The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Brandon Staley on Chargers early struggles, Justin Herbert, injuries, battling cancer

Episode Date: October 3, 2022

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley talks with Mike Silver about the challenges of the first few weeks of the 2022 season, his extraordinary path to becoming an NFL head coach, how his first year in the NFL was affected by a global pandemic, his reputation as the most analytics-driven coach in the league, why Justin Herbert is such a special player, meeting Rafael Nadal and other tennis heroes at Wimbledon, and more. #Volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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, 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 Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast, And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I remember the first time that I got some intel on my next guest.

I was talking to Sean McVeigh, who had just interviewed this guy to be his new defensive coordinator, wasn't a hot name. And I was like, hey, explain to me why you like him so much. And he goes, he's kind of like me, but on defense. And that was, in a way, a compliment and in a way, a clear sign that Brandon Staley is a little nuts. So now he's known to the world, but that was my introduction to all things, Brandon Staley. And we have him here today. How are you, man?

Great to be with you, Mike. Thanks for the introduction. You know, you are the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. a team that a lot of people are very high on, but coaching is never easy. And your early season has been a rough stretch. You have some of the league's best players, and a lot of them seem to be dealing with pretty significant injuries. You know, what kind of challenges have you faced these first few weeks? Yeah, Mike, I think the first three weeks of the NFL kind of represent what the NFL can be. So we've had three really tough games, I think, to open.

up with Vegas, you know, with the team that they have, you know, I think going against them in the first game, especially with how last season ended. You knew that as an opener, that that was going to be as big as it could get in an opener to be at home in front of our fans. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of energy in that stadium. And, you know, it was a really tough game. It was a fourth quarter type of game, a two-minute type game. We were able to close it out. I really liked the way we competed in that game as a team. It wasn't a clean game by any means, but I really like the way we competed and I really liked the way we finished on defense and then on offense. And then, you know, you got to turn around four days later, you know, in the first game against, you know, the first

Amazon game against the Chiefs and, you know, at Arrowhead. And so, you know, I think to open up a season, you know, it doesn't get any, you know, tougher than that. And I thought that we really showed our chops in that game. I felt we had control of the game. You know, game in the second half and then, you know, we had chances to kind of, you know, really stretch it out and it just stayed tight and, you know, late in the game, you know, just, you know, made a mistake that really shifted the momentum of that football game and we weren't able to, you know, find our way back. But I like the way we competed in that game too. Again, not a clean game, but I really like the way we competed. That's an excellent team and it just didn't go down for us. And, you know,

And then, you know, then some things, you know, started to go down from an injury standpoint. You know, we lost Keenan in the first game. Obviously, Justin goes down, you know, in the chief's game with a tough, you know, tough thing. And, you know, we lost our center, Corey Lindley in that game in the Kansas City game, which was tough, you know. And so anyways, you know, just I think that was a very emotional game. And then you've got 10 days before your next game.

And I thought that we had a good week of practice going to, to the Jacksonville game. And then it was just a different week. I think, you know, working through, you know, some guys not being there for the week. And then Justin working through that week for the first time, you know, and then we just got to the stadium and didn't have the right energy in that game. You know, I didn't do a good enough job coaching in that game. And we got beat. And I think what people are going to realize is that Jacksonville's got a really nice team. I think they're going to win a lot of games if they can stay healthy. They're a lot better football team. then, you know, I think anyone realizes, but I think people will realize that in time.

But we got beat and we had some guys go down. So, you know, we're going to have to make those adjustments. I think we've had a good week of practice. And, you know, again, the NFL isn't decided in this September, no matter what your record is, whether you're rolling. You know, last year we were four and one, you know, at the beginning of the season. Just like that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

Hey, if you have a start where you're one and two, it doesn't matter how you start in the NFL. And so we got to make the adjustments. And, you know, now we get a chance to prove ourselves after a tough loss, you know, going to Houston. We know injuries are a part of the NFL. Everyone goes through it. And your job is just to plow through and, you know, put out the best product you can. Do you ever have any moments when you go through a stretch like this where you kind of just for a second, allow yourself to feel, you know, sorry for yourself and your guys? Like, I can't believe this is happening.

again. Times like this give you the opportunity to really show that you can figure it out. I think that as a competitor, it's times like this where you really get to show that competitive spirit. And so I really look at this as an opportunity for our team, you know, to show what type of team we have. You know, what you got to be able to do in the NFL is you got to be able to absorb tough stuff because it's happening all the time. And injuries are a part of the game. Okay. And it doesn't matter what team, you know. And so you got to have a good enough team to absorb that. And I think, you know, we're certainly going to get a chance to prove ourselves

of what type of team we have. You've been through a lot in your life and, you know, not all of it in terms of football. You know, let's start just with the improbability of you being where you are football-wise. You know, I mean, everyone knows this, but I'm just going to say it again because it's so extraordinary. In 2016, you were a defensive coordinator for a Division III school, John Carroll University, and in fewer than five years, you were an NFL head coach. Most people, if I posed that scenario, would say no chance that could happen. Did you believe that was possible in the moment as you went through it?

Yeah, Mike, we had a really unique environment at John Carroll. I try to explain to people, you know, there were non-N-Fel coaches on my staff at John Carroll when I was there. And I would argue that our environment at John Carroll was a lot more like the NFL than any place in college. And it's a really, really special place. And in 2016, I envisioned myself being a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Like, that's where my mindset was. I felt like my game was ready enough and I needed an opportunity to prove myself. And I think anybody that I coached with or a player that played for, for me there, they would tell you that. And I was fortunate to get an opportunity to get in front of

a John Fox, a Vic Fangio, an Ed Donateau. I was able to get that opportunity to prove myself. And even though I was coming from Division III, I never saw my game that way. I never felt like, hey, I'm a Division III coach. I didn't see my game that way. I saw myself as an NFL defensive coordinator. I saw myself as a person that wanted to become a head coach that was learning how to do that. And so I know that path is, you know, it's hard for some to digest and connect those dots. But I think when you talk to those closest around me, they'll tell you, you know, the way I was working and what I was capable of. And then when I got to the NFL, you know, a big part of it, Mike, as you know, is being around the right people, you know, getting a chance to link up with

the right people that can help shape you and coaches and players. When you link up with Vic Fangio and Ed Donatelle and John Fox, and then you get to coach Khalil Mack and, you know, Leonard Floyd. And, you know, we had a lot of special players in Chicago on that number one defense that allows you to get going. And you get joined up with Von Miller, you know, and Bradley Chubb. And you get to coach Jalen Ramsey and A.D. and John Johnson, some special people. You link up with Sean McVeigh and a lot of other great coaches, you know, that help me. That's what, that's ultimately what it's about is who you're with. And I'm certainly, you know, a representation of with that. So there was that night game in Chicago late in the 2018 season when the Rams were rolling

en route to a Super Bowl and the Bears just shut him down. I was at that game. And I know that affected Sean to the point where when he did make a change after the next season, that Fangio defense was, you know, on his mind. And, you know, once you guys talked, as I referenced in the intro, there was chemistry. I know you, you've told me about this. And I know you had a and Sean talked about this at his wedding, you know, a few months ago. But that was a wild situation. You came in as a first year defensive coordinator. Kevin O'Connell came in as a first year offensive coordinator.

And, oh, by the way, the world was shutting down with a pandemic. What do you remember about that experience, you know, going into that 2020 season? Yeah, Mike, you talk about having to figure it out. There was a lot to figure out that offseason. remember when Kevin and I got there. You know, number one, I just, I remember, you know, the interview with Sean and linking up with him. You just knew that, um, that we, we had special chemistry, that we, that really saw the game the same. I think if I could coach on offense, that's how I would want to coach. If he could coach on defense, I think that's how he would want to coach. And I think

the way we saw coaching players and philosophically how to run a team and, you know, how to, how to link up a team in all three phases. You know, just, it's hard to explain. But, you know, he's like a brother to me. It means a lot to me. And I feel like we were able to connect and not just, you know, Sean and myself, but then there are a lot of special coaches on that staff. You know, you mentioned Kevin, who's one of my best friends, you know, during the pandemic, our wives, Leah and Amy, they homeschooled our kids together. You know, we basically, you know, we were together every single day for a year. You know, you talk about what COVID did. And I remember installing the defense. I was my grandmother's rocking chair in the Caseta just like screaming into a, you know, a computer with like 45

defensive players and Aaron Donald's in Pittsburgh and, you know, you know, Ramsey's in Nashville and you're trying to like, you know, convince people that you're for real. And I mean, I'm in a rock chair just, I mean, spit and fire into this computer. And you had to install the whole thing in the spring on Zoom and didn't even see any of our players until we got to training camp and went to training camp. And there's no preseason games. So you have to. have no idea what's going on. You just have the practice field and you talk about having to figure it out. And what I loved about that season was, you know, our team, we figured it out together, you know, and you connect with a lot of special coaches, as you guys know, Joe Barry and Chris Shula, E.J.

Everow, Eric Henderson, Aubrey, Pleasant, Thad Bogartis, Jonathan Cooley, we had a really special staff, a lot of awesome players, you know, AD, Ramsey, Leonard, JJ, you know, there's so many names, Foxy, Sebastian, all these guys. And we just joined up together and we had a really special year. And, you know, I just think that's what happens when you get, you know, special people together is you can really take it a long ways. And, you know, that was a wild year. And obviously, you know, to become the number one defense that year, you know,

it's something I'll remember forever. Did the rocking chair ever, like, get close to tip it over? Like, I know, I know you. Yeah, well, I know that the players that played for me. me we'll have some pretty good impersonations. I know that my, my wife was tired of listening to me. She's like, you'd be, hey, Brandon,

if you heard how many times you say I in an install meeting, I was like, she's like, you'd hate yourself. So she's like, I can't imagine how your players, you know, think. So, I mean, shoot, I was doing a Zoom. And then after the meeting, I'm FaceTiming with guys, like making sure they got it, you know, like, you know, a lot of good stories in there.

But, hey, that's part of the NFL, being able to figure it out, and there's plenty of stories from that year to remember. Only a wife could I could say that to a husband, by the way. Like, I could totally picture that happening to me, too. Yeah, it happened. Trust me. I saw you at an event, a quarterback collective event put on by your agent, Richmond Flowers, with some of the best minds in football,

and it was a really cool event down in Southern California. You know, you told the story to some, young quarterbacks and a lot of us were present that just, you know, gave everyone chills. And, you know, so I don't know, you know, how much of your background people know, but you've had a lot of cancer in your family, you know, went through some horrible stuff with your mother. And you ended up having cancer, too. That story you told, though, about playing quarterback at Dayton and winning a big game at home against Moorhead State, you know, just, I don't know if people could imagine that situation,

but just give me a little sense of what that was like. Yeah, I try to tell that story because I think as a young kid, young man, you know, like I was talking to some high school seniors that were going into their senior year. And, you know, my mom got sick when I was 12 and, you know, she had cancer for nine years. So when you're kind of in your formative years, you know, when you're kind of, you know, learning how to figure it out as a young kid and, you know, your mom's going through the toughest stuff that you can go through. And, you know, my point to the quarterbacks where you're going to have to be ready for

when it gets tough, you know, and it was my first road win as a starter, you know, at Moorhead State. They were a rival team for us. And, you know, we had a big win. I was a tough win. I remember hitting a big pass. to kind of seal the win. And, you know, it was just a gritty kind of road win.

And I remember going to see my dad after the game. And, you know, it was a really happy win for our team. And when I looked at him, that's not the way you looked. And I kind of knew what that meant. But, you know, for him to say that, you know, your mom's, you know, treatment, you know, stopped working and there's not anything more that we can do, you know, you're never going to forget that, you know, how you felt. And the thing about life is it keeps moving. And my point to those quarterbacks was, you got to have what it takes when you get news like that, you know,

and when you get tough news like that, you got to show what you're made of. And, you know, I just, I tell that story because I lived it. And I think the reason why I'm here today is because my parents taught me how to live through stuff like that. They showed me how to live through stuff like that. And so, you know, when I got sick, you know, I knew I had what it took. I knew what it was going to take. And then I knew what it was going to take ultimately to become a head coach in the NFL. I knew the journey that I was going to have to go on. And, you know, I just, I wanted to speak at that event because, you know, those guys are high profile recruits and it's going well for them right now. but there's going to be a time where it doesn't.

And that's when you're going to show what you're made of. I mean, so three years after that, you're at Northern Illinois as a young coach, and you get the news that you've got cancer. And obviously, the overtones of that for you personally are horrifying. You know, how did you kind of gut your way through that? Well, I think it was at this right stage for it to happen where it, it gave me a chance to compete against something. And that's the way I looked at it,

was it was going to be a chance for me to show what I was made of. And I looked at treatment that way. I said, hey, I'm going to have 12 of these chemotherapies once every two weeks. Then I'm going to have 36 radiation treatments. And, you know, I'm going to look at it like a game. I'm going to look at it, you know, that way, that I'm on a mission, you know, and I'm going to do what it takes and then I'm going to keep living my life, you know.

And so I think. felt like once I got past the other side of it, you know, that there's a feeling that's difficult to describe, you know, once you can come out on the other side of it and you can, you can beat it. You know, there's a freedom, there's a confidence. There's an energy that really brought me to all the good things in my life. It brought me to my wife. It brought me towards me headed towards a career that I, that I loved. And I had to go through all the hard stuff in order for that to, you know, be brought out in me. So, you know, it's been a big part of my story. 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, CliverTaylor 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 Clivered Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! 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 and 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. Cream a chicken suit.

Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help for me. Hippocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hippocrat as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, you talked about being a competitor. There's no way you and I can do a podcast without getting into the other sport you love,

and that's tennis. Oh, yeah. You went there, Mike. There you go. Yeah. And so I wrote a couple of tennis stories when I was at Sports Illustrated. one on Anacornicova, one on Young Serena, and you apparently were one of the people who read those, which I obviously didn't know at the time.

But probably if I ever have to write another tennis story, I should just hire you as an expert because you know way more about it than I do. And I know you had a chance to meet basically your tennis idol a couple of times now. Tell me what those experiences were like. Well, the fact that you were ahead of the Serena deal, you know, you just, you definitely, you know, saw it before it happened. Just shows you, number one, your vision, but number two, your age. So, you know, but, you know, I think I've always admired Rafah Nadal. I was a high school, I was a college senior at Dayton when I think he won his first French Open.

I think he was 19, right, when he won that first one. I remember the 17-year-old kid is with the cutoff and the clam diggers. you know, with the headband. And I knew that this guy was different. He was special. But at that point, I didn't know what was making him special. But then I think over time, you know, you see how this guy was raised, how he's trained. And then just what type of competitor he is, the type of will that he has, the rare focus, the stamina.

And I've always loved the game. I kind of grew up. We were a tennis family. My mom, that was her favorite sport. That was her dream to go to the U.S. Open someday. It's funny. I went to Wimbledon this summer. I met Martina Navratilova.

Wow. And that would have been like, I was like, my mom would just be so thrilled. And Martina was like, man, don't make me feel old, you know? But, you know, I just, I, I just, I see a lot of Rafa, you know, like what, what makes him great of what, you know, has made the special players that I've been around, the Aaron Donald's, the Ramses, Durwin James, Cleal Mac, you know, Von Miller, those type of players. Like, Justin Herbert, they have these like rare quality. is like if you're around Justin Herbert, you know, Justin Herbert's got that rare focus, that rare stamina. And when you're with Raf and Adala, like you see that when you watch him practice at Wimbledon, when you watch him at Indian Wells in a first round match, you just,

you feel this, you know, you feel this around him. And, you know, that's the way I feel about Justin every day is like you just feel that, that this guy's special, that this guy's rare. You know, and so I'm always trying to learn something from other sports and tennis is such a a passion of mine. And, you know, I'm hoping to continue to be able to watch as many of these great guys as possible because, you know, they're towards the end. You know, Roger just retired. And, you know, I don't know how much we're going to have of Raffa and Novak. So I'm going to try and see those guys as much as I can. When you got a chance to talk to Rapha at Indian Wells and again at Wimbledon, in person, was there an aura that kind of, you know, and were you,

were you fanboying at all? Or were you able to keep it together? Yeah, I, number one, he looks like a DB. He looks like, you know, he's like 6-1, 180. So I'm like, man, I think him and Derwin could do some damage together. But he's a lot bigger guy than I think you realize. But I think when I talked to him after Indy Wells, it was really tough match. He was down 5'2 in the third set. Of course he was.

And then won. The Sebastian Corda, you know, his dad, Peter, was a great player on the tour. So Sebastian's like this up-and-coming young player. He's got him down 5'2 in the third set. And, you know, it was interesting because Rafa had this calm. Like, you could just know, you just saw at the match that one guy had been there and one guy hadn't. So he had that poise.

And it was really interesting after the match, I asked him, like, you know, all was kind of going through your mind down 5'2. And he just said something so simple to me. He was like, you know, I just, I know that if I give up, I can't win. But that if I force him to beat me, at least I'll have a chance. And that's what he did. He's like, I just, I need to play one. point at a time. I need to keep the ball and play and I need to force this guy to beat me.

And pretty soon, the guy made some mistakes. Then Raffa gets into a rhythm. And then all of a sudden, he's playing how he can play. And then he got on a roll and he ends up, you know, winning that thing, you know, in the third set. And so I just think that that poised that like, like these eyes, I've lived through a lot. All right. So that wasn't a big deal to me. And I think, you know, just you can't minimize the experiences of a champion, you know, and I think I saw firsthand, why he's won so many of them. And that's what you're trying to bring back to your players. And then you just realize how much they have in common with your players.

So special for me to meet him in person. So what's weird is that, I mean, he could draw on all that championship experience and one guy had been there and one guy hadn't. But your quarterback, I don't know if I've ever seen someone in game-on-the-line situations who's so young and so calm. And, you know, I've covered all the great ones since Montana and Marino and Elway. So I mean, that, I know you look back at that game against Las Vegas at the end of the year with the playoffs on the line and, you know, you hate it. But just, I just want you to appreciate from an outsider.

Your season was on the line like, I think, eight times or something insane, unless he did say, unless he did. something pretty big, and he did it every single time. How can a guy that young have that? Yeah, he's just got rare poise. I think when I think of Justin, I think of that, that poise and that fierce competitive spirit. But it's interesting with Justin because he's so fierce, and he's got those eyes that tell you he's fierce, but then everything else is calm.

And so I think that that does a lot for his teammates and big moments is that they see him calm. And they see that, you know, they feel, they believe that it's going to go down. And that does a lot for your football team. I think when you talk about going back to Joe Montana and Steve Young and John Elway, Dan Marino, their teams believe they were going to win. And that's what Justin does is he just brings out the belief in his teammates because they know how hard he works every day. and then they see what he does at the game. And what I would tell the fans is our first game against Washington last year, he hit four third downs, you know, on, you know, in the fourth quarter to seal the game for us.

I think we were like 13 of 19 on third down in that game. And, you know, at that point, you know, they have all those great rushers. And it was like, you know, he brought us, you know, back in that game. And it was the first game to the Vegas game. It was all year long. And, you know, everyone knows that our year we had 15 games in the fourth quarter. And it wasn't just the Vegas game. That was just kind of the, that was the ultimate theatrics, you know, in that game.

But he did it the whole season. And then, you know, he's done it so far this season. So, you know, we're very fortunate. And he's at the beginning. And again, I think those great competitors, you know, they have their best when their best is required. And you and I talked about this before the Super Bowl, while drinking Spanish lattes that were unbelievable in the morning. But, you know, everyone, you were getting stigmatized or labeled as analytics guy or fourth down,

go for it guy. And I know there's a lot that goes into all of that, but how much of I'm going for it here, even if you think I'm crazy to, has to do with that with Justin Herbert? Yeah, Mike, it's at the front of your decision. decision-making process is just, I think when you have a guy that's at the beginning, you want to make sure that you show that belief in him, your offense, your defense. And the only way that you do that is to prove yourself that you're going to be able to put the ball in his hands.

And whether he throws it or not, whether it throws it hands it off, that we're going to put the ball in his hands and, you know, and that we're going to be aggressive. And I think you've got to put your players through as many of those situations as possible to create the belief in your. program, your organization. And I thought that we got off to a really good start last year with that. The mindset, you know, being the most important thing. And, you know, there's certainly a part to the math that is so significant that I believe in. But, you know, the mindset of your football team, that's what we're trying to build. And that when you get into these big environments, these big

games, that you're ready to go meet a moment. And I know that last year, you know, we had the tough side of it. You know, I think in the national games, the KC game, you know, in the Vegas game at the end of the year, you know, but what I would say too is that I love the, I mean, the way our team competed in those two games, we may have lost them, but you couldn't ask for anything more as a head coach the way we competed in that game. And do we come back in the Vegas game had you not built a team, you know, that was ready to come back, you know, that could come back because they've been put through a lot of situations. And, you know, I felt like we won, you know, probably five. the six games in the season because of that thought process, you know? So you got to deal with it

both sides, you know, and as you know, that's part of it. And, you know, I understand the criticism, you know, and I definitely don't back away from it. And I definitely don't feel like I have all the answers. But what I'm trying to do is what's best for our team. And, you know, I love coaching this group for sure. And, you know, obviously we're at the beginning this season. all right before i let you go there's just something i've been dying to ask you for months now um you're at you're at wimbledon uh you're watching the best tennis players of the world you go you got to get the strawberries and cream right yes is is it as great as it is cracked up to be because i've never gone to wimbledon yes well number one mike um there's so many parts of the wimbledon that you would

love. The strawberries and cream, you know, that that is, it's a tradition unlike any other. I think that just having that experience, having the famous drink, you know, the PIMS, you know, just I think when you experience all of Wimbledon, you get to have that, that ultimate fan experience, which I don't get to have very much. That was a lifelong dream for my wife and I, who also plays tennis. So it doesn't get much better than that to see Henman Hill, like what that actually looks like and what that actually is like, you know, it's an opportunity I won't ever forget. And but the thing I took most away from it, you know, and a super coach, you know, only a coach would say is that I got to watch practice for an hour, you know, and I got to watch, you know,

Novak and Rafa practice. I got to watch, you know, some of the best players in the world practice. And I won't forget that, you know. And so if you ever get the chance to go to London and go down to Wimbledon, it'll be worth it because anything that you've ever seen about it, it's so much better in person. That's awesome. Did you see any royals? Were there any members of the royal family around? No, I missed them. I missed them. They came the next week. I was there at the beginning. I was kind of there like week one. I think I missed, you know, some of the, you know, like Tom Cruise and

stuff like that. I didn't get to link up with that group necessarily. But I got to see the players. You know, I got to see Novak. I got to see Rafa. And then, you know, know you just know the state of American tennis is is you know super I mean super bright men and women I saw Cocoa golf like awesome and you know I didn't get to see serena I was bummed you know because serena's like the queen queen B I just you know I was really hoping I could see serena but it didn't happen because she's a legend but um awesome experience I feel like seeing martina is is as good as it gets though that's pretty it was awesome seeing martina she and she's just She's just awesome. Like you can see that she's lived through a lot, you know, and she's just, you know, so sharp and she was so gracious with her time and, you know, just a living legend. And, you know, that was the tournament.

And they did when they had everybody come back to celebrate. And I just missed like that celebration. We had it. We had to head out of there. But all those people were coming back in town, the legends of the game. And, you know, you know, growing up, like, you know, we were like Pete Sampras and Agassie. And, you know, that. era, Jim Curry or Michael Chang. And then on the women's side, you had like Steffi Graf and Celis and Navratilova and, you know, that group. So it would have been good to see some of them, but maybe next year, Mike, Indian Wall. Yeah. And by the way, I feel like there's going to be a Super Bowl victory party sometime. And I'm going to be cruising around, get ready to write a story. And I'm going to see Martina, you know, sipping a drink at your table. And it's going to be like, oh, this is a pretty cool party. But until then, good luck with your weekly endeavors

as you fight through the injury stretch. Well, I appreciate it, Mike. Good to be with you. We're taking care of your cow bears. I see that cow. You know, I see that cow. That's a Jared Goff. That's actually a Jared Goff helmet from Cal.

And I know you are one of the great Jared Goff supporters in this league. Love J.G. and we got Keenan Allen here. We got Rich Rogers. We had your man Stephen Anderson last year. So we're taking care of the Cow Bears here at the Chargers. The more bears, the better. That's what I always say.

So thank you so much for taking the time. And we appreciate you. Thanks a lot, Mike. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in

sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the 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.