The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Brady, Jackson, LeBron

Episode Date: October 28, 2022

Colin admits Tom Brady might be slipping after the Buccaneers lose 3 games in a row Lamar Jackson played well again last night and deserves to be paid LeBron James is unhappy with the state of the Lakers The Broncos face a must win game this weekend   Guest: Mark DominikSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Live from Los Angeles, welcome in. It's the Herd. On a Friday, wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. One hour from now are Blazing Five, which has been indeed blazing. It is great to have you in.

Jason McIntyre is joining us today. It is official. You and I both like the Ravens going into that game. indeed. The story's out. Tom Brady has been going through this for a year. The people who follow celebrity marriages and divorces. Brady and Giselle have had a really rough year to a year and a half. It is final this morning. They are divorced. They both said they grew apart. Give them privacy. So I have no interest prying into that. It has been going on for a long time. I'm somebody that's divorced. When you read it in the paper, that's the day you take a deep breath and say, I'm starting my life over. little bit. But I would say Tom last night looked a little... Subdued, maybe? A little exhausted. We've noticed this. You had been on the show now for a couple of months. We said this eight weeks ago. He looks thin. He looks gaunt. He looks tired. And boy, Lamar Jackson looks good. Yeah. Marriage is hard, as everybody knows. But this Tampa

Bay team has bigger problems than Tom Brady right now. Yeah. They cannot stop the run, Colin. 231 yards. Wow. Well, so again, best wishes to Tom and Giselle. Well, divorce is brutal. But right now, let's be honest about it, Lamar Jackson's a lot better than Tom Brady. And it's not particularly close. Passing first downs, Lamar, more. Third down efficiency. Lamar was better.

Yards per play, Lamar. Red zone, Lamar. Possession, Lamar. And that was on the road missing his top receiver and top tight end for big chunks of the game. It's not close. Lamar is much better. To be great in the NFL in 2022, you got to give me some horsepower.

Mahomes, Matt Stafford, Justin Herbert, Big Arms, Lamar, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, athleticism. Once experience is your secret weapon, and that's Brady's, you're old. And in 2022, I need some Lamborghini. I need some Ferrari in the biggest matchups. I mean, you can win a lot of regular season games

and a lot of games with Ryan Tannahill and Tua and Kirk Cousins. I'm not saying that. I picked Minnesota to win their division. Last year, Tennessee was the number one seat. But when you get into these big battles, Brady, Lamar Jackson, in the key moments last night, it's not close.

That second half of that football game, when you get off the script and your athleticism, your armed talent really comes to the forefront, no more scripted plays, it's not close. And yes, Lamar can make all the throws. Last night, he completed more throws, significantly more throws than Tom Brady,

with far fewer attempts and with far less talent around him. He lost his star tied in and his number one receiver and he was on the road. Brady looked old, distracted. He wanted power in New England. Now he has it. He looks lost. He's never been mobile. He looks like a quarterback with absolute limits.

and after the game, he had no answers, again as this team just continues to spiral. You know, I think we struggled pretty much at everything. You know, we're just struggling in the red area, struggling in third down, struggling in the run game, two-point plays, short yardage, backed up, and started the first quarter, start of the third quarter, not very good offense football. Again, I don't think anyone feels good. You know, we're lost four or five, so not where we want to be, but, you know, we haven't earned it.

And, you know, we got to go, we've got to go earn it. By the way, again, we wish Tom the very best to end Giselle. It has been a daunting last year for Tom privately, and especially the last couple of weeks, and we wish him the best. But I'd like to change the focus to Lamar Jackson. By the way, when he came out of college, I had real doubts. Because I called executives in the league. I've been doing this 30 years. Like people doing this 30 years, you know, I have connections around.

And they said, I got my doubt. So I did. But I'm not stubborn. A lot of people are. When you go to a gym and you should go to a gym, you should work out at home, a gym, walk on a trail, you 99% of the people that go to a gym, never be Mr. Universe. And they know it. They don't even want abs. But it's a better life. You feel better. Things digest better. You'll be better in life later. You drive to work feeling a little

healthier. You know when you go to the gym, you don't have to be Mr. Universe. But it's better, less chance of having a chaotic physical issue later in life. For the Lamar Jackson critics who say this, he's not this, he's not that. He'll never win a Super Bowl. That's my face. favorite. Sure. All right. I didn't know you could see into the future. A lot of great ones. Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. Aaron's only got one and he ain't close now. So I'm going to hold off on saying Lamar's not going to win a Super Bowl. If that's your big punch, you don't have much of a punch. But like regularly working out, when Lamar Jackson's your quarterback, you're in better shape. You're going to avoid a lot of crisis. It's going to be better driving to work

as a coach and a general manager and a scout and a wide receiver. Lamar Jackson is 41 and 15 in the regular season. That's the sixth highest winning percentage of all time. By the way, his passer rating for those who say he can't throw is higher than Peyton Manning, Steve Young's, Dan Marino's, Joe Montana's. Oh, you want current ones? Josh Allen and Kyler Murray. Like working out.

Maybe he doesn't win the Super Bowl. and you'll never be Mr. Universe. But that's just part of it, right? A small part of it. That's really sometimes random. Would you have guessed two years ago? I said, Matt Staver's going to Super Bowl. Well, he wasn't in Detroit.

And he went to L.A. And he's probably going to get one and that's it. But what you don't want to be is one of these 15, 16, 17, 18 teams where you're driving to practice. You're going into a season knowing in the biggest matchups with a mahogs with a Holmes or a Josh Allen or a burrow, you are completely utterly physically outclassed. And you never are ever, ever, ever, ever with Lamar Jackson. Get over it. 41 and 15.

That's unbelievable. That's the sixth highest winning percentage ever. Well, he may not win the Super Bowl. Let's say he doesn't. Let's just say right now he doesn't. Dan Marino didn't. Did he not make many people rich, many people happy? he made the owner happy, the coach a legend, players around him a legend.

Let's say he doesn't win a super. Let's say Charles Barkley, he's never going to win a title. Yeah, it's crushed him. There's never going to be another Brady. There's no more six, seven Super Bowl guys. You've got to sign Lamar Jackson. I didn't think he was going to be this good, but I'm not stubborn. Nobody in the NFL thought Justin Herbert was as good as he was his first two years in the league.

Are you then going to say, he's no good? Everybody's wrong that's not anonymous, right? Like everybody's wrong. Just don't be stubborn when you're wrong. Lamar is a franchise quarterback. And the second half of that game last night, he had world-class winning plays, long drives with his feet,

making great throws multiple times. Listen, you can make mistakes in life. Don't double down. Second half last night, Lamar Jackson was eight for eight with two touchdowns. I mean, I'm not sure. I think the word is perfect. Here's Lamar after. I feel like we're very close.

We're right there, but still room for improvement. Little mistakes we still making out there. We change those, and I feel like the sky's the limit for us. I've said before with Baltimore. I said this yesterday multiple times on the show. I bet Baltimore almost every week and I lose. They can drive you crazy, but I said yesterday, I think their problems are solvable.

And their big problem before last night was, God, they're bad in the fourth quarter. Well, they weren't last night. And they weren't because Lamar Jackson, who I had my doubts on, is I'm all in now. I'm completely absolutely all in. There's just, in 2022,

you got to have some special. He's got it. And by the way, it's funny. When he misses a thrower dirt's it, the internet explodes. Brady missed a wide open Mike Evans touchdown last night. The internet apologizes for Tom.

The bad body language last night, it was Tom. Frustrating, Tom. Sitting by himself, Tom. That team likes Lamar Jackson. They like him a lot. And he wants a contract. I would give it to him. Like going to the gym.

You don't have to be Mr. Universe. But it's just a better life. And you'll be better for it. Trust me. 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 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

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What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, 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.

Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. LinkedIn jobs. You can post your job for free at LinkedIn.com.com slash heard. LinkedIn.com slash heard terms and conditions apply. It is very easy sometimes to confuse wrong. with just the wrong approach. A lot of people are right. They just take the wrong approach.

LeBron James went to his IG yesterday. He's unhappy with the Lakers. What he said in his IG, he's not wrong. I think it's the wrong approach. He basically, instead of being confrontational with Westbrook, like Kobe would be or Michael Jordan would be or Magic would be, and they were in their careers, he goes to IG. And he basically says, how long can I be taken for,

granted. Well, LeBron's not confrontational. I've talked about this many times. In 20 years in the NBA, he's never been in a single fight. He avoids them. He doesn't like them. He doesn't like conflict. He'll say nice things about people that he'll rush to his IG or whatever social platform he has. Or he'll do an interview at the shop and send out messages to little Aaron Rogers. Aaron's not always wrong. LeBron is not wrong here. The Lakers are taking advantage and quite. literally don't appear to know what they're doing with their roster. They don't have any shooters. They haven't had any elite shooters, multiple elite shooters in like eight years.

It's been a shooting league for 12. So LeBron's frustrated as hell, but he'll say nice things about Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. AD, though, already has back issues four games in and Russell will, Westbrook is completely imploding. Kobe Bryant would challenge Russell Westbrook at practice every day. He would go right after him at practice. He would just every day, every day, every day in his ear until Russell Westbrook would change and stop shooting. That's not what LeBron does. In Miami, he acknowledged he does not like to get his hands dirty.

He does not like to be a villain. He does not like to wear that hat. But LeBron is telling you he sees the truth. He sees exactly the truth. This is a bad roster. But I think sometimes to be a real leader, a strong leader, it's been my knock on Aaron, my knock here on LeBron. You've got to get your hands dirty.

Running to social media, passively aggressively dropping something, we all know what you're saying. Fix the roster. Make a trade. Preferably Westbrook. But when asked about this, probably today or tomorrow, LeBron will take the high road. That's what he does. but no, know, know what he really thinks. He's sending out the nice imaging and the branding and not being confrontational.

But this is one of those times. LeBron should be confrontational. LeBron needs to tell AD, work harder in the off season, come into season in shape. He needs to tell Westbrook, stop shooting threes. Don't ever. Again, it's not what you do. You can't rely on Darvin Ham to do all the work here, right? You can't rely on a rookie coach to have all the answers and do all the work.

LeBron's been doing this for 20 years. Highest level on earth for 20 years. Again, I don't think he's wrong. In my opinion, it's the wrong approach. There's a big difference there. Aaron's often not wrong about his young receivers or LaFleur. I just don't love his approach to it. If LeBron goes in there pounding the table, get me a shooter, Rob.

Rob Polinko will look him in the eye and said, bro, you told me to bring Westbrook in here. How's that working out? But that's confrontation. That's what Kobe had with Phil and with Shaq and with the buses. Kobe's like, I'm going to Chicago. Fix it. And Jerry West made a deal and fixed it. I'm okay with that.

That's why I didn't love what Draymond Green did at practice. It was, you know, that's not what you should do. But this stuff happens a lot. You just don't get TMZ video. Confrontation happens all the times in sports. I'm for arguments. And like if it's a screaming match, it's a screaming match. By the way, I know this, this is sourced.

Kerr and Draymond Green years ago. I mean, they have barked at each other, screamed at each other, behind the locker room in the middle of finals. There was a game against OKC in the regular season where the sideline reporter came out and said, I was outside the locker room and Green and Kerr were yelling at each, like a shouting match. They ended up winning that game on a Steph Curry three.

You never hear about, LeBron being in one of those or Aaron. So you think he should be? I think LeBron should be completely confrontational. My gut tells me he feels like he has no leverage here, given how poorly the Westbrook move has turned out for him. When is LeBron in the last 20 years not had leverage? Again, yeah, definitely in Cleveland and Miami, but this Westbrook thing has been such a disaster

and you can't point the finger at anybody but LeBron. Okay. I'm not denying that. I am not denying that. It was a whiff. Oklahoma hired the wrong football coach. So what are you going to do? Double down in it?

No. You got to pivot off mistakes. I mean, the bottom line is this stuff's hard. Five quarterbacks get drafted in round one. Lamar Jackson was the last guy drafted in that first round class. Do you watch him last night? That's from professionals paid to watch film all day. You know, movie critics.

There used to be Siskel and Ebert. Remember Siskel Lieber? Okay, they were these legendary movie critics. I watched them forever. Gene Siskel thought silent. to the lambs was a bad movie. Literally he was like, no, it doesn't work. And I'm like, no, Gene, you're too smart for that.

Watch it again. People make mistakes. Don't double down on it. Yes, the Westbrook was LeBron's idea. Swing and a miss. Let's move off it. Can't just sit there and double down. People make mistakes just not really on this show.

I mean, outside of this show, people make mistakes. Everybody, yeah, Colin right, calling wrong every week. I'm taking big swings. It's okay. But the problem is when people get stubborn, with a political candidate or stubborn with an idea or a business move. That's when you're in big trouble. J-Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. We were talking about this during the break. 49ers Rams game, fascinating, a little under the radar. Rams coming off the by. 49ers are struggling. They're kind of in the Tampa Bay mold right now. They can't get Ws.

And they've got the huge game on Fox on Saturday, a Sunday afternoon against the Rams. and guess who's speaking up again? It's Steve Young, former Niners quarterback. He believes there's a trust issue between Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan. Here's what Steve Young had to say. There is, and when I say lack of trust between Jimmy and Kyle, what I'm saying is, and I remember I repeat this all the time,

Mike said this to me, I know that Sean McDermott said it to Josh Allen. I know that Patrick Mahomes has heard this because Andy told me this, but turning to those guys and saying, look, I am going to be aggressive for four quarters. You protect me. and that's that trust level. I don't think we're there. People start to see your game plan. You've got to kind of be iterative.

And then I think either Kyle has to go all in and just say, look, I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to let it rip the way that I want to and we'll take it where it comes. Or I'm going to continue to manage through the second halfs. Yeah, I mean, I'll say one thing about the Niners that I've always found peculiar. They have been on a four-year run of not being able to stay healthy. are their practices harder? Are they hitting more? I've never seen a franchise.

That's why it's weird when they get Christian McCaffrey. My only knock where the deal was, at times he's not durable. It's like not another guy that gets banged up. But this is the style. They have been banged up since Shanahan got there. There are organizations. Now, the Rams finally this year fell apart physically. But McVey had had about a five-year run where it was like they'd lose a guy a year.

This year they fell apart. Receiver, O-Line. But the Niners are always banged up. It's weird. I had to look on the internet to see if Steve Young was like an astrophysicist. Every time he opens his mouth, he's splitting the atom, Colin. I mean, seriously, trust issues? They tried to get Jimmy Garoppolo out of here.

They drafted a quarterback. They traded up. Of course he has trust issues with Jimmy G. I'll just say this. I think San Fran's in some trouble this weekend. Have you seen the injury report, Colin? Debo could be out. Debo, Samuel, has not practiced.

Kyle Eusechick, the fullback, who's extremely valuable, has not practiced. Greenlaw, very good linebacker, Armstead, defensive lines, stopping the run game, and the Niners have a buy next week. So does it make sense to maybe sit some of these guys? Let's get him two weeks. Well, I think the Niners need to win a game. Well, they have Super Bowl aspirations.

You're going to need Debo Samuel. He goes out there on hers a hamstring again. Well, McCaffrey may get a lot of work this weekend. Yes, he will. All right, next up, Colin, let's go to the Cincinnati Bengals. You love your boy, Joe Burrow. You guys have a bromance going on, but some bad news coming out of Cincinnati.

Jamar Chase expected to miss four to six weeks with a hip injury. Could land him on IR. They'll probably determine it today. If he goes on IR, he will not be back until week 12. And if you look at the numbers here, I think we're going to get him on the screen maybe. I don't know. Jamar Chase, there we go. Look at these numbers.

Colin, he is a game breaker. He's been dominant the last two weeks. He has. They've got a good tight end. They've got Boyd. They've got Higgins. They have Joe Mixon. They have an offensive coach.

They have Burrow. They're not as good without it. There is no question. He's Stefan Diggs to Buffalo. There is just, you can't replace certain players. Look at DeAndre Hopkins emergence again in Arizona. It's like a different offense with one player. So they're not the same team.

You know, again, because Cleveland's a mess and Pittsburgh likewise, can you just, can you 500 it for a couple of weeks without? My guess is if they say he's gone 4 to 6, he's out for 3 to 4 because all these pro athletes heal faster than predicted. But, you know, can you keep your head above water? If he's gone for four weeks, can you go two and two? That's not terrible. The schedule in December is brutal.

I know, but he'll be back by then. Yeah. I like Cincinnati a lot. I know. You know what's interesting about this team is that, you know how we said with the Yankees? Everybody was paying so much attention to Aaron Judge. They weren't paying attention to the fact that the Yankees were a 500 team in the second half, right? Like they got home runs, but didn't do much else.

Cincinnati, we pay so much attention to Burrow and Johnson. Chase, that defense is not allowed a touchdown in the second half all year. I don't know the history behind that. That has got to be rarefied 40-50 year error. You want to see the sign of a good team? We'll see what happens with the Bengals without Chase because I saw Mark Andrews go out last night for the Ravens. I said, ooh, that's not good. They got no receivers. And this kid, Isaiah likely at a coastal Carolina looks like it all broke. Did you see some of the moves? I mean, he's like six, four, two, 35 dancing around making that catch in the. back of the end zone. Like, that kid's talent.

There is so much talent in football at the receiver, tight end position now. It used to be, every team had like a go-to receiver, and very few teams had like a great tight-in. There'd be five or six or seven in the league. Now often teams have two and three tight ends. You go like last night, Baltimore, goes to their second or their third, and you're like, wow. Who's that?

Athletes are bigger. They're more athletic. there's just a lot of six five, two hundred thirty five pound guys playing football in America, small colleges, the mid-Atlantic, they're all over the country. And a lot of times you look at these big school tight ends, the Ohio State and the Alabama's, and there's guys down at Arizona, Gronk, there's guys down you've never watched in college. There's so many good. That game on Monday, but I think we're going to be head to head.

I might like the Browns in that one. We'll see what that's up with Miles Garrett, Clownie. I think Cleveland makes it really close. Okay. All right. All right. Final story, Ben Simmons. Oh, boy.

I got to stop defending him, Colin. They lost again last night. The net stink. Ben Simmons averaging 5.6 points per game. Lack of aggression around the basket. Some NBA scouts reportedly have a theory behind his lack of aggression, saying it isn't because he's afraid to miss a shot, but he's afraid to be fouled and go to the free throw line.

I think they're right. I think that, yeah, yeah, definitely. It's sad, like this guy. Yeah, no, but I think that's, That is exactly when you watch them play. That's exactly it. He does not want the ball late. He does not want to go to the free throw line.

Because it's embarrassing for him. It's in his head. He won't admit that, but it clearly, like a second baseman who can't throw to first, Ben Simmons does not want any part of the foul line. For his career, 56%. Nine free throw attempts this season. While we're talking free throws, can I just quickly add Anthony Davis attempted one free throw against the Nuggets and Yokic.

One free throw for Anthony Davis, Colin. Well, again, Anthony Davis has moved his game out. outside so he doesn't want the collisions. He wants to stay healthy. He wants to stay on the floor. The downside is when you avoid contact, you don't draw fouls. So the fan, Laker fans can complain about that. But if you look at who ends up at the free throw line in the NBA, it's people that attack the rim. Duane Wade was a guy that was constantly for a small guy attacking the rim. You get fouled a lot. You go to the free throw. Carl Malone finished a lot at the rim. He went to the free throw line. Charles Barkley.

It's free points. Michael Jordan, when you're aggressive and you go to the rim, Anthony Davis should be around the rim. He doesn't like contact. His body doesn't love it. So he's moved his game outside. And the troubling issue, A, you don't get to the free throw line. And B, something has happened in the last three years.

His shooting percentage has plunged. I don't know if you saw the best player in the NBA last night. Luca Donchich, the best player in the NBA. I think he, I don't have it in front of me. I think he took like 14 free throws. He destroyed Brooklyn. And Ben Simmons had, No chance against him.

These nets are in trouble. The implosion. I hope it happens after football season, right? So we're going to need some content for January, Colin. Good stuff. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. So, you know, you've got a bit of a crisis in Denver. Russell Wilson, Nathaniel Hackett the coach. George Payton is the GM. And he's been talking now. He's making some appearances as they're getting close. They're in London this week, so it's another standalone national game. He's asked about the Russell Wilson contract, and here it is.

You know, we know what Russ is capable of, and it's our job to get the best set of Russ in our entire offense. I'm not concerned. You know, we're in it for the long haul with Russ, not the first seven games. We believe in Russ. I believe in Russ. We just need to play better on offense, and the timing and the rhythm, and we need an identity. You know, we really don't have an identity in offense.

And I think that comes with time. And again, hopefully it comes soon. So Russell Wilson, this morning, there was a report he will play. He will start for Denver in that game. So that's what I had heard this morning. So listen, you cannot feel good about this contract. So the first two years of it aren't that punitive. 22 million, 35 million.

Remember, he signed an extension with Denver. Then it gets awful. 55, 58, 53, 54. Now, league revenues are going up. They're not going up that fast. The only way this general manager is being honest, the only way you can feel good about that is if you get him an elite offensive head coach. When Brady went to Tampa, it's pretty interesting, isn't it? Looks like Bruce Ariens was a pretty good coach.

How's Tom without him? By the way, when Stafford went to the Rams, Sean McVeigh, overcoming a lot of his reckless play with a Super Bowl. Nathaniel Hackett's not average. We're looking at a potential disaster here. So this contract for Russell, and I love him, is the worst in the NFL perhaps ever. They are trapped. My guess is what I would do, what do I know, but I would go hire Seattle's offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, second year in Seattle, completely rebuilt Geno Smith.

Completely rebuilt him. He was a McVeigh guy. McVeys have done okay in the league like Zach Taylor, the kid in Minnesota. The coaching tree for Sean McVeigh is pretty impressive. go hire him. He's a well-liked, super bright, very much. You know, the guy in Minnesota, they call the tall Sean McVeigh, he's paid off. Minnesota now, Kirk Cousins, they're winning all those close games they lost last year with Mike Zimmer.

But listen, if you buy a really expensive house and you find out you got two major problems, plumbing is a disaster and you got a crazy neighbor. Okay. You may not be able to fix the crazy neighbor. You can fix the plumbing. Get it fixed. The plumbing is Nathaniel Hackett. You can fix that.

Now, the crazy neighbor could be Russell Wilson's career. You may not be able to elevate. Maybe he is 68, 72% of what he was. And maybe you can't solve that. But you can solve the coaching issue. That's an easy one. If Russell Wilson was way more washed than I thought, there's not much of a precedent for it at 33 years old

for a quarterback to be really, really good. And then awful, I don't really see that. I don't know a precedent for it. Some say Peyton Manning, but he was like four neck surgeries in. He was 39. He was a shadow of himself his last year. You could see it physically. He wasn't the guy.

But, yeah, this contract is, it literally could cripple that franchise for like a decade. So you got to fix the plumbing. You can fix that. The crazy neighbor, sometimes you can't. You hope they move. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and Noon Eastern. 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.

Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sportsbook

and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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, you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth,

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app, search Learn the Hardway,

and listen now. Great to have you back on a Friday. I love having Mark Dominic in. For 20 years, he helped build the Buccaneers into a Super Bowl team. He was a scout with the Kansas City Chiefs. He knows personnel,

and he knows the drama that encapsulates an NFL season. He's joining us live. You know, it's interesting with Brady. We know the divorce is finalized today, Mark. And this is stuff we don't like, you know, this is not our cup of tea, right? It's not what we talk about. If you follow the gossip columnist and the reporters who cover this stuff, it's been going on for a year to a year and a half.

They grew apart. Brady physically looks different. He looks thin. He looks gaunt. He looks exhausted. Is there a, I mean, I'm guessing, did this drag down his play? Is this part of it? The coaching change, because Tom doesn't look the same.

They look very rudderless right now. that's what they look like to me. What do you make of what Tampa is? Yeah, I think they're confused. I look at a team that when I watched the game last night again, that first drive they ran the ball five times. The rest of the game, they ran the ball eight times. The first drive, they scored a touchdown,

and then they stopped running the ball because I think everyone's afraid not to put the ball in Tom Brady's hand. And then when I watch on the sideline, Colin, you know, I know Byron Left, which I actually signed it to Tampa a long time ago, but I don't see a lot of communication going on. I look at that. They're just looking at their iPads, but I don't see any fire, any intensity talking about it, you know, between coaches.

And I think they're missing that element. So number one, finding the lack of the run game. Number two, just where's the intensity? Where's that Bruce Ariens' anger? Where's that Ryan Jensen, you know, in terms of him being a center that just brings his emotions? Those things are missing out of Tampa right now, but I don't think it's too late. Yeah, no, I mean, you know, it's like San Francisco. I love so many of the pieces.

I kind of, you know, we're not even halfway through the season right now. It's like, I think there's plenty of time in both the NFC, West for the Niners and the NFC South, which is a weird division. I mean, right now, Atlanta could, the fact that Atlanta's near the top doesn't make any sense. Now, I was saying about Lamar Jackson earlier, he'll never win the Super Bowl. I don't know if that's true. I was a huge doubter of him out of college, right?

Yep. But, you know, second year in, it's like, okay, this is kind of magical. I looked at that second half, he's special. He's got horsepower. You get into these big games with Burrow and, you know, Alan. and Mahomes, you need horsepower. He's got a lot of it. Were you a doubter? Where were you early? Where are you now in Lamar? Yeah, I was. I mean, I was like everybody knew as an athlete. I was just wondering, would he go into a guy that would hold the ball and throw it instead of a guy that's every

time the problem came, he'd turn around and duck and run. And I think he did that. But last night was interesting to me, and this is the, I think, the trouble that the Ravens have. The first half, I thought Lamar Jackson was terrible. I mean, I was like, wow, this is really going to hurt his contract. This is not the guy I expected. And the second half, you know, lights out. He started completing the ball. I had some big runs and started playing like, okay, that's Lamar Jackson. And I think that's why we don't have a contract right now in Baltimore is because there's the good and evil that it seems like comes with Lamar Jackson. And to your point, does that make him good enough to win a Super Bowl or get there? The AFC is going to be a hard challenge.

But the Lamar Jackson's second half, yeah, that can get it done because he was doing a really good job of trusting the run game, dumping the ball out and using his legs only when he had to. Listen, there's the old sense in the NFL that sometimes GMs drafted to protect their jobs. They don't, you know, they'll stay with a quarterback even if he's not good because they drafted him. But it's also reasonable. Bill Polion, Hall of Fame GM admitted he had a couple of draft picks and he knew two weeks in. I whiffed. It's the way it is. Nathaniel Hackett to me, I don't think Russell Wilson's this bad. I don't think this team is this bad.

let's say they lose this weekend Jacksonville you're flying back home are you talking to the owner do you get to a point what are the what conversation would you have with Nathaniel Hackett up in first class seat one A and one B if they got you know if they lost again yeah I mean I think it's a long conversation

and hopefully there's already been those between George Payton the general manager and Nate Hackett like what's going on what are we missing here because the difference here is I think a lot of people forget. Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers, obviously are two completely different players, but they also have two different mentalities towards the game. Like Aaron Rogers is a gunslinger going to make anything happen whenever he wants, but has the arm confidence and the ability to do that. And so Nate Hackett's like, hey, let's just go do this and we'll do this. We can make all these

plays happen where Russell's going to be a little more conservative. I'm not going to make the mistake. I'm going to hold the ball in. And we're seeing that happen. Now, we just got to hope the defense doesn't give up on this team because this defense is playing lights out from my perspective. So now it's a matter of can we get Russell Wilson and his team to start to move the ball consistently down the field? I think the only thing you can do here is starting set up more screen gains, setting up high percentage throws for Russell trying to get this ball out of his hands a little bit quicker just to make those quick decisions instead of waiting for, you know, the deep shots down the field, to Cortland Sutton to Jerry Judy or even Hamler if he's going to get involved into this offense. So I think it's mendable, but I think the main thing I talk to Coach Hackett is you've got to tell me exactly why we are struggling so significantly. on this football team. And I need the answer is just as much as I want a head coach like you talked about with Bill Pullian. If you think our left guard is terrible, say it. If you think it's because

we don't have a tight end that we trust, say it. This is open season right now. We got to figure out this team. Speaking of figuring out a team, we had said before the season, we thought it was a reasonable take and it ended up being right that Aaron's psychology, which we've watched, isn't built for young receivers from Reno. He's not a fatherly mentor. ring. That's not what Aaron is. Aaron's older, rich, single, he wants what he wants. He likes veteran-wide receivers. I mean, Brady does too.

Brady wanted A-B. Brady wanted Gronk. Brady likes Julio Jones. He likes veterans. So clearly, he's lost confidence in these young guys. Very predictable. So I think go out, do what you've got to do to get a Chase Claypool. Find a team that's struggling.

Take me to what you would give up. to get, I mean, Aaron's going to be playing this year and next. It may not be forever. The future can be kind of be overrated, Mark. If you need a guy, you need a guy. You can figure out picks later. What would you be willing to give up, maybe even a starter and a draft pick to get like a Chase Claypool? Yeah, I mean, I think you can go after Chase Claypool. You just got to make sure that you can realm him in. I mean, part of the problem in Pittsburgh is that he's been kind of a loose cannon. That's why George Pickens has kind of really stepped up and been like, And here's the guy that the Packer should have taken, George Pickens, but that's an easy conversation now that we're halfway through the season.

But anyway, I think that you look at Chase Claypool, I think a third round pick pulls him out of Pittsburgh. I don't think it's going to take anything more than that. I also think of like a Brandon Cooks down in Houston, which I know he's been to a lot of different teams. But he's the veteran receiver that I think trust that I think Aaron Rogers would like that is a team that's going nowhere right this season. And as a guy that I think you could plug and play into that system because you're right. He doesn't trust Watson. He doesn't trust Dobbs. He doesn't trust the guys because they're not running the right routes.

He talks about it openly about all the mental errors that are happening. And mainly that, to me, is the wide receiver room. And that's why they're having so much problem score and points. So McCaffrey to the Niners, I liked, people got really obsessed by the value. And I said, you know what? If you like a Tesla, buy it. You're not getting a deal. If you like Apple stock, buy it, hold it.

You're not getting a deal. You want to buy the clippers three or four or five years ago whenever Balmer bought them. You're not getting a deal. That's a global acquisition, right? It's a bidding war to get the clippers. And I look at McCaffrey and I think, listen, you got a smart offensive coach, another chess piece. That was going to be a late second, a late third. If I want something and I feel I have a Super Bowl roster, I'm going to go get it.

I can figure out fourth round picks later. But a lot of people thought, wow, they got hosed on value. What was your take? Not hosed on value. I just think it's the wrong fit for the wrong team. So I think the value is right. a two, three, four for a guy like Christian McCaffrey, if I'm the Buffalo Bills, I would have been in line. I mean, let's put one more piece of puzzle under this juggernaut of a team.

But this is a San Francisco team, to your point, Kyle Shane is a great coach, a great coach, and has done a great job of getting everything out of guys that aren't high draft picks, right? At running back, they've always been able to have success with anybody back in the backfield because of his system so good. But here's the same team that told me two months ago that Jim Regalopola is so bad. We don't even want to practice our team. Like, get him off this field. And now suddenly they're like, well, Jimmy Graspo. could win us the Super Bowl.

So let's give up a two, three and four. And forget about that guy, Trey Lance, over there we gave him the three ones for. Let's not worry about building around him for the future because we think we might be able to win this year. I just don't like the rudderless direction. I feel like the 49ers have been going. I feel like they're kind of flying by the seat of their pants.

But I love Christian McCaffrey. And I think he'll have great success in the San Francisco offense. I just don't think it's the right fit at the right time. But I think the value to your point, Colin, 23, four, when you're thinking you're picking late, is not a lot of picks. Cadarius Tony to Andy Reid, a minute left. Listen, he didn't work in New York, but Andy's the mad scientist.

What do you expect? Well, I expect the change of scenery is going to be a huge deal for Cadarious Tony. It gives him a chance to get away from all the New York demons, everything that's surrounded him saying he doesn't work at it, doesn't want it, doesn't love it. And he gets to go to a coach and a coaching staff that I think will embrace his ability to make plays. It's going to be up to Cadarious Tony. He has the skill sets.

I mean, it's not like it's not there. It's a matter of like resetting the map for. him in saying, hey, look, get into that system, get comfortable, know the playbooks, know your plays, and show the world that you actually really do love ball, because I think that's the only thing it's missing is it got so bad in New York that there was no way he was ever going to fix it. Yeah, no, environment, new environment changes everything. Mark Dominance. Especially Andy Reed. Yeah, yeah, it's amazing how that works. By the way, uh, Juju Smith-Schuster now. It's like, oh, he didn't disappear. He's very, very valuable in Kansas City. Mark, great seeing you.

Great to see you, Colin. Yeah, I was thinking about this. It is interesting. It's hard, and this sounds like ridiculous, but fame and wealth come with their own issues. And it gets very strange for Michael Jordan at the end of his career. It got very strange for Brett Favreve at the end of his career. And when you start looking at Brady, you know, he wanted that power. Right. Like I think part of the Belichick Brady issue was he didn't feel like respect. that he didn't have a voice and then he goes to Tampa and you know Bruce Ariens pushed back a lot they battled but he had more of a voice well then arian is upstairs Todd Bowles is there now you got all the power and look at him there were certain constraints in New England that Tom really thrived in and that you know be careful about power you know be careful what you wish for Tom now has all this power then he's got a personal crisis. It's just too much.

Like it's just we all can probably, you know, we can all. If you're going through a public divorce, a brand new coach, lots of injuries, the guy's got seven different companies. I just think, Tom, he looks exhausted. It's a tough go for him. Hey, to go back to something you and Mark Dominic talked about. Kansas City Chiefs, just listening to that, I was like, let me look at their schedule. So they have a by week.

They add Cadarius Tony. They have Tennessee, Jacksonville, and the Chargers. They're going to get hot. Super Bowl futures on the Chiefs. You want to grab them now? Because they're going up, big time. Blazing five. 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 growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway 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. 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 to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.