The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Prime Cuts: Cam's gaffe, Jake Paul, Kirk Herbstreit on Justin Fields

Episode Date: August 28, 2021

The best of The Colin Cowherd Podcast. Colin rants on why Cam Newton's NFL career could be on its last legs (1:56), the difference between Jameis Winston and Trevor Lawrence (4:50), and why Trey Lance is not ready to play for the 49ers (9:35). Kirk Herbstreit on Justin Fields' future, and what Jim Harbaugh needs to do to turn things around at Michigan (13:20). YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on how he could beat Conor McGregor easily, and why Floyd Mayweather has been bad for boxing (24:28). Plus, Colin's go-to Packers insider Tyler Dunne on the "Aaron Rodgers Playbook" in Green Bay, and why Rodgers will be out after this season (35:47). Make sure to follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube 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.

The volume. 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.

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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. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild.

It was a wild. 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, 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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. This is Prime Cuts, the best of the Colin Coward podcast, great week. ESPN College football analyst Kirk Herbstree. gets serious about Jim Harbaugh and about former Buckeye Justin Fields and his chances of success in Chicago.

YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul talks about Floyd Mayweather, his fight against Tyron Woodley this weekend. It's great. My go-to guy for Packers info, Tyler Dunn, had some really interesting sourcing on Aaron Rogers.

But first, my top takes of the week. Stories only get out when somebody wants them out. So they leaked a story that they were unhappy with a confusion with Cam Newton. What they're telling you is, either he's unvaxed, which if you're a quarterback, that's totally irresponsible. Quarterback's all about sacrificing for the team.

Or it's telling you they want to give everybody a heads up. So when and if they do make a move to Mac Jones, This COVID confusion was not on them. It was Cam Newton's mistake. That story only leaks because the Patriots wanted out. How many things have we read about the Patriots? Seth Wickersham has a new book and we never heard about him. 20 years secrets.

Yet Cam Newton two days after the COVID confusion, it's out in the press. They leaked it because they're telling you when we move off him, he screwed up again. He got it last year. He got it this year. Remember last year, Patriot players weren't getting COVID. There were certain protocols. They were very strict.

The NFL was strict. The Patriots were the most strict. Cam's the star that got it. So this is all setting up. And I think it's interesting. I'm looking at all these other quarterbacks coming in. Just a memo to all the Cam fanboys. Justin Fields is a far better prospect

than Cam Newton was. Cam Newton was the number one pick. So was Baker Mayfield. Trevor Lawrence is a far better prospect than Cam Newton. Cam was a junior college guy, had problems at Florida, transferred to Auburn. And, you know, he was a wrecking ball. He was a power running quarterback. We've never really had those. And I think he deserves all the commercials and all the fame. He was wildly entertaining. He was polarizing. He was easy to root four against. But as his his future and his career winds down, it goes back to something that I've always believed. Your life traits will determine your longevity. Now, it's very obvious.

Just think about this. Cam Newton's 32. He is at the end of the road. There was no market for him. Russell Wilson is 32. He has 10 years left. That's what I say about Westbrook. Westbrook's 32.

You can see the end of the road. Four teams, four years. Steph Curry's 33. he just signed a max contract and should have been MVP. So it's those traits. Cam had lousy traits. His mechanics were bad. He wasn't easy to coach.

He was at times indifferent. He was distracted. He had multiple interests. I just never understood the complete utter coddling of Cam Newton. And so when the story breaks that the patriots are unhappy with Cam, they're telling you, they're tired of his shit. So here's my takeaway on what I watched last night between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let's start with the Saints. James Winston is a starting quarterback in the NFL.

I never thought he was a great fit in Tampa, which was a fairly dysfunctional organization. He came into the league, highly immature, but super talented. He needed a less chaotic environment. And I also thought Bruce Ariens was a difficult fit for him. James's judgment on the field and off has never been his strength. And Bruce Ariens is more of a big play coach. In fact, Brady, Tom Brady, had lots of issues early with Bruce Ariens style. It is not highly efficient.

It's an over-the-top style. So I think James is going to be rewarded with Sean Peyton, who is the best teacher to me in the NFL offensively. Now, I think Andy Reid's the best play. designer. I think Sean Payton could be the best teacher. They're both great. I think it's a better fit. Now, Sean Payton, like Bruce Ariens, can be very emotional. You know, I would love a little more static of personality. A Frank Reich could be perfect for James Winston. But I think Sean Peyton understands this is not a Saints team with a ton of deep threats with Michael Thomas out. They're not going to put a playbook together and game plans to make James.

Winston carry the football team. This is a good defense. It's well-coached. It's an excellent offensive line. They've got a running game. And they've been mostly a detail-oriented, efficient offense, not a big playoff offense in New Orleans for the last three or four years with Drew Breeze. And let's be honest about this. What do we say about rookie quarterbacks? They need a year in the system before they play. James Winston's been in the system for a year. I think he's going to shock people. I think he's going to win this job. I thought he played really well in the first. half last night. I think he's a big strong guy who has shown me a willingness to be coached, to take a small salary. He's reshaped his body. I think he's going to surprise people.

I think everybody's waiting for Matt Stafford to blow the league up with the Rams. Well, I would argue the Saints have a better offensive line. And now, because of Cam Acres injury, a better running game. They just have an older offensive coach. The Rams have Sean McVeigh. Watch James Winston put together a really highly productive season with fewer mistakes. I don't love his judgment, but I think he's always thrown a beautiful deep ball, an incredibly catchable football. I just thought Bruce Ariens and the Buccaneers were an odd fit. The Saints are very structured, very smart, highly efficient, and I think Sean Payton's a very strong fit for James Winston, who should get the job and I think we'll flourish with the team.

Let's go to the Jaguars. So Urban Meyer gets hired. This is a really, really rough spot. The Jaguars you can argue don't have a single elite unit. In fact, I don't think it's an argument. Trevor Lawrence is going to play under dress for virtually every snap. They have no identity. That's going to take time.

So, you know, people are concerned about Urban Meyer. I'm not. He hired a lot of guys. Brian Schottenheimer, Daryl Bevel, who's been around the NFL for 20 plus years. I don't worry about that. What I worry about is this team finding an offensive identity. Now, Trevor Lawrence had a couple of nice third down pickups in a drive with about six, seven minutes left in the second quarter.

He's big. He's strong. He's got great feet. He moves well. He's really a gifted player. But I find it really hard to evaluate Trevor Lawrence. This is a bad football team. It's a five or six.

six-win team, and that's mostly because they're in the same division with the Houston Texans. If you put this team in the NFC West, they wouldn't win a division game. You know, it was coincidental last night. Both James Winston and Trevor Lawrence are from the ACC, and both were highly productive in the ACC. But it really illustrates where you land matters. A lot of people gave up on James Winston, and yet last night, behind an excellent offensive line, an organization that lacks chaos. A very talented roster, James Winston looked really,

really comfortable. The more highly touted prospect, Trevor Lawrence has landed with a rookie head coach and an egregiously bad roster, and he looked rattled and was running around, although very talented. We talk about this all the time. Where do you land? Where do you land? I want to talk Niners, Chargers, which most of you, I imagine, watch Sunday night. I thought Easton Stick, the Chargers backup, was the best quarterback on the field. You know, Jimmy Garapolo obviously has an injury issue, and that's well documented. You know, one of the things Garoppolo also struggles with, and this is fairly common knowledge for anybody that watches the Niners, is he's hot and cold with his accuracy.

I thought his accuracy was really poor in the drive that I watch. with Jimmy Garoppolo. And that's why Kyle Shanahan, a couple of years ago, in that drive of the Super Bowl, took the football out of his hands. You know, Garapolo is not talented enough to stave off Trey Lance if Trey Lance had played an entire year of college football. But Trey Lance of all the young quarterbacks, to me, looks the most overwhelmed and uneven. Now, remember, that's important because Trey Lance has arguably the best offensive coach of all the rookie quarterbacks and the best offensive line of all the rookie quarterbacks, and he struggled the most. This all comes down to a kid who just simply has not played football in two years, and when he did play,

it was not a quarterback reliant offense. It was very much the Alabama of that division of football. Alabama's won national titles with quarterbacks that have not been drafted, have not even signed unrestricted free agent contracts. That's North Dakota State. So, you know, when I look at Tray Lance, I see a really big, strong, talented athlete. But even with Kyle Shanahan, those weapons and that offensive line, he's not ready to play. Zach Wilson's ready to play. Justin Fields is ready to play. Trevor Lawrence is going to be ready to play.

Mac Jones, I think it's good enough, his accuracy and understanding of New England's playbook. He's ready to play. There's a lower ceiling. I don't think Trey is ready to play at all. And that's the toughest division in football. So that's a real issue. So Garoppolo is going to be the starter. But having watched San Francisco now for a couple of preseason games, I'm selling a little stock.

They're a little... 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. 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, is 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. Even Garoppolo's accuracy remains an issue. And Trey, of all the young quarterbacks, I mean, let's be honest,

Trey Lance should be the most effective of all these young quarterbacks. Justin Fields in Chicago has a regrettable offensive line in front of them. Trevor Lawrence has a bad roster. Zach Wilson has a bad roster. Trey Lance should be crushing this, and he's just not ready. Easton Stick was a significantly more poised quarterback in that game last night. 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. I love Shopify. Have for years the tools and resources that make it easy for any business to succeed from down the street to around the globe. Shopify is more than a store. Connect with your customers. Drive sales, manage your day-to-day, reach customers online with an ever-growing suite of channel integrations and apps, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, and more. 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. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure.

And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky.

They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest. brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. With that, let's bring on Kirk Curb Street. When you talk to Urban Meyer and Ryan Day about Justin Fields,

what were the early conversations like the first time they got a look at him? I talked really more with Ryan. It was more of big eyes. They just came off at Dwayne Haskins, who was a first rounder, and they were like, this guy is just different. And more importantly, he came into a situation. where they needed a quarterback. They just lost a kid who probably should have stayed another year in college.

He should have, yeah. Yeah, he needed another year. So they were in a jam. And what they loved was he'd never been to the north. He comes up in a very unfamiliar setting with a lot of tradition, has his hat in his hand and is very gracious in how he won the team over. And immediately it became obvious that he was the guy. And he picked up, he's a hard worker, he's cerebral.

He put in the time away from the facility to pick up the offense. They were probably more impressed with his willingness to work and his willingness to learn the system and be a good teammate than they were. Oh, my God, look at that throw. Oh, my God. Look how physical and athletic this kid is. You know, Kirk, that reminds me when Russell Wilson went NC State to Wisconsin. Yeah, very similar. Two months later, he was the unanimous captain in two months.

You know, it was that kind of thing, which goes back to what you. said earlier, he gets in front of the podium, he knows how to handle himself. That's why leading into the draft, I was getting a little bit feisty, and I normally don't do that. It's not like an Ohio state thing. When people were critical of Duane Haskins, with all due respect to Duques, I wasn't like defending him. With Justin Fields, I was kind of getting frustrated because things that were being said about him weren't true. And you know how that is with the draft. You know, there's always bogus information out there. But they were talking about last one there, first one to leave kind of stuff. I've known this kid for three years. It's complete opposite. This kid is off the charts when it

comes to intangibles. Kids off the chart when it comes to commitment. And I don't know where people are getting this, but it wasn't fair and it wasn't right. And I think he slid a little bit because of some of that noise. And the bears were lucky enough to pick him up later than I thought he would have gone. I don't know how six, three, two, 25 can run, played in huge games. And they were nitpicking. like, did you see him in the second half against Indiana? Did you see him in that Big Ten championship against Northwestern? It's like, I mean, yeah, did you see him in the Clemson game? I mean, how do you want to like break it down?

The kid has more good than bad. So we'll see. But I'll be shocked if I love that Andy Dalton, they announced he's going to be the starter. That's fine. But eventually this kid is a can't miss prospect in my mind. You know, I've said this multiple times that I always thought you were, almost too fair to Michigan.

And I, and I, and I, and I, Troy Aikman and you, because you have such prominent platforms and are so beloved that Troy makes sure that people know he'll be critical of the Cowboys. And he is. Yeah. And I, I told you this before. I said, you're almost too nice to Michigan because you don't want to be seen as a homer, which you're not. If you, you can't, you would have no idea you play at Ohio State if you listened and didn't

know. Harbaugh is interesting. I have been a fan and been supportive. But I think here's been my argument to support Jim, despite the fact that he can't meet Ohio State and he's won in four and bowl games. So my takeaway is this. Well, who does beat Ohio State? Ohio State's a better program than Michigan.

Oklahoma's a better program than Texas. It's more committed. So let's take the Ohio State argument out. I mean, hell, John Cooper got fired. He was winning 10 and a half games a year, 11 games. It's a different standard, right? Yep. So that's not fair.

The bowl games, Michigan State games, that matters. So we know Urban Meyer has been able to turn around Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State in an hour. I mean, literally overnight. Okay. Last year, Harbaas 2 and 4. He's 1 in 4 in Bull games. He struggles with Michigan State. And, you know, I've gotten to the point where now I'm starting to theorize it.

Okay. Because it's, and I've said, there's a number, Kirk, using 12 games as the maximum, every college football program has a number that if they have a really good coach, they can win. Alabama's number is 11 and a half. Ohio states is 11 and a half. Oklahoma's is 11, 11 and a half. USC's 10. They've had too many dips historically to put them. I've argued Michigan's is probably 8.5. half nine. The medical school, the law school, Ann Arbor's like Austin North, there's a lot of stuff going on. People are distracted. The academics are pretty darn hard. socially, it's a different fit for some people. So I guess my point is, Harbaugh's winning about, you know, your eight games. And if, now, you would like him to win more bowl games. Has he really underachieved, or are we viewing,

should we flip the telescope that if Michigan, all things considered is about a nine-win team at its best, and Ohio State's about an 11 team. Look at their recruiting the last 20 years. Maybe guys like me, and I think I've defended Harbaugh, and I think my perspective has been pretty accurate, that he's not going doing 11 games. Let's get out of that space. Is that, am I wrong? I don't view Michigan as Ohio State or Alabama.

I never have. This is a tough one because I expect them to be Ohio State. I expect them to be judged and viewed. And their fans, I think, expect them to be viewed at that level. Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel started it. Ohio State hadn't won a national championship since 1968. Jim Tressel brought them their first championship in 2002 when they beat Miami. And from that point on, they changed their expectations.

Before that, it was try to win a Big Ten, try to go to the Rose Bowl. Then it became, we're trying to get to the national championship every year. We know we can do it. That's the bar. We're going to get there. And Jim Tressel had obviously a hell of a run while he was there. And then they had a dip when he, you know, at the end of his. And then as he said, Luke Fickle, and then here comes Urban Meyer.

and Urban Meyer looked around in the room at the players that he had on his roster and he said, this isn't right. We'll make do with his first year and they were ineligible for the postseason, won all their games, but they weren't a great team as far as the personnel on their roster. And then he went to work on recruiting and he raised a bar and created a stir within the Big Ten on how he did it. I feel like when Jim Harbaugh got hired, it's been six or seven years now, when he got hired, and you looked at what he did at Stanford. And when you looked at what he did with the 49ers and you look at his legacy and what he did as a player at Michigan and who he played for,

and you combine all of that in Ann Arbor with their tradition, there's no one, including you, that said, oh, it's a good hire. Tell you what, he'll get him eight wins. He'll get him eight wins. No way. When they made that hire and he stepped to that podium, I don't know about you, but I was like, oh, man, new 10-year war with Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaal with their personalities, it's on. And every time they play, the winner's going to the championship and the loser's going to be so upset. That's what I expected every year with the hire of Jim Harbaal based on what he had done as a coach with the 49ers, got him to a Super Bowl, what he'd done even at Stanford.

and as a player. So I think we're lowering the bar by saying, the fans don't care as much as they do in Columbus. Dude, that's as is as proud of a program as there is. And I don't think if you talk to a Michigan player, if you talk to Des and said, Des, listen, man, you know, eight wins is good for you. You should be proud of that.

He would have smoke coming out of his ears. He'd be ready to brawl. Because, man, he wants to win every game they play. And so I will always have expectations of Michigan not to be Texas. If you want to say Texas, they're an eight-win program. Other than the Mac Brown had a nice run for a number of years. And there were a few other Earl Campbell years. But for the most part, that's kind of what they've been.

Michigan has not been like that. And so I have much higher standards. I keep waiting, Colin, I keep thinking, this is the year. Okay, now they'll go. And it's just you look at the athletes at Alabama and Clemson and Oklahoma and Ohio State. And then you watch Michigan and you're like, what's happening? Is it recruitment? Is it development?

Like, where's the quarterbacks? Tell me the last great Michigan. Michigan had a run of about 15 years when Brady and Greasy and John Navar and Todd Collins. It was like one after another after another. What was the last great Michigan quarterback? I'm going to go back to maybe Chad Henney in 2007. Yeah. Yeah.

It was like, you know, he was a solid really, you know, good. He's still, I think, around in the NFL. I mean, that was 07. That was the last, like, great quarterback. Who was the last great tailback? I mean, they think about the tailbacks that they had that were first round. There's Ty Wheatley, Leroy Horde, Anthony Thomas. It was just Biocca Batuka.

It was one after another after. It was the last great Michigan tailback that made you hold of your breath when he had the ball in his hands. I don't know. Mike Hart, maybe, that was 06. And he was just, you know, he was a good college back. He didn't play in the NFL. Good college back.

So my point is, you watch Alabama? You watch Ohio State? You watch Georgia? You watch these teams? What was the last great back that Ohio State had last? year. Was it last grade back that Alabama had last year? This year. So they've got to recruit at a very different level and they've got to develop at a different level. And I still think they can. I just kind of dumbfounded, to be honest with you, that they're not at a much higher level

with him at the helm and in charge. YouTuber Jake Paul. All right. So here's my thing. There had to be Jake. there had to be a moment when you just said, F it, I'm going to go box. Like, where were you? Where was the moment? By the way, that's a big leap. That's like deciding I'm going to get on motorcycles and jump over cars.

I'm going to be a daredevil. You got to sleep on that, right? Like, where was the moment when you decided to box? I think I was in my living room in Los Angeles, like back in my Calabas house. And these YouTubers were. you know, from the UK, we're saying they wanted to fight me and my brother. And I remember calling him and being like, yo, let's beat these dudes up. Like they're talking shit right now. This isn't cool. Let's put an end of this. And that was really the moment where the next day

were training like professional boxers. So it's been a crazy journey since. that. You know, it's, and I think I told you this last time we talked, if somebody is vested emotionally, I'm in. I don't want to hear about, well, it's a schick. It's like, no, I can sense a schick. I've been doing this 30 years. I know when a guy's a phony. Like, I know when a guy's just trying to get a bag. Like, I know that. This doesn't, I mean, you've made a great life. I can look in your house right now. You've got a nice place, right? Like, that's not about that. Training for boxing is hard. When I was a kid in Vegas, my first job out of college, Jake, I went to Johnny Toko's gym in Vegas. It is long, hard, brutal. Was there ever a moment training you thought,

what did I get myself into? You know, there's been tough moments, but I've never, my, my why has never been questioned. You know, I've always known why I'm doing this. And there's always been a motivation. I've never lacked motivation at all. There's definitely been tough moments where I'm like, man, this is, this is the hardest sport in the world. There's been moments where I'm like, this is, you know, becoming monotonous. It's the same thing day and diet day out. Yes. It's non-stop. But I think that routine and that discipline has kept me out of a lot of trouble. And And giving, you know, I've learned a lot about myself through that process. And it's truly giving me new hope, new inspiration and a lot, a lot to fight for. You are now a favorite, a betting favorite over Tyron Woodley. I think it's a mistake when UFC guys, like I think UFC is its own classification.

Boxing is its own classification. I mean, we saw Michael Jordan try baseball. You could say, well, it's sports. it didn't work. I've seen Randy Moss try basketball. It didn't work. Like, I think you're going to win, and I think you're going to win quickly. Do you envision, you watch a ton of UFC, I'm sure. How do you envision the fight going? Or does that not even matter to you? You just go and just free flow and you just go with your spirit and what the, there's no game plan. Yeah, there's definitely a game plan that my coaches and I have going into the fight, a very, a very specific game plan. However, This is something where, you know, we don't know how tyrant's going to come out. So we're sort of prepared for all things that happen on the night. But we have a general idea of how we think. 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, 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, Clever 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're going to be. 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 yeah, yeah, yeah. But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? 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 comments. 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 keer gains is we have real conversations about healing growth fatherhood pressure and purpose

on my new podcast learn the hard way open your free iHeart radio app search learn the hard way and listen now he's going to come out and how we think it's going to go uh and we'll adapt from there you know when that bell rings everything sort of becomes second nature and and it's It's like autopilot is on. And you just start fighting and that's it. Okay, zero to ten. What's his punching power? His punching power, probably like seven and a half, eight.

Okay, where's Connor McGregor's punching power? Probably seven and a half eight. Okay. So you've got to be careful. You've offered Connor $50 million to fight. When you look at Conner, where do you see his vulnerabilities? Now I think, you know, he's just lost touch of the game.

You know, he doesn't have that motivation anymore. He's not that young, hungry fighter. And I will outwork him when and if that fight does happen. But to your point, I do think Tyron is almost a harder opponent than Conner Greger. just because of the natural size. Connor walks around 155. Tyron walks around at 205. So, you know, this is a bigger guy, a stronger guy, a more explosive guy, I think.

So in many ways, this might even be a harder fight than when I face Connor McGregor. Former M.MA champ Tyron Woodley enters the boxing ring this Sunday to take on YouTube. turnboxer, Jake Paul. I love Jake Paul. In Fandall Sportsbooks, giving new customers exclusively a 30-to-1 odds on either fighter to win, either one. That's right. Now is the perfect time. Give Fandul a shot, $150 on a $5 bet.

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And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... 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 bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Typers 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 a... 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 still on the roof of the car, and there it goes!

Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fan 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 Mitzah and the Ad Council. If I could be you. And you could be me? For just one hour. If you could find a way... To get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes.

Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Floyd Mayweather's interesting because...

I've never found him. I'm not debating. He's great, but I never found him truly captivating like I did Pacchio in his prime, Roberto Duran in his prime, Sugar Ray Leonard, Hitman Hearns, Hagler, Mike Tyson. I'm old enough. I remember Foreman, Ken Norton, Ali. Could I make the argument Mayweather's not been good for boxing? He's been bad for it?

I agree on certain levels. Um, you know, he has, has brought this like weird, flashy sort of materialistic, you know, everything's about money and strippers. And he's brought that to the sport. And that was all it knew, all the sport knew for many, many years. Uh, and I don't think that's really what the sport is about at the end of the day. I think we need to bring the sport back to like the epitome of Rocky. Like who is Rocky?

That's that story, you know, those underdogs coming from nothing. You know, the ups and downs. You know, Tyson Fury story is even inspiring, you know, becoming the heavyweight champ, losing it all, like going through mental depression and then, you know, coming back. Those are the boxing stories that are good for the sport. But Floyd, yeah, you definitely make the argument that Floyd's been, he's been good, but he's also been bad for sure. You know, Jake, in a weird way, sports is a copycat league, like the Warriors dominated shooting threes. And then a lot of teams that didn't have good three point shooters said, we've got to do it.

Well, it works if you have Kevin Durant, Stefan Clay. If you got a bunch of, you know, there are a lot of teams that tried to do threes and just didn't have elite shooters. And Mayweather has given sort of defensive boxing and points over power. He no longer has the power. You know that. That I think he's given sort of a license to tactically win. But I don't think it's that fascinating to watch. Whereas Muhammad Ali could beat you with Ropadop.

He could slug with Frazier and Norton. He could be a defensive fighter, a counterpon. because I think sports, you watch Mayweather and you think, oh, I don't have to take many shots. I don't, you go back to the Leonard, the Hearns, the Hagler, the Duran. You had to mix it up. There was a badge of honor. You mixed it up. Like, you just wouldn't be a defensive fighter.

And I think that's the part that turns me off stylistically. Does it turn you off? Do you, when I watch Mayweather, I think, and Pacchio doesn't have the power he used to, but I still think Manny can hit. Manning can hurt you. Yeah, look, I mean, that's one of Floyd's biggest criticisms is boring fights. And I agree. No one wants to tune in and watch a 12-round fight where it's just some pity patter back and forth. And he technically wins. People want knockouts. People want blood. People want highlight real, you know, punches and combinations.

You know, they want excitement. They want people to sit there. and slug with each other. They want knockdowns. And yeah, Floyd, in his biggest fights didn't really deliver any of that. So I agree. But again, but then where you have to give him credit is his showmanship. You know, he brought the eyeballs. He brought the excitement and he built his brand up. And that's why people wanted to watch him even more so than his actual boxing ability. I want to bring in a guy who's not a suck-up who covers the Packers with objectivity, Tyler Dunn. I got into this discussion the other day, you know, Psychology 101 about Aaron Rogers with a friend. And, you know, he's in the NFL.

He's not high ranking, but he's got a good sense of the league. And it's kind of projecting. Aaron almost feels like he wants everybody to know that he doesn't need football. He's above it. I could do Jeopardy. I like music. I like travel. I've got enough money. By the way, he's had issues with his family. Their criticism has been he sort of acts like he's above us. Do you think his relationship now with Matt Lefleur after the NFC championship? I mean, again, I say this. I just feel like the handcuffs are off with Aaron. When he went 50-50 comment, I thought, I've got to stop being nice. Like, that's weird. I can't even fathom Russell Wilson saying that.

Peyton Manning has four neck surgeries. You could not pull him off the field. I also have a story that I'm going to, I will eventually say it, but I won't say it now because I have somebody I want to protect. But, you know, Aaron screwed over kind of a legendary quarterback in the last 18 months on a chair. event, sort of no-showed. You hear those stories a lot with Aaron Rogers. You have? Similar, yes.

Yeah, so I heard it this weekend, and it was from a absolutely great source. So, you know, I kind of feel like with Aaron, once you go 50-50, I'm going to talk about and report on you differently. Like, dude, you're not, you're not in Russell Wilson's class. You're not. You're not in Brady's. Like, that's just not leadership. Leadership is not telling a company your employee base.

I may be with you. I may be not. So I just wonder, do you think he and Lefleur, how good is it? Scale a 1 to 10. It'll never be 10 with Aaron. It would probably be never in its best days a 9. Do you think it was dinged a little after the NFC championship? Yes.

And just before I forget, too, you're right on with, I think it's kind of like that victim mentality. team. When you say I don't have a victim mentality, you're playing the victim card. I mean, that's really what he did. I mean, in so many different ways during that press conference, which you would never see out of Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. You're right. He went on a diatribe for like 20 minutes. Yeah, it was ridiculous. You know, the relationship with Matt LaFleur, I was told by multi-players, he just kind of

tolerates Matt LaFle-Fleur. You know, I don't think it's nearly as great as many in the local media would lead you to believe, you know, what's Matt LaFleur going to say at the podium? Like, of course, he's going to say nothing but gushing, gushing things about Aaron Rogers. Like, I think it's fine. I think it's okay. I think Aaron Rogers is at a point where, similar to Mike McCarthy, he's going to do what he wants at the line in the scrimmage. That's what he's doing.

I mean, Matt LaFle has his offense, but Aaron Rogers has his offense. I mean, Marquez Val de Scarland told me, on the record, I did a profile within this offseason. Like, there's two playbooks in Green Bay. there's Matt LaFors, there's Aaron Rogers, and Aaron Rogers, he might audible to a play from 2014 when he were in high school. He's done that for some guys, and they don't know what the hell he's talking about. Also, it's a reasoning one MVP. I mean, his memory is insane.

There's nobody like it. But I do think, you know, it's a fine relationship. I think the relationship that he really does cherish is with Nate Hackett, the offensive coordinator. It's kind of described to me almost like a lovey-dovey kind of. relationship. Like, it's, they're really, really close in the meetings. I mean, they're really tight. So that, that's good. LaFleur and Goudicans, you know, I don't think that's ever going to be repaired. I think that's done. That's dead. And I still think he's gone after the season. I think they're kind of playing out the string right now. I was in Vegas this weekend and I had a

security guard that was taking me, you know, from place to place, which is sometimes happens when I'm at events. And he was a Packer fan and he was like a season ticket holder. And he said, Farvin Rogers, like what's in the water? He goes, explain to me why we get the guys that threaten retirement. We get these guys that hate the front office. And the only thing I could muster was, well, there's no other team in town. It's almost a high school town, more than a college town. It's so small. And the players are, to some degree, trapped. And so there's a little bit of an angst being a Packer quarterback because you don't have a normal life. If you quarterback, even in a city like Detroit with multiple pro teams, you go about in the burbs, you can hide. So there is

sort of this Messiah complex in Green Bay where you are the economy, not just the quarterback, you are the economy. And it is weird. If I told you, in the last 20 years, there's two quarterbacks that basically threatened retirement were very difficult. And despite the fact they had a really good organization that drafted well, were perpetually unhappy within their organization. And it would be one team. It would be the Green Bay Packers. Do you have a theory on kind of Farve and Rogers?

Because I've said this, Aaron's becoming Brett, going public too much. I'm half in, I'm half out. I've got my own playbook. You mentioned that. So did Fav. What is the psychology when you were at the Milwaukee Journal? Like, you roll it out there because when the guy asked me over the weekend,

that's the best I could come up with. And it is funny because that's what he despised. Early in his career. Aaron Rogers hated it. He hated how Brett Farr got special treatment, how Brett Farr had his own locker was separate from the other guys. Like when Aaron Rogers was the backup, he was, he was one of the guys. I was an intern in Green Bay back in 06-07, you know, still in college.

I just wanted to cover the team lived out of a hotel working for the Sean O'Leader, I think. And I talked to Aaron Rogers all the time. And you could just see he was more down to earth. He was one of the guys. I mean, a lot of the younger players on that team gravitated to Aaron Rogers. Like Brett Barb's missing OTAs, stuff like that. It was there because Aaron Rogers didn't like the fact that Brett Barb was seeking special treatment and got that special treatment.

And then he became what he despise, like I said. I mean, he became that over time. And I think a lot of it does have to do with the town. And trust me, I lived in Green Bay for five years. I freaking loved it. I couldn't live there my whole life. Friends for life there. The people are amazing.

I don't know what he's talking about trashing it as a vacation spot, man. You got to get to Door County. It's beautiful up there. Yeah. The bluff. Unreal. Unreal place to live. But I'll say this.

There was my ex-girlfriend. I remember one time we went to the movies and, God, what was the one with Jake Gillenhall? I can't remember the name. But the only people at this movie were me, my ex-girlfriend, Aaron Rogers, Seneca Wallace and Seneca Wals, his wife, I think. Nobody else even there. I mean, there's Green Bay in a nutshell. Like, night out, that's what he's doing. I think that lifestyle kind of gets old after a while, right?

You can only have so many steak dinners at Chives in Swamaco. He's gone through the celebrity girlfriends. He's gone through that lifestyle. He surrounds himself with celebrities. He wants that lifestyle. You're not going to get it in Wisconsin. That wraps it up for the week. We're heading into another big week here at The Volume.

Make sure to subscribe and follow us at the Volume Sports on Twitter and Instagram. The Volume. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.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 1-800flowers.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 Oden to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. 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 a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. 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. It 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 skis.

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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human