The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Rams, Dolphins-Ravens, Newton

Episode Date: November 12, 2021

Rams sales pitch to Odell Beckham Jr. was betterDiscussing the Dolphins win over the Ravens last nightCam Newton is better than what the Panthers have right nowGuest: LaVar Arrington 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor it? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that doesn't. not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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 tontons 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.

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. Here we go on a busy Friday live in Los Angeles, the home of football stars far and wide. It's the herd.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1 last night at the beginning of an underdog weekend in the NFL. You can feel it. You can feel it. We've got upsets in the Blazing Five this week. It's an underdog. Bark, bark weekend in the NFL. Great to have you enjoy Taylor.

Joy, we just landed another star here. I think we probably have to redo our Los Angeles star rankings again now, right? That's a Monday or Tuesday bit. Yeah. But I think it's time. We have to shuffle some things around. We've got Von Miller and Odell. And Carmel.

And Carmel. And Westbrook. Are we haven't done it since then? Losing track. The city is crazy. You know, I said this. when Dan Campbell, Coach of the Lions, and Nick Seriani, co-to-the-eagles got hired, I said,

God, they're bad at the podium. I thought it was obvious that, you know, that matters. And it was amazing how many of you were like, oh, that doesn't matter. Let me ask you, how do you think movies get made? Every movie you've seen, every Netflix show, every Fox show, they start with a sales pitch. A lot of you have ideas, you can't pitch it.

How do you think Silicon Valley? How's Facebook get made? How's Oracle get made? How'd Uber get made? It's a sales pitch. They call them angel investors. Rich guys sit around and young people come in with a great idea and they pitch him and pitch him. And then rich guy goes, okay, I'll give you $100,000.

I'll give you $200,000. I'll give you half a million. You can have the greatest idea. You can't sell it. Nobody's listening. I've said this about Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin goes to the podium and I don't even have to believe in what he's saying. And I'm like, yes, sir.

That's why he's never had a sub-500 season with injuries, bad quarterback play, backup quarterbacks, because he can sell that locker room. Duck Hodges? So? We're winning Sunday. Sean McVeigh can sell. And you need a coach that can sell because he's got to sell his owner.

He's got to sell his GM. I need more pieces. He's got to sell his culture. He's got to sell his defense. He's got to sell free agents. And that's what Sean McVeigh did. He beat Sean Payton, Matt LaFleur, and maybe Andy Reid. They all wanted OBJ.

Sean McVey is great at the podium. and he can sell, and it's not a dirty word in coaching. Nick Saban's the best salesman in the history of college football. I don't know if he's the best coach. He's the best salesman. Man, he can sell players. And Sean McVeigh sold his owner on Matt Stafford. You think it was easy?

It wasn't. I talked to Stan Cronkey. Hey, Stan, we're going to pay Matt Stafford a bunch of money. Oh, yeah. We're still going to pay Goff. Yeah, yeah. And we're getting him up a bunch of first round picks. But golf got us to the Super Bowl.

I know, but this guy's well. better and we're still going to be paying golf. Yeah. And the billionaire owner said, all right, he sells less need. Just get me von Miller. Just, just, just, I know, just give up a pick. Just get. And less need. All right, I'll do it. He sells his culture. Remember when he came into the league and Matt, John McVeigh said, no starters take snaps in the preseason. None. We might, everybody were like, you're crazy. I heard there were players in the locker room that were fighting to get snaps. Guys were like, I need some snaps. He's like, no, you'll get no snaps in the preseason.

He had to sell that to veteran players who wanted snaps. A lot of people said, they won't be ready. They won't be ready in September. Yeah, they went eight no to start the season. Now it's duplicated, copied throughout the league. And the second part of being able to sell is to deliver on the message. And he does. Matt, come to my place.

You'll not only win more games, Matt, than to, Detroit, you'll be a frontrunner for the MVP. He's in the short list. He's on the short list. Jalen Ramsey, you'll be able to come here and be yourself and fit right in. And once again, he's a pro bowler. You've got to be able to sell it and then you've got to deliver. And yesterday, he won the sales pitch over Matt LaFleur.

He won it over Sean Payton. And I'll tell you what the sales pitch was. He went to OBJ and he said, okay, time out. Cooper Cups, the third round. pick from Eastern Washington University. He's going to lead the league in catches and yards. Robert Woods got you about 580 yards a year in Buffalo. He gets about a thousand.

And that's with Cooper Cup next to him. OBJ, Matt Stafford, you saw him play for years. He was good, right? You know, he's great. That's a very strong sales pitch. But you got to deliver on it. And he does. He has never been under 500.

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. Tomlin and McVeigh are as good as this league has ever had at the podium. And it's amazing to me when I initially said it, it was dismissed. Oh, I mean, what is it? It's college maybe. You're selling OBJ. You're selling Matt Stafford. You're selling Jalen Ramsey.

You're selling your owner on Matt Stafford. You're selling the players on. Don't take any snaps in the preseason. I know you think it's a bad word. but one of the reasons Stephen Spielberg is Stephen Spielberg is way back when he was like 19 he pitched his ideas to people and they're like you never been a director these are home movies somebody gave him money same with Uber same with YouTube got to pitch your product Tomlin and McVay are the best I've ever seen at it by the way McVay even when he has in

and the media wants the information and the media knows he has information. Well, I'll just let you watch yesterday in L.A. Lest is always doing work behind the scenes. Like I said, I'm focused on the Niners right now, Gary. I mean, Gary's smiling at me. What do you want me to do? Let me get out of here. All right, I want to talk about last night what I saw Miami beat Baltimore.

And it's funny how this works. It really is funny how this works. My wife and her family have been in the restaurant business for a long time. Like that's her background, her dad. My wife's dad was a Chicago restaurateur. Her son has got a great restaurant currently in Los Angeles. And you can have a great waterfront location. You can have a great staff.

You can have a clean kitchen, clean bathrooms. The menu can be fantastic. The cocktails are great. If you don't get the food right, you close your doors in six months. You've got to get the food right. Conversely, if you get the food right, you can have a terrible location. How many of us have gone to restaurants in bad locations? They call them dives, and the food's amazing.

And you keep going back, get back, get back, come back, and back. And by the way, I've gone to dives, and they don't really necessarily have great service, but the food gets me back. If you can't get the quarterback right in this league, as a coach, will question your legacy, Bill Belichick last year. We'll question your sanity. Brian Flores last night. The hell's he doing there with Tua and Jacoby Bursin?

We'll question your family's knowledge, Shanahan, Kyle. If you can't get the quarterback right, literally last year, Belichick dominates the league for 20 years, all he talked about. You know, I don't know. You can't draft a wide receiver. I don't know if it's going to work. If I was him, I'd probably just retire. I mean, this is embarrassing.

It's Bill Belichick. I mean, Kyle Shanahan. We're like, you can't even figure out who you're going to start. So I'm watching last night. And the internet, the Angry Bird Twitter, people are going crazy. Well, well, Tuel was good enough to start, but he didn't start. I think Brian Flores is just trying to win games, bro. I think he's like, maybe Jacoby Brissette had a better week of practice.

Before the game, Jacoby Brissette was probably the healthier of the two. I just think Brian Flores is trying to win games with a bad quarterback space. that's all he's trying to do. And I think it's really hard. I mean, when you're not good at quarterback, it also makes everything look worse. I'll give you an example. So last year they had Ryan Fitzpatrick,

and Fitzpatrick can run around a little bit. He's pretty athletic, right? So we didn't talk about their offensive line. We're like, it's not great, but this year we're like, oh, offensive line's terrible. Well, that's because Brissette doesn't run around much and Tua is not very athletic. So now it makes your offensive line look bad

because you got a quarterback like Tua who's small and just sits there. And then you start, your defense gets worse. And we're like, last year we're like, oh, the defense was great. But now when you're three and out, three and out, three and out, and your defense is exhausted, and you start being really bad defensively in the second half. And then your wide receivers start grumbling because they don't get the ball. It's bad for chemistry.

And the running backs are grumbling because you're always trailing so they don't get the touches. And all of a sudden you're questioning the coach and the coordinator. And if you can't get the quarterback right or food right at a restaurant, rest of it's irrelevant. doors close. Kyle Shanahan, we know he can coach. A couple years ago, we're like, McVeigh can't beat him. He was beaten McVeigh with backups. We know Belichick's the best coach ever.

Brian Flores can coach. But when you're average at quarterback, it just unravels everything. Last night, people are like, what is Flores doing? He's trying to win a game with Tua and Jacoby Brissette. Tua's arms hurt and Brissette's knees. He's trying to beat the Baltimore Ravens on a standalone Thursday night game. He's just trying to get to the end of the game. He's hoping they can make a defensive play because they're not moving the ball.

They've got tight ends and not much else. Brian Flores can coach. Jan Ann can probably coach. Bill Belichick can coach. This is why people consider giving up four first round picks and two second round picks for quarterbacks, even if they're in legal trouble. This is why. as Jay Glazer once said, it is a miserable league if you don't have the quarterback right.

It's a miserable league. So what was Brian Flores doing? We're the only game on. Baltimore's good. Who will be better this series? Tua, get in here. And it worked. All right.

Great to have you in today. Cam Newton's back in the league. How about that? Shady McCoy's on. Josh Norman's on today. Blazing five. you can feel it folks. I saw a stat yesterday.

Only 42% of home favorites this year have covered. I have a feeling. You could sense it last weekend. So what happens is when you get to the midway point. You know who's terrible and you know who's pretty good. But you get those teams in the middle like your Minnesota's, a New Orleans, Atlanta, and it could go either way. And they are fighting like mad.

and Saints are an underdog this weekend. Atlanta's an underdog this weekend. That's why the last couple of weekends, when you get to the middle of the season, you know, I mean, we all know. L.A. is making the playoffs. Arizona's making the playoffs. Green Bay is making the playoffs.

Tampa's making the playoffs. And, you know, we kind of know at the bottom who won't. And that's not, you know, Jacksonville's not going to. But did you see Jacksonville last weekend fight and claw and scratch? You see Miami last night, fight and claw and scratch? Like, even if you're bad, the next three weekends, you don't want to lose the locker room. So these average teams getting points, they are, watch out.

Every year in this time, this is week seven, week eight, week nine. Now, by week 11, week 12, those teams, they may not buy the coach, they may not by the culture, they may be beat up, they got a backup quarterback, but the next couple of weekends, watch out. You're going to see upsets. We saw one last weekend or two or three, and we saw one last night. 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 which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. First ever national, check your wipers days, November 16th. Enter for a chance to win.

Michelin, New York City's experience for two. Go to wipersday.com. Wipersday. from Michelin, no purchase necessary. So Cam Newton signed a deal to rejoin the Carolina Panthers. I am a believer in the theory of that's better than we have. Be grateful. Cam Newton's better than you have.

It's often a very, very acceptable solution in life. It's better than we have. Cam Newton in New England, it's better than Jarrett's did him. Cam Newton in Carolina. Well, it's better than PJ Walker or an injured Sam Darnold or maybe a healthy Sam Darnold. Cam, to me, feels like an injection of energy. They're trying to sell tickets. Whatever.

OBJ is part of that selling tickets. I don't think he makes the Rams that much better. Listen, that final playoff spot in the NFC is going to go to an eight and nine team. And the Panther quarterbacks this year, the passerating is a combined. 69 pass a rating, the worst in the league. What I like about Cam, though, is I see growth. And I like this. I always questioned his maturity.

That was always my thing with Cam. I know he's big. He's strong. He's talented. I don't know if he's like quarterbackial. Is he committed? Is he mature? And in the last two stops, he sent videos out with New England, got along with Belichick, seemed very serious, very committed, worked himself back into shape.

I'm like, all right, he's grown up. He's a professional quarterback. And then this year, he's like, you know what? I wasn't going to get a vaccine, but I am. And by the way, 95% of the NFL is vaccinated. We should really give credit 95% of the league is vaccinated. 70% of America is. So most athletes, these guys are great guys.

They're doing their party, even if they don't want to get vaccinated. But that matters to me, and it's always mattered to me. Quarterback is different. I never questioned Cam's talent, but I did question his. commitment and his focus. This Cam, I said at New England. I don't care with this, Kim. I think he can start somewhere in the NFL.

Am I going to build around him five years? I don't know. Probably not. But this morning, I thought it was a smart move because it's better what we have. And Carolina's defense, Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, good coach, excellent front seven,

got some really good DBs are getting healthier. You tell me, Cam can't take him to like a 9-8-8-9. I mean, I thought Darnold could a month and a half ago. And Cam's got more of a track record than Sam Darnold. So I'm okay with it. I think it's smart. I think it works. And I also think there are players.

And I said this about Westbrook. I don't have to love Westbrook. But I will argue all day that Westbrook brings to an old Laker roster, energy, passion, believes in himself. You're getting production. You're getting minutes. I don't need Westbrook to be everything. I don't want him with a ball with a minute left in June.

June. I want it in LeBron's hands. I don't need Cam. We said this yesterday. I don't look at Carolina as a quarterback-led franchise. Can Cam inject energy? Can Cam pick up first downs? Can Cam with McCaffrey make it a very difficult process? Remember, Matt rules an offensive coach. You mean like, what are they going to run here? There could be an element of surprise with Cam for the first three or four weeks. You win a couple of those games. You're battling New Orleans for a playoff spot. You've already beaten them once. I think it works. It's better than what they had. Perhaps potentially by a lot. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, the shocking week continues with the dolphins win over the Ravens last night. Their offense was dominated by the Dolphins defense. Incredible performance by the Dolphins defense, by the way. It looked like last year's defense. Lost season for the dolphins, obviously, at this point. However, not only did they have a nice performance last night, they kind of gave the blueprint for

how you contain that Ravens' offense at this point. Yeah. So Lamar was seen on the sidelines, obviously very upset. He's an emotional guy. He was yelling. And he explained why he was so fired up. I was hard. We want to score no point. We started putting our

defense out there, they played a great game. Like, the offense had their great players on offense, but I feel like our defense paid lights out, man. We just wasn't getting it done on offense. So that's why I was mad. If you were on offense, you would be mad too, like, you know? But I played a great game, man. He is actually very onto rated at the microphone.

He's very authentic. Well, I mean, listen, now, I will say this. I'm not going to give away my whole rant later on this. Because you know I like Lamar. I think he's productive and he wins games. Yes. Just for fun this morning. Just for fun this morning.

An exercise in thinking. So that was Lamar's 46th career start, and he stunk. I went back to just for fun. Peyton Manning's 45th start. Two touchdowns, two picks, lost to the Jets, 52% completion percentage, 70 pass-year rating. This is hard. Oh, yeah.

And great players. and remember 45 starts, you're a baby. That's just a little over two years. So I know, because I saw him last weekend, and he was unbelievable. By the way, Justin Herbert three weeks ago was terrible. So it's like, folks, I could give you the 45th start on nine Hall of Fame quarterbacks. And I did this morning. And it can get ugly really fast.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's anything to overreact to. The Dolphins defense was incredible. And to this point, the Ravens defense did a nice job as well. It just was like no one wanted to win that game for a while. And then eventually it just kind of fell apart for the Ravens completely. He was sacked four times and pressured six times. We just saw this game on Sunday. It was called Jags Bills.

It was unwatchable for most of it. And then somebody made a big defensive play and the game turned and the Jags won and Miami one. I mean, you get these games where both offensive lines last week and last night were getting manhandled. And so I was watching that game. I kept thinking, it was almost a guard. At one point, Miami had their punter and a guard look like they were going to lead him to a win. That's why it's really important to have several units that can win games because that was a, we saw this game last Sunday, Jags Bills, where a clearly better team with the young quarterback could not block for the quarterback. The quarterback was awful. And the underdog won because

they made a defensive play. Yes, and that's exactly what happened. Now, again, the takeaway is, if I'm watching from around the league, as hideous as that game was last night, there are some things to take away from how you can try to contain Lamar. Because we only saw one or two really Lamar-like runs throughout the game. It was a hideous game, but the Dolphins came out on top. And the Ravens' only touchdown was on a drive where there were two roughing the passer penalties.

Miami's defensive personality. they've got some really good players. They're mostly on the defensive side, but they have good tight ends, and they have some really good defensive players and a really good defensive head coach. They have some players. It's just been one of those years for Miami,

and we'll see what happens moving forward since they decided to start Jacoby Berset, and then he gets injured, and then Tua comes in, and it's a mess. So Russell Wilson was told he'd be out six to eight weeks when he injured his finger in week five, but he was determined to make it back before then. He returned to practice on Monday one month after having surgery,

and he says he's been feeling good as he gets ready to start on Sunday. I wasn't going to take the 68. That wasn't my mind. I feel great. I feel really close. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm pretty dang close. I would say I'm the 90% tile, if not higher. So I feel great.

I feel I got great conviction about what I'm doing, how I'm doing it. My mindset's better than ever, ready to roll, and I'm ready to go. Well, they lost the game, the Seahawks said that he was injured and I'm gone one and two without him. The Packers are only three-point favorites against the Seahawks, according to Fox Bet. And we're still waiting to see what's going to happen with Aaron Rogers as well. Okay, so I love Green Bay in this game.

But here's what concerns me, is that this is why I did not put it in the Blazing Five because Russell Wilson, this is a Drew Breeze thing. Russell Wilson just got a month sabbatical in the middle of a season. And he runs around, right? You watch Russell at the end of last year. You're like, Kyler at the end of last year. This is a lot of work, right, to run and throw.

I may just get the most ridiculous Russell Wilson performance I've ever seen because he does, historically, he travels really well. He and Pete go on the road and they do really well in the Midwest and really well in the East. And I just have this feeling. Russell is going to be this ball of energy is going to come out. and he's going to be running around and we're like, okay. Well, you can see him in the press comments. He can't stand still. Like, he's dying to get out there, obviously.

And his legs, and he hasn't been hit for a month too, so there might be something there. I can see that. I would stay away from this game as well. There's too many unknowns. I was talked out of this game by somebody I trust who said, this is the freshest he's ever been in November in his career. Yeah, there's too many unknowns.

It's going to be a must watch regardless, though, because it is a big game. And obviously, if Aaron Rogers comes back, he's going to be dying to make a statement as well. So we'll see what happens. The Browns gave a contract extension to two of their offensive linemen this week, Wyatt Teller and Joe Betonio. Great players.

Joel Betonio, sorry. And they aren't any closer to getting a deal done with Baker Mayfield. According to Mary Kay Cab, but the team has still not had any meaningful contract talks with Baker yet, but she did know they could begin before the end of the season. By the way, the heart of this team is their guard center guard combo. So this is actually a really smart move. This is not a shot at Baker, but what they're saying is the heart of our team is built around our run game.

Right. So I don't think this is a negative to Baker. I think this is, okay, we're going to take care of this because this is what we're best in the league at. I don't know that not signing your quarterback to an extension is anything other than a negative to the quarterback. I agree with you that they need to lock up their offensive line. And if you have a good offensive line, that should be a priority. They have the best guards in the league. The best guards center combo in the league is Cleveland. But them not giving him an extension, them not giving him a contract.

Am I supporting Baker in this little conversation? I think you're trying to put a positive spin on it. I am Mr. Glass Half full. I think that's understood in the industry. Well, he's signed through the 2022 season. He's due to make 18.9 fully guaranteed on his fifth year option. Yeah, that's reasonable. And if they don't sign him to an extension or release him, they can franchise tag him.

So he can be tagged up three times by his team. Now, you don't like the franchise tag for the quarterbacks. But in this situation... It would help Baker. Well, I mean, he would make a lot of money. Yeah, for a short time. So the conversation about Baker really is how much do you pay him? Because everyone feels like he needs to have a reasonable contract.

Okay, so that's a good point. So I think what they're doing, I think what the front office is doing is like, we don't know what we're going to pay Baker. But let's get these guys locked in and get clarity on who we are going to pay. Because I think if I was the GM, the soul of this team, I would argue, is guard center guard. Yes, it's built in the trenches. I would agree. Which is how you want to build a successful team.

However, I would argue, and this is the anxiety that I get when I talk about Baker possibly not being there. Let's just remind everyone. what the Browns were before Baker got there. Now, it's not all on Baker. I think Sifansky's done an excellent job, and so is Andrew Barry. But their record 10 seasons before drafting Baker was 38 and 122. They were not great. That's terrible.

Yeah. They had 20 different quarterbacks make at least one passing attempt during that time. 20, 22, zero. Fair. Fair. And six different head coaches. Yeah. Six.

Yeah. Fair. I'm not saying you've got to pay him Russell Wilson money. Yeah. What about Ryan Tannahill money? What's Ryan Tanyl, mate? He is a cap hit of 11.1 million this season, so 12th highest amongst quarterbacks. His contract takes up 5.9% of the Titan's salary cap this season.

I'd want Baker to be somewhere in the 6% of the salary cap, 6 to 7%. That's fair? Yeah, I mean, Aaron's 13. Russell's is ridiculous. Russell Wilson is 17.5%. That's ridiculous. I think Baker's got to be in that six. That's what I could live. Whatever that number is, I'm fine.

But I have no problem. If I'm the GM, what I'm not, Lucas, I think we all acknowledge Baker with an average O-line is not as good. So I have no problem. These guys are great. They're resigning great elite offensive line. I just want to remind everybody. It can be a rough road in Cleveland again with you don't have a quarterback.

Joy of the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly news. Half his career, he was a pro bowler. Now he's part of the Fox Sports Radio Morning Show, two pros in the cup of Joe. And it's really fun. And it's light.

And they like each other, which in radio, We all hate each other. So it's really nice to have a show where they all like each other. Levar Arrington, the former Pro Bowl linebacker, Fox Sports NFL analyst. He just did a show, so I'm not going to keep him long, but I want his thoughts on some things. Look at you. Hey. Look at you.

How's it getting up at 1.30 in the morning for you? Wonderful. Pull that mic up. He gets up at 1.30 in the morning. 110, right? 110. I don't even know. Every minute counts.

It does. It does count. Okay, so I think Joey and I, I think I was, either you said it or it was on your social yesterday. I don't know if OBJ makes them better. I don't. But there's an argument to be made that this football team in L.A. was in St. Louis six years ago. And they were never really in L.A. team. The Raiders were, they were Orange counties.

And there's an argument to be made that Vaughn Miller and OBJ is you're in a market with the Dodgers and the Lakers. It's interesting and it makes me want to watch them more. Of course. Could I make an argument? That alone? That alone. They're not paying it much. Well, you see all of the celebrities showing up pregame to the games already right now.

So far is an amazing establishment. I mean, that edifice is ridiculous. But to add OBJ, I think there's more value to it than just the idea of selling tickets. So many people are writing off OBJ at this point. And I guess there's a lot of information that could legitimize why you're. would think that and go that direction. But again, you're talking about a team that they have guys that can really, really stretch out this field with Cup and with Woods.

When you had Deshawn Jackson, you had a guy that really could take the top off the defense. Still one of the fastest guys in the league. But what about accessing and opening up the center of the field? There are a few guys in this league that you look at. Tarique Hill is one of those guys where you say, wow, his biggest plays come either shallow in the center of the field, mid center of the field, or deep in the middle of the field. And even if he gets it outside of the center of the field, outside of the numbers or the hashes, he's ran through the center of the field. That's what OBJ brings to your team. There is a skill set that he brings to this team that Matthew Stafford will be able to utilize.

and McVeigh and these offensive minds will be able to utilize to open up the center of the field, accessing the outsides of the field with Woods and in Cup, which Cup can run through the center of the field as well. But then now that gives you the ability to alleviate some of the stress on your running attack. It'll open it up for you to be able to run the ball. So I think it is a strategically sound decision for the Rams to have added him. Yeah, you know, it's interesting. If you go back, I can make an argument.

This has happened a lot. So Tampa Bay last year, they were a very good football team. And they just, once the cake is made, you just add little sprinkles. And they said, you know what? Leonard Fernette, we don't know how many touches, but there's going to be a point in the season. When we need them. We're going to need him at some point. The cakes made.

When the Seahawks had that great run, they went and got Percy Harvin. Volume, never around. And they get to a playoff game, Percy goes in motion. When you need them. When you need him. So if you believe, like we're in the Super Bowl bubble and you start looking at Tampa, like AB, they don't really need AB. But he gives them plays and places and times that are valuable and needed and necessary to win. And that to me with OBJ, if you told me OBJ, you know, he gets four targets, he makes two catches.

But in a big game, you put him in motion. You're going to tell me a safety going to move over. You're like, if you can give. That's the key, Colin. That's the to say, all right, if you run a single high safety defensive set, if you have a guy like OBJ running through the center of that defense, the safeties are generally going to read the eyes of the quarterback. Wherever that quarterback goes, they're reading that,

they're going to lean towards that. But if you see a guy that can access the center of the field and make those great catches, those tough catches in the center of that defense, you can't vacate the premises. You have to stay there. You have two, if you have two safeties, you have two backfield safeties, look, you got to have one that's being ready to play to run. You have to have one that's going to be ready to play to pass.

Nonetheless, if you run the ball, or excuse me, if you throw the ball and spread sets, you've got to have the ability to cover those spread sets. So both safeties have to be able to read it. If you have a receiver that can do what OBJ does, it stresses your defense out because they get in that sweet spot behind where the linebackers don't quite always drop to, but inside and more closer to the backers than what the safeties are comfortable coming up to play, because now those other receivers are able to get behind your defense if the safeties have to play up on a receiver coming inside in that sweet spot area. So I think even if he doesn't get a ton of targets,

The skill set that OBJ will be bringing to this team will open it up for the outsides. And if it opens it up for the outsides, then they're going to have to start defending the outsides. And then OBJ will get his looks and his touches on the inside. That's what I expect. Cam Newton to Panthers a, what are your thoughts? I like it. I like the fact that he's got an opportunity to not only come back, but to go to a place where he's familiar. I think that that will play a part in him being able to adapt and adjust, even though it's

new coaching staff, which, mind you didn't want him. That's the coaching staff that let them go. Right. There's that. But I think that there's that whole idea of being able to have the opportunity to open up the conversation as to what's next. Do I stay in Carolina because of the way that I played or did I play well enough where I have the option of, do I stay in Carolina or is there a move to another franchise where

I can finish out my career? So he has an opportunity because obviously Sam Darnold has not completed anything, right? Think about this. Not even his fracture, Colin. Well, Case Keenum looks and plays a lot like Baker. Colt McCoy has always been a mover. You can put him in and not change the offense much from Kyler. If you look at Sam Darnold, they brought him in because he was an athlete.

You never thought he was an effortless thrower. Right. But you could do a lot of stuff. He is a mover. Okay. That's what Cam is. He is a mover. offense doesn't have to be blown up with Cam, just be less turnover prone with Cam with this front seven.

I think if you go look at the top of the NFC, it's loaded. Yep. The bottom of it, you're going to get in Atlanta, a Carolina, a Minnesota. Somebody's going to win seven, eight games and get in. And I'm like, Carolina's defense and their playmakers, if they just don't turn it over, they'll win ugly. That's how I look at Cam. It's an accurate assessment of it. And you think about it, the number one team in the NFC South is at five wins.

Carolina is at four. One game down in terms of what the wins, total wins are in your division. This is a tremendously unique yet amazing opportunity for camp. It could be a redemption story. it could open up the conversations of resurrecting his career or it could just be the end. But I think that this is ultimately the type of opportunity that Cam would want to have in terms of what the end of that story will be. He has the opportunity to write that. Yeah.

All right. We're letting you go home. All right. Have a nap. That's what he does because he works really, really hard. I'm hungry. My belly is. I got to feed the mammal.

All right. I totally get. Be sure to catch live at. editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facts only.

Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100. This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rights or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast'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 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, is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. 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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack,

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So nice to have you in on a Friday. Our Blazing Five, it is going to be an underdog weekend.

Our Blazing Five, top of next hour. Whenever you give upsets, people are always like, Last week, I called the Giants over the Raiders. I said Atlanta is going to either beat the Saints or it's going to be close. And those are the two we hit on. So we've done well with underdogs this year. You know, it's funny. I was watching the Ravens play, you know, poorly last night.

And it's very easy to lose in this league. Ask the bills. They just lost the Jags. It's hard to win. It's easy to lose. Especially in the midway point in the season. You get those not very good teams playing desperate football, jobs on the line. It can go really sideways.

But this game, actually, as I watched Baltimore, made me think about two other AFC teams. Number one, Kansas City. Kansas City hasn't been right in weeks, and they keep beating the teams they should beat. They beat Philly. They beat the Washington football team. They beat the Giants, and they didn't play well. And there is an art. Go ask the Bills and go ask the Ravens last night.

There is an art when you play a team that's not very good and you're not right and you're loose and you're not playing well. and you're winning. Like Baltimore got beat badly by a bad team. Now, Kansas City has lost big when Buffalo was rolling or Tennessee. That's different. But it made me appreciate Kansas City. They're winning these games. And Mahomes isn't right.

And the offense isn't right. And they're five and four and they're winning. There is value in that. It doesn't have to be pretty. The second thing, it made me appreciate the Cleveland Brown. So the two things about the Ravens that are obvious. One, the secondary is not very good. is it's hard to win with a bad secondary.

Second thing is their offensive line can get pushed around. And it did last night. I mean, it got pushed around. Give Miami credit. But it made me thinking of Cleveland. Cleveland's O line never gets pushed around. And I think Cleveland's secondary is fantastic. I like their safeties.

We saw last week. I like their corners when they're healthy. And it made me appreciate Cleveland. And it's like, Kansas City's not close to right. And they're beating the teams they should. They're always ugly. they're narrow, but they're winning. And when you start looking at Baltimore and Cleveland,

and they play back to back here within the month, the two areas Baltimore's bad at at times, Cleveland's excellent at. And maybe that's why Cleveland, instead of signing Baker, went and signed offensive linemen yesterday, because that's the heart of their team. But you start looking around,

and we've got, you know, everybody's like, oh, I like this, I like that. The NFC at the top is fantastic. It's veteran quarterbacks. it's Aaron Rogers, it's Tom Brady, it's Matt Stafford, you've got explosive Kyler Murray. You got really good. The top of the AFC right now, don't count out Kansas City. They're figuring out ways to win and they're not close to right. And if you start looking around at what Cleveland does well, Bill's O line, real hit and miss.

Baltimore's O line, you watch them, real hit and miss. Even Kansas City's offensive line, it's really. rebuilt. Made me appreciate Cleveland last night. Keep your eye on Cleveland. And by the way, it didn't make me think less of Baltimore because I saw them escape against Detroit. I saw them escape against Minnesota. I saw him rolled at home against Cincinnati. Lamar Jackson plays the position differently. He's a little bit like a knuckle ball pitcher. When it's good, it's fascinating. When it's bad, it's awful. He has really bad starts. I mean, Baltimore is a first quarter offense is abysmal. And, you know,

when Justin Herbert, who's pretty much a pocket quarterback, when he's bad, it's like, well, we've seen that before. But whenever a running quarterback, Michael Vic or a Lamar Jackson, when they're bad, we're like, that's terrible. No, it's just different. It's just a different style. Lamar remains wildly successful. He wins a lot of his games, and he's really productive.

But, you know, if Mack Jones, as a pocket quarterback has a bad Sunday, we're like, ah, he's young, I've seen pocket quarterbacks have, we just haven't seen people who play the position like Lamar. So when he's bad, he's the knuckleball pitcher that can't get to the second inning. You're like, how is that guy in the same? That's not a major league pitcher. It's a floating all. It's different.

But I don't think less than the Ravens. I think on any day based on schemes. They can beat anybody. I think they've proven they can come from behind. I think their issue is their offense is inconsistent. Their old lines inconsistent. Their passing's inconsistent. Their performance.

They're a bad first quarter offense. Can be great in the fourth, which is good, bad in the first. Blazing five around the corner on a Friday hour two coming up live in LA. It's The Hurd. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way

with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.