The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Davante Adams to Raiders Reaction, Baker Trade Demand Drama, GM Belichick Second Guessing with Mike Silver

Episode Date: March 18, 2022

First, in Fake Questions, Real Answers (3:00), Colin reacts to the Packers trading All-Pro Davante Adams to the Raiders for picks, and how Aaron Rodgers new deal sealed Adams fate in Green Bay. He also explains why it was easy to see early on that Baker Mayfield wasn't a franchise quarterback, what's behind the flood of big name talent to L.A. teams, and his March Madness prediction that's already panned out.Then, longtime NFL writer Mike Silver joins Colin to Baker Mayfield's trade demand (19:00), the leaked comments by the Browns bashing Baker, if Aaron Rodgers knew his massive would make it impossible to keep Davante Adams in Green Bay (28:00), if Rodgers can work with an inexperienced receiving corps (41:00), and what's behind Bill Belichick letting valuable players - like JC Jackson and Shaq Mason - walk (47:00).Make sure to Subscribe and follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Square. What if your business could sell anywhere, at any time, and open to more customers, all by making one simple choice?

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But first, fake questions, real answers, stuff I want to talk about, but I don't want to wait for you to ask me the question. Dear Colin, the Packers have moved Devante Adams to the Raiders for draft picks. What do you think Aaron Rogers is thinking? Well, good question. And I don't know. As I've said many times, I never try to get into Aaron Rogers head. It's murky. But I'll say this. When Dak Prescott signed that contract, an A contract for a B plus quarterback, you will pay a price. You can kick that shit down the road. You'll pay a price. You're seeing it now.

Cedric Wilson, gone. Amari Cooper, gone. Right tackle Lyle Collins, gone. Aaron Rogers. Oh, he got all that guaranteed money. He got $50 million a year. He's still a 13.5% cap hit. Don't win Super Bowls in this league if your quarterback's over a 12% cap hit unless you're Tom Brady.

And Aaron's not Tom Brady. You pay a quarterback 50 million, regardless of all the guarantees. This everything in a salary cap league, even with star quarterbacks, is a value proposition. If you want to be the highest paid blank in the National Football League, eventually your franchise will have to make cuts. Aaron has always been about Aaron. He's not about winning. He'd like to win. It's more fun to win. He has always put Aaron and money ahead of everything else.

Dear Colin, Baker Mayfield, you sort of called it, didn't you? I don't like to brag, but yeah, Colin, you nailed it. Tell us how you knew. Well, I figure if you're talked about as a first or second round talent as a quarterback, that I'm not going to argue that with most GMs. So what I really look for is maturity. And I think there are certain jobs that demand that 23 and 24-year-olds are as mature as 42 or 43-year-olds, like a young surgeon or a young pilot. or a young quarterback. Baker Mayfield, if you looked at his history, was going to struggle with several of the key asks as an NFL quarterback. Could he be the face of the franchise?

Could he show emotional discipline? It wasn't hard. He'd grabbed his junk multiple times before his first NFL start. During pregame, he whizzed a football by an opponent's head. It's not like we didn't have video evidence. And then you were going to make him rich and he was going to line it all upright? Baker and Johnny Mansell. You kind of got that cocky Texas attitude, both very talented, neither were the emotional maturity to be a franchise quarterback in their early 20s. I think Baker's talented. But even now at 27 years old, too much ego, not enough humility, that not just his talent, has always doomed his success. Pilots, surgeons, quarterbacks.

It's unfair, but I need you at 23 years old to be as mature as a 43-year-old. Dear Colin, why did the Rams sign Alan Robinson, a really good receiver when they already have such a loaded receiving corps? Well, let's be honest, sometimes keepaway is an important game. The Seahawks, Niners in Arizona could all use a number two receiver. Is that 10 to 15 to 20% why they went and got really talented Alan Robinson? Also, I talked to Les Sneed. I was on a walk two years ago.

We talked about this. He said perimeter talent was getting harder and harder to find on the defensive side. He told me a story about how it's hard to get even a second elite corner, but the explosion of wide receiver talent out of college allows you to have three or four really high-end receivers. So this is a mismatch signing for the Rams. Cooper Cup, Alan Robinson, Robert Woods, OBJ, Van Jefferson. He's taking advantage of a cultural reality. There is more wide receiver talent than ever and less cornerback talent than ever.

He's simply creating match-up issues. He talked to me about this fairly privately several years ago, but now they've won a Super Bowl, I feel I can tell you the story. Dear Colin, once again this week, Los Angeles goes out and signs several stars. The Dodgers just went out and signed, Perennial All-Star Freddie Freeman. The Rams go out and sign Alan Robinson. What do you make of these massive star signings by Los Angeles?

Well, think right now, if you will, about New York. That's the epicenter, right in America? If I said, give me your top five sports stars, Kevin Durant, Jacob de Grom, Aaron, Judge, Max Scherzer, Kyrie Irving. Think about Los Angeles. Just on the Rams, Matt Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Cup. On the Chargers, Justin Herbert, Khalil Mack. Joey Bosa.

On the Lakers, LeBron, A.D., say what you want about his game, Westbrook. Clippers, Paul George, Kauai Leonard. Dodgers, Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw. Angels, Mike Trout, Shohei Otani. Why? Two reasons. About 10 years ago, Silicon Valley, based in California, started creating a reality with the California economy. It started pulling away from the two other biggest domestic economies, Texas and New York State.

Literally, the YouTube's and the Googles are now buying shopping malls in California, making them headquarters. Silicon Valley, we know California has been the fifth biggest economy in the world for a while, but during the pandemic. Because while the rest of the country's economy was shrinking, many of the companies California has, Zoom and Netflix, DocuSign, were flourishing during the pandemic. The lock-in. So the economy created a $75 billion surplus for California. during the pandemic. And a recent study shows that seven of the ten richest cities in the country are in California. And the economy in the last year has pulled away even further from Texas and New York State.

What does this mean? It means specifically Los Angeles. The L.A. owners are richer. Their arenas are worth more. Their land is worth more. Their businesses are worth more. And they're cash rich. Remember, the wealth of an owner.

matters more, especially with guaranteed signings. The Rams, for instance, have a very generous owner, Stan Cronkey, and a very wealthy owner. I think he's first or second richest owner in the NFL. He's got a lot of cash. That cash is not equal team to team. Some owners year to year, because they missed a budget, pull back. Cronky does not. His California businesses, his holdings are doing exceedingly well in this state, as everything

is exploded. So if you're an athlete, as we've also had something else simultaneously occur, that sports and entertainment have never been more intertwined, production companies for athletes, music, movie, podcast studios for athletes, exploding in California, specifically in Los Angeles. So what you see happening is if a pro athlete can choose New York or California, better weather, both are highly taxed, entertainment here, Silicon Valley money here. California, simply, the owners and the teams right now are cash rich, and we'll throw the biggest money at the best players. Dear Colin, I want to ask you a non-football question. Why haven't you discussed college basketball much?

Don't you realize it's March Madness? Well, I did tell you this week in a podcast, beware of the Big Ten. they will be over-selected, and sure enough, Iowa's already been bounced. The fake idea of college basketball and college football, the Hawkeyes are done. College basketball has become horse racing in tennis shoes. It's not a sport. It's a bet. The reality is Coach K. and Roy Williams could have stuck around.

Why? The sport is simply too transactional. The one-and-done culture is killing it. Ask yourself, if you worked at a company, and every year to two years, there was a hundred percent turnover with coworkers. Would it be a good company? Even Hollywood realized this. The movie industry, about 10 years ago, started making more and more sequels because audiences want familiarity,

familiar themes, plots, actors, and characters. College basketball right now is a really, really bad business. It's a bet more than it is a sport. And at that, it's a three-week sport. College football is a five-month sport. That's the difference. I'm not anti-college sports. I'm anti-college basketball.

It's a lousy business. It's essentially a cheap roadside motel. Nobody really lives there. Everybody just stays the night. And the only channels you can get are true TV and TBS. Dear Colin, you work for Fox. What do you think of Joe Buck leaving and going to ESC? Well, I'm one of the few fortunate sportscasters in America that's had the privilege to work for both.

They have different sensibilities, clearly two different cultures. ESPN is a massive, too big, in my opinion, business. Fox feels more like family. Joe had been part of the family for what, 25 years? He wanted something new. The reality is he could go to ESPN, get a bit of a raise, actually a big raise, and not have to do baseball. As you age, what do they say? Work smarter, not harder. Maybe Joe Buck just wanted to do football, spend more time with his kids. Joe's got a young family. I never hold

mobility against anybody. I like Joe. I know Joe. He certainly put his time in at Fox. I hold no grudges. I don't think the company does. Thankfully, we have an incredibly deep bench, and I think he's going to have a great run off in the sunset with the SBN. He's been all class to me. I wish him well. Start your bracket with a bang. Right now, Fandul Sportsbook, giving new customers $150 instant bonuses guaranteed. You get $150 and a bonus site credit. All you have to do is placed your first... Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. Others say it's unleashing 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, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with 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 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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.

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Shopify.com slash C-O-L-I-N. This episode is brought to you by Square. What if your business could sell anywhere at any time and open to more customers all by making one simple choice? Running your business with Square means being able to sell just as easily, whether it's in person, online, or on social media. Your business will also be ready for whatever new sales channels might open next. Go to Square.com slash commerce to learn what's possible.

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and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you, think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. All right. Going to bring in my buddy Mike Silver. He's going to have a big announcement in just a couple of weeks. I'm not going to get into it, but he knows what it is, and I know what it is, and it's very exciting if you know what I'm

talking about. And you do? Yep. Yep. It's very exciting. All right. What a fiasco in Cleveland. What's interesting is, I think the Bengals, if they sign Lyle Collins, right tackle, have had a great free agency signing period, massively upgraded O-Line. I think the Steelers have quietly had a great free agent. Kind of stealer guys, Trebisky, O-Linman, a very steeler class. Cleveland is not sure they have a quarterback. Let me ask you this.

So I threw this out there. Stuff gets out when people want it out. The Brown's front office clearly was sending a message to Baker and his agent. We're over you. We're done with you. Do they have a plan at quarterback, though? I'd like to be able to tell you yes. And I did say earlier that the Browns are playing Russian roulette while the rest of us are playing checkers.

And I, maybe there's some plan that a lot of people in that building aren't privy to. But I've talked to some people in that building, coaches, players. And they're equally baffled by the way this is played out because, you know, first of all, they're in that weird limbo with Baker where he's done something. We don't necessarily hate him, but we don't want to pay him. And we'd sure love an upgrade if we could get Deshaun Watson. Okay, fine. That's not super unique, but it's a little delicate.

They not only went full board for Deshaun Watson, but as you said, it got out that they called Baker Mayfield a child. And listen, you've called Baker Mayfield a lot of names. I've called Baker Mayfield a lot of names from the start. But I don't think we've ever publicly said that he's not an adult. which is a little stronger. And that's tough to come back from. You know, everyone compares it to say the 49ers in Garoppolo. They never called him a child.

You know, the Raiders never called Derek Carr a child. And it's not just calling your quarterback a child. It's a quarterback whose entire being and career has been fueled by perceived slites or real slights. And so, you know, there are other players you might be able to smooth that over with, although it would be tougher. As one coach told me today, you could do that with some people, not bake. And so, yeah, it seems like it's past the point in no return, all of which would still be okay if they had a strategy. And if the following hadn't also reportedly happened. Baker, trade me, Browns, no.

Okay, now that's starting to get weird. Now, there've been some great trade-me-no interchanges in sports where you understand the no. Kobe Bryant told the Lakers, trade me to the clippers. They were like, no. And guess what? They won more championships with Kobe as a Laker. It's the right call. But in this case, I don't know if no is a great answer.

Now, I suspect it's not a real no. And probably they're coming up with Plan C, whatever that is. But it not only has potentially a bad outcome for them, but it really just makes them look bad and not just to me and you and fans, but in that building to people that are supposed to be on board with the mission. And I think that's really the biggest issue right now. It's still a very good roster. Let me throw this at you.

He won't go to the Colts. He and Ballard are two different people. and also the knock on Wentz was he wasn't always disciplined. Well, that's the exact knock on Baker. Baker's a less talented, a smaller version of Wentz. So I don't think they'd pursue him. I think they would outbid Cleveland for Jimmy Garoppolo. Am I wrong?

Yeah, I mean, I am on record as being a major Jimmy fan, obviously as a person. And I like him a lot as a player. I just think you and me both, by the way. We both like him more than 90% of media people. Yeah, but here's the problem. And I think about this, I had that little side deal with the Washington then football team this last season. And they went all in on Ryan Fitzpatrick. And he got hurt in the first quarter of the first game.

And that was that. And it wasn't great. And so he was an older guy. but if you look at Jimmy's injury history, are you counting, you know, it's hard for me to think you're going all in on Jimmy and, you know, given his injury history, you really do seem to run a risk that you're now going to plan D within the season. And you have a team that theoretically is built to win now, as you said, the offensive line, even without treter, the running game. So it's, you know, I don't know that Baker's a great fit with Indy, but somebody's going to take them because they're just aren't enough quarterbacks for the chairs. If Carolina doesn't get to Sean, are they now looking at Baker? It might not be their first, second or eighth choice, but you take a look.

You know, Seattle pledges love for Drew Locke, but, you know, it's tough to not think Baker's an upgrade on Drew Locke. So I don't know. I think we're going to have to see, you know, how these other chairs play out. Obviously, when the Watson Domino falls, we'll know a lot more. But it just doesn't seem like it's been handled very, very well. And, you know, think back to the whole, let's go all the way back to the drafting of Baker. And then Hugh Jackson fired, did well under Freddie Kitchens. They wanted to hire Stafansky, but they hired Kitchens, thinking,

that was going to do it for Baker. He hired Todd Munkin. Baker hated Munkin. Terrible fit. Then they say, okay, fine, we're firing Freddie Kitchens. And now we're going to hire the guy we really want. We're the analytics guys. We're the Ivy League guys.

We're going to hire Kevin Stapansky. I don't feel like Kevin Stapaski and Baker have been a great fit stylistically. No. And one reason I say that is if you look at Baker's best game ever, which is going into Pittsburgh and lighting it up in a playoff game, Kevin Stafansky was in his basement and Alex Van Pelt was calling the offense and he opened it up, which I think Baker loved. He had him, you know, back with the offense spread out and said, just see it, throw it, go. And he had a monster game.

And so maybe the Browns are finally just saying Baker's not a great fit for us, stylistically, personality-wise, whatever, even though, you know, he was drafted by them by John Dorsey. but, you know, that's fine. What's the plan? Just like the 49ers when, hey, Jim Harbaugh is not a good fit here anymore. We're not getting along with him. We got to get rid of him. Okay, fine. What's the plan? Jim Tom Sula. Oh. So here's the latest. The Packers are trading wide receiver Devante Adams to the Raiders for two prime 2022 picks. So I want to throw this at you. You love Aaron Rogers. He's a Cal guy. I get it.

Whoa. First, he said categorically false when I think it was Diana Rossini came out and said he's going to get $50 million a year to be the highest paid quarterback. Well, it wasn't cat. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Not categorically false.

Vaccine fuzzy. That fuzzy. Everybody talks about the guaranteed money Aaron Rogers got. Yet next year, he's still a 13.5% cap hit, which in the last 15 years, you can't win a Super Bowl if you're over 12 unless you're Tom Brady. So 13% still a big cap hit. So now they don't have Devante Adams. He trusts no second receiver. I'm going to play the cynic.

It was always with Aaron about getting the money. It's not about winning. Say what you want about overly optimistic. Some argue inauthentic Russell Wilson. He wanted better coaching and better players. Say what you want about Brady. It's about winning. He takes pay cuts.

With Aaron, this has always been about, because as I've said, Mike, he's not going to get the records and the Super Bowls like Brady or Manning or Breeze, his contemporaries. They're going to fill the record book. He wants that passer rating stat and he wants his money. And I look at this and I think he, Devante had to tell him privately, bro, I'm not franchise tagging. And he knew there was a chance that DeVante wouldn't sign. So in the end, there were better places to go if you took a little less to win. Games, am I being too hard?

Okay, so this is instant reaction. That's my caveat. This is my instant reaction, and I'll obviously learn more in the coming hours and days. My instant reaction is, I can't imagine that Aaron Rogers came back without believing that Devante Adams was going to be a part of it. The deadline was, for him telling the Packers, was before the franchise tag deadline. And that was Aaron's, you know, I got to tell them by then. He did tell them by then.

He actually told them three days earlier at David Bakhtiari's wedding at the reception. He said, I'm coming back. So I can't believe that Aaron Rogers came back believing that Devante Adams was not going to be a part of it, since that's literally the person he seems to value most. And I've had long conversations with him about how much he values Devante Adams as a team. and as a player and specific reasons why. And I also know that this whole thing really started. Yeah, there was a money thing, but really this started, and Aaron has spoken about it publicly,

by him thinking, you guys don't involve me in these conversations or the coaches, for that matter. You just, as a Packer front office, do what you do. And I hear about it later. and you also don't go after it and load up with guys I want. And remember, you know, part of the healing process was they've been including me. And, you know, they signed Randall Cobb, which, you know, turned out to be a good thing for Aaron in the first half of the season. And that's all been much, much better. So one of two things has happened, and I find them both hard to imagine.

And so I'll obviously be doing some reporting. but either A, Aaron, as you said, kind of new. Devante's not going to play for the franchise tag. They'll never pay them. We've got cap issues. And I'm going to just take this money and hope they put a good team around me. And look, they got Devondre Campbell back and that's cool. But I might lose Devante Adams.

That's hard for me to imagine that he did that. Or B, Aaron came back thinking, it's so much better now. not only are they paying me, but they involve me in all these decisions that they know that now they're tagging Devante and they're going to find a way to make that contract work because I need him. And then they still traded him. Now, if that happens, boom, that's going to make Baker and the Browns look like Sesame Street. And you're going to see a quarterback who is an adult, but is throwing an adult tantrum. And I would argue rightfully so. So one of those two things seemingly happened. Now, maybe it's the first one and there's a plan

and Aaron was resigned to it and they're going to go get some other receiver that he loves somehow. But my, my, I don't think this is what he came back for. So listening to that, my takeaway is still Aaron cares about Aaron. That's really what it's. I said this the other day. Not all actors are in it for the art or the Oscars. Some like the fame, the girls, and the money, I'm not judging. But Aaron can't, it helps Aaron so much to have his guy. So I still would argue that even I'm not even conceding that, but even if that is the case, Aaron's not going to have as good a reality, the girls, the cars, whatever, without that guy. And he has spoken publicly.

You know, he has said this is a big, big issue to me. I want to be involved in these decision-making processes. So maybe they'll consult them during the draft and they'll use those picks to draft someone that they're eyeballing that they think is going to step in and immediately be as good as Devante Adams. But, you know, remember how Deshaun Watson was when they got rid of DeAndre Hopkins? He didn't really enjoy that. That was the beginning of the end with him.

It would be understandable, even without all the history, for Aaron Rogers to be apoplectic if they got rid of Devante Adams without him being part of the plan. And if they didn't give it all the recent history, he should retire today or force his way out today. So one of those two things happen, they're both very surprising to be scenarios. And I guess we'll find out in due time what's going up. Well, Devante is going to get a five-year deal from the Raiders. That's what I'm... By the way, great move by Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels coming in hot. I love them trading Agaqway, getting Chandler Jones, bookending them with Crosby.

And now you're giving Derek Carr his college teammate and close friend, you know, the ultimate security bank blanket. You're putting the, you know, they've tried so for so long to get a guy. Ruggs obviously turned out to be a, you know, horrible situation. So now think about this, Mike, Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfro, Derek Carr, Devante Adams, left tackle Colton Miller. That's an elite offense, period. That is an elite offense. And you've got bookend edge rushers who are monsters. So the defense at the very least has that.

Now, you're in a division with Mahomes, Russell, and Herbert, which is a, you know, murderers row of six games of hell. And, you know, you've got to compete in there. But, man, that, you got to give Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels a lot of credit. You know, for years and years, I had a belief on what the league was. And because of rule changes, Mike, I really, we had lunch recently, and I don't know if I mentioned this among our many, by the way, covert discussions. Covert. The league has really become quarterback weapons pass rush league.

Yeah. It really has. I mean, you don't have to have O-line, Cincinnati O-line, me, linebacking corps in the Super Bowl, Rams bingles, weakness. Safety doesn't matter. It's really quarterback weapons because the three-step drop-back offense. You've got to have nimble, twitchy athletes who would get to the quarterback fast. You don't have to have a great offensive line because you're not asking them to sustain blocks for seven seconds anymore. And I look at this now. Green Bay has an elite quarterback. No longer has elite weapons. And I would say I love Kenny Clark, but does not have an elite pass rush. This doesn't feel like a Super Bowl team to meet, Mike. I don't put, I don't feel like with Tom coming back to Sean potentially going to the Saints or Atlanta, Matt Stafford and the Rams, who by the way, get Alan Robinson. So that's another weapon.

I mean, this morning, I look at Green Bay. Let's just forget Aaron and how this lands for him. I don't know, Mike. this is not a talented enough team. Yeah, again, instant reaction. And the caveat is, you know, it's a work in progress. And let's see what gets done between now and August, September. But as good as they looked last year on paper and, you know,

Bakhtiari's injury, you know, after he came back a little and, you know, know, the offensive line injuries, Elton Jenkins, that weakened them. Jair Alexander came back, probably wasn't himself. If you extrapolate and say they get all those guys, they look like a juggernaut. But yeah, I mean, for, you know, as it stands right now, and I believe they will try to find answers here, but as it stands right now, what are the Packers like when Aaron's not thrown at Devante Adams? Well, we saw that. You know, we've seen that plenty of times. They're efficient.

He's good. He gets the ball out. They can win in specific situations. But he doesn't trust those guys like he does Devante. And, you know, they don't get open with the regularity that Devante does. And how many times on third or fourth down, you know, red zone or anywhere on the field, when they just need a few yards? Do you, do they just sprinted Devante Adams, beat them? He beats a guy off the line.

It gets open and gets that. You know, it's like, you know, it's like giving the ball to Jim Brown in the old days, you know, on third or fourth and two. Like, you're getting it, you know. So they don't have that. They, you know, they lost in the area of Smith. It really wasn't there for most of the last year. They still have Preston Smith. Devander Campbell played a big role for them.

Jair will come back. I'll try to get Russell Douglas back. But yeah, and Roshan Gary's gotten better. But I'm presuming that by the time they sued up, if they're really trying to win the Super Bowl, and they have to be because of what they did to their cap and what they did essentially, you know, okay, join love. We don't care that we drafted them in the first round. It's all about Aaron and it's all about now.

If you really think you can win the Super Bowl, you've got to have at least one more prominent weapon, probably two. And you've got to have it. 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 you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black. black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade

of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Keer Gang. is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. That's right sure. The Rams have Alan Robinson, OBJ, Robert Woods, Cooper Cup, Van Jefferson. Well, they don't have OBJ.

He's a free agent and he's hurt. But yeah. Yeah. But they have the other ones and Tyler Higby. And Cam Acres coming back healthy. Yeah. Now, again, it's not a work, you know, just remember, trades can be made, right? Now, when I suspect the Packers have decided, again, I'm not sure if Aaron is part of this, but I think what they've decided is, man, we've tried every cap trick in the book.

And we, you know, even though Aaron is only counting, you know, X against the cap, it's still a lot. We've tried every trick of the book. We still care about these other things. if we if we then pay devante we don't think we can really do it so i think the play is we got to get some guys on rookie contracts who are difference makers so now they have picks they hopefully for them have a receiver who can step in the way justin jefferson did now that's a that's aspirational if you get a just a jefferson type it's still not devante adams and it still takes time with erin but you can you know that would be big well that's that's the key. Aaron

with his own family has trust issues. That's manifested itself in his football. He's not overly trusting. I mean, you watch that playoff game. When that wide receipt, when that tight end drops a ball, I'm not going back to the tight end. This is always he trusts

Randall Cobb. He trusts Aaron Jones. He trusts Devonte Adams. And he has built. He trusts Mercedes-Lewis. He's not a guy. This is, you always become as a quarterback, Mike, your personality. as a talk show host, you become your personality. I mean, Tom is, he's, he's ingratiates himself with people.

Tom's very good, he's a people person. That's what he is as a quarterback. You know, Stafford is a little loose as we saw at the Super Bowl parade can be a little loose. He's a little loose. He's kind of a go for it guy. He's a little loose. That's his personality.

Like you become your personality. So asking Aaron to suddenly, let's say the Packers draft. two receivers with these picks. This is, this can be a quick learning curve and that's not Aaron's history, I guess, is my point. Well, hopefully what Aaron will do is, whoever that receiver is, we'll get a call and say, hey, I'm doing a quarterback camp and, you know, before they allow us to even come to OTAs, I'm doing a thing in California or whatever, you're coming and we're going to, you know, we're going to hang out and alert each other.

But that's assuming Aaron is part of this plan and isn't freaking out. So, yeah, and you've probably got to go get an edge rush or two. You know, it's a lot. It's, you know, now no team is granted, you know, an entitlement to be a Super Bowl contender every year. But if you have Aaron Rogers and you're paying them, you better view yourself as a Super Bowl contender. and obviously the last two years, two teams that have gone after it and loaded up have been validated in the Rams and Bucks. And both those teams are doing it again, by the way. So, yeah, you better find a way to get after it.

Make sure to check out the Dremont Green Show. I brought Dramon Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports, unique perspective, understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like, Gary Payton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady, make sure download the Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network. What grows in the forest?

Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. and they see you.

Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Look through your children's eyes

to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure.

venture, and they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org, brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. One of the reasons I love you so much is you're so connected and have so many good stories. If I didn't know better, I would swear the Patriots are tanking. So Damien Harris, let him go to Atlanta. J.C. Jackson, best corner easily. Let him go to the Chargers.

Shaq Mason, let him go to the box. Mike, they're not paying their quarterback. It's a quarterback weapons edge rusher league. If you, Buffalo goes gets Vaughn Miller. I said today, if you took the Bills and the Patriots 10 best players, only David Andrews and Matthew Judon make the list. They've got no elite players. I mean, what the F is going on?

I mean, Mike, it makes no. sense. I mean, they're obviously dealing with some sort of an identity crisis, which is not, you know, necessarily shocking given that they lost a huge part of their identity in Brady. And then he went and won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. May I remind you. Here's what it was. It was, okay, Tom's gone.

You know what? Whatever. We'll roll with, you know, we'll roll with our guy. Jared Stidham, then we'll just show that the Patriot way works. Then they were like, you know what, Cam Newton? Cam Newton's a better option. And then it didn't go great. Bill through the phone when they lost to the bills late 2020.

And free agency hit last year, they were like, enough of this crap. Screw that. We're paying. I know it's not very Patriot, but we got cap room and we're going to go pay. So yeah, we're getting Matthew Judon. Great signing, by the way. We're going to go get Johnny Smith. I thought it was a great signing.

They haven't figured out how to use them quite yet. You know, they loaded up and got all these guys. Okay, they were better. And, you know, they beat the bills without passing. And people were like, oh, everyone knows it's going to be a Brady Patriot Super Bowl. Just wrap your head around it. What really happened? What really happened is they played the bills in a playoff game

and literally could not stop. them from scoring a touchdown. The bill scored a touchdown every single time except for a yieldout, right? If you watch that game, it was like a seven-on-seven tournament, like these high school seven-on-seven tournaments. One team had the five stars. One team had the three stars. It was such a physical mismatch. And so it begs the question. If you were so undone by not making the playoffs the first year while Tom Brady went and won the Super Bowl with the bucks. And you were like, screw that. We're spending and loading up. We'll show you, shouldn't you be more undone by the fact that your division rival, who used to be your Patsy, you know, that team owned you to the point when it

mattered that you couldn't even dream of stopping them from getting it to the end zone. It was, as you said, five stars versus the three stars, maybe two stars. And so your reaction to that now is, eh, yeah, we'll get rid of some guys. And even though we got a quarterback on a rookie deal, we're not going to, you know, we're not going to try to go get guys. And by the way, we lost Josh McDaniels. Let's not understate that. A really, really, really accomplished offensive coordinator. And now, yeah, I know Bill's there. And they always kind of make a work but it's a new offensive coordinator it's a rookie

quarterback and they don't seem to have a lot of guys now am I torn up about this? No I think it's nice that the rest of the league gets to share and contend for championships and I'm just you know

no but you know what the truth is no one will cry for them yeah and also how you treat people on the top is how you'll be treated when you're eroding Bill was brutal, dismissive. They were arrogant, and now they're paying a price.

Nobody has any sympathy for him, nor do I. Because you know what? Say what you want about Brady. But he would take that podium for 20 years, and he was almost always humble and gracious, winning or losing. Now, his personality in Tampa, we've seen the fun Tom, the little cockier Tom.

But when they were on the top of the world, He was mostly pretty gracious. Belichick wasn't always with the media. Similarly, while I tend to side with Baker in terms of the handling of this situation, I mean, I was out on an island, and I know you were one of the few people who at least visited me on the island. But, you know, being close to Hugh Jackson, Hugh Jackson got fired because he lost too many games. We get it.

Obviously, he got fired. But after he got fired, and I know from talking to Hugh that he felt like he and Baker were cool and he liked Baker. And obviously Baker didn't feel that way. That's fine. You know, there's a disconnect. But Hugh Jackson then took a job after he got fired with the Bengals. And right afterwards, they played the Browns and he was on the sideline. And Baker taunted him, flat out taunted him while beating him and then called him fake post.

game. And it was pretty brutal. And I remember saying at the time, hey, this guy's a rookie. Now that that same year, there was talk that John Harbaugh was going to maybe get fired during the season. Imagine if Lamar Jackson, after John Harbaugh had been fired and then gone to the Bengals and was standing on the sideline, had gloated and taunted and talked crap about John Harbaugh. I feel like, you know, the optics would have felt different to people. Yeah. But everyone thought, oh, Baker, he's, you know, I love. his edge. I love his bravado. Hugh lost a lot of games. You know, that's a proud man, Hugh Jackson, who coached for a long time in the NFL. And yes, lost too many games that got

fired by the Browns, but was just trying to work. And so I thought Baker came off like an unprofessional punk in that moment. And I said it. Now, so I'm on his side right now, but I also am not crying for him because now he maybe understands what it's like to get cast out when you don't perform well enough. Yep, you're re-put-you-so. Mike Silver, you're busy. Go chase stuff. We'll talk soon, buddy. You're awesome.

Thanks, man. And eventually we will announce something and it will be overt and not COVID. The volume. Look through your children's eyes and you will discover the true magic of a forest. Find a forest near you and start exploring. at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council.

I'm Jacob Goldstein. I used to host Planet Money. Now I'm starting a new show. It's called What's Your Problem? Every week on What's Your Problem, entrepreneurs and engineers describe the future they're going to build once they solve a few problems. I'm talking to people trying to figure out how to do things that no one on the planet knows how to do,

from creating a drone delivery business to building a car that can truly drive itself. Listen to what's your problem on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Look for your children's eyes, and you will discover the true magic of a forest. Find a forest near you,

and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest,

S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. It was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

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

Thank you.