The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Mahomes, Blazers, Seahawks

Episode Date: December 9, 2021

Patrick Mahomes isn't the only QB who has had ups and downsWhat the Blazers should do with Damian LillardPete Carroll is doubling down on the Jamal Adams tradeGuest: Steve Smith 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, Cliver 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 the show. 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'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 here, 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. Oh, here we go live in rainy Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It is great to have you here today. Joy Taylor is joining one hour from now, Greg Kosal. If you bet football, you play fantasy football, you want to get smarter, football, Greg CoSell, one hour

from now. Joy, how are you? I'm good. I think the internet is mad at me again today, Colin. Why? Why? What'd you do? Well, you know, it's the Christmas season, so I've been watching Christmas movies before I go to sleep every night. And die hard, it's very divisive. It's not a Christmas movie, guys. Sorry. Diehardt's not a Christmas movie. Thank you.

We are America's Honesty Brokers. It's a great movie. Now, Home Alone is, and that's been disputed on the internet, too. What would it be? Thriller? There was an NBA player. Josh Hart said that's not a Christmas movie. And I wanted to say, Josh, I don't know you personally, but we need to discuss it. Yes, Home Alone is a Christmas movie.

Die Hard is just action and adventure in the winter. That happens around Christmas time. Yes, thank you. I'm glad we settled that. Well, I want to start with this. One of the things that you need to understand, if you're younger, you're in your 20s, even if you become great at something, it doesn't matter what the great is. a coach, an athlete, a salesperson, you're going to have bad stretches.

Can you handle that? Because even for superstars, there are bad stretches. And Patrick Mahomes, people now are saying, what is going on with Patrick Mahomes? There has never been in the history of the NFL, ever. A quarterback ever that came into the league and that was great immediately and then just kept rising like a tree. He just grew to the sky. It's never happened. Tom Brady

was a slow, methodical build. He was winning. He wasn't great. Peyton Manning, rough rookie year, good year two and three, ugly regression year four. Brett Farv, he was great early and then terrible in year eight. Aaron

Rogers didn't play for three years. And then when he did, he had a losing record. John Elway was known for Super Bowl blowouts before running back Terrell Davis arrived in Denver. Dan Marino had an unbelievable year two. He threw for 5,000 yards when people were throwing for 3,000 yards, and he never equaled it.

He never equaled it. Super Bowl first year, amazing year two, never equaled it. Folks, it doesn't matter. You go to Hollywood. Tom Hanks didn't have his first hit. He was a slow build. He was on TV before movies. His first hit was big 10 years in.

Then he went 10 to 12 years where he was, everything was amazing. saving private Ryan, toy story, Apollo 13, and about 2003, 2004, 2005, lady killers in the terminal, and now he's back on top. Like it doesn't work that way. Nobody is great early and great always. If you're a public figure, you're a politician, you're a quarterback, you're a movie star, you're an entertainer, you're a singer, you're going to have a bad album. It's just the way it works.

That's why Moxie and Metal and Toughness is so valuable. And the funny thing about Mahomes is, people are like, oh, there's regression. I would argue there is no regression. This is who he is. He's always been streaky. It's almost as if his highs were so great that they just forget about everything after it. So remember the year he threw for 50 touchdowns? They were like, unbelievable, the best player ever.

Do you know his Super Bowl year the following year? He threw for 26. And at the end of that Super Bowl year, his last six games, he was kind of bad. Eight touchdowns, four picks. And then he got to the playoffs. He was unbelievable against Houston. I think it was Tennessee. Mahomes' whole career.

We didn't see him for a year. Then he was unbelievable. And then the next year, his Super Bowl year, he'd cut touchdown passes cut in half. And he was bad at the end of that year. And it was great in the postseason. that's kind of what he is. He's like an NBA shooter. His highs are high, but he's streaky.

Mahalms in college. He was streaky. I don't know what he was in high school. Probably somewhat streaky. In the NFL, he's a little streaky. So it doesn't, even if you're great at something, there is no, you're amazing early and the tree grows to the sky. It never works.

I've seen this Mahomes movie. It's called the Terminal. That's what it is. Took him a while. the Texas Tech years, first year didn't play in Kansas City, then he has the Hanks run, and he's kind of peeling back off it. He'll come back around. But you got to, he talked about this yesterday.

When you're as gifted as Mahomes is, you kind of got to let him be gifted. And with the gifts, the left-handed stuff and the sidearm stuff, there's going to be some ugly moments. I mean, that's kind of his game. It's not a real repeatable process like Tom Brady or Russell Wilson, where every throw looks the same. It's not like that. A little bit of Josh Allen to it. Way high and then that's weird.

A little bit of Lamar to it. That's amazing. That's awful. Here's Mahomes yesterday. It's part of football. Luckily enough, our defense is playing good enough that whenever they've happened, they've been able to get stopped and get turnovers or whatever it is and not let it impact the team. I'll try to limit them as much as possible.

But at the same time, I have to be me and I have to continue to throw the football and give guys chance to make plays. It's why toughness is so valuable, mental toughness. For the greatest people, the Patens and the Farves and the Brady's and the Mahalms, it's like this. It's not linear. So what about the average players? And that's what 99% of successful pro athletes are.

They're very good. It's all over the map. All right. Let's talk Dame Lillard. So now there's a lot of rumors, a lot of discussions. what's he going to do? Portland doesn't currently have a GM. So they're in a weird spot. And the late great Paul Allen, the owner passed away. His sister now owns the Blazers and the Seahawks, and she's not a diehard sports fan. They don't have a GM. It's a weird situation. And they got

time for the trading deadline. But what do you do with Dame? Do you move him? My takeaway has always been. He's great, but the only piece Portland has to start a rebuild is Dame. I'm going to get a lot with anybody else. And the Celtics are a perfect fit. But Dame was talking about it yesterday. stuff we talked about, the rumors of him going, and here's what he had to say. I'm not asking for a trade. You know, I don't know how many times I've got to say it. You know, I've been here for 10 years, and I'm trying to be a part of this solution. You know, we are here to do a job.

We are here to try to win and try to win big. I just want to be at peace and try to do my job to the best of my ability, you know, and do the things that I care about and that I'm passionate about it, and that's what I'm trying to do. So we have to be totally honest, even if we love a player. And I used to work in Portland. I love Dame. Talk to him before, you know, on the interweb. And I think he's a great player.

We have to be totally honest here. This year he makes $39 million. Next year he makes $42 million. The next year he makes $45 million. And then he has a player option where he makes almost $50. He wants two more years. I couldn't give it to him. Why?

What have I always talked about? He's a smaller athlete. he's a one end of the floor athlete. He's not having a great season. That doesn't bother me a ton, but he's not. He also played four years in college. Now, he was hurt one of those years, but he put a lot of wear and tear on those tires carrying Weaver State.

And then now in Portland, 10th year, he carries the franchise. He is not a young body. This is why the Celtics trade we discussed yesterday works. because Boston has somebody that's a little bit the opposite of Dame. His name is Jason Tatum. Now, whereas Dame has great leadership skills, that's the knock on Tatum. He's just talented. Whereas Dame has an older body, Tatum only played one year of college, and he's only 23.

Whereas Dame isn't great on the defensive end of the floor, Tatum's fine. Jason Tatum and Dame, one's ascending, one's an old. body who's still great, but if Dame needs to be your number one every night, then you're the Portland Trailblazers. But in Boston, he can be a one occasionally, a one A, a lot of nights, and then other nights he's a two. And that feels like a team that could get to the finals. But I'm not giving him those extra years. And so if Dame wants that to go somewhere, well, he's going to have to realize then you're going to have a limited roster. I've said this about Russell Wilson. I've said this about, you know, the secret to Tom Brady. He's never the highest paid

quarterback. One of the great things about Mahomes' contract, he's a $7 million cap hit this year. And the way they structure the Mahomes deal is that it's totally flexible. They can just keep playing with it and playing with it and playing with it for years. If Dame wants that kind of money in a salary cap sport, then he's going to be the best player. You're not a championship team. You're just not a championship team. If Dame is occasionally on some nights, once every week, the one, most nights a 1A, and several nights a month, the two to Jason Tatum, that feels like a team if you got the right coach that can play for a championship. Now, maybe Dame likes to be Big Fish, Small Town, Weber State, Portland.

I've got no problem with that. I've worked in this business for a long time. Some people want to stay in Kansas City. They want to be the local anchor, the talk show host, you know, walk in around town, everybody knows them. I think that's a great life. That's a great life. If you want to be that, that's fine.

But Dame's got to be honest here. He's a smaller athlete. He's a one end of the floor guy. The next three years, he's going to be one of the richest guys on the face of the earth. He wants two additional years. And he's starting to get little tiny injuries here and there, which smaller athletes, which have had to lead their college for years and their pro team for a decade tend to get. I mean, we're seeing a big athlete now that didn't even go to college, LeBron,

starting to get a lot of injuries. And that's a guy that's six inches, seven inches. is taller than Dame and probably 25, 30 pounds heavier. So you just got it. Dame's got to be honest with Dame now. What do you want to be? If you want to make $50 million a year, you're not a championship player. But if you want to go to Boston, have the money you have and be willing to be like a 1A

or some night to two, now we're talking a different arena. Now we're talking playing in June. Now we're talking playing potentially in the finals. So that's where we're out on that. Good stuff today. Greg CoSell in 50 minutes from now. Now, however you love football, he dissects it and delivers the info. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only 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, 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 imagine. 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. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so 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. 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. You're now entering no bull zone sponsored by credible. Credible great rates. None of the bull. So, you know, one of the things that, you know, one of the things that, you know, you know,

You see on the internet a lot is people doubling down on wrong. A mantra we use on the show often is get it right. Don't be consumed with being right. And guys, I can't speak for women, guys are brood at it. That's why I have so much respect for Bill Belichick and Nick Saban is that they've acknowledged, they've adapted, and they've evolved over the last. This weekend's a great example. We were all burying these guys. It was time for Buffalo to own the AFC East.

Georgia to v. Alabama. And they're just great. I think it's always a sign of intelligence when you're not stubborn and you can you can acknowledge you're secure enough in yourself to go, you know, I got to tweak this. My game needs tweaking. And, you know, Nick's about 70 and Belichick's about 70. And I said the other day, they can coach to 80. They're really, really smart guys. And Pete Carroll's also a smart guy at 70. And I don't think he can coach for another 10 years because he's doubling down on wrong. So a couple years ago, they made a trade for Jamal Adams. Jamal Adams is a very good player.

He's a playmaker. I love Jamal Adams, the player. But they spent too much money on him. You know that. I know that. Everybody knew that. They gave away two firsts, a third, and another safety for a safety. And as good as he is, it was worth the first round pick.

I'd give up a first rounder for Jamal Adams. But they gave up too much for him. And then they had to extend him and give him a new contract because they gave up so much for him. They had to sign him. and he doesn't really fit. And you know he doesn't fit because last year he had nine and a half sacks. This year he has none. And last year Seattle's defense was 22nd and now they're 31st.

He doesn't fit. He's just a great player. It's not a bad trade because Jamal Adams is a bad player. But every player, you know, outside of your superstar quarterbacks, how do you fit the schemes? He doesn't fit. Seattle's got needs. it's not to have a really expensive safety who could only play 12 games last year he got hurt, and now it's hurting out for this year and only played 12 games.

But instead of acknowledging it, Pete yesterday, SyriXXM, doubling down on what a masterful draft this was. It was a terrific trade for us, and he's had a huge impact on us. It's had a great season last year statistically. You know, all the attention went to the sacks and all that, which kind of dried up this year. We kept trying, and obviously that part of it didn't happen, but he still played terrific football. He had a couple picks and had a lot of big plays and tons of open field tackles and hits and all of that. So he's been a big part of the team and we're going to really miss him. I know he's taking it really hard because he wants to be out there with his guys, but we've got to get him fixed up now.

I feel like he's doubling down on wrong. Look at his division. Arizona had a coach and a quarterback after one year bailed on both. did not double down on wrong. They lead the division. The Rams had Jared Gopp, certainly capable. They moved off him, took a big risk, got Matt Stafford. I think they're better for it.

Pete is going down as he keeps doubling down on taking big risks in trades because they've whiffed on so many draft picks. And by the way, Andy Reid's a great coach. But he kind of, after a while, it just didn't work in Philadelphia. and Pete has been in Seattle for 12 years. Maybe it's just time. And maybe we should move from maybe to it is time. Pete at USC and Pete at Seattle.

A lot of energy. Quick rebuild by year two and three. Highs are great. And then it sort of starts to unravel. I remember the USC unraveling and I'm watching the Seattle unraveling. This means a bad coach. could wear a gold jacket. But when you're starting to double down on stuff,

like stubborn is the difference between aging with grace and being a legend and getting whacked. And you can't convince me now. He's played 12 games last year, 12 games this year. He's a weird scheme fit. He is a playmaker and he's a great playmaker. But you give up two first, a third, and a player. You can't stay healthy.

Your defense has regressed with him. So you can't tell me what a great fit he is. Great fit is we brought a linebacker over and actually our run defense went from 28 to 8th. That's a great fit. A great fit is we were bad when he got here. We're worse. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Sunday night game this week is Packers Bears and Aaron Rogers and the Packers are hosting Chicago. And during their first matchup this season, Rogers, notorious. notoriously jabbed at the opposing fans yelling, I own you after scoring a touchdown. Bears tight end, Jimmy Graham said this week that he took no offense to the comments, that they just need to stop him. And Rogers also says he doesn't regret saying it.

I don't know. You can question a whole lot of what I said. You know, we've had a good record over the years against them and won a lot of games in Soldier Field and at Lambeau Field. So it's been a great rivalry. I'm proud to be a part of it. You know, we have gotten better of them the last, I don't know, 27, 28 times we played them in the most part. Obviously, I think the record kind of speaks for itself. But I get it.

At some point, that will be used against me. It is what it is. I don't regret saying it at all. He shouldn't regret saying it because, by the way, Big Ben owned the Browns and Bengals. Brady owned his division. He owns the Bears. And Victor's write the stories. And Aaron Rogers gets any opinion he wants.

against the Chicago Bears. I love how he said that. We've kind of won a lot of the last 27 times we've played. Well, you know, he's very passive-aggressive, but he's not wrong. And I have no problem with this. I think we've mostly gotten away from the animosity in rivalries, even in college sports, because everyone's kind of friends now. We don't like for things to get really too hostile. This felt playful to me, though. But you need a little, you know, you need a little jabbing. I thought this wasn't taunting to me. This is playful. This is funny. He does the discount double check. Like I thought I own you. If I beat you for 27 games. Well, he's a 22 and 5 record against the Bears, including the playoffs. That is. And the fans were talking trash to him.

Yes, of course. I got no problem with it. The last win the Bears had over Green Bay was in 2018 at Soldier Field 2417. So yes, he absolutely is right. If you look at the It is considerably in favor of him and the Green Bay Packers. And actually, I really like this that they're talking about this now because otherwise, this might be kind of a dud of a game. I mean, they're favored by 12. But it'll be fun. And now it's like, all right, like it might be a little chippy.

You know, Bears players probably don't appreciate it. It's favored by 12 according to Fox Bet. So it's a Sunday night game. And Justin Fields will be back. He has been medically cleared from his rib injury. So it'll be his first action since week 11. Okay, now I'm interested. There you go. So, yeah. So this is a little

storyline for the Bears Packers this weekend. So tonight, the Steelers and Vikings play in Minnesota. Dalvin Cook suffered a dislocated shoulder less than two weeks ago during the Vikings game against the Niners, but he is already looking to make his return. He's reportedly turning towards playing tonight and wants to give it a go against the Steelers. According to Tom Pelliserro, Minnesota

didn't expect him to be back until the Bears game on December 20th, But he underwent intense rehab. This is a huge game for the Steelers. For both. But I mean, for Pittsburgh, that division is wide open. Because Cleveland plays Baltimore. And if Cleveland loses, it's a really tough road. If they beat Baltimore, it opens the door for Pittsburgh.

So this is actually, and the NFC is so funny, Joy, because you have a great team with a huge lead in every division. And then it just goes to junk. Yeah. So Minnesota, Seattle at 4 and 8 is still, and I'm not saying, if you look at Seattle's schedule, is still viable for the playoffs. No, there's a lot of teams that are still. Texans are the only ones who have been eliminated.

Pretty much everyone is still alive no matter how bad your season has gone. Detroit and the Texans, that's about it. Yes, yes. Obviously Detroit. Yeah, so this is a huge game tonight, actually. And even though they did just lose to Detroit, they are very much still alive. So having Delvin Cook back would be huge. Now, he's still listed as questionable, and they're going to wait and see how it is pregame before they bring him back.

Justin Jefferson had a huge week for them last week, despite the loss, 11 catches, season high, 182 yards, and one touchdown. They will also, though, be without Adam Thielen with an ankle injury. I'm going to take Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh and Tomlin, he is the great underdog coach in the league. Vikings are favored by three and a half, according to Fox Bev. Yeah, I'm going to take Pittsburgh in the points. I think I'm going to go with that as well. So Tiger Woods will be making his return to competition.

He announced that he will participate in the PNC Championship next week with his son. So it is a tournament where you are allowed to play with a family member. He tweeted, although it's been a long and challenging year, I'm very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son, Charlie. I'm playing as a dad and I couldn't be more excited and proud. Last year, they finished seventh in this event. Oh, look at that. It's so great.

It's so great. And this will be Tiger's first competitive golf event. since his car crash in February. Look at that sun's got a nice stroke there. That was nice. Yeah, this is a fun event. He's also going to be allowed to use a golf cart. Obviously, this is not a tour event.

But it's good. It's great to see Tiger back out there. He talked about how he doesn't know if he's ever going to be able to get back to where he was before the crash because it was so devastating to his body. But obviously, it's great to see him out there on the course again. And this is fun. It's good to see him with his son with his son. That's got to be awesome for him to be able to see his son out there playing. I love that.

Let me see this right here. Does he drain this? Look at how his sun stands. Just like Tiger. Boom. You forget when Tiger had that 10 to 12 year run. And we all talked about his distance off the T. You just forget, Tiger drained 20 foot pots in all these big tournaments regularly.

Like we always overlooked his ability to putt. You can everybody in the tour now hits it long off the T. But you just, you forget Tiger. We were so amazed. It's like Mahomes. We're so amazed by his dazzling left-handed throws. We forget in this league that sometimes like efficiency and boring really wins. Tiger was a great big tournament putter.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Getting Steve Smith checked in now. Boy, there's some really interesting stuff going on in sports. These new college coaches, do you see LSU's quarterback bailed? Brian Kelly.

You got, there's a lot. Here's what I was talking about, Joy, though, about the NFL. So if you go, so there's four, we know really good teams in the NFC, in the NFC, that's the Fox Conference. Arizona, Green Bay, Tampa, Dallas. We don't question that. They leave their division by a lot. And the Rams are, you know, in that ball game with Arizona. They play them this weekend.

If Arizona wins, they separate, they really separate from the Rams. But the NFC has, after those division leaders, and if Arizona beats the Rams this weekend, look at all these teams still in the, only Detroit is not in the hunt in the NFC. And now you think to yourself, well, the Giants aren't, the Bears aren't. Well, they are. You go on three-game winning streaks. You're seven and eight. Look at the NFC.

Now, go to the AFC. The AFC is different because, you know, we know the Jackson. and the Texans aren't good. But in mostly every division, your third place team is viable. Like in the NFC, you have a king, and then it gets the rest of the division. The rest of the NFC is available.

But it's so much more competitive in the AFC. I mean, you have teams now not playoff teams. I think the Colts are really good. I don't think any of those NFC teams outside of the Rams. Rams are the only second place team in the NFC that I would qualify as, that's a good team. I can go to a third place team in the AFC. I mean, I still contend Denver's good.

And Bridgewater, who doesn't make a lot of mistakes, they can beat anybody any weekend. And so joining us now, Steve Smith, NFL Network, 16 years, Five-time Pro Bowler. All right, Steve. By the way, this is interesting. As a player ages, we had him for a second.

Steve, when a player ages, obviously a player when you are getting to the end of your career. So it looks like to me, about every two out of three weekends, Ben Rathlisberger looks like he should retire. But it's interesting. So last weekend he's good.

And he does have five game-winning drive, Steve, which are tied for the most in the league. And so as you get to that last year, I can see a receiver, a quarterback saying, hey, I still got it. I just don't got it every Sunday. When you watch Ben, when you watch Ben and maybe go back to your career, it feels like to me two out of three weekends, I feel like he's just too old. And I looked this morning and I'm like, he's got five game winning drives.

What do you do if you're the Steelers with Big Ben? Well, if you're the Steelers with Big Ben, you know what you have is a guy that is, aging. That's the facts. Does he bring something to the table? He has five. Game winning dry. So yes, he does. However, they must, at some point, start to find the guy that can step in. And by doing that, they must have all of their criterias in which they want a new franchise quarterback. And they can't compromise on those.

standards and criteria they have, they may compromise in, he may not be the right height. But you can't compromise in on strength. Can they process information fast enough when

you're playing a ASC North team that has in a division where the Baltimore Ravens, where they have Wink Martindale who's going to blitz you, he's going to line up everybody at the line of scrimmage and then bailout. So how would quarterback processes information, you can't fudge that.

Yeah. And you have to look at the court, the guy whoever will replace Ben next year, that person must be the same criteria on which how they choose coaches. Yeah. Coach Tomlin has been there for 15 years because they saw something at a young age that says he will be able to endure the test of time. Right. And that's what we're saying.

Tomlin, and you need to find that in your franchise quarterback. And somebody listening to this can say, well, Steve, that's easy to say. Absolutely. It is easy to say. But that's the dilemma they're in. They can't compromise because if they do, they find themselves like the Carolina Panthers, my hometown team, where you're trying to figure it out. You have three guys now who all have good attributes, but their deficiencies are glaring.

So glaring that an offensive coordinator has kind of been exposed and also relieved of his duties because his system doesn't fit the player. Right. Yeah. You know, it is interesting. The AFC is so jammed, so close that the Steelers play tonight. And if I said to you, Raven Steelers, Bengals, Browns, if I said to you this morning, and there's not a right answer maybe on this. Baltimore feels like the best team to me. Who feels like in that?

Because right now they could all win it and they could all finish fourth. And the Steelers tonight, this is the, it feels like a massive game for Pittsburgh tonight. Yeah. It is. Who's the best team in your opinion in that division and why? See, here's the answer. And I'm not avoiding it, but this is something that you have to think about, which I've been looking at. And I have my paper here because I'm sitting here.

I am, I'm nervous for Pittsburgh. And here's why. The remaining schedule they have, obviously the Vikings tonight that I'm doing. Then they have 10, the Titans who, whether Derek Henry is there, they're going to run the ball. You have the chief, the chiefs. That's a track meet. So that's going to be a big game. Then you have the Browns.

They're going to be running the ball. And then you finish with the Baltimore Ravens, who is going to be running the ball. So you go into the playoffs if you get in, beat up, bruised, battered, because five of the games that you're having, four out of them run the ball. Yeah. They run the ball to their blind. So they are saying, look, whether you want to be physical or not, you're going to be in a physical game. Yeah. So the Vikings are going to run the ball.

Titans are going to run the ball. Then you get a, then you get the flag football game with the Kansas City Chiefs and all that speed. and then you're back to the mini car crashes with the Browns. Yeah. Then you're back with the mini car, the big mini car crash, and the emotional high that you have to deal with, with the Steelers and the Steelers and the Ravens, like you saw. So to have all these games that literally are going to go down to the wire

because of how much they possess the ball and run it, it's going to be emotional game, physical game, and you're supposed to be going into playoffs, feeling excited and taking a level up. Well, you've had literally four playoff games, and now you've got to have a fifth, which is the actual playoffs. I kind of see this as a no win for the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if they get the playoffs. Some things are going to show that they just emotionally will not be able to withstand and sustain that type of physical gameplay at the end of the season.

No, it's fair. By the way, so you're studying for this game, NFL Network, so they play the Vikings, and it's interesting. Like sometimes you just know it's time to fire a coach. And then you get to Mike Zimmer, and you're like, he's a little conservative as the league gets more offensive. He doesn't have great relationships with players, but I never feel like Minnesota's losing because they have a bad coach. But if they lose tonight, Steve, I could argue he's on the hottest seat outside of Matt Nagy in the NFL. When you look at the Vikings, is it time to injure?

I mean, I loved Andy Reid, but I understood Philadelphia going, we just need new juice. Pete Carroll's great. I think Seattle needs a new voice. If Mike Zimmer loses tonight, is it kind of time for a new voice? I don't know if it's time for a new voice, but it certainly seems like things as planned. when you have a guy like a defensive coordinator who was brought there to improve the defense and the defense has not improved. Yeah.

Right. That's like hiring a cater to cater a big event and they bring chicken fingers for chick for life. That's tough. That's tough. Like all you're getting is nuggets. Man, I understand you're bringing me to Polynesia sauce and I love that. But I got some different folks here. They want some, you know, they want some calamari.

They want some different things. And you're bringing finger foods with steak prices. Yeah. That doesn't vote well for the paying customer, called the fans. Yeah. They have an expectation. And the other part that I don't like is Kurt Cousins is being blamed for not playing well. He's playing well.

Yeah. This defense is letting them. down. Yeah. And so now the, well, Kirk Cudence could play better. Well, how much better do you want a guy to play when he's at, he's a tier two quarterback with Tier 1 statistics? Yeah.

Yeah, no, no, no. Listen, I don't disagree on this. Kirk Cousins is not the issue. This is my problem with Pete Carroll in Seattle. It's a defensive coach and the trend for both defenses is down. And when Kingsbury goes to Arizona, the trend for the offense goes up. So I totally agree with you on this is that the head coach, his side of the ball, can never be the liability. If you're Sean McVeigh, I can't be losing because of the offense.

If I'm losing because of the – you shouldn't be. That's right. You shouldn't be. By the way, all these young receivers out there, you're going to see Justin Jefferson, Chase Claypool. I mean, there's a lot of them in tonight's game. If there was one receiver in the NFL right now, just one young guy, one young guy. one young guy, Steve, that you really like. His toughness, you were a tough guy, his route running.

What young guy is it for you? It's interesting you said Claypool because Claypool is a, I like him, he's a nice talent. But he's also a guy that at times seems to have only a few routes and jump ball seems to always be in that route. So I believe that the Steelers also, besides a quarter, They need to get a veteran wire receiver to help somebody, you know, Deontay Johnson, he's dropping some passes. And he always does something that you just go, oh, he's turning the corner, but he does something that you just makes you scratch your head, right? And Claypool is this guy who's coming off the scene, but people are starting to figure him out. If you take away the deep ball, if you take away to jump ball, he kind of disappears in a game.

And that's just me looking at him and saying, I need more from him, right? Justin Jefferson is one of those guys. He's leading a league 20 plus passes by, oh, yeah, a Kirk Cousins, who's a guy that is risk-averse. Yeah. And he's throwing the ball down the field. So what I really love is I love Justin Jefferson because he's doing a lot of his work everywhere. But he's not being hid in the slot and playing running routes against linebackers. He's really only playing 20% in the slot.

So 80% of his work is on the outside. So he's dominating outside where we're seeing generally a lot of these big guys are playing inside. Devante Adams lines up everywhere. He's not Devonte Adams because he doesn't play with Aaron Rogers. But he is a Justin Jefferson that you need to be aware of. He keeps defensive coordinators up at night, right? Got those coordinators sleeping in their office because they have to draw up plays to neutralize, to limit the damage he can do.

And when I look at these wide receivers, there's no Justin Jefferson on the Pittsburgh Steelers because he, Claypool doesn't keep you up at night because if you take away the deep ball, he's nowhere involved. Deontay is getting there, but he's not there yet. Juju isn't playing. James Washington is still a guy. I like to call him a bullet in China closet.

He needs to understand where it is. So having a veteran like Adam Thielen on that team, like Justin sees, Adam may not be coaching up Justin, but Adam puts enough work in there that Justin just needs to watch. And I believe that's what he's doing. And I'm just using Adam Thielen as an example of

when you have a veteran that knows how to go about his business, that veteran doesn't have to coach that young player. That veteran just needs to be himself and look with Justin is receiving by watching Adam Thielen and on top of his natural ability that he has and his willingness to be a dominant wire receiver. He's teachable. All right, Steve, we've got to run named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. Good seeing you, buddy. Good luck tonight.

Viking Steelers on Fox. It is a great one. Thanks, bud. Appreciate it. You bet. Kelly in trouble already at LSU. Greg Kosell 2, it's The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd,

weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zata and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris.

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, and so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're just saying, 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. Now you're 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. You know, a lot of times, if you're going to fire somebody in any business, you have to ask yourself, can we upgrade? What are the candidates like? And this was a unique year where in college football, six huge brands needed a coach. And the candidates were unbelievable. In fact, the candidates were so good in college football this year. Notre Dame just kept everybody in house. I mean, Marcus Freeman was going to get a head coaching job somewhere. That's how good the candidates were.

Like Notre Dame is like, no, we'll just keep all the guys we have. And it's considered an above average higher. It's so good that Oregon has been kind of left out of it, right? Like Oregon lost their guy. Oregon didn't have a coach. And to show you how good the year is in candidates, there's two incredible candidates for Oregon, Chip Kelly. I don't think he'd be as successful as the first time he was there, but that's a great candidate. He knows the school and the, you know, the donors. And then the second candidates, Cal's football coached Justin Wilcox and the Wilcox family is legendary in the state of Oregon. And they're the last team. You'd think they'd be desperate. No, Oregon's got, those are like two great candidates for Oregon's job. So in the NFL,

it's also a remarkably vibrant year for candidates. So if Seattle moved off Pete or the New York Giants or the Chicago Bears, look at the candidates this year and the offensive candidates are all B-plus or above. Kellyn Moore, Byron Leftwich, Eric B. Enemy, Brian Dable, Josh McDaniels, been a head coach, Doug Peters won a Super Bowl. That's just the offensive guys. And then you have two, I think, Matt Eberfluse may be as good a candidate as the league has. Like people in NFL circles that I talk to think Eberflux may be the best candidate, period. Now, you know, we never know if this stuff works.

Now, he's a defensive candidate. So, you know, like some teams, if Denver moved off Vic Fangio or Minnesota moved off Mike Zimmer, they probably wouldn't go back to a defensive guy. It's just the trend in the NFL is to go offense, right? but Eva Fluse is really good. And then Todd Bowles, who doesn't have a huge presence in New York but is a super, super good coach. That is an unbelievable year for coaches. And by the way, here's another one that I would get on the phone with, Matt Rule at Carolina.

He doesn't have a quarterback. The owner is very impatient. I'm not so sure. Oregon or a college couldn't wiggle him to college. or potentially within one year, he couldn't wiggle out of Carolina and go somewhere in the pros. So sometimes you just have to ask, are there any candidates? There are years where it is a bad, bad candidate year. I mean, to show you how good it is in college, Matt Campbell at Iowa State was considered

a top five candidate. He stayed and everybody else still got their coach. So, you know, if you're going to move off, I think you're getting to a point in Seattle where, you know, Pete's doubling down on stuff like Jamal Adams, trade that's wrong. And then I haven't even discussed, we haven't talked about the Russell Pete dynamic, which is not great. So now, maybe Seattle goes in a run to end the year and they're viable in the playoffs. I doubt it, but it's certainly possible. I do think they beat the Texans this weekend. They have the Rams in Arizona, but they play Arizona last week. By that time,

the Cardinals could have it wrapped up and be resting all their key starters. So that's a winnable game. I do think Seattle is going to go in a little bit of role here. I just, I don't know if they can beat the Rams in L.A. All right, Greg CoSell is around the corner. For a limited time, 50% off gifts at casper.com. Go to casper.com slash promo for

details. 50% off Christmas gifts. 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's Streeter-Side. 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 I-Heart 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. 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. 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.

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 up that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered 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.