The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Dave Wannstedt on Fields Improvement, Rodgers WR Frustration. Dak-less Cowboys

Episode Date: September 13, 2022

First, (3:00) Colin explains why Aaron Rodgers' treatment of rookie wide receivers is so predictable, if the Cowboys are toast with Dak Prescott out a reported 7 weeks, and the biggest advantage Lincoln Riley has over other college football coaches. Then, former Bears and Dolphins HC and FOX NFL analyst Dave Wannstedt joins Colin to discuss NFL Week 1, including Justin Fields’ performance in a win over the Niners (19:00), if the Patriots unimpressive loss to the Dolphins is the first sign New England is on the downslide (26:00), if Aaron Rodgers can get on the same page with his young wide receivers (34:00), if the Cowboys need to sign another QB with Dak out for almost two months (35:00), and if Nebraska can ever return to CFB powerhouse status (47:00). 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! #Herd #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart 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. The volume. It's the Colin Coward podcast presented by Fandul. Football seasons here. No better place to get in on the action. FanDul app is safe.

You get paid fast. A lot of ways to play. The spread, the money line, team totals, players, props, a lot of stuff. Over-Unders, jump into the action. Same game parlays are my favorite. Just use the promo code Colin and download the Fandual app today. All right, Dave Wanstatt is going to be joining us in about 10 minutes. I got two big thoughts, one from college football and one from pro football over the weekend. So, you know, there are some things in the NFL that are really hard to predict. You know, I'm watching Washington and Jacksonville yesterday. It was just a

bit of a mess. I'm watching the Niners and the Bears and the weather and two young quarterbacks. It's a bit of a mess. The easiest thing to predict in the NFL to me was Green Bay struggling with Minnesota on the road. And, you know, this is something that Aaron Rogers tries to give off this air of mystery, but the truth is he's the most predictable guy in the NFL, is that you knew it would be an issue. Two small school rookie wide receivers open. opening on the road in Minnesota in the biggest stadium they've ever played in. You know, they make the mistakes that small school wide receivers would make debuting in the NFL in a division game.

And he ghosted them. Aaron Rogers did what we said all off season long. This is what he does. He goes friends. He goes teammates. Christian Watson dropped a pass. He didn't throw his way again until the fourth quarter. Come on, dude.

You're not going to beat Justin Jefferson in Minnesota thrown to A.J. Dillon. And then the young receiver from Nevada, Romeo Dubs. There was a miscommunication early. It happens. It's loud. He played at Nevada in a small stadium, small conference, little miscommunication. And Aaron Rogers ghost him. And Matt LaFleur had to use both of them in reverses to get them back into the game because Aaron wouldn't throw to him.

So I know a lot of you love Aaron Rogers, but it was so absolutely predictable. Colin, Christian Watson. dropped an easy touchdown. Since 2019, do you know what quarterbacks have dealt with the most drops from their receivers and tight ends? Tom Brady won, Josh Allen 2, Patrick Mahomes 3. Aaron Rogers, 13th. He doesn't have that many drops. So occasionally, rookie wide receivers are a little over their skis.

Okay, if you throw a lot, you get drops in this league. Everybody's quarterback whose struggles, well, we had receivers drop the ball. Brady Allen Mahomes lead the NFL in drops since 2019. Do they go back to those wide receivers? Damn straight they do. You can't be petty and hold grudges during football games. Guys open, get in the rock. Now, offensive line play, they had some injuries.

Don't make excuses. Tom Brady's offensive line was a mess. He looked good. Trubiske's was a mess. He won. Justin Fields' offensive line has been a mess for two years. He won. Yeah, Green Bay had some injuries. But Aaron Rogers, once again, he's single. He's never had kids. You learn something when you have children. You have to understand they make a lot of mistakes. You don't ghost them. And this has been my thing with Aaron. Never married, no kids. He didn't have to sacrifice much.

He doesn't have to show a lot of patience. He wants to go play golf. He can play golf. He wants to work out. He can work out. He wants to go to a concert. That's not the way it works when you're surrounded with others in the same house. Sometimes I feel like in the entertainment industry, musicians, actors, athletes.

If they're really successful and they get rich early in their 20s, they get a little self-indulgent, a little self-absorbed. and it's hard to deal with the word no or sacrifice. I mean, it's like Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise was a rock star, like late 20s, early 30s. Suddenly, he's an expert on antidepressants. Suddenly, we have to know about his religion. It's like, dude, you're a great movie star, be a movie star. And I find his errands gotten richer and older.

Now I know what he thinks about every opinion in politics. Now what I know what he thinks about our government. He's making comments to Bill Maher about the state of California. It's like, bro, I'm not a shut up and dribble guy. I'm not a stay in your lane guy. I'm really not. You guys talk about whatever you want to talk about. But I do think with Aaron, when you're successful and rich early, you don't have to sacrifice.

You kind of get what you want all the time. And I think if you have young receivers, you have to understand. People can't play to your standard. Aaron goes, well, what about the standard of Green Bay? Well, what about it? You're Aaron Rogers. You can't expect the 22-year-old rookie wide receiver to play to your standard. On the road?

First NFL game? They're not going to play to your standard. You really think Tom Brady thinks a rookie tight-in is going to play to his standard? And when I watched him ghost those wide receivers yesterday, I thought that was so absolutely predictable. Of course, they made mistakes. They were small college wide receivers. They never had played in front of 60,000 people before. Forget a divisional game against the Vikings.

So Ian Rappaport tweeting that Dacrescott is probably back October 30th, which means seven more games without Dak Prescott. Well, here's the good news. Bears Lions Washington at home. Also the New York Giants, that games on the road. Can you win three of those four? If you can, you're three and five with Cooper Rush. Dack comes back.

In that division, I think you're fine. Listen, the NFC right now, go look at the standings. Google the standings. Rams offensive lines an issue. Arizona looks to be a mess, right? Green Bay scored seven points. Start looking around. Tom Brady's offensive line in shambles.

just lost left tackle Donovan Smith, San Francisco Trey Lance, will they be able to score? It's not the end of the season. Can Cooper Rush win you three of the remaining seven games? Bears, Lions, Giants at home in Washington. Those are winnable games. I mean, Cooper Rush is a backup for a reason. But it doesn't mean that backups can't win in this league. So again, is the sky falling? Well, we didn't think the Cowboys were great anyway. Three. and five, DAC returns. I wouldn't leave the building to try to find a solution. I wouldn't give up draft capital and a player for Jimmy Garoppel.

Cowboys need draft capital. They need salary cap space. And by the way, Niners after Trey Lance's opener, they're not giving up Jimmy Garoppolo either. How many draft picks would you have to give San Francisco to get Jimmy Garoppolo now? So the sky isn't falling. This isn't the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City. It's not much of a fall. This was going to be like an eight-win team.

Maybe they're now seven. But I think your answer's in the building. Can Cooper Rush play? Is he good enough to go three and five? I think he is. A big part of college football coaches' success is recruiting. A lot of these guys are not great coaches. I mean, take Nick Saban, bombed in the NFL.

Steve Spurrier, bombed in the NFL. Urban Meyer, bombed in the NFL. The NFL is a coach's league. College football is different. That's why a lot of college football success stories, they're good-looking fit men, Mel Tucker, Urban Meyer, Ryan Day. They have to walk into a house

and press mom, dad, and the kid. In the NFL, it's not exactly a runway fashion show, right? Some of these guys' hoodies, they're overweight, they look tired because you select the players. The players don't select you. And so a lot of these college coaches aren't really great coaches. Jimbo Fisher is a prime example of a guy that can recruit like nobody's business. He's not a great coach. He's not an ex and nose guy. He's a great recruiter. He can build a

staff. But, you know, Saban, Spurrier, Urban Meyer, they're overwhelmed by the nuances and the schemes of the NFL. It's the best coaching league, the NFL. But college isn't about coaching. That's why Lincoln Riley is different. Lincoln Riley is a decent recruiter, but he's more academic. And when I talk to my general managers and my people in the NFL that I've been dealing with for 10, 20 years,

they all say the same thing. Lincoln Riley, intellectually, is at a completely different level than 99% of coaches? Is he a great recruiter? He's not a phony. He's not somebody that's going to walk into a room, and he's okay. He can play the game.

But if you watch what USC is doing with Caleb Williams, I know what's Rice. I know what's Stanford. But, you know, the quarterback's completing 80% of his throws, the manipulation of personnel, the jumbo sets, the constant movement, the mixing of run and pass sets. It's just different level. So, you know, when I hear the criticisms of, you know, Lincoln, Riley, he's not a great recruiter, that's because he's actually a really good exes and O's coach. And there's a feeling right now among NFL people.

there's only one or two coaches at the college level that could really walk into the NFL and schematically do really well. I mean, people love Matt Rule. He looks a little overwhelmed in the NFL. Spurrier, Saban, Urban Meyer. Like Lou Holtz, by the way, completely overwhelmed in the NFL when he coached for the Jets. Because Lou was a salesman, a motivational speaker. You'll find a lot of these coaches make their money in the offseason doing motivational speeches.

Belichick doesn't. Andy Reid doesn't. That's not what they do. They coach. So, you know, when I look at Lincoln Riley and the people, the naysayers, you don't have any contacts. Like the people that are connected know, and they're not going to go undefeated. USC has one NFL player in their front seven defensively.

They're giving up over five yards of play to Stanford and Rice. Fresno State's going to score on them. Utah's going to score on them. UCLA is going to score on them. Hell, Arizona, score on him. They're not an undefeated roster. They're not an undefeated team. That's not what they are. You can only overcome so much. But what Lincoln Riley is is really bright and really smart. And he wanted to carve out his own career. And he inherited Bob Stoops' culture and motivation. He wanted to do his own thing. But make no doubt about it. The people in the NFL, that's where the real big boy coaching is. They consider Lincoln Riley a step above the Sabins, the Jimbo's, Even the Harbaugh's, and I like Jim Harbaugh, but they consider them a step above Jim in terms of schematics. Football season's underway, so now is the perfect time to download FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook.

Join today, get started, $150 in free bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. promo code, though, is Colin to get in on the action. Always Colin. Turn game day into payday. Win totals, division winners. player props, week one spreads and totals. Play your way, bet on more than just the final score. You can even combine your bets for a chance at a bigger payout with same game parlay, my fave.

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Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.Fandul.com. Gambling problem, 1-800 next step or text next step to 5334-2 Arizona, 18888-8-9-7-7-7-7-0. Or visit catt.com. Connecticut, 100, gambler, or visit Fandulul.com slash RG and Colorado, Indiana, Jersey, and Virginia. 18777-7-7-1-1-7-1-7 for confidential help in Michigan. 1877-H-O-P-E-N-Y, or text H-O-P-E-N-Y-4-6-6-9 in New York, Tennessee. Redline, 1-800-89-9-9-7-8-N-Tennessee.

Visit 1-800-Gambler.net in West Virginia. As you gear up for fall, you need the right people on your team. To help your small business fire on all cylinders, LinkedIn Jobs is here to make it easier to find the people you want to talk to faster and for free. create a free job post in minutes on LinkedIn jobs to reach your network and beyond the world's largest professional network of over 810 million people then add your job in the purple hashtag hiring frame to your LinkedIn profile to spread the word that you're hiring so your network can help

you find the right people to hire simple tools like screening questions make it easy to focus on candidates with just the right skills and experience so you can quickly prioritize who you'd like to interview and hire. It's why small business rates LinkedIn jobs number one in delivering quality hires versus leading competitors. LinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to faster. Did you know every week nearly 40 million job seekers visit LinkedIn? 40 million. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash Colin. LinkedIn.com slash Colin. Post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

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-Hart Radio, 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, Clivert 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. 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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month,

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

Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. He's the former Dolphin and Bearhead coach. They both posted W's this weekend. How about that?

Dave wants that. That's joining. Let's start. Let's start in Chicago. So, you know, I said this. It's not a great offensive line. they have one receiver I like to defensive head coach and the Niners had to me much better personnel. It wasn't spectacular.

But I thought he played a pretty smart fourth quarter. He didn't make a lot of big mistakes. My takeaway was on kind of a, if I thought I would grade him based on what he had, how he played late. I thought Justin Fields was okay. I thought it was okay. How did you view it? I felt the same way. he did a couple of things in that game that he would have never done a year ago.

So that tells me that he is maturing mentally and he showed something on the first touchdown play when he got flushed out of the pocket. Yep. And he rolled out and the Bears and Justin Fields talked about this this summer, that he had never worked on a scramble drill before. In other words, when the quarterback scrambles like it was to the left, the receivers on that side work back to the ball. They give him specific specific things what to do on a scramble. And the receivers away kind of drift the way to get away from all the defenders.

Well, a year ago, there's not a doubt in my mind. He would have tucked the ball and ran. Right. What does he do? He looks over the pack and he knew that his safety valve was really, The fourth guy, Dante Pettis, who he threw the touchdown to, who was on the far side of the field. Number one, there are a lot of guys that have that type of arm strength, the throw it that far. The ball was wet.

You saw the condition to his pouring down ring. So he made a great physical throw. And also, he made a great decision. You know, I really love what these guys are doing. Luke Getsey and this offensive staff, I mean, they are really playing to his strengths. I mean, they ran the ball 30, they made 30. seven attempts to run it and only through like 18 passing attempts. And it's all by giving their defense a chance and given Justin Fields a chance to do what he did.

And you mentioned the second half call. And I think this is worth mentioning. You know, in the second half, they came out and did some quarterback runs. They ran a legitimate quarterback option. And he kept the ball and then they got him on the edge a few times. You know, so that's all good stuff. He has to do that stuff to be as good. as he can possibly be at this stage of his game.

They didn't run a screenplay last year. I added up, I was doing the game. I think they threw three screenplays in the first quarter, you know, attempted screenplay. I mean, and I remember when I was at the Bears, the screen kings of the NFL were the Green Bay Packers with Mike Holmgren and Brett Farb. And Mike and I would talk in the offseason. I said, Mike, you just got fullback screens and tight end screens and tailback screens.

He says, Dave, we are not that good at running the football. We look at a screen as a running play. So, you know, and I tried telling the Bears fans this last night on a TV show, I said, guys, if we make four or five yards on a screen, that's a successful play. Everybody wants a screen to go for 50 yards. Well, if you make four yards and it's second down in five, second down in four, and you ran the ball, you'd be happy. That's an successful play. So I really like what the Bears are doing to try to give Justin Fields a chance to be successful. You know, the other thing that's important that you mentioned that they played to his strengths,

you go back and you look at quarterbacks. Kyler Murray jumps out to me, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. Every year, they tend to run a little less. But their athletic ability buys them about 20 starts in this league as they're figuring out the line of scrimmage, all these young quarterback, Steve Young. Remember how much he ran early? And then as Steve got older, he ran less, is that I talked to a coach years ago about this. He said, listen, for a lot of these guys, you know, they start one or two years of college. Their legs give them a year and a half to two years to pick up yards. Russell Wilson said it. Year three, the light went on. Mahomes said it

in year two. He goes, oh, I can finally read a defense. So my thing is, I don't look in the first couple years of a quarterback. I don't look negatively at running. Like, whatever you have to do to figure out yards. Now, Big Ben to me didn't graduate out of that for a while. Like, he took too many shots from like year

four to year 10. But I do think if I watched him yesterday, I'm like, there are guys that run out of necessity, and then there are guys that run to pick up yards. Do you see how many times Justin feels? I saw at least twice that he slides. He just went, he's a big athlete. He's a big

athlete, Dave, he slid, got down. And to your point, a lot of these great athletes at all these positions, sometimes great athletes are harder to coach because athletic ability, it doesn't matter what position they play. I'm with you. I thought it looked like, I watched him last year, and I thought he looked a little out of control.

I never felt that Sunday. No. And in his press conference, he talked about that second touchdown he threw. The second touchdown he threw. we ran that play at Dallas and we would send Darrell Johnson into the flat and we would use our tight end Jay Novichick as the guy to get behind him. So all it really is for, you know, is a two level pass route. You know, you got one guy short and one guy deep. It doesn't

matter who they are. Well, the bears did that and they sent their their tight end kind of into the flat and they sent the wide receiver on the deep route, a two level pass. And he, He said both guys were open. Why not throw the touchdown? So he made another good decision and understood the concept of the play. And, you know, in the other side of that coin now, you know, Matt Eberflust, the head coach, they, people are going to mock copy. It's a copycat league.

What he did defensively was outstanding. They run for Don lineman. If you look at Indy, they were the fifth least pressure team a year ago. they aren't going to blitz. So when you play a Mike Shanahan team and you're getting motions and you're getting Samuels on reverses and option plays and everything you can imagine, the soundest defense is to line up and not play a lot of man, not run with guys, just play vanilla, don't blitz and get caught inside.

And that's what the Bears did. I mean, the Bears played a very vanilla defense, a few pressures, the big interception that they got, they did trick them. They lined up in a four-man rush, and they dropped the nose guard to make it a three-man rush and drop Eddie Jackson the safety in the middle of the field. So they had like a double robber defense. And Eddie Jackson just read the eyes. He said it in the press conference.

All I did was study Trey Lance's eyes, and right where he looked is where I broke and he intercepted the ball. So they did some great things. Hey, 12 or 13 penalties, the three by the Bears. Okay. I mean, two sacks on each team, tackles for losses were about the same. But the Bears beat them in the turnover margin. The Bears beat the 49ers and turn them margin by one, and they beat them by penalties by, you know, 12, they're 13 to 3. So, you know, they're playing smart football right now.

You're not, you're going to have to beat them. They're not going to beat themselves, Colin. I want to go to Miami. So Josh Allen and Tua, post Tom Brady. are eight and one against the Patriots. And, you know, Dave, as you well know, the NFL, since you entered the league, left it and now broadcasting. It's not like baseball. They're constantly changing rules.

And a lot of the stuff you could do defensively, even seven, eight years ago, you're not allowed to do anymore. The other thing we're finding out is receivers just have more value than they've ever had. The schemes are better. There's just some of these young offensive coaches, Dave, they're just, they're really bright guys. and they really, they use their backs in the back field, their receivers in the back. I mean, San Francisco, now the Miami coach, Mike McDaniel, he just brought the Niners offense to Miami.

And listen, I think, I've always said, I think Tua reminds me of a left-handed Mac Jones. Can't do a ton off script. But when I watch the Patriots, and this is where I think Belichick, not saying the games passed him by, but he's not pivoting quickly enough. Dave, when I watched them yesterday,

they are slow on the perimeter. They don't scare. Like if you were a defensive coordinator, you would not watch their film and say, oh, Jesus, we got a bracket this guy. If this guy goes in motion, I didn't, I mean, I think Miami kind of played him straight up and said,

we think our people can guard your people. I don't see the speed with New England. What did you see? Yeah, you know, you bring up a good point. I mean, I think they look faster. They do have speed, you know, the Miami Dolphins. there's no question. I mean, you know, Tyrick Hill, you know, Waddle,

they've got some of the greatest athletes in this league from a skill standpoint. But I think what they do with those guys even makes it, you know, the perception is that they're faster because they're doing a lot more motions. And we didn't see all that stuff when we were coaching, you know, and they're doing a lot more motions in every one of their running place. And this is Mike Shanahan to a T. every running play that he runs, he has a pass play off the same action. So it's real hard and it makes you look slow.

You're playing the run and all of a sudden it's a play action pass and you're half a step late reacting. So do they have fast players, Miami? Yes, they've been a lot of draft picks. Let's be honest over the last couple years, they've done a good job. But they also use those guys with a lot of motions and a lot of fakes and deception plays, I call them, that, that can make a defense look slow.

So, you know, but at the end of the day, at the end of the day, and I'm agreeing with what you're saying, I like the, I like the dolphins this year, but it still came down to three turnovers and Tua did not turn the ball over once. You know what I mean? So all these young quarterbacks and these teams that lost, we can beat this thing to death with systems and philosophies. But the dolphins, you know, they're loose.

everybody's having a good time down here. We've got a new coach. He's a player's coach. But they also play disciplined football. You have to give them credit for that. Yeah, Chicago's rookie coach and Miami's rookie coach don't have what we would consider elite quarterbacks and they both picked up wins. And I think a lot of in both cases, not a lot of turnovers.

Yep. Quarterbacks played within themselves. They played real defense. They made good plays up the sideline defensively with their corners. You know, I had Sean Payton on yesterday on Fox. And one of the things he said, he was disappointed in Aaron Rogers. And he said, listen, man, when you bring rookie receivers in, these guys, you know, you're opening game in the NFL. These two rookie receivers for Green Bay, one played at an FCS program.

The other played at Nevada. Right. So that game in Minnesota, Dave, that's not only the best. biggest crowd they've ever played in. It's a division game in the NFL. You know those. Those are wars. Right.

So Christian Watson drops a pass. Romeo dubs communication. And Sean Payton said, you've got to go right back to these guys. You can't not throw to Christian Watson and crush his confidence. And I said this earlier before I thought you on, I said, when you have kids, Aaron doesn't have any kids, I said, but when you have kids, you learn patience. They make a lot of mistakes. You hope they don't make the same ones over and over.

But go, because Sean Payton really pointed it out. It's like, listen, man, you bring rookie receivers in. You can't expect them to go on the road in their first NFL game and light it up. You have to bake in mistakes. And I want you to go to your career. Sometimes you were forced to play young players. Sometimes they're small college guys. Did you understand kind of innately?

This shit could get a little rough. This is not going to be pretty. Yeah, two thoughts on that. One, I mean, can you imagine? I thought about this yesterday. Aaron Rogers didn't play in the preseason, right? So we know that, okay? So these rookies had maybe not caught a pass with him,

and they're in there getting their mouthpieces before the game, right, and getting their little call sheet, and they look up and, boy, Aaron Rogers, he's putting the eye black on. And can you match what those guys are thinking? Wow. Wow, this is for real. I'm actually going to, Alan Rogers is actually going to throw me a pass today, you know? Right.

I mean, on TV. No, it's a lot. But I said this about the Packers, and I've looked at this thing pretty close. You know, they used two first-round draft picks on defensive players, two great players from Georgia. And they had a top 10 defense a year ago. They have to win. And I said this, and I really believe this, and it's going to happen this week. They play the Bears Sunday night in Lambo.

And this is how they're going to have to win. They have to play lights out on defense. And Dylan and Aaron Jones, they're two veteran running backs. They need to be a huge part of their offensive attack, whether they're thrown or to them or whether they're running the ball. But this needs to be pulled in a little bit. Let's play a little more conservative when we have to. And we got to play great defense.

And our special team should be good. You know, we hired a brand, you know, one of the top special teams coaches in the NFL. So this is how we got to win right now until these young receivers catch up and we get Alan Lassar back and so forth. But Green Bay had their top three receivers not on the field from a year ago. Two of them left, obviously. And then Lassar, he was hurt. So that's a lot for any team. So I put it on the defense.

I'm going to call the defense out tomorrow and say, because they didn't beat us on plays. You know, I've always looking at this way. If it's two guys going up for the ball, then we're doing a good job of coaching. And I got to get, I used to tell my coaches this, then I got to go get you better players. If their guy outjumps my guy, our guy,

then it's my job to go get better players. So we don't get out jump. But if guys are wide open, wide open and passes like Minnesota was, it's your problem now, okay? Because we got problems schematically. And I was really disappointed in Green Bay's defense. I mean, because they had some easy scores, I thought. Yeah, you know, Kirk Cousins and Aaron, and you saw it yesterday, the veteran quarterbacks in this league, you know, Aaron will throw. throw out to the right side to his tight ends and his backs.

Those are layups for him. He gets about six of those a game. Kirk Cousins similarly, he'll do that with Thielner, Justin Jefferson, those little eight-yard outs. Young quarterbacks don't have the experience to get all those layups. But like, what I found yesterday fascinating is that not only did Aaron and Kurt get their layups, but Jesus, Justin Jefferson was really wide open. Crazy.

Multiple times. Multiple times. multiple times for touchdowns, not for first ones, for touchdowns. And that's, I mean, you know, I just told you how I look at that stuff. Hey, you know, if those guys are open, what are we doing? I mean, scheme that. Now, don't tell me the player made a mistake because then we got too much in, you know? Simplify.

Simplify. If we're making mistakes because the players are confused, that's on me. So, Dax out for seven games. He may come back last day of October or first game. in November. I wouldn't go out of the building for it. They play the lions, the bears, the Giants, Washington. Can they win three of their seven games?

I wouldn't leave the building. I wouldn't go get Garoppolo. Right now, I think the Niners would make you give them a second and a third round pick for Garoppolo, so I'm not giving up that draft capital. I think Cam is sort of shot. Cam Newton is sort of shot. My takeaway is I would try to figure out what I have with Cooper Rush, but it's easy for me to say.

Mike McCarthy could be coaching for his job. Do you believe McCarthy knowing he's on the hot seat? Do you think he'll go to Jerry and his son, Stephen, and say, let's go pay for Garapolo? Because we know this. He got fired in Green Bay, Dave, and he's not light in Dallas, but Dan Quinn behind him. My takeaway is potentially is McCarthy saying, hey, this is my career. I go one and six in these games. I'm done coaching in the National Football League.

What do you think McCarthy does with this news today, Dax out for seven games? I think they stay with what they're doing for two reasons. One, in this offense, I don't think Gropolo's the answer. I mean, the way that offensive line was blocking last night, Dak was under pressure. I mean, even the great throw that he threw in the end zone, I mean, he was getting a hit when it happened. that offensive line right now is struggling for whatever reason.

And if you bring a quarterback in, he better be an athlete. You better go. Everyone says, oh, go talk to hotly. The backup is Baltimore, you know, but they're not going to get rid of him. They got two quarterbacks on their roster. And who knows if Lamar is going to be back next year, right? I mean, you don't know what's going to happen. And the way Lamar runs, they, so I don't see.

But if they were going to get, if I was going to get a quarterback, it would be a great athlete that can avoid pressure because he's going to be running. I don't have a lot of confidence in this offensive line right now. Injuries, new, whatever reason. Put that aside. You know, I didn't know, when you heard Jerry's comment right after the game, he was not going to let this whole thing be laid off on DAC. Before he talked about DAC, he was talking about we did not play.

I was disappointed in how we played as a team. and then he got into DAC. So don't tell me that we lost and we looked terrible tonight because of DAC. That's what he was saying. He was saying our football team didn't play very good tonight. And so that's how I read into that press conference. And Mike's in a tough spot. He really is.

You know, everyone's line up and run the ball. I mean, they ran the ball okay. Three and a half yards of carry. I mean, they weren't, you know, they weren't explosive. So now, let's stop slow down for a minute. I got to slow myself down because Tampa Bay was better on defense and I remember those guys. They are good. Tampa Bay will be one of the top five, top 10 defenses in the National Football League.

Those guys got players and Pro Bowl players and difference makers on all three levels. And they're not going to be many teams line up and run the ball or protect the passenger. and they're going to get after everybody they play. That's just, if Tampa's going to be a Super Bowl team, everybody out there says, we want the Bucks in the Super Bowl. If you want the Bucks in the Super Bowl, you better hope their defense plays like they get against the Cowboys because that's what they're going to have to do to win a Super Bowl.

I mean, Tom's going to be Tom, but that defense is going to have to play at a high level. So if Jerry says it's not about DAC, it's about I don't like the way we played, isn't that a message at McCarthy? Oh, 100%. 100%. 100%. And you're not going to go out there. There's no personnel guy that you go to and the head coach and the GM get together like in the Bears,

you know, right now with Ryan Pools, the GM and Matt Eberflutes. They get together and then they go to McCasky and say, we need to do this. We're both in agreeance. And the owner says, well, you see that from a personnel team? We see it from a coaching. Okay, let's do it. That doesn't happen in Dallas. So nothing's going to happen unless Jerry feels it needs to happen.

And I don't think it will. I do not think it will. Yeah. It's, I think Dallas is in a weird spot. Jerry's talking too much. I think they've missed on too many draft picks. I think they overspent on Zeke. They had to let Amari go and Randy Gregory.

I don't like where Dallas is at days. Yeah, I'm a, you know, me. I mean, I'm, I'm, I just have a tough time right now feeling. real good about them. I did say that I thought the defense would be better. They should be better. This is Dan Quinn's second year, the player's second year in the system. He should know now how to use Micka Parsons better. Do we play him at linebacker? Do we play him at end? Where do we play him? Where can he be the most productive force? So I do think that the defense is going to play good, but I don't know if it's going to be enough. I don't know what they did really good last night on

defense. I turned that game off and didn't have a good feel about anything, unfortunately. I know you're a Pittsburgh guy, but I think this is what you're going to see all year. They put 12 plays on a sheet, and Mitch Trubisky can run those perfectly. And they get a lead, and their defense creates turnovers. And then they're holding on for dear life for the last two hours. That tells me this coaching staff doesn't trust Trubisky. And that's my takeaway. I don't mind Mahomes sitting behind Alex Smith. I don't mind, I don't mind a quarterback sitting behind a guy that can play. This staff, they put plays on a sheet, and he ran them perfectly, and he got him a lead. And the defense did, Mika Fitzpatrick. Coach, that last two and a half hours was a Steelers staff

terrified of Mitch Trubisky losing the game, was it not? Well, no, I mean, now, I look this up for you. So I'm ready for you. Okay. I mean, now, Cincinnati, 32 first dons. Pittsburgh had 13. Now, who, if I just said that to you, no more, who won the game? You're saying Cincinnati, how about this? Pittsburgh was four for 15 and third down. Cincinnati was 50%.

I mean, the numbers in attic, how about 30, 40, 43 minutes. Cincinnati had the ball for 43 minutes of that game. If I just said that to you and didn't tell you anything else, I'd say, who won the game? You said, Cincinnati. Five turnovers, the none. Game over. But the one thing that I really thought with Ben being gone, the focus was going to be, whether it was Mr.

Chubisky or Kenny Pickett or whoever, that the focus was going to be the old Steelers, run the football, play defense, big pass plays. And Nigee Harris, star running back. I thought he was the best back in the draft when he came out from Alabama. He averaged about three yards of carry. That's not going to get it against the Bengals. So I don't see a whole lot different than really what it was with Ben there. I mean, unfortunately, I hate saying that because, you know, I mean, I love those guys. And I don't know

what Kenny Pickett would do any different. I mean, I don't think they're going to be all of a sudden, if Kenny Pickett's in there, they're all of a sudden going to get, you know, a lot of courage to put in, 40 passes or 50 passes in a game. That ain't going to happen. No, I mean, the way I look at it, if you have to go to overtime to win, having a 5-0-0 turnover advantage, I'm going to play another quarterback. Right. Well, yeah.

I hear you. I hear you. And they're saying that, I mean, it's going to be a tough deal in Pittsburgh because Kenny Pickett's sitting right there. He's the hero in that city, you know? God forbid he gets in there and takes him to the playoffs. and wins a Super Bowl. God, he'll be mayor.

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

I was having trouble stopping. the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. 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 Jett. 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 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. 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. 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. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. So you do a lot of Big Ten stuff. Scott Frost got fired. And, you know, Dave, once Nebraska moved to the Big Ten,

They no longer really recruit Texas well. And the area of the country they're in, there's not a lot of high school football players. And there are certain jobs. I don't think Nebraska is ever going to be Nebraska. I think you can try to saw. If Scott Frost bombs, you know, Dave, you know the Big Ten. If you look at their state, their recruiting geographic map, Nebraska. map, Nebraska can't get good enough players.

Scott Frost, when I watch the highlights of Georgia Southern, I'm not so sure that that much more athletic than Georgia Southern. And I'm like, I don't know. I think they were offended at Nebraska that Texas was getting so much love from the media and the conference, and they felt they had more national titles. And so they basically said to the Big 12, hey, forget you guys, screw you guys. we're going to go and get more money from the Big Ten and be loved by the Big Ten. Well, now the Big Ten's added USC and UCLA, so nobody's going to pay attention to Nebraska.

They're a bottom-tier team. I think they're in no man's land. I think they don't want to give up the revenue they make from the Big Ten TV deal. They don't want to give that up. But if they stay there, they can't recruit Texas. I think they're trapped. I think this is what Nebraska is. They're a six to a seven-win program.

Am I wrong? I think you are. I mean, I think they're better than that, Colin. I really do. Now, are the Ohio State or Michigan or Penn State? I don't believe so. But they should, in my opinion, be able to recruit, you know, I mean, you're talking about, you know, the best, you know, Iowa. You've got to be able to compete with Iowa and Wisconsin and Purdue and Northwestern and the teams in the West, Minnesota. I truly believe that when you look at. Look at, God, I remember the, not to go back in history, but we were at Oklahoma State, and it was called the Big Eighth, for our listeners. Nebraska and Oklahoma, and I remember going out there and first trip to Lincoln. I was, Jimmy had just made me defensive coordinator. I think I was 27 years old.

And we went out there and I was out with some alumni the night before, a group of guys, we're sitting around a table, having some drinks. And one of the alumni says, coach, we are 29 point underdogs to, tomorrow is can we hold them under 29 points? I said, you can bet what you got in your pocket on that. Coach, they had 28 points in the first half. We never, we never, I think it was 50. My point was I remember the days with Mike Rozier when these guys beat,

when they were one, two, three, four, five in the country, okay, not just in the big eight or the big 12, not whatever. I'm talking about nationally, they were that good, that good. And we played them at the last game we ever coached at the University of Miami. We were number three and I think they were number five. We played them in the original board. Turner Gill and company, I mean, great players, great players. Tom Osborne.

And so my point is that Scott Frost, if you look at their statistics week after week, they were throwing, they always ended up in the middle of the, The Big Ten, statistically, offensive defense. But when you looked at the categories that lose games for you, penalties, turnovers, you know, a guy catching a ball and stepping out of bonds on the five, getting a punt block, you know, going for the onside kick against Northwestern. When you're up by 11 and you got the momentum, stuff like that, to me, is that's what costs Nebraska and Scott Frost his job.

you know, they signed 16 portal players this year, more than the average number in the Big Ten was seven. And I think that's probably pretty close to the national average, right? And Nebraska signed 16 portal players, Alabama, Auburn. I mean, they got them from all over the country. And, you know, so I really thought that this would be, would make a difference this year. They hired Mark Whipple, the offensive coordinator, you know, who was at Pitt, who was an NFL. NFL guy on the stewards, Coach Ben Rothensberger, Coach Kenny Pickett. It just hasn't happened.

So I guarantee you, Scott Frost, this is tough to say. But he's probably relieved a little bit right now. He's got to be, he's a winner, he's a great guy. It didn't work out for all those reasons. He's probably mentally saying, you know what, let's move on. Let me go coach to quarterbacks in the NFL somewhere or do something and move on. So it's a tough situation for him and the school. So we'll see where it goes in the future.

Yeah, he has a great reputation at Oregon at Central Florida. People loved him. I thought he was a home run. They didn't win a game at Central Florida. I think they were over and he took over and then took them to their championship, undefeated. But he was undefeated at Central Florida when they took the job when he took the job in Nebraska. Undefeated.

13 and 0. Yep. Yep. So, I mean, it's tough. Yeah. All right, coach. We got to run. All right.

See, Calum. Make sure to check out the Dremon Green Show. I brought Dremon 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 Dramon Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume. Podcast Network. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.