The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Sep 24, 2020

Episode Date: September 24, 2020

-The Heat are a development story, the Lakers can't develop anybody-Slow down on Aaron Rodgers success because everyone in the NFL is putting up points-Belichick assistants just do not work as head coaches-Trevor Lawrence might not be headed to Jacksonville and the NFL loves it-The Browns will make their decision on Baker Mayfield's future in the next 4 gamesGuest: Greg Cosell, NFL Films 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 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 Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. 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. 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. Ah, here we go on a Thursday.

We're live and we're in Los Angeles. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Right here on Fox Sports Radio and right here on FS1. Yes, Joy Taylor was famous last night. Even the other network cannot deny our dominance. Joy Taylor's all over the NBA playoff game along with Brooks Kepka, where they couldn't stop showing. It was a wild game.

It was a great game. I know it's great for you. It was really fun. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was like being on air, but not talking for like three or four hours. Yeah, both these conference finals feel like the other team could lead the series. I want to start with this, though. There's Joy Taylor right there.

Let's show a picture of Joy. All right. That is so funny. It was great. is so great. Let me start with this. What a shocker that the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat to really well-run organizations who both have great presidents, GMs and great coaches, are developing all these young stars.

Isn't that funny how it works? You think of player development in college, right? Like you take a high schooler who's talented, but he's a high school. kid and then you get him in college and Nick Saban polishes him up or Mike Shishchevsky polishes him up. But players are now leaving college early. So player

development is now a real responsibility in the pros. And what a shock. The Miami Heat and the Celtics do it really well. You know who doesn't? The Lakers. No 20-year-olds are dropping

37 for LeBron. As I've said before, Of the four teams left, we know the Celtics and the heat are well run and developed players. Denver does too, but they don't have a history of it. The one team that doesn't is the Lakers. And I'll give you an example. Brandon Ingram leaves the Lakers, and an hour later, he pops. DeAngelo Russell leaves the Lakers, becomes an all-star.

Kyle Kuzma's getting worse. When's the last, like, good player the Lakers' development? I'm talking homegrown. It's Andrew Bynum. Remember him? Yeah, not really. He was good very briefly and then fizzled. But the NBA is now a developmental.

You think of the G League is developmental. But nobody that's any good in the NBA stays in college generally for four years. So the NBA now on rosters is a developmental league. I mean, that's what it is. Sometimes you have to play the developmental players. A Tyler Hero right now is better in the NBA than it was in college. Did he have a 37-point game at Kentucky? I mean, this is what's happening.

It's such an advantage. I'll give you an example with the Celtics. When Marcus Smart came into this league for the Celtics, he was rough. Dude could not shoot. And I mean, he made Ricky Rubio look like, you know, Jerry West and Steph Curry. Dude couldn't shoot. 18-footer. I'm talking hit the bad parts of the iron if it hit it.

Marcus Smart is so valuable for the Celtics. Now, Jalen Brown was just an athlete from Cal, could not shoot. Those guys are so good, so trustable. That's player development. And this has been my knock on the Lakers. It's that they get stars. And I'm not saying he can't get stars. You've got to go out and get a Campbell Walker.

You've got to go out and get a Jimmy Butler. This is the NBA. You're not going to win with seven Tyler Heroes. So everybody goes out and gets a star. What star do you get? Pat Riley's got a history. He goes and gets Shaq. He goes and gets LeBron.

He goes and gets Bosch. He goes and gets Jimmy Butler. You got to choose the right star. The Knicks chose Carmelo Anthony. You know, Houston chooses Westbrook. You choose the wrong star. So getting a star is valuable. But player development has never been a bigger deal in the NBA because they're not staying with Roy Williams for four years.

They're not staying with Coach K. They get them for an hour. They're off to the NBA. And because you drafted them in the first round, you're not going to send him to the G League. You hope you don't. So it's not a shock that Denver, by the way, Denver's whole roster, mostly homegrown guys, the Celtics, they get Kemba Gordh, homegrown, Miami. I mean, think about Duncan Robinson. First of all, you didn't know who he was a year ago.

He's 26 already. How? He went to college for a long time. He was D3. He was undrafted. The guys like that don't end up in the NBA. Undrafted D3, transfer to Michigan, play forever in college in 2020. That's not an NBA player.

He's a valuable NBA player. And I just look at it. As I watched it last night, I'm looking around and I'm like, this is what LeBron doesn't get. He doesn't get a 20-year-old dropping 30. I think Kyle Kuzmo is a good kid. I think he's getting worse. I remember when he first got to the Lakers, he'd have these 36-point games and these

29-point games kind of regularly. I think he's lost his total confidence. That's player development. There's a big knowledge. NFL has this as well. The Green Bay Packers, in the last. 20 years, two times have drafted a tackle in the first round. Why do the Packers always have a good offensive line?

Because the Packers, somebody in there, the secret sauce of the Green Bay Packers is not just far of Aaron Rogers. The secret sauce of the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots, the Patriots and the Patriots. Nate Solder was the first round pick for the Patriots, but mostly the history of the last 20 years is getting guys in the third and the fourth and the fifth round or undrafted guys. and they develop them on the offensive line. The Packers and the Patriots always have good O-lines.

They're not a lot of first-round draft picks in the last 20 years in the O-line. So Jimmy Butler talks about these young guys. It's not going away. This is what Miami and Riley do. This is their history. Did you guys think he was capable of this? Yeah, without a doubt. We know anybody on our roster that they're capable of that.

It was his time. I hope it's his time in the next game as well. It could be dunk. I hope it's dunk. It could be bam. It could be anybody. But he definitely will just to a victory tonight. All right. Let's talk. Lakers, by the way, play Denver tonight. Try to take, like, Miami, a pretty insurmountable lead. We'll see. It's a close series like this one.

So I love the NFL. You know that. I'm an NFL guy first. I mean, I love my college football. I love Miami. I like March Madness. Like the World Cup. Baseball playoffs. I love the NFL. And I'm sure. sure you're probably noticing this, this is the greatest first two weeks for offense in NFL history. Now, that's crazy, right? Wait a minute, we had no preseason. The NFL season is off to its highest scoring start ever with no preseason. Now, some of it, you say to yourself,

Well, the defenses are running vanilla schemes. Well, I don't know. I mean, I watched Baltimore first two weeks. That doesn't look very vanilla-ish to me. There are teams in the NFL. I mean, I've watched Tampa for two weeks in a row, especially last week. That's not a vanilla defense. It's very complex.

Right now in the NFL, 13 quarterbacks have a passer rating over 100, 19 over 90. nine guys are completing over 70% of their throws. Last year it was three. Okay. Russell Wilson is completing. I'm not making it up. 83% of his passes. It can't be just vanilla schemes.

We've seen Joe Burrell walk in, who really had two years starting in college, but mostly one year where it all hummed. He's looked unbelievable. Justin Herbert for the Chargers. Got a five-minute heads-up. He was starting in the NFL with no reps with the first team all week. Can you imagine that?

Forget the butterflies. They'd be like T-Rex inside. He was excellent. What is going on here? Gardner Minshu is tearing up the league. What it tells you is, and this is not going to slow down, when people a few years ago were talking about concussions in the NFL and I don't know the future of this league I said number one the NFL's always shown an ability to adjust their rules their equipment their safety procedures the NFL's been unlike baseball the NFL has always been the great developed league adjust league adapt league you know you think of football Neanderthals no no no no no no no no no no no no football will change their rules, their equipment, their practices, their procedures on a dime,

number one. And secondly, let's be honest about this. The quarterback play is so damn good now that without preseason, 19 quarterbacks have over a 90 passer rating. This is the future of the NFL. Did Russell Wilson just suddenly get, no, Russell's been great for years, but the quality of the coaching, the quality of the schemes, the adjustment to the rules. Anybody that questions, I remember years ago, I was at the other place and the NFL was getting rid of some hits upstairs. There was a, there was a, and I remember there was a radio show before me and it had a former NFL guy.

You hear a lot of this. Put a dress on these guys. And I was like, time out. Do you want your stars to be healthy like the Ravens or for them to all be hurt? currently like the Jets. Don't you want a safer league? I don't understand it. Like you play fantasy football, right?

Do you want guys hobbled on your fantasy team? When you bet real money, do you want the best players out? Nobody watches football for defense. Nobody, years ago, LSU and Bama were the two best teams in college football. And they were the two best teams in college. Easily. They had like 30 NFL players. And they played a game.

and then it was very close, but it was ugly and low scoring. And nobody wanted to see them play again. Because the first time they played it was like six to three. Okay. A couple years earlier, Michigan, Ohio State, who were good but not great teams played. And it was a shootout. And everybody's like, I can't believe they don't get a play for the national championship. But you didn't want to see LSU and Bama play again because the game wasn't going to be as artistic and fun.

Nobody's watching for defense in this league. for offense. It helps our fantasy. It helps our betting. It helps the over. It's more fun to watch on television. What you're watching in the NFL now is amazing. No preseason. What side of the ball is the more sophisticated? What side of the ball has a bigger playbook? What side of the ball is all choreography? It's offense. No preseason, no problem. It is shattering every offensive record. I think it's the future of the NFL. I think when you can throw Justin Herbert into a game with five minutes against the Super Bowl champs with no first team reps and he lights it up.

Or you could ask Joe Burrow in his second pro start on the road with no online and a so-so running game, throw 61 times and he mostly lights it up. This is the future of the NFL. Sports going nowhere. Sport is going nowhere. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app. 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,

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 Cliverts 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 Cliverts 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 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, so. Then you're 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. back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now.

So Peter King says basically in his column this week what a lot of people are thinking that Matt Patricia is done as coach of the Detroit Lions. He's 9, 24, and 1. He's supposed to be a defensive specialist. He talks about a pass rush. Detroit never has one. He didn't get along with Darius Slay. Traded him, which is rare because he's a great corner. It's a really important position.

And Patricia's a defensive coach. Quadry Diggs and another safety was really good. He let him go. So he can't even keep the defensive players who are stars. It's bad news. It's not working. Now, I've said this before. And I think it's something I don't say a lot,

but I think it's so valuable. Andy Reid is a teacher. So all of Andy Reed's assistants flourish. All of them, like all of them are good. Belichick's a genius. None of his assistants do well. And that's a real thing. Proximity to genius does not make you smarter.

But proximity to a teacher does. The best high school and college teachers I ever had were not the smartest. They were often the most compassionate. They took time with me. They dealt with me. smartest teachers were never my best teachers. Were they patient? Did they listen? Could they pick up on my insecurities, my flaws, my, you know, I was ADD before that was a term. Matt Patricia stood next to a genius.

And yet Charlie Weiss did and he didn't work. And Matt Patricia didn't. He's not working. And Josh McDaniels tried head coaching. And what are you saying? It's not working. and often the issue with Belichick assistance is they bring the ego of the dynasty without really the results. Belichick and Brady are 95% of the reason that puppy worked. And there are assistance to get one or two percent or one or two. But Josh McDaniels is just coaching to score. Belichick, I've been told multiple times, has to step in and go, it's about winning the game, not about scoring.

Take a knee, run, eat the clock, stay in bounds. That's not to say that Brian Flores, who I do think Brian Flores appears to be rare. I get the football intellect with the seriousness with some humility. So far in the five or six times Brian Flores has been interviewed, I've seen no ego. Josh McDaniels was all ego. I like Charlie Weiss. A lot of ego. Remember at Notre Dame, I've got a schematic advantage over these coaches.

Matt Patricia had another incident this week. Watch the ego during this question. Is there something in your coaching that maybe isn't happening enough in the fourth quarter for you to close out games? Yeah, I don't think so, Mike. I think I got probably one of the biggest plays in the fourth quarter in the history of the NFL where I think I did a pretty good job. So I don't think it's that.

Oh, God, you don't work at Barstool Sports. That's a great answer for Barstool Sports. That's a great answer for a talk show host. You can be glib and funny and a smart, like, that's not what you say at a podium if you're like a $3 million your NFL head coach representing a city and stuff. Now, I think I have one of the great plays of all time. Belichick made that decision. You do get that.

Like, that's a bad answer. Adam Gase does that. People I like Charlie Weiss would sometimes do that. What you're seeing with the Belichick, a sense, way too often as you get all the arrogance that comes from a dynasty. I mean, let's be honest about dynasties. When the Lakers had their dynasty, it was egos that broke it up. It was Phil Jackson's ego and Shaq and Kobe and Jerry West and Pat Riley.

And egos are okay. And guys have bigger ones than women, like we have egos and stuff. But when you leave the dynasty, okay, what worked for Pat Riley in New York and Miami wasn't the ego. It was the work and it was the humility to know, oh, my God, I'm bringing And none of the glamour of the Lakers. I've got to build this thing up. And I just think Patricia feels a lot like Josh McDaniels, whereas you're getting all the arrogance.

And what's funny about Andy Reid's guys, Matt Nagy, I don't see the arrogance. John Harbaugh, I don't see the arrogance. Doug Peterson, I see vulnerability. I don't see the arrogance. And maybe it's because Andy doesn't have seven Super Bowl trophies or whatever. But once again, I see the answers. And it's like, this is Josh McDaniels. This is, that's a bad answer.

Like, dude, you're 9 and 24. You can't even keep your defensive stars. You should be curring favor with the media. You should be humble. So you get an extra week or two to save your job, not being difficult and tough guy and glib. And let us do that. Let us be the dopes.

Let us be glib. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I was thinking about this, Joy. So tonight, Joy Taylor, joining me. Jacksonville host Miami. Now that's not, it's funny because it's the only game this year. The game's actually about people who are not playing. Miami's really about when's Tua going to play.

He's not starting. And Jacksonville going into the season was about, oh, my God, they're going to get Trevor Lawrence. So the two quarterbacks this game is about are not even going to play tonight. But it's very interesting. Where Stars Land matters. So for Joey and I as broadcasters, we can go and have seven different employers. we can work from 23 years old to, you know, 73 years old. But as a pro athlete, if your first team doesn't get it right with you, your career is often screwed.

I mean, it really is. There are very few reclamation projects like Drew Brees in the history of the NFL. And what's interesting, you know, Kobe Bryant, the reason in Lake Kobe Bryant is a legend. A big part of it is Lakers. Okay? Because Shaq wouldn't have gone to Charlotte where Kobe was drafted. Agents directed Shaq to L.A. because L.A. had gotten Kobe from Charlotte,

and then Phil Jackson would never coach Charlotte. It mattered that Kobe landed in Los Angeles. Mike Trout would be a much bigger star if he was a Yankee and not an angel. Okay. Anthony Davis was irrelevant for seven years in New Orleans. Now he's one of the talking points of the league. You don't think Janus would be bigger in Miami with Jimmy Butler? I mean, you don't think New York or L.A. would matter. People always say markets don't matter.

Yes, they do. Kevin Durant's way more relevant when he played in San Francisco with Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and Steve Kerr coaching. So Jacksonville, it matters that Trevor Lawrence for the NFL, the NFL is getting a big break. He's not going to play in Jacksonville. Jacksonville's one and one could be two and oh. They're one and one. Their favor tonight, if they win their two and one. Then they face Cincinnati and Detroit in two of the next three weeks.

Let's say they lose to Houston. Not sure they will. They're four and two. Boom. they're out of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. They're done. They're out. It's over.

Who's awful in the NFL? The Jets and the Giants. New York City. This is a huge break for the NFL. So I'm not saying it's a break for Trevor Lawrence. I mean, Jets and the Giants, you can roll your eyes at it. I'm with you on that. But if Jacksonville wins tonight, I mean, Gardner Minshue is chewing the league up.

And if you start looking at that Jacksonville schedule, there's a lot of potential of shootout Ws there. So, you know, I mean, nobody's going to say it. But, you know, I don't think it was the worst thing in the world when Anthony Davis went to the Lakers. I don't think it was the worst thing in the world when Kauai went from Canada to the number two market. I don't think that was the worst thing in the world. All right, Greg Kossel, 41 years working at NFL films. That kind of loyalty is redeemable.

Not a lot of people are that loyal. And he is now joining us via the, Kauer Global Satellite Network. All right, so I've been wrong a lot in my life. I thought the Raiders were going to be kind of a mess, but I got to be honest with you. They're wildly fun to watch. They've won a couple of high-scoring games. So when you look at the tape, Greg, what are the Raiders doing that you like?

Well, I think it all started, well, two things. Number one, I think Josh Jacobs is a top three, four back in the league. I think he's a really strong, powerful runner who also has great explosive feet. But I would say that John Gruen's doing a really good job, and here's why, Colin. Because I think Derek Carr, at his core, is not a timing and rhythm thrower, and he's also not a turn it loose thrower. He's not an aggressive thrower. He's not, that's in your DNA. He's not like that.

So I think when you're John Grude, what do you have to do? you've got to define the route concepts for him so it shows quickly within the timing of his drop. So you make him a timing and rhythm thrower by what you do with your pass offense. And I thought that was really evident on Monday night against these saints because the ball came out quick. You know, he normally is not like that. He normally holds the ball and gets himself in trouble. So I think Gruden is doing a really good job understanding the strengths. and the limitations of his quarterback.

Good stuff. That's fascinating. Cam has always been big, strong, and athletic. I was surprised and am surprised in week two against Seattle at his efficiency throwing the ball. He and Edelman were very good. Nikiel, Harry, and Cam looked to have forged at least early some level of a relationship. Has he surprised you as a pocket passer?

No, I think he's looked very much the same as he was in Carol. line. He'll miss some with poor ball placement, including what should have been the game winner with 13 seconds to go, and we never would have gotten to the final play of the game. He had Edelman on a seam route, and he threw it too high and too hard, and it should have been the game-winning touchdown. In fact, by NFL standards, that was not a difficult throw. So he will miss some, but he will also make special plays, and I think he was close to 96% of the Patriots offense in that game. But, and, you know, Edelman obviously is really, really good.

But we'll see. I mean, Nikiel, Harry, he's, he's, I know you're a Pac-12 guy. He does not move really well, Colin. I mean, he's, I'm trying to figure out what exactly he can become in this league because there's not a lot of juice to his movement. Yeah, that's fair. All right. So, Russell Wilson, I've loved him.

You know, that's when I got right. Early on his career, I said, he reminds me of a right-handed Steve Young. There's just something special. It's innate. It's just innate. Whatever it is, there's an escapeability, a misability. Some athletes just naturally can feel pressure. This year, I mean, good God, he's got 11 in completions in two games, and that includes

facing Belichick's defense. Is there anything schematically that you've looked at, Greg, and said, okay, this is what he's improved on it? What is it this year? By the way, 11 in completions and nine touchdown passes. That's pretty good. Yeah. You know, I'd answer that question a little differently than you asked it.

Here's what I would say about Russell Wilson. We know he throws a great deep ball. We don't need to spend time on that. He does something better than anyone I've ever seen, and I've been doing this a long time, as you know, Colin, and you would never teach a quarterback to do this. He has the ability, when there's past rush pressure, to drop his eyes, look at the rush,

which you would never teach anybody to do, then refocus his eyes downfield, and still make throws at the intermediate and deeper levels. I can't recall in all my years doing this, seeing anybody do that. And I think that makes Russell Wilson incredibly special. Yeah, I mean, there's an old saying, when you're running around as a quarterback, keep your eyes down the field. That's been, that's the difference.

That's like, that's a warning. Never take your eyes off a receiver when you're running around and looking for space. So to your point, if he's doing it, it goes again, you know, there are certain athletes that break the rules. No question. And the thing, again, I mentioned the deep ball, but because he's so special with his movement ability and the deep ball, we forget overall that he is a really good passer. He's extremely accurate. His ball placement is precise. He does not miss throws. You know, we talk about quarterbacks who are good players and potentially great and they miss throws. Russell Wilson, you're hard pressed to say, oh, he misses throws. He's a very precise ball placement passer. Okay, Cowboys offense so far. We know they have a, you know, a trio of good receivers. We know Zeke. They're never quite as good in the O-line when Tyron Smith is out, although his backup this weekend looked okay. So what's your takeaway? Two games in, Mike McCarthy, Dack. What do you like? What do you not like? Well, I think they're playing to their personnel. Through two games, they've played with 11 personnel, meaning one back and three wide receivers on 85% of their offensive snaps, far and away the highest total. in the NFL. And I think now with Blake Jarwin injured for the year, we're going to see that

continue. I think it really plays to their personnel. I think it plays to Zeke as well in the run game because you're going to get nickel corners on the field and you're going to get the defense spread out of it. And I think that Dax's throwing the ball extremely well. I thought the touchdown he threw to Schultz in the second half last week against the Falcons was just as good as you can make in the red zone. So I think right now their offense looks very, very good. Look, week, it started off poorly because of turno fumbles, not because they did anything really wrong in terms of schematics or personnel. So they're going to be a fascinating team to watch. I think they could put up a lot of yards and a lot of points this year. Justin Herbert literally got 10 minute heads up.

Go start against the Super Bowl champs. And it's debatable whether he even got many first team reps. Yep. Yeah. To me, this is a timing league as a quarterback. So what did the film say on Justin and Herbert. My eyes told me it was pretty darn good. It was pretty darn good. And I know you're a Pac-12 guy, so you're familiar with him. I thought see, this was a case, too, or I thought the coaching staff did a great job of settling him in the game early through

his first couple of possessions. Quick game throws, basic concept, screens, things to give him completions. That's what a quarterback wants early. But then he made some special, special throws. The 25-yard at Allen, the 14-yard touchdown to Guyton.

You know, I think that 14-yard touchdown to Guyton because Guyton looked open on TV. I'm not sure people realize how special a throw that was. And you know what I really like about him, Colin? He turns it loose. Now, if he keeps starting, he'll have a game where he throws three picks. There's no question that's going to happen because he's an aggressive DNA turn a loose thrower. So that'll happen. But I also thought, and this is not an X&O point, but I thought he played pretty poised, pretty composed, particularly in the second half when Spagnola clearly increased the blitz frequency. So I thought it was an impressive start. He showed a lot. There's a lot to work with. He's a talented kid. Yeah. So is Carson Wentz,

but right now he's struggling. What is the film say on the Philadelphia Eagle quarterback? Well, I think there's clearly mechanical issues. He's a bit of an overstrider. And because his delivery is not naturally compact, when you overstriad like that, you have to hurry up your upper body to catch up, and he's sailing a lot of balls. But the other point I'd make, and it may stay the same now that Jalen Rager's out, but last week they played with two tight ends on the field on 80% of their offensive snaps. I think in today's NFL, it's tough to create big explosive chunk plays in the passing game like that. So I'm very curious to see how they continue going forward.

Obviously, Zach Gertz and Dallas Gader are two very good tight ends. but again, this is just my interpretation. I just think it's hard to create explosive plays at the intermediate and deeper levels when you're playing so much with two tight ends. Then you get stuck with having to have 12, 13, 14 play drives, and that's very hard to do consistently in the NFL. Never been a fan of Ryan Tannahill. He's fine, nothing special C-plus, but it works.

It works in Tennessee to some level. Is that a coaching issue? Is he developed? What is it? I think it's a combination of talent and philosophy. It's a run first offense. There's a ton of play action, play action boot. He's very mobile.

But I will say this, Colin, since he became a starter last year, and through this year, he's thrown the ball very accurately. Yeah. He was very, very good on third down last year. He looks like a very good quarterback right now, but I think it's a very good marriage of talent and scheme. And by the way, that's what coaching is. That's what should happen with quarterbacks.

There's very few transcendent quarterbacks. Yeah. So I remember watching Josh Allen at Wyoming against Iowa and Oregon. He was a little bit of a hot mess. He was wild. And then his first year in the NFL, Greg. He was wild. Just a big arm.

And I thought to myself, you can't win in the league like this. Now I watch him this year and he's under control. His complete percentage is way up. Now I do believe some of it is. Stefan Diggs helps a lot. But is this the new Josh Allen? Because I didn't think this was in his repertoire, accuracy under control. Well, I think he may always have a little bit of a wild stallion element to his game, Colin.

But I think, look, last week he put up big numbers. They played a Dolphins defense that plays a ton of man coverage. You know what you're going to get. I thought Brian Daibble did a great job scheming up certain. route concepts. Obviously, Stefan Diggs, because Byron Jones went out after about 17 or 18 snaps, and they played the rookie corner from Auburn matched on Diggs, and Diggs did a nice job. Alan made some very, very impressive throws in this game with great accuracy. I think he missed a few, too, believe it or not, that he had that were there. And he may always be one of those guys as well.

And last week, they really limited the design runs. I think maybe there was one design run for Josh Allen last week against Miami. But the week before, they were many, many. So, you know, he's an improving player. I think his mechanics will always be what they are, and you always wish they could be better. But that just may be the way he throws a football. Yeah.

Yeah, Big Ben still misses open targets. It's kind of, you get big Ben's talent. Sometimes he's erratic. And same with Cam. Sometimes these big, strong athletes, you get the upside, but they're not mechanically always on. So to Josh Allen's point, now, the one thing. I've watched every snap of the Rams this year.

I don't, there is so much misdirection. They move the pocket. They're so multiple and variable. It's just a pleasure to watch if you love football. So let's talk about the Rams and then you can go into your big play of the week. You took the words right out of my mouth. They're one of the most fun offenses to watch. I think Sean McVeigh is really good.

I think he's learning more and more each year. I think with the play action, the play action boot, the misdirection, the motion, all kinds of things. You know, what they do is they grab eyes of defenders who think they're right and McVeigh makes them wrong. And that's really what you're trying to do. And I think that the play I chose is very reflective of this. And let's go to it right now. So let's start the play.

And this was actually the 28-yard touchdown last week to Tyler Higby. Yeah. And then they did some really cool things here, Colin. And first of all, you're going to see two tight ends in a cool. closed formation to the field. You rarely ever see that. Then you get two wide receivers to the boundary side of the formation. And what the Eagles play here is man-to-man coverage. Now Higby, it's really important. He is inside, and I'll tell you why that's important, because it's man-covered, so he gets a linebacker because this is base offensive personnel. And as I said, it's man-to-man

coverage. But Higby gets a linebacker on him, not a receiver, a corner. And then you're going to get the jet motion by Woods and the crosser by Reynolds. And then you're going to get Higby on the throwback misdirection screen off boot action, play action boot by Gough. So there's a lot going on here now for a defense to have to decipher. This is really difficult. You see the play action boot. You see Higby crossing the field on the throwback screen, a throwback wheel.

Really difficult to defend. And if we go to the end zone shot of it, you're going to see what's so difficult for Nate Gary, the linebacker. He's man to man, so he should not take his eyes off Tyler Higby. But with the jet motion, with the boot action, there's so much that grabs his eyes that he just loses Higby. And this becomes what's essentially an easy throw for a touchdown. So this was really, really well done.

Yeah. And if you, if folks, if you don't watch the- Good job with this stuff. Yeah, I mean, they are, I mean, nobody in the NFL, makes you think they're going one way and go the other. They are constantly in flux. Philadelphia and Dallas have looked confused, utterly confused, on a dozen to two dozen plays. They make you play with your eyes and make you wrong, and that's what they do so, so well.

There were 10 plays like that, not all touchdowns, obviously, in the game against the Eagles where defenders just played with their eyes incorrectly because there's so much they're trying to digest. where they think they have to digest. Yeah. Greg CoSell, 41 years, NFL films. Good talking to you, Greg, loved it. All right, John, thanks so much. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 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.

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I'm down to talk about crack all 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. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year

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And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the with Hopefield and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

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

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. You know, whenever I talk about Baker Mayfield, I just, I often bring people on, let them talk about it because you don't think I'm on it. You think I've got something against him, although I've been incredibly.

incredibly right all the time on Cleveland, but nonetheless, I think the organization in the next four games will make a decision on Baker Mayfield. This general manager did not draft him. This head coach did not select him. They inherited him. And it's really easy in professional sports as a general manager to bail on somebody else's picks. It's much tougher to bail on your own because you'd have to acknowledge, oh, I screwed up to the owner. The next four weeks are really crucial. Washington, Dallas, Indy, Pittsburgh. Washington and Pittsburgh have scary pass rushes, and Indies is emerging as really good. Why does it matter? Mayfield, according to pro football reference is awful under pressure. He completes 35% of his throws under pressure, bottom of the NFL,

29th. He's even worse. Quarterback rating is 24. He's not only the worst quarterback in the league, he's 33rd. Like there's a non-starter better than him. In a league where many of the good young quarterbacks are excellent escaping pressure, Baker is terrible under pressure. And Washington This week brings heat. Pittsburgh in a month, best front seven in football. The Colts acquired DeForest Bruckner. They've got a healthy pass rush. And Dallas doesn't, and you're going to get into a shootout in that game at Dallas

where DAC usually plays really, really well. So I think the new GM and the new coach will make a decision. And if Baker, whose numbers now aren't good under pressure, faces two, maybe the two best pass rushes in the league. Washington and Pittsburgh. Washington leads the league in sacks. Pittsburgh second Indy third. There you go folks.

They're going to make a decision in a month. He faces the three best pass rushes in the NFL. People make decisions privately long before they make them publicly. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel

and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

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

Others say it's unleashing huge. 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 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 Fourth. 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, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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.

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