The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Danny Parkins: The Cowboys Fatal Flaw, Three Rookie Franchise QB’s, NFL vs. College Debate, NFL Rule Changes

Episode Date: October 17, 2024

Colin is joined by Danny Parkins, host of “Breakfast Ball” on FS1! They start by breaking down Colin’s theory on why the betting markets favor Trump to win the election when the polls have it statistically tied (3:00) Then, they pivot to the NFL and why the current crop of rookie quarterbacks; Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix all look like they will be franchise quarterbacks (9:00) and identify the Cowboys fatal flaw that will keep them from winning a Super Bowl for the next 5 yards (20:00) They move onto the classic debate of NFL vs college football and why both are great…just different (32:30) and they each propose some rule changes they’d like the NFL to make (38:15) They also give their takes on the state of the kicking game in the NFL and whether that part of the game also needs changes (45:00) Finally, they discuss why the lack of a salary cap is actually GOOD for baseball (52:45) and Danny shares what the biggest “good” surprise has been since moving to NYC (59:45) (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Makes getting tickets for your favorite live events easier. It filters out the fluff to show you. you only incredible deals on great seats, so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. You want to go to a football game or a concert. Just click on the event. You want to attend, and game time gives you a seat preview and offers you the super deal. So I get the best bang for my buck, and that's what I'm looking for. Game time also has the lowest price guarantee, or they'll credit you 110% of the difference. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time, right? Download the GameTime app. Doesn't take long. Create an account.

use my code, the redeem code, Colin, C-O-L-I-N for $20 off your first purchase. C-O-L-I-N. Terms Apply. Download Game Time today. What time is it? Game time. All right, Danny Parkins, breakfast ball and FS-1, lots to talk about. So two things, we got about an hour here, two things that you're engaged in, but we haven't talked a lot about, but you're big into gambling, and you like politics. So I got into this discussion in the area. I thought this was fascinating. I'm not going to predict who's going to win the election. But I found this fascinating. So there's something called the poly market, which is a gambling market for the election, and it leans heavy right. So tell me if I'm right on this.

I said to a person yesterday, I said, I'd be very careful about reading too much into this market. And I want you to analyze it if you're my broker. I said, first of all, 72% of bets in America are placed by men. Men bet more than women. Big bets is close to 85%.

We've all known a guy who's made a $10,000 bet. I've never once had my wife say, my friend Beth just placed $25,000 on the Rangers to beat the caps tonight. So men are betters, men are big bettors. So the market is influenced by that demographic. We know there's a referendum in this election that we've never seen before in my lifetime.

It's men versus women. I mean, that's literally what the election is to a large degree. So I told somebody that market is going to favor the male candidate. Do not trust the merest poll. Whatever the polls are, there's a handful. So that was my take is that markets, when it becomes a man versus woman bet, a market were overwhelmingly favor a man because men bet more than women and bet large amounts on women. Now, as somebody that knows much more about betting than I do, does that make any sense?

Well, I think it makes some sense, but markets are supposed to be impartial. Like, the old adage of Vegas wants to get 50% of action on each side of the game and just clear the Vig is not really true. Like, Vegas is happy to take a position on a game. Yes. And be fine with 80% of the money being on one side if they have conviction that the public is wrong. Like, there's this notion that like Vegas sets the line. It's not true. Sharp gamblers set the line.

Vegas will open at a number, but they'll open at a number at maybe a lower limit and then see where the bigger gamblers, the good gamblers come in and place their money. And then that's where the line gets so sharp. So, like, betting into an NFL Sunday on Sunday morning, you're betting into the sharpest market possible. Like, I try to place NFL bets Sunday night for the next week. I'll give you an example. Monday in the herd.

I said, I am taking the Rams minus five. It'll move to seven before the DeBonte Adams trade. I said, offensive coach, off a by superior quarterback. I said, the wise guys, they're all betting the Rams here. Now the market's at six and a half. So that's an example of, I've always said the blazing five, the biggest weakness, I don't get to do it on Monday. Correct.

Correct. My friends on the picks that I, on Parkins picks that I'm making on Friday on the show, by the way, 12, 7 and 1 so far, feeling very good. I feel like I'm seeing the board very clearly. But they're like, you're not doing totals and you're firing into Friday markets. They're like, they're putting you in a very, very tough spot to have a winning season. But I say all of that to say like the markets are supposed to be. to be impartial and you can look at offshore markets of the presidential election. And I've

talked to enough people that know this. If we were allowed to bet legally on the presidential election, it would be a bigger gambling event than the Super Bowl. It would be the biggest gambling event that we could possibly have. So I do think that generally speaking, the gambling markets for this stuff are pretty good. I'll be honest, biggest gambling loss of my life is the 2016 election, I just didn't believe it. I just didn't believe it. And I kept firing on Hillary Clinton night of the election. And my buddy, like, he like texting me. He's like, dude, you've got to stop. Like the markets have spoken. I don't care what they're saying on CNN. It's like, I don't care what the polls are saying. I don't care what you're rooting interest is here.

He's like, like the markets have spoken. And it was a great lesson that the markets were ahead of what was being talked about on on TV. And obviously that was an event that basically none of the polls and none of the pundits saw coming. So I think your theory holds some water because the market in America is not as sharp as it should be with this because you can't take it, take it legally.

But you can get five figures, six figures down on the election offshore. No problem. I know people that have. So I don't believe that it's like terribly infuriably. by a bias of the gambling pool because there is plenty of money down on it. I think this is a coin flip election. Yeah, same. Same.

And the polls pretty much reflect that, but the gambling markets absolutely reflect for the last few months. I haven't seen it be more than like plus 120 really in either direction since it's settled when Kamala entered the race. So this is a coin flip election. So, you know, I said it today. I think, and I had a music producer text me today that I know off this comment I made, he'd like this comment. I think two things you see within five to six games of a new franchise quarterback,

clear red flags and excellent traits. So I always use the example of the voice or of, American has talent or American Idol. I don't know much about music other than I enjoy it, but I can see within three to four notes, you know, I mean, literally 12 seconds, hack and great. Figuring out lounge singer to successful lounge singer, good is hard.

Justin Fields could be good, but good is very hard to decipher because the difference between good and great is consistency. You've got very few bad games from Mahomes, whereas Russell Wilson now is at the point where, oh, that's pretty good. Oh, that's awful. Same with Justin Field. So I think good is hard to decipher. I think awful and great are pretty easy. You can see a draft pick in the NBA. You're like, yeah, that's like James Wiseman. I'm watching with the Warriors like second year. I'm like, he's never going to be a star in this. Like it is an aunt. First year, All-Star break. You're like, yeah, that's going to work.

Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum, even rookie year, Jason Tatum, you're like, yeah, that's going to work. He's going to get better. So I look at Caleb and Jaden Daniels and to a lesser degree, Bo Nix. And I'm like, yep, those are franchise guys.

Whereas Justin Fields was one step forward, two back, Caleb just keeps getting better, clearly takes to go. Jaden Daniels. He's Lamar Jackson, but better in the pocket as a rookie. Bo Nix has a lower ceiling, less of an arm, reads the field, more mobile than anybody that didn't watch

Oregon Duck Games really realizes. He's actually really mobile. Barks right back at Sean Payton, not a follower, total leader, confrontational. And I feel very, now, now, Bo has the less talent. He's in a division with Harbaugh and Andy Reid. Like, it's a tough draw.

But my take is Caleb, Jaden, Bo. These are franchise quarterbacks. I have no fear saying, yet this is what it looks like. So I want to ask you two, quick questions before I give you my like full response to it. One, or I guess this would be a small response. Do you think the NBA, I don't think the NBA comparison is fair.

Because in the NBA, it is so purely a talent sport that like talent can over overcome situation. Like John Morant goes to Memphis. Doesn't matter like the franchise. Anthony Edwards goes to Minnesota. It doesn't matter the franchise. Like your talent will always win out in the NBA. You might not win big if you don't have a good organization.

but you can be a 10-time All-Star on a bad franchise and make an impact in the NBA. In football, I do think situation, coaching, offensive line, talent around you, it is so situational that I find it much easier to make a snap judgment in basketball than I do in football. And then I guess the quick question I'd get back to you is, what did you say about our G3? Because his rookie year was historic. So that's good. So I-

By injury, sure, but I feel like we could have said a lot of the things we said about Jaden about RG3. Okay, so I said during RG3's rookie year, I said luck's the better quarterback, but RG3 is more fun to watch. And voters are suckers for art, artistry, NBA voters, Westbrook, Westbrook, he can't, he has bad handles and can't shoot.

Derek Rose couldn't shoot, spindly, ended up getting hurt a lot. So I think RG3, pleased the eye, but I didn't think it was nearly a sustainable. I thought Andrew Luck was bigger, stronger. I mean, Jesus, the kid went to Stanford. He memorized a playbook, according to Kobe Fleener, who also went to Stanford in two days. Like, it's like, yeah, it's so I never bought into the- Crazy, but, but, but RG-3 was rookie of the year. Right. I didn't buy it. So you didn't buy it and you buy something Jaden that you did not buy with RG-3.

Oh, I think, I think J. You know, I said with RG3, I think he's talented, but he was thin. I said, Andrew Luck's the better player. So Jaden is better in the pocket than RG3. I think they're both equally twitchy. But here's was a real sell for me on Jaden Daniels. And this almost never happens. Almost as a rule, when you have a rookie quarterback, the coaching staff says, hey, be patient. this is a process. Right. Literally, Dan Quinn, a defensive coach, was like, I've never seen anything like this. I mean, they literally in camp couldn't.

Brian Kelly's like, the kid's magic. Brian Kelly runs through quarterbacks at Notre Dame. I think he had six at one point in like five years. So part of it was I watched a lot of his games. Second, the people I trusted, Cliff Kingsbury, Steve Kime, who hired him as a friend. He was like, no, calling this kid. Cliff can't even, like it's Kyler with more maturity, better in the pocket. And I like Kyler.

So I've had good sourcing on Jaden and I totally buy it. Okay. So Jaden to me is incredibly impressive. I was not as sold. I certainly was not as sourced on him as you were. It was hard for me with how slender he was and how much talent was around him to say for sure that it would translate. like I loved Drake May coming out of college.

I had him actually above Jaden. Some of the games I watched, I was like, this guy's doing more with less, tough as hell, crazy athlete, youngest brother, comes from a family of athletes, like overachieved his situation. And Jaden Daniels has blown me away. I think every piece of hype that he's gotten has been totally, totally valid. I do think there is an element of some of his production is based on

running the football. And that works, obviously. Lamar Jackson's got a couple of MVP's, but it's not the type of thing that ages particularly well. We haven't seen that quarterback in their 30s. Like it's a depreciating asset. At some point, you need to just be great from the pocket. And he's been great from the pocket. So I'm not saying he can't be that. But if his comp is Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams' comp is Aaron Rogers, if we're we did a redraft tomorrow, I would still take Caleb Williams over Jaden Daniels. Yeah. I think the skill set is actually more sustainable and allows for a higher ceiling.

Yeah. So I would too. You would. Okay. Yeah. But I don't think that's a majority opinion anymore. Yeah. No, I think Caleb, I use this word a lot.

People think it's weird. Caleb's thicker and truncier. He's a big, thick athlete. If you're standing around him, you're like ass, legs, shoulders. like he's like he's just big jaden is more spindly that always worries me but saying i would take caleb over jaden is like saying i would take vanilla ice cream over chocolate or whatever like i like him both and if i don't care i don't care and i it's possible people at the beginning people wanted to make this because caleb had a bad couple of games and shane waldron had an

awful adjustment to chicago people were immediately running to it's like people have the memory of one day, one minutes. It has to be C.J. Stroud Bryce Young. I'm like, are you guys crazy? That is so stupid. It's very possible that this draft ends up being by the way. Eli Manning, Ben Rothlessburg, or Philip Rivers. How about this? All three awesome quarterbacks,

all three franchises and fan bases are thrilled with their guy. Danny, you don't have to go back that far. Herbert, Burrow, Hertz, Tua. Right. That was just like four or five years ago. We had an incredible. draft. Yeah. And so I think that that is certainly what is in play here because Bo Nix and Jaden have far exceeded what my expectations were for them coming into the draft. And I'll be honest,

it was one game. I thought Drake May was going to get killed last Sunday. Yeah. With six offensive line combinations in six games, no offensive weapons to speak of defensive head coach. They were sitting him for a reason. Then it felt going up against Houston's pass rush, which The Patriots led the league in pressures allowed, and the Texans led the league in pressure percentage generated. I was like, this is a terrible matchup. Why are they doing this? And he acquitted himself beautifully, I thought, in the game.

One of the stories of the season to me is how these quarterbacks, rookie quarterbacks, are playing so well. But also, if you just look at completion percentage in the NFL right now, 15th in the NFL, 15th, is Will Levis, who's completing 66% of his passes. It's not that long ago that that was top three in the NFL or even something that would lead the league. So I think what has happened, and this is a much better podcast topic than TV show topic, I think that analytics and the smart people in football have figured out that conservative

passing is so valuable. It's an extension of the run game and young quarterbacks can do it. And young quarterbacks are cheap quarterbacks. And we know that's where the market inefficiency is. So it's never been easier to be successful as a young quarterback because the passing game is now more left and right than vertical. and in baseball and basketball, the analytics revolution has rewarded the high variance plays. Go for a home run, shoot a three-pointer. So analytics in those sports has actually injected like the more difficult skill set,

whereas analytics in football, don't take risks. Don't throw the ball down the field. Don't force it. Just matriculate. We'll go for it on fourth down. three yards, four yards, five yards is fine, and just get the ball out quick, don't take hits, execute the easy pass. And so you're seeing, I mean, Jaden Daniels is completing 75% of his passes. Yeah. That is, he deserves credit and he does have some big plays to him, so he's not just thinking

and dunking. But that number makes no sense. Seven years ago, we would have like, that's not going to happen. And so I just, I think that coaches have gotten so much smarter at cultivating an offense where young guys can have a high floor early, then it makes it more difficult for me to evaluate their ceiling because I think the floor has been raised so significantly. Yeah, this is what I have said about the Cowboys and the Lakers, very insular franchises with a lot of buses and friends of buses and the Lakers and a lot of Joneses and friends of Joneses inside the Cowboys. is that as the league's gotten sharper, shrewder, and more analytical, the Lakers and the Cowboys have gotten more of the corner grocery store in a supermarket world,

is that football's gotten so smart, and you look at the Cowboys right now, and they're overpaying for a quarterback. That's a B-plus quarterback. Like, that is the number one mistake in the league. Pay for Mahomes or a rookie quarterback. Those are the only two. You can have Garoppolo and golf early in their car, career and get to a Super Bowl. You can have Garoppolo and get to a Super Bowl before you pay them big.

You can't. If you get McVeigh, if you get Shanahan, if you get one of those guys, and obviously those guys don't count against your salary cap. So do anything you can to hire one of those guys. So people, it's remarkable to me that the Cowboys and the market struggles with this. I think Dallas fans have finally figured it out. The Athletic did a poll and like 75% of Cowboy fans are like, We have no chance to win the Super Bowl for five years. So they get it. Cowboy fans get it. But these people that think it's an anti-deck conversation,

no, it's an anti-paying a B-plus quarterback A-plus money. It is like the most obvious analytic. Some we can argue about in baseball. Some are clear that the ground ball is a death penalty. A strikeout's not. That's pretty obvious if you don't follow too much analytics. In football, just don't pay a good quarterback great money. If you don't know anything else, that's clear.

And the Cowboys are doing it. It's funny. It's, I get why teams do it, even saying that. Because in Dallas's situation, let's say they decided not to pay DAC and just let him leave for nothing. That's also bad team building. Like, he finished second in the league in MVP last year. He's won 12 games three years in a row. They led the league in scoring last year.

I hate when teams just let Stars walk for nothing. you have to get something for your asset, even if it's 60 cents on the dollar. You have to get something. And so Dallas was going to be too good to draft Drake May or to draft Bo Nix or to draft Jay to Daniels. And so then they would be more, maybe they wouldn't be paying big money to go get a good quarterback, but they would be trading multiple first round picks to move up and get a good quarterback. And do you trust that Jerry Jones is going to hire the right? coach to develop the young quarterback because, yeah, if you could say I'd rather have Jaden Daniels

at his money than Dak Prescott at his, like, of course, obviously. But Atlanta was like, we can't have another year of Desmond Ritter. Like, we will give Kirk Cousins $180 million at 35 coming off of an Achilles and draft Michael Pennix so that we never have to go through a season like that again. Like there aren't 32 good quarterbacks in the world that can do this job. And there's 32 teams. Yeah, I also think something I touched on last week is quarterbacks come in more ready to play, but owners are more ready to fire them.

So you've got this convergence of wealthier, wealthier owners, more impulsive, quarterbacks more talented, we're not giving you two full years. I mean, the fact that Daniel Jones got an extension, and was basically a C-minus quarterback. It's just that doesn't happen anymore. Yeah, no, that was a terrible one. That one made no sense. And the thing about these rookies, like, I kept saying,

when I was still doing radio in Chicago, I was like, we need to hold Caleb Williams to a really high standard. And people were like, why do you keep saying C.J. Stroud? That's an outlier. I was like, no, it wasn't. The outlier for Stroud was that he didn't throw interceptions. He only had five interceptions. But Dak had four.

Like we had as a rookie. We have seen it before. The guy had 23 touchdowns. He had a little over 4,000 yards. It was a very, very, very impressive season because no one saw it coming. Houston was terrible. He turned him around. He won a playoff game.

But, I mean, he beat the Browns. He beat Joe Flacco in a playoff game. And again, this is not to knock CJ Stroud. But my point is, it is easy, easier to be good as a rookie. Because back in the day, you'd be playing in like the Big 12 in a spread offense. And they'd be like, come into the NFL and be under center and take seven step drops and throw post routes. And now they're like, everything's out of the shotgun. You can have a wristband.

We're going to call the play in on a number. and we're going to give you a run-pass option, just like you had in college. So it's just so much easier to be good early that I hope that we get smarter when Shador Sanders or whoever comes into the NFL next year, and then everyone's like, pump the brakes on expectations. No, man, like build your organization

from coaches, from investment in the offensive line, wide receivers, build your organization to take advantage of the first four years of these guys when they're crazy cheap because that's the easiest time it should ever be for you to win a Super Bowl if you have a great quarterback. And I do think that Washington and Chicago, at least I'll say it on those guys, you're farther ahead on Bo next than I am. But those teams should be making hyper-aggressive moves the next three years to win a Super Bowl. Because that's what you can do if you've got a quarterback who's that good, who's that cheap.

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Pretty easy. That's for the people.com slash Colin or pound law, pound 529 from your cell. Morgan and Morgan has a proven track record of fighting for you. to get a full and fair compensation if there's an unexpected accident in your life. This is a paid advertisement. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Ton Ton, and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the AIDS. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

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on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. There are certain things that the media does. They don't irritate me, but they're so predictable. One of them is, early in the season when there are injuries, people are like, I don't think I've ever seen this many NFL injuries.

Yes, you have 12 months earlier. And in the end, almost without exception, you get to a Super Bowl and each team is missing like one starter and teams are overwhelmingly healthy. Players get healthier. Players are they hit less in practice. They hit less in games. Doctors are better. Fitness is better.

They're fine. So here's the other one that just cracks me. after a great weekend of college football. Beh, college football is so much better than the NFL. No, they're both great and they're different. The NFL is a higher level of coaching and playing. You get guaranteed like five to seven great games a weekend, even though there's only 32 teams.

In college football, you have 130 teams, and you may get four great games and a great weekend. I mean, like last weekend was great, and we all knew it was great. But you'll have weekends going into a college football weekend where there's like one game between ranked teams. And you can get a nice Kansas State TCU game, but I went out with my wife. I'm not watching it. So here's how I look at the NFL in college. The NFL is a successful brother in the family.

He always has a nice car. He's got a nice fund with his broker, a little boring at times and predictable. but you kind of know what you get. College football is the brother and the family that twice a year, you have a big party, you invite him over, and he'll take all his clothes off, go naked, jump into a pool, kind of drunk. People laugh, but it's kind of inappropriate. You're not happy with him.

But you do wake up the next morning and say, you know, he really gets the most out of life. We have a nicer, our kids go to better schools. We have a nicer life. But, you know, Tim, he really has a good time. in life. And that's how I feel college football is. At its best, it's wild. Fans are pouring on the field.

The officiating can be abjectly horrid. These are 21. The kickers are soccer players who may or may not know what they're doing. Special teams are an S show. Yeah. But like Tim who got naked and jumped into a pool, there is something

memorable and ecstatic about And I thought Oregon, Ohio State was that. It's like, Jesus. But my point being, if I circle back, is they're both great. They're much more unique. One's corporate, one's on a campus. And I think that's the beauty of them. Well, it's funny, though, I mean, some of your finest work, Colin.

What are your finest analogies? We got to work on Tim's name. I feel like Tim's name should be like Madison or like Bucky. or Eugene like a college plan. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So we got to work on Tim's name, but otherwise, 9.8 out of 10 on the colon analogy scale.

And I was just judging myself because I like the NFL so much more than college. And I'm like, I'm the boring corporate suburban guy with like the healthy stock portfolio. You kind of are. Yeah, I know. Dude, I'm washed up.

I got a wife and two kids. And I just love like a sushi dinner and a bottle of red and a nice early bedtime. But, but yeah, It is, it's true. College at its best, it's just, you're like, this is crazy. I don't understand what's happening here. This is random.

A team that's a 30 point underdog can win a game. Like, you know, the NFL, it's like, oh, the biggest threat on the board is six and a half, right? Like, it's parody by design. There's a salary cap. There's a salary for free agents are just as likely to choose Dallas as they are Buffalo and Green Bay because they just follow the money. I think the NFL is the perfect viewing product.

I think it's perfect. Every game matters. Every team before the season doesn't think they can win a Super Bowl, but like worst to firsts happen every single year, rookie quarterback can change a franchise on a dime. Basically every franchise has some reason to believe, at least within three years, right? Like Jacksonville three years ago absolutely thought that it was on the board

that they had a future Hall of Fame quarterback. So I think the NFL is a perfect viewing product, and college is just a little tougher for me to, like, follow and be fully invested in, week in and week out. But college at its best is just awesome. And it's because it means like an irrational amount to the people in the building. Not that pro fans don't fight and pro fans aren't passionate. they obviously are, but it's just like the tribalism of like,

this is the most important thing in the entire state of Alabama. I'm a fifth generation badger. Like there's just something about like the college football pageantry that I'll never be able to quit. What did you think about what Dan Langing did? Should that penalty putting 12 men on the field intentionally at the end of the game be more than five yards? that probably it feels like a cheat code to me yeah a little bit but my accountant's job is to find holes in the tax system and we're going to find them every year i make it very clear to my accountant my entertainment attorney we do not cheat but our job is to assist me in paying the least

amount of taxes i can in california that's legal and i think that's re that's when a accountant The accountant's job is to find holes and crevices. Yeah, no, I'm not mad at Dan Lannning. No. So, yes, I think, I look at it like this. There are two rules. There's a certain rule that college has better than pro. Pass interference.

No penalty should be 64 yards. It's stupid if our feet are tangled. And it's a, I mean, that would literally be like imprisonment for jaywalking. Your feet get tangled. it's a 64-yard penalty. It shouldn't be. So college has that better. Over-time, but, conversely, neither side can figure out overtime, and both sports have made multiple changes. My theory has always been the road team gets the ball first because it's harder to play on the road. You get it first. First score wins. Nobody likes that. I wrote about it in my first book.

So the way I look at this is it is a smart coach and a smart staff manipulating the rules. it's not up to Oregon to play nice. It's up to the NCAA to get their shit together. I completely agree with you. I'm not mad at Dan Lannning, but when your accountant finds a loophole that then the government finds, oh my God, we're losing a bunch of money on this

because there's a loophole. I expect them to close the loophole. Yeah. And so it should clearly be a pre-snap penalty. They should not let the time run off the clock. Like, hey, there's 12 guys out here, balls snapped. Like, blow the play dead. It's on the defense. So, or put the time back on the clock, right? So instead of it going from 10 seconds to five seconds, it's just, hey, we got to put this. We know what you're doing.

We've got to put it back to 10 seconds. Like, make the rule like less than three minutes left in a game or something. If you do 12 men on the field on defense, no time can come off the clock. It's a pretty easy fix or make it a 20-yard, 15-yard penalty. It's an easy fix. but I was just like, God damn it. By the way. That's smart, but you should be penalized more because we did catch you. But can we both agree the worst rule in sports is the NFL's you fumble into the end zone and the other team gets the ball?

Yes, I hate that. I hate that rule, but I do think there should be a compromise. It shouldn't be that the other team gets the ball. I like the reverse touchback. Okay, reverse touchback. It doesn't exist anywhere, so I understand why you would be confused. I'm running into the end zone. I'm diving for the pylon.

I fumble. If the ball goes out of bounds, I don't think I should get the ball back just because the other team didn't recover back at the one yard line. I do think there should be some penalties for like or like added emphasis on ball security by the end zone. If you fumble and they don't recover and it goes out the end zone, you get the ball back. You don't lose possession, but you've got to go back to the 20 yard line. Yes, totally.

agree. Totally agree. I call it the reverse touchback. I don't know if there's a better way to call it that. It was second and goal from the four and you go out of bounce at the one and the ball and the ball goes out the end zone. Now it's third and goal from the 20. Like, you know what I mean? Like you should have a severe penalty for fumbling the ball by the end zone. It should not be a change of possession

unless the defense actually recovers the ball. Defense needs to recover the ball in order for the defense to get the ball. That's right. I don't think you should get a possession without recovery. I got another one for you. We're talking rules changes. I did this on the TV show, but they're like, you're talking kicking. You can do it in one minute.

So I had to literally do this in one minute. So I'm bringing this to your podcast. I'm seeing too many field goal kickers this year. I had the debt after five weeks. I'm going to assume that it's the same after six. So just roll with me. after five weeks, we had seen more 50-yard field goal attempts than any time in league history. And I had our researcher chart it.

It is a straight line going up. It's like Nvidia stock. It is just a straight line on them. And it went from 76 50-yard-plus field goal attempts through five weeks last year to 97 this year. So it is exponential growth. And my theory is you get five yards extra on these touchbacks because the new kickoff rule. And kickers have gotten really damn good. Like Brandon Aubrey is ridiculous.

He is amazing. But I don't want to watch kickoff, touchback, two or three first downs, field goal. I think that that makes you less likely to go forward on fourth down. And field goal attempts are not interesting. They're interesting at the end of the game when something serious is like a game winning field goal is a suspenseful play. A 44-yard field goal is not interesting because not only are field goal attempts up, the make percentage is up. 76% of field goals, 50 yards or more, are makes now. So to me, the kickers have gotten too good.

It's too big of a part of the game. narrow your uprights. Jason Kelsey said on his podcast, too. I agree with it. Field goals, the uprights are 18 yards wide. In the arena league, it was nine yards wide. Let's narrow the goalposts to bring down these numbers. I don't want to see six field goal attempts a game.

It's boring. Okay. So people years ago, 30, 40 years ago, suggested because Kareem in the 70s, dunking was so easy, we should raise, we should raise the rims to 11. And my take is, there are changes in all sports, but not everything has to be hard. In golf, long putts are hard. Driving the fairway for a pro isn't really hard. Yes, PATs are easier and kicks are easier, but that's okay. Because when you miss one,

it's shocking. So you do get the drama when they do miss one out of four. Sports aren't just about making things difficult. Great, for Michael Jordan in a zone, the mid-range 16-footer was just money. Even in the playoffs, he was like 60%. And that's okay.

People pay to see athletes succeed, not fail. So I like my kick. I mean, these guys get death threats on college campuses. I like my kickers making most. of their kicks. Because if kicking, if kicking was harder and they missed more of their kicks,

it'd be more bad quarterbacks going forward on fourth down, more good teams getting the ball in prime field position and margins would grow. Yeah, okay. I mean, reasonable counterpoint. I personally would rather watch a fourth down attempt than a field goal attempt. But I'd rather see Dakwerex.

Have you ever watched Zach Wilson play? No, but we were just talking about how it's gotten easier to play quarterback. Like, I'd rather watch Dak Prescott throw the ball to C.D. Lamb than Brandon Aubrey kick a field goal. Your point on everything in sports doesn't have to be difficult and maximum difficulty is true. But, I mean, I don't know, man. There is something to the U.S. Open being the most fun golf tournament to watch. watching the pros struggle. You go to an NBA game.

They're too good at shooting. I'm sorry. I love the NBA. I love it so much. I'm going to follow Lonzo Ball's preseason debut tonight for the Bulls to see how his knee holds up. I love the NBA. But they're too damn good at shooting. So I'm interested in figuring out a way to make it so that the 610 power forward who gets 14 rebounds a game is all.

also not a 38% three point shooter. Because then the math says that he should shoot threes over go bang down by the rim. So I do look for ways to make it a little bit more difficult on some of these guys because they have gotten so good. They're so good at these games. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations. stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related. episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't

like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George, George Bush got to do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

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Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. It's interesting I was watching. I think I've told you this before is

when I built my show and my business, I've always built them on a basic premise. I'll talk about things that are urgent and stars. So you have to have one of those two things. College football, pro football, scarcity of games, urgency. NBA, stars. UFC, if a Connor McGregor fights, Tiger in his prime, stars, only one masters a year.

I think it's always been the downside to baseball where they don't promote their stars and there's zero scarcity. But I will say, where I think the Dodgers are really, smart. They basically just, I think it's really brilliant. And it doesn't get as much play.

Now, a lot of their stars are hurt. I mean, even Oktani can't pitch now. They have an entire pitching staff, a strong top five starting pitching staff on the shelf. The fact that they're in the NLCS with like five great pitchers unavailable is remarkable. But basically what they did, they said in a changing landscape where baseball is hurting in attendance, we're going to buy. an All-Star team, and we're going to push most of the big salaries down the road. And baseball's like, wait a minute, your payroll's fifth.

You spend a billion dollars in the off-season. Second, it was a San Francisco giant at $330 million. And I do think there is something to be said. In sports, socialism works. Salary caps are socialism. Baseball basically just go spend a billion dollars. And then you can make it work by. by pushing down the salaries.

And what, so the idea is socialism works. But I would argue a Yankees Dodgers World Series is validating my belief, which is biggest brands win. Baseball never wins if the guardians are in the World Series or the Tampa Bay Rays or the Orioles. And so in the end, because of the slow pace of baseball in a frenetic caffeinated world, that allowing the big markets to just have all-star teams. It's not socialism.

It's total capitalism. It's not fair. It's not remotely even. And it's the only way for baseball to grow. Yeah, it's, I mean, listen. Maybe gross. It's gross. And it's gross.

And the our boss's boss, right? like the top of the, they're thrilled. Like, get the Yankees in there and Dodgers or Mets, they'll be fine with either, right? It's much better business than Rangers D-backs. I do think that, see, I don't agree that baseball doesn't market it stars. I think that people just don't care. Like, out, out, like, they market them. They have commercials.

They have endorsement deals. It's just that if I watch the Cubs and I care about the Cubs, there is not enough time. for me to watch the Dodgers. It's impossible. There's 162 games. And I will always be more interested in Cubs, Cubs Reds than Yankees Dodgers. Doesn't matter to me about Otani and Aaron Judge because I care about the Cubs. And so baseball makes $100 with fives and singles.

The NFL makes $100 with $100 bill and with gold bricks. Like it's just a different way. They're both good businesses. They're both growth businesses. So the players in baseball will never accept the salary cap. It's just like their bedrock principle. But I'm telling you, man, baseball's economic model, we've talked about this with the regional sports networks. Like they make their money not from the national TV deals.

Obviously, they make some. They make some. But they make their money from two things, really. Attendance, because there's so much inventory. and local media rights. Because again, there's so much inventory. The Markey Sports Network that airs Cubs games, they get 150 Cubs games a year.

That's a lot of television. That's a lot of commercials. That's a lot of advertisements to sell. So the RSN model is collapsing. Hurting the small market teams much more. Correct. Well, correct. But like, that is going to create

a situation where players are going to come up for free agency. And it's like, okay, the Dodgers, they can afford them, but do they need them? But do they, if they already have Freeman and Beths and Otani, like, they're not going to just, there's going to be gone, like this offseason, Aaron or Juan Soto will get paid, Corbyn Burns will get paid. and I don't think there will be another nine-figure free agent this offseason. Like the have-and-have-and-have-nots is going to grow so much, and so many teams are going to be making relatively nothing from their local TV deals.

And then that also will hurt attendance because you're not going to be able to field an exciting, competitive team. You'll be eliminated by May. By the time kids are out of school and you want to be. want to go to games, the team's going to be 15 games out at first, that you don't have to have socialism, but I'm not sure you can have completely unchecked capitalism either. Like, it will make, it will make TV executives happy at the end to have the Yankees and the Dodgers in it. But the health of baseball is June, July, August, companion sport, barbecues, 4th of July,

trying to pack stadiums for 81 home games a year in 30 different cities. Why would you go to a game in Pittsburgh in June if you have no shot? Or, I mean, Milwaukee does a nice job as an organization. They're well run. Do a nice job. But it's just, I don't know. I think that the economic model of baseball is at a real teetering point, that either the players are going to have to break and accept a salary floor,

and a salary cap, or there's going to need to be more drastic, like, revenue sharing. Like, the Dodgers will not be able to keep all of their local TV rights because I think some of these teams are just never going to be able to compete again on the money side. Yeah, I don't think you're necessarily wrong. So last time we talked, we talked about your sort of indoctrination into New York and New York's Oh, yeah. So, and the sixth. city itself, I tend to prefer. I'm a London, Chicago guy, more than a New York guy or a Boston guy,

nothing against them. I like the people of New York. I like the food and the people. I don't like the smell and the congestion, but whatever. I don't like Rome as much as people do. I don't like New York as much as people do. I love London and Chicago. I think it's easier to get around town. Is there something in New York for our audience that's surprisingly good? something about New York that you've said to yourself, wow, it's even better than the city I grew up that I love Chicago. It's tough for me to give better. I mean, I'll say this. Central Park is not overrated.

Central Park is amazing. It is amazing how big it is. Yeah. And how peaceful it is. Yeah. Because everything, like, if you find green space in this concrete jungle, you're like mothed to a flame. You're like, oh, my God, green space. But a lot of the like little small parks, they're so busy and so, it's like, can I, like, you stand up from your chair and like someone's like, oh, are you getting up?

And like, they're coming in to like immediately fill your chair. Like it's, it's tough to find a quiet moment outdoors. in this city. Well, then you go to the most famous one, Central Park, and there could be thousands and thousands of people, and there's rickshaws and people drawing caricatures of people and, you know, hustle and bustle and Nathan's hot dog stands and, like, there's commerce and everything.

You can find a patch of green, sit down and have a cocktail, or listen to a podcast, and fall asleep in the grass. Yep. And not be bothered. Like, it is an amazing, like, Chicago has a beautiful lakefront, and Millennium Park is great. But it's, it's not as, like, private. Like, it's, it's, it's, you can go into places in Central Park and not see buildings.

Yeah. That's insane. So, like, you just like, because as soon as you step a second outside of it, you're like, oh, right. I'm in New York. So I think that everyone knows about it. So like, oh, Central Park is great. Like, sweet, Danny. Thanks for the breaking news.

It really is great. And then I just want to shout this out your podcast. We talked about stand-up comedy last time. And two different comedians reached out to me on Instagram after hearing about it. And one of them was Jared Freed, who's an awesome comedian, New York regular. And I was going back and forth on Instagram. And he was like, yeah. you want to ever come to the seller, let me know.

And I went to the seller last night, just table for one at the comedy seller and asked the producer on the show for a recommendation for a spot by there. She gave our social media, Lady Gianna gave me a great spot, had steak frets, went to the seller by myself, $14 cover, no big, like cheap entertainment. Louis C.K. dropped him. Jesus. The guy sells out arenas. Like, he just plays, plays, so there's, there's a, there's a, you.

It was a Tuesday. You know what I mean? It was just there's something to anything can happen here at any time. Yep. That is such a cliche about New York. But it's just true, man. It's just true. Well, I can remember it very well.

A buddy of mine, I was at ESPN, a buddy of mine, Brian from Portland was in New York. And he said, hey, you want to go to a comedy club tonight. And I went to, I think it was Carolines. I think it was Carolines. And so I said, yeah, I'll meet you at Carolines. And I think we had a steak dinner. Could have been Del Frisco, if I recall. I went to Carolines.

And one of my favorite, I've been saying this for 20 years, one of my favorite people in the world's Colin Quinn. I think he's so funny. I saw him do an hour at the cellar three weeks ago. It was amazing. And he was working on an act. And in fact, his cousin, who wasn't nearly as funny, opened. Cool.

And then Colin went an hour. And he was wearing like sweatpants and a pizza stained shirt. And he went up there. And I remember telling my buddy, and this was like 20 years ago. I'm like, that's the funniest guy in the country that hasn't become. Now, he's become a megastar now doing stuff on Broadway. But at the time he was doing shows. And we walked out of there.

And I'm like, that's a, like, usually a guy gets funny really quick, like John Mullaney. and within a year and a half, you're like, wow, star. And I remember thinking, Colin Quinn is literally brilliant and funny and so likable and relatable. And it just pleases me that he's had all of his success. I mean, his Twitter account, he's literally set on Twitter if you watch it. It's all sarcasm. He plays, he literally plays a character, hey, gang, have you heard about the Super Bowl today?

I'm having a private party. Like his whole persona on Twitter, I think is outrageously funny. And I'm, so that's just a classic New York story. I just walk into Carolines with a buddy. And we sat there for an hour and our stomach's hurt. It was amazing because so there was, I'm sat at a table for five. And I'm a solo. And I love going and doing things by myself.

So I have no problem. But it's four, you know, people in their 50s who have never been to the comedy seller before. But they were like pretty decent comedy fans. Like they were like throwing out names that it wasn't just. Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, they knew who Sam Marell was, they knew who David Telt were. They at least had some knowledge of comedy.

And I was telling him about the cellar, and I was like, listen, you're not going to know every name here, but like, I looked at the lineup ahead of time. Like, Greer Barnes. No one knows who Greer Barnes is. I don't mean to say that disrespectfully, but he's not like a huge touring comic.

He's a killer. He's so funny. He is just like a New York pro. and he murders the room. Like everyone who gets up at the cellar that's a paid regular, they're like, they are absolute killers. They kill in New York.

They can tour. Maybe they're an opening act. Maybe they're a middle act. But like they absolutely can make money on the road. They'll work on like the Tonight Show or Seth Myers or Colbert. Like it's just such a cool scene that that's just as a thing you can't get in Chicago. because all those comedians come to Chicago, but they come on their tour.

So I can't see Louis C.K. drop in on a Tuesday in Chicago. It's just not something that can happen. Two places. L.A., New York. Only two places where that can happen in that scene. And so I just, I mean, Stevie Wonder did like a pop-up show at Madison Square Garden last week. It was like an unannounced show at Madison Square Garden.

I didn't go. I didn't know about it. I'm not cool enough to know about it. But I was like, wait, what? Like, I was like an unadvertised show from Stevie Wonder at the Garden. Like, how does, and it doesn't even, how did she sell tickets who knew about it? So I don't, I'm still trying to figure out my way into the New York scene. But it's, um, it's a pretty amazing place.

I'll never say it's better than Chicago because cost of living, my home, my people, Midwest. Like, it's, I just, I'll never be able to get over that bias. But it's a pretty amazing place. It really is. Yeah, it's, you know, the late Larry King used to have a line about how New Yorkers are smart, they're savvy. He used to have a line, but he said, a homeless guy in New York could own a grocery chain in Iowa. I mean, that's also the thing about New Yorkers where there's this arrogance of like, I went to Yankees Royals, the division series with Nick and his family. there was a shocking number of people

who were wearing jackets that on the back there was like a Yankees emblem on the chest and the slogan on the back was like New York or nowhere. Like there really are like one out of 15 people like we're wearing this in jacket that is like it's so smugged. They absolutely believe that if you're like, no, Chicago's about as good as New York

like when you factor everything. They're like, no, that's ridiculous. Like, they absolutely think like Paris, London, Chicago, you know, Florence, kind of warrants. Get the hell out of here with your Florence, Italy. There's like a smugness to the New York superiority that I actually respect because they're just so convinced that there's nowhere else in the world that even comes close to comparing. Yeah, I mean, listen, I know some New Yorkers who have never been west of the Hudson, and that's okay. And you would say, like, maybe you should check it out.

The Grand Canyon's beautiful. And they're like, eh, we got holes in our concrete here. What do I need to see that hole for? Like, it's just crazy. But it's, I do respect it. Like, it's an ad. They're like, oh, the subway. Yeah, it smells like urine and there's rats and you'll see a naked person on it every three trips.

But how else would you prefer to get around? I'm like, I don't know. Any other way. But it's new. York. Danny Parkins, as always, buddy. Great stuff. Loved it.

Anytime, buddy. Let's do it. The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate, and review. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast'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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.