The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Oct 07, 2020

Episode Date: October 7, 2020

-LeBron is finally getting breaks and he's taking advantage of them-The Cowboys are delusional and trying to sell everyone a lie-Brady is crushing all of the doubts people had about his abilities-Colin defends Rodgers being a little cockyGuests: Gerald McCoy, NFL DT, 6x Pro BowlerCris Collinsworth, NBC's Sunday Night Football 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. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm 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 I Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to the best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. It's a Wednesday, and we are absolutely jammed today. Live in Los Angeles, this is The Herd.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on Fox Sports Radio and right here on FS1. Everybody from Chris Collins were stopped by today, Nick Wright, Joel Clatt, Gerald McCoy of the Cowboys, hurt but has opinions on what we're seeing in Dallas. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, it does appear. The NBA season is coming to an end and not a shock.

LeBron's going to get more plaques and stuff. Yeah. The heat is off. That was a great game, though, last night. It was really good. It was really good. It's entertaining. So LeBron's had some bad breaks, and I think in life,

and I tell my kid, you're going to get good breaks, you're going to get bad breaks. I don't want to hear victimization. Listen, sometimes things. go your way. Sometimes they don't. Head down, fight through it. Nobody wants to hear you whine. LeBron's had some bad breaks in the NBA. Number one, he got drafted by Cleveland. In any sport, that's generally not good news. Number two, he walks into the NBA and about halfway through it, it becomes a three-point shooting league. He's a forward. That's for wings and guards, right? That's not great for a six, nine and a half freight train. Kevin Durant, after he beats the Warriors,

goes to Golden States and creates a dynasty. That's not great. Oh, by the way, He goes to the finals once in Cleveland. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love both get hurt. His second and third best player. He goes to the Lakers and the front office implodes. He's had some bad breaks he's had to overcome. This year, he got the breaks. The dynasty broke up.

The Clippers got knocked out of the playoffs. Anthony Davis is the healthiest for the longest stretch of his entire career. And in the finals, the Miami Heat have kind of fallen apart. He got a young team Gorindraggich is out. Bam is playing 75, 80%. Finally, LeBron

got some breaks. Now, he took advantage of those breaks. He right now leads the Lakers in points, rebounds, assists, and everything. And it is still absolutely remarkable that if you take LeBron, off this Laker roster, it's the 2017 New Orleans Pelicans.

It's a mismash of too old, not good enough, disparate, odd, strange parts that sometimes don't look like they should be in the same town together. But he makes it work. He is the leader of the only, singularly only veteran team that did well in the playoffs. Milwaukee folded, Houston folded, the Clippers folded. So it is still absolutely remarkable. But he's had a career drafted by Cleveland. Katie goes to the Warriors,

becomes a three-point shooting league. Lakers implode when he gets there. Goes to the finals. Kyrie and Kevin Love both get hurt. He's had bad breaks. He's had really bad breaks. This year he got all of them and he has taken advantage of him. And last night with about six and a half minutes to go,

Rondo, LeBron, and Anthony Davis, the veterans who are all elite defenders when they want to be, clamped down on the kids. This was one of the first playoff games that really looked like a non-bubble playoff game. 83, 83, it's all even. And LeBron says, all right, I'm going to score or assist on every Laker basket going forward. My entire life last night, seven minutes to go is what playoffs look like. The young, spunky, athletic, fun Miami Heat, the young kids face AD and LeBron and Rondo. And the grown men, the grownups, their body language changes, their intensity changes with about six and a half minutes to go. And they are all over the kids.

It's like, all right, dad woke up from his nap. All right, here we go. And the Lakers clamp down. LeBron afterwards, one game away from another championship. When I woke up from my nap this morning after our team meeting, I just felt that vibe. I felt that pressure. I felt like for me personally, this was one of the biggest games in my career.

And I just wanted to relay that message to my teammates, the type of zone I was in, the type of moment it was. It's just my mindset. I'm kind of still in it. Obviously, it's my mind kind of working right now. One game to go. One more title. Third team.

Fifth head coach to the finals. The greatest professional basketball career, I didn't say, player ever, about to be culminated in the bubble. Then he flies home out of the bubble. And hopefully, although it's been done well, we never have to deal with an NBA bubble again. Well, well, well, let's talk about the Dallas Cowboys if we could for a second. You know, there are certain people, politicians and cult leaders, who are really good at looking you in the eye and lying. I've never myself been able to do it.

I've often joked I could never be an actor. Like me or not, here's what I think, how it lands is a you problem. But politicians and cult leaders are just great at it. They're just selling you stuff they know is not true. Add to that, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy, who are trying to convince you, despite what you're seeing, this defense is very close. This is very good.

It's just a tweak here. And Troy Aikman yesterday on Dallas Radio would have absolutely none of it. To put that kind of performance on film, that's going to be not very good. And I know Mike Nolan, you could always point. I didn't see one. There's almost a certain art to it to be this delusional and try to convince us of what we're seeing is not true. As Troy pointed out, on that reverse to O'Dell Beckham, there were multiple cowboy players just sort of jogging like it was practice and they weren't in a really good shape in Oxnard yet. It was brutal.

It was brutal. There's a delusion to it. We have an owner, his son and the head coach. And nobody is buying it. The players aren't buying it. You can tell they're not engaged. You can't fool the athletes. They know who's to believe in.

I mean, this is why Belichick makes Cam work. Cam comes in, independent personality, and he buys into everything Belichick's selling because you know it's honest and authentic because it's worked for 20 years. That's why New England's working. That's why when you see new coaches go to new staff, like Kyle Shanahan to San Francisco, you know, players are asked to do a lot, but they buy in because they can see it's working. You can look at the cowboy players.

They're not buying into Mike Nolan, who was kind of a journeyman linebacker coach, landed in New Orleans, nobody given him a D.C. job. And Mike McCarthy got hired by him years ago, so did him a favor. It is a disaster. Said it yesterday. Hire slowly, fire quickly. Move off it. Okay.

we know what's going to happen this weekend. Dallas is going to beat the New York Giants who have scored three offensive touchdowns all year. And Mike McCarthy is going to come out and say, you know, we're a little more buttoned up. I thought we had a good week of practice. We're buttoned up. Good week of practice. I thought we really showed some growth here. No, you faced the New York Giants here.

But you can't keep BSing people. The four quarterbacks that have faced the Dallas Cowboys this year, if you put their statistical averages altogether, it's Patrick Mahomes season averages. They're making every quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And I like Jared Goff and Matt Ryan. They're not Patrick Mahomes. So they're going to play. The Cowboys are going to play over the next couple of weeks.

The New York Giants who can't score offensive touchdowns and Washington that just bench their starting quarterback. And Arizona, which is kind of a mess right now on both sides of the ball, though they have talent. And Dallas is going to convince you they had a good week practice and they've got it buttoned up and the momentum's on their side and it will be the same old delusion. They're trying to convince us like politicians and cult leaders something we know is not true is definitively true. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced. 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're saying. Yep, that's me.

Cliver Taylor the fourth. 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-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 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 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 finishing that sentence And 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 podcast Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. I kind of believe Tom Brady's had a 20-year NFL career, and I think about the first 15 or 16, he was the same quarterback.

Early in his career, he was a little raw, and then he had about 13 years of amazing. And then the last four years, I feel like I'm the, I see the same guy. He can't make that deep outthrow. That's where the pick six has come from. But he can make any throw down the seam, any throw deep. He's still great at the line of scrimmage. There's like a one throw, unless he really gets planted,

and the weather's perfect. little jet stream behind him. He doesn't make that deep out throw quite as good as he once did. The ball floats. It gets picked and return. Outside of that, again, his career is sort of like raw first three years, won a Super Bowl, but raw. Great for about 11, 12, 13. And then the last four,

I feel like I get the same guy. He does kind of get tired later in years. December. He doesn't quite have the velocity. But can we stop with the arm thing with Tom Brady? It's still better than a big chunk of NFL quarterbacks. P.S. Pro Football Focus came out.

Tom has 16 what they grade is big time throws right now. Most in the NFL. I thought it was a system quarterback. I thought his arm was shot. This arm was shot thing. His arm gets tired in December. Drew Breeze. His arm is shot.

Philip Rivers. Tom Brady, he can't make the deep outthrow like he did about five years ago. Outside of that, and think about this. He's just scratching the service. Mike Evans receiver, bad hamstring, ankle issues. Chris Godwin misstarts. Leonard Fernette just got there now he's hurt.

Gronk learning the offense and a rookie right tackle. They are just scratching the surface with this offense. They're taking baby steps. I've bet them every single weekend. They do have moments offensively where they're just not in sync. But when they get in sync in every game I've watched him. And on national TV, we watched them. the first week and we just bailed on them, but they had no preseason. Since then, they've gotten

better every week and nobody's watching because they go up against cowboy games or they go up against sexier games. So tomorrow they take on the bears and we're all going to watch them and you're going to see what I believe is a team that has a Super Bowl shot with a Super Bowl winning quarterback. And here's another thing. Here's another number to throw out there. Bruce Ariens, a lot of people are like, well, Tom's arm is fading and Bruce Ariens demands always have. as you throw the ball down the field. So pro football focus went and look this up. This is fascinating.

The most turnover worthy plays in a single season in the last 15 years. James Winston, Carson, Palmer, and Andrew Luck all had 40 tied for the most. It was all in their first year under Bruce Ariens. What does that tell you? Bruce is rough on quarterbacks for the first year because he demands Winston, Carson, Palmer, Andrew Luck. Two of those three are going to get Hall of Fame votes, right? Right? Like Bruce Ariens demands, throw the ball down the field. Tom Brady had no OTA with this team, no preseason.

Mike Evans has been hurt. Chris Godwin's been out. Leonard Fernette just got there, a rookie right tackle. Now, by the way, O.J. Howard out for the year. Gronk's still learning the offense. And it's not like they've had an easy schedule. You know, they had to go to Denver. That's an above average defense. They had to open with the Saints.

Like it's not been that easy for them. And then they have the Bears, by the way, a top 10 defense, top eight defense. tomorrow night. But, you know, these, I just don't buy into a lot of these narratives that start. It's like, like, it was the old Russell Westbrook was valuable. And I was like, no, no, he's everything except valuable. He's the only thing he's not as valuable. Great, athletic, fun, worth the price of admission, sensational.

But valuable? No, every team he leaves gets better. And every player that leaves him gets better. Russell Westbrook is everything, checks every box. He's not valuable. That's not what a huge. would get rid of his contract today. Tom Brady, you can criticize a lot, lot, like, you know, not very athletic. You can't move the pocket a ton with him. You know, he can be a little prickly

if you're a young receiver and he doesn't trust you. He'll just, he'll ghost you. He won't throw to you. But the arm thing. The other thing is Brady and Peyton Manning are brilliant. They chose at the end of their careers the places to go to. Where does a golf ball travel further? Where does a punt travel further. Denver. One of the reasons Peyton Manning chose it. Easier to throw a football in high altitude. Why did Tom Brady choose Florida? Because when you get old, that's where old people

go. The warm weather makes you feel good. You can stay limber. You don't have Foxborough winners. Brady has chosen very smartly. He chose the city, the coach, the weapons, and they're getting better and they're on with the Chicago Bears tomorrow night.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays and noon Eastern. 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. I like my presidents to be presidential. Not a huge fan of the current guy. I like a little presidential, a little refined, little humble. I like my quarterbacks to be quarterback eel. Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, refined, humble, credit to others.

But I'm kind of over it. In social media, let's tear down the icons and let's be falsely humble about people nobody cares about. everybody that's irrelevant is suddenly fascinating in all the icons who are relevant are just overpaid and overrated. I'm over it. So I'm okay with Aaron Rogers saying this yesterday, and he said this on a podcast with, on the Pat McAfee show, here it is. You know, I sometimes laugh when people talk about, you know, down years for me because a lot of times down years for me are career years for most corporations. Oh!

That was awesome. Hey, it's just a fax from. That's funny. And I'm okay with it. Like, I'm okay with it. Aaron Rogers, two times MVP, Super Bowl. He just got a divorce publicly with, you know, Mike McCarthy. McCarthy is drowning.

He's drowning. And Aaron Rogers is not. He's flourishing. And if he's feeling himself, it's okay. Yesterday, Howard Stern signed a $120 million contract. All the losers came out of the woodwork. Oh, you could have 200 podcasts. for that. Oh gosh, what the world needs.

200 more podcasts nobody listens to. There's 10 sports podcasts in America that have an audience. I have one. I don't need another podcast I won't listen to. I need Howard Stern, or I don't listen to XM. Serious. Their stock went up when Howard's contract was announced. My wife would not renew it without

Howard. It's okay to acknowledge Howard's great. Oprah's great. Russell Wilson's great. Aaron Rogers's great. LeBron James, great. Urban Meyer great, Nick Saban great. I'll give them once a year. I'll let them smoke a cigar and puff their chest and go, I'm pretty good.

It's okay. Or you can prefer Twitter. We're falsely humble. And everybody that's irrelevant is, oh, you are so great. Not really. We don't need any more podcasts. You can shut it down right now. Howard's great.

Aaron's great. I'm going to give them a little moment to flex. and we're all going to be okay. Because it's authentic and honest. And isn't that what we want from our athletes? I like that Aaron Rogers is honest. I got enough BSers in my life. I got enough politicians.

Enough people selling me nonsense. I got enough of that in my life. What I don't have is honesty. That's what I want. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. He played 10 years in the NFL and is still playing. He's a free agent now.

Six of the 10 years he was voted. a pro bowler with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who now have a new quarterback and are doing well themselves. And Gerald McCoy, who was a cowboy until he was injured. Again, he is a free agent, is joining us live right now. They are the most talked about defense in the NFL. Troy Aikman said, listen, man, I would be embarrassed to have that stuff on film and go into the meetings this week and have players caught. You know, it's embarrassing.

So I watched it this week against Cleveland, and this was my criticism, Gerald. You knew Cleveland was going to run. You knew that. And they kept getting the edge for three hours. Nick Chubb got hurt. They still got the edge. In your opinion, why didn't they adjust? Well, I wouldn't say that they didn't adjust something.

I think the adjustments didn't work. And to speak on what Troy Eggman said, he says it would be embarrassing to go to that meeting room and have to watch the film. I'm pretty sure they are embarrassed. You know, one of their own said that their play was soft. You know how hard it is as a grown man and professional what you do, the call what you just did, the performance you just had soft, you know, that takes a lot of ownership.

So I'm pretty sure they're not sitting in the meeting room, you know, hyped about what they've been doing over the first four games, the first four weeks. But I believe in these guys, you know, they have a bunch of vets in the room on defense. And I believe they can turn around, but it's not going to be easy. I'm not saying it's just going to happen this week,

but something's got to give, man. You know, the play that stood out to me the most was the Odell play. You know, you have a chance to go up, well, you have a chance to get a stop to try the game or even go up. And, you know, it's just O'Dell bifed it back 15 yards, I think it was, something like that, you know,

And it's just, at that point, when the game were on the line, I'm sure they all know, and I'm sure they walk in the meeting room and said, our effort has to be better. That's not the effort we need when we're trying to get back in the game. And I'm not saying that I'm pretty sure that they already are not saying to themselves, but it's just clear. You know, the effort just has to be better on that play. And these guys play hard, but that particular play just stood out as far as effort goes. Yeah, no, I think you saw, and I saw what it, you could just turn the team.

you be on and see it. So Mike Nolan's the new defensive coordinator. People are saying his system is too complicated. Could that be it? You know it. You were there. Is it too complicated? I wouldn't say that it's complicated. It's up front, you know, in the back end, they have a few more checks to make, but up front is not super complicated. You know, I think the misconception is, you know, he's bringing in guys and having them do things that they're not used to doing, you know. The ends, all the, you see, all to stand up because that's what he does. But Arnda can put his hand in the dirt if you want.

He can stand up. DeLaw can stand up. He can put his hand in the dirt. They have that freedom. So when you see guys mixing it up, that's freedom of choice. You know, and up front, it's not really a lot to it. And it's just all about execution. You know, in the back end, they have a few more checks you make.

But I don't think it's the scheme that's overly complicated. I just think the guys just not getting it done. And they realize it, you know, and they're going to do everything. and they carry our future. Gerald McCoy, 10 years, six Pro Bowls. He's a free agent, and boy, there's a lot of good teams out there, like Baltimore and Seattle that could use his skills. So they have not been a fast starting team,

and you've been in this league long enough. Some, like New England, you go to Foxborough, and that first 15 plays, man, they are humming every single week. And I don't, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh, there are certain coaches. You just first 12 plays work. Why do you think Dallas is struggling offensively? They're getting into these holes, which doesn't allow Zeke to get 22 carries because you're playing catcher.

Why? You've been on a lot of, you've been playing this league for a long time. Why do you think Dallas struggles for the first quarter to quarter and a half? Honestly, I'm not sure because it's all about game playing. It's all about knowing what you see. Like, if this was, if this was Tampa when I was there or Carolina when I was there, I answer that question honestly, but not being there to see what the office is doing throughout the week, I don't know. I'm not sure. But what I do know is NFL one-on-one is hard to maximize a dominant running back when you fall behind. You know, people are saying, well, Zique is not doing what we expect Zeeke to do. What Zeek actually is doing what he's supposed to do. But when you fall behind, it's hard to give a guy like Zeeke the ball over and over. You can't run the ball when you fall behind.

You've got to start passing. And Zeke is a ground and pound-type runner-back. He wants those carries. He won't mind getting 30-plus carries a game. He wouldn't mind it because he loves to just grind defenses. But when you fall behind, you don't have that luxury. And they just got to do a better job of starting fast. By the way, he has a torn right quad.

I assume torn right quad. So before we get on to my Buccaneers question, Are you officially out for the year? Could you come back late in the playoffs, or where are you at with your recovery? Yeah, I'm out for the season. I'm seven weeks out as far as from my surgery. It's seven weeks on Tuesday. But I'm ahead of schedule.

I'm doing great, but it's no rush. The doctors already said I'm out for the season, so what's the point in rushing back, man, come back as healthy as I can be and be the best me I can. But it's going to take some time, but I'm willing to do it. I go to rehab five days a week. Wow. I start roughly 8, 39 o'clock, and I'm leaving around 2 o'clock. So I'm all day, every day.

This is what I do, and then I come home and do more stuff. It's just all grind with me. Gerald McCoy joining us. So you played in Tampa for nine years. You know this organization. You really know the personnel. And we were saying before the season started, Gerald, that I think Todd Bowles is the, I think he's the best coordinator currently in the NFL. I think he's the best one.

And I think their defense at the end of last year really, really played well, especially in the front seven. So I don't think it's a Brady story as much as that is a defensive story to this point. They shut the chargers down in the second half. Are you surprised at all? Every week they look a little better. You're probably not surprised by their quick turnaround this year, I would imagine? No, I'm not surprised by the defense because the offense was what

people hyped up because of all the weapons they have. And obviously you have Tom Brady who's coming in, who we don't even have to talk about what he's been to this league. But the defense with how they were able to finish the season last season, they were already established. So this team was going to be carried by the defense to start the season. And once the office started to develop, as you've seen on Sunday, they developed even more

with Tom, you know, throwing five touchdowns, it's going to do nothing but get better. And I just have to say this. I would be remiss if I didn't say this. And anybody who knows me and knows my love for this particular player knows I have to say this. Levante David, okay? He was the player of the month, the defensive player of the month.

And I think he is the most underrated linebacker we've ever had in this league. He doesn't get the accolades, but he has all the numbers. Go look at his TFS. Levanti David is second or third over the past five or six years or something like that,

and he's in the conversation with J.J. White and Aaron Donald. This is Levanti David we're talking about. You look at his takeaways. You look at his tackles. He's not getting the all-pro votes, the Provo votes, but he's just as good as all.

of these guys. And if you ask around the league and bring up his name to any linebacker room, to any defense, and you say Levanti David, they're going to say this exact same thing. So I'm so happy that the Bucks are on center stage and everybody is going to get to see. And the

bucks getting all the pub, they've been getting over the first four weeks of the season. First four weeks, he's already player of the month. That's to let you know what he's been doing. This is not new. This is who Levanté has always been. And I personally think he's a linebacker in football. This is me. And I believe that he's been playing

at that level for a number of years and it's going to do nothing but continue. I think he's very underrated. And if you're just going to look at the numbers. If you don't believe it, just go look at the numbers. And then the next game in play, you got tomorrow. Just watch the game and see if Levanté David jumps off the screen. Just do that.

And then you tell me I'm wrong after that. You don't have to convince me. We talked about him in preseason. He is a complete baller. I will say one thing that surprised me. Cam Newton goes to New England and it has been great. I think they would have beaten Kansas

City Monday with Cam Newton. I am shocked how seamless it's been, how engaged he is. I think they're a nightmare. If they could get a vertical threat offensively, if I was Kansas City, I'd have no interest playing Cam Newton in New England again

at all. I think there, are you surprised at all how seemingly? He didn't even have a preseason. He didn't have OTAs. He got He got there late. Are you surprised how effective it's been? Me personally, I'm not. I played against Cam from the time he stepped in the league twice a year.

And if you really pay attention to Cam Newton's career, over the last three years, the struggles have come from injury. Cam has been hurt. People are not paying attention to that. He's had shoulder surgeries. He's had shoulder issues. And last year, he just so happened to have a season ending injury early in the season. So because he's had injuries, people said his play has dropped.

Well, a healthy Cam Newton, which he was, he tried to tell everybody he was healthy, is hell to deal with. And the thing that people don't understand about Cam is leadership cannot be measured. You can look at it and you say, oh, he's a leader or the media say, well, this guy's the captain. Well, this guy's a leader. No, no. Leadership is very hard to measure. And Cam's leadership ability, his. energy. Cam brings the energy that is unmatched. And the glue that Cam is is what's holding

his team together. And I think it showed on Monday, his presence now being around, they just didn't have the same type of energy. It just wasn't the same. Something felt different. That's right. Just his presence around that team has changing them. And I'm excited to see moving forward, because I agree with you. I believe if Cam had played, they were the one that game. Yeah, I think he's going to get an extension. I thought he was a rental player for a year. I watched Monday and I'm like, Nope. He's going to get an extension. New England's two good to get a top 10 pick. I would sign him today to an extension for the next couple of years if I was the New England Patriots. He should. He should. I think he deserved it. And I believe it would be the right move.

Yeah. Hey, it's great seeing you. Out for the year, Tornright Quad. He'll be back soon enough. And there's a lot of teams out there. I think that could give Gerald McCoy a look, buddy. I appreciate you coming on the show. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. And as you can tell, I've been in a horrible. I'm not happy at all, miserable, sitting back watching football. I'm not smiling at all. Everybody was wondering if I was sitting back miserable. Yeah, really miserable right now. You look like a happy guy of me, man.

Gerald McCoy. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. 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 I'll say it. 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 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 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 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. I'm old enough to remember when Chris Collinsworth was a really fast skinny kid who played wide receiver at Florida. Then he got drafted by Cincinnati and was one of the fastest guys in the league forever. And now he's a star, 16 Emmys, NBC Sports, Sunday nights with Al Michaels, owner of pro football focus, which is we rely on it all the time. They make me watch guards in the NFL. That's an achievement, folks. Chris Collinsworth is now joining us live.

First of all, congrats and all your success. And this week you got Russell Wilson, who I think is insane. And he made my sister like football. She lives up in Seattle. When you watch the film of him as you are doing right now, why does he make everybody work? Will Disley was a blocking tight end at Washington. He was a defensive end when he got to Seattle.

And then all of a sudden they draft him and he catches passes. What is the gift that Russell? Wilson has to elevate undrafted, gadget guy, project guy. What is it? Time. Man, he buys time back there. He just moves around and makes defensive linemen and linebackers chasing him look bad. Now, it's interesting. What they started doing here lately is starting to blitz some cornerback so you can get athlete on athlete to try and bring him down. But as he's moving around and buying time, and the other thing, Colin, I love. As a matter of, fact, you'll hear me talk about it some this week during the game.

The more I've been watching him, you know how like he gets, he gets like 10, 11, 12 yards deep sometimes in his drop. And so when they're starting to come after him, he'll take off and sort of run towards the line of scrimmage. Now if you're a linebacker or a strong safety, whatever, now you've got to try and figure out what are we going to do with this guy? Are we going to come up and try and make the tackle on him? Or are we going to try and just stay back in coverage?

And no matter what you do, you're wrong. But it's so amazing to watch him. He looks like a shortstop getting it and throwing it across the diamond, first base. Of course, he played second base. So all those weird angle throws, he's just really something. But I think the thing that he does best is a deep ball. He puts so much arc on those deep balls. And you think about a guy like Medcalf going down the field.

And now the defensive backs five foot 10 and comes up to about his shoulder. And now he raises his arm up there. And that ball's coming in at that kind of trajectory. I don't know how do you stop it? I really don't. I was rooting for Carson Went Sunday. I like him a lot. I think he's got mental fatigue.

They've lost receivers for three straight years. Philadelphia is tough on its quarterbacks. He's lost Frank Reich. I still believe in him. Is there been a moment in the last year or two that maybe you didn't? That's something that you were worried that it wasn't working. I think mentally you've got to keep your eye on people who are playing without their team intact. I mean, you look at that offense.

I've never seen anything like it. I'd never seen the entire receiving core, minimum the first three, arguably the top four receivers on that team, gone. Three of the starting offensive linemen in the game were gone. Then Lane Johnson got hurt during the game. I mean, you're talking about eight of the ten teammates that he thought he was going to have going into the season, not being out there and not being ready to play. I thought in many ways

Carson took the game over. I mean, he was out scrambling and he was running. That's what he did against the Bengals. And everybody said, you know, the Bengals, oh, they tied to Bengals. That's horrendous. The tie against the Bengals now has them in first place. So I've seen Carson Wentz make way too many plays

to write him off at such a young age. Now, do I think that's possible between his knee and his back injury, you know, that he's not quite physically where he was when he came in? Maybe. Maybe. I don't know. But I see him make too many great plays still to ever think that once this team gets back together, that maybe they truly are. I just assumed the Cowboys were going to be the best team in this division this year.

But here the Eagles are sitting on top, so who knows? I said I thought Joe Burrow was going to be Tony Romo. He played like Romo. He looked like Romo. Both have good arms, not special. Burroughs better than I thought. I'm wrong. I think he's doing it with a below suboptimal offensive line. You live in Cincinnati. You know people on that staff.

Are even they a tad surprised how good Burroughs been so far? I don't think so. I don't think so at all. Mike Brown believes that you have a quarterback and a chance, or you don't and you don't. In the 80s, we had two MVP quarterbacks and Kenny Anderson and Boomer O'Syerson. We went to two Super Bowls.

And I think he thinks that's the magic formula. So when all these ridiculous offers were pouring in for Joe Burrow, Mike Brown said, no, baby, no, no. I know how I've got a chance to try and get back to another Super Bowl again. I think I've got a potential MVP in my pocket and I'm going to play him. You know, the interesting thing about him is in college, he was known as the deep ball passer, one of the most accurate deep ball throwers going in the game.

He hasn't even gotten that part of his game going yet. So he's been magical, top 10 quarterback in the 20 yards and less category. But we have not seen him really begin to hit some of those deep balls the way that he did at LSU. So I really look for him to get better. I think we're looking at the tip of the iceberg. Yeah, well, their offensive line has to get better, too, to throw those deep balls. So I actually have no problem with fewer deep balls right now. Aaron Rogers is flourishing post Mike McCarthy.

You look at the film. Is it more multiple? Are there more variables? Is some of his success, the schemes are better? I mean, how do you explain it? I think his offensive line, the protection right now is real good, but what do you explain for his phenomenal last 10, 12 games? Well, and especially when you consider without Adams, without Lazard, that he's just making it up on the fly now. One thing, it was interesting, and I forgot to ask him about it,

I should have asked him when we did the game against the Saints, was exactly what was different. He was saying that he had gone back and looked at himself and what was different. My opinion of what was different over the last couple of years is the fact that he was not holding the ball as long. He had gotten to the point where every play was a little like Russell Wilson, where he wanted to get up and step up and through and buy time and create space and all that kind of stuff. But I think now he's got the double-edged sword going here. Now not only is he still creative with those plays where he's buying time and stepping up and through,

he's gotten back to what he once was, which is let's get rid of the ball at least 50% of the time in 2.5 seconds or less, which is sort of the dead in the middle, right? So let's get back, boom, and then go back, boom, and get back, boom, and get back. back, boom. And now all of a sudden the pass rushers, you think about it from their standpoint. If they know you're going to scramble and try and step up and through, what are they doing? They're going, they're peeking, they're doing their fancy moves because they might have four seconds to rush the passer. You start throwing it in under 2.5 seconds. You turn everybody into a bull rusher. They have no choice. They got to try and go right down the middle of those offensive linemen. So the blocks get easier, the passes get easier.

Now when you start to scramble and move, it's something. unique. It's something different. It's another creative edge that he has. And the other part of it is that with nobody in the stands, this guy's the smartest guy playing quarterback in the league. I mean, every time we meet with him, he absolutely blows me away with his memory, with he can recall sequences. We can call out a game from 2013. You remember in the third quarter, and we've already looked it up, right? Al's already looked it up. We've gone through the sequence and he goes, oh yeah we started with that little slant and then we hit the hitch and go on the sideline it blows you away so now when you get in the stadium and there's nobody there and he can communicate

and he goes hunt hut and these guys jump off sides and the safety comes down to this side and that linebacker starts to fall off and he goes ha ha I know what it is all right lassar go ahead they run a slant for me right here and boom they can hit it the smarter guys the guys that know their offense inside and out, the guys that know how to communicate at the line of scrimmage, they're gaining a huge advantage. So I think in this year, we're seeing the great quarterbacks separate even a little bit more. Owner of pro football focus, 16 sports Emmys. I only got about a minute left. Did you major in broadcasting in Florida? No, I majored in accounting. How boring is that? Then I got my law degree. And so that's it.

Wow, you got your law degree. Never practice. though, right? How about that? You got your law degree in Florida? At the University of Cincinnati, it took me five years, and the number one thing I learned in law school was that I didn't want to be a lawyer. That's funny. You're not the first guy to say that, though, I bet.

That's no fun compared to what you're doing now. He's got a podcast with All-Pro Richard Sherman. They've teamed up weekly podcasts. Second one's coming up, iTunes, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. Say hi to Al. Absolute pleasure. We'll be watching Sunday night, Chris. Good talking to you, pal. 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. Sumer 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.

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 I Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.