The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Draymond Green may face a long suspension

Episode Date: December 13, 2023

With Colin out, Jason McIntyre fills in defending Dak Prescott as one of the MVP favorites this season and why he's had a better career than Cam Newton He discusses Draymond Green's latest ejection, where he's at this point in his career Bad news for the Patriots as a report about Bill Belichick's position as head coach has come into question   Guest: Mark SchlerethSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Good morning, L.A. Good afternoon, New York. It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for Colin Cowherd, taking a rare day off during the NFL season. But you know what that means? Extra fun for myself, and I'm joined by Alex Curry,

who is doing a victory lap today with Shohei Otani. Now with the Dodgers, the team she grew up brooding for. Alex, you ready to fire some hot takes today? I'm so ready. I just got back from Cancun yesterday. I was down at the closer to the Sun Festival for a week. So it was like, hit the ground running. Here we go.

All the best news came out this weekend. Yes, and we got an awesome show. Draymond Green helps when he acts with his buffoonery last night's antics. Wow, we'll talk about that. Bill Belichick, obviously, another report that he's toast. But we have to start with, boy, this is a wacky one. Former, and that's a key word here, former NFL quarterback, Cam Newton. He's only 34 years old, right?

He's been out of the league for two years. Just remember that. Remember that. Cam Newton has a podcast now. And you know the new model is every former player gets a podcast. It used to be that the former players went into TV, as you see a bunch of guys here on this network. They go on a radio.

Now, everybody gets a podcast. It's like Oprah, she used to give away cars. Now every former player gets a podcast. Tom Brady, you got a podcast. Chad Johnson, you got one. And now Cam Newton has a podcast. And Cam Newton, of course, was a tremendous player. Anytime I kind of beat somebody up, I like to hit him with the positives first.

You guys remember Cam Newton, right? I mean, what a tremendous talent he was at Auburn, leading them to the national championship, wins the Heisman. Number one pick goes to Carolina. Cam Newton won an MVP. He went to the Super Bowl. He was an awesome quarterback. But now he's 34 years old and out of the league. He's watching a lot of older guys play quarterback, and I think he's a little bit salty.

So what Cam Newton did this week was he went after some quarterbacks. He went after Jared Gough to a tongue of Iloa. And then MVP favorites, Brock Purdy and, wait for it, Dack Prescott. So what you're about to hear, a little shocking, but here's Cam Newton on his podcast, taking some shots at those NFL quarterbacks. As game managers, Brock, Parity, to a tongue of Voloa, Jared Golf. And really, Dag Prescott. These are game managers.

They're not different smakers. And when you say game manager, I'm not asking you to go out and win the game. I'm just asking you not to lose. Not to lose the game. That's, listen, I don't give a damn what you do. You don't have to score every time. You just don't have to throw a pick every time either. If we're going to really call a spade a spate, a game manager is different than a game changer.

Wow, wow. First of all, I don't know why he's dressed like a conductor from Thomas the Train. Anybody with kids out there knows who I'm talking about. Cam, that's an interesting outfit. That being said, boy, game manager sure sounds very codied. did, does it not? I think Tom, Tom Brady was a game manager for the first, what, 10 years of his career until he got Randy Moss.

Game manager sounds very code for unathletic. We know Cam Newton in his prime. Holy cow, he would run over defensive backs. In that podcast, and I watched a lot of the clip, he goes on to, you know, Lamar Jackson. He's a game changer. Patrick Mahomes, he's a game changer.

But those other guys he mentioned, you know, I'm not going to pick them all apart. Listen, if you want to be dumb and go after Brock Purdy who undeniably is the MVP of the league this year. I mean, if you look at the stats, you wouldn't take a glance at any of the stats. Brock Purdy's your guy.

You want to bag on Jared Goff, a go-off king, I don't care. You want to bag on Tua. That's fine. I'm not a huge, huge Tua guy. Are you taking shots at Dak, Prescott? This year, Cam?

Folks, you know, you know on the show sometimes with Colin, I will kind of whisper stuff. Pearls of wisdom about fantasy football. I'll maybe whisper some gambling bets that have done well this NFL season. Well, I'm going to whisper something. to you right now. I don't want to alarm anyone. I'm going to say it in a whisper, but Cam Newton, you had a worse career than Dak Prescott.

Dak Prescott has had a better NFL career than Cam Newton. And we got a great staff here at the herd. They were able to pull up some stats. Let's just take a glance, shall we? Dak Prescott versus Cam Newton. And, oh, by the way, Dak is going to be in the league for at least another six, seven years, health pending. Because he is going to age gracefully in this league, and he'll know how to hold a clipboard and be a backup as opposed to be a showstopper like Cam Newton was, and that's fine. But look at these numbers. Is that not shocking to you that Cam has had a better career?

Or sorry, DAC has had a better career than Cam. Now, Cam won an MVP, obviously, went to a Super Bowl. But Dak Prescott, look at the numbers. The numbers don't lie. Folks, one of the producers in our meeting this morning said, boy, Cam Newton never had back-to-back winning seasons. I had to look that up. I was what?

It's funny. We remember the peaks and the highs. And listen, Cam's 15 in one season was awesome. They dominated the league. Remember when Cam made the dab a thing? I go to ugly Christmas sweater parties all every year. And I got the Christmas sweater with the Santa dabbing because it was so cool. Like Cam had a radiant smile when he played.

You know, he just, he had that gravitas, right? Big six, five, 240-pound quarterback running over dudes. Fourth and one, the name of his podcast, he'll run you over on fourth and one. You know, before Jalen Hertz had the brotherly shove, Cam Newton just jumped. bumped over the pile. He had the Superman. Like, he was a star. But was he a great quarterback? His peak was outstanding. His peak was tremendous. But if you look at Dak Prescott's career, he's had a better career, more consistent than Cam Newton. And you know, you're not really great until you're consistent. I've been as much of a Dak basher. I've had him fringe top 10

quarterback for a lot of his career. Listen, he's been tremendous this year. You can't knock him. And for Cam to go on a podcast and say, you know, Dak, you're a game manager. It just feels a little disrespectful. And I think part of the reason is Cam's hurt. He's wounded that he sees guys like Tyrod Taylor still in the league starting a game. We got a list of guys who are still starters at the age of 34. Again, I know we're hitting you with a lot of shocking stuff here early in the show. Folks, Tyrod Taylor has started.

Joe Flacco was raking leaves in his yard two months ago. And they called him up, and now he's starting for the Cleveland Browns and winning games. Aaron Rogers obviously left with the Achilles. Brian Hoyer started a game. He's a fossil. Cam Newton cannot get a call from anybody. He's been out of the league for two years. And I will remind you, Cam Newton lost his starting job to, wait for it, Mack Jones, who has been, yes, benched this season.

So you never want to start a show just destroying someone. But, Cam, you have no argument. It's horrendous. It's embarrassing and it's inaccurate, worst of all. All right, let's pivot to what happened last night in the NBA. Remember, the NBA is riding high, folks. Oh, my goodness. The NBA in-season tournament was so tremendous.

The ratings for Lakers Pacers in the final were off the charts. LeBron's celebrating in the locker room, and here we are three days later, and we're talking about Draymond Green punching. And I'm going to call it a punch. I mean, you could call it an unhinged slap. You could call it like a Connor McGregor's whirling, whirling spin punch or whatever they do in UFC.

Folks, I watched this last night multiple times, at least 15 times. And I have no idea what triggered Draymond Green so badly. Now, he apologized and we'll get to that shortly. But watch Nirkits. Like, what did he do? What have these Eastern European centers done to anger Draymond Green? Remember, he stomped on Sabonis last year. He put Rudy Gobert.

He's not really Easter. He put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold a couple of weeks ago. Folks, Draymond Green's played 15 games this season. He has three ejections. I'll help you with the math. That ain't good. So, Draymond Green, who doesn't usually apologize. Remember, I think he didn't talk for like eight or nine days after the Gobert chokehold.

He isn't one to apologize. He realized the error in his ways. I mean, this is a close-fisted punch. Not like he sucker-punched Jordan Poole. And I've got to emphasize sucker punch. Listen, I know this is Cowherd's guy. and coward probably you will defend him somewhere that's fine but this is indefensible here's draymond green apologizing for punching nirc after the game as you know i'm not one to apologize for things i meant

to do but i do apologize to you so um because i didn't intend to hit him uh i sell calls with my arms so i was just selling the call because he was grabbing me and pulling my hip back so i spun away. And unfortunately, I hit him. You guys have known me long enough. If I intended to do something, I'm not apologizing for it. But I did make contact with him, so I apologize because it wasn't my intention. I can't control my arms. I was spinning. That's like you couldn't control your leg that time you kicked Stephen Adams on the groin. I mean, or, you know, when you stomped on some, I couldn't control my leg. It was just like, what's going on, dude? You're 33. You're not some geriatric here. you're struggling to control your bodily functions or your limbs.

Bro, you spun and punch them in the face. And I, on like the 17th viewing of this, I just isolated the Warriors bench. And if you look at the guys, like Andrew Wiggins and a couple other dudes are sitting there. And they're just stonefaced. They're like, oh, my gosh, he did it again. Nobody really budges. It's almost at this point, like, embarrassing. Look at them on the bench.

They're just like, ooh, I'm not going to make eye contact with Raymond. Like, come on. So, I don't know. I'm sure everybody's going to have their opinion on what the suspension is, but when the league looks at this, we're talking about a repeat offender. Okay? This guy, three ejections this season, can't stay out of trouble. What are we looking at?

Ten games? Seven games? I don't want to hear this. It's like, oh, this is just three games. You're not selling a call, Dremont. You're punching a dude in the face. And, you know, listen, I joke this morning that Dremont Green's career highlights. You know, you go to the Hall of Fame.

Draymond will go to the Hall of Fame because he's a great defender. And they string together a highlight reel of your awesome plays. For Draymond, it's setting a bunch of screens for Steph Curry, make it some cool passes. But honestly, it's a lot of dirty stuff. Like this is what he's become. He's become a Bill Lambier for the 2020s. He's become a Rick Mulhorn, just a borderline goon. And as a guy who plays basketball, I know once you get older, your mind is saying,

hey, this guy's going to do this. You've got to get there quick. and your body can't do it. And you just wonder, you start to look at Dremont's numbers across the board. Career lows and rebounds. You know, career low in blocks, the steals starting to head downhill. I know he wasn't first team all defense last year. Still a good defender.

I'm not totally hammering the guy. But the reality is he's out of control. He's unhinged. I think the league needs to step in. And if you want to look big picture, Clay Thompson, it's okay to say that ship has sailed. He ain't getting paid from the Warriors. And there was a moment last night. Somebody clipped it off and sent it to me on Instagram

where Steph Curry goes over to the Sun's bench and Kevin Durant kind of whispers something to him and Curry looks at him and walks away and moves on. And a lot of people are wondering what Steph Curry said. Hey, come get me. Come get me out of this mess. The Warriors now 10 and 13 out of the playoff race. At best, they're a play-in team.

Okay? Dramon probably going to get five, ten games here. they might not make the playoffs. And now you're looking at, well, Clay's gone. Kavana Luni, who was awesome last year, looking very bleak for the Golden State Warriors. And where does Curry take this? He's not going to demand a trade in season.

But you start to wonder, do you trust the front office? Myers left. Steve Kirstown's exasperated. The dynasties end. They never end pretty, but this crumbling is kind of happening at a rapid pace. And Steph Curry's got to be very ticked off at his buddy. Draymond Green. Alex, I wonder, you see that spinning punch.

I mean, you've probably seen that at a couple of bars, a couple concerts in your life. It's hard because when you're winning, you get away with everything. And that's what happened with Draymond for years. When they were winning, he was able to get away with this. But now, bottom line, this is just, this is embarrassing. And I was listening to Charles Barkley talk about it this morning

on the Dan Patrick show. And as you kind of mentioned it, too, this is what happens to a player when they can't play to the best of their ability. They start to result to these things. And you can get away with it in the peasant. when you're winning, but the bottom line, you're not winning now. And not only the league needs to do something, but the Golden State Warriors need to do something

to Draymond Green. They need to make a statement because you can't fake this anymore. We see what you're doing. Like, you're showing us what you do and who you are, and it's not okay. Yeah, definitely not. All right, coming up next, is this the end for Bill Belichick in New England? He was asked about it this morning at a press conference. We'll tell you what went down.

That's next year on The Herd. I have a great parlay for you this weekend. thanks to Draft King Sportsbook, new users. Use the code herd, H-E-R-D when you download the app. Here's my parlay picks. People will sell their Packer stock because they lost to an average Giants team, but they're at home. I'll give up the three and a half. I think they beat the bucks handily. Browns minus three and a half hosting the Bears. Chicago looked great. But Cleveland's defense at home will be a different matter entirely. Brown's by a touchdown. And the bills minus two at home? Yeah, I like all three favorites. I'll take them over.

the Cowboys coming up a highly emotional thrashing of the Eagles. You want to take the herd parlay. Check out Draft King's sportsbook. New users, code is heard. H-E-R-D. When you download the app, it's easy, it's simple. Draft Kings. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler. In New York. Call 8778-8-Hope and Y or text Hope and Y 467-369. See show notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, 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 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. 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. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. According to FBI data, break-ins and property thefts spike this time of year.

That's why Simply Safe Home Security is offering up to 50% on any new system. To save up to 50% on any new system with a fast protect plan, visit simply safe, collin.com. You guys don't I'm a Jets fan. Obviously, every time I come on the show, I'm pumping up my jets.

They stink. They're hurtling. Nowhere fast. But you know who's worse in the Jets right now? taking a lot of glee in that, and that's the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick is on the struggle bus. I mean, folks, this is crazy. So we knew Tom Brady and Belichick was probably a 50-50 proposition. They both mattered a lot. Then Brady leaves, wins the Super Bowl in Tampa, and it's like, oh, well, Brady 60-40. And then Belichick just cannot figure anything out. And now it's like, oh, it's probably

75 percent Brady, 25 percent Belichick. Well, it's getting really ugly in New England for Belichick. And there was a report by Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston that essentially said the decision's already made. Belichick is done. Here it is. When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made

and they were going to play out the string and at the end of the year, there would be a parting of the ways for a variety of reasons. The main one being, you know, fire Billalichick during the season. It's just not going to happen. All right, I read this quote somewhere. I'm not sure where it was.

I should give the guy credit, but it says regimes that lose control of the narrative lose power soon after. And Bill Belichick is, I mean, he has lost total control of the narrative. Whether it's the offensive coordinators, they can't figure that out, whether it's the quarterback position,

whether it's the draft struggles. I mean, hell, two months ago, Bill Belichick, according to Ian Rappaport, signed Malik Cunningham to a three-year deal. He was there like backup. Tulsie quarterback. They had him with the practice squad, a receiver,

returner, quarterback. Two months ago, signed into a three-year deal according to Rappaport. They released him this week. Like, Belichick, you control the roster, dude. What are you doing?

So Belichick met the media today. Okay? You could imagine, they asked him about this, and in true Belichick fashion, here's how it went. Do you have an understanding of that Robert will not ask you to be back next year?

Yeah, I'm getting ready for Kansas City. That's what I'm doing. Do you want to keep pushing with that is something that you want to continue? Yeah, I'm getting ready for Kansas City. Have you and Robert discuss your future to be on this season? Getting ready for Kansas City. Typical bill, you know, digging his heels in. Tronic, he's lost control the narrative.

He's trying to control it. Remember, he would be like, we're on to Cincinnati. Everybody would kind of laugh, no laughing here. They're just barraging him. He's under fire. Folks, I saw this stat. It's just kind of mind-blowing. So he's been without Brady for 11 seasons.

in his career. In Cleveland, one year early in New England, and then late in New England. Eight of those 11 seasons, he's had losing records. I mean, he's almost got 180 games, 190 games, coached without Tom Brady, and he's way under 500. And I know Belichick, Super Bowl rings, and I try to envision what the end is like for him, because, you know, we're seeing something in the NBA that's kind of sort of similar. Greg Popovich, old school guy. He's 74 years old. I think Belichick's 71 or 72.

And Popovich, they've lost 17 games in a row, the Spurs. You don't hear anything about this. 17 games in a row. I mean, the Pistons have lost 20, so maybe he's getting a pass. But it's like, okay, Popovich is kind of old school. He hasn't had a playoff series win since like 2017. Has it made the playoffs recently? and Popovich is kind of getting a pass here.

And then you look at the team and the buildup and what they're doing. And it's like, okay, they're embracing a youth movement. They're trying to try some new things. I guess we get it. Now, the NBA media is a little softer than the NFL media. We know that. And the NFL media smells blood in the water around Belichick. And it definitely feels like it's over for him.

Now, I try to envision what the hell the meeting is like with Kraft when Belichick gets a call and he knows it's over. Does Belichick walk in wearing three Super Bowl rings? Does he wear all six? Just as a statement, hey, how are you? How are you, Bob? Now, him and Kraft have had beef in the past. Belichick drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. Thought he had his future guy, his post-Bradie guy.

Brady didn't like that. Brady demanded get him out of here. Bob Kraft said, hey, Brady's my guy. We got to get rid of him. Belichick was ticked off. Ship Garapolo out for like a second round pick to the Niners. It was like a sweetheart deal. Listen, Belichick has been salty toward Brady since then.

It didn't work out, Will, for Bill. And listen, endings are never pretty. We've seen some of the all-time greats fired. Not many, some. I believe Ditka got fired in Chicago, Tom Landry and Dallas. Some of them are ugly. A lot of them get a pass. I got to plead ignorance.

I don't know what to do if I'm craft. Do you do what Cowherty had said? Hey, Bill, we're going to build you a statue in front of the stadium. You're fired. We won't call it a firing, but you're out of here. And does Belichick say, okay? Or does he say, bleep you, I'm going to Buffalo or Tampa or where, L.A. Chargers and starting over, it's tough for me to envision a 70 plus year old guy who, as you guys know now, not married or anything, just picking up his life uprooting to L.A. and now coaching the charges. I personally don't see it. I think it's over for Bill Belichick. Let's get to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

is the herd line news. Well, Jamak, you talked about it a second go. Dynasties don't end well. They went from a dynasty to a disaster in three to four years. But let's get to our first story here. The Eagles are coming off back-to-back blowout losses to the 49ers and the Cowboys and the offense. Hasn't looked like themselves. According to reports, some Eagles players are upset by the team's very predictable offense.

But Nick Siriani is downplaying things. We obviously don't think so. As coaches, we'll continue to work on making sure that we're. meshing things together that you know hey this looks like that so there's not a beat on anything or you know this marries to that and and the defense can't get a beat on that because if they do they're gonna get beat on this so we'll work we'll work like crazy on that you can't be predictable on anything you do you know and so like I said we're working like crazy to to compliment our

plays so there is nothing there is nothing but you know we'll look at everything and during our self-scout, which we get every single week to make sure we're not predictable. Now remember the Eagles lost their offensive coordinator this year, who's now the head coach of the Colts, and there was a concern if the offense was going to slide. And all of their wins have been ugly, hard-fought wins this year. Jalen Hertz doesn't look 100% healthy. Their defense hasn't looked great right now. And it might be time to start to hit the panic button,

but the positive thing is they still have, they're time for the best record in the league. They're 10 and 3. So it's like as upset as you want to get by these losses, you're going to lose some. Are you starting to worry about the Eagles? I think so, but I think you're right. Probably not Panic Button.

If they lose to Seattle, I think it's official because now home field advantage is in play. I just, you know, we saw in Buffalo when Daible left and Dorsey took over. Dorsey, they liked it last year, and then all of a sudden he was a scapego. This guy, Brian Jones. Johnson, known Jalen Hertz for a long time, apparently.

They like each other. I'm kind of with you. I don't think it's the offense as much as the defense, which can't stop anybody right now. No, they've given up at least 33 points in their last three games. The bills, even though they won it, 37, 34, the 49ers losing 42 to 19, and then the Cowboys, 33 to 13. So the defense is giving up a lot of points. And that Chief's game, it was a Mahomes turnover in the red zone, and then Kelsey fumbled,

or they would have had, you know, probably 30 points. So, yeah, I think they got to fix the defense. I think the Eagles offense will be okay. I think they'll be. If Jalen hurts, again, they're never going to say at this. Everyone's playing injured at this point of the season. And you can tell that he doesn't look 100%. If he can, like, stay healthy enough, I think they'll be fine.

But let's move to another struggling team. The Dolphins coming off a tough loss to the Titans on Monday night. Tyree Kill was banged up after tweaking his ankle. And is listed as day to day. But even worse, starting center, Connor Williams is. out for the season after tearing his ACL. And Jemak, they got a tough remaining schedule. They are nine and four right now.

They could make the playoffs, right? But they'll need Tyreek healthy. He is that offense. They have Jets, Cowboys, Ravens, Bills. They should be able to beat the Jets, but Cowboys, Ravens' Bills is going to be tough, especially if you don't have Tyree Kill, and now Tua doesn't have his center in Williams.

I want to look up the Jets line real quick, but I'm looking up the backup to Connor Williams, and it's Liam Eichenberg, the guy from Notre Dame. Pro Football Focus grades him out as the- Dolphins are favored by eight and a half. Eight and a half? Yeah. 34th of 38 centers. And he's got to go up against Quinn and Williams, who's been dominant. He's been awesome. I think eight and a half, I might have to go bet that during the commercial break.

I like, I think the Jets are going to be competitive in this one. Are you concerned for the Dolphins? I mean, it's also a bet against, you know, if Tyree Kill decides I'm going to sit this out. so I'm ready for the stretch run. Well, you heard him. He was texting his wife during the game that he was heard, and she's like, get your booty back in there. But it's, you don't want to, you don't want to re-injure it right now.

Yeah. And then if you make it to the postseason, not be available for the postseason. So you have to be so careful, obviously, ankles. I'm curious. I saw that he was texting his wife during the game. So maybe when he went to the medical tent, I don't know, when he went to get it checked out. I don't know where? Maybe half-time possibly?

I don't know where? He talked about it after the game. And the post-game press. conference. He said he messaged his wife and said he was hurt and she said you better get out there on the field again. And he was like, okay. But all right. Well, we'll see what happens. But let's get to some positive NFL news. The NFL announced the NFC and AFC players of the week today. And you wouldn't believe it. Come on. Tommy DeVito, Zach Wilson won the award after big wins in week 14. Following the Giants, when a reporter even tried to compare DeVito's emergence to that of Tom Brady.

but Brian Dable shot that down quickly. But it's crazy. Both these New York quarterbacks had so much to prove, not just this weekend, but since they've had an opportunity to get back in. I mean, last week we heard Zach Wilson, wasn't even sure if he was going to start when he was asked to come back in. And then you have Tommy DeVito, who was an undrafted quarterback, living on his mom's couch, who has just been...

It's a good story. He has been the perfect vibe for that team. His family, the Italian hand. And it has just been beautiful. I can't get enough of the DeVito family. It's the content that we all need. It's fun. I guess it's your other New York team, so you probably don't like it.

But I'm happy they're playing their way out of a high draft pick. By the way, this DeVito thing, he's like a Jersey kid. And I think he went to Don Bosco up in North Jersey. So everybody's known about him for a while. Oh, he grew up right by the stadium. And he's a hometown kid. It's a pretty cool story. It's insane.

But at the same time, like if Giants fans, if you step up, step away and use, you know, your brain and think long term, this ain't good for the team. You want to be losing games. I know you don't, it's tough to say that, but there's no win in these wins. Well, you're not going to go out and try to lose. He's bringing joy to a fan base that lost the quarterback that you just paid a bunch of money to. And now you get this undrafted hometown kid who's still living at his mom and dad's house. They're at every single game.

They're raging at the tailgates. They're the center of attention in the stands with every play and every touchdown that he makes. It's bringing joy to the team. Let me ask you. So next year is 2024. Week 1, 2025 is DeVito on an NFL roster? It depends how he finishes out this season. So 25, not next year.

I'm not looking way ahead. Oh, okay, okay. Again, depends how he finishes the season. I just, I don't see it. I mean, they got a little lucky. It's been very lucky. I mean, people also said that about Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant. Look what he did.

You just, when someone gets an opportunity, When someone gets an opportunity, especially a hometown kid, a team you grew up loving and watching, and this is like everything you've ever dreamed of having, you're going to give it everything you have. And if it happens, great for you. If it doesn't, it's like, okay, well, as expected. But like, if it does, how rad. Yeah.

All right, Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. I'm mad at my positivity. Yeah, well, I'm not a huge fan of the Giants. The Mercedes-Benz Holiday Love. collection. Love Celebration, sorry, is here with incredible offers on exceptional vehicles. You're bound to love like the EQB, C-Class, or EQE-S-UV. Find an exclusive offer on a vehicle you'll adore now through January 2nd. Learn more at MBUSA.com slash special offers. Mark Schlereth is next

on the show. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Paulie Fusco here with Donie Fusco. Yo, of course you know us as the whole. host of the number one rated show in all of sports talks, the Pauley and Tony Fusco show. Yeah. Now, the suits at Fox Sports Radio gave us this air time, because they wanted us to tell you how great our show is. Why? Yeah, instead of us doing that, let us just let our millions of fans do the talking. Yeah, play the tape.

You don't know crap about sports. Why am I even on this crap? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's the wrong tape. Wrong tape. Just forget that. Look, listen to the Pauli and Tony Fuscoe show on the I-Hart Radio Act. Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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 a podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. Super Bowl champion one in Washington, two in Denver. Mark, glad you could join the show today.

I got some fun, fun content for you. How you feeling, man? I'm feeling great, man. Always good to talk to you, Jason. How are you? I'm excellent. I don't like to open with negativity, but Cam Newton went on his own podcast today. And you know something about quarterbacks having played with the likes of John Elway. You know something about quarterbacks. I got to have you take a listen here to Cam Newton calling Brock Purdy and Dak game managers. As game managers, Brock, Parity, to a tongue of Aloha, Jared Golf. And really, Dag Prescott.

These are game managers. They're not difference makers. And when you say game manager, I'm not asking you to go out and win the game. I'm just asking you not to lose. not to lose the game. That's, listen, I don't give a damn what you do. You don't have to score every time. You just don't have to throw a pick every time either. If we're going to really call a spade a spate, a game manager is different than a game changer. Interesting. So, Mark, a lot of time in the NFL. I don't know. Game managers almost seems derogatory. Do we even know

what one is? Yeah, well, I mean, I think a lot of people use it as a derogatory term. And I think that's the way it was being used in that particular soundbite. But bottom line to me is a game manager, that's what you're supposed to do as a quarterback. You're supposed to manage the game and put your offense in the best situation to win football games. That's what managing game is all about. So your ability to read a defense correctly and then basically attack the weakness of the defense and put the ball in a position on time with accuracy where it's supposed to go. That to me is not game manager.

that to me is playing quarterback at an efficient level. And that really is truly what it's supposed to be, not to change the game by taking a chance with a football on a 50-50 ball that you shouldn't throw. That's not quarterbacking. That is schoolyard quarterbacking. And I want a guy that manages the game well. Brock Purdy, where are they?

Oh, they're atop the NFC along with Dallas and Dak Prescott. And, I mean, you know, for Cam Newton, how many times did you do that? And listen, man, that guy is as dynamic and athlete as there is in this league. But the problem with athletes that play quarterback is oftentimes their default mechanism is from the neck down. I'm going to take off and I'm going to make something happen with my legs, right? I want your default mechanism at the quarterback position to be from the neck up. I'm going to make the best play for my football team that doesn't put them in harm's way. and gives us the best opportunity to win a football game.

So, like, you can sit there and point to game managing as being, you know, a backhanded compliment or an insult, but I think it's what the best quarterbacks in the league do on a consistent basis. And I will tell you this, you know, when you talk Jared Gough in that, like, shame on you. Because Jared Gough puts the ball in tighter windows than you've even ever thought about playing. What was completely covered to,

you is wide open to Jared golf and there's nobody that's any more accurate or any better at fitting it into tight windows than Jared golf. So I would suggest you go back and look at the way these guys play the game and if you played the game that way, you'd still be playing it. Yeah, no, that's a great point

and you said athletic. It's funny when you start thinking about the quarterbacks that he named, you know, Brock Purdy doesn't wow you with athleticism. Dak used to run since that leg injury that gruesome one. He hasn't run as much to a, he's not going anywhere. And Jared Goff can't won, but they all have winning records.

I think all of them are leading their divisions right now, if I'm correct? Yeah, I don't even care about the running aspect of the quarterback. I care about your ability to manipulate a pocket. Like, I say this all the time, and I say it not in jest. I believe this. Tom Brady was the best scrambler I've ever watched play the game. He just never left the pocket when he scrambled. He just moved and manipulated the pocket.

I would much rather have a quarterback that has great awareness inside the pocket that moves and slides and keeps the ball alive and keeps the passing game alive within the pocket. Those are the guys, to me, have great movement skills. Brock Purdy has unbelievable movement skills in the pocket, understands the pocket. And that's where this game, rightfully so, should be played at the quarterback position more often than not. There's a reason, like there's a reason we've got an epidemic of quarterback injuries in that. this league right now. We've got so many backup quarterbacks. I mean, if the NFC playoffs were to start today, like

there would be four teams, I believe, with backup quarterbacks playing. So, you know, I look at all that stuff, and it's, I think it's just the way you kind of look at things, the way you look at the game, and the way you think the game should be played. And I believe

it should be at the quarterback position, played from the neck up, and played from the pocket as much as possible. I love the guys that can move around. I love Lamar. I love what he's able to do. And he has improved in his ability to operate the game from the pocket. And he's done that this year as well. So kudos to him. But I think from a health standpoint and a, you know, just a efficiency standpoint, especially come playoff time, that's where the game needs to be played. One more on the Cowboys and Bills. If I told you, Mark, I think the Buffalo Bills are the

most dangerous team in the AFC right now, even though they're not in the playoffs right now, your thoughts would be. Yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't argue that with you. I mean, obviously they have the quarterback. They have the weapons to be that. I think defensively, they have the weapons on the defensive side of the ball to be that as well. You know, for them, though, unfortunately, they're going to have to probably win out or at least win three of the next four. And even if they win three of the next four, depending on what other teams do, they could still be on the outside, you know, on the outside looking in because of their conference record and the tiebreakers in the conference record and all those things.

So the bills, I think the bills need to win out to make the playoffs. If they go, if they go three and one and end up, what, 10 and 7, I think there's going to be two or three other teams that will have the tiebreaker on the bills and they'll be on the outside looking in. Yeah, big one this weekend. Let's stay in the AFC real quick. Obviously, your tenure with the Broncos, you know, your radio history there. You know, I got to say there's a lot of gamblers out there who still think Denver's

kind of Fugazi winning with the tournament. turnovers, not winning pretty. They beat a backup quarterback last week in Easton Stick. I don't, you know, that loss to Houston still kind of a bad loss. I don't know, Mark, where are you on Denver as they are firmly in the playoff hunt? But some of the underlying metrics do not speak well to them. Yeah, well, I don't put a whole lot of weight into metrics. I put the weight into what I see on film. And the Houston thing, like even if you had average quarterback play in the Houston game, and I thought Russell Wilson was horrible in that game, an average quarterback would have hung 35 on Houston. And I think you saw what happened to Houston

when they went to play the Jets, right? Like they got exposed. And I think Broncos did a good job of exposing some of the weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball, but they were 0 for 11 on third down. And frankly, Russell missed three wide open touchdown passes that would have been big plays over the top. So it just wasn't, it wasn't a great, it wasn't a great performance. But I will tell you, this, and I'll give a lot of credit to Sean Payton, they know exactly what they are. They're going to mitigate weakness. They're going to play to their strengths. They're going to run the ball, and they're going to set up their passing game, the

underneath stuff, the dump off to the backs, the screens to the backs, the screens to the wide receiver, and then they're going to run their play pass stuff, which is, you know, the seven step, deep seven step drops with seven, eight-man protections and two-man routes, and they're going to take a shot to Cortland Sutton. That's who they are. That's what they do. And when you play that way, you know, you talk about the turnovers not being something that's sustainable. When you play that way, what ends up happening to the opponent is their offense starts counting possessions.

You're going to dominate time of possession. You're going to have a, you know, at the end of the game, you're going to have a 10 plus minute time possession advantage. So you start, and I've been on this side as an offense going, man, we only had the ball one time in the first quarter. We've only had it three times in the first half. And you start saying, man, we only only get four more possessions. So now instead of adhering to our game plan, you'd be only doing. down by seven, you feel like you're down by 14 or 17. So you start throwing it on every down, making yourself one dimensional. The receiver catches it. He struggles for an extra two yards.

That means four more hands or five more, six more hands are in there, punch into the ball. You're creating those turnovers. So the way they're playing on the offensive side of the ball lends itself that the defense continuing to create turnovers. And I think that's the, I think that's the big thing or the big misnomer that the numbers would tell you and people would tell you, oh, they can't sustain that. Well, yeah, you can. If you can sustain, sustain the way you're playing football, that lends itself to you becoming a great takeaway team. Do you think this will work against Detroit? They're, you know, significant underdogs on the road. Detroit in the dome. If Detroit grabs a lead, does Denver have the comeback capabilities?

Well, I think Detroit, I mean, honestly, when you look at them defensively, they've had their struggles. And I think Detroit, if you're really, if you're really on point with Detroit, I think they have one one guy who's a huge, time difference maker. And that's Aiden Hutchinson. I think Alex Anzolone, the lineback position is a great player. I think Brian Branch, the nickel cornerback, who's a rookie, really good football player. But they have had their issues on the defensive side of the ball. I think the one thing that really lends itself to Detroit this weekend is they played poorly last weekend. Some of their best players, Jared Gough turned the ball over. He didn't have a great game. They've had some injuries on the offensive line. They had to shuffle some folks around Frank Ragnow.

their center has been out. And then I think you look at a guy like Alman-Ross, St. Brown, who dropped a couple of balls that, like, that's not who he is. So they had some guys that were their best players that did not play their most efficient or best football. So that lends itself to Detroit having a bounce back. But if the Broncos can maintain their philosophy,

can maintain their identity in who they are in the way they win football games, they're going to be a tough out for Detroit. They're a tough team, they're a hard-nosed team, And defensively, man, they are putting a ton of pressure. They are a blitz first, blitz any down, put you in harm's way, put your quarterback in decision-making mode. They're actually playing really good football right now. All right.

I'll wrap up with a question about Shanahan. Kyle, that is. You played for his dad in Denver, Mike. You know, Shanahan's not getting a lot of love for Coach of the Year, which is weird. But it's a tough market. I'm just curious, where are you on these Niners, the way they're built? I really do believe that we're going to start to see some teams try the Niners model of let's not pay our quarterback 50 million and let's have stacked skill position players, awesome defensive front seven. I just wonder, have you seen enough from the Niners that you think this could be a sea change for the, you know, 25 teams that don't have a Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes type player?

Well, I think it's, I mean, I think it's the way that football should be played, frankly. you know, we put so much on the quarterback, and, you know, we have morphed into this spread offense, get everybody outside the box. And when you start to run the plays, and I think one of the things that Shanahan probably does better than any other coach in football is you're not calling plays, you're calling an offense. And so you're telling your players what we're going to do, how we're going to do it, why we're going to do it, and why and how it will benefit them in the long run. run. So Kyle will run a play that he knows not that Kyle will run a run play for instance that that he knows going to net two yards per carry that's not worth a crap. But he's running that play to get those two yards to set up some play action he has after that. So he tells his players, man, I need you to sell out this tight ends. I need you to sell out fullback wide receiver.

I need you to, you know, I need you to push crack on this wide receiver. And if you do this for me and we run this play four times, I'm going to get you a 20-yard explosive, and it could be a touchdown. I'm going to get you a 20-yard explosive, and it's going to probably be a touchdown. I'm going to get these things for you, but you've got to sell out on this particular play because I'm setting up three or four other plays down the road. He doesn't call plays. He calls an offense, and his players understand exactly why they're calling a play, even when they're running it into numbers that don't really match up, and success is going to be very limited.

they're doing it for another purpose. And I think that's what sets him apart as a play caller. And that's why he's so exceptional. But that's why these 49ers are, in my mind, the best team in football right now. I'm with you. All right, Mark Schlerath, Fox Sports. Good stuff, Mark, as always. Enjoy the games this weekend, buddy.

You got it, buddy. Take care. All right, Mark. I like what he said there about Kyle Shanahan and Alex. We're seeing some historically great stuff. I saw some numbers that said in the last, I think this century, that this 49ers team is like one of the best teams, DVOA numbers-wise, that the league is seen.

I mean, even just looking at them, they are the most complete team. They have all the weapons. They have a great defense. They have Brock Purdy, who, whatever you want to call him, he is doing an incredible job at what he is supposed to do, and they're winning. They are the most right now, Super Bowl winning team. Yeah.

Just dominating everybody in the end of the, You know, we're going to come back here to start hour number two. And I have this take that there is an MVP in the league. You may have heard of him. His name's Brock Purdy. He wears his hat backwards, Alex. Now, does that bother you as much as it bothers Colin? And I love how much it bothers Colin.

And he got asked about it during his press conference, which was hilarious. Yes, yes, yes. Brock Purdy, definite MVP. So second hour, we'll be popping. We'll bring in Chris the Bear Felica. I have a spicy college football take. We'll do some ball games. And then final hour, we'll bring in a Buffalo Bills, offensive linemen.

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 Smygle and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your performance. Podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast,

you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.