The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: Jul 23, 2019

Episode Date: July 23, 2019

Colin defends Odell Beckham Jr.'s right to talk about his exit from the Giants because they made it dysfunctional.  He says Ezekiel Elliott makes a lot of noise and noisy NFL teams do not win.  Warren Sharp of Sharpfootballanalysis.com explains why Melvin Gordon should not be paid.  Plus, former NFL DB and Scout Bucky Brooks tells Colin why Patrick Mahomes is exactly like Brett Favre! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

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This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Tuesday, packed. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, about ready to talk about OBJ and the Nals Cowboys. Joey, how are you? I'm great. Good morning. Good morning, everybody.

So yesterday, we had the author of the interview from GQ magazine on O'Dell Beckham Jr. We brought the author on. We talked a lot about it. My takeaway is Cleveland's going to work for OBJ for a while, but I think long term, they have too many great players, and OBJ's production is going to go down over time. And I don't think, I think it will be dramatic

and a distraction by about year two, three, and four, and he'll move on. It'll be like Randy Moss to the Patriots, OBJ in Cleveland. There'll be a big year or two, and then over time it'll spiral out, he didn't want to be in Cleveland. Neither here nor there. I will say the interview has been attacked by people in New York.

Fans, media are crushing OBJ because one of his quotes in the story is I feel disrespected by the New York Giants. He said he loved the fans, but the organization disrespected him as if he couldn't have made the one-hand catch anywhere else. It wasn't just about the Giants propping him up. He believes his God-given talent would have been big anywhere. And so people are telling him to move on and stop. talking about it and shut up and let me defend OBJ in this.

Have you ever been in a relationship for five years or 10 years? And it's suddenly, and I don't mean kind of, kind of ends, it ends in an hour because you get traded or dumped. You don't talk about it? You don't talk your way through it? These professional athletes, this is not like you and your wife fighting, talking about divorce for years. How do we split up time with the kids? And then two years in, you break the relationship off. This is, hey, I love you too.

I want a divorce. Hey, why are you talking about it? This is what happens to pro athletes. And I've been in this business. I've bounced around to four different companies. You speak your way through it. And by the way, even when you do want to stop talking about it, people come up to you and ask you about it.

General GQ magazine comes up OBJ. Hey, we want to talk about the Giants? You didn't have a choice. You can keep saying no. When I left my former company and came to Fox Sports, first of all, it's hard for the first year because you have friendships and habits and things you did at the other place. You come to a new place and you wake up. It's hard to break habits. You're driving to a new place, new cafeteria, new teammates, new coworkers, new set.

It's hard. And then about a year or two in, people would interview me. First question was, what about the old place? What about the old relationship? And I was like, I want to talk about the new one. So even when you want to get off the subject, people don't let you. That one-handed catch happened in New York. He's yet to play a game for the Browns.

But I defended Kevin Durant on this with Oklahoma City. When you're in a relationship for any extended period of time, excuse me, and for OKC, OKC was his first love. And for many of you who break up, it's your first love. And the Giants were Odell Beckham's first team. And the Mariners were Ken Griffey's first team. Your first professional job. It's like your first love.

It goes deep. It's embedded. You make a name for yourself. First people to pay you and admire you. And you went to camp and you've got friendships. And then all of a sudden, they trade you. When they'd gone to the media and said, we love him.

We would never trade him. So they lied. and one hour you're a giant and the next hour they remove your parking space and you're supposed to just shut it down and move on I don't even think I'm not a therapist I don't even think that's healthy I bet if you went to a therapist and said yeah I just broke up

they'd say you need to talk about it you need to talk your way through this situation these pro athletes get lied to get dumped get traded get moved on and you just want them to not talk about it a month later give me a break I mean I got my issues with OBJ. He can be a little needy and a little high maintenance and I'm not, I don't

love being in the end zone and proposing to a kicking net, but I'm going to defend him on this. He has a right to talk about the Giants. By the way, he did add juice to the franchise. He did prop up Eli Manning. He was the most captivating player. There were more OBJ

uniforms and jerseys in the stadium than any other player. He was the best part about the New York Giants offense for most of his time there until Saquan Barkley arrived. And they said they wouldn't train him. Then they did. Yes, it's painful. Yes, you should talk about it.

Yes, I'll defend you. And again, I got my issues with him. I think, you know, he, a lot of times, I'm just like Brady. No, you're not. You're PNN zones. You're on a fishing boat or some boat with a bunch of blunts right before a playoff game and you make sure it gets the Instagram. Like, you're not Brady.

But in this instance, I'm going to defend OBJ. He did everything possible. the giants were a chaotic mess. Coach after coach fired. Coordinator after coordinator fire. Hanging on to Eli too long. Didn't surround him with talent. Battle line.

I'm going to defend him on that. He has a right to answer questions and a right to talk about it. And I think it's healthy. Nick Wright talked about this on first things first this morning. All parties are to blame for Odell now being in Cleveland. The problem is nobody wants to take any of the blame. O'Dell, as much as I like him personally, does not, has not said,

I should have done this better. And the Giants shouldn't have come out and lied and said, we didn't sign him to trade him, and they shouldn't be lying to their fans acting. Like, no, Eli's still a great quarterback, but by the way, we drafted this Daniel Jones kid. Yeah, going to support OBJ on this issue. You have a right to talk about a relationship that just ended.

I think it's healthy. And when you get asked about it, what are you supposed to do? And he's right. They lied to him. They didn't give them a ton of respect. They weren't honest. The first sign somebody doesn't respect you is they're not honest with you.

Respect isn't money. Respect is honesty and authenticity, and the giants weren't with him. All right, let me shift to the Cowboys. Swear to God, season hasn't started. They're in the news every day. Amari Cooper was a first round draft pick. Went to the Raiders, made a lot of money. Cowboys said, we like Amari Cooper.

Amari Cooper came out yesterday and said for the Dallas Cowboys, a very valuable player for them. No rush on a new contract. I'm going into free agency at the end of the year. I trust myself. And I'm all good. Now, it should be noted. Amari Cooper has leverage.

Dak Prescott was 7 and 2 with Amari Cooper and a passer rating of 103. Dak Prescott was 3 and 4 without Amari Cooper and a passer rating of 87. You keep telling me how valuable Zeke is. Dak Prescott was a different quarterback with Amari Cooper. Yet Amari Cooper, year out, going to play, going to deliver. This is one of the reasons I like the addition of Amari Cooper. My guys in college football said, great kid. Hard worker, head down, great kid.

I didn't buy the rumors that he was a malcontent in Oakland. I didn't buy it. I said it on the air. I love the move for the Cowboys because I love the kid. By the way, Dak Prescott also has leverage. Dak Prescott has won the division two of three years. Dak Prescott was not a first rounder. He was a fourth rounder.

He's never been paid yet. And he's won the division two times in three years for America's number one football brand. He's got leverage. He also plays the most important position. So Amari's got leverage and Dak has leverage. And in both instances, let's just play, get the season done. Now, Dak has said I'm not taking a discount, but there's no holdout. Amari.

No holdout yet this morning. Here's the latest on Ezekiel Elliott. You know, he hasn't firmly decided on his contract holdout. He may leave the country. Okay, this is a guy who was a first rounder. He's already been paid well. He's two years out. There's all sorts of off-field nonsense.

Some of it judicial. Zeke is noise, and noise loses in this league. Jacksonville was a very good football team that got to the AFC championship. They got noisy. They finished 5 and 11. The Steelers were the most talented team in the league that didn't make the playoffs. Why? They got noisy.

Green Bay and the Giants last year, both got noisy. You want to know who got quiet last year? Kansas City started to get noisy, bailed on Kareem Hunt, went back to being quiet, got to the AFC championship. Patriots were quiet. Rams were quiet. Seattle was noisy two years ago, got quiet, made the playoffs. Saints, Bears. Rams, chargers, no noise.

Noise equals distraction, and distractions equal losses in the NFL. This is not the NBA. The NBA is a living, breathing soap opera. The coaches know it, the players know it, the GMs know it, and the owners know it. Noise is just part of the culture of the NBA. It's a players league, it's a stars league, they have shoes, they've got brands, they've got opinions. it is a player-driven league and players talk a lot. The NBA isn't dependent on quiet to win.

LeBron's teams are always noisy. The NFL is different. There is a direct line. The noisier you get, the less you win in the NFL. Because distractions, this is not the NBA, where you have four or five teams that just have better players. In the NFL, the worst loss, the worst roster in the NFL could be Buffalo. the best roster could be Philadelphia,

and if they played tomorrow in Buffalo, the spread would be four and a half points. I'll say it again on Zeke. You could get a ton of draft picks for Ezekiel Elliott. You could get players and picks and get really quiet. You could get really, really quiet, really, quickly. Because Amari's got leverage, no noise. Dax got leverage, no noise.

Zeeq has some leverage. Nothing but noise. NFC, NFC is jammed, folks. There is no room for distractions. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call

changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast.

Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref. My mom, I want you.

shoot away better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor.

I'm a comedian, and recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.

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available on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joy and I have talked about this for years is in sports, being aggressive wins. And in life sometimes, cautions better. You know, if you're talking about life in sports, in sports, there's almost, you know, be aggressive with free agency, be aggressive in the draft, be aggressive spending money, don't go cheap. And the New England Patriots move off players. You may think they're cautious and smart.

New England's very aggressive. They sign the guys they like. They bail on the guys they don't. They don't lose any sleep on it. Sometimes they're harsh, aggressive. Philadelphia, L.A. Rams, aggressive and free agency. So the New York Giants used to be a gold standard franchise. And one of the reasons I liked them is they had a point of view,

they had a business plan, and they didn't care what people thought about it. They were very smart. They had an IBM feel to them. They were industry leader. They were very smart. They had a place in the market. And they weren't concerned about things on the periphery. Now that's the opposite for the Giants.

They're consumed with how it plays with the media. It's pathetic. And here's a prime example. So the Giants, according to NFL.com, Eli Manning will start week one. When the Giants take on the Cowboys, there will be no quarterback competition in camp. None?

Didn't Russell Wilson win the starting job in camp? Didn't Carson Wentz win his starting job in camp? Wasn't Dak Prescott? Didn't he all blow us away in camp? Didn't Derek Carr win his job in camp? It's not an open competition. There are 20 games under 500 last five years. You put a number six pick on Daniel Jones.

You keep telling us how great Daniel Jones is, that you fell in love with him. He's a number six pick. Top 10 picks got to play. If not play, they've got to compete for a job. You're not going to let them compete for a job? The report comes six weeks after Pat Shermer insinuated, there would be an open quarterback competition. What do you know?

And that didn't play well with some people in the house. A, why would you leak this story? B, why would you not have an open competition? If you're the number six pick in the draft, A, you should be, that's a good enough talent, you should be competing absolutely, regardless of position, even quarterback for a starting job.

And even if Tom Brady, if New England found a guy in the top six and said, you know, and Brady's got a zillion Super Bowls, but you think Bill Belichick would announce four months out, there's no quarterback competition?

Like Jimmy Garoppolo was not a first round pick. He was a project. Daniel Jones, the Giants insisted he was the best quarterback. They loved him. They weren't interested in other people. He was the guy. He's Eli Manning.

Well, didn't Eli Manning his first year in compete for the job in camp? This is all about two things. The only reason you would not allow Daniel Jones to compete for the job. And I'll say it again. The Colts were able to move off Peyton Manning more quickly than the Giants can move off Eli Manning. Because the Colts did what you have to do with aging quarterbacks. You have to rip the Band-Aid. You just got to rip the band-aid off.

It takes a second, and it hurts, but the healing begins. You don't want to be the little boy or the little girl who tries to pull the band-aid off and a hair gets stuck on it, and you put it back on, and it's like, ow, I don't deal with that pain. And then the healing doesn't begin. San Francisco, ripped the band-aid off with Montana. Green Bay, ripped the band-aid off with Farr. Colts, ripped the band-aid off with Peyton Manning.

Now you can say, well, what about Brady? Brady's still the best quarterback, arguably, in the league. You're not going to rip that band-aid off yet. But Eli Manning, let me see the numbers here. Yeah, last five years the Giants are 31 and 49. So again, if the Patriots took a number six pick with Brady, they're like, well, he's the guy. But they wouldn't make an announcement six weeks out. There'll be no quarterback.

They want to see what they got. And of course, Brady's the best in the league right now, first, second or third best. Eli's not a top 20 quarterback. And you're not going to allow a competition. That's telling me you're consumed with how the perception is. and secondly, that you reached on Daniel Jones. Because you've already watched him in OTAs. If you're telling me he's not competing for the starting job,

then you reached on him. Because I know what you got, and I know what you told me he is, and that should be an open competition in week one. What's up, everybody? John Middlecock here from the Three and Out podcast, brought you by the Colin Coward Podcast Network. If you like Colin's show, you'll like mine.

I'm talking all football. Used to scout in the league. Now I talk about it for a living, why I missed on Christian McCaffrey, why I'm already red flagging Vic Fangio. And what I think of the Tyreek Hill, no suspension. Again, John Middlecop, that's me, podcast three and out, go subscribe. This happens every year this article comes out. And I've touched on it every single year. It's a good time waster as we have July and August sports talk.

So Joy Taylor is joining The Athletic. A guy named Mike Sando does this every year. and he writes for the athletic, Joey. And he privately pulls 55 NFL coaches and executives. It's a survey and it's an anonymous survey, placing all quarterbacks into five tiers. And again, these are the GMs. These are the executives. These are not my opinions.

I will offer my opinions on the tiers. and each tier has a description. He does a really good job. Mike Standard does a good job at this. He makes it very clear. And are you ready for them to be unveiled? I am so ready, yes. Okay, so it's Theathletic.com.

It's the quarterback tiers. 55 coaches and executives rank the NFL starters. So the first tier of quarterbacks is a quarterback that can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure passing situation. And I don't really care much about the order. I really don't. It's Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes, Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Big Ben and Russell Wilson.

I agree across the board. The only quarterback missing from that group is Carson Wentz, and they put him in our next tier that is tier two. Because Carson Wentz has a lot of injuries, so I think it's totally fair to put Carson Wentz in tier two. I think he's the only quarterback talent in this league not in tier one but their reasoning for tier two is injuries and that

I agree with. Tier two is a quarterback that can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He has a hole or two in his game. Their list and I agree with this wholeheartedly

mostly. Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, and Baker Mayfield. I don't have any problems. It's not Baker Mayfield. I think that's what Baker's going to become, a tier two quarterback. Again, I would put Wentz in Tier 1, but I understand the reasoning, the injuries. So he's a Tier 2.

Now, Tier 3 is a legitimate starter, but needs a heavier running game and or defense to win. It's a lower-volume passing offense makes his job easier. This is the most interesting tier, because finally, NFL coaches and executives are agreeing with what I've been saying since Cam Newton came in a league. He's not a top 10 quarterback. Cam Newton is in tier three right next to Kirk Cousins, Nick Foles, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, and James Winston, Eli, Trubisky, Marioita, and Sam Darnel. This tier also has what I believe is the most underrated quarterback on this assignment by Mike Sandow. Jimmy Garoppolo. I believe Jimmy Garoppolo has a chance to be a tier one quarterback,

but by October 15th, he'll be a tier two quarterback. So my first takeaway on this list is whence his injuries fairly and proportionately knock him down a tier. Cam is finally being unveiled for what he is, which is he needs a running game. You can't ask him to throw 35 times. He's talented, but sometimes distracted and emotionally uneven. Tier 4 is a tier 4 quarterback could be an unproven player with some upside or a veteran who's ultimately best suited as a backup. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenham, Josh Rosen. At this point, I don't have any huge arguments with that.

I do think Lamar's ceiling is lower. You could certainly push Tribesky into the tier 4. I wouldn't have had a huge problem with that. So there it is. Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4. So let's go back to Tier 1. Aaron Rogers, Brady, Breeze, Mahomes, Luck, Rivers, Ben Wilson. I overwhelmingly agree with that.

Let's go to Tier 2. Matt Ryan, Wentz, Stafford, Deshawn, Gough, Baker. I overwhelmingly agree with that. The Wentz exception, I get their reasoning. So I agree with that. Tier 3, I agree with all of it except Jimmy Garoppolo. and I think much like Wents' injury, Garoppolo's scarcity of games keeps him in a tier lower.

I think people really like him. We just haven't seen him play enough. He started eight games for San Francisco. He's six and two, but there's not enough games there. There's not enough film. There's not enough footage to make him in the same classes of Deshawn Watson or Jared Goff.

And then tier four are guys that are seen as either backups. This is Lamar, Josh, Ryan, Case, Josh Rosen. And in a lot of instances here, you're like, I just don't. I don't know what Josh Allen and Josh Rosen are. I got to see more games. I do think Lamar's got a lower ceiling. But I also feel that with Mitch Trubisky, I think is a thrower. I think Lamar and Trubisky, when having to throw late trailing are limited quarterbacks.

They can throw on play action. They can throw on third and one. They can throw on their terms. But if you ask Lamar Trubesky, third in nine, everybody knows in the park you're throwing. I think they're limited. I think their ceiling's pretty low. So, Joy, your thoughts on all these. tiers. I completely agree with all of them, but I do think that Sam Darnold is interesting.

You don't think Sam Darnold is going to make a jump this year? Well, Sam is in, hold on, let me see this real quick. He's in Tier 3. He's in Tier 3. Again, I think that's appropriate for where he should be. Right now. Yes, because first of all, they had a defensive coach. They had the combination of O-line receivers and backs was the worst in the league. So I can't put Sam any. I would be totally... No, no, no, but I'm saying you think that Jimmy Garoppolo is going to make a jump to tier two. I think Sam, Adam Gay's first year, will become a high in that Cam Kirk, that Prescott area, a high tier three.

And then I think eventually he moves to a tier two in his career. And this is not an excuse. I watched every Jets game last year. The old line was atrocious. The receivers outside of Robbie Anderson, nobody's a game break. Right. They have a good young, tight end. He's not available for the first month this year.

And the running backs were atrocious. So that's why they had to spend so much money on Labian Bill. They also now have an offensive coach, Adam Gase, over a defensive coach, who I like Todd Bulls. So I think I think Donald's appropriate right now. I think he'll play himself to a high tier three this year. And by the way, I don't have a problem with Baker being ahead of Sam at this point. Baker's got much more things working in his favor. He's got unbelievable wide receivers, unbelievable backs.

At this point, a better offensive line. Well, and I think you can trust Baker a little bit more than Sam. I know what I have more with Baker this morning. then I got to see Sam with a new coach. He's got some good young pieces. So there we go. I mostly agree with it. I don't really care about the order.

Tier one, Aaron was the highest rated. Tier two, Matt Ryan was the highest rated. Tier three, Cam was the highest rated. And tier four, Lamar was the highest rated. Those are probably appropriate, too. I wouldn't have Aaron one, but I'd have him somewhere in the top four. Yeah, I think these are good groupings. I really like it.

This is the first list maybe ever that we've, like, mostly agree with. Well, generally, there's a. shock component to when people do these lists. The NFL network does this every year. They want me and guys like me to talk about their list. So the NFL network will come up with the top 100 players and, you know, Tbo's ahead of somebody and you're like, come on. They like the discussion.

This is a non-manipulate list. It's not a list. It's based off of what people voted on. So it's not just a writer comprising a list with, you know, otherwise arbitrary components. Like this is what the GMs and coaches voted on. So you know what's funny about this? So Matt Ryan was the closest quarterback to making Tier 1. He was Tier 2, but the highest rated Tier 2, meaning the votes came down.

It was very close. A couple years ago, I said with Matt Ryan, I said he's the best B plus quarterback in the league. I have him like 9th or 10th in the league. So the truth is, the NFL execs have Matt Ryan exactly where I have, which is 9th or 10th. They've got Ryan, Wentz, and Matt Stafford. And this is to me what Matt Ryan is. Matt Ryan's hole in his game is. He's got an average arm.

He does not push the ball down the field like most of the guys in Tier 1. And he's not overly mobile like a Russell Wilson, who's not considered the greatest passer, but is an unbelievable intuitive playmaker, and he can pass. So of all these quarterbacks, Matt Ryan is the one where the NFL execs and I agree completely. Good enough to win his Super Bowl. Right. Hall of Fame votes, absolutely going to get Hall of Fame votes, like him a lot.

But when Kyle Shanahan made him MVP for a year, I didn't, unlike the rest of the American media, buy into, you know, he's better than Aaron Rogers. People were saying that. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Coaching matters in this league. Matt's really good. He's a really good.

Atlanta's lucky to have him. They're lucky to have him. I'd rather have him than all but like seven guys, eight guys in the league. So I love lists like that. You know what? First of all, I like lists. You love less. And they're like quarterbacks.

So, I mean, this is like, this is like coconut cream pie, like my favorite dessert. This is Taramisu. This is a pet. Coconut cream pie is your favorite dessert. And Taramisu. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Excited all day. I've got to talk to Warren Sharp of SharpFutball Analysis.com. Book is out. We're going to bring him on today. Nobody is more honest about this stuff. Analytics are moving into football, and it's fascinating year to year how these incremental little changes are happening in football. So we bring in Warren Sharp to the herd today. Let's start, Warren.

What happened last year in 2018 or maybe 2017 and 2018 that leads you to believe we'll see more of it in 2019 analytically? Interesting things that nobody really discusses is building that. lead in the first half and how important that is. Just five years ago, if you strip out games where teams have like two or more turnovers, lose a turnover battle or double-digit underdogs, just look at games that are like relatively close and no turnovers. The team that leads in the first half, just five years ago, only 164% of the time. Now it's up to over 80% of the time.

So teams need to stop establishing the run, trying to avoid mistakes, coming out conservative early in games with a run-heavy strategy on early down and instead take to the defense. Don't be afraid to pass the ball. The floor on first down passing has improved tremendously, higher completion rate, get the ball out of the quarterback's hands, make efficient plays, and try to build leads in the first half. The goal is to make your opponent adjust to something that's less efficient at halftime rather than coming out and trying to be conservative and just playing in these games where you hope to keep them close. Okay, analytically, Jarvis Landry, OBJ, will it work?

Landry is a volume receiver. OBJ is going to want his touches. They have David and Joku. They have good backs. OBJ and Landry, does it work analytically? Perspective. Having good wide receivers who excel at getting open, theoretically will definitely help Baker Mayfield

identify matchups and throw the ball to receivers that have greater amounts of separation. So the offense itself should theoretically be more efficient from a passing perspective, and that's obviously going to help Baker Mayfield, and passing helps much more than rushing. So the team should win more games. Where it could hurt, obviously, is the individual statistics from a yardage and a reception standpoint cannot be as high as they've been when they weren't playing together. That said, I will note that if they get down the field more often, because the offense is more successful,

they might have similar amount of red zone targets simply because they're having many more trips to the red zone than the Giants had last season, for example. But that said, you know, overall, it's silly to think that their statistics will be similar together than they would be separate. Zeke, I say trade him, accumulate picks. He's a lot of noise. What do analytics say if you did trade Zeke from the Cowboys? Well, I think that's actually not a bad suggestion whatsoever. It'll obviously hurt to a slight extent the drop off between Zeke to a number two running back. But it's really what fans need to understand is it's more about the offensive line than the running back themselves. Dallas has the number one most expensive offensive line in the NFL.

They spent a lot of time drafting and building that line. They were the most expensive in the league last season. They had some injuries so they weren't quite as good as they had been in the past. they should be a really good line this year. If the goal is to win games, where you should be investing the most in is good coaching, a modern offensive system that exploits edges, and a good offensive line in addition to your quarterback. We will see if DAC is their franchise caliber quarterback with Zeke not being there.

However, you need to see that anyway. And in my opinion, definitely aren't going to get the same level of drop-off that. a lot of people think because of how great this offensive line is. Biggest turnaround this year in the NFL. I've got my teams that I think will double their wins. Who's your big turnaround team? Well, I don't know how much it will manifest on the actual win and loss column, but the San Francisco 49ers are a team that was shockingly much better from my

analytics perspective in 2018 than their 4 and 12 record indicated. what Kyle Shanahan did with that caliber of quarterbacks and the number of injuries they had on both sides of the football was astonishingly great. And this team from a who do you not want to face last year that was a four and ten type four and twelve type team, this is that team that you're not going to want to play in 2019 because I think overall from top to bottom, there's going to be a tremendous amount of improvement in this club. And it's going to set up for very good close games. and, you know, if they get their luck and turnover luck goes their way, I mean, this could be a team that has a winning record this upcoming season. Finally, Melvin Gordon. You can make an argument. I've heard this from executives. He's been hurt. He's small. He's been a workhorse.

Do you assign him to another long-term deal? I can't see it. Look, just last year was kind of his breakout year. But prior to that, I mean, I and a lot of other guys were looking at his metrics and saying that this guy was a bus. and if you're talking about which running backs are replaceable, literally the two best backs from the 2017 season, the guys with the most fantasy production out there were Levyon Bell and Todd Gurley, and both of them had to be replaced in 2018, and both backups came in and outproduced from an efficiency star running back. So if you can replace two of the best in the league, you can certainly replace the guy like Melvin Gordon,

who had one good season. I'm not saying he's a bad back, but I'm saying I wouldn't invest a large amount of salary into a guy like him. And just by the way, Justin Jackson delivered a higher success rate than he did than Melvin Gordon did last year and was substantially more efficient, especially when you take away the fourth quarter garbage time. By the way, I have the Niners being kind of a dark horse Super Bowl team. I think they're going to compete.

I want to throw one more team out. We've got a minute left. I think Tennessee is going to be the team in the league that actually wins play. playoff games. I think Vrable can coach. They ran for 2,000 yards. They were the least penalized team. They have a legitimate backup now. I think he proved he can win. What do you make it? What do the analytics say about Tennessee? They have a very, very good offensive line. What do the analytics say about the Tennessee Titans? It's what leads to wins and losses in the league. And the problem right now for me with Tennessee is, I don't know what Marcus

Mario de Janeiro really is. Matt, I was not impressed by Matt LaFleur that often, ran the ball more often, and with less success than in either year of the exotic smash mouth last year. And new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said, we're just going to do a lot of what Marcus Mariotta did last year because we don't want to change too much. They play the number three most difficult schedule of run defenses this upcoming year. It's going to put a lot onto Mariotas plate. He's going to have to perform really well for them to have success.

I know they've been a very consistent team from a win-loss perspective, but I just don't see the really high ceiling on this team. I think the floor is high, but I'm worried about their ceiling. Boy, this is great stuff. Warren Sharp's 2019 football preview is out now. If you're into analytics, I am, I'm already burying myself in that book. I did it on the Utah vacation. So Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis.com.

Love it, Warren. Thank you so much. Thanks, Colin. Warren's the kind of guy that if I like the Titans and he tells me beware, I'll just beware. I'll sell all my stock. Seriously. It's blind trust. Yeah, I mean, he's one of those guys I trust.

His analytics are fascinating. He loves the Niners like I do. I like Tennessee more. But again, his reasoning, I just sold all my Titan stock. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

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give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action. with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field

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You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the MyCultura Podcast Network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Played in the NFL, Scout now NFL Network, our friend NFL Network analysis analyst, excuse me, Bucky Brooks. I want to start a couple days ago, Brett Farb said, you know what? I watched Mahomes and I watch Baker.

and those guys look a lot like me. I see Baker and I see somewhere between Drew Brees and Case Keenham. I see Mahomes and I see a very coachable guy with a huge arm. I don't really see Farrv. I see a lot more precision. So what do you make all these Fav as Mahomes? Oh, I think he hit the nail on the head when he talks about both guys, but particularly Pat Mahomes.

Part of the reason why Andy Reid wanted to go and get Pat Mahomes in the draft is because he reminded him of Brett Farr. And I think what happened, Brett Farrf played. so long that we kind of forget how special he was at one point of his career. I was there in the mid-90s, 95, 96, 97. He won three straight MVP awards. He was magical. And in fact, the way that Pat Mahomes played last year was the way that Brett Farve played in the mid-90s. And I think because we're so far removed from that, we can't see that comparison. But when you talk to Andy Reid, Andy Reid learned how to coach Pat Mahomes, Mahomes, through his experience with at Far by letting him kind of push the envelope and practice that first year of the rookie season.

He encouraged him to really make all of those throws. Then that second off season, they then started teaching him how to play the position. So they allowed him to still be kind of the gunslinger, but they taught him how to rain it in so he could play winning football. I think gunslinger is romanticized. Is a gunslinger a winner in today's lexicon? I think a gunslinger can be a winner, but I think you have to understand. when to turn it on and when to turn it off.

There is a way that you have to play winning football. When we look at Tom Brady, Tom Brady probably physically has diminished some, but mentally he's still at the top of his game because if he gets into the fourth quarter and the game is tight, he knows how to win it. And so there's something to be said for being a gunslinger, but also for being a winner.

So Big Ben to me is a gunslinger, and I think his accuracy concerns me, and I think sometimes his decision-making. So I consider him today's gunslinger, and Ben, to me, has underachieved the last four years. He's underachieve some. But here's what I say about Ben Rothersberger. Todd Haley was a really good coach and mentor to Ben Rothesberger when they were together. Because if you remember what Ben Rothesberger was prior to Todd Haley, he was a gunslinger.

He ran around. He made plays. He was kind of the physical player and presence at quarterback. Todd Haley comes in and is like, look, you have to play a little more controlled. We have to kind of have a control pass. in games so he can be efficient. He learned how to play that way. I think his game went to the next level. However, at the end of the day, the reason why we continue to celebrate the Drew Breases, the Tom Brady's, because they know how to win the game in the fourth quarter. There's a method

to winning games. Tom Brady, Drew Breeze, some of the other quarterbacks have mastered at, and that's what all quarterbacks, particularly the young ones, they have to learn how to win the game by playing the game the right way in certain parts of it. Fifty-five NFL coaches and executives took part in a poll for Mike Sando. He listed the quarterbacks in tier one, tier two, tier three. By and large, I agreed with it. I love Carson Wentz, but he hasn't been healthy enough. I'd put him in a tier two. I do think he's a tier one talent. Cam Newton was a tier three. I've been saying this for years. He's too distracted, and I think he needs a lot of help to win. So tier one is Rogers, Brady, Breeze Mahom, Rick, Rivers, Big Ben, Wilson. And I think that's about the order. I like Russell

Wilson more than I like Rivers or Big Ben, but I'm okay with it. Tier two is guys, according to this, They've got a hole in their game. They need more. I agree with this. Matt Ryan, Wentz, Stafford, Watson, Gough, Baker. Do you have any problems with Tier 2? We have to go to Tier 3 before I have a problem because I would have a problem with some of those guys

ranking ahead of some of the guys that are making Tier 3. The one that jumps out to me, I think Garapolo is a Tier 2 guy, but I think with only 8 starts in San Francisco, it's hard for people to wrap their brain and their arms around what he is. I am a fan of Garapolo. I think mostly tier three is right on. Is there something that bothers you about tier three? Well, when we put Matthew Stafford in the mix,

and I think we put Baker already as a tier two quarterback, I would just say Baker Mayfield and that crew, they went seven and nine. So he played well. He had a rookie record, 27 passing touchdowns. However, if we always talk about measuring quarterbacks on wins,

he has to get some signature wins before I would rank him ahead of a guy like a Cam Newton. Because say what we want to about Cam Newton. Cam Newton has played at an MVP level. Cam Newton has led his team to a Super Bowl. We have seen Cam Newton be a mercurio talent in this league. Does he play the game like the traditional players at the position? No. But when he's playing right and he's healthy and he's able to do some things,

he certainly is a guy that can play that tier one, tier two level. What do you make a Garoppolo? I like Garoppolo, do you? I like Garapolo, but I think here's the issue that I have with Jimmy G. He was kind of anointed as a guy on that run that he had very early. early in San Francisco at the end of the season when they once in games, he got hot. However, in that same offense, we have seen Kyle Shanahan elevate the talents of others that have played a position.

Nick Mullins was a very solid player for the 49ers last year. When we go back and we look at the way that Jimmy Garapolo started, he struggled a little bit, sub 60% passer, only five touchdowns and three interceptions. This is a make or break year for Jimmy Garapolo because the San Francisco 49ers can get out of that deal in 2020 during the offseason. And so he has to play well. I think he will play well because it has an upgraded cast around him, but I'm not ready to say that he is more than a tier three quarterback.

Okay, would you leave, if somebody offered you a GM job in the NFL, would you bail on broadcasting to be a GM? Oh, well, I think so. I think the right organization you absolutely have to. Okay, so I want you to be a GM. Okay. The GM of the New York Giants. My theory on aging quarterbacks, pull the Band-Aid off.

It's hurt, but the healing starts very quick. This is what the Colts did with Peyton Manning. They knew he was good. They knew he'd win games. This is what the Green Bay did with football. They knew he still had stuff in the tank. Didn't want him to go to Minnesota, but he ended up there. New York is struggling.

They can't rip the band-aid off with Eli. So when I see his erosion, and you told me as an organization, Daniel Jones was worth a number six pick. And now this morning the story is there'll be no competition in camp. Time out. So you're either telling me you're reached on Daniel Jones or you're deeply concerned about how this lands in New York with your older fan base and Eli.

Because if I look at Eli's numbers, and Daniel's a three-year starter who you said is the next great player, something doesn't jive with me. Something doesn't jive. So we have romanticized Eli Manning. He's a two-time Super Bowl winner, one multiple MVP's. He is a legend in the New York area for the success that the team has had while he has been the franchise quarterback.

And David Gettleman privately he had told some people when he was at Carolina that Eli Manning is the prototypical franchise quarterback. that you need to have. And so, as they say, loving eyes can never see, he still sees Eli as the guy that won two Super Bowls, regardless of the diminishing game and the way that he's kind of fallen off the cliff the last few years.

He still sees that guy as the one that has been able to hoist the Lombardi trophy twice. I think he let us know what he was thinking with Daniel Jones before they even selected Daniel Jones. He talked about the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pat Mahomes model and how that worked out for Kansas City, where Alex Smith was entrenched. They drafted Pat Mahomes.

Pat Mahomes sat on the bench for a year. He takes over and away the chiefs go. I believe that they're trying to use the same kind of plan in New York. Elon Manning is going to be comfortable. You can be our franchise quarterback this year. And then depending on how you play this year, maybe we hand it off to Daniel Jones or maybe we continue with you. But either way, Eli Manning was going to get every opportunity to be to starting quarterback in New York.

Bucky Brooks joining us. I want to go to the Zeke situation. So let's start with Melvin Gordon. Melvin Gordon's a smaller back. They were 4-0 last year when he didn't play, including beating Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Since Anthony Lynn has been given the job, all the Chargers running backs are now averaging over four yards of carry.

I would struggle giving Melvin Gordon a longtime contract. I'd front-load it if I had to. But you know the analytics, Bucky. So Melvin's a smaller back. He's been hurt. There's some micro fracture. history. College football gives us a lot of running backs every year in the third, fourth, fifth,

six round. Would you give Melvin the contract? I, like, man, it's six on one hand, half a dozen on the other. Here's what I believe is going on in the National Football League. And we've seen it, and we've seen it in drafts the last few years. You talked about finding a bargain or value running backs in the third or fourth round. I don't believe that's the way the league is trending.

I believe what the decision makers are doing to really smart people, and we always talk about the Patriots being the trendsetters. Let's look at what's happened in the league. We've seen a number of running backs go in the first round. And all of those running backs have pretty much hit. The only one in the last three or four years that maybe we're questioning would be Rashid Penny. But Christian McCaffrey has been a stud.

Seekwan Barclay lived up to it. Todd Gurley, Zeke Elliott. All those guys have been stars. So what you do is when you draft a running back high, you get to control the running back for six or seven years throughout his prime without really having to give. him big money. So yes, you have to give him significant draft capital. But for instance, Josh Jacobs was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round. For your deal, $11 million. If he turns out to be a blue chip player, hey, I'm playing my blue chip player, maybe $2.5 million, that's a bargain.

If he gets to the end of that deal, we kick in the fifth year option. If he's still playing at a high level, we can do the franchise tag. So for all of his prime, we can ride him into the ground and never have to give him a second deal. I believe more teams are dribbling out the shot clock on running backs, drafted them early without really thinking we're ever going to commit to giving these guys another deal. It's something that Jimmy Johnson said a long time ago. That's the way you treat the running back position.

Draft them high. Ride them to the wheels fall off. Last year of the deal, draft another one high and move on. That's, I think, what teams are trying to do. So I have said two years out, I've got judicial issues every other offseason with Zeeke. I do think the offensive line in Dallas has helped Zeke, although I do consider him an elite player. I think you can get a haul for him. I think Dallas has shown a history in recent years of drafting very, very well at multiple positions.

Would you consider if you ran the Cowboys of moving off the noise of Zeke and giving him a second contract early? So here's the thing. Zeke has no leverage at this point. Like there's nothing he can do. He can whine and cry and kick. He has no leverage. Like he can hold out, but the fines kick in, all this stuff. He's on the contract.

He really has nothing that he can do to force the Dallas Cowboys to move the needle. And when we look at this franchise and we look at their history, the all-time leading rusher Emmett Smith had to hold out to get another deal. The Dallas Cowboys don't necessarily value running backs in the same light as they value their quarterbacks, who they've always paid and their wide receivers, who they've also paid. It's just the way they look at the position. Now, I say all that in saying, I believe Zeke Elliott is the best running back in football.

I believe he's a guy that can run it inside, outside, catch the ball out of the backfield. He can block the problem that you have. When you're looking at the Dallas Cowboys and how this team is going to be constructed, you have to pay Dak Prescott because he's your franchise quarterback. You also have to keep Amori Cooper. I heard you cite the stats about when he came over, how the game changed. And I'm still saying this, that valuing, I value Dak, Zeke, and Cooper in that order. But in terms of importance, is Zeke, Dack, and Cooper.

Zeke is the most important, but the value is in Dac Prescott because he's a franchise quarterback. Listen, this is the reality of analytics have been seeping into the game over the last five to six to seven years. And the analytics are not always friends of all players. Analytics in the NBA were bad for centers. Analytics in the NFL are not great for running backs. Like there's always somebody that, by the way, analytics in Major League Baseball are not always great for starting pitchers. They're great for guys in the bullpen. Like analytics can marginalize positions that we've glamorized for years.

It can marginalize it. But you have to be careful because as much as we want to look at the numbers and say like the stats, say this, the quantitative data suggests that this player can be, you can get them at a value or an undermarket deal. I believe you still have to trust your eyes because the one thing that you can ask is ask players and ask coaches. When Zeke Elliott is on the field, what kind of reaction does he bring about from the deep? Do we feel compelled to put another defender in the box because number 21 is the guy that really makes them go? Do we feel like if we bring in that other running back, a fourth round running back, do we feel like he's going to give them the same production? Maybe the production that he gets is by design because now when you have an inferior running back in place on defense, we're saying, hey, you can have as many yards as you want because now we're going to focus our efforts on slowing down the passing game. Amari Cooper, more zone, take away what Dak Prescott wants.

to do. And if he has a big game on the ground, we don't believe he can impact it. With Zeke Elliott, you can't take that approach. That's why I think he's special. It's just tough because he plays a position where the Dallas Cowboys are reluctant to commit big dollars. Buckey Brooks, NFL defensive back, scout, all that stuff. Man, between you and Warren Sharp today, my brain just exploded with all that smart football. Good seeing you. Hey, thanks, Rocky Brooks. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you, exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlyce comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 podcast. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Come on out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs.

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