The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Nick Wright on Cowboys/Pats Craziness + NFL Week 6 Reaction, Kyrie Drama, L.A. Westbrook

Episode Date: October 18, 2021

Colin reacts to a wild NFL Week 6 and explains what you can no longer say about Lamar Jackson (3:00), what Urban Meyer haters probably don't want to admit (6:00), and why Baker's injury doesn't excuse his performance against the Cardinals (9:00). Then FS1's First Things First Host Nick Wright and Colin discuss the fallout from the crazy Cowboys/Patriots game (11:00), why the future looks bleak for New England (13:00), Nick's "controversial" suggestion for the Cowboys (16:00), the glaring problem with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (22:00), what the Browns' loss exposed about Baker Mayfield (25:00), and how Wentz compares to Baker (27:00). Then, they discuss what the Nets should do with Kyrie (33:00), why KD actually appears happy about the Kyrie drama (36:00), why Colin felt bad about Russell Westbrook's "villain" comments, and what it reveals about Westbrook's place in the NBA (43:00). Make sure you subscribe NOW! Also, 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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Welcome to the Monday morning podcast. Nick Wright is going to break down three or four big games, including the Chiefs, plus a couple of thoughts. One on Kyrie Irving and the Nets and one on Brooklyn. NBA season opens Tuesday. Two games I want to talk about. Number one, Baltimore and the Chargers. Listen, the Chargers, obviously, the matchup didn't work. I liked Baltimore in that game. One of the few games, it seems like, in the last two weeks I've gotten right.

But it's interesting to note that one of the reasons I talk about this often about don't be consumed with being right, be consumed with getting it right. Lamar Jackson came into this league. He was skinny. I worried about it. Then after one-off season, he had traps. He put on weight. The following season, I said he doesn't have a great pocket feel.

He struggles throwing the ball to the sidelines. The next season he comes in, he's much better at that. What I have watched the last six quarters of Lamar Jackson, he's now an elite pocket passer. We know the running thing. but he is so comfortable in the pocket right now that you're a dummy at this point. If you're still holding on to he can't play from behind and throw the football. He reads a defense very well.

Something that I was taught years ago by a scout about quarterbacks, even if the ball is incomplete, do you throw it to the right receiver? He almost always does. Somebody once told me that about sports gambling. You can lose a bet, but are you on the right side? I was on the right side of the Patriots game. I lost a bet, but I was on the right side. You can be on the right side of a bet and lose it.

As long as you're throwing to the right receiver, the open receiver, or the coverage dictates, that's where you go with a ball. Lamar's doing that brilliantly. So, you know, the people that are stuck on Lamar Jackson isn't good in the pocket. These are people that are probably politically stubborn, stubborn with their families, stubborn at work. They're not worth the argument. If you watch him and don't see how evolved Lamar Jackson has become in the pocket, you just don't understand football. He has really become an elite top five or six pocket quarterback. He is so dangerous in the red zone.

It's just lights out. You know, it's really interesting. When they do those sweep runs and the RPO's, you're so tentative because you can get, you know you can't stop him individually. So if you bite into the run, if you go all in on the run, you can look so foolish as a defensive coordinator or a defense. So he makes you very hesitant on run plays. You're almost hoping he hands it off. But I find the chargers were very tentative.

The Colts in the second half were very tentative. And as a decoy, he has almost as much value as he does as the primary weapon. But he has really evolved into a superstar quarterback. and Baltimore looks like the first or second best team in the league. Something else I wanted to talk about, and it's not a game that'll get a lot of publicity. The media is rooting overwhelmingly against Urban Meyer. They don't like his arrogance. They don't like NFL writers, don't want some college guy to walk in and steal headlines.

I get that. Coaching's not the problem. Outside of wide receivers, they have no offensive line, bad secondary. He outcoached Urban Meyer out coached Brian Flores. I watched every snap of that game. Trevor Lawrence, by the way, Tua did not play bad. Do not blame it on Tua. He was fine.

Urban Meyer out coach Brian Flores with far less talent. So I have watched the Jags play four times. And I've really zoned in, not every week, but four of their six games I've zoned in. The coaching's not the issue. They come in with good game plans. They execute them generally. They are competitive primarily. Mostly they're competitive.

as long as their personnel allows them to be competitive. But the tour played fine. It was really Urban Meyer out-coaching Brian Flores. And I understand that the media does not want him to succeed. 20 and 30-year NFL writers do not want some college guy to walk in and turn the league on its head. And I'm not saying he's a top 10, 15 coach, but Belichick can't win now. Okay, Belichick can't win now. You need a quarterback.

You need personnel. New England doesn't have enough speed to score on good teams. But let me defend Urban Meyer. The football part is not the issue. Now, it's the cultural part. Does he get the league? You have to coach NFL players differently. I don't think he hired a terribly gifted offensive staff with Brian Schottenheimer.

But when I watch them play, they're competitive. If they're as competitive as you can be with that offensive line, with that lack of consistent pass rush, and that secondary, people just have to own it. The coaching thing for Urban, he's smart, he's learned, he's quick, that's not the issue. All right, briefly, before I really dive into this with Nick Wright, Baker Mayfield. Listen, Arizona's for real.

We just got to, let's not just bang on Cleveland. Arizona's a really good football team, and you're seeing it around the league. These young quarterbacks, like Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson a few years ago, when they can buy time with their legs, you're seeing a little with Jalen Hertz of the Eagles. When they can buy time with their legs for a couple years as they figure out the complexities of the pocket, it's hard, hard to be an ace in that pocket. Okay. And you're finding these young quarterbacks.

Mack Jones doesn't have this ability. That Kyler now, first year, missed a lot of open throws, some intercept. Second year, got better at it. This year, he's fantastic, does not miss open throws. He's gotten to become an elite pocket thrower. But he bought a lot of wins and plays and yards and time with his feet. So by the time he starts his third year or his fourth year with the same system, they add DeAndre Hopkins. He's now an elite quarterback.

So this is a Super Bowl potential team. Arizona is the real deal. They can play defense. They have a pass rush. they're inconsistent running the ball, but they can run it. Kyler Murray is part of the run game. He throws a beautiful ball. It's a big play offense.

And Cliff Kingsbury to this point, if nothing else, he's got an excellent relationship with a star quarterback. In terms of Cleveland, listen, if you're sitting around and you're Andrew Barry, the GM, I said this on Fox. And I said this on Fox Sports Radio. I said it two weeks ago. The next eight weeks are going to be huge for Baker Mayfield because he's playing against contemporaries, same age quarterbacks. He's playing against Burrow and Justin Herbert and Kyder Murray and Lamar Jackson twice. That GM is looking at those quarterbacks and saying, okay, they're going to get the back.

They're going to get $35 to $40 million. Can I pay that to Baker Mayfield? And I don't think today they would give him the contract. I think he's regressed. I think he's now beat up. I don't love his judgment. I don't want to hear about injuries. Donovan Peoples Jones is better than OBJ.

He is. He had Peoples. He had OBJ. He had Kareem Hunt. Yes, they're missing offensive linemen. Yes, they miss Nick Chubb. Welcome to the National Football League. You don't get the number one rated offensive line every week.

So now they have to play on Thursday, which is a really dangerous spot for a beat-up team. but this is coming to fruition. I said it's not going to be just about wins. Does Baker look the part? He did not look the part against Kyler Murray. He didn't. He looked like junior varsity. And you start paying a guy like that $35 million.

You can't go get a John Johnson from the Rams, a Judavian Clowny. You can't pick them up. You can't give a massive extension to your right tackle. You can't have two good running backs. So it's not just about. Cleveland winning and losing. Baker has regressed. And you cannot have a quarterback where he has to have stars around him because once you pay the quarterback, you can't afford those stars. So I think Baltimore is clearly today a better football team, a more engaged football team.

And I think it's a football team that truly believes in their quarterback. I don't think everybody in that Brown's locker room or that Brown's coaching staff believes in Baker, field. All right, Nick Wright joins us. Let's talk cowboys, folks. All right, bring on my buddy, Nick Wright, first things first. Let's get right to it. Let's start with Dallas, New England.

Yeah. Crazy finish. I mean, what's interesting is Dallas had over 500 yards. You know what's funny? When you take Tom Brady out of New England, they get punts blocked. They can't stop anybody. It's unbelievable. It's so unbelievable.

Brady, it's almost as if Brady's like, ooh, Mahomes. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson. I'm going to go over to the other conference where Rogers is getting old and I don't buy into Gough or Stafford because you look at that. You and I both know now. They have no chance in New England to win big. No chance. For 10 years. Listen, I thought it was unbelievable.

And I understand Mac Jones, to some people, to the less evolved, educated football fan, they might think he made me eat a little bit of crow when after the pick six, I tweeted. Mac Jones has just enough time to throw another pick here and then he threw 75-yard touchdown. That was a busted coverage. That should have been picked by the safety. But I thought it was really remarkable when I heard this sentence uttered on the broadcast by Jim Nance. Two sentences consecutively. Mac Jones is 10 for 10 passing in this game. The Patriots are 0 for 4 on third down.

I'm like, huh? So the guy hadn't thrown an incompletion and they hadn't converted a third down, which is because they are just. They have this offense, no explosive plays. It's just don't make a mistake, don't make a mistake. Which, by the way, you can win that way when you have the Patriots defense of the early 2000s. And when you're playing against the NFL of the early 2000s, when you're playing Dallas with Dak Prescott, Cidieland, Amari Cooper, the kid Wilson seems to be awesome. You have Zeke, all this, you better get explosives.

And they don't. They did obviously get the 175. touchdown and give him credit for that. But yeah, New England's in rough shape, man. I mean, the best thing they have going for them is Miami and the Jets. That's about it right now. Yeah. No, I mean, it's Nick Saban. You know, Belichick had him as an assistant in Cleveland. Saban has adapted evolved brilliantly. It's more of an offensive program now. This year, Bama's offense is way better than her defense. And Belichick, the seeming genius in the NFL has not evolved. They're bad at receiver. Their concepts.

I mean, outside of a busted coverage, they don't throw the ball down the field. Correct. And it's just one of those things where you look at them, there's no easy fix. Because the equivalent of Manning, Big Ben in his prime, and Brady is now staring at them in Lamar, who, by the way, Lamar now is a legitimate pocket passing phenom. Forget the running part. He's evolved into that. So I will say this about Dallas. And this just happens in a 17-game schedule.

You have Sundays where there's a lot of penalties, there's fumbles, they did not play well. But I now look at Dak, and I think he's one of the seven or eight guys, and I didn't for a long time. I do too. He's gotten better, Nick. He has. I do too. And I'm going to say something, I don't know if you'll find it controversial, but it obviously won't happen. No NFL team that I can think of has ever done something similar to this.

but when I watch today's game, the fact that the Patriots were in it late was a testament, even though the things you're saying about Belichick are true from an evolution standpoint. Within the game, from kickoff to the end, he still understands game management,

he still understands time score situation as well as anybody in football. His fourth down stuff maybe could sharpen up a bit. But McCarthy is just out to lunch. All of it always. Just horrific. at it. He's out here calling timeouts for the Patriots, kicking 50-some-yard field goals instead of going for a first down, all this stuff. This is the controversial part. If Jerry Jones really wants

to win the Super Bowl this year, he should consider elevating Kellyn Moore this week. Mike, it's been good seeing you. Kellyn Moore already calls the plays. McCarty's only job is the within the game stuff on Sundays, and he's terrible at it because that's my concern. I think Dallas hasn't, you had them, what, two in the herd higher-off? I think they're the second best team in the league. And I had them number one on my tears. Like I think they are really, really good. But I am super anxious about McCarthy in the playoffs.

And now I know Kellyn Moore's never been a head coach, so maybe he'd be bad at it. And at five and one, obviously they're not firing anybody. But I think it would make them better. I think if they elevated Kellynne Moore. What concerns me about McCarthy, he makes the same mistakes over and over. He struggles with a clock.

It'd be like if you and I work with somebody in our industry and about once a month. They just kept cursing. They just on the show and they just dropped an F bomb. They're like, darn it. I know it I'm not supposed to. It's like, dude, you do it every week. Yeah.

So, Matt McCarthy, the fear is he makes the same mistakes because that's really clearly, he's just not good with it. The game's too fast. You know, I can't see the scoreboard. I mean, it's four times this year. There's only been six games. Four like egregious, embarrassing moments. I know. Kill you in the, now the argument against that is, well, Andy Reed.

But Andy Reed is so great as an offensive mastermind. You deal with it. You're like, okay, he never got better at it. But I just don't know what McCarthy brings to the table. So that's a bad spot, man. Yeah. And Jerry has historically been patient with coaches. He's been less patient with great ones,

but more patient with like Chan Galee and Mike McCarthy and Jason Garrett type. So even though theoretically you're not wrong, you know, he'll stay. I do think Kellyn Moore is probably the very near future. And then you move McCarthy into an operations place. You know, you put him somewhere upstairs. Not to filibuster on this, and I know we got to do other games, but just to take it one step further, the other issue with not doing what I'm saying, which I understand is what would be wildly controversial or unprecedented, is you lose Kellyn Moore after this year. Someone's going to make Kellynmore a head coach this offseason. If you're not going to do it, he's going to be elsewhere and that offense is going to go with him.

Yeah. And you let Kellyn Moore be the coach next year and just say, hey, listen. For a year, we're going to let you call plays because we know you're comfortable with it. And then eventually you have to groom a play caller because you don't want your head coach doing that. But for a year, Kyle Shanahan does a lot of that still. Yep. Basketball season is back. No better place to bet on it than the Fandall Sportsbook.

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Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The 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 J. 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 people.

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.

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Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Issued as a non-withdruable site credit that expires in seven days, max refund $10,000, restrictions to apply. See terms at sportsbook, fandul.com. Same game parley available for multiple sports in all states on mobile slash web. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler. Visit fandul.com slash RG in Colorado, in Virginia. Or call 1009 with it at Indiana. 1,800, 270, 7117 for confidential help in Michigan. Tennessee redline is 1,8009-889, 9-7-89.

Or go to 1-800-gambler.net in West Virginia. Or call 1-800 next step or text next step to 533442 in Arizona. Or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. It's the sound of another sale on Shopify, the all-in-one commerce platform I love to start run and grow your business. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. So upstarts, startups, and established businesses alike can sell everywhere. Synchronize online and in-person sales and effortlessly stay informed.

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More than a store, Shopify grows with you. Go to Shopify.com slash Colin, all lowercase. Shopify.com slash Colin for a free 14-day trial, full access at Shopify's entire suite of features. Shopify.com slash C-O-L-I-N. 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.

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And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bag's daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten,

has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is, on the roof of the car, and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff.

Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. All right, let's go to Kansas City. It wasn't one of the more viewed games. It was a pretty rocky first half for them.

And then the steel curtain broke out in the second half. A little shutout, Colin. Casey DeVitch, second out, shut out, buddy. Let's go. Let's go. It's Taylor Heineke. Let's slow down. But nonetheless, it is, they're not, it's one of those things where I feel the same way about the chiefs I do with the Packers.

They're just not right. They're just, now forget defense for both. Neither has a great defense. But even Green Bay against Chicago, the offensive line's not as good. They're very dependent on Devante Adams. When I watch Kansas City, have a more discerning eye because this is your team, but they just don't feel quite right to me. What is it?

They have been just wildly careless with the ball. I mean, they don't punt. Once again today, I think they had one punt and went 17 yards. They had three first half turnovers today, and each one was worse than the last. The first one was a Mahomes pick on a perfectly thrown ball, went off Tyreeks' hands. Tyreeks done that twice now. A tight end's done it. Mahomes had four picks that hit a player on the hands and they didn't catch it.

That's the first one. The second one is a McColl Hardman fumble. And the third one was one of the worst plays of Mahomes' career. It was at the end of the half, you're taking points off the board. It looked like, and this hurts my heart to say, it looked like a play Josh Allen made his rookie season, where it's like, what are you doing? Like, have you never been taught the rules of the game? and so I think the Chiefs have gotten wildly reckless with the ball on offense, which is why to me, I think I disagree with you in this regard.

I think the offense still moves and clicks and looks as good as it has historically. It's just that they're turning the ball over. They have the most turnovers of any team in the league. That's impossible to believe. And obviously, the defense has major issues. Today, though, the Devens had one embarrassing play where they just left two guys wide open gave a touchdown. Cypon that defense played well today, but yes, it is Washington. It is Taylor Honeckee.

That is true. All right. Let's segue to another game. I've always said with Baker Mayfield, he's a franchise quarterback, but he's not a number one pick. He needs a perfect offensive line, elite receivers, top running backs, and with a good play caller, he can win games. Well, now his tackles are hurt, and he came in without Nick Chubb. and Jarvis Landry is not there. By the way, it's still more talented than half the NFL's offenses with just

Peoples and OBJ and Kareem Hunt and a great interior line and a remarkable play caller. But can we now acknowledge? And I'm not really into being right. You know, I just not something I plan a flag on. But when he has average stuff, he's an average quarterback. That's what he is. He certainly looked bad today. and sometimes strip sacks are not a quarterback's fault.

Sometimes they're entirely a quarterback's fault. He had a couple fumbles today that were, yes, his guy got beat, but he had time certainly on one of them, and you could argue on both of them, should have recognized it and protected the ball, and on one of them protected himself. The interception was terrible. And I'm worried about Cleveland, Colin.

Because Kareem Hunt got carded off. Chub was out. Both their tackles were out. Odell got hurt again. You mentioned Jarvis. and Baker hurt his shoulder again. Colin, they play Thursday. They're the short, you know,

the worst time possible to have your Thursday night game is this week. All of us, you know, Baltimore is rolling. So I feel like that division is almost already out of, out of, I feel about two weeks from now, it's Baltimore's and Cleveland at best has planned for a wild card and, you know, battling Cincinnati who can score. Well, that's the other problem for them is all of a sudden Cincinnati's not a wall.

walkover. I understand it's Detroit, but Cincinnati trounced them today. Jamar Chase, by the way, my feeling was Cincinnati, you've got to take an offensive lineman, you've got to take an offensive lineman. I was wrong. Jamar Chase, phenomenal. He's unbelievable every single week. But the fact that Cincinnati's going to be alive now, you look at, now what they have working for them is, like, who are the teams in the AFC, C, Colin, that we know are going to be there at the end. We know Buffalo is. We know Baltimore is.

I guess we know Tennessee is because of there's no one else in the division, right? Right. And then Kansas City and the Chargers. That's only five. And there's two playoff spots available. All of a sudden, the Broncos have plummeted. The Raiders will see. They obviously beat the Broncos today.

So I think, you know, maybe that last playoff spot in the AFC, maybe you can get there at 9 and 8. I wouldn't have thought that at the beginning of the year. But Cleveland, I think, is in trouble, Colin. Well, something I talked about before I got into the interview today was I said this three weeks ago in the air. I said the next seven to eight weeks are key because Baker's going to be playing contemporaries. I said he's going to play Herbert and then Kyler and then Burrow and then Mack and then Lamar twice. And I said the GM Andrew Barry inherited Baker.

He didn't draft him. And he's going to watch him on the same field. and Justin Herbert was clearly better and Kyler Murray was a thousand times better today. And it's one thing if Baker looks better than old Ben or rookie, you know, even Mac Jones, when you put him up against Justin and Kyler in the last two weeks, Nick, you're a general manager.

You're going to have to pay him, meaning the defense, you're not going to be able to just pick up a clowny or a John Johnson at safety. I think the GM this morning, if I'm guessing, they wouldn't give him the bag. And if they did it, would be like 20 million max a year. Well, the thing is that, but that contract doesn't exist, right? So like the contract that they might give him, feel comfortable giving him, is one that he would never accept. I mean, Teddy Bridgewater got close to 20 million recently.

Like 20 million is not a thing for him. Now, do I think he would accept a contract sub-40 million a year? Yeah, like $38 million, something like that? I don't think Cleveland wants to give that to him. I think Cleveland is prepared and is going to show they're prepared to do what Dallas did with DAC, which is, you can play this out and maybe we'll even franchise tag you. And you know, I like Baker, and I think you at times have been too hard on him, but this has not been good for him.

It is not good that the Browns who do have a lot of talent have played three teams of equal talent. 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 which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

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

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Jette. 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 here on earth. Or 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. You know, in some way, shape, or form, and they keep losing to them. They lost to the chiefs. They lost to the Chargers. They got annihilated by the Cardinals.

Now, the Cardinals game, you have a lot of issues with the end. injuries, that's fine, but they got annihilated by them. And this was supposed to be, you know, I picked the Browns to be in the AFC championship game this year. I thought they could be the second best team in the AFC to the Chiefs. It does feel like Buffalo has jumped ahead of them clearly. The Chargers have jumped ahead of them and the Ravens have maintained their status ahead of them as they have been ever since Lamar came in the league. That's not a good spot. The point you made earlier about Brady and the AFC NFC is an interesting one. I think if the Browns played in the NFC, maybe they do pay Baker.

Because it's like, hey, there's not a lot of good young quarterbacks here anyway. He's one of the better ones. It's like Dak, Kyler, and then a bunch of we'll see who knows everyone else is older. But in the AFC, with, you know, both of us, I think believe that Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow will be good one day. in borough might already be. Mahomes is great. Herbert's great. Lamar's great. By the way, Carson Wentz, if you get, he's not the problem. Carson Wentz, Nick has been, now, again, that game barely existed today because nobody watched it. But if you go look at Carson Wents's numbers, Nick, again today, he played very well. I think Carson Wents is more talented

than Baker. Now, he can be reckless, but he's a bigger, stronger athlete. I don't know, but stronger, I don't know if it matters with him because his body, like, Baker's tough. I give Baker credit. I thought he was out for a month today after, like, JJ Watt was worried about him. JJ Watt was like, come over, come over after he

did the strip sack. So I, I don't care how strong Carson Wins is. Baker to me is more reliable because he's always out there. So I have to give him credit for that. But he, one of the weaknesses for Baker, and this is something that I've talked with you about before is I don't think he has made the necessary adjustment and he should have by now that I am I was a good athlete at the collegiate level

I am a below average athlete at the pro thank you and the escape I'm going to run it you're going to get chased down buddy by people a lot bigger than you guys the you know most NFL guys recognize pretty early on. Mahomes is an example. He's like, okay, I am only running. I might move in the pocket or, you know, escape to the side, but I am only trying to run if it is wide open space in front of me because he knows, even though I could get away from people at Texas Tech, I can't at this level. Baker too often, it feels like he thinks, oh, I can hit the corner. And you cannot hit the corner, buddy. You are not fast enough. So that, yeah, I don't want to pile on. But, I'm worried about them. They play Thursday, man. They're going to play Thursday with a beat-up team for a chance to fall to three and four. Browns aren't supposed to be three and four this year. Yeah.

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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. NBA starts Tuesday. So we touched on three big games I wanted to touch on. And I'm going to do a couple of NBA hits with you. And then as we're taping this, then you can go watch Sunday night football. All right. First, I think, you know, I said from the beginning, relationships are everything to me, whether I was creating the volume. I'm hiring people I trust.

I'm hiring people I like. I'm hiring people who I have their business. back because if they make mistakes, I know it's inadvertent. The fact that Kevin Durant left Steph for Kyrie Irving when you had a resume, you had like LeBron gets along with everybody. LeBron plays well with everybody. He bails on LeBron. Brad Stevens is clearly a capable coach.

He messed that up. I said last year, after he left in the first week of the season and just had a sabbatical, a hiatus, I said on the air, I said he may be the first superstar level play. I would ever consider moving for bench players. Just make Harden, Durant are fine, fortify the bench, I'm out. From the flat earth, now to the vaccine issue. I take it you are a huge Kyrie fan. But let's start with this premise.

With the addition of Patty Mills to the bench, Lamarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, I think Brooklyn can win the championship with Durant, Hardin, and no Kyrie. if they could just trade him and fortify the bench a little. Do you believe that? Oh, you get a full healthy season out of KD and Hardin prior to last year had always been healthy. Right. Not only do I think they could win the championship that way, I think they actually would be better off. Yeah.

Even if Kyrie had none of the vaccine stuff, if the vaccine issue didn't exist. Once they got James Harden, Kyrie was a surplus of value they didn't need. What they need is some size. What they need is some defense. And what they need is someone who is happy to not have the ball in their hands. None of that is Kyrie Irving. So yeah, I think that, and this is all so tricky because the problem is, Colin, Carrie Irving's like, the trade I talked about before any of the vaccine stuff came up that I thought fixed everyone's problems was Kyrie and Ben Simmons.

The Sixers need what Kyrie has. The Nets need what Ben Simmons has. It's weird because they're kind of competing with each. other, would you make the trade, but maybe they would. The Sixers absolutely would not make that trade now. Kyrie's trade value is where all you could get is role players. Like the team that, again, it would make sense, but you potentially have the vaccine issues is the Clippers.

Zach Lowe talked about this. Marcus Morris and stuff. Those types of Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, one other guy, that actually helps to me helps the Nets. They need guys who don't need the ball. I would have said, Kyrie for Chris Staps, like is an interesting one.

Because Kyrie, by the way, when was he at his best alongside LeBron? Who's the player in the league whose game is most similar to LeBron? Luca, like that could work. And the Nets, Chris Staps, doesn't have to have the ball on his hands. But again,

the vaccine stuff kills him with the Mavs. It is, it's an insane position. where a guy who was 50, 40, 90, the healthiest guy on the nets last year is now not only expendable, but didn't you find this interesting, Colin? James Hardin and Kevin Durant told the truth

about having not spoken with Kyrie. I thought it was huge. I couldn't believe it. Because those are sharp guys, and they knew that by saying, we haven't spoken, that that's a story. And they could have just said, we're going to keep, they could have either lied or said we're going to keep personal conversations

personal, not going to get into it. The other thing I thought was interesting was when Katie said that, he had a whole thing with the media. Katie was in a great mood. He was happy. He was like, he said at one point, it's like, listen, I know you guys are going to be asking these questions all year. And I get it. You have a job to do. And when Katie's in a good mood, he's really interesting, he's really honest, all this stuff. I thought, again, I'd psychoanalyzing him But I think it's pretty interesting that a couple days after the Nets are like Kyrie go home for the season. Katie's in a good mood.

Yeah. He's not pissed about it. In fact, he seems happy about it. And the fact he hasn't talked to Kyrie, I think Katie's like, oh my God. This guy is the juice is not worth the squeeze, no matter how sweet the juice is. No. Joy Taylor and I talked about this is players send messages all the time.

Katie, I think you're spot on. I think KD and Hardin, I think they sent a message to ownership. It's like, we're good here. You know, we're good. We're good without Kyrie. And I also think, I was told this years ago that the NBA chemistry is the most important because like in offense and defense in football practice and games, you know, you just split off. If a guy's a jerk on the D line, oh, offense doesn't deal with them a lot, right?

Even the offensive coaches don't. Same in baseball. A third of your roster goes down to a bullpen. You know, some guys are in the clubhouse, the guys that aren't playing. But in basketball, man, it's a tiny plane. You're all together. There's like eight out of the 13 guys and teams that hang out together and get along together like Milwaukee and Phoenix. They generally play well together.

And I, by Hardin saying, I haven't even talked to him, forget connecting. If you and I didn't talk, if you were going through a crisis and you and I have, hadn't talked, forget doing a podcast, talked in a month. They're not friends. It means we're not friends. It means we're absolutely, if someone said, if all of a sudden you were gone from FS1 and a week later, someone was like, hey, how's Colin doing? And I'm like, don't know, haven't spoken.

You know what they would think? Oh, I thought you guys were close. I assumed you guys were friends. I guess you were like, it would be shot. And so it's like it is, it's incredibly telling. And I think that now what the Nets can't have happen, obviously, is have something happen to Katie or Hardin. They don't have any insurance for that now.

They did have some insurance for that before. But like most teams in the league, like guess what? The Lakers can't have anything happening to LeBron or AD. And the Bucks can't have anything to happen to Janus or Middleton. Like that's kind of how the league works. You can't have one of your two best guys get to hurt. Finally, I want to do one other topic. I actually felt bad the other day.

New Laker Russell Westbrook was quoted saying, hey, I'm the NBA villain. And I thought, wait a minute. That's not right. I cannot love his game, but he's a good guy. He's a good family guy. He shouldn't be a villain. And the way he said it, you know, whenever somebody says, I don't need to be liked. Well, everybody needs to be liked.

everybody wants to be like LeBron hated being a villain for a year he hated it Michael loved being hated in Detroit but he loved being loved everywhere else I used when I was in Portland and Michael came to town he was more popular than any Blazer and everywhere he went in the league outside of like

Detroit or New York even in New York the city love Michael Jordan right he played great there but I but I thought to myself with Russell Westbrook is I actually think he works for the Lakers they need 37 minutes a night they need energy It's an old roster.

I actually thought to myself, you know what? If he plays here three years and I think he can add, he can be a little bit like a more talented Alex Caruso. He gives you incredible intensity. He'll get along with LeBron. He's a good hang. You know, part of this league is, are you a good hang? But I just felt kind of sympathy when he said, I think I'm the league's villain. And I thought, that's usually like a guy who gets into fights or he's a jerk.

And I'm like, Russell's not a jerk. He's a flawed player. Right. So that's, I think, an important distinction. He's never been in trouble. He's never been a bad guy. Never. He's one of the few NBA super-duper stars that doesn't have like a big group of people around.

And by the way, not there's anything wrong with it. But like people, you know, it's his wife. I think it's his brother. You know, he has a very small circle. Seems to be an intense family guy and a private guy who's the only thing we know about him off the court is he's super into fashion. Now, people might not like his fashion. I think he's pretty courageous with it, to be honest. I think he takes risks with that, and I think that's cool.

But, yeah, so Russ has, Russ has always been a guy who is polarizing because of his style, and he has, there is a lot of Iverson to him in that. Listen, there are some deeply devoted fans that ignore some of the pretty obvious flaws in the game. But then the flip side of that is the analytics community that will argue that Iverson, you know, analytics crush Iverson. And that does at some point what the guys who play the game say about someone has to matter at least a little. And when they're like, you don't understand no, because let me, I'm putting this wrong. Analytics say, well, if anyone

put up that many shots, they would score a ton of points. When the player say is, yeah, but most guys literally can't put up that many shots. They don't have the stamina. Do you know how hard it is to shoot the ball 30 times? And so with Russ, people are like, oh, you know, if anyone was really focused on getting triple doubles, my argument would be, I would imagine in the last 40 years, there have been other guys who were like,

I'd like to get triple doubles, but nobody's gotten them at the rate of Russ anywhere close to it since Oscar Robertson. So clearly there are some things he does well, and clearly he's a special player. He also is, if he's your best guy, you're screwed. But the Lakers are trying to figure out is, and Russ has never been in this position, is what if he's your third best guy? We've seen him as the second best guy.

And it was really good a couple of years, but usually more bad than good or mediocre than good. We've seen him as the best guy. It's entertaining. It's exciting, but you're not going to be good. Now we get to see him as your third best guy. And that's fascinating to me, especially if he's never been on a good. a team with someone with a stronger personality. I think he is now.

I think LeBron, even if it's a different type, LeBron is such a gravitational pull of leadership that I think even the biggest alphas kind of understand, all right, I'm not LeBron. I might be that I might not, you know, get checked by anyone else in the league. Kevin Durant, I wouldn't let him say it's sideways word to me. But LeBron's almost in a different category. So I do think that it can work. Do I think it's guaranteed to work?

No. And do I think that there's a chance that the Lakers simply don't have enough shooting? Yeah, that's possible. But it's also possible that they're going to be big and strong. And because of Russ, they're going to have not only, they're not only going to exhaust you defensively with their length. They're going to exhaust you offensively because Russ is going to just be running. It's like, oh, my God, he's just a pain in the ass to deal with.

So we'll see. Listen, I'm critical of Russ. But there is, your cultural impact matters in the NBA more than any other sport. Alan Iverson is more important culturally to the league than Carl Malone who drove tractors. So there are players that their cultural imprint, Dr. Jay, his importance. Alan Iverson. Yep. It's more.

They matter more than Carl Malone or John Stockton. And I have no problem acknowledging that. I mean, so I think you're right on with that. All right, buddy. go watch the Sunday night football. Great seeing you, Nick Wright. We get you about once a month. We always appreciate it.

Kick ass. Say hi to your wonderful family. I will. Talk to you soon. See you, come. All right, buddy. All right. Nick Wright, fantastic.

Even a little NBA stuff, it begins tomorrow. At the Volume Sports. Check it out on the YouTube channel. This whole puppy will be up plus Twitter and Instagram rate review, subscribe. As always, have a great week. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the

best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1800flowers.com slash tune in. 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 eye heart. Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

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

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, 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.

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.