The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Cowboys, Big Ben, QBs

Episode Date: September 28, 2021

The Cowboys big win over the Eagles doesn't mean muchRyan Clark's comments on the Steelers and Big BenColin talks about the young QBs in the NFLGuest: Kevin Clark Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Will the Cowboys make the herd hierarchy? Very rarely happens. One hour from now, the top 10 teams in the NFL. It is great to have you in today. We don't have Derek Carr. We have his brother David Carr. I've been saying nice things about Derek Carr. About time his brother stopped by the show. That'll be next hour. Joy Taylor was in the dentist chair all day yesterday.

Yeah, my face is going to be a little puppy today, guys. It's not because I'm pregnant. I haven't gained an extra 10 pounds. He's had a bunch of holes drilled in my teeth to make them straight and faster. So if I talk a little weird today, I apologize. I was down bad yesterday, though. Yeah. I love my dentist. I do too, but there's just some of those days you leave and you're like... I don't like going either. I love mine and I don't like going. It's the only place you love the person, you hate the visit. Yeah.

I mean, sometimes they're just nice and pleasant and easy, and this was a little more invasive than I thought it was going to be. But here we are. A couple of Tylenol and all we're going to get through it for joy. Let me start with this. All weekend long, we watched young quarterbacks flail. And when you watched DAC last night against another young quarterback, you can see the value of 72 starts.

You know, Dax's never going to be as dynamic as Lamar Jackson, going to have those beautiful tear-drop throws like Kyler Murray. He not is big and strong. He doesn't have the arm of Josh Allen. But you see the value of 72 starts. You're all trying to convince me your young quarterback is a star. Dak always throws the ball to the right place. He's incredibly patient.

He has great feet. You know, he has great situational. self-awareness. He knows when it's a big play. He knows when to throw it away. So I don't want this to be a, Dak Prescott is the issue. Dak is a veteran quarterback. And if you watch these young quarterbacks like Jalen Hertz, they aren't even in the same, they're not playing the same sport. Dak is playing.

Dax playing grown up football. Audibles, in and out of plays, killing plays, knows situationally how big it is when not to throw, when to throw. But I have a rule in life. Believe it or not, you don't know everything and either do I. And I make mistakes all the time. In fact, I have a segment on Monday, a segment where I acknowledge my mistakes. But I never want to be a sucker.

You know, you've met that guy. He's falling for the same conspiracy theories. You throw any conspiracy theory out of him. He's a sucker. He falls for all of them. You don't want to be a sucker in life. Cowboy fans, you're suckers. every time the Cowboys play in a stand-alone game,

Thursday night football, Sunday night football, Monday night football, or the big Fox game in the week, and they beat a lousy NFCE team. Oh my God, confetti parades. DAC is 11 and 1 against Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. But the Cowboys have not beaten a 10-plus win team. Since 2018 over the Saints, the score was 13 to 10. Yes, DAC is good.

That's not the issue. Dallas is a good team. I predicted they make the playoffs. I still feel that today and we've got a long way to go. Their offense in 2021 is going to score a lot of points, but you know it and I know it. If they face a big time offense and Philadelphia is the opposite of that, they're in big trouble. every single time the Cowboys play a standalone game because they're the biggest brand and they win and they often win ugly. They make the other team look, you know, literally incapable of picking up first downs.

We all have them as a great defense. No, I saw the Eagles last week against the Niners. They couldn't move it there either and they didn't move it a ton against Atlanta. I just don't think DAC is special enough to overcome average coaching. And you don't have to have a Hall of Fame coach to win a Super Bowl. I don't think anybody thinks Doug Peterson's a Hall of Fame coach or Gary Kubiak. But Dallas is going to be viable as long as Dak Prescott is the quarterback. He's a grown up.

He's got a lot of starts. This league, a third of this league either has a bad quarterback or a young quarterback, and Dax neither. He does a really good job. And you should be proud that he's the quarterback for the Cowboys. But let's just add perspective. Washington has been in a rebuild. I am not joking since Joe Gibbs.

not the second time you had Joe Gibbs, the first time you had Joe Gibbs. Because the second Joe Gibbs was still rebuilding. The Giants have been rebuilding since 2011, that's a decade. Philadelphia has been rebuilding for a couple years, but right now they're a tire fire. And so, yes, Dallas as a playoff team with a very good veteran quarterback should kick the you-know-what-at-home out of them. There's no question. I mean, listen, I thought there was something there with Philadelphia. I thought they would keep it close.

But we have this perpetual optimism with Dallas. And I think it comes when you play in a bad division and you play standalone games as the biggest brand. You know what the Cowboys are? They're the Pac-12 champ. They win the Pac-12. Everybody out West is like, yeah, we belong. And then they go face Ohio State or they face it. SEC champ and you're like,

they're good for out here. Dallas is very good for the NFC East. But, you know, how many times are going to fall for this? Stand-alone game, Fox game of the week, Sunday night football, Monday night football, Thursdays and that football, Troutes and

NFC East team. And we're like, whoo! I mean, how many games you got to Philadelphia winning this year? I think I predicted, what, Joy, five, maybe four? Yeah, they fooled me in week one. So did the Steelers. Week one may have been.

Let's be on. honest. Week one may have been the final week of preseason since veterans don't play it anymore. All these teams, like week one, they treated it like preseason. Oh, I got to play our starters finally. I don't take much from week one. I just don't want to be fooled. That said, this is not an indictment on DAC. Dax a grown-up. You saw Dax 72 starts against the kid last night.

They're playing different football games. I mean, Dack between the patience to sit in the pocket. You can watch Dak, second read, third read. Dak sees the whole field. Jalen Hertz has a play. It comes in, and he's going to do that play. Dak is dealing with audibles, in and out, smart, self-awareness, gets the clock.

Thankfully, gets the clock much better than his head coach. Here's Dak after. The experience, obviously, has helped, but then just studying and preparing myself and then all the work that I've put in just to get back healthy. And not only with the leg, but with the shoulder and just this playbook, obviously the continuity and having Kellynne for so many. years and I'm just comfortable in the system and everything that's going on around me and having playmakers. Let's credit the guys around me. I mean, the offensive line and then the receivers

that they make my job a whole lot easier that, yeah, I feel like I'm playing the best I've ever played. He looks and sounds like a veteran quarterback, right? That's what a veteran quarterback sounds like at the podium. It's not an indictment on DAC, but is he special enough to overcome McCarthy? And would we stop falling for the NFC East dominating win at home? That's all I'm saying. All right. So Ryan Clark used to play for the Steelers. Now he broadcasts for another network.

He came out yesterday and he said the Steelers handling of Ben, Big Ben, is a total organization failure. And I agree with him. And I've been on this for two years. Is that the Steelers coddled Big Ben. Now, when a former Steeler comes out and rips the organization, it lands differently than an outsider like me, just to talk. head talks. But you know, we all rip the Green Bay Packers for drafting Jordan Love. But let me ask you, who would you rather be today? The Packers who ticked off and annoyed

their quarterback, but you do have a succession plan. Jordan Love gets to sit for the second year behind a Hall of Famer, learn from a Hall of Famer, or be the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Ben's not annoyed at all because the Steelers are petrified and they've coddled him and there's no real succession plan but they're pathetic. Yeah, the Packers annoyed Aaron this offseason. And the Patriots annoyed Brady with Jimmy Garoppolo. Okay. And by the way, when the Steelers did annoy Ben by drafting Mason Rudolph, you know what, Ben did that year?

Had the best year he's had in like eight years. And what did Brady do when they annoyed him with Garoppolo? Oh, had a great year. And what did Aaron have last year when he was annoyed with Jordan Love? Oh, he was MVP. Aaron's annoyed. Yeah. I don't know.

I watched Aaron Sunday night. I listened to Aaron Sunday night. He sounded okay to me. Play the tape. You know, Matt actually suggested that I play on the sideline, that first play, which was something we actually worked on Friday practice, kind of scribbling in the dirt. And it worked out perfect.

Just put it right over for it. So it got us kind of down there a little bit. We needed one more play. How could he not be romantic about football, man? Seems committed to me. Seems happy to me. Doesn't seem annoyed to me. Aaron had a little pity party in the offseason.

Right. Ben's been having a five-year pity party with Mason Rudolph. Tom Brady didn't like Garoppel. Get him out of town. New rule. if you have an older quarterback, he's going to get annoyed when you draft his successor. And his successor may not work. Jordan Love maybe can't play.

Garopolo got shipped out of town. Mason Rudolph, not that great. Who cares? Like, listen, I'll get annoyed at some point when they hire somebody to replace me. But organizationally, the Packers have protected themselves. They protected themselves when they had Favre to get Aaron Rogers. And Brett Favre did not get along with Aaron Rogers. But you know what?

far of leaves little dip 12 years of 15 years how many years of relevance are we on with Aaron Rogers I mean how 17 years yes Aaron got annoyed if I was Aaron and they drafted a first round quarterback and moved up and didn't text or call me I'd be annoyed to I've got enough of an ego I can admit I would be annoyed could you give me a heads up and I defend Aaron on that Aaron has a right to be annoyed but worst case scenario Aaron was annoyed Tom was annoyed Big Ben was annoyed. The difference is, the difference is the Packers have a succession plan. The Steelers don't.

Anytime you or I get annoyed in life, we get over it. Just deal with it. Understand that if you have a legend, this organization, whatever it is, is going to have to find your replacement. Right? Like, that's the way it works. You start looking at cars when yours is on its eighth year. If cars could get annoyed, they'd get annoyed. What about me?

Well, you've been driving me to work for 15 years. I mean, this is just the reality of it. I'd much rather have an annoyed Aaron Rogers than be the Pittsburgh Steelers today. They have just coddled him. And Green Bay has not coddled Aaron. I mean, I'm sure they have sometimes behind the scenes. They got him a free golf membership or something. I'm sure there's some coddling going on.

And by the way, New England, Belichick was grumpy. But, you know, they basically crafted an organization around, But annoyed is just part of the equation when you have a legend and they get to their 15th year. You're going to have to draft somebody and Pittsburgh has no plan. And Ryan Clark's right. And I thought I was right. Pittsburgh's in a really, really bad spot. Dwayne Haskins is not a succession plan.

He's a finger cross. You hope it works. All right. What to make a Jalen Hertz. Heard hierarchy next hour. Aaron does seem very happy, by the way. It really, I mean, winning will do that. It's winning big, playing well.

It's like, you know, listen, we're guys, vanity, ego. We get annoyed if, you know, sometimes we're not, we don't feel like we're being respected, but we get over it. We all get over it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only 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. A win is a win. 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.

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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 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.

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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 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.

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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. Casper Cooling Collection and Rise Adjustable Bases have you covered. If you want a better night's sleep, go to casper.com code herd 100, 100 bucks off select mattresses. So, you know, we have a lot of these young quarterbacks. And every year when we have a crop of new quarterbacks coming into the NFL, I kind of lay out my predictions. I think it's fun.

It's like, you know, I told you this year, Zach Wilson to me, little small, little joccurts. Johnny Mansell with a better arm sometimes feels like he's showing off more than trying to win games. I watch BYU football a lot. It didn't work for me. He's struggling now. I look smart today. He may turn around and be Joe Namath. Who knows? You know, I told you Baker Mayfield's judgment. I didn't see him as a number one pick. I saw him as a franchise guy, but not a number one pick. And I think I'm right on that. I think he is a franchise guy. I don't think he's, you know, I don't think he's close to Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes. But, you know, we make predictions. So my takeaway on James.

Halen Hertz is I don't think he's a franchise quarterback. I think you can win games with him. He's already won a game or two. Tim Tebow won seven straight games. And sometimes, like Tua, I will say it before I see him start. I don't think Tua is going to work. Arm and size and. Mobility, eh.

Where's the it? You can't tell me accuracy is your only it. That's the foundation for the house. You've got to have that. You can't even get approved to have a house unless your foundation's right. You've got to be able to throw the ball. to open people. Those were layups. But it took me, there's only one quarterback in the NFL that has a lower completion

percentage since they started starting football games. And that's Drew Locke. And he's no longer a starter. Denver's like, you're not accurate enough. But it took me 12 games before I looked at Drew Locke, 12 games because he had a big arm. I watched his first nine. I said there's something special here. I watched three more the following year.

And I went, no, Drew Locke's not going to work. He's too casual. He doesn't play with urgency. Little too cocky. Doesn't understand the moment. Lacks pocket self-awareness. It took me two starts with Tebow to go, that's not going to work. Slow delivery, not accurate enough.

By the way, conversely, it took me two starts to go, oh, Kyler Murray's going to work well, and Joe Burrell's going to work. Remember, I was cooler on Kyler Murray than a lot of people. And Joy is my witness. The second start, I'm like, oh, that's going to work. So I'm just telling you right now, what I see is a marginally accurate quarterback that doesn't have, he's athletic, but he doesn't like to get hit. He is out after his first read. Nobody's saying he can't improve.

I've said this. It's not about just winning games. Tebow won seven straight. And when the world was fascinated with Tebow, I kept saying, I'm not going to build around Tebow. Maybe a backup or a third. Tason Hill. He's not a franchise quarterback. You go in games with Taysam Hill.

That's not the question. But if Taysam Hill is your quarterback, you have to hire coaches and hire people and hire an infrastructure for a guy that's really not an elite thrower. Well, what about Lamar Jackson? As I've argued for three years, I think he's a lot better thrower than anybody will admit. I said this Sunday. He made two huge throws, great throws. Lamar is a better thrower than anybody wants to admit.

He's not Mahomes. Who is on the planet? But with Jalen Hertz, I just don't see the pocket awareness. I see he bails too fast. Not a big guy. It's not terribly accurate. For me, I don't see it. Philadelphia, by the way, in Miami, both in on the Deshawn Watson rumors.

So somebody in both places, Philadelphia and Miami has skepticism too. I don't see it. Doesn't mean he can't win games. He's a playmaker. He was a playmaker in college. By the way, he was replaced by two. And it wasn't because he didn't win. His record was, I forget what it was, 21 and 2, and he got replaced by

Tua. Saban admitted it last night in the Manning cast. He just got beat out by Tua. And I'm not a fan of Tua. So when I watch Philadelphia right now, I don't know if they have the right coach. I got my doubts. But I don't see this person as a franchise, build around it, build an ecosystem that he flourishes. I don't see it. They've got some pieces I like.

I like their tight ends a lot. defensive, offensive line talent, some young wide receivers. They're stuff there for Philadelphia, but don't be confused by he can make plays and you can win games. That's not the same as we are all in on Josh Allen. Like Buffalo is all in on him. The chargers are all in on Herbert. And that's what scouts do and GMs do. They make these calls early in a quarterback's career and they make them faster than they ever have.

because we do expect our quarterbacks. This is not the 70s, 80s, 80s, or 90s. All these young quarterbacks have had 10,000 snaps by the time they're 12, 14 years old. So I don't believe in giving somebody the Eli Manning runway. I said with Daniel Jones, by Thanksgiving this year, and I got my doubts, I'm making my call on Daniel Jones organizationally. I'm not announcing it. I'm not going public with it.

And I don't know where I fall on Daniel Jones today. He's big. He can move. His arm is decent. If he can keep the turnover. down, I'd probably keep him. But boy, it's 51.49 for Daniel Jones for me. But with Hertz, I don't see it. He missed four or five like layup throws. Stuff like by this time in your life, you've got to be able to hit the six-yard curl to a tight end when you're thrown out of your end zone.

That's a gimme. I mean, that's from me where I'm standing to the camera. I'm an NFL Corp. I got to hit that a thousand out of a thousand times. I got to put it right there. A thousand out of a thousand in a clean pocket. So I don't see it. We'll see. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, speaking of Daniel Jones, the Giants are 0 and 3, and we're getting food on their own field this past weekend again. But despite a dismal start, head coach Joe Judge will not be making any changes to the play calling duties. He said, we're going to stay consistent with doing things improving as a team right there.

There are a lot of things we would clean up coaching-wise, execution-wise. We're going to stay on the track with it and make sure that we get those things right before we make any. radical changes. Didn't we love Joe Judge at the end of last year? We did. And look, their offensive line is abysmal. And that can be something that you point to for a lot of the issues that they're having. A lot of the heat is also falling on Jason Garrett.

They finished 6 and 10 last year. They failed at the top 14 points in two of their three games so far this year after finishing 31st in the NFL and total offense last season. The offense was 31st in yards, points, and red zone offense last year. and they are 31st in Red Zone offense again to the first three games this year. So look, they can't score points. It's a problem.

It doesn't matter if you have other parts of the team put together. If you have weapons, if you have a defense in place, if you're trying to find out what's going on with Daniel Jones, they can't score points. That's a problem. Yeah. I mean, Daniel Jones was 24, 35, 266 passing yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions.

They scored one touchdown and the three trips to the Red Zone on Sunday. Yeah. No, it is, um, the, Mara, family is historically patient. So I think Joe Judge is safe. I really think Daniel Jones is if he keeps his turnovers down, like he did at the end of last year. So far he's okay there. He'll be safe. I don't know if they have the right GM. They spent a lot of money this offseason. And Jason Garrett gets a lot of heat. In fairness, I like Jason. I know Jason. He can be very conservative.

It's a fair criticism. To your point, when your offensive line is bad, I mean, the Colts have had injuries on the O line. Nothing works. Nothing works on the offense when the O line's bad. So I guess my point here is I feel better about Daniel Jones this morning than I do Jalen Hertz. Neither's ideal. But I don't think this is going to create a firing because the Giants history is they're crazy patient. I mean, if you go look at Eli's last three years and Coughlin's last four, they really, I mean,

they were more patient than I would have been with Ben McAdoo. So I don't think anybody is going to look. lose their job. Big Blue, they're the old, we always joke. They're the accounting firm of the league. When they win, they're boring. It's just, they don't like chaos. And I still, at the end, I mean, right now, Miami, we like Brian Flores. It ain't great for Brian Flores. So this stuff is hard. And if you don't have the right quarterback, it's really hard. I mean, Justin Herbert's great. And with four turnovers, the Chargers needed to break at the end of the game to win with Justin Herbert. Like, it's hard to win in this league.

No, absolutely, but you've got to at least score points. Yes. That's the bare minimum of what you need to do. Maybe it's not Gettlement's fault. Maybe it's not Joe Judge's fault. Maybe it's not even on Garrett or Daniel Jones. Maybe it's just on the offensive line. Who knows?

And they are a conservative and consistently conservative organization, but they're also consistently losing. Yeah. For a long time. For a long time. So that's fine if you're being conservative in the way that, say, the Packers, are so you're consistently a good team, but you're never able to get over the top, but you're consistently good and competitive in your NFC championship games.

That's good enough for some fan bases. I don't know how much longer. And in the way that everything is changing, when you have hyper-aggressive whole conferences in the NFC in divisions, like you can't just sit there and do nothing. Like the Cowboys are out here spending money. You saw them last night. Like that's, you're not, you think you're going to beat the Cowboys? How many points they put up last night?

It's not going to happen. And their saints are favored by eight, according to Foxbet, against the Giants on Sunday. That's a lot, I will tell you. The Saints aren't yet good enough at quarterback for me to give up eight points. Do you know what the record is this year? Veteran quarterback starting against rookies, 12 and 0. And so Brady's got quite an interesting Sunday. But it's interesting.

Daniel Jones is not a rookie, obviously. Right. The Saints are a little too unsettled for me. They're not, a lot of their value last week was running the ball in defense. So I think the Giants will be very competitive. I don't know if they'll win, but, but. I don't know. They can't score any points.

I know. Listen, I don't have the answers here. I just, I don't want to bail on Joe Judge yet. No, I don't think there's, I don't think there's necessary. It's necessary to bail on anyone yet, but there's clearly an issue that needs to be fixed here. So speaking of the rookie quarterbacks, Justin Fields had a rough rookie debut against the Browns, 26, six loss on Sunday. and Matt Nagy said everything is on the table against the lines as far as the starting quarterback.

Okay, here we go. They're all three under consideration right now, you know, in regards to where they're at. So we'll just have to kind of see Hub the next couple days where they're all at. We know where Nick's at health-wise, but we just want to keep an eye on Justin and Andy. And for us to stay on that and make sure that we have a plan for any of those. Huh? Well, I will say, you know my theory on this. Tomorrow, if given all three to win a game tomorrow,

I think Nick Foll's the most talented guy in the room, but we know he's not the future. So the question becomes, are they all splitting stamps at practice? What is the point? What is the point? To win Sunday. Why? Well, because you want to win.

You do want to start developing Justin Fields? Well, I think you want to win and develop him. I think you want to do with the Boston's. You kind of can't do both. Well, like you're robbing one for the other and you might still not win. This was my issue with two in the dolphins last year. You kept taking Tua out, stole from his development, didn't get to see a full evaluation of what he was. But you didn't win.

Because you're just trying to win games and you didn't make the playoffs. So what was the point? Well, you built a great buy-in culture because you did win enough. It's easier to build a culture and for players to buy into you if you win because it's a miserable league if you don't win. So I think my goal is always, regardless of anything, is that you're not. I keep hearing about developing future, and it's like, well, Matt and Aggie's unemployed if it's about the future. So then it's about Matt Nagy not being unemployed.

It's not about, don't tell me it's about Justin Fields development. Don't tell me it's about protecting Justin Fields. If I was a coach, I'd want to win Sunday. I'd be selfish. I'd want to win. I'm selfish. I agree. I would do the selfish thing as well.

But I'm just saying, stop pitching me on this is like what's best for the overall organization in the future. It's nonsense. It's about winning right now. The future, if I'm not part of it, I want to win now. I don't want to Sunday. No, I get it. We agree with each other.

I'm just saying I don't want to hear about how this is about protecting Justin Fields. It's not. If Justin Fields is healthy and Andy Dalton is not, why is Justin Fields on the starter? We know what Nick Foles is. You're just trying to win games right now. Yes, and I would. I would want to win games. The Bears are favored by three, according to Foxx.

I shouldn't be favored over anybody. I mean, it is the lions. They should not be favored. No. I don't know. I think I like the lions there. Oh, so do I. Absolutely.

As long as that was such a tough loss to Baltimore wear that emotionally. Say this for Dan Campbell. His players play their butt off for him. Yeah, they do. Whatever that, I told you, they're getting their fill of that kneecap suit because they are tough. Now, he is as bad at the podium as Mike Tomlin is great, but they play hard. His Miami teams played hard for him. Detroit plays their butt off.

No, I mean, my question was, is it going to translate to wins so far? We're still working on that. Right. But they do play hard, though. And they are a fun watch as well. They are very entertaining. Yeah. So 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers was asked about Ben Simmons, obviously, multiple times yesterday at Media Day.

Oh, God. And the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs, and Rivers was asked if he believes in Simmons. Remember, this is at the end of the season. If he can be a point guard of a championship team. And he said, I don't even know how to answer that right now. A lot of people took that as he's not confident in Ben Simmons. And he reiterated that his words are being twisted and scolded a reporter for correcting him, for interrupting him.

When you watch it, there's sometimes called intent when you talk. Okay. And clearly, clearly what I said was, gosh, I'm that answer in that. I don't know right now. I still think the world of them. I think the world of them as a player. Just because he doesn't do certain things that you want him to do doesn't mean he's a bad player.

It made the All-Star Team. He is correct about that. It's not that Ben Simmons is a terrible player, and he does do something at an elite level. He does a couple things at an elite level. Yes. Defense and distribution. Yes, he's a good passer. And he's an elite defender.

A third thing scores at the rim. Now, he's indifferent and he can't shoot, but he is a good player. And I think, I want to be honest, I back dock on this, because Philadelphia guys can be obnoxious. He never said he didn't like him. He said, I don't have an answer if he's a championship-winning player. Well, I think Bill Belichick would say the same thing about. Mac Jones. I mean, do you, I don't, I mean, can you win a championship with Ben Simmons at point?

My answer today is no, but I do think he fits with like a Warriors team with shooters. I think Doc's been totally clear. I think writers are trying to be obnoxious. Well, people are just trying to figure out what the issue is with Ben Simmons and why he doesn't want to be there. So they're pointing to maybe this was the catalyst for it. And then obviously there was the story that the Sixers players wanted to come out and meet with Ben Simmons. and he said, you know, no, thank you. And, you know, he wasn't interested in meeting. That was an athletic report. So, I mean, I think that's more about what they're asking him.

It's not necessarily the answer, but where did this animosity come from? Okay, so here's the answer. Ben can't shoot and was terrified to have the ball late in playoff games. That's not great. Doc had to answer questions, gave an answer. And Ben, who's been coddled since he was like 12, didn't like the answer because it wasn't coddling. Doc said, I don't know if I can win a championship, but I like a lot around him. I'm sorry, Ben, but you were scared of the basketball in playoff games at home.

So to me, the issue is Ben Simmons needs to get over Ben Simmons. Any question about him is totally legit. And Doc's never publicly ripped him. He's just said, I don't know if he's a championship guard. We didn't know if Magic Johnson was as, you know. Well, you're not a championship guard until you are. Right. So, I mean, there's questions about the greatest players of all time.

Magic Johnson came into the league. I remember reading stories about he doesn't play defense and he can't shoot. You didn't know until you knew. Right. But when you are Ben Simmons and you have a five-year $177 million contract, you tend to believe that you do. Right. Yeah. I think Ben needs to get over himself a little bit here.

This is my takeaway. I'm going to defend Doc on having the right to give an arbitrary answer. I mean, I agree. But the situation I also feel, and I think you agree, was extremely avoidable. Like, we saw this. coming. Yeah, I would have traded him two years ago. I've been barking about this for two years. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd line news. I got so much to talk about. Top of the hour, herd hierarchy, the brilliant Kevin Clark of the ringer around the corner. Good NFL stuff. A lot of topics. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories.

You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. 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. Clever Taylor the 4th. might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

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

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite there. Kier 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 hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Oh, one of my favorite people. He works for the ringer. Kevin Clark, NFL writer. He has slow newsday video cast. He just had our friend Bob Costas on that the other day. I watched the whole thing. It was darn good. Kevin Clark is now joining us live. Okay. So I said today I'm a bad guy because I said every time the Cowboys play a standalone game, Sunday, Thursday, Monday, or a big Fox game. And they beat a lousy NFC East team. We all freak out and have a confetti. Marty Gras happens. And I said, listen. They're a good team. I predicted they'd get to the playoffs. But is it possible we're overreacting to beating a tire fire in Philadelphia at home? And it just isn't a special win.

It's not a special win, but Dak Prescott's special quarterback. And there are two times of people in the NFL right now, people who understand that Dak is an elite, elite guy and people who don't know football. Because this is some unbelievable stuff. So there's a couple things to unpack here. Number one, Dak Prescott's completion percentage of three games is the second highest in history. behind only Drew Breeze for three games. It was in 2018. So maybe he's throwing a little shorter this year than he normally does, but he's completing

these passes. He has efficiency. And I just think he's amazing. He's exactly what the Cowboys need. I think that there are obviously problems with maybe coaching with Mike McCarthy, some of that. But I think Dak Prescott is as good as you can hope for right now, and he's a special, special guy. You know, it is interesting as Jerry Jones has gotten older. And this is something that's not discussed a lot, but as owners in all sports age, historically, they get less patient. What's the tarmac for McCarthy, in your opinion? Well, I think that Kellyn Moore is saving a job right now, and Dak Prescott is saving his job right now. And what's amazing about Dak Prescott is, I think, if you look at the 2016 quarterbacks, and that's Dak Prescott, Jared Gough, and Carson

Wentz. The first two picks in the draft were propped up by the system around them, by the coaching staff and by the talent around them and a good GM. And Dak Prescott was doing it on his own. He was John Wick out there. We found out in 2017, 2018, 2019, as the talent started to dissipate. Now, he came in in 2016 and had a lot of talent around him. That team was built for Tony Romo. But Dak Prescott is now the driving force of the Cowboys. And that's important to know. And you need a coach who's up for. Maybe that's Kellen Moore next year. It's not Mike McCarthy, who by the way, if he's good for anything, it's showing how a fired coach can have the best PR in the world. He went to pro football focus his office and had a couple of meetings and all of a sudden he's Mr. Analytics. He doesn't know how to call a time out.

But he is showing fired coaches a path forward. That's it. He's not helping them win games. There's other better coaches who are more in line for Dak Prescott. Do not waste Dak Prescott. Hire a better coach. Yeah, no, I think there's real value in what you're saying. I'm not given Mike McCarthy. I've seen twice now. Apparently the stadium, there's a blimely goes by the clock at the end of halves or something like that. So we know this. I said that I didn't think anybody could have beaten the Rams Sunday night. They had one penalty.

Outside of Stafford having first quarter jitters, a little pumped up, they played nearly a perfect football game in the red zone. Everything worked. I don't think anybody in the league could have beaten them. It was one of the best played games of the year by anybody. Does that mean the Rams are the best team? Do you see a liability, a hole? Is there something you see about the Rams you'd be concerned about?

Not right now, because first of all, Cooper Cup is putting up numbers in the first three games to put him only with Randy Moss. Matthew Stafford and Sean McVeigh. Now, Cooper Cup's a good player, but he's not Randy Moss. But statistically, he has been. And so I think that right now the Rams are scoring about 58% of their drives, which is insane. Wow. Sean McVeigh, he's running less play action.

He knows how to just get these guys out into routes and let me. Matthew Stafford make these plays. This is it. This is what we've been talking about since Sean McVeigh was hired. And by the way, it's what we've been talking about since Matthew Stafford was drafted, which is what happens if Matthew Stafford gets a top offensive coach? And what happens if Sean McVeigh gets a top quarterback? It's happening right in front of our eyes. We're seeing it. This is right now, in my opinion, the NFC favorite, because I just don't see a flaw there. They had the top end talent. They've taken a lot of risks to get here. I saw Lesneed had a quote yesterday saying, it's almost like investing. They've taken chances. They're waiting for an

Uber to pop. That's literally what he said. And these businesses they've invested in, Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford, they're hitting. They spend a lot of capital on these guys, but they're hitting. And I think right now, I don't know who's better in that conference. You know, I said this. I watched Aaron Rogers. He was so invested. He was so happy. He was gushing. He's bump and fist. And I said, it's okay if your quarterback gets annoyed when they draft your replacement because in the end I'd rather be the Packers with an annoyed Aaron Rogers than the Steelers who have coddled Ben with no succession plan. Yes, Brady was bothered. He was annoyed by Garoppolo. And he played great the year they drafted him because he was ticked off. I look at Green Bay

today and I'm like, Aaron looks happy to me. Green Bay looks good to me. Pittsburgh's a hot mess. What do you, I don't think they have a succession plan. I think Ben is shot today and done, Kevin. They do. They do not have a succession plan. And what was amazing me, there was a report on Sunday from CBS that the Steelers are starting to see the end with Ben. They didn't like what they saw on tape. We talk about team needs all the time, linebacker, cornerbacks, whatever. Is the team need in Pittsburgh, the internet? Like, is that what we needed before this? Because how can, how are you the last person or people to see that Big Ben is at the end? We saw this last year. Now, listen, there were contract problems.

They had to restructure. He took a pay cut. He keeps talking about that, by the way. But I just think that they're done right now. They tried to modernize the offense with Matt candidate, their offensive coordinator. And frankly, that's not, nothing has been modernized. Ben Rathesberger can't do it. He can't run the offense. There's no plan B. Ben Rathesberger is behind that offense line. He's getting hit at the highest rate I saw on ESPN in 11 years.

Wow. It's bad. It's real bad. And I don't know how you fix it. They need that, you know, they're not the tear down type. We saw this a couple years ago when Ben got hurt and they traded for Make Fitzpatrick. They have a culture of winning there.

I think they will eke out some games they shouldn't. I think they still have talent. But I think the succession plan, or lack thereof is alarming. Dwayne Haskins is probably not the long-term answer. And I think also when you wait to the last possible second, Colin, you limit your options. I mean, think about how the chiefs went out and got Patrick Mahomes when Alex Smith was an entrenched starter and they said, okay, we have a couple years of a window for this to work.

The Steelers need to go out next year and either draft a guy, sign a guy, whatever. And if it's not a great pool and they don't have the right pick, they're going to strike out. You are limiting your options when you approach it like this. Yeah. Kevin Clark, the ringer, great stuff. NFL plus host a slow newsday videocast, which is a riot. Good seeing you, buddy. Anytime, Colin. You bet.

You know, it is interesting. I love his line. You either get that Dax Elite or you don't know football. That makes me laugh. Like I said this, when the Warriors this year, they drafted two kids in the draft, right? Instead of going getting Ben Simmons and trading the picks, they went and got two kids. And my concern for the Warriors was, well, those kids are not on Steffen Clay's timeline.

Because Stephen Clay now were getting injured. Draymond Green. So for me, as much as people want to criticize Andrew Wiggins, forget the COVID, just his game, at least he's on their timeline. Andrew Wiggins is on their timeline. 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds are not James Wiseman, not on the timeline. Dak, let's say the next five years, he's been in this league now, he's got 72 stars. Let's say he's got five and a half more years of best of Dak.

How long are you going to wait in McCarthy? Like how long, like Jerry's getting older, this is a real thing we've seen in the history of sports. When the George Steinbender, when owners get older, they get less patient. And Jerry has to his credit. Jerry's issue is he is too patient with bad coaches and impatient with great ones. Like he doesn't like any pushback from Parcells or Jimmy, but then he'll give Chan Gaylee three years. Well, because great coaches generally have a lot more to say.

Of course. And they want to, you know. And they want more control. Yeah. So Jerry is very impatient with somebody that pushes back. But, oh, God, if you agree with him, I mean, Barry Switzer, I was talking to somebody six months ago about Barry Switzer when he was there. Barry Switzer did nothing. Sometimes they were just crossing their fingers.

He showed up to practice. He did nothing. But Jerry liked him. He was his guy. Is Mike McCarthy his guy? Heard hierarchy on a Tuesday hour two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. On Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends,

me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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 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'll say.

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. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast. 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. 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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