The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Darnold, Mayfield, Rodgers, Brady, Belichick

Episode Date: September 24, 2021

Sam Darnold did more with less against the Texans than Baker MayfieldTom Brady and Bill Belichick are protecting their legaciesAaron Rodgers is trying to control the mediaGuest: Peter King Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS1, one hour from now are Blazing 5. These are easily the best numbers of the week. I love this week. I don't guarantee anything, but I've already made several large purchases based on the Blazing 5. also next hour, Lance Briggs, former Chicago Bear. What a circus they've got going this weekend. Joy Taylor. So it was interesting.

You know I've had this skirmish, this border skirmish with Baker Mayfield for years. And I like Sam Darnold. And to this point, Baker looks like, whoa, he's really flourishing. And Sam had a lousy NFL career. You watched that game last night. Sam was pretty interesting, was he not? It was definitely interesting. He overcame with some injuries.

Yes. It looks pretty good. On the road short week. So let's start our show with that. So I went and I thought to myself, all right, Sam Darnold played the Houston Texans last night. And Baker played the Houston Texans last week. Now, Sam was at major disadvantages.

Baker played the Texans at home. Sam played him on the road. Sam has an awful offensive line. Baker has top one or two. offensive lines that matters for quarterbacks. Sam not only was on the road, it was a short week, a Thursday night game on the road. Those are tough on road teams. Sam also lost his best player, Christian McCaffery. I mean, his star running back, right, early second quarter. So despite all those, I went and looked at three or four things that matter. I went and looked at first downs

between the two. I went and looked at passing touchdowns, yards, completions, passing first downs, and third down. And, oh, what do you know? Sam threw for more yards. and more yards per completion and had 50% more passing first downs and his third down passer rating. Same defense. Sam actually had a worst offensive line. Sam actually lost his star running back. Sam was actually on the road. Sam was a short week.

Sam's numbers pretty impressive. Isn't that interesting? And by the way, this is no indictment of Baker-Mayfield, but it is interesting, isn't it? when Baker the first two years didn't have any support, he was awful. He led the NFL or second in interceptions. He called out the medical staff. He was embarrassing. He was a mess.

He got a little plump. It's one of the reasons they haven't paid him yet. I'm not quite sure I can handle success. And he was terrible. Then he got a really good coach and a really good offensive line. And now Baker wins games. And Sam was really terrible last year in New York and the year before with a bad coach and a terrible O-line and bad receivers and no running game.

So what does it all mean? It means when Sam and Baker both get a good coach, both get some weapons, pretty good. They can win games. And neither is good enough to overcome crap. Andrew Luck is about the only guy that can in the last decade. That is it. And Sam's not as good as Andrew Luck.

He's big like Sam. He played in the Pac-12. like Sam, he's athletic like Sam, doesn't throw as good a ball, is not as good pre-snap, and Baker Mayfield's not Andrew Luck either. That both of these quarterbacks, neither one's an A prospect, neither one can overcome nonsense, but I will say this for Sam Darnold. As of this morning, we looked, Baker has the third best pass blocking line in the league. Sam has the 31st after last night.

And I want to throw this out. Now, so Baker, Sam is all your preference. If you live in Cleveland or Ohio, you're a Baker guy. If you live in Carolina this morning, you're a Sam guy. I've always been more of a Sam guy. He's a bigger athlete. He's a stronger athlete. He's more mature.

So I would go Sam. But not a lot of difference here, right? But here's the one thing. I went this morning and looked at this. Because we all know what I'm about to say is obvious. It really helps Mac Jones. because he's got a really good offensive line. It really hurts Trevor Lawrence because he has a bad offensive line.

The reason the Browns are going to beat the Bears this week is Justin Fields has a bad offensive line. The reason Trey Lance may succeed early is the Niners have a good offensive line. Offensive lines dictate to a huge percentage. Your coach and your offensive line dictates to young quarterbacks how things are going to go. I went and looked at the 10 lowest-graded pass-blocking teams according to pro-football focus. one team has a winning record, Sam Darnold and Carolina. And the only other teams on this list that you're pretty sure are going to have winning records

are the Bills, the Chargers, and the Ravens, and the reason being Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert. So for those who still fall in the Sam Donald's no good, only team with a bad pass-blocking offensive line, with a winning record, one in the league, Sam Darnold. He's not Andrew Luck. He's not great. Sam put the ball on the carpet twice last night. But he throws a good ball. He's big.

He's strong. He's athletic. He's coachable. And now that he can play with a lead with some weapons and a pretty good coach, it's amazing. Pretty amazing, right? We all want to bury these young guys. Let it bake. Matt Rule, terrific young coach.

Much like Kevin Stavansky. Stavansky's terrific. Great. Matt Ruhl and Stafansky are very similar. Very good scheming coach. Very clever. Here's Matt Ruhl after. If you watch the way we called the game, it means we trust him.

Even on that last drive, I mean, we're throwing four verticals with him. One thing about Sammy has some moxie, man. I mean, he stayed in the pocket. I had that long run called back, but, you know, finding terrorists on the third and 12. I mean, there were some huge conversions by Sam. And, again, it's him just playing within the system, but also I think he has a courageousness that, you know, he's not crossing the line going over the top. He's protecting the football and still pushing the ball down there.

Matt Rule knows more football than you do. I know it's hard, Ohio guy. He knows more football than you. He sought Sam Darnold. Listen to him. He likes Sam Darnold. Not saying he's great, but given at least some of Baker's advantages. You saw the numbers.

They played the Texans. Two weeks. I don't see the big gap like everybody else. All right, so this is interesting. Alex Guerrero was, of course, Tom Brady's is Tom Brady's trainer. And, boy, he came out. And, you know, next week, Tom and Alex and the Buccaneers go to New England and play Bill Belichick and all this guy. The big game next week.

So Alex Guerrero called out Bill Belichick. Woo-wee. He says it was like Bill never really. I think his emotions or feelings never evolved with age. I think in time with Tom, as Tom got into his late 30s and early 40s, Bill was trying to treat him like a 20-year-old kid that he drafted. And I think that was such a bill thing. He never evolved.

You just can't treat someone in their 40s like somebody in their 20s. It doesn't work. I'll get to that later. But it is interesting. Albert Breer, who was on our show this week, who's lived in that area, has covered the teams, had an interesting perspective on why Guerrero is throwing out bombs a week ahead of the big game?

I think to some degree it's, you know, the Brady camp getting ahead of this a little bit because I think they know there are going to be a lot of stories that are going to come out next week, and they know the Patriots have a way of getting their side of the story out there. So I don't think there's a coordinated effort. Like, I don't think Camp Brady had a meeting and did a media blitz or anything like that. People on Brady's side of it figuring, well, if the Patriots are going to, to get their side of the story out there inevitably, then we might as well tell our side of the story as well. Let me give you my belief, my theory on what could be happening. I don't know this to be

true, but it's my guess. Tom Brady now has a net worth, along with his wife, of almost $700 to $800 million. When you get to be that big, LeBron's in that category, there's a handful of Americans, men and women who are, you get into protection mode. Even when you get enough to retire, your stockbroker says you don't need home runs, just hit doubles, right? Tom now doesn't need a lot of home runs. He really doesn't need any doubles. But it's protection mode for the TB12 brand, his legacy.

Bill Belichick, by the way, doesn't need any more Super Bowls either. Does not need to win another playoff game or a division. But he is the greatest football coach ever, and losing season, losing season, losing season. and losing season without Tom does him no good. I think what you're seeing now, and we've seen three major books in the last 18 months, I've read two. They're all excellent. The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict, read it.

It's better to be friends, Seth Wickersham, going to read it, have it. Ian O'Connor, terrific writer, Belichick, making of a great football coach. We have officially, folks, moved into the framing of the dynasty stage. Both sides now have to protect their brands and future earnings and legacies and revenue and reputations. And so Guerrero just knowing how New England has historically, as Albert Breer said, leaked stories to protect Bill and the organization gets a little ahead of it, throws out a little stink bomb just to let you know. And we're aware of what you do. By the way, I saw this happen in Hollywood several years ago. There was a terrific book by James Miller called The CAA.

It's the creative artist agency. Joy and I work in the world where we need representation, and at different times in our life have perhaps been represented by them. They represent many TV and radio people and athletes. And the creation of it by Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer. And then they had a divorce, and they were both very successful. But there was a little too. and they wrote the book and it was fantastic and you shouldn't read it, but it was,

you're making sure both sides wanted their story told and your framing and earnings and reputation and legacies. And this is what happens to very successful people, companies, CEOs, brands, entrepreneurs. So I think there's, we've got three great books out there. I've read two of them. They're fantastic. But, you know, as you read the books, you can kind of tell what side's talking, what side's feeding, what side's giving, what side's taking. And this is the game, of course. You know this. It's the game behind the game. Peter King this hour. Aaron Rogers is now stepping back a little bit. He's reframing what he said earlier this week. Aaron is doing a lot of talking these days. That's good content.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you 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 Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the 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.

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Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So Aaron Rogers has been very talkative this offseason. Sometimes I think he's been a little bit of a hypocrite.

He talked about silence is often wisdom, and he won't stop talking. Brian Goodenkins isn't saying anything. Nobody's saying anything. Aaron has a weekly grievance session. And I have said, Aaron, You want power. You sought power in the offseason, but there is, when you seek power and get it, there's a responsibility to understand criticism. We'll come with it. So I think he's being a tad bit of a hypocrite. I also think he lectured people on the beautiful mystery. There's wisdom and silence, and he won't stop talking. So yesterday, he walked back some of his criticism earlier this week, Nate Burleson, Bill Coward, or Michael Finley. I defended all of them. I didn't think any of their opinions. were unjust or inflammatory. I thought they were just opinions.

I don't have to agree with opinions. There is a gap between inflammatory and an opinion, even if I disagree with it. And so Aaron walked back a little of his criticism to maybe one of the people. Maybe it's Finley. I don't know, but here is Aaron yesterday. I do want to maybe rephrase or refocus what I said. I strongly believe in everybody's ability to have an opinion. I respect the fact that they have an opinion and should have an opinion.

My issue is a platform given to individuals who only desire to say inflammatory things that are not based in fact. Okay. Do you think you can control that platform? Because what I hear is a guy that is seeking control all offseason and now seeking control of your opinions and your platforms. that's a miserable way to live. Aaron, you cannot control anybody's opinion nor any of these companies' platforms. In fact, I would argue, Aaron, you cannot control the outcome of Packer games. There's too many variables.

Your team doesn't have a pass rush. Your team didn't play good defense. Your coach in the playoff made a decision I still find egregiously weird. So Aaron's moved into this space where he's seeking control of things, and that is impossible as a public figure. Even the mob in America is like, don't mess with the media. Because like any industry, there's some people who are going to be irresponsible, just like some Packer players you draft that are not any good. There's a lot of variables in life.

And Aaron here, I think, and I think he's too smart to confuse the two, so I just want to separate these. Aaron's confusing criticism, opinion for inflammatory. If I criticize one of Aaron's buddies in Hollywood's movie, that's an opinion. it's not inflammatory. I'll show you what's inflammatory. Stepping to the podium for 20 minutes and ripping your front office, naming 10 players

that they should have resigned, that you would have resigned, and criticizing your bosses publicly. If I did that about Fox and my boss, Eric Shanks, you know, he should have resigned her. He should have fired him. Should have resigned this producer. That would be inflammatory. And that's exactly what Aaron did. Now, Aaron also a couple weeks ago, after losing, came out and said, hey, it's one game out of 17, we'll play better.

That wasn't inflammatory. That's an opinion. But don't confuse inflammatory with opinion. You are a reigning MVP. I mean, I look at it like the media. I choose who I don't try to control the media. But if I find people irresponsible or inflammatory, I'm not interested. I see a lot of that on Twitter.

I have probably four to five people in politics that I follow. I lean on in crisis. One's a writer for the Atlantic. One is a writer for the Wall Street Journal. One is a writer for the New York Times. I have a hand. One or two of them are television people. and that's who I follow.

But what I don't try to do is control them. I pick who I respect and like, and then I follow them. And my harshest criticism of Aaron, because I don't think any of this is directed at me, but I did say when a week before the season he came out and said, I'm 50-50 on retirement, I said, that's bad judgment. Don't do that. Don't tell anybody your young teammates may take it wrong, your coach, staff may take it wrong. You may have scouts in the organization that are like, we don't think

Jordan Love can play. I'm not going to stick around here in Green Bay. If Aaron's gone in the year, get me out of here. I don't think you should ever publicly say, you know, I think about retirement. I didn't like that. But again, let me clarify it. That's an opinion that is not inflammatory. How do I know? Because about half the people in the media that I follow agreed with it. It wasn't a good thing to say. By the way, a great, just because the meat's there, you don't always have to bite into it. Garero ripped Bill Belichick, ripped him yesterday. And what did Brady do? He didn't take the bait. Remember, here's what he said about Belichick in his New England years. Everyone has, you know, protective feelings and emotions as friends and family members. And that's

just part of being in sports. And you have a lot of people who, you know, because they're not out there. They want to protect. And it's a very caring, loving thing that a lot of people do. But, you know, from my standpoint, I just, I had a great time. But really, my focus has been on trying to be the best I could be for this team and trying to go out and be a winning quarterback, be a championship-level quarterback for this team in this organization because they certainly deserve it. And, you know, I made a commitment to them and I want to live up to it. Why did I run that bite?

Because that was an inflammatory situation. Alex Guerrero on Belichick, that's inflammatory. It's an opinion, but it's inflammatory. And how did Brady handle it? I'm gratefully backed off. He didn't want it to be inflammatory. So Brady clearly can tell the difference between that's inflammatory. I'm going to have a grateful opinion.

And I think Aaron knows all this stuff. But when you're in this space where you're trying to control platforms and people and opinions, it's a miserable way to live. I sit and watch Twitter and like conservatives are trying to make liberals more conservative and liberals are trying to make conservative more liberal. And it's like, just find the people you like, consume their content, and stop trying to change and alter people's opinion, so it's yours. Control is a miserable life.

Nobody really has any control over any of this stuff. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. It's a bar, Colin. What's that? Control is a miserable life. You can't control anything.

You can control yourself. That's it. And by the way, sometimes at night, I can't even. do that. I'll eat popcorn, a pop-tart. Oh, I'm on the hunt for some popcorn last night. I can't control myself at night around food. Lexi, my stepdaughter, makes cookies and muffins. If they're in the house, I eat them all day long. I can't control me. I'm not going to try to control platforms and opinion and my boss is. No, but that's what everyone tries to do. Everyone tries to control everyone else. Just get out of that

space and control everything in the universe. Enjoy your life. I want to know everything the government's doing. Just kind of a mimosa relax. So Justin Fields will be starting for the Bears this Sunday against the Browns, but head coach Matt Nagy wants everyone to slow down on dismissing Andy Dalton. So when that time comes, there's a lot of stuff that can happen between now and then. I don't really want to go out there other than just saying when Andy is healthy, he is our starter. Okay, of course, what happens when Justin Fields goes out this weekend, goes 21 of 30, has a touchdown, maybe a turnover, he's kind of dynamic, and you upset.

the Browns. I do not think it'll happen, by the way. No. But Chicago's getting a couple of interior defenders back. They're getting healthier. It'll be a closer game than you think. What if he upsets them? What do you do then? I don't even know that they need to upset the Browns. That's a good point. What if they play well? What if they play well? The Browns are supposed to win. They're favored by seven. The Browns are supposed to win, according to Foxx Bad. They're supposed to win this game.

So even if it's competitive, even if Justin Fields looks good and has one, you know, interception or one. I'll give a quarterback and turnover every game. You get one. What I don't understand is what is the point? What is the point? The reason Justin Fields is not starting right now is because he's quote unquote not ready, right?

That was the reason why he's not the actual starter. We know he's starting this game, but that's why he wasn't named the starter at the beginning of the season, right? Because he's not ready. So what if he looks ready? I know. He's the future of the organization. I don't understand.

Yeah, I get it. We know what Andy Dalton is. He's not a mystery. He is not a beautiful mystery. We know exactly what he is. Here's the pamphlets. That is what you're going to get from Andy Dallon. And it's no disrespect to Andy Dallon,

but this is starting to become weird. Little weird. Like, Justin Fields is the future of the organization. It's not like, what are you trying to prove? I know. It's very strange. If Justin Fields goes out there and looks terrible, makes, you know,

it's just like, all right, when Andy's back, maybe Justin needs a little bit more time. Fine. I don't anticipate that. Even if he does look back. Zach Wilson just threw four interceptions. Who cares?

He's a rookie. Yeah. I don't know. I just find this situation in Chicago to be just so bizarre. That's such an unnecessary statement. So Christian McCaffrey suffered a strained hamstring last night against the Texans and was unable to finish the game. Matt Rule said after the game, the McCaffrey will go undergo additional testing.

He doesn't know the severity of it yet. And he did say that if McCaffrey missed his time, it will actually affect the passing game more than their running game. Yeah, it's interesting. He really is, and I'm, and I'm just, when I say this, he runs the best routes I've ever seen a running back run in my life. I mean, there's been some really good pass-catching running backs. He is a huge weapon for Sam Darnold. He's a total mismatch. Linebackers cannot cover him in the passing game. No, their offense isn't the same without him. He signed up four years, $64 million contract extension last year, but obviously played in three games because of the ankle and shoulder injuries. They also lost J.C. Horn, had a broken foot. They have Chuba Hubbard and Royce Freeman, so they're not bereft of talent. So I will say this. Both those guys are good, B-backs.

They're not the same, but I think it's a very clever play-calling operation with the receiving core is really good. Tommy Trouble, the rookie Notre Dame tight end, looks to be a very good little player. So they're not without weapons. They can win a game without McCaffrey. It means everybody's got to play more perfect, but they can win without McCaffrey. They can. But he just brings such a dynamic element to their offense.

Even as a decoy. Yeah, it's, it's, you don't feel as good about the Panthers if he is going to be out for a significant amount of time. Hopefully it's something that's just a few weeks and, you know, obviously hamstrings are very tricky, but we'll, I'm sure get an update on that today. So Alabama head coach Nick Sabin didn't appear to be in the best of moods when he was speaking to the media the other day. He was asked a question about his tight ends increased role.

and he was very annoyed. Well, he's doing what he's supposed to do. He practices better. He's more engaged. He's more focused on what he's supposed to do, and he's having more positive performance on the field, which is what any player is supposed to do. I think that, did any of you play sports?

I mean, the coach is supposed to play the best players, right? I don't know. Maybe if you didn't play, maybe that's not something that you quite get. You know, to answer your question, he's doing what he's supposed to do. No, I have said this before. I feel it's a responsibility as a sportscaster. Now, this is just me, that I like to feel the pain of being an athlete. So I run, I lift, I'm always sore.

Not that it validates or invalidates somebody if they don't. Right. But I do think that sometimes I do read media and I think, have you ever run a business? Like you can't just pay everybody max money. Whenever the media is like, just pay the player. I'm like, that's not how a business. works. There's a salary cap. And the second thing is, coaches have a right to occasionally bark. Sports are very intense. The stadiums are loud. If a coach barks, it's not the end of the world.

I prefer my guy don't bark all the time. But there are moments where I've thought if I was a coach, I would occasionally ask that very question. If you understand how sports works, it's hard, it's loud, it's volume, it's intense. I mean, I don't like those questions because it's like, okay, Nick, so if you do a show, like, do you have any broadcasting experience? What are you doing up here? Okay, do you know how microphone works? So, look, he's obviously being snarky and he's annoyed. He might be annoyed because they just barely beat Florida last weekends. I want to interview Nick Sabin so badly right now.

But the thing about Belichick and Nick Saban, because this is not uncharacteristic of either one of them, because they do the same thing. And then when they get together, they're like, it's like fireworks. Yeah. But they're supposed to be like the best hangs. And the players love, or at least Samin, love Sabin. and like Belichick's like super fun Scotch guy

like who they are away from the podium is I believe a completely different person Well I think Saban would be a blast to hang with I think Nick's are right I think Nick's actually got a ton of personality And you see it in recruiting I think oh yeah no yeah Nick absolutely does Yeah Nick Nick Saban Nick reserves that snarkiness for the media

specifically and apparently his assistant coaches Because that's that's the story with that I don't know if Nick drinks I would before I die, if I could get an hour alone, drinking, and just laughing and telling stories. Belichick, I'd be, I would just be concerned he would yell at me. Would Nick, I know he would tell. No, but see, I don't think Belichick. I think Belichick is, like, let's lose.

I don't know. I think, like, he's a guy who's very serious like Nick, and then when he shuts it down, he shuts it all the way down. Oh, no. I'm glad you feel that. They're currently favored. Well, I think it depends on what you ask him. They're currently favored by 45, ever Southern Miss.

Oh, good Lord. So it'll be a nice bounce about. I would pay for Nick to fly out. Florida game. You're welcome any time, Nick. Nick, Southwest Airlines. Don't tell us how to do our jobs. Book to flight.

Even though we tell you how to do yours all the time. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lide News. NBCSports.com. Peter King, Hall of Famer, since 1992, member of the board of selectors

brought to you by Mercedes-Benz the best or nothing. So I got to ask Peter about this. Listen, I said this about Baker and Sam Donald. Neither can overcome nonsense. Andrew Luck did, because I thought Andrew Luck was a once-in-a-decade performer, and then it knocked him out of the league. But I do think Sam Darnold now has a really smart coach, has some really nice weapons. I don't love their O-line.

But I do think Sam's good enough to get you to the playoffs. I'm not sure with this O-Line again. But I do think whether it invalidates Adam Gace or not, I think it's a true test of Sam Donald. And I think he's a talented kid. That's my takeaway that you could get to the playoffs with and what's your interpretation and what you watch. well it helps when the defense is holding teams to 10 points and 191 yards a game as

Carolina's defense has done in the first three weeks Sam Darnold has had to be a complimentary player yeah in the Jets he with the Jets he needed to be a franchise quarterback on a horse crap team yeah that's pretty hard to do Colin it's one of the reasons why whenever I'm talking to agents or people before a draft, I always say, when you're a quarterback, be careful what you wish for about getting picked high in the draft. Patrick Mahomes and his agents got the dream scenario. They got the Kansas City Chiefs to trade up to number 10, and they pick Mahomes at number 10 with a great offense, a great offensive head coach, and a good talent base, you know,

to basically have a good chance to win every year. Now, honestly, I don't care if you're some combination of Tom Brady, you know, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Bart Starr. When you go to the New York Jets, it's why I feel for, honestly, I feel for Zach Wilson. Because you tell me, what chance does Zach Wilson have in the next two or three years to win with the Jets? I mean, maybe we'll all be shocked.

I don't think so. So, Joey and I, I was a defender of Matt and Aggie. I know Matt and I like him, and I defended him with the initial Andy Dalton starts. I do think he kind of corners himself, traps himself here with Andy's our starter regardless, because I do think Chicago gets a little healthier on the defensive side this week. And I do think the Browns are kind of trying to figure out the seven new starters on defense. They're not quite there yet. and they may not be there this weekend.

It could be a very, very competitive football game. I think it will. I think Justin could have some success. What do you make of Nagy's sort of pivot here with this? Like, period. Andy's healthy he starts. What do you do if Fields looks good this weekend? Obviously, he's going to change his mind.

I mean, if he plays great this weekend and they go to Cleveland and win the game, he's probably going to have to change his mind. You know what has really surprised me about this, Colin? All of this story. how really smart football people in our business are continuing to beat Matt Nagy over the head because he's trying to handle Justin Fields in 2021 the way he handled Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Who killed Andy Reid in 2017 for keeping Patrick Mahomes on the bench? Answer, nobody.

Now, you can say, well, Alex, he had Al. Alex Smith. Now tell me, how much better is Alex Smith than Andy Dalton? Not much. Three percent better? Right, right. Not much. Not much. So the point is, Matt Nagy, and I go back to something he told me in training camp. This is about everything I do is going to be about making Justin Fields a great quarterback for the next 15 years, not some failed experiment for the next two years. And so I don't understand why everyone is standing on the table saying you have to play him right now. No, you don't. You don't have to play Justin Fields right now. If you believe deep down he's not ready and you have a good alternative, play the alternative,

tune out the noise. Yeah. He also sees stuff at practice. I don't see. I do think it's interesting. I'd said this, and I've tried to be fair with this, but you know, sometimes I miss the mark. I said Aaron talked about the wisdom of silence in the offseason, and he has a weekly grievance session. He's doing a lot of talking. Brian Guttenkunds has just gone into hiding. He's not talking at all. So it's like, Aaron, you told us silence is wisdom. You haven't stopped talking for two months.

And yesterday he kind of backtracked. And it is, you know, he's kind of going through a little bit of a metamorphosis here. And his offseason was very zen. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I got no problem with it. I didn't love him saying 50-50 on retirement. I said that. I thought it was a mistake.

I don't think you put that out. there, you've got a young locker room, you got scouts and coaches. But what do you make of Aaron has been, I don't think I've ever seen a quarterback in this league this verbal. Combative's the wrong word, but, you know, really, really sensitive. What do you kind of make of Aaron's last several months? Well, look, for, I would say for most of 15 years since being drafted, for most of that, he has been a passive-aggressive guy. And, you know, if he disagrees with something, he may roll his eyes and make a side comment or something,

but he's never going to say, I have been mistreated. He just, that's not how he rolled. And now this year, he came into camp, and he basically had the public airing of grievances. You know, it was Festivus night at the Costanza house. But right now, when you look, at Aaron Rogers, I think he is going to the edge of the cliff. He's just going to the edge and he's saying some things, but he's not saying everything he can say. And I think Colin, he's at the point in his life

where, you know, maybe there are some people who really care what the media say and some people who don't care at all what the media say. I think he straddles that line because I think he does read things. I think he does hear things. He does listen. But at the end of the day, if he beats the 49ers, nobody gives a crap. Yeah. By the way, let me just ask you, do you think they beat the Niners who were beat up themselves in the running back unit? No. Neither do I. I don't think so. Because look, in the last two times, let's forget the game last year when the 49ers were a AAA team and the Packers went there totally healthy and kill them. But the last time that there was a game similar to this one right now, Green Bay

at San Francisco, they played twice at Levi's Stadium in 2019, once in the regular season in November and once in the playoffs in January. 49ers both times scored 37 points with Jimmy Garoppolo playing quarterback and most of the same characters other than a beat-up running game on this team. now I look at this and say, okay, is there going to be anything different this time? And, you know, to me, the best defensive player on the 49ers is Jaira Alexander, or on the Packers rather, is Jayaeer Alexander. But the second best one is the Darius Smith. He's missing.

So, I mean, I figure going into this game, Aaron Rogers has to score in the 30s on this Green Bay on this San Francisco team to have a chance to win this game. What did he score in 2019? A total of 28 points in eight quarters. So this is a tall task. He's got to win the game, but it's not going to be easy. Great stuff. Peter King, NBCSports.com.

Week three in the NFL, Panthers 3 and O, which is fun. It's a good story. And I love Matt Rule. Peter, great seeing you. All right, Colin, thank you. By the way, a lot of these college coaches don't work in the NFL. a lot of these coordinators don't work in the NFL. You should be rooting for Carolina because it looks like we have another great coach.

It's like why you should be looking at Cleveland with Kevin Stavansky. We have another really good young coach. So now we got Flores we like and Matt Ruhl we like and Stafansky we like and Sean McDermott we like. Sean McVeigh we knows a hit. This league is going to be as strong as it's quarterback play and it's young coaches. We know the old guys can coach. We know Belichick, Tomlin, Carol, Reed, Peyton. but we got who are the next seven kind of bell cows, seven bellwether coaches in this league.

And Matt Ruhl looks like he is really, really sharp because they're still in a rebuilding process. That is a terrible offensive line. Not even mediocre. Not even bad. It's like as bad as any in the league. And they're winning games. It's something. Blazing five, top of the next hour of the herd.

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. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris.

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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 Podcast, 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, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people

scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different. 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. Blazing 5, top of the hour. It is easily the best numbers of the week. In fact, I've already bet four of these games. I bet four of them on Monday and Tuesday. Got better numbers than today, but I still like, don't love them as much, but still like all my bets. This will be our winning week. Sometimes you get good numbers. It's like sometimes you go to the store, the produce is perfect. There's tomato season, grapefruit season. Sometimes you go to the store, you still need tomatoes, but it's not tomato season.

This is betting week. This is betting season. All the avocados are right. Okay, so Christian McCaffrey, Joy's got news on this. This has just been released. They face the Cowboys in 10 days. He will miss a few weeks. All right.

They're still running test. on the hamstring. He's not on IR as of yet, but Chuba Hubbard is the next man up as he's going to miss a few weeks. And Roy's Freeman. So they're not, they're not incapable. Their bigger issue is it's a bad offensive line. Now, Dallas does not have a great defense, so you're not facing like, you know, the Steelers. You're not facing the 49ers. So it's a winnable game at Dallas without Christian McCaffrey. But Sam Darnold probably does not play with the lead like he did the first three weeks. It's amazing how Greg Kosell talked about this yesterday. He may have talked about it with Baker Mayfield or somebody he said it's all different playing with a running game and a lead.

Anybody can play with a lead. Everybody, Case Keenham won 11 games playing with a lead. Anybody can play with a lead. So Sam Darnold's playing with a lead. The question will come, you know, I've said when Baker played trailing or had to throw against Kansas City, two drives, three and out and a pick. It's different. That's the difference between good and great. That's it. And so we don't know. I don't think Donald and Baker are great. I think they're good. And I think watch Sam trail against Dallas, it's all different. You don't have the running game. You trail in the game.

They know you have to throw. Changes everything. So I would take Dallas in that game. So this is interesting. I have said, the Steelers have just been coddling Ben forever. And I read something this morning and they're still doing it. So Matt Canada is their new offensive coordinator. He's their third in four years.

He was quoted about the pathetic offense. And he said, you know, I think I need to be better. We had some matchups. We had some things going right here. I told the offense, we didn't win. We've got to do better. Okay. Third offensive coordinator in four years.

It's not working. Maybe it's not the coordinators. Maybe it's the aging quarterback that didn't take care of himself for 15 years. That didn't commit in the off season. He admits it. That didn't, by the way, really commit to a sophisticated audible system. They still don't have it. I've got that source from multiple people that has never really committed to sacrifice and leadership and taking care of some of his stars.

He hasn't. So Ben has been coddled for 15 years. He's still doing it. By the way, four years, three coordinators, I went and looked at the data over the last four years. You know who's last in the NFL in yards per rush? Pittsburgh. Who's last in total yards rushing last four years, Pittsburgh? What's that mean?

Translation, more dependent on an old quarterback. quarterback that's partially committed. So this is why the Steelers right now are a slightly better than average team over the last four years. Their coach is a Hall of Famer. Their defense is excellent. But you can't win in 2021 with that. They're just not a great team.

They're a good team, thanks to Tomlin and the architecture that has built a very, very sound defense. But you're not a Super Bowl team if you can't score. This team, again, new coordinator. Taking the heat. They can't run. All right. By the way, Brady had some teams that couldn't throw the ball vertically, you know, but his commitment to the system and audibling and people that don't, people that are partially committed,

you may not see it for years in their prime. You eventually see it. Escape QuickBooks, QuickSand with NetSuite by Oracle, number one financial system. Switch today. Go to netsuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D right now, get control. over your e-commerce and your financials and your HR. Blazing 5 next. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Isn't it humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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 Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrating. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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