The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Rams, Cardinals, OBJ

Episode Date: January 18, 2022

Matt Stafford wasn't asked to do muchThe Cardinals were outplayed and out coachedOdell Beckham Jr. is the highest graded WR in the playoffsGuest: Brock Huard 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

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

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

Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Tuesday. Live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening or watching, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Our playoff herd hierarchy, eight teams left, we'll rank them one through eight, one hour from now.

Joy, I'm sitting there, and there's a lot of great stadiums in America. and in the world. There is nothing like SoFi Stadium. It's beautiful. It is literally entertaining as you fly over it, as you see the outside of it. It is the most beautiful stadium in the world. And last night, you know, Martin Luther King Day, the messaging on the roof, it is just so grand. It's an incredible, spectacle.

When you fly into Los Angeles, depending on, you know, your flight pattern, there's a couple of runways. As you head toward the Pacific, you go down. Sometimes you get lucky if you're flying at night. There's a game going on. You look off to your right. And you can see inside the stadium. It's amazing. Grand is a good way to describe it.

It looks like how on Pixar movies, when they have all the lights and like the rainbows and sparkles coming out of the buildings and stuff, like that's what it looks like. It was beautiful last night. And the Rams fittingly put on a show. My first takeaway is, did you see Matt Stafford's numbers? They were very Jared Gough like. 13 to 17.

He didn't have to carry the team. 200 yards. It was an easy lift for Matt Stafford. That's why he came to Los Angeles. A better culture. Other stars don't have to carry the team. Last night it was the running game and the defense. For the record, Tom Brady won the Super Bowl last year.

He didn't play particularly well in the Super Bowl. It was the defense that won it. And the running game with Leonard Fournett down the stretch. And if you go look at Tom Brady's career in New England, early the defense carried him in the middle he had randy moss and welker no super bowls at the end it was great defense great running games and tom often was the icing to the league's smartest best orchestrated cake it's the way it works right and the rams have this amazing culture which allows them to take some risks Leonard floyd jaylon ramsie was a headache in the jags sometimes

you forget he's on the field. There's too many other stars. Have you noticed how OBJ has emerged? He was great at LSU, great for most of his time with Coughlin and Eli. He's great immediately with the Rams. Where did he struggle? Shocker, Cleveland. Folks, 95% of the players in this league, they're all talented.

But 95% can't overcome chaos. Yes, we know that Stefan Diggs would probably be pretty good anywhere. but he's a lot better with Josh Allen, and we know Travis Kelsey would be successful anywhere. He's a lot better with Mahomes. Good coaching, good culture. It's amazing. And Matt Stafford last night, he didn't get games like that in Detroit. He got an early lead.

He had a running game so he could go play action. Oh, they doubled Cooper Cup. It didn't matter. He had OBJ. Isn't that nice? He had a great tight end. He had a great number two receiver. He's got the most dominant number one receiver.

He plays with a lead. He's got a running game. That's why the Rams have become the NFL's Wellness Center. Leonard Floyd, OBJ, Jalen Ramsey. Hey, let's polish up that game a little bit. You know, getting a little bad press. Just come on in here. That's what a good culture is.

Great players can go to bad cultures, OBJ to Cleveland, and it just blows you up. And then everybody, you know, I'd be honest. I watched OBJ in Cleveland. I'm like, he's got the drops. He wasn't getting open as much. How comfortable and perfect does he look in a Rams jersey? He looks so comfortable.

He's got it back. He's got all his confidence back. But if you notice this weekend, it's easy to say the best quarterbacks won this weekend in the playoffs. But did you notice they also had the best coaches. They had like Andy Reed and Bruce Ariens and Sean McVeigh. And did you notice it was a lot of quarterbacks that were good, but don't have to completely carry the team?

It's why I worry about Joe Burrow going forward. I feel like he overwhelmingly kind of has to carry the Bengals. It's a rebuilding roster. It's a bad old line. But overwhelmingly, Stafford got his first playoff win, and it wasn't heavy lifting. That just didn't exist in Detroit. Here's Sean McVeigh.

I thought he did a great job leading the way. You know, he's still the same great player to me, and he always was before this game as well. And so I think it's good, so you guys don't have to talk about that anymore so he can get that one out of the way. But really proud of him. He's just so lucky to be able to do this with him. He's our leader.

We wouldn't be here without him. All right, let's talk Arizona, and let's take a deep breath. Let's take a deep breath. Kyler Murray didn't play well. Cliff Kingsbury didn't coach well. But let's add context. The NFC West is the best division in football. And Arizona made the playoffs.

They made the playoffs. And for most of the year before he got hurt, Kyler Murray was spectacular in the toughest division in football. And we know this to be true. Generally in the NFL, it's baby steps. A coach gets hired. He cleans up the culture. You start winning some games.

Ooh, then you get to the playoffs. And sometimes your first playoff trip on the road is ugly. It's won and done. And Nick Seriani started winning games. games, go to the playoffs. Oh, good hell. Let's just close shop and get on a flight and go home. And that's what happens. Cliff Kingsbury has gotten better every year as a coach. Let's talk Kyler Murray. Yes, he looked nervous and anxious. And that pick six, my wife doesn't even like sports. She's like, that was terrible, right? Yeah, that was awful. But Josh Allen was awful

in his first playoff game. And Lamar Jackson was awful in his. It's okay. This is what the league is. I liked the Rams last night before the game. They're the better team. They were built to win. They've been to a Super Bowl. They've been working on this culture for years. This Rams thing, they are two or three steps ahead of Arizona. Arizona's going to be just fine.

Now, the only question I had, and I think you had it too, why didn't Kyler Murray run? Why didn't he run? Like, that was the fewest rushing attempts in his career. The fewest rush attempts in a game, like, this year, why? Number one, is he hurt and thinking to himself, I don't want to get popped? Or payday's coming up.

Is he thinking, I've been running around the last two years. I got hurt the last two years. I'm not going out there and getting whacked by Aaron Donald. I'm not getting hurt again. I think it's possible. I don't think Cliff Kingsbury said, here's our game plan. We don't want the most mobile quarterback to not be mobile. So I don't really know what happened there.

Is he not healthy? Is he tired of getting popped? You know, listen, I get professional athletes saying, I got paid a in like four hours. Like, I know I'm not supposed to think that. I'm not supposed to be selfish. But let's not be idealistic about stuff. He's a small guy.

He's gotten popped. It was a bad year for running around quarterbacks. And that was my only question of the game. Tyler's not running. There's no way you're going on in the road and beating this team without moving around. That's about it. But I think we have to understand here.

It steps. I've said this about the Chicago Bulls, this year. They're going to go to the playoffs. They're going to win a playoff series, and that's it. Milwaukee's like four steps ahead. Like Golden State's three steps ahead. Phoenix is now two steps ahead. It's a process. And so Cliff Kingsbury, take a deep breath. Kyler Murray's performance, take a deep breath. Just go look at Buffalo. This isn't the first year. They're in the playoffs. They mean get to the playoffs. And the first time with Josh, it was bad. And then the second time they won some games. And now this weekend you're like, oh, yeah, wow, they could win it all,

or maybe not. Take a deep breath. It takes time for both Kyler and Cliff. Here's the coach. Yeah, I think experience is a big part of it, you know? There's only one way to experience playoff football and that's to go through it. And unfortunately, we didn't, you know, play our best game. And I thought LA played a great game, had a great plan and outplayed us and out-couched us. But I think you've just got to go through these moments and learn from it and grow from it and use this motivation. By the way, I totally agree. It wasn't a great year. A couple years ago, running quarterbacks, Russell Wilson was amazing, and Lamar was amazing, and we were watching Josh Allen, and Mahomes would run occasionally, but he's kind of a pocket guy. It was not a great

year for running quarterbacks. Lamar is hurt. Jalen Hertz got hurt. Russell Wilson got hurt. Kyler got hurt. It's not a great year for running quarterback, so I'm fascinated to watch Kyler Murray going forward because he is 5'10. He really is. He's not 6'5.10. And I, I, Ideally, when he can manipulate the pocket and create passing lanes, Russell Wilson's been doing this for years. He's better moving than not. Russell Wilson's fine. But Russell Wilson, a big component to his success in Kyler, they move around.

Let's be honest about Josh Allen. He's got a great arm. But part of his arsenal is, as Bill Belichick knows, he just takes off when he wants and he's faster than all your linebackers. So I'm fascinated to watch Kyler going forward. I would absolutely pay him. I wouldn't take much from the end of the year. But I'm interested to watch Kyler.

because in the end, if you look at who's left in the playoffs, it's a lot of pocket guys, it's a lot of burrows, it's a lot of Brady's, a lot of Staffords, a lot of Jimmy G's, that's kind of what's left at the end of the year. All right, all sorts of stuff. Joy, I don't know if you noticed this. Pro Football Focus. There's a lot of great wide receivers in the NFL.

Do you know who is the highest graded wide receiver this weekend in the playoffs? Is it Odell? Excuse me. I couldn't hear you. Who would you say? OBJ. OBJ. I'll address that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,

FS1, and the 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 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, 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 game.

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 with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the look back at it, podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, yeah. 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. Oh, it is great to have you in today. It really is. I feel like my most mischievous best today. the highest-graded playoff wide receiver this weekend was not Stefan Diggs. He is amazing. It was not Tyreek Hill. Is he fast?

Not Mike Evans. Impossible. He's like 6-6. Wasn't even Cooper Cup. The highest-graded wide receiver was OBJ. Yeah. I have to be honest. He's been better than I thought.

He's been absolutely better than I thought. I watched them in Cleveland. He got the drops. He got the hips. I mean, he was dropping the football. And it leads me to believe the Rams are such a great place for older stars like Von Miller and OBJ. It's like, bro, just come on in, make some place. You don't have to carry the franchise.

Remember in Cleveland it always felt like the bread, because he was such a big star and Cleveland's not really the home of stars, that kind of Cleveland felt the pressure to get him the ball, make him the guy, or overcompensating for a market that's kind of dreary. In Los Angeles, it's just, that's just not the way the Rams. Ram's culture is. It's like Vaughn Miller. Vaughn, we don't care if you play in the bad games. We need you to make a sack he did last night. We need you to make a couple of big plays in the biggest games. It's a really, really cool football culture in Los Angeles.

And LA is a very unique city. There's a million places, not a million, but there's a lot of places for stars to hide. Go up in the trees in Beverly Hills. Go out to the beach in Malibu. You know, go hide in the Hollywood Hills. Go down to the beach and you can hide. here. It's incredibly chill. Rams players are stars. They've got a star-studded roster. You never see them. They're never bothered. The media's chill. There's no pressure on anybody. I've seen Matt

Stafford once in town briefly. And it's just a really nice environment where you don't have to feel like I've got to carry the team, got to deal with the media. It's just a great football culture. And OBJ, Vaughn Miller and OBJ. Now, OBJ's got more in the tank than Von Miller. I didn't think OBJ had this much left. He's always been a better, he'll pop you. He's a stronger guy than you think. And he's always been able to separate to some degree. And he's a playmaker.

But in Cleveland at the end, it was frustration. He got the drops. He wasn't separating much. And now you put him with this franchise. Isn't it amazing? Isn't it amazing that he's not only not washed, he's really good? Now, here's what's interesting. Next year, Robert Woods comes back.

Two receivers they drafted, one's hurt, one's playing. The Rams are really deep at wide receiver next year. They got Cooper Cup and Robert Woods and OBJ and Van Jefferson and a couple of rookies they like. So they could live without OBJ. And OBJ is also a free agent, so he'll get offers. But ask yourself, a lot of the teams that would want him have young quarterbacks. Jets would take him.

New England would love him. Chicago may lose Alan Robinson. They'd love him. Jacksonville is desperate at wide receiver. And he's done that young quarterback thing. I don't think he wants that. I've been told his girlfriend lives in L.A. Nobody looks better in an L.A. Ram's uniform. I watched him last night and I'm like, he found his place.

It doesn't matter if LeBron James, after all these titles. I mean, OBJ's made 80 million in football and probably 45 million in endorsements. Like the big money days, I think, are probably over. Also, college football now has given us about 30 wide receivers a year. Fifteen of them can play right out of the shoot at a high level, it feels like. So, I mean, to me, I'm just watching him, and I'm like, he's better than I thought. I underestimated the power of culture and coaching. He looks like a ram.

And I've told you the story a couple years ago. A friend of mine lost his dog. I know about where OBJ lives. A friend lost his dog and he couldn't find him. And OBJ reached over the fence. and he's just got his little hideaway in Los Angeles. Nobody bothers him. He's good friends with LeBron and his friends.

It just works. It just works. And I'm surprised by it. I mean, we always do he was a freak athlete. He's kicking field goals before the game. He's got a great arm. We always knew he was a great athlete. But he's going to have options to leave.

I never tell athletes to take less. But in this instance, this is a good fit. Like, he really works in this culture. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Also helps the Cooper Cup last night is doubled. Oh, yeah.

So now, I mean, Jarvis Landry is good, but you never had the double Jarvis Landry. Cooper Cup now, you have to double him. Arizona just took him out of the game for three quarters. That's why OBJ was so open. Also, Tyler Higgsby. Yeah. He's good tighted. Also, they have like two legitimate running back.

So there's a lot of balance in this offense. He's going to get opportunities. And they're not asking them to make 12 catches. They're asking him, make a couple of big plays. He did. Red zone throw. He had two or three big pop plays, and that's what the Rams need. I thought that was very classy of you, Colin.

It was. You know, every once in a while, I learned that you're a better person than me. Because that was not the rant that I was expecting. I texted Colin last night, like, well, it's so delhing. Yeah. Not looking so good for Cleveland. I'm not here to blame. I'm just saying, you watch some times.

You're like. On behalf of the internet, Cleveland is being blamed for this 100%. I think the situation with Odell and Cleveland, we said it from the beginning, we didn't like the fits. And then it just became very obviously that it wasn't a fits. And it was unfortunate because Odell is a superstar. He's an NBA player in the NFL. He's just different.

He's a different level of star. And it sucks for fans and not be able to see him play at this level. And now we have it. So after Sunday's loss to the Niners, there was some speculation about Mike McCarthy's job security in Dallas, and Cowboys, EVP, Stephen Jones, spoke about the loss and McCarthy's future with the team. You know, at the end of the day, to have such a really nice season to have it in so abruptly and certainly so disappointing not to get that, you know, that bear off our back in terms of our success in the playoff. has certainly been few and far between and, you know, not get something done here was, you know, it's disappointing. Are you of the belief or are you confident that Mike McCarthy will continue to lead this

team next season? Absolutely, very confident. Well, I'm glad somebody is. I would argue there's an argument to be made. Dan Quinn has a winning record and a Super Bowl appearance in the NFL. There's an argument to be made that Dan Quinn, who's in-house, is the best available coaching candidate. He's certainly in a short list. He's in-house.

He totally changed the defense in one-off season. Because they were good by like week three. We were like, oh, Dallas's defense is good. Well, they're not in danger of losing Dan Quinn. Are we sure? They are in danger of losing Dan Quinn. I'm saying, but if they weren't. Ask yourself this.

If you don't move Dan Quinn up, do you believe if you're in Dallas, you're going to find Dan Quinn's equal on the market. Yeah, you could. It's called Matt Eberflus. He's taking a head job. There is no Todd Bowles. He's not leaving Tampa. You have arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league,

certainly in a short list. He takes a head job. Now I get Mike McCarthy and his issues with a second, with a lower graded defensive coordinator. We saw what that was last year. Yeah. Embarrassing. So this is not just, I'm not a fire the coach guy.

But in this instance, I would make the move. because Dan Quinn's going to get a head coaching job. He's 43 and 42 in Atlanta. So you don't like McCarthy now with a great defensive coordinator. I'm not saying Quinn's a great head coach, but he's a very solid head coach. He immediately stabilized the Atlanta Falcons at 8 and 8. Then he had two great years, and they did not fall off the cliff. But he needs a great O.C.

And he has one in Kellynne Moore, at least a really strong one. Wasn't a great. Didn't have a good Sunday. Wasn't a good Sunday for Gellon Moore either. Well, Mike McCarthy is. 18 and 15 in the regular season in two seasons and 12 and 5 obviously this year. I'm with you. I don't know that this is the right decision for the Cowboys,

and I'm not a fire the coach person either. But at one point or another, you have to get over that hump. And the Cowboys cannot seem to do it. And they're in a win now situation. In our careers in the media, I even know my own little tiny company now, sometimes you got to overpay people a little bit because you don't want to face them in the marketplace, right? Like that's the reality is sometimes you're a company and you're like, all right, we got this really, we're not sure if he's, we'd prefer Sean Payton to be our coach over Dan Quinn, but we don't want to, A, be worse defensively without Dan, and we don't want to face Dan. So in the end, sometimes you make moves as companies maybe a year before you want to because you're just,

such a great fit. He is so good for that cowboy defense. Very valuable. He has four head coaching interviews this week. Okay, so he's getting a job. I mean, Dan's going to get a job. He's got a Super Bowl in his resume. He and Doug Peterson. Most Super Bowl appearance. Yeah, Super Bowl appearance. So the Raiders announced yesterday that they fired GM Mike Mayock after three seasons with the team. The announcement came after news of interview requests for his replacements. The team reportedly requested Patriots Director of Player Personnel, Ziegler and Colts executive Ed Dobbs for their GM position. They also requested to interview Patriots defensive assistant Gerard Jarrad Mayo for their

head coaching job. They went 25 and 24 with Mayak as their GM. It's kind of hard to say how this team was set up because Gruden reportedly had final say in personnel. Yep. So it's hard to gauge what Mayock's success level was there. Okay. So I'm going to defend Mike Mayock here.

if you go look at a lot of the Raiders best players, Hunter Renfro, like a fourth, fifth round pick, Max Crosby later in the draft, these are great players. They're not good players, they're great players. Those are his picks. There's a lot of rumors around the Raiders that Gruden on the first pick of the draft would jump in and say, I want that guy. Where did Mayok struggle? The first pick.

The Alex Leatherwood pick is so bad it had to be Gruden. You cannot tell me Mayotte. can draft as well as he's done in the fourth, fifth, six round. Right. And then butcher that. Every single person I have a connection to in the NFL thought Leatherwood wasn't even an NFL tackle. They were like, I'd draft him in the third round.

I'd move him inside. They draft him as a tackle in the first round. So it's hard. What I believe, and I always said this about Gruden, he's too emotional to be in personnel. John falls in love with players. GMs fall in like with them. So go look at the Raiders, big misses. a lot of them are first round picks.

My belief is Gruden, minutes before day of the draft, is like, that's who I want. Because Mayok hit a lot of big, he hit a lot of doubles and home runs later rounds. And by the way, Gruden, that's not flashy. Gruden will let his guys do that. And that's kind of, that's what the Raiders are about, is these big flashy hires, big flashy players, trades, moves, Gruden. So, I mean, look, if they're going to clean house altogether, or they want the GM to pick the head coach or them to match up.

Obviously, generally you want someone to be on the same page. We've seen how that's falling apart recently with other teams. But, you know, it's, again, without knowing how the tiers of personnel decisions and decision making in general went on, it's hard to put it all on Mike Mayock. So Jimmy G is already playing with the torn ligament in his right thumb, and he apparently suffered another injury on Sunday. A dude's tough. he's also injured a lot.

A lot. He was now dealing with a slightly sprained right-throwing shoulder, according to Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan said that he should be good for practice this week as well as Saturday's game against the Packers. They also are going to have to keep an eye on Fred Warner, who suffered a sprained ankle, and Nick Bosa, who suffered a concussion. Bosa will need to clear protocols in order to play, obviously. And Shanahan said both of them will be evaluated throughout the week to see if they can play against the Packers. They play 730 Eastern on Fox, and they are failed. favored by six, according to Fox Bet.

This is sort of the issue with a team like San Francisco, a team that is just tough and gritty and physical and overcomes a lot. You get deep into the playoffs. You start losing guys. You start having to really overcome injuries in big positions, and you're not that deep. You're going to go up against a team like the Packers, who are rested, number one seed, been there before, at home.

It feels like a mountain to climb for the Niners this time around. Yeah, and I just like, I picked the Niners to beat Dallas close. I feel like with the Bengals and the Niners, I feel like this is it. This was what it was going to be. You get a playoff win. Boy, this weekend's going to be good.

It is. It is. I mean, they're still a physical team. And they're not afraid of the Packers. No. But they need their guys. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Brock Heured six years in the NFL, backed up Peyton Manning with the Colts. Such a good broadcaster, Fox Sports Football analysts. Let's start with this. Listen, Jared Gaw, it was a pretty safe game plan for Stafford. And it was smart. It's like the defense of the Arizona Cardinals in the last month, Brock, had really struggled.

And so they just said, listen, we got acres back. We're just going to control the clock at home. We're not going to ask Matt to throw it 40 times. They did not. But the takeaway is during all those pick sixes, McVeigh was absolute in his conviction and support of Matt Stafford. I want you to take us, what did you see last night,

and what do you make a McVeigh and Stafford? Well, McVeigh loves Matthew Stafford. I mean, I think that's the bottom line, Colin. I got a chance late in the year to jump in and call a game with the Seahawks and the Rams on a Tuesday night. So I got a chance to talk to Sean McVeigh this year. And, you know, you're going to have to add something, Colin, to your boxes when you evaluate quarterbacks.

Because you do a great job with it, but you're going to have to add this, box because I do now as well in listening to McVey talk about Stafford. He said he has the highest emotional intelligence of anyone I've ever been around. And because of that, he connects with his teammates and he connects with the players and he connects with people in the organization better than anyone that Sean McVeigh has ever been around. So when, yeah, there's interceptions and there's knucklehead plays and there's frustration because he's still got some gunslinger in him. McVe trusts him and he loves him

and he loves it he's his quarterback and last night you saw his ceiling you see his incredible arm strength you see his touch that touchdown or near touchdown in particular the touchdown late in the game to Cooper Cup right there that the Manning brothers were like wow you know he's old you're not supposed to be able to do

that and the homes go ahead flinging around but when you're at that age that beating up over your career he just makes it look easy so I think it's an emotional intelligence he doesn't waver he connects with his teammates and I think his head coach loves him. And when you're a quarterback, you want to play for somebody

that loves coaching you, and McVeigh certainly does with Stafford. You know, I said, Odell's made 80 million playing and probably 40 million or more in endorsements. He's a star. L.A.'s a star town. They're going to be deep at wide receiver next year as Robert Woods returns. They drafted a Notre Dame receiver. Atwell, the kid, I think Ole Miss, the speed burner got hurt early.

They're going to be deep at receiver. They don't need OBJ. But, man, I look at it and I think he's kind of. of their culture, like Vaughn Miller, dude, just be big twice a game. I think I'd bring him back, would you? I would. And, you know, another little piece of intel in doing that game late in the season. And you could talk to O'Dell about this and your Rams contacts, but, you know, the Rams really wanted him when the Giants moved on from him. And O'Dell, I think, would be the first to tell you that he wasn't ready for L.A. that he needed the Cleveland crash and burn.

He needed that experience. He needed the callusine and the scarring that came with that to realize, man, you know, I got a pretty good here in L.A. I got a remarkable QB that could put the ball anywhere down the field. I got a great supporting cast. I got an organization that grows its players. You know what? And for the first time, there's just, I think, a level of maturity, the entitlement got cut off.

You walk into a building. You talk star power. You got the best defensive player in the lead. You got Cooper Cup, the best receiver statistically in the league right now. You have those other people around you, so it does, I think, naturally cut off some of that entitlement. You're seeing his explosiveness that is still there, his dynamic playmaking. And Robert Woods is awesome. Cooper Cup's phenomenal.

The other younger players you mentioned, they may grow and develop. But as far as a dynamic, just body control, throw it up to them, just change the game kind of player. OBJ is different. And to that point, to your point, I think he's a ram next year. I thought Kyler was frantic last night. And by the way, I thought Jalen Hertz was frantic. It was a lot. It was fast.

His feet weren't set. What did you make of his performance? Oh, there's no question. And the game speeds up, right? I mean, you hear that all the time. You see young players in the preseason, like, wow, this guy's making it look easy. He's going to be a star this year. And you get to the regular season, the game speeds up.

You go from the regular season to the postseason. It's another level. And even into the Super Bowl, people will tell you it's yet ratchets up one more gear. And yes, I think the game's sped up. And you can ask Russell. Russell was on with the mannings last night. What it's like to face that front when you are a past first team. When you fall behind in their building and you're an undersized QB, that is the worst position you can be put in all the league.

I don't think, honestly, I don't think there is a worst front for, maybe Tampa Bay, right, is they get it going. But that building was rocking. Rams fans were electric. Aaron Donald moves all over the line. Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines, all of them. They just sucked the air out of that pocket. And when you were undersized, and Kyler is undersized, and he's got to find lanes, and there's no lanes.

And the game is sped up. I think it leads to what you said, just the frantic feet, the frantic eyes, and just a huge, valuable learning experience that he's got to grow from. You know, it's interesting. I'm not a fire the coach guy. I never have been, not just because I'm, I'm a dad with a family, but I tend to think, you know, the coach needs is not the final solution. We see Belichick now.

There's limitations if you don't have the right personnel, right? But the Mike McCarthy situation's interesting. I could rationalize this if I own the Cowboys. I could say, I gave you a job nobody else would have given you. Like Mike McCarthy was not a hot coach on the market. Dan Quinn is a great candidate. Saved your bacon because you hired Mike Nolan. And I look at it and I think, I think I'd make the move to Quinn.

I think I would, Brock. How does it land for you? Does Dan Quinn want to be a Dallas Cowboy head coach? Right? How many times do you have a situation like this where you're an organization and you know everything about Dan Quinn? But equally, Dan Quinn knows everything about you. Right? And as you said, he's got, what, four interviews this week.

So he knows how that place operates. He knows how Jerry's going to work. He knows the dynamics there. He knows the star power that is there, the talent that's there. If you're asking me, if I'm running the Cowboys, what do I do? I hire Dan Quinn. Because if you're the fire the coach guy and it's easy to be that, then you better know what you're getting.

You better have your alternative in place. You know this guy inside and out. You know how he relates to people. You know how he balances that humility. And I think most importantly, Colin, and this is a big one. And all these coaching hires, how does he lead the other grown? men, not players. It used to be a coach who had to lead just the players. Now they have to lead staffs. How big are these coaching staffs, Colin? Right back in my day, they're like eight

assistant coaches. Now there's like 30 that sit in that room. You have to lead players. You have to lead management. You have to lead coaches. This guy's done it before. He's got an incredible track record of being a leader of developing people. And you saw that in one season with his defense there. That is one that I think to me is a no-brainer that you've got to elevate him into that position. By the way, you're wearing a hoodie, fill the stadium. Please tell people about that. Well, I shared that with you. Boy, before the season began, this was an initiative with my friends Compassion International that I do some work with, a big, big nonprofit ministry, global ministry. And we had a goal to fill the stadium to get 70,000 kids sponsor. That's the size of an average NFL

Stadium. It was a huge ask. It was about a $35 million project and pros from all the sports calling, many, many names that you know that you talk to on this show, came together, formed a team, reached out, and we filled that stadium and more. Man, 76,000 kids got sponsored, almost $40 million raised for the poorest kids around the globe so they can be educated, they can get their health care, we can provide hope, and man, it was a special, special season. Phil the stadium. You're a special guy, Brock. Love seeing you.

Thanks, Manas always. Thanks, Colin. Thank you. You know, you used to be at the other place, and we recruited him. Had to get on the phone for that one. I was like a college coach. Brock, get over here. Brock's a good place to work, good culture.

Got to come to Fox. I got to tell you something. I was watching, I was thinking about this with Jimmy Garapolo. We've seen this whole Tua thing, like when you have, like, Fitzpatrick and Tua. It can be a mess. You got a veteran quarter. who's won some games, and then you got a young quarterback, and then we saw the Bears with Andy Dalton and Fields.

And I love Matt Nagy. That thing was a dumpster fire. Does everybody understand that Jimmy G, how perfectly that went for the Niners? Thoughts on that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game?

What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things who's culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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 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, 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 ton-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 Bole 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam Jette. Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense

of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... 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.

One of the worst positions to be in as a head coach in the NFL. And it's obvious you'd like to have a veteran franchise quarterback or a Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, an ascending great young quarterback. Miller Murray, that kind of stuff. Here's a terrible spot to be in. You draft a rookie quarterback. You know he's going to be a little over his head the first year, even if you love him. And you have your GM gets you a veteran quarterback. Okay, this is what got Brian Flores fired. He couldn't manage the Tua, Fitzpatrick, Deshawn Watson stuff. He won eight of nine with Tua. But in the end, they had major disagreements with Tua. Brian Flores, great coach. Out. Matt Nagy, playoffs twice with Mitch Trubisky.

They draft Justin Fields, but then they promise Andy Dalton they're going to play him, and he gets fired. And even Urban Meyer got fired first year. Now, a lot of his stuff was off field, right? Nobody disputes that. But what happened in the camp? Gardner Minshue is absolutely probably going to be better in September. He got snaps.

He got ripped. He had Trevor Lawrence. So three guys that had the rookie quarterbacks got fired. Belichick went all-in. and Kyle Shanahan went all out. Like you got to make a choice on this stuff. You got to go all in with a rookie, which is way easier if you're New England

and you've got a defense and you, and San Francisco, and there was a lot of debate on this because they traded to move up to get him. And this is why I say there's no right answer on this stuff. There is no play the rookie. Because San Francisco, it was perfect. Think about how perfect it was.

So first of all, Garapolo, to his credit, handled the fact that the Niners moved up to get Tray Lance, knowing that he's done in a year. No whining, no complaining. Number two, Garoppolo stayed overwhelmingly healthy. Cross your fingers. Number three, Tray Lance got just enough work. So you got glimpses of him. He got a couple of starts, lost one, one another.

Got to learn. Also, Garapolo is good enough to lead to the playoffs. And here's the other thing. But Jimmy's flawed enough, and you saw this with the Cowboys, that he's not tearing the front office apart or the coaches apart. They're done with him. Now, if he beats Green Bay, maybe that's not true. But I think that fourth down in inches when he didn't let Trent Williams get set

or that terrible pick, he's driving them nuts. They love him. They appreciate him. You can win games. He got him to a Super Bowl, outplayed Mahomes for half of it. but it's the perfect scenario. And I've said this with Mahomes. If I was a coach, the perfect scenario is to have an Alex Smith or a Garapolo can get you

to the playoffs, lower ceiling, and I would sit my quarterback. Now, Joy is the opposite, and I don't think that's wrong either because now New England knows what Mack Jones is and what he's not. But my takeaway has always been, there's no right answer to this stuff. There really isn't. I mean, Brian Flores won eight of nine. and he couldn't balance it. And Matt Nagy, who'd made the playoffs a couple of times,

he couldn't balance. Matt Nagy, one coach of the year a few years ago. Like, he couldn't balance it. And Urban Meyer in camp is like, yeah, I know it's that guy, but he's not ready, this guy. And we were banging on Urban Meyer in camp because he was giving up snaps. There's no right answer. If you go with a young guy like Mac Jones,

it's going to be a bumpy September. You're not going to win a lot of games. Hopefully you've got the infrastructure where he can win and get betters. but at the end of the year, Mac Jones wasn't very good either. Right? But they said, we're getting rid of Cam, we're going all in. You can do it that way. And I do think Belichick was smart enough to look around the league and go,

you can't keep Cam here. Because every time Max struggles, well, Cam's in the back. You just got to say, September, October, going to be bumpy. I mean, just going to be bumpy. They couldn't beat Tampa. They couldn't beat Dallas. They got close. They couldn't beat Miami.

You're just going to lose those games, your first six, seven weeks. Then you cross your fingers. He's a quick learner. He gets out of the terrible throw business, which Mack Jones did in late October, November, December. But even New England, so New England and San Francisco did the opposite, and I think it both worked. New England's all in, came out of town. San Francisco's like basically sit and watch Jimmy G. We'll get to the playoffs. They both got to the playoffs. So just as context, there's no right and wrong way. It gets really good coaches fire. I think Matt Nagy and Brian Flores will coach again.

one defense, one offense. I think they're both good coaches. Gets guys run out of this league. It is just a nightmare position to be in. That's why Pittsburgh's in a great spot. Because Pittsburgh can go draft a quarterback and just say, brother, it's yours. We're giving you the defense, the wide receivers,

and the running back. It is yours. And next year, Pittsburgh, in a tough division, is going to be really choppy for about six weeks. But again, like New England, you got the coach, you got the defense, you got the infrastructure. November, December.

Can you stay around the playoffs? Backdoor it, sneak it in. But it is just quicksand. Good coaches get fired because of this stuff. And you got to give Jimmy G credit. Total grown up and handled it. Like Brady didn't like Jimmy G around. Like stars don't like capable backups.

So, but there you go. I think they're in a really good. spot. And because Jimmy G, I'm not saying it's best that they lose at Green Bay. But I mean, at the end of that Dallas game, all those coaches flying back are like, the hell we almost lost that thing. We outplayed them for three and a half hours. We almost lost that. They're trying to get out of that. And the good news for them, Trey Lance has to clean up his motion a little bit. It's a little clunky. But now they have all offseason. Kid, you get all the snaps. And I'd make the argument because I'd move Jimmy G now. I would draft a quarterback in like the six or seventh round

to have behind Trey. But I would move Jimmy G now. Didn't even add this. You're probably going to get a pick out of it. Probably getting a second round pick out of Jimmy G. So you're going to, you know, and again, San Francisco, they've got to get better at corner, but it's a pretty complete roster. I would probably go draft. Not a threat to Trey Lance, but somebody that plays like him. Baltimore does a very good job with this with Lamar. They always bring in a Huntley RG like a really, really smart backup. So like if Lamar misses a game, you don't have to change the offense. So go find, you know, a guy that has a power arm, if you can, that can move a little,

get him in the fifth round because you mostly have a complete roster. And you're not paying tray. So you can, any shortcomings you have in this roster, you can just go buy and solve it in free agency. All right, the herd playoff hierarchy. Carson Palmer stops by as well. One down. A town of winners. Rams a W, 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 I-Heart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

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

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