The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Jimmy Garoppolo Will Be Highly Coveted This Offseason

Episode Date: December 24, 2021

In this hour of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, it's Joy Taylor in for Colin. Joy sees Jimmy Garoppolo as the number one quarterback available for ready-to-win teams next season after he is inevitably released from the San Francisco 49ers in favor of first-round draft pick Trey Lance. Also, whether you love him or despise him, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers cannot be stopped--as he is now the front-runner for the MVP. Plus, First Things First's Nick Wright joins The Herd to discuss all things topical in the late NFL season. Finally, Joy loathes the idea of cancelling College Football Playoff games and advancing teams by forfeit, arguing that the games must get played even in the face of surging Covid. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. 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 celebrated. 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's 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 year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome to the herd. I'm Joy Taylor alongside Alex Curry. You have to bear with me today. I am very much a creature of habit, so I had to get a new chair. I'm at a different desk. There's a lot going on over here that I'm not used to. Colin is with his amazing family for the holidays, so it was kind enough to lend me his seat today. And Alex is in my seat today. Happy to have you with me, Alex. Joy, I am so excited for today. I'm so excited for you. you finally. Thank you. For us working together for the first time. I mean, this is, we're going to have some fun today. I'm going to be your number one hype girl. And we're going to, we're going to have some fun. We're going to have a great show. I'm excited. This is the first time that we've worked together. This is the first time we've worked together. Because we are colleagues, but we've never been on the same

show together. We'll talk to some other friends of ours as well. It is Christmas Eve. So thank you for making us a part of your Christmas Eve. Hopefully you're chilling at home and all of the the chaos is done. Most of my Christmas stuff is done. I have to go to the grocery store. which if you know me is one of my least favorite errands to run. I get everything delivered, but I got to get cheeses. So I like to pick my own cheeses. You can't trust someone to get your cheeses. People are weird about vegetables.

I'm not so much. So I've got to get some cheese and meats for a chakouterie board later, and that's my last errand for the holidays. So hopefully you're at home enjoying us. We'll talk to Nick Wright at the bottom of the hour. Also Rick Buecker. Big NBA slate tomorrow. Very exciting despite all the COVID stuff.

We're just going to mostly talk about these games as if COVID is not ruining everything right now. Hux, Knicks, Celtics, Bucks, Warriors, Sons, Nets, Lakers, Mavs, and the Jazz Tomorrow for the NBA. We'll also talk to Greg Jennings, lots of Packers topics today, so we'll want to pick his brain about that. And I have a kind of a funny anecdote with him, because you know, Greg is very, very in shape and very serious about what he eats. And I brought in a bunch of cupcakes today for everybody, so he would not approve. But I thought of him yesterday when I was buying them. And then MJ Acosta will join us later in the show. as well. One of my best friends and went to college together, and she does an amazing job on NFL

Network hosting NFL Total Access. So fun show for you today. Thanks again for joining us, and bear with me because, you know, I do the same thing every day. Again, I'm too short for this seat. We had to bring in a new chair. I think this is one, I think this is from the speak set. So it's like exceptionally high. Yeah, there you go. Thank you guys. Thank you for the shot. We had to adjust everything. But I'm excited to be here today. And that was a fun game. last night and watching the game, they're pretty evenly matched teams, Tennessee, and the Niners at this point in the season. But I'm watching it and I'm reading the reaction on Twitter and I do know a lot of Niners fans and they're kind of all over the place when it comes to their opinion on Jimmy G.

But my biggest takeaway from Jimmy G's performance last night was not that he's going to throw those interceptions and that they lost. It's that he is going to be the number one quarterback on the market in the off-season. Why do we know this? Well, first of all, because Tray Lance is there. The moment that Tray Lance showed up, the clock on Jimmy G. Started, which is fine.

These things come to an end. Everything is not perfect. And the main question about Jimmy G. was never really his skill. It's his availability. But he's shown mostly that he can stay available for this year. And in a game like last night, despite that stat line and those two interceptions,

which were admittedly bad, he's still going to be the number one guy for a quarterback market that is going to be very, very scarce. Now, I know you're thinking Deshawn Watson, but to me, because of his very obvious legal situation, you have to consider that when you're talking about Deshawn Watson in the market next year. So you can't just say, oh, Deshawn Watson and he's more talented. Well, yes, we know that, obviously. But he'd be on a team already. He would already have been traded if he wasn't dealing with everything that he's dealing with.

also worth mentioning when you mentioned Deshawn Watson is that he has a no trade clause. So he's not just going to end up wherever. You have to consider that he's going to have to prove wherever he goes regardless of his legal situation. So because of all that, Jimmy G's the guy. We know what Jimmy G is capable of. We've seen it. We've seen him in a Super Bowl. Has he fallen short? Yes. Did he fall short last night? Yes. And we go game by game. Tom Brady's one of the worst quarterbacks that ever played. So we know that that's not how we're going to evaluate it. The Trey Lance thing is what's moving Jimmy Garoppolo out of San Francisco. I don't know that everyone in San Francisco even wants to move off of Jimmy Garoppolo, but when you give up a 12th pick,

a first round pick in 2022 and 2023, and a compensatory pick for Trey Lance, it's by. It's the end of the era for Jimmy G with the 49ers. But where could he end up? So if you look at the other guys that are on the market besides Jimmy G. And Deshawn Watson, who obviously we know is more talented but has a significant issue to deal with. You're looking at guys like Mitch Trubisky, possibly Teddy Bridgewater, James Winston, Gardner Minshu, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton. None of those names are probably moving you. If I'm giving you that list and Jimmy G, we're moving Deshawn Watson from the situation because of the legal circumstances which we don't know how we're going to play out, he is by far the number one guy, head and shoulders,

above that group. So now you look at the teams that are in need, or we are imagining are going to be in need of a quarterback in next year going into the offseason. So the Steelers could possibly take someone in the draft. We're all retiring Ben Rothesburg, and I know he hasn't officially retired yet, but look, we're all watching the same football season here. So let's assume that this is Ben's last stand. So the Steelers, the Eagles haven't completely committed to Jalen Hertz yet. We don't know what the Broncos situation is. obviously need a quarterback. Panthers obviously need a quarterback. The Texans will need a quarterback. Washington football team, depending on how the rest of the season plays out, but I believe

they'll be in the market and clearly the Saints. So you're looking at a very healthy group, and there could be more, obviously, but these are the ones that we know are going to be in the market. So this is a very healthy group of teams and not all of them are in rebuilds. So it is a very significant offseason for the quarterback position and it's not a deep draft. We're not even talking about the quarterbacks in the draft. Kenny Prude is the only one that's even being mentioned. And the Steelers know more about him than any other team in the league because they share a facility in Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh.

So I think that Jimmy G is going to have plenty of suitors. I think San Francisco is going to be able to get a lot for him. And I think he's going to have a lot of success. Personally, if I'm looking at that group, I'd love to see Jimmy G with the Giants. I think that they need and won't be able to get something in the draft. needs someone that will come in and make significant changes and elevates. I would like to see him with the Giants. If it's not with the Giants, I think he would do

out with the Broncos as well. But look, there's other guys who are floating out there. Aaron Rogers, who will talk about in a minute, Russell Wilson, there could be some other guys that come on the market. But right now, looking at the landscape of things, despite what happened last night, I'm watching that game, seeing him make these throws. Yes, they didn't come up with the win. But he is a winning quarterback. The only active quarterback with higher winning percentage of Jimmy G actually since he's come to the Niners is Mahomes and Brady. They're pretty good, those two. He had a five and six winning streak going into one, five of his last six going into last night. So I like Jimmy G. I don't like his availability, but if I'm one of those

teams and I'm in desperate need of a quarterback, which a lot of those teams will be, Jimmy G is a great option. And by the way, best of luck to the Niners because I like Tray Lance and we have seen. And we have that he is incredibly athletic, but that's about it. In the two games he played in, he completed 51% of his passes, had two touchdowns in a pick, and ran him 49 yards in both games. So he's athletic, and he essentially hasn't had a rookie season. The Niners are in a division with Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, and at the moment, Russell Wilson.

So it could be a couple of years ahead, depending on how things go with Traleance. I'm optimistic about him, but the grass isn't always greener. I know people are hard on Jimmy G. I don't love his availability, but if I'm one of those teams, I'm definitely willing to give up some pieces

to get a quarterback with the talent level that Jimmy G has. So there's another big game this weekend, lots of big games this weekend, but a game that I want to talk about is the Packers and the Browns. The Packers are currently seven and a half-point favorites over the Browns, which feels about right.

And the Packers will probably win this. They're great at home. They're 6 and O at home this year. They're at the top of the NFC, at the top of the league. Aaron Rogers is at the top of the MVP race again, and the Browns are coming off of a disastrous week with COVID. I hated the Jordan Love Pick. Hated it. Hated it. From the very beginning, I thought it was a disaster of a move by the Green Bay front office.

Mostly because you didn't need that position, obviously. But more than that, I hated how they handled it with Aaron Rogers. I think that stars deserve a certain level of respect when it comes to this type of move. If you're going to trade up, and I know they only gave up a fourth round pick to move up, but if you're going to trade up to take the replacement of Aaron Rogers, you owe him a DM, you owe him a text, you owe him a phone call, you owe him that conversation. And that's kind of what spiraled this whole beef between the front office and Aaron Rogers, which seems to have been somewhat settled, or at least shelved for the moment, and they're having an incredible season. And I don't want to give the Packers front office too much credit for this.

I don't want to assume that they did this conspiring to inspire Aaron Rogers to play better, because every time the Jordan Love Pick comes up, immediately everyone points to Aaron Rogers' season before that, as if he was some bum or something, which is utterly ridiculous. But since then, he's won a league MVP, NFC championship game. They're the top of the league right now. They've already clinched. The only team to clinch their division.

And he's probably going to win another MVP. He's probably going to be the first player to win back-to-back MVP since Peyton Manning in 2008 and 2009. So I don't want to give them the credit that they inspired Aaron Rogers to get to this point, but he has shown that he does like. a little bit of angst around him. He likes a little bit of drama and it's probably because he's so good at football that it's almost easy for him. So having a little bit of inspiration, Jordan would do this. We've seen guys kind of make up these storylines and bulletin board material for extra motivation.

I don't think it makes you a better player. But over time, a little bit of juice, you know, a little bit of doubt does motivate. The Patriots do it every year. New England versus everybody or whatever that nonsense is. Like they're not favored every single year. I digress. The point is, Aaron Rogers has rolled through the NFL since that moment. And it's either going to end up being one of the best decisions that they've made because it completely inspired Aaron Rogers to go on this journey that he's been on over the past two years, or it'll end up being, I don't to say the worst because if they end up winning a Super Bowl, I guess it was still where he leaves, because it was still worth it. But it was a waste of a pick. We know that

because Aaron Rogers is just unbelievable. I just, I really am astonished at what he has been able to do, what he's doing this year, considering his injury and the performance that they've put on as a team, considering all of the injuries and moments that they've had throughout this season. It's really impressive. They have the Browns at home this weekend, the Vikings at home, and then they finish at the Lions. So realistically, they could finish the season 14 and 3. Yeah. These first and touchdown passes, touchdown to interception ratio,

and pass a rating and winning percentage over the last two years. So either Jordan Love is the most inspiring pick of all time, or they were willing to sacrifice that pick and this drama to inspire Aaron Rogers to win back-to-back MVP, win a championship, and then leave them. Either way, what Aaron Rogers is doing is absolutely spectacular, and I think he's going to win another MVP. And it's deserved for him to win back-to-back MVPs. I know there's some conversations about some other guys.

They're certainly deserving to be in the conversation. Jonathan Taylor, obviously Tom Brady was leading it for a while. Patrick Moore Holmes is having an incredible season. But Aaron Rogers is the MVP right now and looking at the rest of their schedule. They're probably going to finish strong, and he will win back-to-back MVP's. Well, thanks for joining us today. Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowherd, who is with. his family enjoying the holiday. I am working through the whole weekend, which is totally fine.

Love working. Love being alongside my colleague and friend Alex Curry, who's in with me today as well. So love having her here. We'll talk to Nick Wright, also my friend, at the bottom of the hour. I'm sure he's going to disagree with some of my thoughts we generally do. But I also want to ask him, of course, about the NBA tomorrow and get his thoughts on the Lakers as well. So we will be back with some thoughts on Ryan's Hanahill. I'm actually pro Ryan's Hanahill today. Whoa. Lots of love going around today. It's the holiday season. We're back on the herd after this. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports

Radio, FS1 and the IHeart 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, a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to

Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me. Clipper 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. 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 yeah, yeah, literally. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. 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 hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Welcome back to The Herd. I'm Joy Taylor. Colin is with his family for the holidays this weekend. So kindly lent me his seats. We'll talk to Nick Wright at the bottom of the hour. I'm joined by Alex Curry today.

So I'm being nice today. I'm in a holiday mood, so I'm going to be nice to people that I'm normally very critical of, I guess. Those are my takeaways from last night's game. So the Titans got a nice win over the Niners last night. And it was a great game, great watch, very physical. And everyone's being very hard on Jimmy G. And as I just mentioned, Jimmy G is going to land in a great spot and be a franchise quarterback for someone else very soon as soon as the offseason is over. But someone else that I've watched a lot is Ryan Tannahill, obviously spent a lot of time in Miami before going to Tennessee.

And he had a great run that essentially saved the game last night for Tennessee. And we talk about Ryan Taney Hill and how, you know, that offense really goes through Derek Henry. And they have admittedly struggled since Derek Henry has been out. But we're showing it now. I mean, he's an incredible athlete. He played multiple positions. No one has a better Russian grade in the league than Josh Allen and Ryan Tannahill. is the only one who is a better rushing grade.

And my takeaway from last night's game from the Titans, and essentially for both of these teams, is that if you want to win in the NFL consistently, you just have to have a quarterback that is great at something. He doesn't have to be Patrick Mahomes, which would be nice. Isn't that to be Aaron Rogers, which would be great? Doesn't it to be Tom Brady? But he's got to do something great.

Just one thing. He has to have some element of his game that sets him aside from everyone else. And when you look around the league at the division leaders, it's very obvious that this is the case. And look, we know how important quarterback play is in the league right now, but it's becoming wider and wider between the halves and the have-nots. So if you have a guy, you should be going all in on exactly what it is that he does well and leaning in on that.

And if you don't have the guy, you should be scrambling like crazy to try and find him. If you look at the division leaders, Mack Jones, obviously a rookie, but he's on pace to be the most accurate rookie quarterback ever. So there is that. I mean, I don't really want to break down Mahomes. Obviously, League MVP, Super Bowl MVP, you know, won three straight playoff games, trailing by double digits to win a Super Bowl. Pretty impressive guy.

Let's look at the Bengals, Joe Burrow, highest rated quarterback right now, according to pro football focus. And Ryan Tannahill, as I just mentioned, no one has a better Russian grade in the league except for Josh Allen. He got the Titans to the playoffs back-to-back years, probably going back again. He has a 28 and 13 record with Tennessee. For all of his critics, he does run very well. Now you look at the NFC,

Dak Prescott. Lots of questions about Dak Prescott, sure, maybe he's in a slump as of late, but DAC's leaderships and intangibles have always been off the charts. He's never had a losing season since he's been a full-time starter. 51 and 31 record with the Dallas Cowboys. And he's the

Dallas Cowboys quarterback and is the best at quarterback speak in the world. Completely fine and ego lists with Jerry Jones and all the stars. I don't know that there's another quarterback could do what DAC does for America's team. Kyler Murray, maybe not a more elusive quarterback ever.

We know what his talent is. Aaron Rogers. I mean, three-time league MVP, Super Bowl winner, about to be four-time MVP, and Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback that ever lived. So it's pretty obvious that if you want to win consistently in this league, you need to have a sense of urgency about finding a quarterback. Now, that doesn't mean if you have a rookie quarterback, you should panic. There is still some level of development that is necessary to get quarterbacks where they need to be.

But once you see that you have the talent in that quarterback, a Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, lean into that. Build around them as much as you can. Follow the formula of getting them reps, using that grace period for them to make mistakes. Everyone should be in the quarterback race at this point. We know a great defense and running game is super important this time of year. But if you don't have the guy, it just doesn't matter. I mean, last night that came down to Jimmy Garoppolo making a huge throw to a very talented receiver and Ryan Tannahill making the run of the night

and he's actually very impressive like I'm watching him run and I'm like he's actually he doesn't mind a little contact I mean maybe that's because he played multiple positions who knows but I don't think if you're being aggressive at the quarterback position you're sending a message to your fans that's why I was very confused about what the Washington football team did this offseason

having Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter and look Taylor Heineke's a nice player I don't know if he's a franchise quarterback he has something there, but something there, and then being the guy, those are two different things. And I just think that if you are not frantically trying to find somebody who has something special about them, you're really just, you're just fielding a team and kind of sending a message to your fans that you'd just like them to come and, you know, support what will probably be a 500 or losing team. Because that's just the way it is in the NFL right now. Let's get to Alex Curry with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Will Dallas clinched a playoff spot last night, thanks to the 49ers lost to the Titans. The Cowboys offense has struggled in recent weeks, despite the winning record. And Amari Cooper was asked if he's frustrated with how the offensive is playing and if it bothers him that he's not getting more targets. I got to be honest, it actually does because, yeah, we're winning,

but the defense is playing a huge part in that. We're not really as explosive as we should be. We're not converting a lot of their turnover to touchdowns. A lot of them are field goals. And I feel like I could be a huge part of that. So that's what frustrates me. I think I can do more in the red zone. If I get the targets, I think I can do more on third downs if I get the targets.

To help the offense be where we need to be, I definitely think I can help change that. Now, I understand that he's just answering the question. But they just won three games in a row. whatever they're doing is working. It might not be the prettiest. But I don't think you just, okay, you also just clinched a playoff berth. So I think the focus should be on the team and what the team's doing and not personally how frustrated you are. This is so Dallas. Right. It's so Dallas. Didn't Amarie Cooper miss two weeks because he was unvaccinated and got COVID? I know he was on the COVID list. So, I mean, I know everyone like is going to be. I know everyone like is going to be vaccinated.

through a COVID situation right now, but before this happened, that happens. I understand what he's saying as well. He's just answering the question. But look, that's one way to look at it. Another way is you know you're going to get asked this question. So answer it in a way that doesn't make it seem like it's all about you. It's okay to win ugly in December. It's totally fine. What you are doing is winning, which is what's the most important. I do like having some sort of momentum in your identity going into the playoffs. I do think that's important. But what's most important is that you're healthy and that you hopefully have a lot of home games. Yeah. So that's, that's the most important thing. So the targets and, you know, he wants to contribute. Everyone wants

to contribute. This is very wide receiver. I get it. But it just doesn't matter. It's very eye over we. And, and that's what it is in this situation with Amari Cooper. It's obviously an incredible player and will contribute in a big way. But at this point in the season, it just doesn't matter. If you're winning games. If everyone is playing as well as they can, I know DAC has had some questions about him. I really don't want to hear about an explosive offense. Actually, when their offense is the main focus, they actually struggle. Like, the fact that you're winning with defense is actually better. You should be winning when DAC doesn't have to throw it 50 times a game. You're running the ball well and the defense is playing at the level that it is. So I don't

want to hear anything about extra targets. No. And like you said, you know you're going to be asked this question. So spin it, make it positive about the team because you're winning right now. Well, if they're losing, sure. Different story. Complain. Yeah. Because you're losing, but they're not losing. You're in the playoffs and you just won three in a row. All right. Move into the Bucks because they're missing some key offensive weapons due to injury as the postseason approaches. Tom Brady said this week that they're going to be relying on their offensive line as they move forward, but they'll also get some help with the return of Antonio Brown. Now, it's been controversial decision not to cut him after the fake vaccination

card suspension, but Bruce Ariens defended his receiver saying that AB is working to be a better person. listen. I wasn't very proud of what he did this time, but I've got a spot in my heart for him now. Does he really, he seems like a different person, like as his coach and his now a friend, I guess. You see that? Oh, yeah, and I think he's working at it. He's so kind of ways to go, but yeah, he's working hard at it. The bottom line is great players have different standards, and that's just the way it is. We know who AB is. He has shown us plenty of times. But the thing is, Tom Brady loves him, And more importantly, the Bucks need him right now because they just lost two key wide receivers. Yeah, they're going to be without Godwin for the rest of the season.

They're missing Fournette and Evans. They're 14 and 3 with him. Obviously, Tom Brady has a great connection with him. I'm not going to come down on Bruce Ariens in this spot. I think coaches paint themselves into a corner when they make statements like this because you're making it without knowledge of what will. happen in the future, right? Like he said, obviously, what everyone is pointing back to is that he had no more chances, like he has to, you know, be a model citizen or whatever. Well, that's fine when you

have, you know, seven wide receivers that are able to play at a high level. This situation has changed. Circumstances have changed. And at the end of the day, this is a results driven competitive industry. He has Tom Brady who wants Antonio Brown clearly or he wouldn't be on the team at all. Yeah. So this is the circumstances. We know that talent wins out. That's why this like, all these guys complaining about like cancel culture and stuff. For being canceled, I still hear a lot about you guys. Like, what would happen? What happened to the canceling?

Is it perhaps that it doesn't exist and it's just consequences for actions? I think it's probably so. Like, no one's canceling Antonio Brown. No. It doesn't matter. When his talent runs out, then it will happen. Because that's what this is really all about. And, you know, whatever, you know, morals you have about it, I think what he did was despicable.

Oh, yeah. And whatever your opinion about it is, it's fine. It just doesn't matter at the end of the day because, They need him. And that's what's going to trump all of this. Now, obviously, there is a line that even NFL teams won't be able to cross. And often the league steps in when that's the case. Yeah.

When people are being bad actors to that level. Yeah. But it's not the situation. So he's going to be there. And we've seen this and we will continue to see this. So I'm not going to hold this over Bruce Ariens. I think Bruce Ariens appears to be a good man and he's a good coach. And I think he has the best.

intentions, but his job is to win football games, and Antonio Brown helps him win football games. So I'm not going to judge Bruce Ariens on this. The only person that should be being judged right now is Antonio Brown. Who, by the way, was like ranting on Twitter. Sense deleted. So, oh, okay. So, but was ranting on Twitter? So the whole like working on the behavior thing is like, okay. But, but again, like, what, what am I supposed to be surprised about? No, we know who he is. He has shown us over and over again who he is. I can't pretend to be outraged by behavior that I knew was going to happen. Yeah. So, you know, I don't judge Bruce Ariens trying to win football games. And honestly, at the end of time, you know, when history is written and we're looking back on this team and what they did there, Antonio Brown will be a small mention. It will be Tom Brady and the wins that they had. But, you know, it's not, it's icky. It's icky. It doesn't feel good. But that's the reality of it. The opinion of my opinion about whether he should be cut or not is really, it doesn't matter. They're going to keep him. They have to. Also because Tom, Tom.

Brady wants him there. And what Tom Brady wants, Tom Brady gets. Well, let's move on to the Lakers, because they had said goodbye to Staples Center. Last night, the building is officially changing its name to Crypto.com Arena on Christmas. And last night was their last game before the switch. Unfortunately, things didn't go very well for the home team. LeBron put up 36 points, and Westbrook added 30, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Spurs beat the Lakers 138 to 110. Now, as an L.A. native, growing up at Staples Center, this was just sad to watch last night. I mean, they were going through all the memories, the broadcast with a bunch of different Lakers stars, and you just kind of go through and remember your time as a Laker fan being there.

But for me personally, I have deeper connections there. I also had my first job starting there covering the L.A. Kings and their Stanley Cup runs there. There are so many championships that have been won in that building, from the Lakers to the Kings to the Sparks. Taylor Swift even has a banner up there. Sorry, Clippers, you're the only ones that don't have a banner up there. Who knows? Maybe this will be good luck for you. Yeah, it's changing the juju.

Maybe it'll change. I don't think I will ever be able to call it anything other than Staples. It's going to take a generation. I mean, what are we going to call it? Crypt Arena? You can't do that. No. You can't do that.

No, I think you have to say crypto. You have to say crypto. Yeah. I mean, so you have obviously emotional connections to this. Deep. I don't, I'm, you know, I have, you know, no. feelings. So this didn't move me. I get it. I understand it. Also, you know, I mean, the closest thing I can relate to this is, is Dolphin Stadium, which is now Hard Rock. And it was like Joe

Robbie, and then it was Sun Life, and then it was Landshark, and then it was Dolphin Stadium. I'm forgetting one, I think. But now it's Hard Rock. And some people call it Hard Rock. Some people call it Dolphin Stadium. But the building is still there, because I was there when they tore down three rivers, like Stadium in Pittsburgh. That feels like the It's emotional to me because you're tearing the building down. Like, the building's still there. But 22 years as Staples, when you say Staples in L.A., you don't think of the store. You think of Staples.

Yeah. That's what it was. You know, when was the last time you went to Staples? Not the arena. I get paper there. I get my pens there. I actually go to Staples quite often. Really?

I do. I shopped at Saples. I got my pandemic toilet paper at Staples. Oh, good for you. Secret spot. Secret snash. Yeah, it was a. Don't share your secret.

Well, I mean, it's out now. I think we uped on the toilet paper thing. I think we figured it out. I hope so. But yeah, I understand why you're sad. I just, I think it's going to be okay. Just give it a couple years. You guys will come around to it.

We'll see. Thank you, Alex. That's Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. All right. Nick Wright joins us now.

Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Nick Wright, co-hosts of First Things First. Check out First Weekdays First Weekdays. at 730 Eastern on FS1. Merry Christmas Eve, Nick. Thanks for joining us. I'm sure you just heard my- You as well, Joy.

Thank you. You're doing a far better job than the Jamoku sometimes fills in for Colin. It's been a delightful first 35 minutes. The next two and a half hours will be even better. How are you? Thank you, Nick. Nick normally fills in here.

That's the joke. So I'm sure you just heard my rant about Antonio Brown. What are your thoughts on what Bruce Arian said? And like, are you surprised? that he's walking his comments back? No, listen, if anything that we have learned from, whether it's Bruce Ariens' comments on Antonio Brown or Sean Marks and Steve Nash's comments on Kyrie Irving, maybe don't make these sweeping statements about how you're going to stand in principle when you're not going

to and when you never really were planning on it. Like, yeah, if Chris Godwin hadn't gotten hurt and if Mike Evans weren't done, dinged up, maybe they would have stood in principle. But those guys did get hurt. Godwin's done for the year. So the principal goes out the window. Just like with the nets, they were like, no, we will not let Kyrie Irving, you know, cause mayhem on our roster. And it's like, oh boy, half the team's got COVID. James Hardin's not great anymore. Come on back. Kyrie, we'll figure it out. So like these, I think sometimes these teams try to act as if they have a moral high ground when they're not actually willing to put, you know, the teams wins

and losses where their mouth was. And now I'm skeptical on Antonio Brown being able to seamlessly transition after missing a month at his age. And the idea that he's not susceptible to re-injury, I think is a foolish one. I think the bucks are in really rough shape because of these injuries and because of how they've played as of late. But I'm not surprised they're bringing AB back, Joy. So I was watching that game last night, and I actually had a positive takeaway from

Jimmy G. I know everyone's coming down on him today. I think he's going to be the number one guy on the market, even above Deshawn Watson, who is obviously more talented, but you can't ignore the legal situation. So you have to consider that when you talk about Deshawn Watson. And Deshawn Watson has a no trade clause, so he can choose where he wants to go.

So Jimmy G is head and shoulders above the other options that are going to be on the market, trade market, or free agency market, for teams who are going to be desperate in a very light draft next year. Joy, that is all true. and I will defer to you because you have been, you know, I've been married for the better part of the decade. I think a decade.

I haven't been single in quite some time. But just because someone is the best on the market does not mean they're good, correct? Like sometimes just be like, that's terrible, that's terrible. I guess this is less terrible, but still awful. Like, I heard you defend Jimmy Garoppolo and I was like, oh, Joey's being very nice this morning. I watched that game and I said, oh boy, maybe they should go to Trey Lance right now. Like Jimmy G. Not only does Jimmy G. stink, Joy, his coach, I think, actively dislikes him.

The end of the first half, when they could have gone for a field goal and Shannon's like, nope, we're going to take these timeouts into halftime. They should have been up 21 nothing after three possessions. Instead, he does this. Look at this pass. Where's he looking? I think he's trying to Mahomes no look unintentionally. Joy, he's really bad. He's like really bad.

And I saw you went through the division. leaders. And I saw your quarterbacks, because I've been watching the whole show, of course, as all of America has been. And I was like, yeah, that's why two of those teams I don't believe in, the Patriots and the Titans, because every other quarterback on there, it's like, oh, they're

awesome. Oh, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame. Oh, he's great. Oh, he's the number one pick of the draft Joe Borough. And then it's like Mack Jones and Ryan Tannahill. And some team is going to sign up for Jimmy Garoppolo and be in the exact same boat. I just, so yeah, you're right. He will be employed

next year and a fan base like Chicago, not Chicago, they have Justin Fields, pardon me, a fan base might trick themselves into getting excited about it, but Jimmy G is nothing to be excited about. Sorry. So you don't think if he goes to the Giants, like that's not a good circumstance for the Giants? And listen, I have my questions about Jimmy G, but it's not really his talent. My question about Jimmy G is he's going to be healthy. Oh, so I don't have questions about Jimmy G. I feel like I know everything I need to know about him. It stinks. He doesn't, about three times a game, he tries to throw the ball to the other team, and he might not be healthy.

So does a Giants fan owe you money, Joy? Why are you wishing this hell upon them? Like the Giants, they've got a couple top 10 picks. Their current circumstance is so great. They're not great. Listen, Daniel Jones. Also, not a good quarterback. Again, I am not trying to act like Jimmy G is the worst quarterback in football.

I am trying to act like Kyle Shanahan. who is pretty brilliant when it comes to offensive game plans, spent four years around Jimmy Garoppolo and then said, take my entire draft for the next three years to get him the hell out of town. Can't deal with this guy. So, yeah, I mean, yes, he will be better than certain teams' current starting quarterbacks. But I just, you and I just don't see eye on Jimmy G. Listen, I could be wrong.

I didn't want the chiefs to draft my homes. Look at what an idiot I am. So I've been wrong on quarterbacks before. I loved Rosen. I still think Josh Rosen maybe could turn it around probably, not. So I've been wrong on quarterbacks. I just don't think Jimmy G's got it. Well, the great thing is we're going to get a chance to see this because I am right. He's going to end up somewhere and they're going to have Tray Lance next year.

So we're going to see exactly how that's going to play out. So last time the Patriots and Builds faced off, Mack Jones notoriously only attempted three passes. They play again this weekend. You think he's going to need to throw the ball a little bit more? Oh, I think he is. And speaking of coaches that don't trust their quarterback, everyone thinks I'm some big hater on McCorkel Jones, and that is his giving. name, Joy. Let's pay the man of respect and call him his given name. The name his mother calls him McCorkle. But the thing is this, Bill Belichick's been telling us all year how little he trusts him. Biggest game of the year. Brady back in Foxborough, fourth and three, 90 seconds left. Do we trust

Mack Jones to get three yards? No, let's have Nick Folk try a career-long field goal in the cold outdoors miss. All right, against Buffalo. Was that offense humming? Were they just, oh, why would we ever throw? We're doing, no, they scored one touchdown. because there was a slight breeze. They're like, no, Mac, you're not allowed to throw the football. And then last week, when he had to throw the football, he kept throwing interceptions, and then late in the game, down 13, eight minutes left, Belichick kicks a field goal to cut a two-score lead to a two-score lead rather than trust

Mac Jones and fourth in goal. So, yeah, I think they're going to have to throw the football because I think the bills will score more than 10 points. And I just don't think the Patriots are going to win that way. Listen, I'm not a huge Buffalo Bills Josh Allen fan, but I think they are better than they showed when they played a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, I think the Patriots have a very specific way to beat you. And if they are forced out of that and they are forced to let, you know, let Matt cook,

he might burn the kitchen down. And so, yeah, I like the bills in this game. And I think on Monday morning, the Patriots are a wild card. I know that McCorkel is his given name. If you care to watch the entire show, I have a suggestion for a new nickname for him later in the show. That's what we call a tease in the base. You should copyright it first, Joy.

Joy, you should copyright it. That guy's quick on the copyright trigger. Mack Tanny's trademarked, MJ Tanny's trademarked. He's got a lot going on. Spoiler, it's very much already copyrighted, but it's still a good suggestion. All right. So finally, your chiefs are back there,

the class of the AFC. there's still some questions about the offense, and they are going to be without Tyreke and Kelsey this weekend against, you know, very good, very good Pittsburgh defense. I don't know if you're a little nervous, but are you... Seward's a little scary. Are you comfortable with how the Chiefs are winning right now and give us your thoughts on that game this weekend?

Yeah, listen, I think that it'll be very interesting if Hill and Kelsey don't play and to see how the offense looks without them. We obviously saw Aaron Rogers win a game against Arizona. without his top weapons, see if Mahomes can do the same. I'm incredibly comfortable with how the Chiefs are playing on both sides of the ball. There's one team in the AFC that gives me pause, Joy, and that's the Chargers. Chargers played the Chiefs twice.

Both games came down to the final minute. No other team in the AFC, I think, could give them any trouble in the playoffs. But the Chargers are a real threat if we were to see part three of that matchup. Thank you for joining us, Nick. Please tell Danielle, I said, hello, Merry Christmas to you guys. Hope you guys have a great holiday. Merry Christmas. Congratulations, Joy. Happy for you. Have a wonderful Christmas. Talk you. Thank you. Thank you. That was Nick Wright, first things first. All right. Coming up, it's anarchy. This college football committee is, it's anarchy. We have to discuss this. It's crazy. Next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport. and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Bats, 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-tapped 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It Podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. 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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. 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.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it,

and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir 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. Welcome back to The Her. Joy Taylor filling in for Colin Cowher today alongside Alex Kerr.

So I tease before the break, it's anarchy and college football right now. The college football playoff committee released their new COVID protocols, because obviously the entire world is dealing with this Omnacron breakouts with COVID, and everyone is getting infected, and it is halting a lot of things. So they, I suppose, had to come up with some answer for it. And it's the wrong answer. It's a disaster. So essentially they're saying that in the playoffs semifinals, the cotton and orange bowls,

if one team's unavailable to play, then the team's going to forfeit and its opponent would advance to the national championship game. If both teams are unavailable to play in one semifinal, the winner of the other one will be the national champion. If three aren't, then everybody forfeits and they're going to be the national champion. And if they can't reschedule it at the latest by January 14th,

then there's not going to be a national champion. Who came up with this? we have to move out of the space of optics with protocols and get into the space of logic with protocols. The panic has got to go. It's got to go. There's enough information about the virus and what's going on with football right now. And, you know, we have a whole league with billions and billions of dollars that plays football that has protocols and are going through an entire season right now.

So there's no way, there's no scenario where you don't play the college football playoffs, where you just forfeit the games, and through forfeit someone wins the national championship game, and there is absolutely no scenario where there's not a national champion named, and it's just a void. Then it's not a sport. What was everyone playing for? We were just participating this year. It was just like a fun time with the bros.

What are you talking about? There has to be a national championship game. All of these leagues have found a way to not only play through the season, we've had bubbles, we've had shutdowns, we've had games rescheduled, seasons made longer, all of this has been adjusted. And college football is just going to be like, no, you know what, it's fine. It just won't have it. We won't have a national championship game this year.

It's fine. This just won't be a national champion. Everyone will just, everyone will just have played really hard. That's good enough. This is why there needs to be a commissioner of college football. This is insanity. I understand that you're trying to keep people safe. Believe me, I am, I think everyone clearly knows where I stand on all of this at this point.

There's no need to rehash it. But you cannot just forfeit the games. You cannot just not have a national championship game played. Even if it means you have to move it three weeks past, a month past, it doesn't matter. You have to play the games. You're messing up history by not playing these games. It's so much more than what these young men and the staves and the family of the staffs, and the schools and the administrators and the boosters and the fans and everyone has thrown into

these seasons and supported these teams to get them to this point. It's so much more than that. You are literally messing up history. We're going to go back through these national champions. Oh, that's the year that the college football committee couldn't figure it out because they didn't want to push it back two more weeks. You can play in a stadium with no fans. You can literally just bring the teams and the staffs to the stadium and play the games and televise it if it's that a concern, but there is no scenario where you just don't have a national champion. Who came up with this? It's total anarchy. I couldn't disagree more. I understand this is difficult, but we have examples of how to do this. The pro leagues are figuring this out. You've got to get

back together and come up with something different than this. Because it is a very real scenario that this happens because of how contagious this particular variant is. It's nuts. It cannot, cannot happen. Rick Buecker on the other side, Joy Taylor filling in for Colin Cowell. I hope you're enjoying your Christmas Eve alongside me and Alex Curry. We'll be back with some NBA talk on the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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 year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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, celebrated. So let's get to it. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.