The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Sep 15, 2020

Episode Date: September 15, 2020

-The Steelers are like Mike Tyson, they beat up on lesser opponents-Bruce Arians should choose his words better when he criticizes Tom Brady-The Cowboys big contracts are already causing issues-The Herd Hierarchy, Colin's top ten teams in the NFL-Clippers will win game 7Guest: Peter King, NBC Sports 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

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

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Podcast, 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. Ah, here we go on a packed Tuesday. 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, one hour from now. Our first in-season herd hierarchy. One through 10, 10 best teams in the NFL. I think you know who I have number one. I don't think you know who I have three through 10. And Joy Taylor is joining me. Two games last night.

Great games. Steelers back, your Pittsburgh girl. Steelers back. Nice win. I liked it. I liked what I saw some from Ben. All right. He looked.

He looked like Ben Rothesberger. He did. Which. Shaggy. You can go a lot of different ways. All right, let me start with this. We know what the Steelers are. The last death.

decade, they've been the Mike Tyson of the NFL. Man, they beat up on bad teams. They roll average teams. Mike Tyson did that. If you were average, pass your prime, a B fighter, man, you look at Tyson, you're like, he'd destroy the greatest fighters of all time. But when you put Lennox Lewis in the ring with him, he was outclassed. When you put Evander Holyfield two times in the with him a great technical fighter. A guy with a chin, Mike Tyson looked lost. That's what the Steelers are. We knew the Steelers were going to beat a new head coach.

Do you understand the last decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Browns and Bengals, bad organizations, are 33, 6 and 1. But what are they against the Ravens and the Patriots in the last decade? 10 and 18. And those are the teams you've got to beat to get to the land where the Steelers feel is theirs. Super Bowls. That's what Pittsburgh is about. This is not the New York Mets.

This is not the Jags. This is not, you know, the Milwaukee Bucks. These are the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is, you know, looking for the fifth ring, you know, one for the thumb. This is a Pittsburgh Steelers, right? Even last year they were eight and two on their third string quarterback. a guy named Duck. And when you're the Steelers and you have great ownership and a great GM and a Hall of Fame quarterback

and they always have great weapon, they always have great wide receivers and a good offensive line and linebackers that can run over the field, but you have continuity. You're going to beat half the teams on your schedule just because you're not a dumpster fire, and they never are. Last night was classic Pittsburgh. Whoa! I think they're a Super Bowl team. They dominated.

Yeah, because they're buttoned up in terms of organizationally. They draft well. They develop players. They do a great job. But then they run into those elite teams and those elite quarterbacks. And you do get in 2020, the AFC runs through Andy Reed, Hall of Famer, Patrick Moe Holmes, going to be a hall of famer. Lamar Jackson, world class. John Harbaugh probably gets into the Hall of Fame.

The Giants are not what you've got to get through. The New York Giants, new head coach, new coordinator, new system, second year quarterback and Daniel Jones. Pittsburgh's been beaten up on that for the last decade. That's not the issue. The Giants are a lot closer to the Browns and the Bengals than they are to the Ravens and the Chiefs today. The Giants are a mess.

I know what I get from Pittsburgh when they face teams like that. I mean, again, just having their front office and their ownership in big been in continuity, which they almost always have. That's going to, a solid head coach and a solid quarterback, you know, you're going to win a bunch of games in the NFL just because you've got your, you know what together. But the Steelers, 9 and 7 and out in the first round, 10 and 6, second in the division wild car out in the first round. That's not what the Steelers are about.

Their standards are much, much higher. Their standards are the Ravens standards and, you know, the Packer standards and the Patriot standards. That's their standards here. And last night, you know what? Last night, my two takeaways. The New York Giants stink. And number two, it's good to have Big Ben back. It's good to have Big Ben back. I'm happy to see Big Ben. Fan of Duck Hodges, but good to have Big Ben back and all those receivers and the Steelers and they're winning. It's Monday night. But Mike Tomlin, he knows the truth about this season. and he knows the truth about last night.

I thought they showed their metal. I thought that they were physically tough, mentally tough. But we got to do some things better. And, you know, we knew we weren't going to be perfect tonight. We talked about that openly last night in preparation for this opportunity. But there's more meat on the bone. And I appreciate the efforts. We just got to search for a higher ceiling in terms of quality of blood.

At least the coach knows. That's the good news. He knows what he saw. He knows what they have to be to get back to a stealer level, not beating a lousy Giants team, Browns and bingles and all that NFL nonsense. Okay. So nobody likes criticism.

Let's be honest about it. I don't like it. You don't like it. Even constructive criticism from people we respect, we don't sleep well that night. Tom Brady got ripped by his coach. The wording, was a little loose for my taste.

Bruce Ariens criticizing Tom Brady, the wording at the end of this is not real precise. Here we go. Yeah, I mean, he looked like Tom Brady in practice all the time, so it's kind of unusual to see that in the ballgame because they didn't do the things that we didn't get ready for.

Everything they did, we thought we were ready for. He knew he didn't play very well, and it's not what he expects from himself, nor do we expect. So I wouldn't anticipate him to have a little more grit and a little more determination this week. Excuse me? Tom Brady wasn't determined enough.

I don't know if your television set's been working for 20 years. Tom's got issues. He's not the greatest athlete. But the determination thing, I'm going to go with Tom's good on that. Secret practices, helicopters hovering at high schools in Tampa. You've got to be careful here. Bruce Ariens is loose.

His lips are loose. His teams are loose. Last year led the NFL in penalties. First week, nine penalties. Punt block. That's Tampa. That's Bruce Ariens. By the way, Ariens admitted after looking at the film,

oh, wait, that first interception, that was on Mike Evans. That was not on Tom Brady. It's not a small thing. Ariens reminds me a little bit of Brett Farve. talented gunslinger details kind of a go-with-a-gut guy

I like Ariens I like Farrv but you're dealing with Tom Brady the greatest at his position ever and Brady is the opposite of Farrv he is the opposite of Ariens he is absurdly buttoned up absurdly detailed

ridiculously committed beyond obsessed, I'd be careful about questioning the determination thing. This was always my concern in Tampa, that you had this almost MIT Harvard level commitment and attention to detail. You just work, you sleep at the facility. And in Tampa, that's not what they are. It's loose.

It's fun. It's tequila at 530. I'm not even talking directly to Arients. It's just the organization. I used to cover it. It's not aspirational. It's not buttoned up. Hey, there's always tomorrow we lost a playoff game.

Oh, wait, they don't get to the playoffs. Longest NFC drought in the playoffs, longer than Detroit. Jimmy Johnson said this yesterday. The greater the quarterback, the more careful you have to be with the public criticism. Anytime you call out one of your players publicly, especially a quarterback with their egos, you're going to cause some tension there. And I think it's tension that you don't really need. But, you know, sometimes all of us, you know,

reporters asking questions, you know, right off the cuff, you want to give them the right answer. A lot of times you shouldn't give them the right answer. Belichick's got it best, you know, owned to Cincinnati. And so, yeah, I don't think it's good to publicly criticize your quarterback. Listen, Arians basically came out. out and said, listen, they didn't show us anything we didn't expect. Translation, I got it right. He didn't. My game plan was great. He wasn't. He's got to be careful. Listen, the other

thing is people who are driven and goal-oriented and tough on themselves, Tom knows his mistakes. The people you have to get after are the ones like Baker Mayfield who play average football and think they're great and have no humility. Joe Burrow came out this weekend, played darn well. he's like, I was bad. I don't have to worry about Joe Burrow. I don't have to worry about Brady. I don't have to worry about Russell Wilson. I don't have to worry about Lamar Jackson.

Those guys are great, and there are B plus efforts. They're like, I was lousy. You got to worry about the people who play average and think they're great. Brady knows he wasn't ideal. Brady knows of his mistakes. He's buttoned up. Tampa historically not. I'd just be careful what I say here.

It's a long season. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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, Clipper 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-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 Jette. And I'm Alex English. 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's big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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 for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan, Ryan, 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 here 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 iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Van der Resch, good linebacker for the Cowboys, surgery collarbone, out now for probably six to eight weeks, Jarwin the tight end, out for the season. Okay. This is what happened to the,

LA Rams. When you got seven or eight massive contracts, you have less depth and one or two injuries and the season goes downhill. Last year, the Rams were going to be good, right? They just got to the Super Bowl. Oh, then they have a center and then they lose a guy on free agency, and then they have a couple injuries. And all of a sudden you're like, Rams can't protect golf and the Todd Gurley. Okay, when you have a top heavy roster, you're going to have to steal from somewhere else. You can't pay everybody and be deep. And the Steelers and the Patriots have always

been very good at this. The Packers, too, that they don't pay a lot of people. And we complain, they don't pay enough people. But they've got a little more depth, and they can lose one player and be okay in Green Bay. Last year, the Steelers lost a quarterback, and then a second, and they were still eight and eight,

and New England loses people, and it's next man up. The problem is, who's your man? And so the Rams are top-heavy, They paid Gurley too much too early. They paid Brandon Cook's too much. Jalen Ramsey, I like him, but they're paying him about 30% more than the market bears. And the Rams, now they've been healthy so far.

But we saw it last year. Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. They pay Wentz a ton. Fletcher Cox a ton. Lane Johnson a ton. Brandon Brooks a ton. Alshon Jeffrey a ton. Oh, Lane's hurt.

They're disintegrate against Washington. This is what happens. happens in this league. That's why I always say I'm not against players getting paid. Pay infrequently. You pay a handful of stars, big money, and then you don't. And then you make tough decisions. By the way, Kansas City is becoming this a little bit. Chris Jones, a lot. Mahomes, I get it a lot. And then Sammy Watkins, a lot. You better restructure that. And Travis Kelsey a lot. And all of a sudden you look up one day and you're like, you're a honey badger injury away or a Mitchell Schwartz injury away from you can't protect Mahomes. You're playing

from behind. He's throwing too much. So this is my knock on Dallas. Dallas, the Rams and the Eagles have a lot of big paychecks and a lot of stars. And it's great when they're healthy. But Dallas is now one more injury away. Tyron Smith left tackle. He's an older. He's great. But he's not built to play 16 games anymore. So now they've lost Gerald McCoy defensive tackle out for the year. Tied in, out for the year. Center, gone, retired. Tyron Smith, keep your fingers crossed.

Vandreche, out for two months. They are a Tyron Smith injury at left tackle from being in some real chaos in Dallas. So everybody's like, just pay DAC. It's like, this is why the franchise tag was built. Like, you better get that quarterback. contract right. You better get it right. And as much as I like Kansas City, you know, Chris Jones goes down. Now you don't have the pass rush. Now Patrick Mahomes is in shootouts. So, you know, I'm not anti-paying players. I'm not. I am for paying your hitmakers and your

stars. But this is fairly predictable with Dallas. They're one more injury away from, uh-oh, uh-oh, the season's unraveling. One more herd? The herd's Streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Heard hierarchy. Time is now, let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college, number 10. 49ers, and there are areas of concern, they struggle with mobile quarterbacks.

They struggle with Kyler Murray. They struggle with Russell Wilson. They struggle with Lamar Jackson. The league's getting increasingly mobile. Also, wide receiver has been a bit of a problem for them. Emmanuel Sanders gone. Only 41 of the team's 260 yards came from their wide receiver Sunday. And Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo are sleeping in separate bedrooms.

I'm seeing a little tension here, some fissures in that relationship. Niners at 10. Number nine. Steelers. Okay, here's the good news. That defense held Saquan Barkley to a nothing burger. six yards, 15 carries. That was impressive.

And we knew it was. We knew their defense is good. And they got a very easy schedule, second easiest schedule. I probably should have put them at 9 and 7 or 10 and 6, not 8 and 8. I just didn't know what I was going to get. I said, I got to watch Big Ben play. They look good. They look Pittsburghy.

Where they're going to win all the games they should, I just don't know if they're next level, but I put them at 9. Number 8. Buffalo Bills are exceptionally well-coached. I'm not sure there's a staff in the NFL. that knows the limitations of their players and avoids it and the strength of their players and leans into it. Josh Allen, they're just taking baby steps and baby steps,

finally had, it's got 18 rushing touchdowns, by the way, most last two years in the NFL, but they finally scored 27 points against the Jets. They finally got into the high 20s. Josh Allen looked a little more comfortable, still erratic. I really do think you don't pay a lot of attention to Buffalo. I think this is a coaching story. I think Sean McDermott and Kyle Shanahan and John McBey

are the three best young coaches in the NFL. Number seven. Rams. I like them. I'll tell you, Malcolm Brown, the running back, gets no press. That guy's a bull. That guy's good. That guy delivered against Dallas.

Jared Goff, I know. I know none of you like Jared Goff. He had five completions of 20-plus yards. Tied for the most in the NFL. And here's the thing. Goff and McVey-like. each other. It works. They appreciate each other. They complete each other.

They like each other. It's not tense. And I think Goff is his best quarterback with McVeigh. And I also think their wide receiver tied end core. I think it could be second to the Chiefs in the NFL. They got a bunch of guys who can catch

and run in L.A. Number six. Tampa Bay is going to be fine. New Orleans could win the Super Bowl. Lighten up at a punt block. Nine penalties. Mike Evans is recovering from a hamstring injury. He had one catch. And Leonard Furnett, who's going to become their number one back?

Leonard Furnett is just learning the system. Those are star players in the NFL. By the way, they go to Carolina this week. Carolina is not good on defense. Mark my words. They're going to score a lot of points this weekend. Going up against that Saints defense is just no day at the beach. And don't overreact.

Tampa's offense will be fine. Number five. Packers. First of all, I don't think Minnesota is as good defensively as they have in the last three years. They lost too many players. Griffin on the edge. They got injuries up front. Aaron Rogers owns this team. I will say this. Devante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins, those may be the two best receivers in the NFL. I'm not sure you can guard him. It wasn't that Devonthe Adams had a bunch of catches.

He was wide open. Aaron looked healthy. He looked happy. They're on a six-game winning streak in week one. But listen, I don't think Minnesota is very good. That's why I don't have the Packers in my kind of elite four. but they were impressive. They own week one. They now currently own the Vikings, and that was nice. Number four.

Pete Carroll finally said, you know, Russ, I'm going to let you go. It's funny. Russell Wilson maybe had one of the greatest games I've ever seen a quarterback play. Highest, third highest single game completion percentage in NFL history. In Atlanta's no slouch, Russell Wilson, for the record, leads all, this is funny. He leads all quarterbacks in the NFL with 107 touchdown passes last three years. No other quarterback has 100. This is Russell's team.

Let him go. Give it to him. And I will say they played with Jamal Adams, Bobby Wagner. They played with a lot of swagger on defense, a lot of toughness. They were running around, hitting people. They established that physicality very early on the road. Seattle really impressed me defensively. Number three.

Saints, they weren't perfect. I mean, Michael Thomas was held to three catches. This is a really good football team. And they added two smart veterans, Malcolm Jenkins, Emmanuel Sanders. You know, I feel about the Saints kind of like I felt the last four or five years. Not a lot of room for air. They don't get a lot of cheap touchdowns. You don't get any D-Hop touchdowns.

You don't get any Mike Evans touchdowns. They don't commit penalties. They're very efficient. They're great at home. I just don't feel with Drew Breeze over the top at his age, you get a lot of free touchdowns, a lot of playmaking ability. But they're well-coached, well-oiled, well-run, really smart. and you can tell from the salary cap next couple of years, they've gone all in on this team.

They are hyper-focused on this year. And when you have Drew Breeze, who's going to be a broadcaster, you know, in six months. That's what you do. Number two. Kansas City currently on a 10-game winning streak, that's the, including the playoffs last year, longest in the NFL. Now, they're a little top-heavy. They pay a handful of guys a ton of money.

I worry about depth in certain positions. Right-tackle Mitchell Schwartz is really, really important. He's one of their stars. They're not paying a ton to. They're good. And what I liked about week one, Mahomes has always been a gunslinger. Now he looks efficient.

I mean, now he's auto-bullying out of stuff at the line of scrimmage. So you get the Brett Farr. Brett Farr never graduated to a lot of that stuff. Like Mahomes, now we're in year three. He was like, yeah, I'm going to go from gunslinger, howitzer. I'm going to go to surgical. Oh, that's not good for everybody else. Number one.

Baltimore, I picked him to win the Super Bowl. They're a machine. Listen, you got to understand. Cleveland's got talent. They beat him by 32 points. Cleveland's not going to lose a game the rest of this year by 32 points. That is unbelievable. I just don't see the flaws.

I don't see them. Last year, their pass rush was inconsistent. It doesn't appear to be. This is, in a salary cap era, this is about as good a roster. And for the record, all you Lamar Jackson critics, He's now 20 and 3. Let's move past the, I don't know if it's going to work. It's working well.

He's lost a couple playoff games. Whateves? Peyton Manning lost a lot of them for a lot of years, and so did John Elway. Baltimore, to me, is the team to beat in this league. What's up, everybody, John Middell Cough, Three and Out podcast. That's me. That's the show. Go subscribe right now.

If you like Colin Coward's show, you'll like mine. I talk football, football, and more football. Coming up this week, we dive deep into the Monday night football doubleheader. Fangio blowing it with the timeouts. Ben Robertsburger back. And every big story from Sunday, Brady, Wentz, Jimmy G, Aaron Rogers, you name it. Three and Out podcast. Go subscribe.

All right, we've got to get Peter King on NBC Sports in America. I want his thoughts on Pittsburgh because I know Pittsburgh Oas beats bad teams. Are they next level? What did Peter King see? NBCSports.com? Three-time national sports writer. of the year. All right, you tell me your takeaway on Pittsburgh. We know they beat up on average. I mean, they're 33 and 6 and 1 against the Browns and Bengals last decade. Did you see next level

stuff last night, though? Well, two observations. I think the Giants are a little better than we thought they were, and Daniel Jones is still a very young quarterback, you know, is witnessed by his 19th play on that drive, which was, you know, a fatal mistake. But I do think looking at the Steelers now, you know, I think coming into this year, if you would have said, who were the Steelers' biggest weapons? You know, I probably would have said Rothesberger, Juju, then T.J. Watt and most likely Cam Hayward. And now I think you've got to put Doug Dupro, Bud Dupree right in that mix. I thought he was tremendous last night.

I thought he was the difference in the game. And I'll tell you what, the Steelers are going to be a hard team to face defensively all year. No matter whether Ben last, I mean, Ben's missed 22 games in the last five years. So, and he's 38 years old, I don't know if he'll last. But if he doesn't, it won't matter because it'll matter. But I'm talking about when your offense faces their defense, that they are one of the three.

or four toughest defenses front to back in the league. You know, it's funny, Peter. Nobody ever talks about player development. Pittsburgh really develops their players. About year three and four, a lot of their guys, they really do an amazing job on player development. So, you know, we always have a team in this league and that we're good and we think they're going to be great and they're just not.

And then it happens every year. But if you and I mention that team, we just get crushed. But I'm going to throw a couple of things up about the 49ers that. could be troubling. We now have a quarterback coach where I think the coach has lost a little confidence in the quarterback. Mobile quarterbacks, Kyler Murray multiple times, Russell Wilson Lamar, give this defensive front troubles. And they're just wildly inconsistent at wide receiver. I'm not saying the Niners aren't good. But I am seeing some holes here that if I was a Niner fan, I would be like, like, there's some stuff here that's not right. Is that fair?

I think so. The loss of Debo Samuel for three games or more now, I think Matt Mayoko out in San Francisco reported there might be more of an issue with his foot than they previously thought. His game is speed. If he's got a foot problem, that's a big problem. But the loss of Debo Samuel, I think, really hurt him against the Cardinals on Sunday. You can beat the Jets without Debo, Samuel. You probably can beat the Giants without Debo Samuel, but you're not going to go far without his impact and the impact of other wide receivers that, you know, they have just been totally snake bit at the receiver position, you know, mostly because of injuries. That would bother me. And again, look, I like Garapolo, but I've got to see it for a longer.

period of time out of Garapolo. And I just, I remember the postseason too well. So he has to prove even with a beaten up receiver core that he's good enough to win games. You know, it's funny. I said my issues with Tom Brady weren't necessarily as age. My issues were New England is about the most detail-oriented aspirational organization I've seen in sports for two decades. Tampa has a history of being loose.

Bruce Ariens is loose. Sunday, they got nine penalties, a block punt. And I wonder over it. And Bruce Ariens called Tom out right away. And I'm like, I'd be careful about that. I don't worry about Tom's determination and work ethic. Anything about Tampa week one, including Arians' comments. Anything worry a little bit about what you saw?

Well, you know, I watched almost every snap of the game. So, yeah, there were some things I worry about. the pick six, you know, that I thought by Janoris Jenkins, that, you know, I thought was a really bad decision by Brady and a late decision by Brady. So that would bother me. But again, I keep coming back to this. You know, there's a good chance that the Bucks had to play the best team in the NFC on the road in week one. The team in the NFC with the most continuity by far in week one. And what's the team that's had monumental changes? You know, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Tom Brady. You know, I wrote this yesterday. Do you realize that yesterday was the one-month anniversary

of Tom Brady getting in a huddle with his teammates in Tampa for the first time? So, you know, Drew Bree's been getting in a huddle with his teammates for 15 years. And again, that's a little bit of a, you know, of a sort of a false comparison. But I'm just simply saying, Tom Brady and his teammates are new. Drew Breeze and his teammates, you know, are an old shoe. So it was a bad matchup for the first week of the season. for the bucks, and now they have a favorable schedule for the next four weeks. So we'll see what happens.

You know, it's interesting. You generally in the NFL, you get a couple of years, and by year three, if something's not cooking, coach quarterback, you're in trouble. So Adam Gase, the Jets look disorganized. If I see about four more of those, he's not getting past Thanksgiving. And Baker Mayfield, fourth coach, same mistakes. Let's talk Thursday. This sounds ridiculous, but Joy and I talked about this. I've seen the Steelers and I've seen the Ravens.

If Joe Burrell beats Baker, there's going to be some people in Cleveland, Peter, they're bailing on Baker. They don't want to be part of it. I think it's a bigger game than we just think, oh, it's just another football game. Joe Burrow looked pretty good to me. Like, I think this Baker thing could unravel here

if they don't start posting some Ws. Am I nuts on it? No, I think you're right. I mean, I'm not saying that after the second week, publicly they're going to throw Baker in the garbage. But I think privately, you know, if they don't beat the Bengals, I'd like to be able to sit here and say, man, that's a dangerous Cincinnati team coming in, but it isn't. It isn't. It's an okay team. It's okay. But, you know, it's probably a 5 and 11 team. So you can't convince me that if you're the Cleveland Browns,

who lost the opener a year ago by 30 when everybody in America loved them. They lose the opener by 30. This year, people are saying, ah, they're a sneaky team. They might win nine or ten. You know, and then they go and they lose by 32 in the opener this year. I'm totally, absolutely down on the Browns. And I feel bad. Kevin Stefansky deserves a legitimate chance.

but I've seen this movie too many times. Offseason optimism in Cleveland and then they stink. Wake me up when they're halfway decent because they are not right now. You know, I said this yesterday on the show. I said happiness is about expectations. And if you're mad with what you saw with the Cowboys, that's kind of on you. I think they have a pretty good coach and a pretty good quarterback,

and I thought it was a pretty good performance. but I'll tell you what. They are much like the Rams last year in a little bit of Philadelphia. They're top heavy on contracts. Translation, not a ton of depth. They've lost Gerald McCoy, the tight end. And now Van Derresh is out for two months.

Peter, they're a Tyron Smith pulled hamstring away from having some chaos because Travis Frederick's gone now. And I look at the Cowboys and I'm like, if you're getting upset with this, this is kind of what I've seen. the last 12, 15 times they've played good teams. Like, this is what they are, right? I think they're very lucky that there's similar chaos right now in Philadelphia.

And look, you know, let's not make too much out of Washington winning that first game of the season over Philadelphia. But, you know, Colin, you watch that game and you'd be hard pressed to say that Philadelphia is better than Washington. It's hard for me to believe that, you know, Philadelphia's problems that that was just a fluky loss. Right. They have major problems on the offensive line, both in chemistry and injuries. That's one thing. And then, you know, I mean, I just look at their receiver core, their wide receiver core, and they have to get mature and a lot better fast.

Yeah. And the last thing I would say about Philly, I think, is that be a little worried about Carson Wentz. Not a lot worried, but that was not an encouraging day for him. But to get back to Dallas, I think the Cowboys will be okay. I'd kind of like to have my, you know, Cowboys is the top seat and the NFC back, which I had because I thought the division was going to be really weak. And honestly, I don't want to have it back because. I feel like

Dallas is going to stink. I don't think so. I still think they've got a very good chance to win their division. But Washington, I thought, was really impressive on Sunday. Yeah. And impressive enough to win nine and to be in the pennant race in December, I don't know. But Washington was one of the two or three teams I saw in week one that was more impressive than I thought they'd be. Peter King, NBC Sports. Great seeing you, Peter.

It was a very fun week one, and Thursday has a little urgency for it if you're Baker and the Browns. Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Thank you, Colin. Have a great day. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman document. recommended 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-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 you? 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 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 you 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 for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch.

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

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. By the way, Clippers are going to win game seven tonight over Denver. You do get that nine of the last 12 NBA champs. have faced a game seven at some point in the playoffs.

This is what it's like. This is not a great team. This is not a dynasty. The clippers weren't the number one seed. This is Kauai's history. Go back to last year. Game seven against the Sixers. Remember that jumper from the corner, that iconic shot?

If that doesn't go in, if this shot doesn't go in, the game goes to overtime. The Raptor season could be over. They needed this bounce to win the series. And then Kauai gets to the finals against Golden State. Steph's hurt. Clay's hurt. Kevin Durant's hurt.

The team doctors hurt. Steve, everybody was hurt. And that went six games. Kauai's legacy is this spot. He's been in this spot a lot. It's never been easy for Kauai. By the way, first round against Dallas. They went six games against Dallas.

Porzingas was out and Luca had a bum ankle. This is not people. get spoiled by like Miami Heat in a 25 game winning streak or whatever it was. You get spoiled by MJ. You get spoiled by dynasties. You get spoiled by Kevin Durant. This is what the playoffs look like for good teams. Boston's a good team.

Clippers are a good team. But their chemistry is not great. They just started playing together. I said, I thought they would, I thought it would be easier than this. But they're not a great team. They weren't even number one seed in the West. They weren't the number one. one seed in the West. Doc Rivers says

game seven, go out, play hoops, the rest of it's nonsense. I'm going to say let's go win. There's no Ro Ro Ro Roe's features are very overrated then. They last about three minutes and you come running out and you're fired up and three minutes later you got to focus on playing basketball. So

there's no like secret speech. You know, that's where you know, the movies. Listen, the playoffs, if you take out dynasties, have always been just a battle of attrition, a battle of survival, a battle of health, and here we go, game seven.

Denver's really talented, really young, and I'll take the Clippers tonight. For the record, Fox bet I think they're favored by seven. It's telling you what the smart guys think. Clippers will win. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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, 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'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 Clifford 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam Jay 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.