The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Prime Cuts: Colin on KD, Rodgers and Russ, Cowboys Get Right with Matt Mosley, Tom Curran on Mac, Belichick, Brady

Episode Date: November 20, 2021

It's the best of The Colin Cowherd Podcast! First, Colin's top takes of week, including why Kevin Durant-to-the-Nets is becoming the weirdest decision in sports history (3:00), which QB is more likely to demand a trade between Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers (7:00), and why no one cares Zac Taylor gambles his face off during the offseason (10:00). Then, longtime Dallas Cowboys writer - and host of The Doomsday Podcast - Matt Mosley and Colin discuss the keys to the Cowboys' dominant bounce back win against the Falcons after a disappointing let down loss to Denver (16:00), and if it's too early to call Dallas a Super Bowl contender (19:00). Next, Longtime Patriots Insider Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston comes on to discuss why Mac Jones' early success took him by surprise (27:00), why Belichick's system has bounced back (30:00), and what Brady and Belichick might say to each other today (35:00). Finally, The Action Network's Chad Millman tells Colin if he's "sharp" or "square" with his Steelers/Chargers (40:00), Cowboys/Chiefs (43:00), Cardinals/Seahawks (45:00), and Saints/Eagles (47:00).Make sure to Subscribe and follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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It's America's number one sports book, incredibly easy to use, super safe, totally secure, super, super, fast payouts in as quick as two hours. You're not going to get that anywhere. Also, same game parlay bets, live betting. It's the best. Hey, if you're new, just download the Fandul Sportsbook app. I did it in 15 seconds.

Get started now. Sign up. Please use the promo code Colin so they know we sent you. Please use the promo code Colin. C-O-L-I-N. Fandul Sportsbook app, sign up. This is Prime Cuts, the best of the Colin Coward podcast. Some of my favorite people this week, Cowboy Insider,

Matt Mosley, thoughts on Dallas's dominant went over the Falcons, Boston Institution, reporter Tom Curran, all sorts of Belichick, Brady, and Mac Jones Nuggets. Chad Millman and I discuss our most interesting bets for the NFL Week 11. I was sort of amazing last week. I hope you heard.

But first, my top takes of the week. You know, there are certain times when the media goes overboard on stuff. Like OBJ, the drive. drama between the Browns and the destination landing spot, the Rams, it's really, he's at best the number two receiver for the Rams. The media has given up more coverage than it deserves. And that happens a lot where the media covers something. It's a player that's interesting, a player that's dramatic. You know, OBJ is just not changing games in the NFL. He's not changing

lines, but he is a unique player. L.A. Rams are an aggressive franchise. The Browns are historically a tire fire. And then there's times that the media doesn't cover something. And I'm shocked by it. I could not believe, and I said it, and I've said it 15 times when Kevin Durant left a dynasty for the Brooklyn Nets. I thought it was a staggeringly horrible decision. The best, arguably after LeBron, the best player in the league, leaving a dynasty, the best run organization for a losing culture, the Brooklyn Nets, with no great history, and choosing Kyrie Irving, flaky to his core over Steph Curry, the most selfless superstar NBA player probably of my life. Now you're seeing as Curry goes into Brooklyn drops 37 and the crowd is chanting MVP for an opposing

player. I have no idea why Katie did this. There is no comp in the history of sports where a player could have stayed with a dynasty, the dynasty had all of its parts, was a significantly brilliantly run organization, and leaves for an inferior point guard that had baggage and an inferior organization and inferior momentum. You're seeing it now play out. Stephen A. Smith finally addressed it the other day, almost post-mortem. Like the nets feel like they're sort of, right? They're sort of dead.

Hardin's not the same player due to a real. rule change. Kyrie's not available. They still really don't have a great bench. I don't know why it wasn't covered. I think it's the most undercovered sport story in the last couple of years. It is unbelievable to me that Kevin Durant. Do you realize if Kevin Durant stayed, they would have drafted Jordan Poole, right?

That was the draft after he left. Well, they would have draft him had he stayed. You would have KD. Jordan Poole is a borderline all-star, Steph, Clay, Draymond. Now, James Wiseman, that pick you wouldn't have had. That was a number one pick because you tanked. But the media overcovers many things. I'd be the first to admit it. We have under, I haven't, but the media has undercover how unbelievably regrettable KD's decision was to go to Brooklyn. I want to talk about Green Bay and Seattle. There is an understanding that Aaron

Rogers will probably test the waters after the season. I do not think he can do better, in my opinion, than Green Bay. They develop offensive lines as good as anybody in the NFL not name the Patriots. He's got a number one receiver and two very capable backs. A.J. Dillon now is a great compliment back to Aaron Jones. Cross our fingers on Aaron Jones health. He left that game early. He's got an offensive coach, great home field advantage. And I think the defense this year, is the best the Packers have had since their Super Bowl winning year. Let's talk about Russell Wilson. I've been told by people I trust in the Pacific Northwest.

He's not happy. He wants an offensive coach. He doesn't feel like he has a creative offense. He has some say in it, but not as much as he'd like. We all assume Aaron Rogers is going to really test the waters. I would not be in the least surprised after that Jordan Loeuf. appearance against the Chiefs, if Green Bay moved Jordan Love, got a fifth, six round pick, and re-signed Aaron Rogers.

Wouldn't be surprised. By the way, Aaron got some really, really ugly press not being vaccinated. It made them look too hip for the room and kind of selfish. What is the one way to garner some affection, not only in Green Bay, but the NFL? Well, re-sign with the Packers, make an announcement. I'm finishing my career in Green Bay. Feels like, oh, he's a team guy. He's a family guy.

We got his back. Right? After all that negative press, what's the one thing he could do? He'd be supported. He'd have a fan base that loves him. I mean, hasn't he pissed off enough people? You go back to Green Bay, you sign a four-year deal, you move the money around. I'm all in.

He wins another Super Bowl's got two first ballot Hall of Famer. He doesn't want to end his career like Farrv and be choppy. I mean, I know we look at Tom Brady at Tampa and go, oh, this is the way it's going to work. It's not the way it works. Go back to Montana. Go back to Fav. You can win some games.

It's usually really choppy. I think Russell Wilson, on the other hand, folks, it's getting worse. I mean, Aaron's getting to NFC championships. Russell's won and done in the playoffs. Pete Carroll is 70. He's a defensive coach. He gave up two first for Jamal Adams. The offensive line is average.

Green Bayes is almost always excellent. You watch Russell Wilson. It's not creative, very little motion, very dependent on him making a play with his feet. That is a story. I'm 50-50 on Russell Wilson as a Seahawk next year. And I think there's a lot of suitors. This week there was an interesting moment during a press conference when Bengals head coach Zach Taylor said that he enjoys every couple of years going to Vegas and doing nothing but playing craps for 72 hours. No dinners, just craps, no shows.

And I thought to myself, that's what he should do if he wants to ease the stress of coaching. Can you imagine saying that five years ago? Tony Romo in 2015 wanted to hold his fantasy football convention in Vegas. and was told by the league he couldn't. It's amazing in this country what we fear. Gay marriage. It looks ridiculous now that for years and years that was in some eyes taboo. Sports gambling.

Folks, it's a $4 billion industry before the Supreme Court ruled it was legal. They're doing it in Europe in stadiums for years. legalization of pot. Did you know anybody that wanted to get high that couldn't? The things 20 years ago that we feared in America, you look at them now and it's embarrassing. If you ever fear something, ask yourself, what am I actually afraid of? What were you afraid of in gay marriage? What were you afraid of that the world would become a bunch of potheads?

Anybody that wanted to get high was getting high. And people that don't smoke pot. Remember, 30% of Americans don't drink. Just because you legalize drinking, there's still going to be 30% of people that don't drink. 70% of America's never smoked pot. They're not going to rush to the store to smoke it once it's legal. And the fact that we feared gambling, anybody that wanted to put 50 bucks in a football game was doing it. Whenever you fear something, what are you truly fearing?

That all of our athletes who are making millions a year would be throwing games again. Europe was ahead of us on gay marriage. Europe was ahead of us on legalizing pot. Europe was ahead of us on gambling in sports. Take a deep breath. There's nothing to fear. NFL season has given us a big week 11 divisional matchup. Rivals the Arizona Cardinals and Seahawks.

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It's secure. It's easy to use the payouts. I love betting the NFL on Fandall. It's so easy. Plus, you win. Two hours you get paid. $50. $50, Fanduil is hooking all customers up when you refer a friend.

Plus your friend gets $50 too. See for yourself. Just sign up promo code Colin this week before the Cardinals take on the Seahawks. $150 and a $5 bet. Please use the promo code Colin exclusively on the FanDual Sportsbook app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the Fubber. forth. 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-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do 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 is big to me, not just because. of crack.

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

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that'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, our heart radio app,

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Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. All right, he's going to be a little obnoxious. Matt Mosley, his cowboys, covered him. One of my favorite bets of the week. I took four dogs and the Dallas Cowboys. Let's bring in Mosley. He's been covering the Cowboys forever, Baylor alum. So I want to let people hear my drink.

I poured my first cocktail. I'm not saying it's my last. mostly because I knew I don't pick favorites much in the NFL, but you could kind of feel this one. Dan Quinn, his old team, little chip on his shoulder. You know, it was funny, Matt, because it's not that Dallas lost. They were so physically dominated by Denver. You did have a feeling this week.

I imagine as somebody who covers the team, it did feel like they were going to bounce back. Was this kind of, I mean, it was so. But did you see it coming a little? Yeah, I'm glad to know you called this shot. I did see it. I don't think I knew it was going to be this dominant, but I thought they were embarrassed.

The Quinn factor. And of course, they did the game ball and did all the things you would expect them to do after the game. But I think this one, when we're at the Super Bowl and we're hanging, where is it? You're part of the world? and in Los Angeles. Yeah. This, if they, they'll look back at that Denver game as major, major crossroads,

sort of big moment. But I think the best thing for Cowboys fans is I think it's a freak out. It's one thing to get beat. I think there's a freak out factor when your quarterback looks that confused. And he's throwing those kinds of passes. Like, I think we've sort of taken him for granted. And even you who doubted him. him for years, has finally put him in that elite category. And so to see him backslide and have a

horrible game is just weird. Today, he did everything he needed it to. Their defense was dominant. And the best thing you can say for them is they again lost another really good player. Yeah, it's like a pretty heavy pour that you had there. Yeah. Very strong poor. They, they lost Randy Gregory. And I think we've covered this in the past. I mean, he's become one of their best players. Oh, yeah. It didn't even seem like they missed him. Like, you know, Atlanta, and Atlanta early on looked like they were just going to throw to Kyle Pitts all day.

He was like 17, 18, 17. And then they'd never did anything the rest of the game. Yeah. You know, it's funny about this year, Matt, it's a really strange year. Brady gets shelled today. Russell Wilson, you know, can't score. Last week, the Bills lost the Jags. The Ravens beaten by my.

Miami. The Rams have had a couple of stinkers at home. Carolina destroys Arizona, though, it's not with Kyler Murray. But, you know, I was saying this in the prelude to you is that Tennessee and New England now. They don't have the ceiling of Buffalo. But Tennessee and New England are the most consistently good teams in the last month in the AFC. I look over at the NFC. The Rams now without Woods, you cross your fingers on OBJ's health. Their offensive lines been pushed around. Brady's in a little bit of a funk now back-to-back games. You start looking at Green Bay. I think it's the best defense they've had in years.

But I haven't felt all year the offense is right. Last time I had you on, I said this. You take out one game. To me, Dallas is the most consistent team in the NFC. They really are. Arizona, I almost give them a bit of a pass. But we don't have Demarcus Lawrence. We've had injuries.

Tyron Smith. Michael Gallup. Like I have historically been not anti-Cal, but pretty cynical. This is the first year I can remember since one of Romo's early years that I'm like, well, this team could win the Super Bowl. Do you feel that today? Yeah, the Romo year you would have been talking about was 2007. And they had a run.

And the Giants beat them at the end of the game. And they could have caught a touchdown there. And the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. And so I do feel like that for the very reasons you talked about. I think some of these other teams are so flawed. And, you know, I wrote about this for Fox Sports.com this week over on the, I thought, well, why don't, what are they doing on the, on the, on the offensive line? And that's one thing that McCarthy's being very stubborn on.

I thought he should leave the guy at right tackle. Terrant steel. That Terence still has been so good. and you could, you know, Lyle Collins could move over the left side. Well, today, Terrence still looked fine. And he just was a fish out of water last week. He'd never really played left tackle. And it felt completely wrong.

Well, another thing that helps is that they have Joe Philbin as their old line coach. They have tried, Jerry, oddly enough, doesn't always do great with assistant coaches. And sometimes they'll just put like ex-Cowboy's players or people that just kind of aren't that qualified at some of these positions. McCarthy's put together an adult staff. And so they've got a really good old line coach in Philbin. And so think about this. What they have is sort of part of their staff are field head coaches.

And that sounds like I'm making light of it. But the truth is they've sort of seen it. And they know the ups and downs of that. Quinn's been around great defenses. he's at one point, we thought his Atlanta team, you know, they had a chance to win the Super Bowl. So they've sort of seen the top and then Philbin saw the bottom when he was with the dolphins, but their battle tested. And then they just have a perfect compliment right now of, so I think their coaching staff is sort of something that's maybe not getting talked about enough. And I would just say that you and you were one of the first people who brought this up.

Parsons is a maniac. Oh, he's just easily the best athlete on the field in virtually every cowboy game I've seen. Yeah. And he's impossible to block. And this is credit to McCarthy or Quinn, whoever came up with this. So they made the decision to say, you know what, why don't we let him just line up and go after people? It made, you know, it made a lot of sense. They gave a safety, Jaron Curse, the.

the mic in his helmet and they said let's just I mean that's a lot for a rookie to do to have to relay the play get everybody lined up let's give it to a veteran and now they have this journeyman veteran I mean think about all these guys that are playing starring roles there's a guy named Casey he was number 18 out there curse is number 27 Wilson's number six and they're just like random sort of okay fringe type players from the past and Quinn's got them all like messes together playing really well. Like Van der Esch was supposed to be some great linebacker. Well, he's not that guy, but he's fine. He made plays today. They couldn't run on the Cowboys. And then in the, what's happened is Diggs is so great at his timing and everything. One thing that had slipped against Denver and even the previous week against Minnesota was their takeaways had gone down.

And then today they had a bunch of those. And I do think this seems kind of come in bunches. and that's another thing. Sometimes I have to try a little too hard to find things to brag on McCarthy. But one of the things that he's been good at at Green Bay and now with the Cowboys is turnover margin. And that's nothing to sneeze at. I mean, that's a pretty huge thing in the NFL. You know, I was thinking about this.

I've always had this belief. Like, I have certain beliefs to be true. Young teams can't win NBA finals. Why? Because the refs swallow their whistles and more physical. thicker, older players push around kids. We saw it last year, Milwaukee with the sons. We saw it with the Lakers in the bubble against Miami.

That's one of my theories. You can't win a championship as a young team in the NBA because the refs swallow their whistles, big advantage, older, stronger players. In baseball, can't win a World Series of the bad bullpen. You can't be given up runs in the seventh, eighth, ninth. You can't win. In the NFL, to win a Super Bowl, you need like six players minimums. six to seven players having great years, like playmakers. So I'm going to give you the Dallas players, I think are playmakers.

All right. Zika's become a playmaker again. C.D. Lamb has become a playmaker again. Micah Parsons is a playmaker. Trayvon Diggs is a playmaker. Randy Gregory is a playmaker. And I would say DAC is a playmaker. I don't know the health of DeMarcus cousins, but I think Dallas is now, in my opinion,

is now qualifying as a Super Bowl team. where they have like six guys that could make a play against the Rams, against Brady, C.D. Lamb, Zeke, Dac, Micah Parsons, Trayvon Diggs, absolutely Randy Gregory, and, you know, potentially Demarcus Lawrence, whenever he comes back. Am I missing anybody? Is there an unsung hero on this Dallas team? Well, you know, Schultz has been extreme. I mean, he's come on and he has become somewhat of a weapon. And it's not every week. But Dak loves him. And I think Pollard's a playmaker.

I mean, I think he's just flat out. You know, you get him in space and he can do so many things. I mean, this is a team that honestly compared to a lot of these other teams is, I think, loaded. And Zeke even said something to that effect today. We're that team, but we just have, we can't afford to have these, you know, kind of like what happened to them last week. But no, I think you. I think you pretty much, I think you covered it. And I think that's enough to do something pretty special if you have that kind of,

if you have that many playmakers. And I think there, I just sensed it today after the game. I think there was a certain amount of embarrassment, anger. And then Fangio got them fired up. I mean, Vic saying, I don't know what it, you know, everybody, nobody's played them the right way. And from a coaching standpoint, all the coaches took a little offense to that. And the Atlanta Falcons had to bear the brunt of that.

All right, we bring in Tom Curran, who's been a Patriot Insider for NBC Sports Boston. When I lived in the Northeast, there's a lot of Patriots and Red Sock talk. And he was the guy I really relied on very quickly. If Tom said it, it was true. Covering the Patriots in the NFL since the 90s. mid to late 90s and try to bring them on a few times a year. And I thought this was really an interesting time because, you know, you get these narratives and they stick.

And Tom, I want to start, it might take away on Mack Jones was he got the best landing spot. New England didn't give up picks to get him. Best coach in football, arguably best coordinator, always a top 10 offensive line, good running game. and they've done a good job, especially on the defensive side, to draft and develop players. And they'd spent some money on free agency. So my takeaway is, listen, there's some limitations on off-script plays. He's not Justin Fields.

But, and if you look at the numbers, a lot of checkdowns, a lot of safe stuff, but he's gotten out of the crappy throw portion of the rookie quarterback. And that's a big thing. It's not that rookie quarterbacks can't play, but the first year to two of your career, it's that oh good hell throw and he had it for about a month he didn't he didn't he didn't that's what's whacked about this old you seem very subdued so let's ratchet it he never did it it was crazy and that's what i look i said colin right before the draft when he was being bandied

about said the patriots already have mac jones on the roster his name's jarrott stidham i didn't think he was going to be this freaking good it was like you should fishing a barrel in Alabama. Then he gets here and he looks so good during minicamp and I talk to people who are involved with the team and closely involved with Mac and they tell me I've never seen a rookie this advanced. And he goes out

and he beats back what was actually a pretty good challenge from Camp Newton in training camp by every friggin day just making throw after throat it intersected perfectly with where guys were supposed to be. Yeah, you're right. He had games against Carolina

and the Chargers back to back. They're like, why are you getting jumping? What's with the happy feet? What's with the inaccurate throws? That's not you. And then he bounces back against Cleveland. So to me, honestly, the thing about him as it relates to the other guys who came in, Mac plays like a five-year veteran.

A good five-year veteran. Not a great five-year veteran, a good one. And I said this the other day, if you put all these five guys in a class and had Josh McDaniels teach it, and they passed in their tests, every week. Mac would always be around 93. You might see Trevor Lawrence around 88 at this juncture. You might see Justin Fields at 85. You might see Zach Wilson around 70. And Tralee, it's around 72. But Matt would always be turning in 93s because he knows WTF he's doing out there at all times. It's wild. I think every great coach has a whole. And one of the power dynamic for coaches that win Super Bowls can change.

So Pete Carroll, Paul Allen, dies the owner. His sister, who's not a sports fan, takes it over. And there's a weird power dynamic in Seattle the last couple of years where Pete is controlling the draft. And he's not a great drafter. Belichick, after maybe four or five Super Bowls, I was always told about January. He'd call off the scouts and say, I've got it from here.

And I'd been very critical about Bill is that I don't think, I think each job is incredibly strenuously hard, coach and GM. And then I read a story, Tom, it may have been from you about six months ago where he was going to back off a little and relinquish some power in the draft. Well, they had a great draft. Three of their top four picks are starters and really high-end starters. Just address that because you've been one of the few voices in that area that has said, hey, man, we don't draft skill people very well. It's a hole in the franchise.

What's wild is there is, I hate to say arrogance because it's really kind of. to notes that, you know, just on the underwings attitude. I don't think Bill has that. But into his 60s, he is so confident in his system, in his ability, in his coaching staff's ability, and in the players that he selects that he's looking for a certain kind of player. You remember a few years ago, Urban Meyer recounted a story at Ohio State, and he tells the players, he says, look, Bill Belichick told us, he doesn't want to coach. eight holes anymore.

He's going to coach players he likes to have. So that's why you see a guy like Jordan Richards in the second round from Stanford. Great guy. Well, you see Joanne Williams, a great personality in the second round out of Vanderbilt or Cyrus Jones in the second round. Or Duke Dawson in the second round.

Just this feeling that I can do what I want here with these picks because I feel confident that I'm going to get it right because I'm not good at it. Well, there was a beautiful safety net in Tom Brady. But it built things. felt like, you know, even the Seth Wickersham book, and it was even indicated to me, look, we can succeed with just about anybody. Tom's great, because we have a system in place. And I think it got, you know, to a point where Bill's drafting guys from different places,

and, you know, whether it be Rutgers for a long stretch, in Arkansas or Michigan, and he never had this wide neck, especially in the last decade. It brings in Elliot Wolfe. and Nick Casario leaves and all of a sudden all those hats that Nick wears where Bill and Nick would get into a room and say who do you like and Nick would never say, look, he wouldn't say poop if he had a mouthful half the time with Bill.

He just did what Bill wanted. So now, and this was told me too, Nick would only give his opinion if Bill went to him and Nick didn't know what Bill's opinion already was. So that was a hard thing. So Bill didn't hear pushback. And I think Bill voluntarily opened it up. and said, we're going to collaborate a little bit more.

But, you know, the owner talked about it. Bill talked about it kind of openly. They did. They opened it up and made it more collaborative. And I don't think, as you point out, it's not a coincidence. You're exactly right. I'm not going on to one. This is a podcast.

No, no, I love it. No, I mean, listen, Ramondre Stevenson's a home run. He's been terrific. A Baramore from Alabama who was good as a freshman at Alabama. I saw him as a freshman. I'm like, oh, my God, he's good. And then Max's been good. three of their four. And Bill's not somebody that is just going to insert a really talented rookie into the starting lineup. These are players. These are really high-end players. And I've always said this. I loved Mike Holmgren. Bad drafter. Pete Carroll's a Hall of Famer. Bad drafter. Belichick. You have to remove yourself emotionally from drafting. Coaches can generally what will help me win now. GMs are like, okay, it's a developmental player. A.J. Dillon can't help us now.

But he's going to be really good in 18 months. And for Green Bay. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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, untrower. filtered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clivert 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-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast.

I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what? went down and tried 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 you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting

to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you 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 conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have really. 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, a coach would be like, I got Aaron Jones. I don't need A.J. Dillon. And the Packers are like, yeah, but Jamal Williams is a free agent in a year. You're going to need him. And so GMs draft differently.

It can piss off your quarterback Aaron Rogers. It can drive the coach nuts. But generally speaking, GMs are better at the GMing than coaches. And that's what's interesting when the two are folded together because, you know, Bill's spending spree this offseason, Colin, is going to visit on him. You know, next offseason, for instance, J.C. Jackson is going to be a $90 million a year quarterback. They got nobody in the system who's J.C. Jackson level. Maybe he'll emerge. They've already picked up the 50-year option on Isaiah win for $10 million. So he's played at a C-minus level all year, even though we had a decent game the other day.

you have some massive cap hits from Johnny Smith and Hunter Henry and Nelson Aguilar. So they're not going to be able to shop like they did. What they did, pushing that cart through the aisles and loading it up, that's what they're going to have to play with for a little while. Do you think if Brady and Belichick sat down today, how would it go? It's funny. I was talking to somebody about that earlier today, Colin. I think that they both are exactly where they want to be

in that meeting that they had for about 20 minutes after their game, was probably really cathartic for both of them. You know, Belichick didn't do it on the field where everybody could see him. He went into the Tampa Bay locker room after the game, knowing that after a night game, your entire team wants to get the hell out of there, get on the buses, get on the plane,

and fly back wherever it is, because it's the middle of the night. But they took 20 minutes and sat there and talked. And Belichick likes to tie things off. And the Patriots at that point still had to, who got into a place where they were building momentum. They might have been one in two or one in three at that point. Either way, that was important to build because he kind of needed Tom inside the tent,

P and out as opposed to outside the tent P and in. So they had the embrace. Brady loves to have closure. And you even see this with the man in the arena and the Drew Pledso, revisionist history that's going on with, that was a contentious time. Yeah. Well, that's who didn't roll over. He handled it as classily as anybody possibly could have,

but he didn't say, wow, I guess the kid's good. He can take it, cut it out. So I think that they are both where they want to be, to answer the question. They're both where they want to be. Bill's onto his next guy and Trump's where he wants to be. Meandi's knows relationships aren't perfect. That's why they're celebrating imperfectly perfect matches

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Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnwity host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration

for Children and Families and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a story book. world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. All right. I bring in Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of an Action Network. I had a

a steaming hot week. Feral, very good. First of all, I've hit 11 of 12 college picks on Fandul. I'm on fire. And I had a very good NFL week. So I want to start with this because I never in my history like big favorites. And I've taken a big favorite four weeks in a row and I've hit on three of them. So there is not a big favorite I love this week.

I thought the Browns at minus 10 was interesting. 11 and a half, I'd probably stay away. But the Chargers at 5.5. Now, it's minus 6.5 now is interesting to me. So, listen, the Steelers simply aren't good enough offensively to go to a clear, mediocre backup. Mason Rudolph's not just a backup. He's not a top 10 backup. And a Charger team, now that Kansas City, a little bit of a reboot, this Charger team's got a couple of close losses. Minnesota is better than we think. This is my big favorite of the week. I like the Chargers minus five and a half to six and a half, sharper square.

It's kind of square. Is it? Yeah. I'm too hip to be square. Was that a song? You're way too hip to be square. But the wise guys, they like the Steelers in this spot. I think even if Mason Rudolph isn't playing, I mean, if Ben Rothsburger isn't playing,

They like the Steelers in this spot. Mike Tomlin is Rob Rob-R-R-Mike. This is when he wins. And I'm not just talking about as an underdog. He wins outright in these spots. In his career, 25 and 14 outright as an underdog in this spot. This is a really good running team in the Steelers against a terrible running defense. It is a defense.

We're still not sure about T.J. Watt, but it's still a really good defense against Justin Herbert, who all the rookie struggles that we thought he would have last year, he's starting to have this year. Defenses are adjusting and figuring him out. He's having some accuracy issues. Joey Bosa is going to be out of the game. It's just not a, it's not a great spot for the chargers, especially with the number. In fact, I've heard from plenty of guys who have said they're betting the Steelers outright on the money line. I'm going to take the Cowboys, my favorite play of the week plus the points against the Chiefs. And here's my reasoning.

So it's two and a half to three. I would take both. So sometimes in life, we want something to be true. And so when we get a glimpse of what could possibly make it true, we put our arms around it and go confirmation bias, this is true. We want Kansas City's offense to be back. It's fun. It's flashy. We know their players.

We had them of our fantasy teams. We like Andy Reed. Beating a chaos-laden Raiders team with an interim head coach, the second worst football team in the last 19 years in the league to the Cleveland Browns does not mean they're back. It means the Raiders are, as they've done in recent years, have no depth and are falling apart and have like a backup quarterback and interim coach, you get about three good weeks of him, and then he's exposed. People now have film on what the Raiders can't do.

Dallas does many things well. The Chiefs allow a quarterback passer rating of 100, and that includes the Jordan Love game. I think Dak's going to have his way. They're going to move the ball effectively. The blitzes won't be nearly as effective to a heavy weaponized team. And I think Dallas wins comfortably, Sharper Square. square. This is one of those you can just see it in the numbers. The bets are coming in on the

Cowboys. The money is coming in on the Chiefs. It's why the line opened it two and a half and has been bet up to three. There have been some interesting things happening with the Chiefs. Mahomes has said outright, it's not in his nature to do what he's been asked to do. The past few weeks. And don't sleep on the chiefs. The past few weeks, they found their way into winning. And they have found their way into being contention in the AFC West when they were in last place just a few weeks ago. They're taking what the defense is giving them now. They're taking the short passes. They're emphasizing the run. And it's giving them the opportunity to set up the longer plays, which is obviously what Mahomes wants to do. And he wants to score in those bunches. He wants those big

chunk plays. This plays into the advantage of a very aggressive defensive secondary, right? Trayvon Diggs, their defensive, their cornerback who's lighting up the world with all his interceptions also gives up some of the biggest plays in football. And now Dallas is missing its top two pass rushers, including Randy Gregory, who was out. And it's probably been one of the three best pass rushers in the league this season. Then you've got Orlando Brown, who's finally playing better after being signed from the Ravens to be the new left tackle for the Chiefs. The defense, it's not good, but at least it's not as bad as any defense in history anymore. Now it's just a little bit worse than average. So I feel like if you're getting Mahomes

at a field goal or less, that's kind of an advantage. And the wise guys see it that way. I would take the Seahawks plus points at home against the Cardinals and here's my reasoning. Arizona has a buy after this week. What's the point of bringing Kyler Murray back? Once the Rams lost, you don't have to worry about the divisional lead. You rest Kyler Murray for two weeks. Russell Wilson, desperate at home getting points against a backup. I think I take Seattle, Sharper Square.

100% sharp side. The line has moved in their direction. The money is on their side. The bets are on the Cardinal side. Kyleor Murray is still not a guarantee to start. DeAndre Hopkins didn't practice this week. You've got Pete Carroll and Russ coming off of a loss. That plays in their favor.

In the last five games, the Seahawks defense, like the Chiefs, it started to improve, right? They're giving up fewer points every week. They're giving up fewer points to offenses that are really good, say the Rams and the Packers, and they're doing what they're supposed to do against offenses that aren't very good, say the Saints and the Jags. So those are really good signals for them. And here's an interesting trend. And you take it for what it's worth, but it's a big enough sample size. Since 2003, teams that are shut out against the spread, teams that are shut out,

then playing against teams that aren't coming off a buy, 41, 20, and 3. The nice spot. I would take the Saints plus one and a half at the Eagles. I think the Saints defense is really, really elite. Jalen Hertz is getting better. It's a coaching mismatch, but Jalen Hertz tends to be hot and cold. We don't really know what we get week to week. I think the Saints in a very low-scoring game win it outright.

It feels very much, let's be honest about the Saints. Take away a bad roughing the passer penalty against the Titans, and they could have won that game. It's a very good football team. We've seen them beat Tampa. We've seen them beat Green Bay. They should have beaten Tennessee. One of my stronger bets, I like the Saints plus the points. Yeah, that's totally sharp.

And the only little guy other than Mike Tomlin, you want to bet as an underdog over the past 20 years is Sean Payton. He's just, he's a coaching mismatch against everybody. He's a great football coach. And as an underdog in this spot against an Eagles team that defense is terrible. Jalen Hertz is inconsistent. Their running game is good. Here's the problem. Same to the number one rush defense in the NFL.

And that is the only thing the Eagle. can do really well. Since 2018, the Saints are 11 and 3 outright, meaning winning outright as underdogs. This is a top 10 team in DVOA, which is a fancy way of measuring your skill and your stats against a strength of schedule metric. Philly is the middle of the pack. And you mentioned New Orleans. We loved them last week.

It's the Titans. They did a solid by not converting a two-point conversion to end of the other game, so we didn't have to sweat overtime. I think the Saints are an outright win here. At the Volume Sports YouTube channel, Twitter, Instagram, rate review, subscribe. We'll talk soon. The Volume. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1,800flowers.com.

From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for the... 3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 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 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, Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a gal. far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.