The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Reflecting on John Madden's Life, Career and Legacy

Episode Date: December 29, 2021

Colin opens up the show with his thoughts and memories of the late John Madden. Nick Wright joins the show to reflect on the life, career and legacy of John Madden. Plus, Colin believes the Rams stole Matt Stafford by being able to give up late picks.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

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84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Wednesday. We are packed. It is great to have you in live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be. And however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. We're going to have a special guest in one hour. Eric Shanks is the CEO of Fox Sports. I don't think he's ever been on my show today. He has a had a, had a, had a, very close relationship, certainly closer than anybody at Fox with John Madden, the late John Madden who passed away. We got that documentary done just in time for John to watch it. And, you know, there's no guarantees for tomorrow, as Eric Shanks texted me yesterday. And the people here are sad, saddened by the loss of Madden. But I think happy that John could see how much he is.

matter to football and them. It was really, everybody felt so fortunate that they got the documentary done before John had passed. Because you just, you didn't know. We knew he wasn't in great health in his mid-80s. But just a lot of emotions on this lot today. It's always special when you can give someone their flowers while they're still here. So it's very special that we were able to do that documentary and he was able to see it before he went. So I'm going to ramble for about,

eight, nine minutes. So when I first fell in love with football, it was in the very early 70s, 1972. That's the first football game. And it wasn't the first game I watched, but it was the first football game of note that I can remember watching. I had a friend Jack Jones,

and his name will become relevant because I'm going to talk about his brother in a second. but I remember he liked the Rams and I liked George Allen and Washington and for different reasons and he wasn't from Los Angeles I wasn't from Washington D.C., but we didn't have a local team.

The Seahawks weren't born until like the mid-70s and so you watched the big brands and back then it was Don Shula's Dolphins it was Chuck Noel, Stoic Chuck Nolan's Steelers and in the early 70s, Dolphins won in 72, the first game I ever watched against Billy Kilmore and Washington and George Allen.

And then it was John Madden Steeler, Raiders. And it's fascinating because when you're hearing people talk about John Madden, it's very unique that you can be relevant in multiple industries for 40 to 50 years. His relevance is unmatched. Absolutely unmatched.

John was a legendary coach in the 70s, an amazing broadcaster in the 80s, a game tech game pioneer after that. And to the very last year of his life, network executives, coaches were calling him in Pleasanton, California, to pick his brain. There's a lot about John. you do know, and there's a lot you don't know, but people are struck by his size, his comedic timing. What really gets me about Madden, he was way smarter than anybody gives him credit for.

So John, everybody cares how people view them. John leaned into what he was. Like he really understood. He was big and loud and fun, and he leaned right into it. But he was really intelligent. The only person I can think of who has been part of our social fabric for that long, it was like Oprah, who's the only broadcaster in my life that owns her own network. But the Raider teams were fascinating.

And I know I'm probably only talking to people here who are in their 50s. So if you're in your 20s and 30s, I'm just going to kind of explain, what it was like being in the 70s and watching the NFL, you had probably the greatest team ever assembled the Steelers. And the dolphins and the Raiders were an inch below them. The Raiders are so unbelievably memorable because there's never been a team that matched their coach. I can name almost every Raider.

They were perfectly constructed. the speed receiver Cliff Branch, the hands receiver Fred Bolitnikov, the tight end that could block and run Dave Casper. The offensive line left or right was Jim Otto Hall of Famer, Gene Upshaw Hall of Famer, Arch Shell Hall of Famer. Mark Van Egan was the running back. The defense was similarly, brilliantly constructed. The playmaking linebacker, Phil Villipiano, the pass rusher, Ted Hendricks, the Stork, the tough interior lineman, John Matusack, that head hunting safety at the time

that was allowed, Jack Tatum, Willie Brown the corner, joined later by Lester Hayes and the Stickum. And you have to be really smart to be part of an organization that is perfectly constructed.

But another sign of the intelligence of Madden was his simplicity. So years ago, I'm rambling here. I got a broadcasting job out of college in Las Vegas. And I remember I would go to these minor league ballparks and in the clubhouses. And one time I was in Phoenix and I remember the manager's name, but I'm not going to say it. And he had his rules on the door. And there must have been 25 rules. And I remember thinking, man, if I if I was ever like a boss,

I would have very few rules because I couldn't remember all his rules. And John Madden had three. and John Madden as a former player understood the fewer rules, the faster players play. Show up on time, listen, and play your butt off Sunday. That was it. That is brilliant. Everybody's got rules and politicians are all layered. John, if you're a politician today, you should watch John Madden. He would connect with everybody, but was very.

better than nobody. And it was all about simplicity. When you think of Madden, you just think big and rough and physical. But what you don't ever hear people talk about is how damn smart he was. He had the football integrity and intensity of Mike Tomlin, the relatability and the ability to adapt like Andy Reid, the brain power of Belichick, the love for power football like Kyle Shanahan. And like many legends, he was a combination of many things.

And like all legends, there was nobody else like him. He made TV better. He made football better. He gave credit to people, linemen that nobody talked about. And he was completely authentic, often duplicated, often imitated, never duplicated. But I thought about this morning what to talk about. And, you know, people that knew John much greater than me. I only interviewed him one time.

He briefly coached 15-minute drive from my house. And I had him live on the air. He had a mind like a steel trap. And this had happened 40 years earlier. And I said, John, I grew up right next to Grays Harbor Community College. And he goes, The Chokers. No, that was the name of the team, the Chokers. and he went on for five minutes.

He knew streets. He knew times. He knew dates. A steel trap. But I hope it's not lost in all of this. How smart John was. To be a great coach. And then a network-altering broadcaster.

And then a brilliant businessman in Pleasanton, California. And then a pioneer in video games. And then at the very end, Eric Shanks, our boss, would regularly, regularly, could have been weekly, maybe it's monthly, certainly more than annually, be on the phone with Madden, asking questions about football. What would you do? What do you make of that? What do you make of this person?

What would you do in this situation? You see this big, loud, funny guy who used to go on Letterman, to be that relevant and to be that respected, you have to be so on top of it and so smart. And when I think of John, I think of intensity, I think of integrity, and I think of intelligence. If you did not see those teams play, those players, you would think having a cast of characters would be a team that was hard to galvanize, right?

They all had big personalities. Kenny Stabler had a big personality, and Matusak and Villapiano and Hendricks and Lester Hayes and Jack Tatum, you would think this would be an incredibly hard team to get your arms around and coach. But no, John is a former player, was respected by players, and perhaps the greatest respect you can pay as a boss or a coach. Very few rules. show up on time, listen, and work really hard. And that was him. Madden made complicated things incredibly embraceable and simple. And everybody out there on social media is trying to show you how smart they are.

I know this. I'm an epidemiologist. I'm a politician. I'm a legislator. Madden never worried about that. It was about football. If you played it, if you loved it, if you coached it, if you talked about it, if you broadcast it, John had an influence on your life. One of the smartest human beings the NFL has ever had. Don't let that get lost. You cannot be that relevant, that many ways, that many decades without massive brain power.

rest in peace back after this 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 we're 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

too. 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American. history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Great Davy and Eric Shanks, our CEO at Fox Sports in 45 minutes, to talk about the great John Madden who passed yesterday. The documentary, I think we aired it last night. We aired it on Christmas, and then we aired it last night, and I think we're airing it a couple more times.

Well, excuse me, we are we are? Yeah, an FS1. So it's a great documentary, fascinating. So, you know, there's a lot of different talk. Aaron Rogers mentioned yesterday that he thinks constantly about his future where he's going to quarterback. And we all know about a third of this league is dying for a quarterback. They need a quarterback.

And the question is always, you know, what's the value of a quarterback? So it's interesting. let's look at the big quarterback move this offseason. Now, two years ago, it was Brady. This offseason, it was Matt Stafford to the L.A. Rams. So the Rams gave up two first rounders and a third rounder. Now, you think to yourself, well, that's a lot, but is it worth it? As of this morning, forget the fact that Stafford's passer rating is 104,

and Goff's with McVeigh last year was 90. That's better. They both completed about the same. But here's the difference. Yards per game are not that different. Even the passer rating 104 to 90. It's the touchdowns. It's the ceiling.

So last year, Goff finished with 20 touchdowns. Right now, with two games to go. Stafford's at 36. So he's going to double Goff. And Stafford also leads the NFL with eight games of three touchdowns. Last year, Goff had two. So let me ask you, would you give up two firsts and a third? If your quarterback you currently have, I could double his touchdown passes.

and by four times minimum, his number of huge Sundays would explode. We got two games left. He's going to double the touchdown passes. And by four times as of now, the number of huge Sundays. They stole him. Ram stole him.

If Stafford plays for one more year after this year, they stole him. What if he plays six? What if he plays eight? So when you're asking, what is a quarterback worth? There you go. And by the way, Stafford has not been perfect. He and Goff both can get into that pick six tunnel on occasion.

It's his first year with him. He lost Robert Woods and Cam Acres. So there's an argument to be made he's going to get better. I mean, next year, Cam Acres is already better. So he's guys, Kim Acres and Sony Michelle, and then they added OBJF. He comes back with Robert Woods and Ben Jefferson and Cooper Cup. So this, like Tom Brady's first year in Tampa, is a little turbulent. And it's going to be double the touchdown passes and four times the number of huge Sundays.

Two firsts and a third. Now think about this. The Rams know as long as McVeigh is their coach, and they have. have the construct of this group of players, their first round pick would be near the bottom of the first round anyway. So you're not giving up a top 10 pick. And NFL GMs, Les Need knows this, and this is why it's such a savvy move, is that every NFL draft, this one included, GMs will tell you there's about 15 elite players, their first rounders. At about 16, 17, until the top of the third round,

they're all kind of similar. There are very few players. There's never been a first round where everybody was a first round talent. Every GM I've ever talked to. They've always said the exact same thing. Every draft's got about 15 guys. You're like, you know, you're Chase Youngs.

You're Sean Slaters. You know, you're Joe Burroughs. Like guys, like guys that are just literally look different, play different. Patrick Sertan for Denver. Immediately good. Jalen Waddle for the Dolphins, you're like, he's faster than a lot of these guys. Like there's about 15 a draft.

And then, and this draft, by the way, is supposed to be one of the weaker ones at the top of the first round. So what the Rams are really giving up is a late first, which in the eyes of general managers is a second. So they gave up kind of because they're so good. These are not top 10 picks. They gave up, in their eyes, a couple of second round talents and a third round talent. as of this morning, Matt Stafford's worth that. What's he worth at the end of next year and next year and next year? So when you're trying to figure out what an upgraded quarterback is, that's a great example.

If you were to have a do-over and the lions looked at it, they'd probably say, around four and maybe five and a couple of thirds and a starting right guard. So when we look at this big trade and the move by the Rams, there's no risk at all. No risk at all upgrading at quarterback. The risk is in moving off the quarterback. It's why I think Aaron Rogers will stay and Russell Wilson will stay and Derek Carr will stay. And what we'll really have in the off season is a massive bidding war for Deshaun Watson. That's what we'll have.

He wants out. They're going to move on. But I don't know. Joy has talked about this. What is the value too late first and a third to double your touchdown passes in year one? We're talking year one. What if he does that four straight years? Six straight years.

Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, speaking of a quarterback situation, there's some doubt whether Jimmy Garoppolo will be able to start Sunday. He's dealing with a thumb injury. So that means Tray Lance will get the nod. I'm interested, very interested.

Well, Kyle Shanahan said he thinks Lance has shown he is ready for the task. I think this last month of Trey has been his best consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had them. You know, he's had a number of good days and he's had some bad days like most guys do. But as far as this consistency and stuff, I feel this last month has been his best. Well, we always said Mack Jones and Trey Lance had the best landing spots. Now, Mac had to play initially. Right. We didn't think he would, but he did.

And that Trey Lance, this is really ideal. It's a run-first offense. He'll open up against the terrible run defense. And his team is pretty healthy offensively. I can't wait to watch it. Well, this is a good game for him to get this kind of pressure level start in against the Texans. Although the Texans did just beat a pretty good Chargers team very badly. But that was a COVID situation for the Chargers that was really bad.

Yeah. But they, you know, they still have. their main guys. They're currently 12 and a half point favorites, according to Fox Bet, are the Niners. I don't know if I would go anywhere near that with this Traleant situation, but also, if he was

that good in practice, when we have been hearing something about it, I don't know. It's like, okay, you're going to build up the confidence. I just want to watch. I want to watch it. He's not going to go out there and be like, yeah, he's not ready. He's not going to say that. Right. But everything that you were just saying about the

picks given up, What they gave up to give Trey Lance is exactly why Jimmy Garapolo is not going to be there anymore. They gave up the 12th overall pick. Well, Miami got the 12th overall pick from them, a third round pick and first round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up to third to get Trey Lans. So all this talk about it, you know, it was Jimmy Garapolo done in San Francisco. Yeah, yeah. He was done the moment that they took Trey Lance. We knew that.

It's just that Trey Lans was extremely raw. And they felt like this year they had a better chance of winning with Jimmy Garapolo. and the clock was ticking. Jimmy Garoppolo has been great about it. They found a way to quiet that conversation around Jimmy Garapolo and Trey Lance, mainly by being in the playoff hunt the way that they have. Fans aren't going to call for a change at quarterback

if you are winning and you are being somewhat consistent. But now, again, as he normally is, Jimmy Garoppolo is hurt. But I'm with you. I don't, we could have a lot of quarterback movement. Russell could ask to leave. Aaron Rogers could leave. I don't think there is. There could be or there could not.

And then what does that quarterback market look like next year? It's bleak. And we still don't know what's going on with Deshawn Watson. Like we're assuming that Deshawn Watson is going to be, it's a bidding war. But there's still no answer on him. There could be no answer on him for a long time. So everything that went on with the dolphins in that conversation this year is still in place. Like nothing's changed with the Deshawn Watson situation.

And remember, Deshawn Watson has a no trade clause. That's right. So he's not going to go to a dysfunctional place. That's why, if you ask me today, all this talk about quarterback, I think Pittsburgh and Deshawn Watson, they're ready to win now. He's had chaos in his private life, and he's had chaos with the Texans. Deshawn can say, I'm not going there, there, there, there. If I said to you, stability, it ain't Cleveland.

I mean, there's a lot of places that need a quarterback. Most Washington, Cleveland, that's not where you want to go. the Steelers to me, because I don't think deep down Aaron and Russell, as I talked about with Stafford, you start watching what guys are worth. There is no value. No, there's, it doesn't. That's why I don't like when people freak out about trades. Like, if it's a quarterback, it doesn't matter. There's no amount of picks or money that you can quantify having a franchise quarterback.

Think about this. Think about this. When the Lakers traded Shaq years ago to Miami, and the Lakers were very well run at this time, Lakers got a bunch of good parts of Miami won the championship. And it wasn't until the Lakers went and got Pal Gasol years later that it didn't matter how many B players you got for Shaq.

Miami got the A. In my lifetime, the only time a superstar has been traded. And it didn't get equal value, but when Lou Alston or Kareem told the Bucs privately, I won out in like 1970, 71 to the late. He told them privately

so they could work on a deal. And the Bucks got a, I mean, so many good players. Like, six players. They were very good. And they were viable for years because of it. But they didn't win in the Lakers did with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So it's the same thing. There is no equal value for Enronkers. You're not going to find him on the market. Zero. There's zero chance. No. And that's also why if I'm Seattle, I'm not even thinking about trading Russell Wilson. So all signs point to Monday being the final home game for Ben Rathesberger's career.

But Mike Tomlin said yesterday he doesn't think that will be a factor for the team or Rathesberger heading into the game. I don't know that it's going to impact anything relative to what we intend to do or what he intends to do. Like I've mentioned several times when that subject is broached in these settings, Ben has really done a nice job of setting the pace regarding that throughout the season. He's been singularly focused on the next challenge and where we are in terms of the here and now.

And so it's been easy to follow his lead in that regard. And I'm sure we all will do the same as we press forward toward Monday night football. Just the best. No wasted words, not a wasted word. He is spectacularly word efficient. Yes, there's not a wasted word. And he's like Ben Scully in his prime. He'd use nine words to call the last RBI single in Game 7 of a World Series.

If you wrote it down, you couldn't write it better than Vin would call it. Tomlin, if you were literally crafting as a director of a movie, 32 words to talk about Ben. that would be, they would be those words. But they wouldn't be able to say it in the same way. Benison is 18th season with the Steelers. This season in 14 games, he's 7-7, 65% completion

percentage, 3,700 and 3,373 yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions and one rushing touchdown. He has had about four games this year where he's really looked good. He's had some moments. Yeah, so, but again, what are old quarterbacks and backup quarterbacks have in

common. They lack consistency. So Ben is, I can see Ben after last week having a really strong last game at home. I could absolutely see him two touchdowns, no picks. He's 22 of 32. I mean, we saw the late Kobe's last game he scored 60. It's amazing when it's the final, the curtains coming down, what professional athletes do. So I could see him playing very well in his last home game. This game has poetry written all over it. It's Browns. It's Monday night football. It does. It's his last game potentially in Pittsburgh. It's probably his last game in Pittsburgh. And nothing's easy for Cleveland.

So instead of getting Ben from last week, Cleveland will get the last great Ben game. Exactly. This is going to be one of those must-watch games. I mean, we're all retiring Ben Rothesberger without him saying it, but obviously this is the end. So the Jags are the first known team to take advantage of the early interview window, provided the clubs in search of a coach. They have requested interviews of six NFL coordinators, Byron Lefwich and Todd Bowles of the Bucks.

Kellyn Moore, Dan Quinn, Matt Eberfluse from the Colts, and Nathaniel Hackett, the Packers Offensive Coordinator that's also shown interest in Doug Peterson and former Lions Coach Jim Caldwell, and they will interview Peterson tomorrow, according to Ian Rappaport. So there are a lot of potential coordinators this year that could get jobs, a lot of people that are going to be interviewed. We've talked about it a lot. This is a very strong year for candidates. I don't know that there'll be as many job openings as they're normally.

I would love a head coach for the Jacks. Caldwell Peterson, either one, give me a head coach. I tend to agree. I tend to agree with those teams. I think that somewhere like Chicago could use a really an up-and-coming, creative guy who's an NFL guy in Chicago. I think also with the Raiders as well, those are two places Jacksonville and Vegas that need culture setters.

They need people that already know what they're doing. that are, it's, who also can, in a similar way with Ron Rivera, although I know they're struggling now, there's no question when Ron Rivera was hired in Washington. Like, that's a great hire. He's a very well-respected guy. He is a culture-setting guy. And that's a place that needs some culture. And Jacksonville and the Raiders need some culture.

So their hires at this point are really important. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Right, my buddy, first things first, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. The Best or Nothing is now joining us. So I'm about 20 years older than you.

I grew up with those late Sunday games that had a Sopranos feel to it. You get around TV on Sunday, and it was Chuck Knoll, Steelers, and Madden's, Raiders, and Shula's, dolphins, and those three teams. Kansas City, by the way, in those eras, was pretty good as well. But there were a handful of teams. The Vikings were very good back then. Washington was, and it felt like six or, you know, we didn't have cable television back then, like you sat around and that was the game of the week and everybody got around the TV.

So those are my memories. When you heard John had passed, John Madden, what was your first recollectioner memory? Well, yeah, because of the age gap, I, you know, I wasn't alive when he was still coaching. And obviously because of what I do for a living, I'm well aware of what he did while coaching. Ten years with the Raiders, seven AFC championship game appearances or further. the best winning percentage in NFL history. He won 75% of his games.

Belichick wins 67% of his games, just put it in context. And yet somehow, Colin, that might be not the least impressive, but maybe the least important part of his resume. I think he's the greatest color commentator in sports history, not just NFL history, because his enthusiasm truly transcended the screen and his ability to teach without making you feel like you were being taught. And, you know, for those of us in the business, he reset the standard for what broadcasters can make. He called Super Bowls on all four networks, which will never be done again.

I guaranteed it for no other reason than all four networks, no wonder, have the NFL. And then there's the video game part of it. And I don't want to understate the importance of that because, Colin, I think there is, is a direct line between the younger coaches in this league being more of go for it guys, better understanding clock management, and the fact that they are the first generation of coaches that played the video game, that played Madden. There is a direct line between guys my age who figured out how to handle a two-minute drill because they had 20 bucks riding on it with their college roommate after a few beers.

and it's one of the reasons why guys and gals my age in the media can get so frustrated with coaches that don't get it because it is literally something we learned as children thanks to that video game. And so he had three separate Hall of Fame caliber careers. And Colin, I think you can make a strong argument that Pete Rizel maybe would be in the conversation, a couple others, but that of the last,

50 years, there is no single human being more directly responsible for the growth and popularity of football than John Madden, from his coaching of an iconic franchise to his unprecedentedly great streak of broadcasting to the video game, the way it touched so many people and the way he became a part of our family's fabrics on Thanksgiving. I just think it's obviously a life well lived, and I'm delighted if there's any. I don't want to say silver lining, but I'm really, really glad that he got to see that documentary, that I know we're re-airing tonight, so on Big Fox tomorrow, that he was able to see that and experience that with his family, because it was so well done and such an achievement for the people to put it together in a recognition of his career. You know, something else, it made me think of you because you're from Kansas City.

So in the 70s, the Royals were great, and I can remember Amos Otis and Frank Wilson and Freddie Pawtech. I remember those teams, 70s and 80s, and the Chiefs were also good. So my argument is in the heartland of America, baseball and football were very close. In Kansas City, you could probably go right down this. And you know it better than me. Half the town loved the Royals most. Half the town love the Chiefs the most. It is not close, and it's not just because of Mahomes anymore.

If you went to Pittsburgh in the 70s, this is pre-Madden video. game. You had Willie Starrgil, Runny Starris, Frank Tavaris, Dave, 70s. As great as the Steelers were, the pirates were wildly celebratory, fun personality. Look at Pittsburgh today. It's a football town.

I'd say hockey is second. I think your point is interesting. Is that in the 70s, there was a real... I talked to Al Michaels about this last week in a podcast. I said, there was a moment in time when this nation was very split on baseball in the NFL.

And then it lines up with Madden from the broadcaster to the video game when football has literally, and it's never slowed down. Does that make sense to you? I agree a thousand percent. And again, I don't want to sound self-important or overemphasize how it affected me, but I think I'm a good vessel for a lot of the viewers

because there's no, you know, I'm just, I'm just a sports fan, you know, that argues well. That's the only, that's my only qualifications for this job. But I learned, I didn't understand a lot of the nuances of football until Madden taught them to me via the broadcast and via the game. Like, how did I figure out, oh, dime coverage? You got to have that if the other team has four wide receivers. because I kept losing Madden games. So older cousins and friends, I was like, what the hell is happening here? And then he invented telestration.

And football is a complex, nuanced sport. And for him to be able to make it palatable, and for him to be able to explain what we're seeing while with a wink and a nod and a smile, and there are just so many parts of our now football-watching experience that we take for granted. the turducken and Thanksgiving being the you know

a major moment he is woven into that fabric forever and so yeah I think that and one last note on the video game and we talked about this this morning they initially wanted to have it come out where it was six on six or seven on seven

and John said you know legendarily with you can't put my name on it so they they delayed the game multiple years in order to get the technology available to where they could do 11-on-11 football. And now it's, you know, arguably or inarguably, the greatest sports video game, most influential sports video game ever.

Well, I have to ask you, got a couple minutes left, one NBA. I'm going to set you up for this. LeBron has hit 36,000 points. It's funny. I've watched him a couple times in the last week. He's healthy and very dominant. He's still, I mean, his ability to hit threes now, it's just like a jump shot. It's like a mid-range jumper for George.

now. Like he just shoots a three. Fun. It's just so easy. He has developed a beautiful, what do you make a 36,000? Put it in context. Okay. So if you, every single thousand point threshold, LeBron's the youngest to get there. And that obviously will continue after he passes Kareem eventually. You should pass Carl Malone at the very end of this season. But that's more about what he's accomplished up to this point. I think because the Lakers have been such a mess and because folks are deciding that LeBron's side gig of assistant GM, he didn't do a great job at it this year, that we are failing, we're missing the forest for the trees. Colin, who leads the league in 30 point games? That guy, even though he's missed a dozen games. LeBron this year is averaging

more points than he has averaged in a season since 2009. Right now, the only guy's averaging more points in LeBron or Katie and Steph and Steph it's by a couple tenths of a point. He is averaging 27, 8, or I'm sorry, 28, 7 and 7 on 52% from the field, 35% from 3. And by the way, we don't talk about his free throws anymore because he hits him now, 78% from the line. He is having, in year 1963,000 minutes in, statistically, a top level LeBron season. that's an impossibility. That is not supposed to be available to anyone at this point in their career. Kareem was the best year 19 guy we had ever seen.

He averaged 14 points a game that season. So I don't know if the Lakers are going to get it right. We'll see what they look like when Anthony Davis comes back. But the fact that LeBron right now is without question, still one of at worst, the four best players in the league, there's no precedent for it. And last night, him hitting 36,000 was met with, you know, a yawn and a wave when he's in the midst of, once again, reminding everyone that he is the only ageless player in NBA history. So I hope the Lakers get it together, but I hope even more so that along the way we recognize what we're seeing because we'll never see it again. As always, great context.

Good seeing you, buddy. Nick Wright. Excellent. Thank you, Colin. See you guys. Happy New Year. Wolf and Shepherds, my favorite shoe, wearing him again this. morning. This time was socks. I got my act together. Staying in a hotel one more night, but I did

take socks. Designed for comfort and performance, a tennis shoe feel, a dress shoe look. Go to Wolfenshepard.com. 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,

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Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a gas. galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it, podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. 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. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Fairdi, founded by twin brothers. family business to make the best looking clothes, backed by a lifetime guarantee of quality. Heard listeners, go there now. Fairtybrand.com slash herd for 20% off, put in the code herd 20. So, a disturbing story. Emily Mayfield, Baker's wife, is saying that not only are there lies being spread and blatant

disrespect to her husband on the internet, Baker Mayfield, but death threats. So this obviously crosses a line. It's unfortunate. It's sad. It is, you know, I'll take her word. for it, so it's ugly. But in dark times, sometimes doors are open.

And my first thought about this, if you asked me privately, do the Browns want to kind of do over at quarterback? I think they do. I think it's just too turbulent and too toxic. If you asked Baker, now that some fans have turned on him, and that happened about four or five weeks ago,

dude, you can get a do-over. There are days, Baker says, it wouldn't be terrible. Other places, you know, warm weather I'd rather live. My first takeaway, this could potentially give you an out. First of all, there is trade value for Baker Mayfield. Absolutely. There's nine, ten teams in this league that are desperate at quarterback. He absolutely has trade value. By the way, Sam Darnold got a second chance. James Winston got a second chance. Kirk Cousins, Jared Gough, you could absolutely move Baker

Mayfield. Absolutely. He's got a good arm. So there's that. Don't talk yourself out of he'll never get another chance. Somebody traded Matt Stafford for Jared Gough. Okay, stuff happens. The second thing is he plays quarterback and nine teams are desperate. The other thing is his agent would have a good sales pitch. A, he's hurt.

This is not the real Baker. They started the year three and one this year. He was very serviceable. This is all about injuries. And the third thing is, even in college, he's not for everybody. He needs the right kingmaker. And that was Baker in college. He bounced around in college.

He found Lincoln Riley. He needs the right offensive coach. So his agent could easily sell that. Baker needs the right guy. Matt Stafford just needed McVeigh. Every quarterback needs a guy. Josh Allen, by the way, found Brian Dayball. And then he went from 59% completion to league MVP kind of player.

Lamar Jackson. What is he? Oh, Greg Roman. He's MVP. So you could absolutely, if I was Baker's agent, I would say it's Cleveland. he's hurt. He's not for everybody, but when you give him the right fit, he wins the Heisman, he's the number one pick. He got Cleveland to a playoff game. Hello, he won a playoff game in Cleveland. You can sell Baker Mayfield to the masses, especially at the most important position, and

it's a weak quarterback draft. Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson, probably not going anywhere, after Deshawn Watson. Who are the productive quarterbacks available? I'm not saying a big market, there's a market. But my point is, the death threat is obviously crossed a complete line. And is it creating an opportunity for Baker to say, hey, I don't feel safe. If my wife's getting death threats, we're getting death threats, I don't feel safe. And if I was a GM, I'd be like, I totally hear you. I totally hear you.

So this is obviously an awful situation. But I do wonder, my first thought was maybe this is just an opportunity for a little bit of a over for Baker, a little bit of a do-over for Cleveland. Is it a possibility? Because it does feel like to me, this is just getting, it's turbulent all the time. It's just, it's relentless. This, this relationship is hard and it's relentless, and it does feel like it's taken a really bad turn. Now, maybe it comes out Monday against the Steelers, and Baker's amazing. I think they're, I think they're favored. I mean, Cleveland's got a better roster right now. Cleveland's really good. They outplayed Green Bay. Maybe Baker, you know, six, seven more days.

of, you know, rest and not taking hits. He comes back. He's great. And everybody goes and falls back in love and they get to the playoffs. I don't think they will, but they still have a chance. But my takeaway when this story landed was, man, this has been turbulent. Man, this has been toxic. Is it an opportunity for both the team and the player a little bit of a do-over? But I do. There's a lot.

You know, I was thinking about this. The other day I said, you know, Baker didn't have a lot of trade value. And I drove home that day and I thought, yeah, he does. Yeah, he does. He has trade value. I mean, good God Sam Darnold got a second chance. I mean, there was just nothing there statistically. So, I mean, James Winston.

I mean, James left and, I mean, they didn't make a lot of money. But Sean Payton knows quarterbacks. He's like, I think I can win some games with that guy. I mean, Taysam Hill just got a bunch of money. Baker's better than Taysam Hill's a quarterback. I think he, my opinion is to this point, better than Sam Darnold, not as reckless, certainly as good as James Winston. So I don't know.

It just, this is a really bad story and a really sad story. Is it an opportunity for both? It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild... It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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, unfields of college. conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.