hits like he did on the game winning touchdown last week versus cover zero when he took a big shot and made the throw. So I think He gives you a better feel, a better energy throughout your offense, that there will be greater consistency to what you're trying to get done. All right. Let's go to Aaron Rogers. First couple of weeks, I don't like Minnesota's personnel defensively as much as it did a couple years ago.

And then they beat the Lions and I'm like, whatever. But then I'm watching him, even without a Devonte Adams against New Orleans. And I'm like, okay, this is next level. Aaron's very much comfortable. I also think, by the way, I also think last year, as a rookie coach, LaFleur was very good. off the script on script. They were not a very good second half team last year. Most young coaches are good on the script, but Pete Carolyn Belichick, those guys,

Andy Reader adjustment coaches too. I think they become a much better second half team, which I think is some credit to a young coach growing. So that's part of what I see. But I want you to talk about Aaron the Packers and what the film says. Well, I think they're doing some really good things offensively. I think you're seeing some more play action, some more play action boot. They're getting involved a lot more with the misdirection element, the deception element,

because right now defenders, you try to grab their eyes, make them think they see something that they don't see. You know, on defense, if you're a step late, you're beaten. I think they're doing a really nice job with that. You know, it's really interesting, and we're going to show this play in a moment, but it's really interesting when you talk about receivers who are not speed receivers when they can get on top of the defense because the play design allows them to do that. I mean, Rogers did not have Devante Adams last week, who, by the way, just as an aside, I think Devante Adams is absolutely special.

I watched him this summer every one of his targets and many other plays, and he is a phenomenal route runner. He is so much fun to watch. And he'll be back soon. But, you know, the play I'm going to show, and we can run it right now because this was from last week. So when you see this play, this was a 48-yard at Alan Lazard. And here's the play action boot that I was speaking about, what they're doing more of.

But this is such a great example of how one. thing by a defense can cause problem. So you see Rogers. Now, he's under center here. And this will be play action boot to the left, which you don't see a lot. Tough throws when you're booting to your left. There's Alan Lazard. Notice the reduced split. He's tight to the formation. He's going to run a deep sail route. So now there's two defenders to keep an eye on. It's the corner Latimore and the safety Jenkins. We mentioned the play action boot away from them. Watch how they take just two steps toward that. We slowed it down because that's all it takes is two steps toward that. And now look what happens. Lizarre can get on top of those guys. It doesn't look like he's on top now,

but he's both Jenkins and Lattimore. And it's ultimately Lattimore's play here where the ball's thrown. He's beaten. And Lattimore's way faster than Lazzard, but just two steps because of the play action boot, because the run action away, and he is beaten. And this is just what they're doing, really, and by the way, the throw is ridiculous. That's 53 yards in the air going to his left. We kind of lose sight of how ridiculous a throw that is. So, you know, I think that LaFleur is doing a great job. I think Rogers has settled into this offense. I think he's clearly more comfortable. I think you can see that just in his body language. There are a pretty complete team right now. Yeah, they are. No, I love it. And Devante Adams is ridiculous. I mean, I need to watch more Fresno State football games because I don't

remember him in college, but he is just, you watch him. He and DeAndre Hopkins, I'm not sure there's a corner that can guard him. Seriously. He, Adams is a phenomenal route where he just, he just understands how to run routes. Greg, great seeing you. Thank you so much. All right, Colin, appreciate it. Thank you. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you'll say. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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

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

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

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

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field

and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tript 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. Decade in the NBA, finals in four straight years. He's a big guy.

He's a big fella. And when I watched that game last night, the Lakers size was such a problem for Miami. It felt like the series was over, and he is joining us now live via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Were you surprised by how dominant the Lakers were, Tristan? Yeah, most definitely. I know going to this series,

I knew that AD had to be a big factor, but I didn't realize, you know, with Dwight Howard and AD on the court against Bam and Jay Crowell's like, man, this is like men of versus boys. Like, you know, Dwight Howard's dumping it off, getting assists, which I've never seen Dwight Howard really do to AD just playing big for big.

It was just like varsity versus JV. It was just like, look, just getting N-1's, offensive rebounds, like, Lord Jesus. Yeah. Now, now you've been in enough finals, Did you ever play at a game one, maybe get beat badly, or win big? And, like, what do you think the heater is saying today? I think it's very similar to in 2018 when we got swept by Golden State.

We had a lot of fresh faces, guys that have never been to the finals. And that game when LeBron's charge turned to a block, which I've never seen happen before in NBA history, you know, that game we lost. I think for some guys on our team that haven't been to the final, I think mentally it kind of, you know, set our team back. And I feel like for Miami, like, this was their game that they needed to win because I think confidence-wise, these guys that are young and experience,

they need a game like this to, like, feel like, okay, we belong here. You know what I'm saying? Like, we beat Milwaukee, we beat Boston. But, like, you know, when you're warming up and you see LeBron and AD dunking and layup lines, you're like, you're intimidated. It's just the natural reaction. So last night, definitely. showed like, you know, it was like, you know, the A team versus the B team, you know?

What do you think LeBron says? I think apathy can be a real thing when you have a dominant team. LeBron's smart. He watches that game and he thinks Bam Abadabayu is not going to stop A.D. And he knows nobody's going to stop him. What do you think LeBron is saying last night and this morning? Definitely keep the foot on the gas. I think one thing about this Miami ball club and the organization that's rambling with Pat Rowley and Spolstra is that, you know, they're not going to give up, you know, even though they might not have as much talent, guys might fall because of injury, they're going to keep playing hard for 48 minutes, and LeBron knows that because he's been there. He knows, he knows Spostra. He knows what Spolstra saying to those guys. So for

LeBron, it's like, you know, we're not taking our foot off the gas. You know, we've got to continue attacking these guys. They're small in us. Attack the rebound. AD, continue to be 25 and 15. Dwight, when you're out there, get offensive rebound, do things that don't show up in in the stats sheet, but you're still impacting the game. So this is just a veteran ball club that understands, but especially with LeBron, and he knows what's on the line. He's locked in, and he's keeping that car on a supercharge. You know, LeBron said this was the most challenging playoffs of his life in the bubble.

I'm sure you've talked to some of your friends in the league and some of the Lakers. Kind of tell my audience what you're going through as an older player for the last three months in Florida in this bubble. Yeah, no, it's, it's, it's, the bubble is definitely, especially for veteran players, it's much more difficult, especially for a guy LeBron, you know, he's a guy that, you know, he's got a big family, he's got wife, kids, he has his routine, you know, he's, he's making movie, he's, he's, he's a big routine guy. So for him being in L.A. and be able to get his treatment and being with his family and chef, like all that stuff, even for like other players, like that stuff is kind of like what helps you get ready for the game. So for him not being able to, to have that in a, a daily basis. it's definitely frustrating and tough but if you ask a guy like Tyler Hero or some other young guys that are 1920 they're just used to this

you know this is like AAU where it's like hotel eat food in the lounge go back to your room play video games you know for them they really don't have much else going on so for a younger guy it's like hey man I was just doing this like you know eight months ago in college at Kentucky

but for Guy of LeBron you know this is definitely difficult especially you know the hotel room no matter how big your suite is but every day you're there longer the room just gets smaller and smaller and it just drives you crazy It certainly does. I have said I'm shocked, not shocked, I'm surprised that LeBron and A.D., the first two weeks, it just clicked.

Are you surprised? No, not at all. I think what makes this duo different than the other teams in league compared to, you know, the Russell Westbrook and James Hardin or Ben and Embed, I think with this one is that, first of all, LeBron shoots a better now in his career, which opens up a lot for A. to work around on the left block and work in the paint, which AD wants to do. And for LeBron, you know, he's basically the point guard. So he knows exactly, you know, where AD wants it, how to get AD going. If you watch the games, you know, LeBron should get AD going early. You let you feed the beast early, you get him going, and LeBron can get his numbers.

He knows he can get his numbers. He knows how he can get himself going. So I think that's why it's worked so well compared to like, you know, with M.B. and Ben, you know, they both playing the paint. With Russell Westbrook and James Hardin, they're both ball dominant. So it's tough because guys kind of have to give up a little bit, you know? And even with LeBron and D. Wade, they went through some growing pains because they both are like, you know, point guards on the floor and they both have the ball on their hand. But with AD and LeBron, it's just like Shaq and Kobe here.

Feed the big fella, you go to work and the double team, you kick it out to me. I trust my three point shot or come in a pick and roll. Let me attack the rim and get a two-on-one action. You know, it's interesting, an interesting player last night. He was very good early as Tyler Hero. So with Gorin Dragage, hurt, we'll find out more with Joy Taylor. and heard light news, but with him hurt, you don't have many options now. You've got to pick, you know, Tyler Hero's a problem defensively, but you need his

scoring because outside of Jimmy Butler now, you just need his scoring. And Bam's got to play such good defense in this series. That's going to sap some energy from him on the offensive end. But if you were the Lakers and you knew the heat had to play Tyler Hero 30 minutes because they need his offense so desperately, what would you do if you were Frank Vogel? If I'm Frank Bogle, first play the game, if I'm not giving it to AD, I'm running a pick and roll. Whoever Tyler Hero is guarding,

come set of pick and roll. So he's probably going to be guarding Danny Green. So if I'm LeBron, come up top Danny Green, set this green, let me get an ISO against Tyler Hero. You know, at the end of day, Spolstra knows that he needs scoring, but he's going to have to sacrifice some defense. But with Tyler Hero in the game, you know,

you're going to have to give him the defense. So if I'm Frank Vogel, we're going to attack Tyler Hero every time. We're going to put him in every pick and roll. and with him having to guard on the offense event, maybe his legs might be tired. He might, you know, some of his shots might be short. So, you know, Tala here, get them puppies ready because, you know, you have to play both ends.

And, you know, you want to be a good plaintiff's league. You don't have to do on both ends. So we've got to be ready. You know, it's interesting, Tristan Thompson joining us, is that the bubble COVID actually gave LeBron's legs about four months off. I think he's the fresh as he's been in years. I mean, what does it look like to you? No, he looks fresh.

You saw at the end of the half time when Kuzma threw up that floater, he did a reverse dunk. I said, Lord, I can't even do that if I warm up for 30 minutes. So I think this COVID thing was the best for LeBron's legs to keep him fresh. And you see it out there. He's shooting threes. He's playing 40 minutes. He's dunking. He's playing on both ends.

He might sprain an ankle and dunk the next play, which is crazy and unheard of. But I think this was like a blessing in the sky for him. Finally, Kyrie Irving had a recent quote on KD. He said, I felt like I was. the best option on every team I played for down the stretch. This is the first time with KD in my career where I can say that guy can make that shot too. What do you make of that? I'm hoping that it was a way to get, you know, to bring him and KD closer. So give him a compliment for Eagle because that's what I'm hoping because, you know, you play with LeBron,

K-love. And in terms of making shots, I mean, J.R. Smith is probably the best guys to take a shot from any around the court, and he can make it. So he's played with some other killers on the court. So I'm hoping that this is just part of Sean Marks and Kyrie's plan to get KD altogether and make it a great kumbaya because in Cleveland, we had some bad boys. I mean, like the guy is playing the finals last night, LeBron James. He's a pretty good player. So if I give him the ball, I'm pretty sure he'll make shots too. I had the Lakers in five.

I think it may be a sweep. I really do feel there's, I think, Adam Otabayu matched up great with the Celtics because they were a small team and he could concentrate on offense. I think Bam defensively now has to guard LeBron and AD. I don't think you get much offense from him. I think it's a problem they can't solve. I think we could be looking at a sweep. Your thought, what do you think?

Going into this, I was saying because I respect the Heath's organization and I respect Spolster and Pau Riley, I was saying, you know, Lakers in six. but of course if guys are not playing if Droghik's out, it's a big loss for them so then I move it down to Lakers in five. But I think I have Lakers win the first two games.

I think game three, if the heat want to win a game and probably the only game that I have them winning would be game three. They'll treat like their game seven. Yeah. And I think that's their one win and an opportunity to get a win

instead of getting a four-o sweep. So I just haven't getting one win. And just last night was just, I was really surprised and shocked how much size was a factor in game one. Of course, Lakers aren't going to shoot it as great every first half like that again. I know we've been talking about it. You know, we try to figure out, you know, who's going to make shots for them.

So they were definitely clicking also in their first half. But I think, you know, the heat can get game through. I think that's their one win they'll get in the series. Tristan, absolute pleasure talking to you 10 years in the NBA four straight finals. We'll talk, Summa, man. Thanks. Appreciate it. Thank you. 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 podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.