The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Cowboys, Browns, Patriots, Rams

Episode Date: November 1, 2021

Cowboys had an impressive win on SundayThe Browns have problems on offenseDon't overlook the PatriotsVon Miller is being traded to the Rams Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ah, it is a Monday. It is great to have you in live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It was a wacky, bizarre backup quarterbacks taking over the world Sunday one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both. both Trent Bill for next hour as well.

Listen, it is, you get different week. There's always a week every year in college football and the pros where you're just like, all the average teams beat good teams. And this weekend was three backup quarterbacks taking over the world. And that's what makes sports fun, is that you're never quite sure. And then Trevor Simeon out plays Tom Brady. All right, give up. Mike White, Gino Smith.

played fantastic. At one point, there was a stat during that game. Gino Smith has tied Aaron Rogers for the most straight completions, and I'm like, okay, I give up Sunday. It was like the week where all the kickers missed everything. It's just, it's what makes sports great, all the drama. So let's start with this. One of the things I see, and we're at the halfway point of the season, inches away, right?

And now, all right, now some people are like, I've got to get the resume ready, I'm losing my job. When your quarterback is average, or, a little better than average, you start blaming everybody else for the losses. Oh, it's the play caller. Oh, it's the coach. Oh, it's the O line. General managers hear this.

They can make bad trades. This is what has happened since, you know, the last several years with Kirk Cousins. He's 8 and 17 in primetime games. Why does that matter? Because that's when you play the best teams. He defines average. And all I hear in Minnesota is, oh, it's Mike Zimmer. Oh, it's the play calling.

Oh, it's the defense. Oh, there were about six great throws in that game. Cooper Rush, a backup, made the majority of them. If you didn't know, one of these guys was making a bunch of money and one was a backup and I just said, watch them play. You couldn't tell the difference. And there's this term called Minnesota Nice, because everybody in Minnesota is nice. And I think that's one of the reasons Kirk Cousin survives is that just not mean enough there.

If it was, you know, New York, if it was Chicago, if it may, it. maybe at San Francisco, a coastal city. I mean, folks, you can't tell the difference between Cooper Rush and Kirk Cousins. Now, is Kirk a better overall talent? Yeah, I'm sure he is. But he played with as much poise, as much polish, as much accuracy on the big throws as Kirk Cousins did. Well, Cullin our offensive line isn't great.

You don't get everything. You got great receivers, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. And yet you had six pounds. passing first downs. You have Dalvin Cook. You average 4.8 yards in offensive play. You don't get everything. And nobody gets everything. Yeah, your offensive line could be better. But let's not be negative. Let's talk beyond Kirk Cousins of Dallas. How great do you feel this morning if you're a cowboy fan? You didn't have DAC. Tyron Smith, great left tackle, Hall of Famer gets hurt. Trayvon Diggs gets hurt late. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush. You have 11 penalties.

you're on the road and you won. And it was funny. Late in the game, I'm looking at this game and I'm like, I actually think, I think Dallas going to win this game. I didn't feel like, oh, oh, this is Minnesota really blew it. I was like, no. What Dallas is doing right now is what championship teams do. We saw this for Tampa last year.

We saw it with Kansas City the year before. They have a playmaker in every unit. Micah Parsons linebacker, Trayvon Diggs secondary, Randy Gregory defensive front, Zeke in the backfield, Amari Cooper, Ced land, their tight ends. The Cowboys in every unit have a playmaker. Somebody's making plays somewhere in every unit. And that's what championship teams do. To be a championship team, you need a rookie or two to be great.

Remember last year, Tristan Worf's, the right tackle for Tampa, ended up being maybe as a rookie, the best right tackle in football. Trayvon Diggs, maybe the best corner as a second year guy. Micah Parsons looks like the best athlete on every field he's on. This is what championship teams do. They win on the road. They can win with a backup. They get a spectacular rookie or two.

They have playmakers in every unit. This is what championship teams look like. And if you're Mike McCarthy, by the way, Dallas is 6 and 1. They got Denver and Atlanta at home coming up. Why is that matter? because Denver and Atlanta also have kind of marginally strong-armed quarterbacks who aren't overly mobile, and Dallas with Dak or not are going to be able to gobble up those offenses. So the fact that Dallas won with Cooper Rush is really starting to define their season.

And the fact that Minnesota at home lost with Kirk Cousins against Cooper Rush has really started to define Kirk Cousins. Here's Mike McCarthy after. I was glad everybody got to see that because that's Cooper Rush. I think that's a real strength of him. He plays the quarterback position, like a season veteran, that's played 10, 12 years in the league. You know, that's the man I get to see every day. I mean, he was ready to go. You know, and that's what the backup has to do.

He has to go in there every week and prepare because, you know, he's one play away from getting in there. And I think his performance reflected that. When you have playmakers in every unit on a football team, special teams, linebackers, secondary, pass rush, wide receiver, tied end, O line, Zique, this is what you do. You can use a backup and win. A road game against a pretty decent, talented team in Minnesota. All right, let's talk Cleveland and the Steelers.

You know, they love Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, so you can't have a rational conversation with anybody in Cleveland about their football team. They're just going to defend Baker to the end. But this offense is broken. This passing game for Cleveland, it is broken. O'BJ and Baker. Blame who you want.

I don't give a rip. It doesn't work. It hasn't worked since day one. Jarvis Landry had a bad Sunday. That's rare. The head coach clearly doesn't trust Baker. Fourth down, couple yards at midfield. Your defense plan is fine.

You don't go for it. It's a tough watch. You can blame whoever you want. Cleveland's now so defensive about Baker. They're so ingrained in, I want to be right, not get it right. It's not worth arguing. But you're seeing what you're seeing in Minnesota. now's blaming somebody else. Suddenly, Kevin

Stefansky's no good. And now I'm supposed to blame Jarvis Landry. Folks, you can't have this much offensive talent and not be able to score virtually every week. You can't be a burger place and have an average burger. You watch Dallas. You can tell they spend their money on

offense. You watch Kansas City. You can tell they spend their money on offense. You watch Pittsburgh. You can tell they spend a lot of their money on defense. You should be able to see where you spend your money, right? If I walk into your house and you put all your money in the kitchen, it should look like you put your money in the kitchen. For the last five weeks for Cleveland, they can't top 17 points.

They scored 14 against the Vikings, 14 against Arizona, 17 against Denver and 10 against Pittsburgh. That's with an elite offensive line. That's with really talented receivers. Excellent tight ends. Now, Nick Chubb, they have a backup running back. That offensive line's so good. Their backup running back probably starts.

starts for certain teams. You can't spend all your money. Our question about this football team in Cleveland, all offseason was, there's a lot of new pieces on defense. Is this defense going to be? That ain't the problem. I'm not saying it's a top five defense. That's not the problem.

I got to be able to see where you're spending your money. And when you have two star receivers and two good tight ends and multiple good backs and an excellent old line, you can't be struggling. You just can't. And by the way, you also have an excellent offensive coach. So I get sometimes, sometimes I watch some of these NFL teams and, you know, Vic Fangio in Denver, a defensive coach or Brian Flores in Miami's a defensive coach. And sometimes in 2021, you're like, yeah, maybe the coaching is not as progressive as you'd like.

That ain't the issue with Stefansky. And by the way, you can tell now we had the Chargers example. We had this yesterday in Pittsburgh. They don't trust Baker. They do not trust Baker. way. I'm not sure Baker right now, trust Baker, because I don't think he plays with the confidence he played with a year ago at the end of the season. I really don't see it.

So you spend big money on offense, this can't be the answer. And you can blame Stavansky and blame Landry and blame OBJ. I couldn't give a rip. All I know right now, you don't look like a playoff team. Listen, you start looking around the AFC right now. I don't know, but New England now looks pretty interesting. and Cincinnati, despite what happened yesterday, they look pretty good. And Baltimore's coming off the by. They're a big favorite next week at home.

They're going to win. But again, you blame who you want. It's not my team, it's your team. But this offense is broken. This passing game is broken. Baker after. It's on all of us. Everybody's going to point fingers at a few plays.

But the fact is, we just didn't get into a rhythm of today. and we stubbed their toe a few times, penalties, and just didn't make the plays we needed to do to win. All right, fine. Fingerpoint in Minnesota, it's somebody else. In Cleveland, it's somebody else. When the quarterback's not dynamic enough, this is what happens. You have what appears to be a playoff roster,

and you're on the outside looking in. Blame who you want. I don't care. Coming up next, uh-oh. Remember that movie Jaws? You heard the theme, the music. Dun-tun. Everybody's worst nightfare, nightmare in the NFL.

It's coming. We'll talk about that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the 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, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, 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-taped 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 count? 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. That's 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 Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, 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 Hardway and listen now. Simply savecollin.com. No better time now. listeners 40% off their award-winning home security, SimplySafe, C-O-L-I-N.com. Well, everybody's worst nightmare, Bill Belichick and the Patriots look pretty good again. Last four games, three wins, only loss, very close to an excellent Dallas team.

Yesterday, they had almost 20 more plays than the Chargers on the road. They ran for almost 150 yards. They dominated time of possession. they had almost no penalties. They hung with Tampa, they hung with Dallas, they beat the Chargers, and their next four games are a lot of layups. Carolina, messy Cleveland, inefficient Atlanta, and Tennessee without Derek Henry. And yesterday, they're coaching A-plus.

Their O-line run game, solid A. Their defense, A-to-A-plus. Special teams, Nick Folk doesn't miss, that's an A. and Mack Jones in his last 14 quarters, he has gotten out of the really awful mistake business. He still has an incredibly low ceiling, in my opinion, but he's out of the bad throw business. All that's missing for this team is a deep threat. And by the way, OBJ and Deshawn Jackson both could be moved by tomorrow at one our time. I would strongly look if I was New England at Deshawn Jackson.

They've got enough possession guys. They've got the coach, the special teams, the quarterback. He throws a beautiful deep ball. We saw it at Alabama. Deshawn Jackson wants out of the Rams. Well, coached teams, we've always said this. They get better like a well-run business over time. Block by block.

It's masonry. You start looking at the AFC right now. Do you trust the Bengals? The Raiders have an interim coach. Derek Henry could be gone for Tennessee. Kansas City's terrible defensively. Cleveland's offense is broken. You start looking around the AFC.

I mean, we know Buffalo's good. Offense a little inconsistent. We know Buffalo's good. We mostly think Baltimore's good, but there's a lot of, I don't know if I'd trust them in a big spot. New England now, the defense is a championship defense, the head coach is, the coordinator is,

the run game is, the special teams, the offensive line. They need a vertical dimension to this offense and they're a team you want. No business playing in the playoffs. I watched that yesterday and that was my upset of the week. And I looked at it and I thought, no, no, they still give young quarterback's problems. And when you look around the NFL and the AFC, Josh Allen's still young.

And Joe Burrell is still young. And start looking. Mahomes isn't young. Mahomes will be fine. But by and large, a lot of those. AFC playoff teams. It's young quarterbacks and Belichick did it again yesterday. Eat some for lunch

or an early dinner. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Terrible news. Terrible news. The Titans are going to have to continue the season without Derek Henry. He reportedly suffered a Jones fracture in his foot yesterday.

He would get an MRI to confirm the injury has a roughly eight-week recovery period. So there's a chance he could return for the playoffs if the Titans make it. This is very disappointing. He's one of my favorite players to watch in the league and makes their offense go and is a dynamic part of what they're able to do. He won back-to-back rushing titles and was leading the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns again this season. So Jones fractures a fracture of the bone on the pinky toe side of your foot. He's had 219 carries for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns

and was on pace to break Eric Dickerson's record of the NFL rushing record for 2,109 yards was his pace. Eric Dickerson's records, 215. A whole list of other records he was on pace to break this year, so it's obviously very disappointing. But what do the Titans do? So the trade deadline is tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern. There are a couple free agents, Frank Gore, Todd Gurley, and Adrian Peterson on the markets.

Peterson is reportedly traveling to Nashville to meet with the Titans this week. They also could possibly trade with the Texans who have David Johnson and Philip Lindsay, the Bucks, Ronald Jones, Kishan Vaughn. Well, there are teams out there like the Texans who are now basically building for the draft. Right, they're bailing. Yeah. So when you get into those situations, you know, I know nobody likes that, but there is value to a team. it's okay to have one or two teams at the bottom of the league like, okay, we're done this year, but we have some really good players, and you can save a team like Tennessee who feels championship worthy,

gets an unfortunate injury. Okay, you go to one of those bottom one or two teams, which, by the way, don't feel bad for Houston. They may have nine first round picks by the end of tomorrow. So there is value. The NBA has always been petrified of the one tanking team. I wouldn't call it tanking. I would say restructuring. And you've got Houston and Detroit now are.

It's time to restructure. So it's time now if you have some good players for Detroit or Houston, get picks, rebuild, and help teams like Tennessee or a Chief's defense. Or New England needs a deep threat. That's what you do. Well, it's kind of hard to tank in the NFL from the beginning of the season. You go into the season trying to win games. And then if you're not winning games and you have to pivot very quickly because there's no value

in winning pointless games and dropping in the drafts. So it's actually the right way. I mean, it obviously sucks for fans, and it's not a good watch for anybody whose team is playing against them. But, yeah, you have to be strategic once you reach a certain part in the season. And the Cioxx also have a shot Penny,

the Jets have Tevin Coleman. So there are some potential trades out there. It's just really disappointing news. It sucks. Hopefully they're getting the MRI today, and hopefully he is able to come back if they make it to the playoffs, but right now they're going to have to go on without him.

So James Winston left the Saints game against the Bucks. in the second quarter with a knee injury. He had to be carded off to the locker room and did not return. Sean Payton said after the game that he feared it was a significant injury. There's been reports that it says ACL. Trevor Simeon took Winston's place and helped lead New Orleans to a big 3627 win over Tampa.

It was a very crazy game and a crazy ending. Now, James was seen dancing on his crutches in the locker room afterwards. I don't know what necessarily that means. It's, yeah, the injury doesn't look great. Hopefully it's not ACL and it's not something that serious. We're showing the video now of them celebrating. I'll tell you what, Taysam Hill and Trevor Simeon. They now have Mark Ingram.

Michael Thomas comes back. Great coach, great defense. They're another team. Can they get an over-the-time? I mean, you start looking joy at the wild card teams in the NFC. Carolina right now would be a playoff team in the NFC. Yeah. So you're battling Atlanta and Carolina.

I think New Orleans could be an active. team at the trade deadline. And I don't think Taysam Hill and Trevor Simeon, we're not saying Super Bowl. I think you can be a very interesting team the rest of the way. Yeah, but they weren't a Super Bowl team with James. That's right. That's right. So like to me, I look at New Orleans. I'm like, this is kind of an interesting development here. Okay, James is gone, but the NFC wildcard spot, the AFC wildcard spot, you could have a good team not make it. Like a Chargers or a New England. In the NFC, you're going to have a bad team. Yeah. Make the wild. A limited team.

Well, yeah. I mean, I don't, they're better with James, obviously. They don't want to lose their starting quarterback. Right. But they, no one considered them to be a Super Bowl contender at this point. They were, you know, a fringe playoff team and maybe they can put it together. Brady passed for four touchdowns, but he also turned the ball over three times and a pair of interceptions and fumble. And PJ Williams pick six at the end of the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Saints. That's his kryptonite. Did you have Tom's Kryptonite is the Saints? So coming off their by week, the bills didn't look like an offensive powerhouse in the first half against the Dolphins.

They were tied 3-3 at the half, very uneventful first half. But they found their groove after the break scored 23 points in their final four possessions on their way to a 26-11 victory over the Dolphins' seventh straight win over the Dolphins. And this was also the Dolphins' seventh straight loss this season. Brian Flores said after the game, he's not worried about his job security. He's only worried about his players and helping them to get better. Josh Allen on the first half was 10 for 17, 80 yards and 33 rushing yards, 19, 25, 169 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. In the third quarter, in the third quarter, I watched Miami go three and out,

three and out, three and out. And again, I'm not blaming Tua for all the issues. It's a bad pass blocking O line, but you don't get everything. In the NFL with a salary cap, you know, Tampa's unique. You don't get everything. And so I look at them, and I'm watching that game yesterday, and Flores now has been crushed five or six straight times by Josh Allen. He's flying back, and he's talking to that owner.

I mean, you said something this morning in the makeup room when we were putting stuff on. You talked about Tua. And I think what you said is like, you have to design the play perfectly. Yeah, yeah. He's a rhythm quarterback. It has to be a rhythm offense. It has to be perfect. And if the first read is not there.

then it becomes kind of an unraveling offense. Which in general, if you're a young quarterback, you're not going to have the time in the pocket because you generally don't have a good offensive line or you're still learning, you haven't caught up to the speed of the game yet. So that's not unusual. But what we're seeing now is what you saw from Justin Fields yesterday.

Okay, I don't have a pocket. I have to kind of panic. Well, I can make a play with my legs. I can do other things. I can roll out of the pocket. It's just they're limited and it's now starting to show. and last year, I don't think last year was a fluke necessarily, but they've clearly taken a step back.

There's a difference. Teams change year to year. So when you call things a fluke, it's like, okay, do they bring everyone back? And then all they're terrible, then there was a fluke. So I do think that they have a lot of things to adjust this off season, but it's not looking like the Deshaun Watson trade is going to happen. Obviously, we'll find out by tomorrow, but.

You know, I like this time of the year. So trading deadline for all of you listening is tomorrow. And now this is interesting. if you're one of those teams where the season kind of feels lost, you're Denver. And yesterday was one of those sort of like, okay, put a fork in it. Houston, Detroit. There's about four or five teams in this league where we have elite players. And then championship teams like, you know, Kansas City's defense.

The Rams want a better pass rush. This is fascinating. I'm telling you, Deshawn Jackson, the wide receiver for the Rams, he wants to. out, that is New England and New Orleans. He is perfect for those teams right now. So this is fun. Yeah, no, the next 24 hours will be very interesting. All right. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lying news. Okay, we've got a breaking story. Get that little red bar that goes, let's go to my buddy Mike Silver, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Well, this is what we were just talking about, Mike. Yesterday, Denver, you know, you kind of kind of feel like you can put a fork in that, and then all of a sudden the Rams are now saying, okay, we're good. How do we get special? So you want to go ahead and announce what we just found out?

Why don't you tell the audience? Well, first of all, Denver won yesterday. I know. I don't know what happened there. But, yeah, there is a report from ESPN, Adam Schefter, that Von Miller is being traded to the. Rams for two second day picks, which is rounds two, three. And, you know, we talked Colin last week about how the Rams are like an NBA team. They're just so star-heavy. Yeah. And I worry that if any

one of those stars, Stafford, Cup, Donald Ramsey gets hurt, that the whole thing could really collapse. But now they have another star in Von Miller. Now, is he healthy? Is he in his Prime, Von Miller, that's obviously something they had to evaluate. But, yeah, I have seen very few non-quarterbacks take over an entire playoffs and Super Bowl the way Von Miller did six seasons ago in leading the Broncos to that championship. And, you know, the Rams were already very good. They already were very present-oriented and future leverage. Well, just add to the pile.

By the way, I never have a problem. If the bottom of your, the NBA, the bottom of the NBA is too often 10 teams. The bottom of the NFL is always about two teams. Now it's bigger this year. But I look at the Titans with Derek Henry. And I'm thinking, well, Seattle's got a surplus of running backs. Houston has a surplus of running backs. Do you have a guess?

Because that season's over for Houston. Any guesses for you what Tennessee would do? Because Tennessee, you're not going to eat. equal Derek Henry, but you can still be viable running the football. Can you not? Yeah, and right, you won't equal Derek Henry. You won't even approach Derek Henry. That's not how you look at it. You have to look at it like we got AJ Brown and hopefully Julio's healthy and we need to find other ways to center this offense. But you got to be able to run the ball. You know, you look at Jacksonville, right? James Robinson is a really good player. He seemed to be undervalued by

Urban Meyer who drafted a running back to go with him in the first round. And then Etienne ended up, you know, suffering the season-ending injury. But sure, John Robinson, the Titans General Manager, should be poking around like crazy. And, you know, you're not going to, you can't think of it like we're getting another Derek Henry. But, you know, Seattle's a good team to mention. Find a team that might have one extra guy and see if you can get that guy to give you a chance to be productive there.

You know, it's really interesting. So I watched Pittsburgh and Cleveland and everybody knows that I've been critical of Baker-Mayfield, but it doesn't really matter about blaming. This team has a lot of money on offense, and Mike, they can't score. It's a struggle. For the last five weeks, you got 17 here and 14 there. And yesterday, again, I don't think Stefansky not going forward at midfield, when your defense is playing pretty well and a couple of yards to go, my takeaway was,

boy, they don't, they don't trust this offense. this offense is broken. In your opinion, is it fixable? Well, it's a great question, and it's not just Baker that we have to evaluate. And of course, I have also been critical of Baker in the past. So I'm sure Baker officiados are having fun just with this interaction. But they, in my opinion, had not made the decision. We're definitely paying this guy before the season.

He's very much under evaluation, and they're not scoring. But they also went all in with a head coach who is an offensive guy, Kevin Safansky. And yeah, he did a great job last year and they won a playoff game. Although I will note that when they opened up that offense and really let it rip in that playoff victory against the Steelers, Kevin Safansky was chilling in the basement. And offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was calling the plays. And it did look more wide open. So, you know, we always look at head coach and quarterback.

we have to look at both of those things, and is it fixable? Presumably, they got enough good players. Now, obviously, the running backs are hurt, but we saw a third running back, you know, be productive for them. So, you know, get Austin Hooper more involved. And if you can't figure out Odell Beckham at this point, trade him because he's got value and maybe see if you can get someone else in that mix and make two trades. By the way, this is official Broncos trading Vaughn Miller to the Rams for two picks next year. a second and a third.

So the L.A. Rams, listen, they're giving away draft picks, but they believe they're getting stars in return. So that's... Colin, for the Rams, the Rams draft day is a branding opportunity. They get a killer beach house in Malibu. They invite some cool people. They get the shot. And then they kind of watch to see what everyone else is going to do and what players

they might actually get. Although they did draft Cam Acres a couple years ago. He was a very good player. Unfortunately, he's hurt. So they are feeling that thing. Okay, so the trade deadline is interesting. I thought the two wins this weekend that I thought were jet fuel. Green Bay over Arizona on Thursday, missing all those starters.

That's a locker room uniter. And the Cowboys going on the road with Cooper Rush. And you're like, man, and in both Green Bay and Dallas have something in common. There's a player in every unit that is doing something. Like they're getting contributions from everybody. You know Aaron well. Go back to Thursday. And I know we'll forget about it because it's Thursday.

I thought it was a significant win for Green Bay. And I thought to myself, man, they're a physical team now, not just a pretty team. What was your takeaway on it? Yeah, I mean, look at it. The two defensive players that we have considered to be the best players on that defense from the outside are not playing. Jair, Alexander, and Zedaria Smith. And yet, they are physical. they are playmaking.

You know, they didn't have their defensive coordinator either, Joe Barry, who was sidelined on the COVID list. So, you know, it's obviously you take away Devante Adams and then the next two guys, you got to do it in a very creative way. The play calling was great. The execution was really good. They lost Robert Tunyon, which is a big blow. But what stood out to me about the Packers' calling is the mentality after that first game

debacle. the nationally televised game against the Niners and then again against the Cardinals. Those were big moments and they just came out with an edge to them that seemed a little more serious than the Packers in some other big games we've seen. And that Niners game almost slipped away. They obviously rallied at the end and had a very, very big moment winning that. The Cardinal game, I just feel like they grabbed that by the throat. They were like, okay, you guys are undefeated, you guys are at home. you're feeling good about yourselves.

We're a different level of team, and we're going to show that. By the way, you've been critical of the Cowboys for years. I have, too. But I watched them last night, and I'm like, you know what? The last two years, they've hit four home runs in the draft. I rolled my eyes at the CD-LAM pick, and I'm like, no, that works too, even though he had a big drop last night. Go back in your history of evaluating the Cowboys,

I do feel like they're a championship level team among seven or eight in the league. Do you? Yeah, and I think my dog agrees it sounds like. But I, you know, to me, first of all, if you're going to be one of those people who just goes, oh my God, Jerry Jones needs to hire a GM. Jerry Jones is GM. Like, let's evaluate Jerry Jones as a GM. He's awesome right now.

And he's got Stephen Jones, his son, he's got Will McLeigh, a great personnel man. who just doesn't want to leave, which is a blessing for the Cowboys. But, man, Michael Parsons and Trayvon Diggs, I mean, they're nailing it. Yeah. And yeah, when you have high picks, you have a better chance or higher picks, but they're crushing the draft. And, you know, maybe Dak was lucky in the way that Tom Brady was lucky, but they smartly have identified him very early on as a guy they won't let go at any cost. So I love what they're doing. And, you know, I think it's because of their division, we know they're going to get in and we know they're going to have a home game.

But they should be thinking bigger right now. Yeah, Cedric Wilson, by the way, is a six-round pick out, I think out of Boise. He's been a huge hit. So it's not just those top picks, which they've nailed. They've gone, you know, they've gone deep into the draft and found players. So Mike Silver, we have officially, it's very. Vaughn Miller to the Rams for a second and third rounder and his mics. It's like senior night for Kentucky basketball.

It's not real. That's what the draft is for the Rams. It's a marketing opportunity. That's all it is. They're the Lakers at this point. They're all in, though, on right now. All right. Thanks, Mike.

Appreciate it. Thanks, Tom. That is another star to L.A. You know, listen, you got the Stafford thing. It's working. And it's so funny. Some of these teams, Remember, something to remember is last week, the Rams gave up Kenny Young a linebacker.

And in Los Angeles, I was reading all the, you know, the L.A. Times and all the people who cover the Rams, they're like, okay, this can't be the final move. So Kenny Young is a very good linebacker for the Rams. And just let him go. And you're like, okay, that's setting something up. This is what it's setting up potentially. So they wanted to play a younger linebacker, a cheaper linebacker. They bring in Vaughn Miller.

Now they have space. I do find it amazing. They're paying Stafford afford. fortune, Aaron Donald of fortune, Vaughn Miller of fortune, Jalen Ramsey a fortune, Andrew Whitworth a lot. They're paying Jared Goff's salary, and the Chicago Bears couldn't keep Kyle Fuller their best corner. What bank are the Rams using? Some of these teams are frankly just better manipulating the cap than other teams. There's no other way to explain it. There's only so much talent available in the world, and some people are more talented at every single thing people can do.

There are better capologists than others. You just know how to work it better. My dentist uses lasers. He literally cleans my teeth in nine minutes with lasers, and I'm not telling you who he is because I want to get in. I've had 30 dentists my whole life. This guy's like, he's got like a laser. About nine minutes.

The Rams are, to Mike's point, they are very aggressive. So this is their mentality. So everything that they do is geared towards right now, right now, right now, right now. And it paid off with Jared Gough. they got to a Super Bowl. So it's not like it didn't work. So how they plan those things, how they give away draft picks, that's all based off of their mentality.

And everybody doesn't do things that way. I love the L.A. teams. I like being aggressive. They're all in so much. I mean, Russ Westbrook may drive me nuts, but the Lakers are like, hey, we're going to get a star. He's been in playoff games. He knows how to play.

We don't have to teach him what playoff games are about. They're all in. Here we go. It's Vaughn Miller. This is how many stars are in L.A. now. We've done this before. We have so many stars in Los Angeles now. Vaughn Miller will be like our 14th biggest star.

Paul George, last time we did it was 14th. He's a seven-time all-star. It's incredible. All the teams in Los Angeles. They're like... The call in the Texas. Yeah, Texas. The mandate.

Yeah, the mandate here is winning and get stars. That's our mandate. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion.

Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable, Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

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

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversational. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions. bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So, by the way, here's some clarity. The Broncos in Denver are paying virtually all of Vaughn Miller's salary. They're paying nine of the $9.7 million for a salary. What the rank.

Rams have to give up is draft picks next year. So as Denver is rebuilding, which they are, they get a second pick and a third pick. And so what Denver will try to do potentially is maybe, you know, use those picks to get a quarterback they like or just keep, because I like Denver's roster. They just don't have the quarterback right. So maybe they can couple all those picks and go get a quarterback on the market if somebody is available on the market. But the Broncos are basically giving Vaughn Miller who will play for free in Los Angeles.

for giving up picks. So L.A. is basically saying, we get a great player, player. We have to pay for them. And that's how we can have an Aaron Donald and a Vaughn Miller on the defensive front. And we'll give up draft capital, which, by the way, they probably feel in Los Angeles, where could we draft a player that could play? Look at our wide receivers. We got Robert Woods.

I mean, Deshawn Jackson can't get on the field. Van Jefferson, Robert Woods Cooper Cup. Where are you going to get on the field? Running back, Cam Acres comes back next year with Sony Michelle, with Darry. Harold Henderson, where are you going to get to play? Matt Stafford. I mean, outside of maybe a guard offensively, their O-lines rated top five in the NFL, the Rams look at it and go, well, where are you going to play?

Their safeties are solid. Their corners are great. They have young linebackers they like, and now they have Vaughn Miller and Aaron Donald. So I've seen teams do this before. Tampa's in that situation, where Tampa this year was drafting for depth. What are we going to get at the end of the first round that can start for us? because they don't have a bad unit. Now, their secondary is a little thin,

but I think the Rams look at it and think, okay, if Andrew Whitworth comes back to play next year, and at this point, there's no reason not to because he makes good money, he's a team leader. They like him. They don't make him practice, essentially. I watch their practice report. He doesn't practice much anymore.

So I think the Rams look at it and go, where's a third rounder? Where's he going to make our roster? And so once the goth money comes off the books eventually, they're like, yeah, if we have to make a trade on somebody, we will, but they've done a good job to draft good players in the second, third, fourth, and fifth round. So Rams are like, yeah, we get Vaughn Miller for free. It's my favorite way for a good team to run their business. If you are a team that is truly, not you think you are, but you're truly

a Super Bowl contender, you should not be hoarding draft picks. Yes. Like you should have some, obviously, don't give them all away, but you don't need to be developing players right now. You need to be putting together a team that can make a Super Bowl run. Yeah. It's very, very hard. to get there, as you know. And it worked for them. And by the way, Joy, there's about two or three rosters in the NFL. I could argue the Rams and the Buccaneers are the only rosters in the NFL. Where are draft picks going to play? Right. That's my point. You don't you don't have the space to put them in. You're not in a developing time of your franchise's course. Like, you need to be aggressive. Go all in now. By the way, I don't think this is a terrible

move for Dallas. I mean, Dallas now looks good and they don't have Michael Gallup or DeMarcus Lawrence. They've hit on so many rookies in the last. They've hit on four rookies. They've got playmakers in every unit. So that's where we stand this morning. By the way, this is so funny. So we're essentially halfway through the season, right? Week 8. Not quite. Next week is it. But here's what the playoff picture would look right now. The NFC, I can totally buy into. So the NFC, playoff picture this morning would be Green Bay number one, Cardinals, Cowboys, Bucks, Rams, Saints, Panthers. Now, you laugh at the Panthers, but let's be honest about it. Great defense. If Christian McCaffrey came back in the next two weeks, you could see them being a playoff team.

You're not as good as Atlanta. Who's coming out of the NFC East? So, I mean, Carolina is an excellent defense, excellent coach. The fact they're four and four, you're like, all right. So that looks mostly like I could buy into that today. Look at the AFC playoff picture today. This is a Barnyard musical. The Titans are won but just lost their star. The Raiders have an interim coach. Okay, I'll buy the Ravens and Bills at 3 and 4.

Bingle's lost to the Jets, and they're still really kind of rebuilding. Steeders can't score, and Chargers are struggling to win home games, and there are seven. So New England's not in, Cleveland's not in, Kansas City's not in. I think the AFC playoff picture, it could look completely different than what you're seeing today. I mean, if I would have put this up, this is why I never scream hot take. Because if I would have put this up as me guessing at the halfway point, the AFC playoff picture, all the nerds on the internet, it's a hot take. No, that's what's happening right now. You just don't know.

Injuries, quarterbacks. I mean, if I had told you, yeah, there's going to be week eight in the NFL season, Trevor Simeon will outplay Tom Brady. I mean, the Jets now have a quarterback controversy. Cleveland with their roster can't score. It's not their defense. It's their offense that's broken. All right, right, Colin wrong. Blazing fives back on the winning track coming up.

Feel your best. Want to lose weight? Try mDriveformen.com. They've got new MDrive lean protein powder back by real science to help you lose weight. I've tried it. I love it. MDrive for Men.com. 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, 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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 year. 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 I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 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, 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, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.