The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Cowboys, Big 10, Bears

Episode Date: November 24, 2021

Don't be surprised if the Cowboys get rid of Amari CooperThe redemption of the Big 10More on Matt Nagy possibly being fired soonThe NFL head coaches that should keep their job for nowGuest: Mark Schlereth Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 IHard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild.

I mean, 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Sports Radio. Ah, here we go.

Live in Los Angeles on a Wednesday. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, brought to you by Jersey Mike Subs, be a sub above. Loaded. Today, we have a short week. This is our final day of the week. Greg CoSell will be on our show today.

Joel Clatt will be in our show today. College football rounding into shape. And Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy will have a story in about 20 minutes, 25 minutes. which I didn't know existed as a story. I had never heard of it. I had no idea. I read my newspapers every day.

It is a story that fascinates me that I don't think anybody's talking about, and Joy is going to have it in 25 minutes. It's not my favorite Google search. I will say that. That's funny. Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, as he's aged, has become more pragmatic. He's getting older.

His Super Bowls are hard to come by. Jerry Jones has gotten pragmatic. Jalen Smith, he put his arms around Jalen Smith. Remember the Notre Dame kid, he was hurt, and in this season he just cut him. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Jerry loves his players. Not that much. He wants to win games.

Michael Parsons is better. And don't be surprised if Jerry Jones boots star receiver Amari Cooper after the season. Um, Amari Cooper can't play this week. He didn't get vaccinated. You know, we always bang on quarterbacks like Tua. A Tua is not available. Tua is always hurt.

Carson Wentz a couple years ago is always heard. Yeah, 20 million wide receivers who could be available and didn't get vaccinated, they have to be available to. Jerry Jones on Dallas radio is hot about it. The facts are it is a. We think when you're the locker room. But this is a classic case of hack and impact a team. When people are at the end of the day, this is not individual, it is team.

You cannot win anything individually. So all of that are statements that I know everybody has heard to their blue in the face. But the point is that this popped us. This did pop us. Let's be honest about this. Dallas crushed Atlanta. They were seven and two. The number three seed, had momentum, go to Kansas City.

And once CD Lamb got a concussion at half, they were down to Michael Gallup and a bunch of no names. They could have really used Amari Cooper. I mean, it was kind of surprising. The Cowboys only lost 19 to 9. And Dak, under pressure, needed his star veteran A receiver. Not a receiver, a $20 million receiver. So now Dallas, only a touchdown favorite at home against the Raiders, is now a four-seed.

They've lost their momentum. C.D. Lamb, concussion. Ziques beat up. Tyron Smith is week to week. And three straight road games after Thanksgiving hosting the Raiders. Three straight roadies. That doesn't happen much in the NFL. They're all coming up.

Two against great defenses. So Michael Irvin, by the way, still very close to Jerry Jones, had this to say about it. Absolutely hot about it. Are you joking? I got a guy named Central Wilson catching passes who makes $2 million, and a guy named Noah Brown catch a pass who makes $1 million. And I got a guy that makes $21 million on the bitch at home not playing.

It's crazy. By the way, I wouldn't be shocked if Jerry texted Michael and said, you're free to take some swings at this. Like when COVID hit, the rule I had was quarterbacks got to get vaccinated because teams don't carry six and seven. That's the first thing. Like quarterbacks, get vaccinated. Be a team player. Get off your Reddit board.

Get vaccinated. But the second thing to think about is this is the NFL. People get tackled. We're in late November. Teams are falling apart. And all that momentum Dallas had. And you can hear it in Jerry's voice could have been wasted. because a nice kid didn't get vaccinated.

And if CD Lamb isn't ready to go against the Raiders, Dallas has never been as good. Deck has never been as good when he doesn't have Amari Cooper. It's a team game. Whether or not you think you should be vaccinated, you shouldn't when you're part of a collective in the NFL where in November every year teams start to fall apart. Don't kid yourself.

That game against the Chiefs was winnable. with Amari, and this one now, without Amari, is absolutely loseable. Momentum matters. You could hear it in Jerry's voice. He got rid of Jalen Smith. Don't think he'll forget this. America loves redemption stories. I remember, remember the day that LeBron, the letter was dropped. He was going back to Cleveland. And I remember that day of doing radio, and it was like radio and TV simulcast. I'm like, wow.

This is big. And it was like emotional. People love redemption stories. And I'll give you another redemption story that's in the Midwest. It's called the Big Ten. James Franklin at Penn State has said, I'm not going to LSU or USC. I'm going to sign a 10-year deal at Penn State. Mel Tucker was a leading candidate at LSU.

I'm going to stay at Michigan State. eight to 10 years ago, this conference was Ohio State and a mess. You got Brady Hoke at Michigan. Michigan State was playing Alabama and like playoff games and getting routed. It was embarrassing. The conference, even people who had played there and now are noteworthy broadcasters were lamenting the Big Ten. But as the Big 12, the Pac-12 and the ACC get worse every year and appear to be shrinking,

the SEC, the number one revenue conference, and the Big Ten, the number two revenue conference, that is the varsity in college football. I live in Los Angeles. I grew up with a PAC 12. Hell, half the time I can't even find the PAC 12 network. The stadiums are half full. There's just too many professional sports options on the West Coast. Silicon Valley has made Los Angeles unaffordable for assistant coaches.

There's a real redemption story going on in football, and it all starts with passion. I've said this before. I root for people who deeply care about things. The South loves college football. So I think the sports too insular, but it makes me happy when Southern college football teams win. Because I used to live around the South in Tampa, and those Winnebagoes arrive Wednesday at the stadium, and they sit there until Sunday morning and they drive home. The Big Ten felt like a dying dead conference years ago, and now they're too hot, co-coats. on the market were staying. Harbaugh one year ago. A lot of people had him up for NFL jobs.

You don't think Harbaugh could get an NFL job? He got to the Super Bowl with the Niners. He said, no, I'll rework my contract, take less to stay at Michigan. And when you watch Big Ten games and you watch Wisconsin at home or Michigan State or Michigan or Ohio State or Iowa, Penn State, when you watch these games, you can sense the passion. The stadiums are jammed, the rivalries are intense. Watch Michigan, Ohio State this weekend. There's nothing out west that looks like it, and I'm a guy from out west who grew up with a PAC 12.

It is a real redemption story, and it was all led, what it was really led by was the fans. I mean, why is the PAC 10 shrinking? Watch the games. Like Oregon's one of the only places that's rocking every weekend. Watch the ACC. I see empty C. stands all over the conference.

But when I watch the Big Ten, Iowa sold out, Wisconsin sold out, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska. The fans are a big part of this. Everybody else's revenue shrinks, those revenues grow. And even Northwestern, the private school, right, the academic power has amazing new facilities. Stanford, the West Coast academic football power in the tank. So congratulations.

It's a great redemption story. And it's driven by the fans just like the SEC is. Fans often think they don't have power. They do. The SEC, it matters more. In the Big Ten, in the last eight to ten years, Mel Tucker Stang, Jim Harbaugh staying, staying and reworking his contract. And by the way, they're going to win 10 games this year probably, and James Franklin staying.

He could have lived near the beach in Los Angeles. He could have been down. in New New Orleans and Baton Rouge, great fun party city. No, I'm going to stay in rural Pennsylvania. It's a great story. It really is. And if you watch the games, you see why. It looks like football matters in the Big Ten.

And you'll see it this weekend. Big noon kickoff ratings through the roof. Stadium's jammed. Watch Michigan, Ohio State. You don't see that in like the other conferences except the SEC. So the Matanagie situation in Chicago is just a big mess. I guess he's still the coach. The team is off to play the Lions.

So he's now in Detroit, probably interviewing with our network and sitting down for meetings. We don't know if Matt Nagy is going to be the Bears coach by kickoff or 24 hours after the game. So we'll update you on Matt Nagy with the Chicago Bears. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. F-S-1 and the I-Hard 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 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, 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 ton-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-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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. 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, so... Then you're finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people. in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Great to have you in. So the Chicago Bears situation with Matt Nagy, tomorrow the Bears, Andy Dalton will start. Justin Fields is hurt. We'll take on the abysmal lions. And the situation with Matt Nagy, listen, the Raiders are going to hire a new coach. We know that. And the Bears are.

It's a matter of if not when he gets fired. Yesterday, he met with ownership. before a second walkthrough with the team. He then canceled the rest of his meetings. The locker room, according to reliable Chicago newspaper people, the locker room is asking questions. There's no clarity. It's just a mess.

And so Matt Nagy, this is probably his last game, win or lose. So the question becomes, is the bears a good job? So it's interesting because there's three types of rebuilds in the NFL. There's the we need everything, including a quarterback. That's Houston. those are tough jobs. There's, we don't need anything but a quarterback. That's Denver.

That's a winning roster today. That was Tampa. Like we got everything. We just have a quarterback. Those are really good jobs, but it's hard to find a quarterback. And the third one is where Chicago is at. We think we have the quarterback and we have some nice pieces. But our current GM gives up draft picks up against the cap.

We had to get rid of players because apparently we're using a bank and we don't have a credit line, unlike the Rams who can pay two quarterbacks and they're still one of the best teams in the league. The Bears job has actually got many things going for it. Number one, it's an offensive league. This is really a great year for young offensive coordinators to graduate to head coach. It's a really good year in the league. You have a top defensive coordinator with Indy. You've got three to four really good offensive coordinators. That's the key. It's a great year to be looking for a young coach. The second thing is, it looks like they have their quarterback and Justin Fields,

and next year he won't be battling Andy Dalton for snaps. They will know probably very soon, once he gets his ribs back in shape, this is going to be his franchise for at least minimum the next three years unless he fails. And the third thing is the running back wide receiver tight end talent is pretty good. The Bears have two issues. The offensive line, it's not like Jacksonville bad or the New York Giants bad or Atlanta bad. It's ranked like 18th, 19th, 20th. You could solve it in the draft.

The other issue is they've only got four draft picks, but they have some capable defensive players who are getting old and expensive. You could move and get picks. This organization just needs at the top coach and GM smart young, capable people. This is a wildly passionate fan base. Historically, they've never fired a coach in season. So say what you want about the Chicago Bears, but they've given a lot of coaches an extra year. This is not an offensive line that is not fixable. The Chargers fix their offensive line because they have a good GM in one off season. The Bears can. They've got to move some old defensive pieces, get more draft picks, hit on their first two to three picks. And if Justin

Fields can play. It's a good football team. It's a good football team. Detroit is a long way off. Minnesota, if Mike Zimmer doesn't win down the stretch, we'll have a whole new staff in with Kirk Cousins. And Aaron Rogers, he could leave too. So I don't think, listen, if you have the quarterback, Denver, John Elway checked out in 1998. 23 years later, Denver has only been good at quarterback when they rented Peyton Manning. And Dan Marino left in 1999. That's 20. 22 years and they still can't get it right. So of all the rebuilds out there, there's an argument to be made the best rebuild because it's so hard to find a quarterback, right?

You get about one and a half a year in the NFL, find a great quarterback. The best kind of rebuild is we've got our quarterback, we've got some good skill people. We just got to get better in the front office and fix our own line. That is incredibly solvable in one-off season. Joy with the crazy news. No, no, no, no. on the news. This is the herd line news. All right guys, here's

a lesson in what happens when you're not authentic. People don't know what to think about what you say. So Aaron Rogers obviously missed week nine against the chiefs with COVID and it was a big deal because he was not authentic about being vaccinated.

And he's been dealing with a toe issue that he said and described as being extremely painful and far more painful than turf toe. He said on the Pat McAfee, he said on the Pat McAf show that he's not dealing with any other lingering effects from COVID except for COVID toe.

Then he also went on to say it's a bone issue, not a skin issue. So he's kind of talking all over the place. Now, if you listen to the sound, he could be being sarcastic, but it's Aaron Rogers. So who knows what he's talking about? Now, I know about COVID toe. Okay, I didn't until this morning. I'd never heard of COVID toe.

Now, the Wall Street Journal published an article today. They did not think that he was joking. again, this is what happens when you put yourself out into this space. Nobody's going to take you at your word anymore. COVID toe is this condition. Now, I knew about this last year. It was one of the side effects. I was like, I think I'm going to be a little more careful.

I like my feet and take care of them, and this really looks very painful. So it's like discoloration and lesions, and it's very painful. It's hard for people to wear shoes. Now, overall, it means that your immune system is functioning really well. It generally happens in young people. who experience mild symptoms. But the problem is your body produces this too much of some type of interferon, which creates COVID toes.

So he could have been joking. Wall Street Journal did a story today saying Aaron's got COVID toe. Well, he said I have COVID toe. I'm dealing with COVID toe. And it was kind of being sarcastic. Now, he said it's a bone issue. So COVID toe isn't a bone issue. But didn't we?

I mean, I don't know what it is. And I'd never heard a COVID toe until you told me. And I went to my little dressing room this morning. and Googled COVID toe. Don't Google it if you're eating. Yeah, it's gross. But it is a real thing. It is a real thing.

And by the way, we said this when he said during his time off for COVID, right? We said he said he injured his toe. Well, he wasn't going out and doing things because he was supposed to be separated from people. And we all said, hell happened to his toe. Well, yeah, that kind of makes it. I mean, also he had COVID. Like it is a real thing. He's not like making that part of it.

up. But it's, you know, a bone issue and a skin issue. It's just, it's just a reflection, again, of extra unnecessary chaos with Aaron, because this is what happens when you damage your reputation about being authentic. Yeah. Like, it's one thing to be sarcastic, but this is a situation that actually harmed your team. Yeah. And now we don't know what you're dealing with. And this actually is a lingering injury for him. Very rarely do you hear guys talk about how much pain they're in, like specifically with a, a lower extremity injury when you're a quarterback. Like, if, If someone steps on his foot, that's going to inflame it more. Look at Baker Mayfield with a heel issue.

Yeah. I mean, he's literally not the same quarterback. No, obviously, Aaron looked great despite that. But Aaron Rogers is the first ballot Hall of Famer. It's just a ridiculous story. So the Rams host or the Packers host the Rams on Sunday and are currently one point underdogs. That's actually a really, really big game.

You know what? It's funny about this, Joy. So Carson Wentz and Matt Stafford were the big. off-season quarterback pursuits. And Wence was highly critical. He's too expensive. He's a broken player. Matt Stafford was revered.

This is a great move for the Rams. If Wence beats Brady at home this weekend, I think he will. And if Stafford loses to Aaron Rogers, one seven and four, what? And you start looking at their numbers. This is a huge game for Matt Stafford. This was supposed to be the icing on a great cake. Like, Wence, that move was, we liked it, but it was crushed by people. And it was a little clunky at first.

Yeah, because he had the COVID thing and he hurt his ankle. But if you start looking at him, if Wence wins this weekend and Stafford loses, and that's a go-either-way game for both, the gap between Wence and Stafford, one plays a much prettier game in a prettier stadium with a hipper coach, but it's like the Wence-stafford gap after this weekend may not be very big. I've always said that this move put a lot of pressure. Matt Stafford. We've talked about his talents for a long time,

and obviously we see what Detroit is without him there. He is a good player. We know that. We can see that. But this was a big move for the Rams, and there are expectations here in Los Angeles, especially because they're a very aggressive organization. So after Monday nights, 30, 10 loss of the bucks,

Giants head coach Joe Judge said the coaching staff has to understand how we have played this game and give our players a chance to make plays. The reaction to those comments were generally assumed they were directed towards Jason Garrett, and then they fired Jason Garrett yesterday, and Judge talked about that decision in his afternoon press conference. This is not a snap decision or anything in terms of reflection of last night. I feel it would be more productive as an offense. Generally speaking, the offensive job is to score points. I don't believe we're scoring enough points.

Well, Freddie Kitchens is taking over play calling starting Sunday with the Eagles. They rank dead last in the NFL with 42 offensive touchdowns, the start of the 2020 season when Garrett arrived after being fired by the Cowboys. I think there are more problems than just Jason Garrett. I mean, obviously he wasn't getting it done and there are expectations again with the Giants. If Daniel Jones was a star, if he was Lamar, Justin Herbert, Mahomes, Jason Garrett wouldn't get fired. We've said this before.

With restaurants, if the food's good. Yeah, you'll go. You'll drive for miles. You'll sit in a bad part of town. Yeah, terrible atmosphere. If the quarterback's right, everything else is fine. And when the quarterback's not, now Jason Garrett, former cowboy coach, is on the street halfway through a season. Yeah, I think the Giants are going to be in the quarterback conversation.

I think they have to be. It's so funny. At the beginning of the season, we do the same thing every year. We're like, oh, no, everybody has their quarterback. There's all these, like, interesting things with the quarterback. There's not going to be that many teams in the quarterback conversation. And by this time... You know how many this morning I counted, Joy?

Depending on how you think about Matt Ryan, 10 teams will be in the quarterback. hunt in the offseason. Oh, I think it's very obvious that that Atlanta's going to probably draft one. As great as Kyle Pitts is and will be, they don't have a quarterback. And they could have had their quarterback. Yeah. Now, they will play Matt next year because he's a cap hit. He's expensive.

But they're going to draft a quarterback. Like, they're going to make a move at quarterback. They have to. They have to. So the Lions entered Thanksgiving winless for the third time in franchise history, but they could get a boost under center this week. Dan Campbell said Derek Gough is leaning towards a return for the holiday game. I would say there's a 60% chance of it being 50-50. He's tough. And that's honestly,

that's part of my concern is because I know how tough he is. And, you know, he tells you he's being truthful. But I know how bad he wants to play. And he's been through a lot, played through a lot. And I appreciate that about him. But I do want to make sure he's definitely ready to go, you know. And I do think it's trending that way. He missed all of last week's practices managing the injury. He suffered in the tie with the Steelers in week 10. Tim Boyle filled in and struggled 77 passing yards, two interceptions, 15 of 23 for a 34.1 passer rating.

So as much as golf has struggled, it's certainly an improvement over Tim Boyle, and they are last in the NFC North. But this is an interesting game. We are expecting, obviously, the Bears to win, but the lions are only three-point underdogs. Oh, I think if Jared Goff plays, I think if Jared Goff plays, Detroit's going to win. And I have my blazing five at the top of the show.

I think the games tomorrow are interesting. I told you last week I picked the Lions a couple weeks ago to upset the Steelers. The Lions are getting really close. And if Goff plays, I think they win. I think they do too. I mean, this might be their best chance. This has been a rough week in Chicago. Coverage begins at 10.30 a.m. Eastern on Fox.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line News. By the way, Blazing Five is top of next hour. Off a winning week. Two of our last three weeks, we've had a winning week, so we feel

pretty good about it. And in fact, have we had back-to-back winning weeks, or, I don't know. I forget. You know, when you're winning, you just forget. It's just cash in your pocket. With that, we go. Brought to you by Mercedes. Ben's the best or nothing. Mark Schlereth. You call the Saints E. Eagles last week, and we've been saying this, is I've had to change the way I think about

quarterbacks. When Kyler Murray came out, I'm like, he's too small, and now he's great. And with Jalen Hertz, I'm like, he doesn't throw a deep ball. But you did the game last week. He's productive, and he creates problems, and the Saints have a real good defense and a great defensive coordinator. And they couldn't stop him consistently. We talked about this the other day. I know the Eagles have potentially like three picks in the top 10, 12 picks. I'm like, I think I'd saw the defense, I wouldn't worry about quarterback. I mean, what is your interpretation of what you're seeing with Jalen Hertz?

Well, it's been, Colin's been pretty amazing so far, and I'll give a lot of credit to Nick Seriani because in the first seven games, the head coach wanted to win the way he wanted to win. And I think that's endemic of the NFL in general. This is my offense

is what I want to be able to do. And your ability to assess where you're at, what players you have, and then make the requisite changes, is pretty incredible to me. So in the first seven games, he threw it 63% of the time, and he ran at 37% of the time. It wasn't working. So he changed the script, and he went 63% run, 37% pass in the last four games, and he's three and one in those games, and his quarterback is playing exceptionally well. And here's the thing, he told me a funny story last Friday. He said, you know, my brother,

he comes from a football family. His dad was a high school head coach. His brother's a high school head coach. His other brother is a Division III head coach. He said, my brother in high school, he goes, three straight years. He goes, the first year, he went and won a state championship with a pro style of offense. Then he had a bunch of kids graduate. So then the next year, he won the state championship with a spread offense. He goes, and then a bunch of kids graduating. So the next year, he went back to the state championship with a wingt offense. And he goes, your ability to change what you do really is what makes you a good. coach. And what he has done is said, what I have, the players I have, I've got to swallow my pride

in doing it the way I want to do it and do it with the way that's best for our football team. And they are absolutely cramming it down people's throats right down on the run game. It's amazing to watch. Okay. So the Eagles, it was a big miss by me. I thought they would be one of the bottom two or three teams in the league. And if they beat the Giants this weekend, who were sort of reeling, this is going to be a team that feels like a chance to be a wild card team. Well, they have a chance. Think about if you look at their schedule, they have a chance for this thing to come down to them and the Cowboys at the end of the year

for possibly an NFC East Championship, depending of course, how the Cowboys play. The Cowboys have lost, what, two of their last three games? And so it's two teams that are kind of trending in opposite directions right now. So don't be surprised if the Eagles went out all the way through until that last game of the season between them and the Cowboys. So it'll be really interesting to see how it goes down the stretch. By the way, Daniel Jones, you're going to be watching this.

I'm sure you're looking at film. My takeaway was the Giants moved off Garrett and moved Freddie Kitchens in. And this is my interpretation, because they have to make a decision on Daniel Jones. And Garrett, Daniel Jones, are not. It's not working. So they're like, let's give him a new pair of eyes. Let's give him Freddie Kitchens. Freddie worked with Baker a little as a coordinator.

And that the part of this move was we got to get. We got to figure out if we have to go get a quarterback because Jason and Daniel's not working. Can we get a little juice with a new coordinator? I mean, I think Daniel Jones, I mean, that's my interpretation. At the end of this year, they may be in the Russell Wilson sweepstakes. Well, I would tell you this, Colin, if a guy shows you who he is, you probably should believe him. And regardless of you change your coordinator, I mean, think about the Giants, right? How did it all start?

Do you remember Dave Gettleman saying, hey, we had. good intel that somebody else wanted him later that's why we went up to six to get him or why we got him at six like if your decision to draft somebody is based on you had intel that somebody else wanted him at 15 then you know what that that's you're you're starting off with a failing mentality like you go get guys at number six because those guys will change your franchise not because we thought somebody else would want them at 15 and we had pick number six and pick number whatever they had it like 17 or 18, whatever it was. I can't remember.

But the bottom line is that's how you started this relationship. Well, you know, we didn't really like him at 6, but we heard somebody else liked him at 6. You know, somebody else was going to take him to the prom. And they were going to ask him on Friday. So we decided to ask him on Wednesday, even though we didn't really want to go to the prom with him. So that's the number one issue. Then last year, Joe Judge fires their offensive line coach. Well, that didn't fix anything.

So now they're going to fire Jason Garrett. So there's already all these things in place. If the guy shows you who he is, you probably should believe him. He has shown you in critical situations. He makes mistakes. He redlines guys. He eyeballs dudes. He throws it to the other team.

All those things that have been incorrect since day one. Do you think a new coordinator is going to fix that? I just, again, I think it's a Band-Aid on a wound. And so I'm with you. He's showing you that he's not a friend. It doesn't mean he's not a good guy. It doesn't mean he doesn't work hard. It doesn't mean he doesn't prepare.

It just when push comes to shove in critical moments, he doesn't produce. And there are plenty of issues, wide receiver issues, injury issues, O line can't block their way out of the web paper sack. I mean, on and on it goes. But the bottom line is, I think that you're looking for a new quarterback next year. So the Matt Nagy situation is bad. I mean, he's not going to last the season. I think Denver, there's a bunch of different rebuilds. I said there's the rebuild that you need everything, including a quarterback, that's Houston.

There's the rebuild like Denver that we don't really need that many roster upgrades. We just got to get the quarterback right. And then there's Chicago where I think they have their quarterback, but they got to fix two or three different units. Do you think the Bears job is a good job in your opinion? Well, I mean, they're the NFL, so all jobs are good jobs. do I think it's a good job? Do the people in place give you the opportunity to win from the top down?

And if you look at the Chicago Bears historically, the answer to that would probably be no. So you can sit there and talk about the potential of what the quarterback might be. You can go on and on about all these different things. But the bottom line is they have not put a structure in place to win. And everybody wants to point at Nagy. Nagy's a bad coach. Nagy this, nagy that. And I would look at your personnel, first and foremost, is your personnel right? I mean, I do recall, and correct me if I'm wrong, I do believe that Nagy won 12 games in Mitch Trubisky's rookie year. And then I do believe, again, last year with

Mitch Trubisky, a guy who we all think can't play, went to the playoffs last year. So is it really coaching or is it the organization in general? That's what I would ask you. And So, you know, I mean, Justin Fields, to me, is a really good athlete, a really compelling athlete. Do I think he's a good quarterback? No, I don't think he's a good quarterback yet, but I think he's a really compelling athlete. And so I would look at all those things, and it starts at the top. Do you have the people in place to win? I remember being drafted by Washington and Joe Gibbs saying, hey, man, there are 10 teams in a national football league

that legitimately have a chance to win a championship, and we're one of them. And I would tell you right now, there are probably 10 to 12 teams in the NFL that legitimately want to win championships. The other ones are just happy to participate, you know, give us a participation trophy. We're good. And if we happen to win one year, awesome. But if we don't, that's okay. Our franchise grows 25% in value year over year.

So we're good. And I think that's how the league operates. Yeah. Mark Schlarith, Fox Sports NFL analyst doing the Eagles Giants Week 12 Sunday, 1 Eastern. I'll be watching. Good seeing you, Mark. Likewise, buddy. Take care, man. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Blazing 5 on a Wednesday, top of the hour.

It is interesting on the coaching. NFL average over the last decade, seven coaches replaced every year. There's not many coaches on the hot seat. So Raiders are going to hire one, and the Bears look like they will. So you know there's going to be four or five other coaches. The average is seven. We're not going to have only two coaches replaced. So this next month, and coming up next,

I'll just tell you what I would do with the reasonably lukewarm seats for some of these coaches. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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 sports book, and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

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

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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, so... 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. from black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So we were saying, on average in the NFL, seven coaches are replaced every year. We know the Raiders are going to hire a coach,

so I'm not going to include them in this. We know that's true. And we know Matt Nagy's in big trouble, and let's not argue it. It's not going to work. So, you know, the guy behind me, Pete Carroll is one of those. There are seven coaches that I think are, that people will talk about.

things. So I'm going to give, we'll do a little game here. We'll call on the plane or retain. Would I retain you and keep you? And I can make arguments to keep you or is it time to put you on a plane and we're going another direction? So let's just play this game. And you tell me if I'm wrong on this, but I'll give you my reasons for all of them. Okay, no pun intended. The Jets head coach Robert Salah. I think it's a whiff. I'd put them on a plane. I think they I think in a division with four defensive coaches, his defense is the only one that keeps getting worse. In an offensive league, he has no connection to Zach Wilson, who clearly doesn't listen to him because he's had to publicly criticize him twice about his interceptions. The Jets allow,

their defense is not as bad as this. In fact, there have been moments over the last several years where we like their defensive line. I think Robert Sala was a miss. I had questions going in. I think Zach Wilson is harder than average to coach. There are some Aaron Rogers there. I think they whiffed. I think they missed. Lions head coach Dan Campbell. I would actually retain.

They play really hard. They should have a win or two. They lost to the Ravens on a 60-yard kick. They had the Steelers beat. The other thing is they have the number one pick. I think they should stay with golf for a year. I think I could argue trade that down and get multiple picks. They've got some good young offensive players.

Five of their 10 games have been decided. by one possession. They played their butts off. And even though I didn't like his introductory press conference, the effort is totally there. They've been in half their games. They're just not gifted enough to win those close games. Viking Head coach Mike Zimmer.

I think he's a great coach. I would retain him. In four of his seven years, he's had a winning record. And that's in a division where you've got player in Rogers twice. Here's the other thing about Zimmer. As a defensive coach, how does he connect with his quarterback? like Robert Sala and Zach Wilson don't work. Kirk Cousins has, I think, a top three passer rating in the lead.

Kirk Cousins under Zimmer has been terrific. It's the best Kirk Cousins. I think Mike Zimmer is a top 10 NFL coach. They've been to the playoffs before. I think they're a playoff team this year. And I do think he's a tad conservative for my taste. But some of that pays off with Kirk Cousins. He just doesn't want to put him in a place to fail.

How about the Broncos head coach Vic Fangio? I don't think he's terrible, but I'd put him on a plane. I get in that division where I got Andy Reed and I've got all these great quarterbacks. Is he going to be the guy, even if he gets the young quarterback, do you want him guiding him? It's a really good year for offensive coordinators to get head jobs. And if I get a young quarterback, I'd rather have a Sean McVeigh or a Kyle Shanahan or a young offensive coach. No Bronco quarterback has had a winning record under him. Drew Locke, Teddy Bridgewater, Brandon Allen, or Joe Flacco, and he's won 40% of his games,

and the division to me is only getting better. Well, they just fired their offensive coordinator or the Giants head coach Joe Judge. I would retain him for one more year. I think the team plays hard. He can't get his offense healthy. Sequin Barkley can't stay healthy. I don't think he has a great general managers. I will tend to defend a coach when I don't think he has the quarterback.

Belichick got fired when he could get the quarterback. right. But they're in a lot of games. You can argue because he was sort of a no-name hire. He didn't assemble the greatest staff. But I think they play generally really hard and they listen to him. And I just think he's got to get a better GM and a quarterback. So I would retain him for another year. The Miami Dolphins coach, Brian Flores. I don't even think this is an argument. I don't understand the discussion. I would totally retain him. Listen, first of all, they ended the the year last year playing very good football with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua, and they're on a three-game winning streak with Tua. And I think he gets the most out of Tua. I think he does as

good a job as you can do with a smaller quarterback with an average arm that's not that athletic. The defense remains very good. They doubled their win total in their second year under Brian Flores. So I don't understand the arguments here. He's doing as well as you can do. If you go back to his last, you know, take the second half of last. last year, in the beginning of this year, when his quarterback has been upright, either Fitzpatrick or Tua, they can win games. All right. The guy behind you, Seahawks head coach P. Carroll.

He's had a great career, but I think it's over. I'd put him on a plane. He has too much power. The downside of a power grab is you get the responsibility. They're a mess. His defense feels outdated. I've had multiple Seahawk players tell me they think the offense is outdated. They can't now mesh their running and passing game.

Russell Wilson's not a lot. a big fan. We know that. The offensive line is outside of Duane Brown and maybe one of their guards, kind of a rebuild. The secondary is a rebuild. I think Pete's fingerprints were all over the Jamal Adams move, which now looks egregious. I mean, they're literally 30th in offense, 31st in defense. He'd been fired twice before in the NFL. There are arguments to be made that his kind of raw, raw optimistic 24-7, you know, gum-chewing, frenetic pace can wear players out. I think they're in a rebuild. And I think he's been the architect of this roster over the last three or four.

He got all the credit early on his draft picks, right? It was all Pete Noan personnel. Well, then he's responsible now. And I think it's a, I think it's a rebuilt. I'd trade Bobby Wagner. I'd think about moving everybody, but Russell Wilson and Dwayne Brown. And there you go. But I think the Robert Solow on people will go, whoa, it's been a year.

We've seen this before. where you hire a coach in Arizona and you just think, it just doesn't work. He was a coordinator. He's a defensive guy. It just doesn't work. And when Zach Wilson, you've got to get that right now because you didn't get Donald right. You got to get Zach Wilson right.

Who do you think gives you the best opportunity to get Zach Wilson right? An offensive leaning coach, a Lincoln, Riley, you know, Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, an offensive leaning guy or a young defensive guy who we don't even know if he's anything more than a good coordinator. There you go. On the plane or retain. Blazing Five is around the corner. Good stuff here on a Wednesday. Thanksgiving evil families flying into town across the country.

In L.A., it's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 headwriter Streeter-Side. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human.