The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Ravens win, Bears struggles

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

Colin Cowherd offers his thoughts on the Ravens win over the Cowboys, and why Dallas continues to be a mess. Trying to figure out just what is going on with the Chicago Bears, the Rams steal a win over the 49ers, and the Chiefs close win over the Falcons and people complaining about the officiating.See 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.

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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 signals to the world that you're 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 Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilts of coverage. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at fox sports radio.com or stream us live every day on the Iheart radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the herd podcast. Ah, it is a Monday you know we love Mondays live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. we'll have Mark Sanchez stopped by today. Matt Hasselbeck one hour from now where Colin was right,

where Colin was wrong, there's a lot of both. Jay Mack, you know, I had said before this season all these 12-win Cowboys seasons, I said, I believe they have peaked and they'll be slow regression.

It won't be drastic. They won't go down to seven wins or eight wins. But it'll be about 12, 12, 12. This year will be closer to 10. and there'll be more ugly losses. And once again, don't be fooled by the fourth quarter. Dallas got smoked, right? It feels good that we nailed that game, right?

Raven's in a mauling. Yeah, so C.D. Lamb and Dak are arguing on one side line, and Micah Parsons is yelling at the defense, both sides in chaos. The Cowboys have become one big, authentic Kardashian event. There's drama, and there's glitz, and there's glamma, and there's money, and most of it's just a big illusion, and they both have the most gullible of people that worship them. The Cowboys and the Kardashians are great at taking your money,

and Jerry Jones has mastered that follow the bouncing ball. But increasingly, of the last five really good teams they have played, Buffalo, Green Bay, and Detroit last year, Saints Ravens this year, four or five of those who are at home, and they've been bullied in all of those games. at some point. Four of five. Just bullied. Dallas, here's the problem. Their roster's not talented enough, and Jerry Jones calls himself the GM. He's 81.

It's not a good enough roster. They're also a team that's soft. They're the worst run defense in the league. Derek Henry and Lamar had their way yesterday. They're also a team that has no chin. If you hit them early, they fold like a cheap deck chair. Also, DAC CD, and Micah eventually are all to have top of the market contract. So you better start nailing those fourth, fifth, and six round picks. Baltimore didn't do anything creative. They just ran the ball like the Saints did over and over and over, often not around,

but right at Dallas. So they're getting really expensive. The roster isn't very good. And Dallas has trailed by 20 or more in three of their last four games. But hey, DAC leads the league in passing yards, which is just so perfectly fitting because Jerry Jones can mention that and justify paying him top of the league. Congratulations. But if you go back to like, this is something that this is about culture and soul. You know, everybody bangs on Daniel Jones, and I will say I had the Giants winning yesterday in the offensive line, and now they've got a number one receiver.

They've got a little bit of a life in New York, not a great team. Cowboys play the Giants Thursday. day, but New York's got a little bit of protection, a little bit of a life, a little bit of hope. But as you all bang on Daniel Jones, I went and looked up this morning since 2020. Dak and the Cowboys have only had six fourth quarter comebacks. That's the same as Daniel Jones, meaning you got more talent, but you don't have any more heart. There's no soul. What are you?

And unlike the Kardashians, actually some of the Kardashian products are actually pretty good. Skims, I'm told, is excellent. And whereas the Kardashian fans that worshiped them actually like their products and like them, Dallas fans were recently surveyed in the offseason by the athletic, thousands of fans, and the majority said, we have no chance to win a Super Bowl in the next five years. What am I supposed to like about this team? You can run on them.

They don't have much of a culture. It's situationally. They're not brilliantly coached. Dak throws for a lot of yards, but those fourth quarter yards yesterday. That's stat padding. They weren't real. I checked it out during the game. At halftime, the Ravens were averaging over eight yards of play.

So at the end of the third quarter, I went to my phone. After the third quarter, the Ravens were averaging nine yards of play. That's like an outmatched college team. After the game, Matt Mosley, by the way, asked, why couldn't you? They asked about Derek Henry, who, by the way, against Dallas was good. and Jerry said, we couldn't afford him. And Matt Moseley said, why? Well, I don't know.

You can't buy a mansion when you live in a different kind of house. And to that, I would say, your running backs are not a mansion. You've got one elite-wide receiver, an okay, tight end. Where's all the money going? Where are all the great players? Buffalo, Green Bay, Saints, Ravens, they're just dominating you. They're pushing you all over the field. and here's Micah Parsons after.

I mean, the same thing. I think right now we've got people just trying to be Superman. People just got on their jobs, bro. We don't need everyone to be Superman. We don't need no supermans at all. We just need 11 guys playing together. All right, let's have a really serious, hard conversation about what's happening with the Chicago Bears.

So I thought Bo Nix, although not great early in the season, I'm watching Sean Payton the coach. and Bo Nix, and I can see what they're trying to do. I can see the plan. And not every business is a rocket ship. Some businesses take a while, some teams take a while. But can I identify like a plan? We need to have a hard conversation.

I don't think this coaching staff is going to work with Caleb Williams. They have no run game at all. Like none. I can't see the plan. It's bad backyard football. The offensive line is regressed. I mean, they faced the team yesterday in Indianapolis that doesn't defend the run, and they still couldn't run.

Fewest yards per play in the NFL. And this is not a team without talent. They had a young and improving O'Line last year. Not anymore. They had a semblance of a run game, I thought last year. Not anymore. They had Kenan Allen, Roma Dunzee. They got DJ Moore.

They got players. They're last in everything that matters or next to last. For our TV audience, sorry radio audience. Look at the screen. I mean, D'Andre Swift has had 37 carries. One has been for a first down. I mean, again, once again, I see a defensive coach and a defensive culture not being able to figure out how to fix a quarterback. And Caleb Williams came into this league.

We talked about it. He could be erratic. He was an incredible playmaker. But he was going to need somebody like Andy Reid with Mahomes already to get him back into the fairway. Or what Kevin O'Connell is doing with Sam Darno, take away the reckless. And that's the bigger problem perhaps for sure. Chicago, Minnesota is gifted offensively and young. Green Bay's got a great coach gifted offensively and young.

Detroit's not as young. Many of their players are now moving into their prime. But Detroit, Minnesota, and Green Bay are excellent offensive teams. Not all great defensively, excellent offensively. And I would say two of them have great coaches. I think Kevin O'Connell and Matt Lefleur passed the test, Flying Colors. I think Dan Campbell is a great culture builder. I don't know if I trust them situationally, but he's a good coach.

Okay, so forget for a second to Caleb Williams stuff. You got the one defensive coach in that division. You can't win games in this division going forward, scoring 20 points a game. 23. You've got to get into the 28th. This is now the best offensive division in football. Take the bears out of it. The other three teams could put an offensive Pro Bowl team together.

Minnesota, Detroit, and Green Bay, and their best players are mostly young and getting better. They're not old guys in this league that tackles the O line for Detroit. The young receivers tight ends for Green Bay, Minnesota, Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hawkins, and Sam Donald's playing out of his mind like MVP stuff isn't a snarky tweet. He may be. So Chicago's got major issues here. Their touchdown at the end is garbage. They scored nine real points.

They can't run. There's no plan. What am I watching? They got to get him an offensive guru. And the downside, if you fire a coach midseason and bring it an interim coach, be very, very careful about that. because if the interim wins like four games in a row, often in interim's the substitute teacher, everybody's on their best behavior and great energy

and sucking up to the teacher and bringing produce every morning. Here, Mrs. Jones, here's your 13th apple of nine days. And then the interim coach isn't really a head coach. It was all about energy and trying to impress the new person in the room and you're stuck with an interim coach for four years. So you may have to just stick with Iberflus, but this isn't working. They bring in a new OC.

The old lines, I thought it was promising, It's awful. The run game's got D'Andre Swift. It's terrible. I mean, the Colts team, by the way, the Colts team had a quarterback that completed 50% of his throws, no touchdowns, two picks, can't hit a swing pass to save his life.

They didn't have DeForest Buckner, and they won. And they controlled large chunks of the game. Like, this isn't working. And I'm not unrealistic. I watched Denver, and I'm like, oh, I see the plan. Jaden Daniels. Oh, I see kind of what they're doing here. I'm like, I'm giving guys patience.

but this is, I don't even know what I'm looking at. Here's Caleb after. I throw it 50 times. Geez, I do whatever team needs. You know what I mean? And so if it's 50 times, it's 50 times, I can't have the two turnovers with those 50 attempts. If it comes down to being 50 attempts and us slinging the ball around, if it comes down to being, you know, 10 attempts, it's whatever team needs, whatever team needs to get the win. We'll keep slinging it.

We'll keep working on a run game. You know, we'll keep getting better, definitely, as the office. offense. We're going to get this thing going here soon. By the way, one of the best quarterbacks and best coaches on the planet, Sean McVeigh, Matt Stafford, next up. And before you think,

ooh, that's bad scheduling. No, you just got the team he should have beaten. You just got Anthony Richardson and the team that can't defend the run. Like, this was the game to get it right. This was the team. The Rams now were getting healthy. If you got the Rams in three weeks,

you get dusted. You may have a shot this weekend. because the old line's still a bit of a mess, and the wide receiving group is down to backups. But McVeigh and Stafford now, good luck, while the getting's good, that was your game. I mean, the NFL gave you a favor. They're like, hey, let's give them Tennessee early,

and let's give them the Colts here. Houston's kind of tough. You don't, McVeigh, uh-oh, here's Carolina. They're giving you games to win, and Carolina now looks like they're competent. trouble. Like I'm trying to be patient, but I don't see it. And you can blame the quarterback, but they're not firing him.

That's the future. You got to make this thing work. You keep taking big swings on quarterbacks. They're not getting rid of him. But this is what I always worry about. I said before the season, J-Mack is my witness. I said, Jayden's got a defensive coach, and Caleb's got a defensive coach,

and Drake May's got a defensive coach, and the kid in Denver has an offensive coach, and you are watching Bo Nix. they're not perfect, but I took them in my Blazing Five. If you watch Denver's offense, you see what they're trying to do. Like, I can identify, oh, they want to get Bonnix out of the pocket. He's their leading rusher. Like, you can see what they're trying to do.

It's intentional what they're trying to do. It's flawed. It's not great, but I can see it as a fan. Oh, that's what they're trying to do. I don't know what the heck Chicago's offense is. It's like bad intermurals with one really talented guy running around, running for his life. the run game, the O-line's all gotten worse. All right, Jay Mack, I will say this,

that Philadelphia, New Orleans game, I have defended Jalen Hertz for years, and you have pushed back mightily. In fact, Friday, you said, Colin, people in Philadelphia are pushing back on Jalen Hertz. And once again, I stood up and defended him. He turns the ball over a lot. Him and Siriani, that was a big sweat that Eagles win.

awesome victory for them, but uh... It was a really fascinating, flawed, ugly game. Yeah. But can we admit this? That's Sequin Barclay acquisition? Amazing. How did the Giants let that happen? Yeah.

Real quick note on Bears, you said Bears Rams this week. You want to guess what the line is on that one? Okay, so it's in Chicago. In Chicago, yeah. Okay, Rams still, no Puka, no Cooper Cup, no Steve Avelia, the offensive linemen, the stuff. They're banged up, yeah. I would say Rams

off a nineer win dramatic Rams minus one and a half. It was my first bet of the week. Bears favored by two. I'm on the Bears. You're on the Bears. Yes. They're winning this game. All right. Bears favored against the Rams.

Is that not shocking? Give it what the Bears just did. And you're taking the bears. I am. Yeah, I took them. By the way, Caleb Williams throwing 52 times in like a one-score game the whole time. Against a team. missing their best defensive player that is not good against the run. Worst in the league coming into the game against a run.

I don't know the game. Iber Fluse is a must win for your guy. My guy. My guy's McBey. He's nobody's guy. 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

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 tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with 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 a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 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 podcast. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript 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 hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. So I said after they lost to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, I said Eagle fans.

You have a good team. You have a good GM. You have a good roster. You have good fans. AJ Brown will come back. Chill out. Atlanta's an okay team. You saw last night Atlanta had two opportunities knocking at the door to beat the Chiefs.

And the Chiefs are the best team in the NFL. Atlanta's a good team. I don't think they're as good as Kansas City or your top four or five teams in the league. But they're a good team. So there's no shame in losing at the very last drive to Atlanta. But yesterday, I felt good about Philadelphia last week losing this morning. I don't feel very good about Philadelphia, and they won. You know, forever I've defended Jalen Hertz.

He's a small quarterback like a Tua, like a Russell Wilson. Smaller quarterbacks don't tend to see the middle of the field as well, because the offensive linemen are 6-5 and 6-6. And we don't love the head coach, Nick Seriani, that that's true. But we have to be honest about this. A lot of coaches lose offensive coordinators. McVeigh loses them, lost Kevin O'Connell.

You know, Andy Reid's lost good offensive coordinators. Shanahan, you don't see a huge effect. Since Shane Steichen is left, Jalen Hertz has 26 picks and 19 interceptions. Since he's lost Shane Steichen, he has the most giveaways in the league. 26. And I defend him.

You can't win that way. Well, I mean, Philadelphia did. They are a turnover mess. This is no longer a snapshot or a trend. This is who they are. And it is clearly tied to Shane Stike. And we're seeing great coaching all over this league. We've seen Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota coach the reckless out of Sam Darnold.

We're watching Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. I didn't think Malik Willis was a starting NFL quarterback. He's been not wildly productive, but super efficient. We're seeing coaching and the effect that has. has. Niners defense was way better when D'emico Ryan's was the coordinator than the group that's doing it now. Like we see coaching and how much it matters. Kyle Shanahan as a coordinator, made Matt Ryan an MVP, and they led Brady in the fourth quarter at the Super Bowl. This thing is, it's, I still like the GM, I like the owner, I like the roster. I think

Jaylon Hertz has talent, but it's not working. I mean, if not for Sequin Barclay, who I still can't believe is a Philadelphia Eagle, I think they'd be 0 and 3. I mean, Sequin Barclay has saved this offense. And I was sitting there thinking this morning, it's like, you know, it's like the Philadelphia Eagles are becoming that company with a good stock price, but everybody knows inside the company, they've got major issues, and the public just doesn't know about it, and they're one bad earnings report from the whole damn thing unraveling.

This doesn't work. This offense commits too many turnovers, and you don't have the right offensive coach. One thing if you would lose a defensive, coordinator. But when an offensive coach loses an offensive coordinator and it's, I mean, the boat's sinking, you got to look at the head coach because there's too much about Philadelphia, I like. And there's just too many good players, good owner, good GM, aggressive GM, they draft well, they develop like everybody else they miss on picks, but there's just too much with

Philadelphia I like. But when you lose a coordinator and the quarterback who's a talented guy who you've paid suddenly becomes the single most turnover prone quarterback in the league. Like I get that AJ Brown's not there. Dallas Goddard, Devante Smith, Sequin Barclay, above average offensive line. Philadelphia has always got dudes. Nick Seriani, I mean, the defense was good on the win over the Saints. Like we know this is not sustainable. We said this after the Green Bay game.

This is not sustainable. We got to take the ball away. And we did in a critical scenario, but we still lost the turnover battle. And so this is not sustainable to do it that way. We got to take care of the ball. We got to get the ball away from them. But again, the resiliency, I mean, the defense played unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, I'm not doubting. By the way, unlike Dallas, I like Philly's roster. Unlike Dallas, I like Philly's toughness. Unlike Dallas, I like Philly's resiliency. Unlike Jerry Jones's GM, I like Howie Roseman. Like Philadelphia is going to win this division. I'm sure of it. Almost. But this turnover thing is just insane.

And it's tied to one guy. He's in Indianapolis. I'm not sure he loves his quarterback either. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. One of the great, impressive performances, Colin, of week three, was what Malik Willis and Lafleur did to Tennessee. Can we just say Matt LaFleur is a great coach? Oh, he's excellent. You got to give the man props. I've been slow to give him props, but he was.

Just awesome the last two weeks, Colin. I mean, Malik Willis put up 438 total yards at Packers did. Three touchdowns in a 30 to 14 win. LaFleur just gushing about his backup quarterback. I just cannot articulate the job that he's done in the short period of time. People can't fathom it. I promise you. You guys don't get it.

I know you think you got it, but you don't get it. What he's been able to do is I've never seen something like this. So hats off to him, hats off to everybody around him, guys rallying having his back. Jordan Love's been instrumental as well, just giving him the tips and hanging right by his side and helping him out all along the way. I think everybody understands this. We know how hard it is. But as good as Jordan Love was, he had three years.

I think most of us watched Malik Willis. I mean, think about what Tennessee did. Tennessee gave him away. I mean, Tennessee didn't give him a real shot. They said, we like Will Levis better on his tape. They just gave up on him, and Tennessee's done some good things with personnel through the years. They just quit on him. And he didn't join this team long offseason.

It was during the cuts, the 53-man cut. This kid just got in the building. And by the way, Green Base still kind of rebuilding their offensive line. They're tight-ins and wide receivers. Youngest team in the league. This is just insane coaching. It's why am I hard on coaches? Because you can see great coaching in this league.

What Kevin O'Connell and Matt Lefleur are doing, they've literally coached the record. out of Malik Willis and Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold was Carson Wins. You always like, oh, he's got talent. Wild turnovers. Malik Willis is like, couldn't, I mean, just throwing strikes was hard.

Last week, you know, Willis didn't. All check down short stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So everybody assumed he can't throw it down the field. First drive he comes out, two completions of over 30 yards. Throws a back shoulder bomb to Watson on the sideline. I'm like, I did not know Malik Willis could do. I didn't know he had this.

A Colony had 158 yards passing in the first half. That was his career high for any game ever. Yeah. In the first half. I do think we probably need to say something about the Packers defense, which has been tremendous. Yeah. They had seven interceptions last season.

Isn't that? They have seven this season after three games. Yeah. Pretty impressive. The kid came from Boston College. Yes. The head coach at Boston College came over. He got tired of the transfer portal.

By the way, Joe Barry, Packer fans, it had gotten very, very tired of that. So again, once again, Matt Lafleur has shown an ability to upgrade coaching staff. That's a skill for a coach, very McVeigh-like. And it also shown an ability to take players and, like, rehab them. If you give me coach of the year right now, one and two would be Kevin O'Coddle and Matt LaFleur. And there's good coaches. But what they've done...

Tomlin deserves a seat at the table for the three-and-o start, right? Well, it's early. I have considered putting them. deep in her hierarchy. By the way, I'm not talking eight or above. I'm just saying they're getting consideration. I figured I'd throw you a softball. Any Will Levis thoughts on his performance?

I'm not, I'm just done with it. I wish him the very best going forward. That's not going to work. That's not. The pick six is pretty brutal. I'm not, you know, at some point they're young, I wish them the very best in their future endeavors. But by the way, this is two straight weeks that a lot of sharp betters have gone against Lafleur and Willis, and they got their teeth kicked in both times.

Last two weeks, I just sat on Green Bay. I had a good day yesterday. I said, I'm staying away. I'm no longer staying away. I'm taking the Packers. I know it's the Vikings. It's at Lambo. That's the coaching. That's the coaching guru matchup of the year. Kevin O'Connell, is Jordan Love going to play? We'll see. The line currently I'm seeing is minus two and a half packer, so I would assume they think Love's going to be back. By the way, if you look at the NFC, there's some carnage among the good teams. Like Detroit is not as spicy. The Niners are now one and two and beat up.

Are the Packers the best team in the NFC? Well, I had picked the Packers to win the division. I picked the Lions to be a wild card because I just didn't trust. I didn't trust the Lions as a favorite. I trust Green Bay with everything. Top to bottom, Mark Murphy down. They know what they're doing. They're just super young.

And I don't know if a team that young, but if you go to Kansas City last year, the chief defense was Chris Jones and a bunch of kids. I know the Seahawks are 3-0, but I'm just, this Packers team has been super impressive so far. Really impressive. Let's get to the next game. Less impressive is the Texans who got stomped out by the Vikings. What a beatdown.

I did not see this one coming. Vikings moved to 3-0. CJ Stroud really struggled. Now, Joe Mixon did not play. They had no run game cam Acres. And by the way, Brian Flores, defensive coordinator. He's the coordinator of the year so far. Hey, listen, Brock Purdy is a good quarterback.

Brock Purdy said they did stuff. We'd never seen before. CJ Stroud with no run game. He's still a young kid. He looked lost. I mean, they showed him on the sideline. He had his head in his hands. Like, what's going on?

I can't process. I mean, it was brutal. He had two interceptions, including one on his first pass and the game was tipped unlucky. Here's Stroud on the Vikings' defensive performance. Trying to just stay in the pocket and, you know, deliver as best as I could. But, you know, they have some coverages and some pressures that they did at a very,

very high level. So, you know, kudos those guys, and they kicked our bus today. They were, they are a great team and they will continue to be doing great things. But we know what we are. That's not what we put on the field today. And once we fix the negatives, I mean, we're going to be rolling. So I'm excited, man, because the only way we can go up is, my only way we can go now is up. Yeah, I mean, listen, it does. Young quarterbacks, even the good ones, a great run game, hugely beneficial. So you take that out of Houston. now you're on the road, you get into a track meet where you've got to score, now Minnesota knows you're dropping back to pass.

Like this game's situationally for CJ, he's still in that learning curve. Yeah. Colin, they got to like the 25-yard line on a drive, and they had four straight pre-snap penalties, and they had to punt. Like, that's just uncharacteristic. Something was wrong. Yeah, clearly Minnesota's home field advantage.

Oh, that's real. I think you could say it's the loudest stadium, because I've seen multiple teams now going to Minnesota and just, discombobulate at the line of scrimatur. Laramie Tunsell, who's one of the better tackles in the league, had five penalties yesterday. Like he was a disaster. Some of the numbers on Flores,

third down defense against Shanahan last week, they were two for ten. San Francisco could not extend the drives. Yesterday, Texans four for 14 on third down against Brian Flores. He's doing as good of a job as anybody as faking where they're coming with the pressure, whether it's the middle of the sides,

and Stroud just he couldn't. I will tell you something. I know Brian Flores had a rough situation in Miami. I get it. He's got to get a second job. He has to get a second. You know what? The bottom line is a lot of men are intense when they get their first job.

Lane Kiffin went to USC and he like strangled the program. And then Lane Kiffin took a deep breath. He got humbled. He went south. And Lane Kippen now is one of the better coaches. But when you get that first big job as a coach and you think I'm never going to get another job and Brian kind of, he just put his arm around it and he squeezed it too hard. But you go back to that Miami team.

I remember that first eight games, they got hammered down there by like Baltimore by like 50. And then I remember a week eight, I looked up and I'm like, this could be the best special teams unit and the second or third best defense in the league with the same guys from the previous staff. Brian Flores, I would give that guy. I know he's intense. I think he can really coach. But it's early and we'll see what jobs are open because, you know, Brian Flores, defensive guys. if he don't get a quarterback,

he's going to go to a job and be out of there in three years. That's just how it works in the league. You know this. Iber Fluse is going to be toast if this keeps up in Chicago. Like, does Flores go to Chicago? Don't you want an offensive guy to pair with your quarterback? I would prefer an offensive guy. That's what I would prefer.

Body Slalk in Houston, the Houston guy up to Chicago. Oh, that's not a bad one. The final story is the Raiders, Colin. Oh, my gosh. So, remember, they storm back to beat the Ravens on the road in week two. in the fourth quarter, and they followed it up by getting their butts kicked up and down the field by the Carolina Panthers.

3622 was the final. They were down 26 in the fourth quarter. And then it got worse. After the game, listened to Antonio Pierce going off on his players. I think as the game went on, I don't think it was a team. I think there was definitely some individuals that made

business decisions. And what made business decisions going forward as well? What? He's basically saying guys quit. Guys didn't want to get hurt. made business decisions to protect their body. Not, not, I mean, it was. You think there's a smart thing to say in week three? Well, you know what?

I don't think it's a smart thing to do as a player. And Antonio Pierce played. So he's looking out there thinking, oh, you're, you're pulling up on the tackle. Yeah, but do you say that at the podium? Go pull the player aside and tell him that. Well, he didn't name any players individually. A lot. I think this is as bad.

Now everybody's just going to be watching the tape and seeing who's making business decisions. One guy everybody's pointing at is Devante Adams. I'm sure you saw the past. Minchu. This is Minchu, right? 83% completions against the Ravens last week. Oh, remember, and I love Devonte. He's okay.

He was in one of the most stable organizations, and he said, I'm going to go home, and the old saying can't go home again. It's like, dude, you do not go Green Bay to the Raiders without shrapnel. I mean, that is the least chaotic franchise. I mean, even New England is chaotic now. The least chaotic franchise in terms of, like, no owner, Mark Murphy, draft developed well. I mean, I think Aaron and McCarthy at the end got kind of ugly.

A little ugly for a couple of year and a half. But, you know, just stability in any business is underrated. And he went home, I think, partially to pair with Carr, his buddy from college. And then it was Jimmy G. And now it's Minshu. And then he gets, Minchew got benched. He was terrible. Like, just really bad.

How about Andy Dalton? Huh? The red rifle. The stat of the weekend. There's one quarterback this season with a 300-yard game. and three touchdowns in the game. And it's Andy Dalton. He did it yesterday.

Well, also, what does that make you think about the Bryce Young benching? I don't. I mean you can only come to one conclusion. No, it doesn't mean Andy Dalton's the solution. No, but it means the benching was validated. 100%. I mean, when's the last time they scored in the mid-20s? They got the ball.

Went down the field for a touchdown in the opening drive, and you're like, oh, this team has some guy. Deontay Johnson had a monster. Chuba, Chuba, Hubbard. Cuba Hubbard from Oklahoma State. I had 170 yards of total offense. Yeah, no, no. It's like dudes.

Deontay Johnson looked great. So what's Bryce Young? What's going through his mind? I don't know, but it does validate the benching. He didn't love the benching, but it's like, I mean, if you bench somebody at a company and you bring the next up and the next up stars, you're like, you know, it's not the culture. It's the quarterback.

So you trade the Young? I don't know. I think you just, I think you let it play out. I don't think you have to make a decision. But it validated the decision. You don't have to like it, but you're dropping in the 30s on the road? J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. I officially was convinced. I'll tell you what I was convinced of officially next. Colin Wright wrong top of the hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encourage. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

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 friends. podcast. 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 a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get Your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the 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, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough, because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, 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 hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. Friday night football on Fox has a big 10 showdown in prime time. As Washington battles Rutgers. It all kicks off under the lights at 8 Eastern on Fox. Well, the L.A. Rams stole a win from the Niners yesterday, a bit like Atlanta did against Philadelphia last Monday night football.

So it happens in the NFL. That's why if you just hang around, unlike the Cowboys who you hit them on the chin, they fold. You just got to hang around like Atlanta did last Monday. You got to hang around like Philadelphia did with the Saints. You got to hang around like the Rams did. They were down 217, 2414, and they just kept fighting and fighting and fighting. But my big takeaway on this, and it's like a $400 million takeaway, is I finally get Brock Purdy. He's never going to be the biggest or most impressive, but mobility.

He's more of an athlete that I give him credit for. Their special teams lost that game. Kyle Shanahan, this team had no focus late. Special teams, the Rams take it seriously, and the Niners don't seem to, and that was the difference in the game. But there was no, no CMC, no Christian McCaffrey, no Debo, no kiddle, no problem. Joanne Jennings, who, by the way, is the best number three receiver on the planet. I love this kid.

And he is, Brandon Ayyuk spent the entire offseason complaining about not getting paid when he had a year left on his contract. he now is a non-factor. Jennings is a much better player, or at least right now more valuable and more aligned with Brock Purdy. But they're going to have to make a decision in a year on Brock Purdy,

and you're not going to pay him 60 million a year, and I don't think he would demand that, but the kid can play. What do you want to say? He's smart, he's accurate, he moves much better than I gave him credit for. Bo Nix and Denver, same thing. You're like, this kid moves.

This kid moves really well. He moves around the field well. And here's the thing, is that Shanahan, he gets these leads. This is Kyle's, this is no longer a trend. This is kind of reality. In big games, Kyle gets these leads. And I think a lot of it is he is so good on the script.

He's got that play sheet. And he just, that's his play sheet. That's his Bible. And Kyle's great at it. But that team lost focus. The Rams culture with McVeigh is outstanding. There is just a ton of fight. It's their biggest rival.

So far, I was 60. 65% Niner fans. It was an incredible environment. And I thought Brock Purdy was, his team let him down. We've always wondered if Brock Purdy is like the liability. No, no, no, no. It was the coach. They had 111 yards and penalties.

It was Ronnie Bell dropping a ball. It was special teams. That's Brock Purdy. His team let him down. He carried the team and Jennings carried the team. And yeah, some of it scripted. They got a big league. Kyle's teams tend to get leads.

But, I mean, I could pay him now. I'd be okay with it. I don't want to pay him, Josh Allen money. I'd pay him. He never going to be the biggest, the strongest. Kid can play. Here's Kyle after. It seemed like Brock played his ass off from what I saw.

He made a bunch of big plays. You know, those, you know, he took some good shots down the field. When stuff wasn't there, he did a hell of a job, scramble, and making small schedule plays. From what I saw, I thought he played his ass off. Okay, let's talk Kansas City. this. I saved it until now. Listen, we live in

a country where people now deny elections unless their side wins. Let's not become that in sports. Every time you lose, you're going to blame the officials. Listen, I remember, and I'm from the Pacific Northwest, the Legion of Boom. That defense was so young and so fast and

so aggressive with Pete Carroll, they did get away with more penalties. You can't call everything. And every hit felt like It was a half second late, but it's like you can't call everything. There is value in just being super aggressive. Aggressive wins in business. It wins in football.

Kansas City has got a sensationally fast, twitchy, young, aggressive defense. They push, they pull. You know, it's the old Belichick trick. If Belichick's Patriots were facing a team with white jerseys, he would have his DBs wear white gloves so they could grab and clutch more and officials were fooled and manipulated and couldn't see it. That's part of the league. and I just think Kansas City's defense gets away with more.

It is so good situationally. And when you combine that with Steve Spagnola is the most aggressive defensive coordinator. So you have this young, hyper speed defense. Maybe it's not going to have a nickname like Legion of Boom. But what's funny about this and what should terrify the league is Mahomes isn't playing worth of darn. We've got five TDs and four picks and there are three and no. In fact, this year he has his worst passing yard to game. the few was passing TDs, his passer ratings in the 80s.

And they're totally comfortable playing games like this. It really feels like New England. When we first watched this dynasty, it was high-flying and fastest guy in the world and the cheetah on the sidelines. And now it looks like New England. Brilliant coach in his prime, or brilliant coach, older brilliant coach, best quarterback in the game. And there were the Randy Moss years when New England was offense over defense.

And there was the Tyreek Hill years and the early years, but this is the Patriots. Best coach, best quarterback, hyper-aggressive defense, totally comfortable in close games late. This is what the Chiefs do. And they do a better name-bite. They love close games. They feast on close games. They're situationally smarter and better than everybody else between Reed and Mahomes and Kelsey and Steve Spagnola. I mean, when that got down to fourth and one for Atlanta, and they're going to go wide on that.

You're like, yeah, it's not going to work. That's not going to work. You're not going to run outside on these guys when they stack the box. And they're not playing particularly well in offense. But I'm over the complaining about the officials. When I lived in Connecticut, that's what I heard for 10 years on the Patriots. And they were just smarter than everybody. They were just smarter.

They had the best quarterback and the best coach and situational guys, the best culture. I have friends who practice or played with New England. They're like, we're just smarter than people. We love close games. We watch teams fold. We don't. And that's Kansas City. And you can't call for everything.

I mean, law enforcement doesn't give everybody that speeds a ticket, right? Like you're on the freeway. Everybody speeds on the freeway. Who's egregiously going to? If you're going 90 on the freeway, you get a ticket. If you're going 73, not that I ever have, you're not getting one. I mean, if you're just, if your hands here and your push here, everybody's doing it, they're not going to throw nine flags.

There's only so many officials. The NFL wants a fast pace to the game. Well, Colin, what are you? saying, I'm saying, young, fast aggression, Legeon, a boom, there's an advantage. I mean, you look at Georgia play football last couple years. You don't think the rest are seeing everything?

Every hit feels like it's just a tad late. Gonna call 14 of those? You probably call two. Here was Mahomes on another close win. I feel like I haven't played very well. And that's not a stats thing.

I just feel like I'm missing opportunities whenever they're out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot. I want it to be at. So it's about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we've got to execute at a higher level offensively. If teams are going to make us drive the field, we have to prove that we're able to do that, and I'm sure we'll get a lot of the same this next week with the Chargers. It didn't start like this is a dynasty, but it feels like the red-jurzied Midwest version

of New England. Coach, quarterback, close games, situationally brilliant. That's what it feels like. And I mean, you just, listen, I didn't like Atlanta's play calling. You have a great field goal kicker. I would have kicked a field goal the first time he got down there. Take the points. Not everybody's a math major.

Stop trying to figure out the analytics. Kick the ball, take the points, get it back. I didn't like that at all. And I didn't love the play calling late either. But that ball in the end zone, it's like, you can keep blaming the officials. This team wins all these close games. New England won, seemingly all those close games. I don't think it's refs.

If the refs wanted to control the league, this weekend from Thursday to yesterday, wouldn't be the first time I can remember both New York teams playing well. That's the first time. Look who's good in the league. Kansas City, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Green Bay, all these small markets.

Cowboys would actually win playoff games. I know you're convinced the league is like, we got to make Kansas City the beacon of greatness in the league. Or let's go to the Northeastern, to a baseball town in Boston, a provincial baseball town. That's the hub of activity. It's like sometimes people are better. Aggressive wins.

Kansas City's fast and aggressive. I'm just like rinse and repeat. I've seen this before. They win a close game. Homer away. Colin right, Colin wrong. Next.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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'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 are armored?

It signals to the world that you're 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, and so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.