The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Belichick, Patriots-Bills

Episode Date: December 7, 2021

Bill Belichick showed his experience last night against the BillsThe Patriots system is simple yet affectiveHow reporters ask questions is very importantGuest: Mike Silver Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Tuesday. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now. We're starting to get clarity. Heard hierarchy, the 10 best teams in the NFL. They're not as jumbled together as they were a couple of weeks ago.

and Joy Taylor is joining me. What, you know what, it was raining in Los Angeles this morning. It's going to rain on Thursday. So Buffalo, we know what you go through with that terrible weather here in Los Angeles. We can feel your pain. That's crazy. Yeah, right. Oh, my God.

Listen, we know Bill's Mafia is a great, great fan base. I mean, unbelievable. But that was cold. That was next level cold. And for the record, we've still got like four weeks. have a month of NFL season to go. Players can get hurt. Players can get healthy. In Buffalo this morning, it's man overboard. It's like, no, you're probably going to face them again. Yeah, there's a little bit of time. We still have a lot of time. We're early December. We don't

end this thing till February. And that was a pretty unique night. It was a really unique. It was fun. So this is fun. Before this weekend, we were ready to crown Georgia, the new power in college football. Nick Saban, 70. old head. George is now going to jump over him. And Belichick finally now cannot. Sean McDermott, Josh Allen in Buffalo,

snowstorm Mac Jones and his little arm. Can't run around as no chance. And this morning you wake up and Belichick and Sabin are more powerful and there's a bigger gap between them than the rest of the sport. It felt like most of the night, Buffalo had better players. And they certainly got into the red, zone more. I mean, New England had one big play offensively. I thought Buffalo had better players,

but Belichick had a better plan. He never let Mack Jones throw back-to-back throws until they had the wind in the fourth. They had decided early, obviously, no field goals unless you're in the 10-yard line or closer. And there is a reason, and Sean McDermott's a very good coach. There is a reason Belichick, it looked like had a better plan. You can go to a prep school. If your parents can send you Princeton, there's nothing like experience. Belichick's been in 30 games like this. I mean, he's been 30 games with a 25 mile an hour nor'easter. Some in Foxborough, some on the road.

That's why I think the Bill's players, one of the reasons they were so frustrated after is they knew they had the better team and the better opportunities. And this is something to think about. Go look at the one coach in the AFC that is given Belichick trouble. Andy Reid, the old guy. So the AFC is a bunch of young coaches and young quarterbacks. Lamar and Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Now you got Zach Wilson and you got Tua and you got, they already beat Justin Herbert this year. But Andy reads the guy that always gives Belichick trouble because he has life experience. He has game experience, weather experience. By the way, this has happening to Nick Saban. Let's bring in Lane Kiffin and let's bring in all these young SEC coaches and Kirby smart, who's the one coach that beat Sabin this year. Old Jimbo Fisher, who's had multiple head coaching jobs. Like, you can't beat experience.

You can't beat it. I don't care how smart you are. Sean McVeigh's as smart as any young coach ever. Remember the Super Bowl? Like literally, over three hours, you're like, oh, mentor, pupil. And I watched that game last night. I think Buffalo's got better players. I think they have a more talented quarterback.

And by the way, New England had one big run the entire night. Buffalo kept getting into the red zone. But look at the NFC. NFC's, you got Ariens is old and Brady is old and Aaron Rogers is older and Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll and McCarthy and Dak and Stafford and Ron Rivera. A lot of old quarterbacks and a lot of old coaches. But the AFC, where Belichick's at now, it's a lot of hire the young guy to beat Bill, get the great quarterback to beat Bill.

And with both Sabin and the SEC facing young coaches and young quarterbacks and Belichick, facing young coaches and younger quarterbacks, the sport is moving right into their wheelhouse. It is, I wouldn't put Buffalo to bed. I think Buffalo's outstanding. but I will say this about both Belichick and Saban. There is a reason that they've had lots and lots of their assistants and coordinators leave and fail because you can copy a lot in life. You can't copy smart.

And both Belichick this past off season and Sabin about four years ago did something a lot of older coaches won't do. They threw stuff away. They adapted. They evolved. That is the difference between aging. well and aging poorly. Can you get over yourself?

Belichick's like, I'm going to give the drafting back to the scouts. I'm not doing a very good job at this sometimes. And I'm going to spend some money in free agency. That's so anti-bill. Nick Saban, four or five years ago, I read a great story in the New York Times about a couple years ago, maybe later this earlier this year, or Sabin admitted when he got Lane Kiffin on his staff. He's like, you can't win with defense.

You can't stop anybody. He goes, I can't stop anybody. And I got all the best players. I mean, Georgia this weekend. They couldn't stop anybody. They couldn't stop them. And so I love to see we discard people so quickly, right? But if Brady's playing until his mid-40s and Brady's going to win the MVP,

then why can't these guys coach to 78, 79 years old? I'm watching Sabin right now play chess against Kirby Smart. I'm watching Belichick move all those pieces around. You can't duplicate him. Andy reads about the only guy, Bill goes up, up against and you're like, oh, this is a real chess match. And he's got all the brain power and all the players and a good culture. And he's been in all these bad games. He's been in hot games, cold games, by weeks, short weeks. Here's Sean McDermott, very frustrated after.

Let's not give more credit than we need to give credit to Bill Belichick in this one. It was, whether it's Bill or anybody else, they beat us, right? You sit here and you tell me when they start with the average starting, when we start with the average starting field, is in the 40-yard line, and he starts with the 23-yard line, and I'm rounding up in both cases, and we were one-for-four-one in the red zone, and they're 0-for-1 in the red zone, you'd give me that ahead of time, I'm saying, I like my chances. I like my chances. So it's not, I don't think, with all due respect, it's not a Bill Belichick-type thing. No, no, this is a little bit Bill Belichick thing,

and I like Sean McDermott a lot, but it's interesting. When I say best coaches off a buy, You think Andy Reid and Belichick. Best coaches as an underdog in the league. Mike Tomlin, Sean Peyton. You think it's a, you think it's just coincidence? There are four old heads. Tomlin.

I mean, what Tomlin's doing now with Big Ben is ridiculous. How are they winning games? He's got all these young pieces on the O line. Peyton, Reed, Belichick, Sean Payton. Best by week coaches. Best coaches is underdog. great motivators. It's good to see it. I know we like to discard everybody. A couple years you're going to be discarding me. And you're just going to move me right out of this chair. And then I'm

going to have a really good segment. And I'm going to be in your face, young people, in your face. All right. Let's talk Mac Jones. I said this last week. Everybody's terrified to compare him to Tom Brady. Well, of course, old Tom Brady and young Mac Jones. Folks, young Mac Jones looks like young Tom Brady. need to just put your arms around it because that's exactly what it looks like. Now, everybody rolls their eyes over last night because they didn't ask him to do a lot last night. So just take last night out. Mac Jones last six games. He has the highest passer rating in the NFL completing almost 70% of his throws, nine touchdowns, no interceptions. At the podium and in the game, never makes a mistake. Highest passer rating in the league in those six games.

higher than Matt Stafford. A lot fewer mistakes than Matt Stafford. Ask yourself this. When Brady was winning early, and all of us, myself included, were saying system quarterback. And then he goes to Tampa and he takes a lot of his system. And now nobody says system quarterback. But Tom took about 80% of what Tampa did last year at the by week and he's doing the same

system. A lot of gronk, a lot of running, a lot of efficiency, doesn't get sack much, good old line. He just took the system to New England and melded it with Bruce Ariens and younger personnel in the perimeter, which is really all he lacked in New England. You start looking at Mack Jones. What is New England? What is Belichick? What did he ask Brady to do? It's like, Tom, I don't need sidearm passes. I don't need left-handed passes. I never need you. to wear a cape. Don't make dumb mistakes. Be mature at the podium. Be great pre-snap. Be accurate. 90% of your stuff, 95% of your stuff is going to be in the pocket. Just don't make the big mistake. And that's overwhelmingly if you take out the Randy Moss years. That's a lot of what Tom did.

It's a lot of now what Tom does. Tom doesn't throw the best deep ball. Tom doesn't move around a lot. He throws more pick sixes now because I think he's a more confident player. And he doesn't really care at this point. I mean, he's had several. But if you look at what New England is asking Mac to do, it's exactly what they asked Brady to do. Forget the fact that they're almost the same size and their numbers look almost the exact same. Accuracy, IQ, maturity, pre-snap, don't make the big mistake.

New England's system is be selfless and win. That's their system. Tom Brady took pay cuts. Be selfless win and get the ball to the spot with the playmaker with the best chance to advance the football. That's exactly what Brady was asked to do, and that's exactly what Mack Jones does. You know, there's a, you know, some of these quarterbacks from Justin Herbert

to Lamar Jackson to Josh Allen Mahomes, there's an Avengers feel, right? Like they're so gifted. They're superheroes. And I do feel sometimes coaches feel that when you get this world-class talent, you got to let him kind of do his thing, right? That's not New England system. New England system is we have the best writers, the best director, the best plot, and the best story.

We don't need you ad lipping. We don't need you to ad lib. We don't need you to put on a cape. That's not what we do here. And I do think Andy Reid sometimes, you got to let Mahomes be a little Mahomes. Buffalo. You got to let Josh Allen, when he threw that 30-yard seat up the left sideline in a Nor'easter, you're like, God, what is that?

New England never felt that with Brady. And they take out the Randy Moss years. It was never a highlight reel. So what New England's system asked Brady and Mack Jones to do, if I said it right now, Mac Jones is a top 12 quarterback. I don't know. In that system, maturity, pre-snap, accuracy, efficiency, don't make the big mistake. It's certainly a top 10 quarterback fit in the league.

and it looks exactly like early Brady to me, exactly like it. Not saying old Tom. I'm saying young Tom and young Mac. I'm not afraid to say it. It looks exactly the same. They're asking him to do the exact same thing in mostly with a smart offensive coordinator in the same system. All right. Good stuff today.

Buffalo players, I'm going to support Mario Cristobal today. The media is doing it again. they don't understand how good of a hire this is. And Bryce Young for Alabama would go number one in the draft this year. That's a topic today. But years ago, I went to a seminar for two days on how to interview people, the questions to ask, what to avoid. And I saw the media make a mistake yesterday, in my opinion, and Buffalo players reacted,

I think, fairly to it. And I'll explain that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio 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, 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,

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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 gas. galaxy 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 bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Jay and I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

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

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Fight back against aging. It's called M Drive. They also have M Drive Lean protein powder. Helps your reduce waist size. Free shipping, 60-day money back guarantee. So years ago, I noted this that I went to a seminar, and it was really valuable.

It was a couple days at the old place. And it was about asking questions. And the late Larry King was somebody who was a bit of an idol for me. And Larry King used to get criticized because he asked softball questions. But what Larry King was doing was gaining trust to people. And if people trust you, you can ask personal questions and get. deeper, more thoughtful answers. If you're aggressive and you push at people, they'll back off. I mean, if somebody walked up to you and yelled, you'd back off. As somebody whispered, what are you doing?

You'd lean in. Larry made you lean into an interview because you never felt threatened. You trusted him. You feel like you could tell a story that you maybe not tell somebody who was hyper aggressive and trying to seek information that you weren't comfortable giving. So I always defended Larry on that. There's value to not having an interview, but like a conversation. I would never start. stop by a bar and listen to somebody, interview somebody. But if I was having a cocktail next to a couple waiting for my wife and they were having a conversation, I kind of listen to that conversation. So can you be conversational with players?

There's also something that needs to be said. As reporters, you have to know the temperature of the room and not use what I would call trigger words. Athletes just come off the field. New England scored one touchdown. Buffalo had a lot of the statistical advantage. Outside of two runs, New England average 3.5 yards of carry and didn't throw. Buffalo should have won that game.

They had more opportunities in the red zone. They didn't, and Belichick's brilliant. But a reporter asked two Buffalo players a question, and he used what I never like to use. Trigger words. Here you go. It's been over 40 years since the team that won a game passing that every time. Is that a pirate team? I mean, what kind of question is that?

What kind of question is that? What's a question? The nation's going to be criticizing you of falling in school. All right. I think we gave up seven points. Yeah, 14 to 14 to 14 to 10. Is that the final score? We made stops when we had to.

They had one big run. I mean, they got good backs. They kept coming back to a couple runs. I mean, I don't know how you want us to answer that question. That's funny. Well, we'll remember that. I'll remember that. Okay, so the minute you use the word embarrass, you lost them.

See their body language? It's a bad reporting move. You lost them. I never want to interview somebody on this show for 10 minutes and lose them in the first question. If I have a hard question, I'll get to it. You lost them. They didn't listen to a thing you said after that. They eventually, and these are good guys.

These are guys that are known throughout the league. These are good guys. I mean, there's some bad guys. Every team's got a couple of butt heads that are just obnoxious and tough to deal with. These are good guys. They go up every week and talk. You could ask them if they're frustrated. Are you frustrated?

They kept running two or three of the same thing. Are you angry? But when you ask somebody if they're embarrassed, if I had a bad segment and my boss came up to me and said, are you embarrassed about that segment? I'd want to haul off and slap him. you don't ask somebody if they're embarrassed. If you lose a case in court, would you go up to the attorney and say, are you embarrassed? Say, are you frustrated?

I'm not trying to do a journalism class here. That was a bad job by the reporter. You lost them with the question. They tuned you out. You never want to do that. You want to just keep building trust, building trust. And they're athletes. They worked their tails up.

This was not, you know what was embarrassing? I had two executives in the NFL. text me over the weekend during Jacksonville's game. And they said, this is embarrassing for Urban Meyer. This is embarrassing. That was not embarrassing. It was playing football in a Nor'easter. And I thought Buffalo was better.

And they had those back-to-back red zone opportunities. I'm like, they're going to win this game, and they didn't. And that's because, you know, New England's defense is great. But that's the big run. You take out that run and one other 22-yard run, New England average three and a half yards of carry. and New England deserves all the love for it. But you've got to know the temperature in the room.

I used to be in these press conferences all the time. And I wasn't perfect, but I never tried to win the press conference. That feels like a reporter trying to win the moment. And in the end, he lost two really good guys and two players with the question. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

I should teach a journalism class, I swear to God. Well, you never want to make yourself the story. You don't use trigger words. Right. Yes. If somebody came to me, one of my bosses and didn't like a segment, they would never, ever hear say, are you embarrassed about that segment? They like, you know, I know exactly what my bosses would say. What do you make of that segment?

They want me to explain it. What do you make of that segment? And I'd go, it's not my best effort. I apologize. They would never go, are you embarrassed about that? Because that would put me on the defense. if I'd be angry and you'd be like you'd want to lash out of them. You know, this is why I defended Cam Newton so harshly after that, that Super Bowl press

conference. The towel thing or something? Well, just like he was upset. Like, he just lost the Super Bowl. Is he okay? Is that right? You ever watch the Olympics? People train for eight years for the Olympics.

Right. The second the 220 is over and they're going, the reporters trying to crystallize the moment in Australia. How do you feel? Like not talking. do you at all? That's the number one question is that you never ask is how do you feel? Especially,

at least after a loss. After a win, sure. After a loss, you do not ask how you feel. How do you think I feel? Which is the appropriate response to that question. That is one thing they do teach you in journalism school. This is free journalism class guys. By the way, don't ask how you feel after a loss. Next time we do this, it's going to be

through a paywall. It's just too valuable information to give away. First one's free. So last week on the Pat McAfee show, Aaron Rogers had mentioned the possibility of having surgery on his fractured toe. And head coach Matt LaFleure was asked about it yesterday and about if Rogers is planning to go under the knife. Not to my knowledge, but, you know, I don't believe so now. Well, I know he was, you know, getting treatment and doing everything he can to be 100%.

I still think it's a process like anything. And we'll see where he's at this week. You know, hopefully we can get him out there at practice. but if not, we've got a lot of confidence and just his ability to go out there and play at a high level. It's a really strange injury because he also said that if he did have surgery, he wouldn't miss any time. But I guess if that was really the case,

then I guess you would have it. It's not COVID, though. No, we have eliminated that it is not COVID-toe. It's just a, I mean, he's 37 years old. He's going to be 38 by the end of the year. Well, he suffered the injury during the workout during his COVID-19 quarantine. Yeah, I mean, stuff breaks when you get older. but what's remarkable is that he's still

he's playing at the level that he's playing with it since he's come back is 64.3 completion percentage 984 passing yards six passing touchdowns one rushing touchdown which is even more impressive given the foot situation and one interception and they're nine and three and first in the NFC north with a healthy lead on the Vikings who are five and seven

and just lost to lions the Packers hosts the Bears on Sunday night 12 and a half point favorites according to FoxBed, which coming off a buy, though. Been a little bit healthier. A herd hierarchy. We'll see where we put the Packers. I am very pro Packers this year.

Yes. Well, I think they play. You have been, you've acknowledged that they're a good team, but you haven't been convinced of the Packers for the last two years. Yeah. Because you felt they were more of a finesse team. That's right.

And they got beat by. This year, last year, a physical team, Tampa. Year before, physical team San Francisco. This is the first year. are missing all sorts of starters, I felt like, oh, they can go octagon. They can go right in there and go blow to blow. You have to be able to win more than one way. And I finally feel the Packers now can win more than one way. That's why I think that win last night from the Patriots was so impressive. Yeah. So the 2021 Heisman Trophy finalists were announced yesterday. Michigan defensive

and Aiden Aiton Hitchingson, Pitt's quarterback, Kenney Pickett, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama's quarterback Bryce Young. Bryce Young is currently the odds. on favorite to win at minus 5,000, according to Fox bet, Aden Hutchinson plus 2,000. I want him to win. I want a defensive player to win. It would be cool. I mean, he's had 13 and a half sacks, 10 quarterback hurries. He was absolutely unblockable in the Ohio State game.

And by the way, Bryce Young, all these kids are amazing. And Bryce is amazing. But I feel like part of the Heisman is the fact that Michigan beat Ohio State and is number two in the country and many think number one and they're not doing it with offense. Like we don't think it's the quarterback. Why can't we finally break out of this give it to the quarterback? Quarterbacks touch

the ball 65 times, 70 times. Like it's time to give a defensive player. The last defensive player to win it was Charles Woodson. Okay, so my thing of the greatest defensive players in my life in college football that changed Hugh Green, Leroy Selman, Steve Etman,

Charles Woodson and this kid. Like where the story of the year, you can argue, a defensive player is the story of the year in college football. You have a lot of people that agree with you. I mean, obviously, Bryce Young is having an incredible season, but you want to reward other positions as well, especially when they are having years like Hutchinson is having. Five consecutive highs and winners have gone on to be selected

in the first round of the NFL draft, Devonte Smith, Joe Burrow, Kyle Murray, Baker Mayfield, and Lamar Jackson, then three of whom were number one overall picks. So the ceremony will be held in New York City on Saturday night. But congrats to all the finalists. So Manny Diaz was fired by Miami Monday after spending several days with his job status up in the air. Yesterday, he took a shot at the school pretty predictably on his way out about how it was handled. He said, I'm disappointed in the university's decision and the manner in which this played out over the last few weeks.

That certainly impacted our team, our staff, and their families. These are real people that gave everything to this program for the, that for them I hurt. Our players have proven their resiliency, so I know they will regroup and move forward with class, toughness, and unity. This was a very weird situation. It was choppy. It was awkward. Obviously, they were very publicly, not very publicly, but there were enough leaks that it was very publicly in the pursuit of Mario Cristobal. And they didn't fire Manny Diaz until, like I've been saying, sign on the dotted line. We're not making any moves. And so we know 100% that you're coming. And from that perspective, I understand this is, again, a business.

This is how these things are done. Sometimes they're not the most comfortable transitions. And the school is under a lot of pressure to win. So that's how it goes. Now, if you were performing at the higher level, then they wouldn't be talking about Christobal. The other awkward part of this is, what do you did to Temple before I took the Miami job?

Yes. Like you committed to being the Temple head coach and then three weeks later bailed for Miami. Yes. This is why I stay out of the integrity thing. Coaches bail on schools. Right. Schools bail on coaches. I'm not going to be a moralist here.

Too many people in the media get all upset. Schools. Lane Kiven got fired in a parking garage at USC. After a game, he's in his car getting fired before he drives home to his beautiful family. It's both ways. It happens both sides. It's a business. It's not romantic.

It's not nostalgic. It doesn't make you feel good. It's not warm and fuzzy, but at the end of the day, these are their jobs. And it's a business. It's a transaction. It's a contractual business. It's a high-pressure business. It's a result-striven business.

So that's how these things are going to go. The one part I will defend Manny on, and obviously this was an uncomfortable situation, is that he's talking about his staff. And we so often focus on the big guys, the guys that are making $8 million a year, all of that. You have staffs, and those guys are not making that. Those women are not making that. And they now have to find new jobs. And they don't know what they're going to do with where they're going to move their kids and all of that. So we don't focus on the whole staff that's going to be replaced.

So in that sense, that is fair. But this is the business. Yep, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Well, he is written and performed and undiligent work for the NFL Network Sports Illustrated. I use him over at the volume. He's one of my buddies. Mike Silver's an NFL reporter. He's joining us now brought to you by Mercedes. Ben's the best or nothing. So everybody's beating up on the bills this morning. And my takeaway was, if you take out the big run, there were two big runs for New England, one for a touchdown. They averaged three and a half yards, a carry. I thought Buffalo was the better team. Belichick's really good in these short weeks, buys, bad weather games.

I think Buffalo, if they played tomorrow, I still think I'd probably lean Buffalo. I mean, everybody's so punitive against the bills this morning. What's your takeaway on what you watched? Well, Colin, I would just add this caveat, and I hear you. But, um, they have not been able to run the football effectively other than when Josh Allen takes off, and he's a very, very good runner. But, you know, that's a flaw. It's not, you know, insurmountable in any given game. You can chuck it all over the yard.

You can rely on your defense. You can have your quarterback, you know, make up for some of it. But this was a game that called for we are balanced, if anything, skewing toward the run, as we saw the Patriots do. And, you know, I think Bill Belichick's decision to play it that way was partly because he looked at them and said, they're one-dimensional, and I'll stop them because they are. And so, you know, we always hear about running backs don't matter. They're devalued.

You can find one in the sixth round. And yeah, okay. And maybe, you know, we're oversimplifying because it has to do with offensive line play and all that. But I said before the draft, I thought the bills might take a running back. And people were like, what are you talking about? They took Singletary and then they took Moss and they don't need, they do. They need, you know, imagine if the Buffalo Bills had Jonathan Taylor on their team. It would be a much, much different team.

So all you people who think running backs don't matter, but you love them for fantasy, they kind of do. And the Patriots smartly found some young ones who can get it done in their system. I said before, I thought Mac Jones landed in the perfect spot. I thought he had an incredibly low ceiling. I didn't see him as taken over the league. I can acknowledge now. I thought Trey Lance not having to play. And Mac Jones, I thought he would sit behind Cam.

And I thought two great coaches, perfect. I didn't think he'd be this good, this fast. Are you a little surprised? A little bit, but I wonder, Colin, if Kyle Shanna had a surprise. So, you know, listen, they made that trade, right? He traded essentially three ones to move up from 12 to 3. My first reaction was, this is awesome. I'm so happy that Kyle loves one of these guys that much because it's almost an emotional decision at that point.

And, you know, really, he had to love 3 that much because he can't count on Lawrence and Wilson definitely going to. But I'm like, there's clearly a guy he made this trade for. You don't make that trade thinking, okay, well, now we're going to evaluate and we'll get one of them. You know, like, I believe, and I stand by this, that he made that trade thinking Mac Jones was that guy. And then he went through the process and talked himself out of it. And I understand Tray Lance could be a transcendent talent, and he's not only got the physical skills, but the acute intelligence, which, you know, you put all that together. It could be a home run. And it still may be.

But I just wonder if Kyle Shanna had, you know, his first instinct was this guy would be perfect. And is there a little part of him that dies every time Mac Jones completes the pass? Which, by the way, on Monday night was only two times. But be that as it may. Like, I know Kyle knew, like, if you had to have a guy play in 2021, clearly Mac Jones was going to be way more prepared, given the background. But the story, you know, and the story has yet to be written. but if Trey Lads doesn't turn out to be a home run, Kyle, I think is always going to just be like,

why did I not listen to myself? Right. You know, the Patriots prove they can win ugly. The question is, I guess I can make the argument. Kansas City's been winning ugly for weeks. What do you make of their, I mean, I said this yesterday. Clearly, Mahomes is a little broken mechanically. It's just not right.

And I don't even know what their offensive identity is, because they don't run. They're good off the script. And then it goes down fast. What do you make of Kansas City going forward with what they currently are? Yeah, it's a very great question because I don't really understand it either. You're right. They're good on the script. And it's not just Mahomes, in fairness. Like Tyree Kill has having balls that you should catch, bounce off him that are intercepted. It all looks just a little off. And so, You know, I didn't really think of them as the type of offense that had to be in rhythm, right? Because Bohomes is so great off schedule, and they've done so many things off schedule, including, you know, the famous third and 26th in the Super Bowl against the Niners.

Like, they just, that's what they do. But, you know, the rhythm is off. And so, like, remember what the Colts used to look like when Peyton Manning's rhythm was on versus when someone would find a way to throw it off in the ball. playoffs it was like ugh so right i never i never thought of the chiefs like that but to their credit you're right they are winning ugly and if the patriots can do it in context at least in the wind why can't the chiefs at this point say you know we've got patrick behomes he's probably going to do special things at some point we've got kelsey and tyriek hill and you know our coaches are pretty good at game planning We might not be scoring 30.

You know, a good game we might, like the Raider game, a few weeks ago they did. But they also now, with the trade for Melvin Ingram and moving Chris Jones back inside, they're now defensively a much, much different team. And so they're like the Patriots. They're on a winning streak. The competition hasn't always been incredibly impressive. And they don't always score that much. but I think they have some similarities.

You know, it's funny. I feel that a lot of people are just reluctant to say Arizona's the best team in the league. I mean, they're blowing out everybody. They're unbeaten on the road, all by double digits. And everybody's like, I'll go up to the fence. I'll look at that opinion, but I'm not open in the gate. Why do you think that is?

Well, you're looking at me when you're talking. I feel like, I feel very like, feel very singled out here. Yeah, you know, I went into the season with a much different impression of the Cardinals. I thought it was very tenuous that it could all collapse very easily. There was a lot of internal pressure and I just wasn't buying it. So obviously, I was as wrong about that as I could be. But you're right. I guess because the Packers beat them and I really only count the Packers as having two real losses because the Jordan Love game. They win that game if Aaron is out there.

So I guess I put the Packers a little bit ahead of them, but man, I mean, the Cardinals went two and one with Kyler and Hopkins out and they, you know, they look a lot different with them in. So I think I need to probably, you know, be very mindful about this and stop thinking about them as the imperiled operation that I used to. And they're, they are a legitimate team. By the way, in a tough division, I know Seattle's four and eight, and I know the Niners have, you know, not been great this year, but you see it, like when Seattle knocks off San Francisco twice, or the Niners kill the Rams. These teams are all very, very good in any given week, and the Cardinals

are boat racing that division right now. I only have a minute left, but I want to ask you this. Dallas is going to be a playoff team. Washington is going to give it a fight and they have an identity. Philadelphia is the best rushing team in the league. They have an identity. Do the Giants have no identity? I mean, seriously, all those under three teams may be limited, but they've got an absolute identity.

Do you blow everything up with the Giants? Do you just start over? I do, because it's hard for me to go, okay, it was Jason Garrett, even though they've been terrible offensively the two games without him. It's Dave Gettleman. Yeah, well, Daniel Jones is on him, which is big.

But we love Joe Judge. Like, forget those guys. It's all about, you know, it's hard. They blew up Ben McAdoo after two years, and he had had a really good first year, at least on paper, right? So, you know, I don't know. I'm skeptical, Colin, of these Belichick guys

who think they can just act like Belichick and it'll magically turn around. I'm not a big fan of firing coaches after two years. But if you've already said we're getting rid of the GM and you already fired the offensive coordinator and you're the one team in the division that is lifeless and disastrous, then I would clear house. Yeah, no, I think I always look for an identity. Say what you want about Nick Seriani. He's playing to his talent. He knows exactly what they can and can't do, and he's playing right to it. And Washington now is on a winning streak. And all right, Mike,

we got to run. Great seeing you, buddy. Mike Silver. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of fire. coaches either. Everybody was on my, Brian Flores a month ago, you guys are all crushing. I'm like, what are we doing here? What are we doing here? Slow down. I'll tell you this. You all want to run Vic Fangio out.

I never watch Denver and think poorly coached. I don't. I think not dynamic at quarterback. I never watched. I never watch Minnesota and think Mike Zimmer poorly coached. Sometimes with the Giants, I'm not going to lie. I never looked at Miami and thought poorly coached. Sometimes with the Giants, if you don't have an idea,

identity and you've been there two years? What are they? What, what are they? That to me, you got to give me by the middle of year two. I got to see something. I got to go, okay, like with Frank Reich, it's like, we're going to be a, we're going to be a, a run team, we're going to be a physical run team with a quarterback that can make plays. Like, I got to see your identity. I don't see it with the Giants. Back in the second of the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. up everybody it's me three-time pro bowler lavar arrington and i couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called up on game what is up on game you ask along with my fellow pro bowler t j hushman zada

and super bowl champion yep that's right plexico burris you can only name a show with that type of talent on it up on game we're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments Listen to Up On Game with me, LeVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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,

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 fourth. 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 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. 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 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. 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 a little kill. 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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, yeah. 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. Oh, it's so great to have you here today. Such a good mood. Oh, college football feels like it's back. Michigan and Miami and USC. I'm so excited. Herd hierarchy.

And Joy and I both love, I mean, I love USC. She loves Miami. But I think she appreciates USC as it just feels big. And we both love the sport. You know, it's interesting. When Mel Tucker took the Michigan State job, I did not understand the media's approach, which was worrying about why he left Colorado.

Who the hell cares? It's Colorado. It's never been a football titan. He left because Michigan State has more money, cares more, has bigger boosters. has a better athletic department. When he left Colorado? I didn't understand where everybody was like,

eh, you realize all these big contracts in college football are because of one guy. Mel Tucker. When Mel Tucker got the bag, 95 large with his record, everybody's like, whoa, whoa,

what's Lincoln Rileyworth? Well, it's Mario Cristobalworth. So Mel Tucker's the reason he changed the landscape, and I'd pay every pet. I love Mel. But I don't understand. I feel the same way about Marleyley's.

Mario Cristobal to Miami. A lot of people are like, eh, first of all, Mel and Mario are very similar. Young with a presence. They both build very good staffs very quickly. What does that mean?

They can sell themselves. Cristobal built a great staff. Mel built a great staff. Confident men are attractive to other guys. That guy believes in them. They both have a physical presence. They walk in the door.

They're big men. You'd run through a wall for Christopal. You'd run through a wall for Mel Tucker. The other thing is he goes to Oregon, and the program was kind of a 500 mess the previous three years. They'd missed on a couple of coaches. And almost immediately, with no real background in the West, he starts dominating, recruiting on the West Coast on offensive linemen.

That's why Stanford and USC, it's not a coincidence, have probably their most average offensive lines in 10 years, because Mario Cristobal stole all of them. And so if he worked in Oregon, what's he going to do in Miami? Where he knows the high schools, went to the high schools, feels like Miami. He never felt like Eugene Oregon. I mean, Mel Tucker feels like Michigan State. Got some history there.

Cristobal feels like Miami. He inherits a good quarterback. The ACC, mostly outside of Clemson, stinks. He's got a quarterback. He's got to rebuild the offensive line because he's got his offense next year's got some pieces. The one thing they're missing is what most. Mario Cristobal recruits best O lineman. It's a home run hire.

Presence, staff building, recruiting, alpha. He's got a little edge to him. That is Miami. You don't like the Brian Kelly LSU fit? This is the perfect fit. I mean, I could argue Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma guy brings that accent to L.A. It's an odd fit. Brian Kelly's an odd fit.

Mario Cristobal is a perfect fit in Miami. I don't get the media reaction. It's an A-plus-plus higher, period. Herd Hierarchy, Hour 2 and a Tuesday. Next. 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 Greg. 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, 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 Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show

on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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. Before 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.