The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Oct 02, 2020

Episode Date: October 2, 2020

-Should the Jets move off of Sam Darnold for Trevor Lawrence?-Kyrie Irving is the crazy guy at a party you don't want to talk to-The Cowboys aren't seeing their offense the way they should-Baker Mayfield needs to change his mentalityGuest: Albert Breer, The MMQBJordan Palmer, former NFL QB and now QB Coach 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 iHeart radio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the Heard. with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

It is a Friday. Settle in. Lots to discuss. Blazing 5 in an hour. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Again, one hour from now off a red-hot week.

The Blazing Five returns. That Cowboy Brown's game will just be one of our five picks. Great to have you in. Enjoy, Taylor. Are you ready to go on a Friday? Miami, Lakers tonight. Lakers heavily favored. Heat got a bunch of hurt players. I'm very nervous, I think, as I should be, but I'm excited. And a big weekend of football, too. Huge weekend at college, pro football, NBA basketball, baseball playoffs. Let's start here with the obvious stuff. I like Sam Darnel and know Sam Darnel. I watched him playing college. I met him several times, met his family. I was a fan last night rooting for him. I was kind of a fan rooting for the kid to survive. I generally try not. not to root, but there are some athletes I like. They stand for what I believe in.

But the New York Jets are bad. They do not have a best player. It's Darnold. They do not have a best unit according to pro football focus. Last year, the Ravens had 12 pro bowlers. The Jets will have none. And they also have a head coach that's lost and a defensive coordinator that doesn't like the head coach and has come unglued. I didn't think Darnal was bad last night. He had an amazing run. He led the Jets in running. rushing. Of course he had to. He completed 40% of his third down conversions. He was throwing to a wide receiver Jeff Smith, who had one career NFL catch before last night. He was sacked six times, hit 10 to 11 times, and overall didn't throw an interception, throwing to a bunch of deck chairs.

I didn't think he was terrible against the Denver team that actually has some talent. But the question remains for Darnold and the Jets. There's only one question. This is the first or second worst team in the NFL. Do you draft Trevor Lawrence or a Justin Fields or do you stick with Darnold? What do you do? It's two interesting options because if you decide to stick with Darnold, you're going to be able to trade the Lawrence pick and get three first round picks, three second round picks, and maybe a player.

And the Jets already have two first round picks in this draft and two first round picks. and two first round picks and next draft because of Jamal Adams. So you would have Sam Darnold, a new coach, two first rounders, two second rounders, maybe three first rounders, maybe three second rounders. And you're getting rid of Labian Bell, obviously, worst kept secret in New York, so you'd have as much cap space as anybody in the league because you're not paying anybody including Darnold yet. Would I stay with Darnold?

Yes, if I could get Urban Meyer or Lincoln Riley or. Brian Daibald, the offensive coordinator for Buffalo, elite candidates. Because then Sam Darnold, who I still think is a B-plus talent, you can win games with that coach and those draft picks and that salary space. But who are the Jets going to get? They're the Jets. Matt Ruhl was a coach at Baylor who's from New York and he said, no thanks. I'll take Carolina.

I don't believe the Jets or the Browns or Detroit or the Jaguars. at this stage can get elite candidates. You get one and you cross your fingers. Often they've never even been a head coach. Atlanta's going to have an opening. Good owner, good GM, Matt Ryan. Hey, some good players. That's a good job.

Live in the heart of the south. Atlanta's a fun city. There's some pressure, but it's almost a college football market. I'd take that job. But the Jets job is probably going to end up going to somebody who's never been a coach before. And by the way, here's why I like Donald. With Daniel Jones or Dwayne Haskins, I see glimpses of competency. With Sam Darnold last night again, I see glimpses of great and dynamic and amazing and, oh my God, how was he doing it?

Battle line, bad receivers, below average running back tight end. There are glimpses that are really highly impressive and I think he needs coaching. Josh Allen was bad in college and awful his first year and a half in the NFL. Brian Dable turned him around. Be careful about bailing on young quarterbacks. What do they have to work with? Baker Mayfield appears to be now better today than a year ago today. He got the better coach.

And I don't think Baker is an A prospect. Never have. So it really comes down not to Sam Darnold, but who can you get to coach Sam Darnold? because if you can't get an elite coach, then you're probably better off getting an A-plus prospect in Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence with a C-coach can win games. Sam Darnold with a C-coach can't. And I don't think the Jets can get an A-coach.

So this may be the end for Sam Darnold eventually in New York. All right. I have sort of a rule in life, and I have had this rule for a long time. I don't get into arguments with people who say dumb stuff and with people who want to talk nonsense. You go to a party, you meet somebody, you get invited to a party with your wife, there's 30 people there, you start talking, and you're running into crazy conspiracy theory guy. I just nod, fascinating. I'm going to go find the bean dip.

I don't really have a lot of agitation in my life because it's one of my life rules I tell my kids. Don't let somebody with no life ruin yours. Don't get into arguments with silly people. Don't talk nonsense. Keep it serious. Keep it straight. Keep a tight circle. Kyrie Irving once said the world was flat.

I'm out. Now he's saying coaches don't matter. Yes, he was on a podcast with Kevin Durant. And this is what he said. We don't need somebody to come in and put their coaching philosophy on everything that we're doing and change up the wheel and, yo, you guys need to start doing this. And we start running on the first day of practice. It's just like, no, I don't really see us having a head coach.

You know what I mean? Like, Katie, it could be a head coach. I could be a head coach. Jacques Vaughn could do it one day. It could be, it can be, it's a collaborative effort, I think, on our part. No, not really. It's, that's not, that's not what it is. It's coaching matters.

That's why Nick Nurse won a championship last year. All those years grinding it out, G-League. Nick Nurse is a terrific coach. Now, that's not to say LeBron James can't take Frank Vogel to the finals. LeBron's the best basketball player I've seen since Jordan. I mean, there are players. Kyrie is not LeBron. He can't stay healthy.

Kevin Durant's good, but he's not LeBron mentally and he can't stay healthy. But coaches matter. Eric Spolstra is taking a really good player, Jimmy Butler, a really nice player, and a bunch of kids to the NBA finals. over Janice, over a Boston team that I think has more talent, certainly more veteran talent. Are you going to tell me Eric Spolstra's not a great coach? Or that Rick Carlisle didn't matter,

winning with Dirk Novitsky and an old Jason kid? Of course coaching matters. Mark Jackson was coach of the Warriors. Then Steve Kerr took it over, and they suddenly got better. And I like Mark Jackson, but it was an offensive league more so than ever, and Kerr was a better fit. The world is flat.

I'm out. Coaches don't matter. I'm kind of out on that. I'm not saying Kyrie's not great. That's never really been the question. But he has now bailed on Brad Stevens. He's bailed on LeBron. The world is flat.

And coaches don't matter. I'm just not interested in getting into those discussions. The world is around. Coaches matter. Maybe not as much as LeBron, but coaches do matter. Brad Stevens knows what he's doing. I don't think anybody will. would dispute that he got to a national championship game at Butler.

Most of you outside of the state of Indiana could not find Butler's campus on a map, Google map, if I gave you four states to look it up. And yes, coaching, coaching's a thing. Now, now again, it is the NBA, but even in the NBA, Red Arbach, Phil Jackson. I mean, you can go back, Chuck Daly. You know what you find when you find NBA dynasties? You not only find really good players, you also find really good coaches. That's what you find with every dynasty of my life.

Greg Popovich, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson twice, Red Arbach years and years ago, coaches matter. And I just, I'm not going to spend a lot of time arguing. I'll defend Kyrie. on the other opinion he had on the podcast that he always felt he was the best closer on every team he's had. I'll defend that. He's a great closer. LeBron does a lot of things. You could certainly make an argument as if there was a last shot in a game, Kyrie is terrific. Maybe he was taking a shot at LeBron, but I can defend that. Kevin Durant may be a better closer than LeBron. He's not a better

player than LeBron, although for years people thought he was or it was real close. But I I could coach, Kevin, you could coach, Jack Vaughn could coach, said, No, that's not. I'm not going to get into those arguments. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. 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 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? I do a 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 age. 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 IHeartRadio 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, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So, Dak Prescott is not going to stray from the message. He has always been very much aligned with Jerry. and the coach. He's not going to stray from it. He believes coaching matters, unlike Kyrie Irving.

We know he's not disruptive. We know he's not subversive. That's not his personality. He is very much, here's what the team wants to do. And I will lead us first through the team, the owner, the GM, the coach's message. That's who he is. So when he says this, it leads me to believe this is how Mike McCarthy sees the vision of the Cowboys going forward with their offense. We want to play faster. We want to play with tempo. Regardless, if we're out by a few touchdowns, the game's tied or we're down.

It just gives us more opportunities on offense, more opportunities to create big plays and score more points. So I'd say the tempo is definitely purposeful. That means the Cowboys' defense is on the field longer and it is not remotely close to elite. At this point, the Cowboys' defense is not close to very good or good. Although I do think Alden Smith has been a great, great surprise. Shootout teams, my friends, do not win Super Bowls. What about Patrick Mahomes?

The Chiefs hit their stride last year in week 11 when the defense started playing with Chris Jones and Honeybadger, really good football. Why do you give Zeke, just financially, $100 million or more, if you're not going to give him the ball? We've got data since Zeke entered the league. Cowboys are 35 and 15, when they give him the rock just 15 times or more. Not even 20, not even 30, just 15 times or more.

Start with a running game. We know that complimentary football wins in this league. That's sort of the Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, complimentary football. The Cowboys throw 66% of the time. That is not complementary. I'll give you an example how much that is. Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes.

They throw 58% of the time. Green Bay has Aaron Rogers. They throw 54% of the time. Baltimore, Lamar Jackson, and great tight-end play throws 50% of the time. And even Russell Wilson, under 60. The Cowboys throw 66% of the time. And I think Dak is way closer. to a Matt Ryan, then a Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rogers, or Russell Williams,

in really talking sheer raw talent. If that's the vision of the Cowboys, to me, Mike McCarthy needs an optometrist. This should be, and we've got data, a 55-45-45 pass-run offense. I have no problem with this receiving core, letting Dak sling it. He is more than capable, can take hits, durable. And I also like, frankly, when they design run. He can take the shots. He's very good at it. But throwing 66% of the time is getting in track meets. That's firework shows.

That is shootouts. I do not believe that serves the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe against Cleveland, but I don't think that's the way to beat the Rams or Seattle or the better teams on their schedule. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Albert Breer now joining us brought to you by Mercedes Ben's the best or nothing. Monday morning quarterback senior NFL reporter. Let's start with the Jets and Adam Gase. He's obviously in big trouble.

What are you hearing Albert this morning with the Jets' current head coach? Well, clearly things didn't go well last night. Sam Donald doesn't look like he's developing on the other side of the ball. They're not playing very disciplined. But I do think that any wholesale change here may wait. And there's one reason why that I think a lot of people are overlooking. Woody Johnson is still in the United Kingdom. And there's a good chance based on what happens,

with the election, that he could wind up being back in November or December. And if you're Woody Johnson and you're going to make a big decision on where your franchise is going going forward, you're going to make decisions on whether or not you're going to pay guys who you fired, you probably want to be there for that. And so I do know that at least going into the year, the idea was that any sort of broad strokes decision would probably wait until Woody got done with his ambassadorship towards the end of the calendar year. We'll see what happens. You know, it could get to a point here where they look at the situation and say it's so toxic in the organization that we have to make a change. But I do

think that the return of Woody Johnson is a major factor here. I have been shocked by Cam Newton, and it's interesting. Free agency has been a little hit and miss for the Patriots. But when you watch their defense and their running game and their coaching, and you look at the one clear issue, which is a lack of a vertical dimension. I watch this New England team play. I think they're built to beat a Kansas City. I don't think many teams in the league are, but they match up with Kansas City.

Could they be a player in the trading deadline, Albert, to add the one dimension they clearly need, I don't know if Belichick thought they would be this good, but I think they may be the only team built to beat Kansas City. Do you think they're a player for an unhappy receiver somewhere? It would take a little bit of a sea change in their approach. And this is always going to be the turn the page year. And they're eating a lot of dead money this year.

And they really wanted to come out of 2020 and into 2021 with claim books financially and a full complement of draft picks. So they would need to shift a little bit off of that philosophy. They could be a little gun shy because of what happened with Mohammed Sanoo last year. They gave up a second round pick and got almost nothing in return. That said, I do think that they're probably a little bit better than even they expected internally. And I think what you're seeing now, Colin, it's like what you said. They're built to deal with these high-flying teams.

And I think this is another example of the Patriots zagging when everybody else is zgging. You look at it across the league, 220-pound linebackers, corners playing safety, 250-pound defense events all built to deal with the passing game. Well, how do you combat that if you're another team? You build a big bullying offense. You draft a left tackle in the first round. You draft a 230-pound tailback in the first round. And you sign a quarterback who's 270 pounds incapable of running the option.

So I'm with you in that they've sort of looked at this as sort of an inefficiency and attack that with the way that they've built the team. And so in that way they are kind of built to combat what is defense in the NFL right now. But to sell out for a receiver, I think right now would take a little bit of a change in the way that they've approached this year globally. Albert Breer Monday morning quarterback, former beat writer for the Patriots Boston Globe. You know, the knock on Mike McCarthy in Green Bay, there were two. He does not develop running games.

By the way, the Packers running game under the Flour appears to be better. He didn't develop running games, and he wasn't overly creative offensively. But let's stick to the running games. Dak said yesterday, hey, we want to play up tempo. And to me, that's curious because why pay Zeeke all that money and not use him? And I don't think their defense is built to win track meets. I just don't think it is. is this an odd combination?

Jerry likes Flash. That's why he drafts CD-Lam. Mike doesn't develop great running games. And the Cowboys' current vision may not work with their personnel. Is that a legitimate concern? I think they are sort of stuck in the middle, Colin, no question about it. I mean, you know, just consider this. Like, their offense is sort of like a mismash of what they used to be.

You know, when Jason Garrett was there. of Kellyn Moore, the offensive coordinator under Garrett, is still in place and it's still a primary play caller. And Mike McCarthy bringing in his system. And they've said until they were blue in the face, it's still going to be Callan Moore's system. We're going to do this stuff that we've done the last few years. But I'm telling you, there are marks of Mike McCarthy's offense all over the Cowboys scheme.

And I'll give you one very specific example. The last play of the Cowboys Rams game from week one, right? Go back and look at it. It is the play that Mike McCarthy ran in AT&T Stadium as a lot. the Packers coach, that miracle throw from Aaron Rogers to Jared Cook, if you go back and you'll look at it, the exact same play called the exact same concept. And so I think they're sort of stuck in between right now where, you know, I think McCarthy really did commit to saying, okay, like we're doing a lot of things right on offense to begin with, so I'm not going to mess

with it. But you're starting to see some of the influence of McCarthy coming in there. And I think because of that, they're still figuring out who they want to be offensively, which, as you said, is probably why there are so many hands in the pot right now. Surprise team in the NFL. I thought Buffalo would win the division. They're a little better offensively than I thought. And Philadelphia is worse than I thought. I think a lot of this,

three years of wide receiver and offensive line injuries, and I think there's some mental fatigue in a very intense sport city for Carson Wentz. He feels like a beaten fighter. That's kind of my, I saw him last year. He was really good. Now he's not. what are you hearing about Wentz? Are there concerns they paid him a lot of money?

Are there concerns they can't reel them back in? Well, let's start here. The amount of coaching infrastructure he's lost over his four years in the league's pretty massive. They lost Frank Reich and John D. Philippo coming off the Super Bowl year. They fired a bunch of offensive coaches coming off of last year. I'm not sure that they've really fixed the offensive staff underneath Doug Peterson. That's a factor.

I think, you know, the fact that the rest of the league caught up to some of the things that they were doing in 2016 and 2017 is a factor, because I think you see a quarterback who hasn't learned a counterpunch, who hasn't evolved quite enough as a player. They were doing things to make them comfortable those first two years, and every quarterback's got to evolve past that. And I'll tell you what, Colin, maybe the most alarming thing. Having talked to a few coaches who've coached against him over the first three weeks of this season, they all believe to a man that this is a guy who's in his own head. and that you can mess with him defensively right now. And one specific thing that was pointed out to me, how he's squeezing the ball. And if you watch, there are certain plays

where he's putting the ball at the feet of his receivers. That is a sign of a quarterback who's pressing. And so other teams are seeing that they're going to continue to push those buttons. And, you know, really, this sort of feels like a quarterback who mentally may need a little bit of a break. And he's not going to get it because he's in the middle of the season. And so I don't know how you fix this on the fly. You know, one thing that was suggested to me was maybe you go back to some of the things that he was comfortable with in 16 and 17, even if the league has caught up to that stuff a little bit to build his confidence back up.

But clearly this is a player who's not playing with a lot of confidence right now. Boy, you've got good sources and great insight. That's why we bring him on, Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback. Good talking to you, bud. All right, thanks, Colin. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

So I want to show you something. This is about psychology and football. Pro football focus came out. Really fascinating. They went and looked at all 32 starting quarterbacks. I love this. Sometimes they get into the weeds on offensive guards. I can't go there.

It's guards. But when they do the quarterback stuff and they grade them on every throw, it's fascinating. And they took all 32 quarterbacks and they found. their weakness over the last year or two. And everybody's weakness. Some are kind of, I'll give you a couple of them. Most of them you can see with your eyes. A Derek Carr, for example, pro football focus says,

it appears aggressiveness is his problem. Well, that's what we've talked about for two years. He's very accurate, but the average depth of target is like 6.9, meaning he just doesn't let it rip, despite good weapons. Aaron Rogers, they say, is you can disguise cover. And again, they're nitpicking with Aaron, but if you disguise coverage, it can give him some problems. A Dak Prescott, and I think this is something I believe, high volume games when you ask him to throw 42 times, are not his strength. That's not what he is.

I think we've talked about that before. But the Baker Mayfield one is fascinating. Pocket presence. And I'm going to read it for our radio audience, too. Even in college, Mayfield vacated too many clean pockets, played outside of structure more than he should have. but that weakness has been exacerbated in the NFL last two years. Since 2019, he has 37 plays in which he took himself out of rhythm. He vacated a clean pocket, and he has just a 28.5 passing grade to show for it.

So what does that say? Well, let me first talk about Baker Mayfield. This is one of the things I like about him, is that he was told he was too short. He was told he didn't have this, this, this, this. He had to walk on in college. That is a garden variety overachiever in America. Therapists see that all day. Therapists see that guy, that woman, over and over, he's an overachiever, and I love that.

Head down, little trash talk, big ego, quiet as critics, I'm going to burrow right through the wall that you're putting up for me, and I love that about him. That is really his core strength. He's going to tell you exactly how he feels, and he's never had the support. quite once. And in Cleveland, you could make an argument. Maybe that personality helped him a tad. He got drafted, though, number one, and got a bunch of commercials, and he's never quite been the athlete that he thinks he is. So I do think he's a little, he's in his feels right now. He feels pretty good. But what happens to you when you have a chip on your shoulder and you are very self-reliant and you want to prove you can do it? But what happens in life when you do get support?

You do marry a great girl. You do get a smart coach. You do get pro football focuses third best offensive line. Pro football focuses best running back duo and above average support at wide receiver and tight end. What made Baker Mayfield a fascinating 30 for 30, he's a two-time walk-on, wins the Heisman, goes to the NFL, number one draft pick. He's a little short. He doesn't look like number one draft picks.

He doesn't walk into a room and you're like, oh, Cam Newton. All right, that's the number one draft pick. That is his psychology. But how do you pivot when you do marry the perfect girl? And you do get the right coach. And you do get the best running backs. And you do get an elite offensive line. And you don't have to be self-reliant.

You don't put your head down. You put your head up and recognize, I've got all this support. Oh, my God, I've got all this support in life. this is what psychologists see on their couch all day. It is the pivot, and it's really hard to ask people in their 20s to do it, especially when they got $25 million in the bank. Baker Mayfield, what got him to the NFL,

he's got to pivot out of that. He's got to pivot out of that. He has got to realize, I got great support at home, I got great support on the team, I got great support from the staff, I got great support running backs, I got great support wide receivers.

It is a tough pivot for 50-year-olds. What made him may now be his biggest issue. He's got great support. Can he step back and go, it's not all about me. I don't have to win games. I don't have to throw 40 times. I don't have anything to prove.

Turn, hand it off, and manage an incredible support system. Can he do it? Certainly possible. But it is interesting. that pro football focus found he's leaving. His knock is he's got a clean pocket. He's out of there. To me, that's his psychology, which is when you're self-reliant,

have to put your head down, live a life of critics, know everybody doubts you, you want to prove I can do it. I don't need help. I'll do it myself. I'll walk on. I'll win the job at Oklahoma. I'll win the heisman. I'm number one pick.

It's going to be a really interesting pivot because I think right now he's got unbelievable support, unoffensive line, wide receiver, tied-in running back. And I think Kevin Stefansky is a pretty good coach has realized this is what he is. Let's manage it. Baker just can Baker manage it because I think the team is telling him that's all we need you to do now. We'll get to the playoffs, just manage all this talent and support. 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 is a win. I don't care what you'll say. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 J. 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 on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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 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, 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, 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. Jordan Palmer now joining us. He's worked with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow and Sam Darnold. And the world is changing quickly with all these quarterbacks.

And he is joining us now. Quarterback coach, quarterback summit, a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential, play in the NFL for six years. I really want to hit on Josh Allen. You have been working with him for years. He grew up in a tiny, tiny little town. And now we're out of Fresno. You just told me off air.

He loves Buffalo. It's a perfect place for him. I'm kind of shocked by the jump in improvement. You probably aren't, I take it? I'm not shocked by the jump and improvement. I will say he's kind of ahead of where I thought he'd be. He's kind of stayed ahead of where I thought he'd be. Coming out of college, I remember on your show, we were talking about Sam Darnold

for the pre-draft. And as Josh came up, a lot of folks thought, you know, they saw the inaccuracy. They saw the completion percentage in college at Wyoming. And so it was very easy to label him a potential bust. He did have all the ingredients. But there's a thing that doesn't show up on tape that I've been fortunate to experience. And that is how coachable he is. And here's the thing about coachability.

Coachability is not about tucking in your shirt and doing the right thing and say, you have to be athletic, which he is among the best athletes in the league at this position. and you have to be all in on the right plan. Now, my name keeps getting attached to him, but that's just in the off season. Brian Daibel is a name that nobody's really talking about enough. His offensive coordinator is dialing it up. His quarterback coach is Ken Dorsey.

So he's surrounded by a bunch of good people that are giving him good information and dialing it up and the personnel adjustments and that they've had and the way that Brandon Bean, the general manager's building. And then you get a talented, coachable guy in this situation,

numbers you got. Quarterback coach, quarterback summit, Jordan Palmer leads that it's a fascinating program and he's worked with a lot of the good ones. I want to talk I'll go to Joe Burrow in a second who you've worked with, but Russell Wilson I mean I've loved him forever but he's playing at a level now where incompletions are rare. What is the light? What is the jump? What is he done in the last offseason? We know he's a grinder, but there's something going on here.

He's playing at a level that's a notch above his level. Yeah, I totally agree. He's as fun to watch as anybody right now. And, you know, we've never really said, boy, if Russell wouldn't have made that play, they would have won that game. Like for years, we've never been the reason that they lost. And I know we can circle Super Bowl, but that's pretty specific. I think the biggest jump for Russell, and this is just my hypothesis here, is this past off season, Russell Wilson is typically one of the busiest quarterbacks in the league. He's married to a very famous person. He's got a clothing line. He's got a ton of marketing deals. He does a ton of his foundation. They run camps around the country. He's very philanthropic.

This dude runs a million miles an hour. And I think COVID locked him down in San Diego and all he got to do was focus on football and working with his teammates as we saw on Instagram a little bit. But I think shutting him down this offseason gave him one thing to focus on. And since getting drafted a few years ago, this might be the first time in his career that he's 100% only paid attention to football. And I think we're seeing the results of that. Lamar Jackson Monday night. He's now never won a game he's trailed at half. It sounds or feels like something. I don't know exactly how big it is. But is there, I said the other day, is that whereas Mahomes is on an escalator going up, he's on a people mover at the airport. Lamar, he's going forward faster than ever,

but is he going up? Is there a ceiling with Lamar, in your opinion? Well, I don't know if there's a ceiling, but I know that if nothing changes, he's probably at the ceiling, in my opinion. I think of Lamar kind of like, you remember when Uber first came out? Yeah.

You know, in the beginning, it was like, you're trying to wrap your head around this. Like, oh my gosh, wait a second. The app, I pressed that they pick me up. And so the early adopters, the people that saw it, they thought it was awesome. And Lamar coming out, we all saw it in college.

But then the second part of Uber, was when you started to go, do I trust this? Wait, this is a stranger picking me up in my car, right? In their car, right? And it's like, but is it going to translate? He's so fast. Is it going to translate to the league? And then it started to work and everyone was all in, right?

To the point where he was MVP. But, you know, Colin, you're a celebrity. You're a wealthy guy. You've had a driver before. You've had somebody pick you up. And they're only working for you that night. There's a difference between any of these Uber's and having a driver. And I just look at Lamar and I go.

go, it was awesome. It was hard to see if it was going to work, and then it's worked. But here's the difference. Until he can throw people open and control the football, even on completions, I think he's a little off. It's a little inside, a little low, a little high. Mark Andrews makes more spectacular catch than people give him credit for. And we saw it last year in the playoffs when he was a little high, and that turned into a

pick. And it happened a couple of times. And so until he improves accuracy, these other guys, Pat, Patrick, Russell, they're just going to be a gap ahead. I love the runs. I love the excitement. I don't miss any Lamar Jackson games. But until he gets that detailed accuracy, I think he's probably scratching the surface of the ceiling. Well, you told me Joe Burrow was going to be really good.

He is. I do worry, Joy and I talk about this, that's got an Andrew Luckfield, and he's not quite as big and thick as Andrew. He's just getting pummeled. And I worry about the psychology of that. And how long can you just take SEC football is good. it's not the NFL. Do you worry about the psychology of getting set? He's on pace.

I think Joy said this week to get sacks 78 times. That's like double Andrew Luck. Do you worry about that, the effect? Well, this feels like David Carr, actually. If you remember, when he was the first pick of the Houston Texans, I think he broke some records in terms of sacks. But here's the deal. I worry about Joe physically, like anybody.

I'm worried about Sam Darnold's shoulder. I'm worried about all kinds of things physically for these guys. I can just tell you right now, I am not worried about anything that happens between the ears with Joe Burrow. This guy, I've talked to you about it from a confidence standpoint and a maturity standpoint. And those are the two things that make you play well early, whether it's college or pro. This dude's off the charts. And so I don't see him having issues with hanging in there and taking another shot. This is not that guy.

He's going to get up off the canvas and want another round. And so, yeah, I'm worried about him physically. He has taken a beating. but he's also 24 years old or whatever he is. And so I think he's going to be fine. And as they build this O line, they've got some weapons, and they've got a guy who's going to compete for four quarters and throw people open.

So I think the future is as bright as it's been for Cincinnati. By the way, Cam's mechanics are better. It's noticeable. He's much tighter. I mean, this is what you do, so you can use all the verbiage that you would use. But when I watch him play, he's more compact, the shoulders don't dip.

Shocker. His accuracy speed has been really, really good. Like I watch Cam and I'm like, this is the cam I wish I, this cam I'm totally into. What do you, what do you sing? Well, I think that's been the main focus for almost a calendar year for him, which is the first time ever. I mean, this guy's always had a lot of stuff going on. It was a big deal when he was in junior college, right? And so for him to have this year where he's lurking in the shadows and rehabbing and not playing, I think this is as good a time as there's ever been for him to really refine some things.

And I think we're seeing the byproduct of that. The other thing that we're seeing is they're giving him simple concepts. And because of the effect, and not because he can't handle more complex concepts, it's because when you can run the ball and you can be this multi-dimensional on the ground, play action, it doesn't just open up people down the field potentially. It also simplifies your progressions. And so for him, a lot of times you see him with clean mechanics because he's throwing to number one or he's throwing to number two.

When guys' mechanics slip is when they got to move around and scan the field and come back to the number one guy, that's when guys get wide legs. That's when they get longer windups. And so I think actually the play calling and the effectiveness of the run game is why we're seeing such a positive effect on Cam's mechanics and his consistency. Sam, Donald, we don't know what's going to happen. You know, it's the bottom line in this world, where you land matters. Donald, I actually watched him last night, Jordan.

I felt bad for him. That was my takeaway. Emotionally, I was like, I know him, I like him. Is he growing at all or is he just hit a ceiling? Well, he's certainly growing. You know, even in my conversations and the role I play in these guys' lives, I like to point out things that may not be seen. And one thing is, look, these guys are going to get experience just through osmosis, right?

So like when the New York media rips him, good or bad, his fault or not. Either way, you're getting that experience. So last year he got a lot of experience. Thicker skin grew up. This year, what we're seeing is he's going to look back, I think, on this season and say, that is when I became truly dynamic in terms of creating time and space, making it happen. I don't expect to see 46-yard runs every week, but his ability to get outside the pocket, throw people open and make plays.

It happened at SC. It's happened for years now. I think this season is where he's going to grow a lot. and when you don't have guys that can create separation, and like, I don't know what Pro Football Focus says, but the Jets are creating less separation than all other 31 teams. And so when you do that, teams play man. When they play man, you have an opportunity to throw people open,

and that may be your only chance to create separation. I think he's going to grow a lot in that category, but at the same time, you know, he's in a tough spot. I had over five NFL starting quarterbacks last night, text me during the game, saying something along, the lines of people have no idea how good this dude is. He's actually better than most of these other guys.

That's how bad the situation is. Jordan Palmer, quarterback coach, quarterback summit. It's a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential, played in the NFL for years. You know his brother, of course, Carson Palmer. And I don't even, I was going to ask you, who's the next great phenom?

Are you even allowed to say that? Is it a high school kid or something? Well, there's some good guys to look at. I'm excited to watch Tray Lance play. I know a lot of people are excited to see that. I'm excited to see, you know, the PAC 12. There's some guys there. Chase Garber is out of Cal is going to be an interesting guy to watch.

Keaton's Slovas. I'm excited to watch. J.T. Daniels, who transferred from SC, is heading over to Georgia. That'll be a big one. And he's playing against a guy I've worked with for a long time in Bo Nix. So the future is bright at the quarterback position. And then I've got an awesome little, I think he's 11 now, this little guy, Chase Kern from L.A. He's one to keep an eye on, too.

11. The calls for recruiting will happen right after you're off the air. Great seeing you, Jordan. Thanks for having me. 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 Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 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 hear,

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, Cliver 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, unfiltered 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 podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.