The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 – Sputtering Seahawks

Episode Date: December 22, 2021

Colin reacts to the Seahawks loss to the Rams last night, is joined by former Super Bowl champion and NFL analyst Johnathan Vilma, and why OBJ’s lack of production last night isn’t a big deal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

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

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a 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 Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go, live in Los Angeles on a Wednesday, a busy Wednesday because of two NFL games last night. It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Brought to you by Jersey Mike's subs, be a sub above. So Seattle's toast, Rams of the toast of the town. Washington feels like toast.

Philadelphia is the toast of their town a little bit this morning because the Sixers are always a mess. I love Tuesday games. I'm for Tuesday. Now, primetime television no longer gets ratings anymore. Broadcast primetime TV. I don't know why we don't put NFL games on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursday. I love last night. Loved it.

Well, I think it's the players. But if we could find a way to work the schedule where they would get enough time off to recover for their next game. Like the Thursday game, the next week, you play Tuesday. If you could rig it so you could make it work. I mean, we make Thursday games work. we make Monday night games work. I love last night. I mean, for us having a game to react to.

Two. So we won't have football on Wednesday and Friday. That's it. I'll take that. We've got it Saturday. So I want to start with this. Believe it or not, 80% of millionaires did not inherit their money. No, they earned it.

Middle class or below. I know you don't want to hear that, right? I'm not rich because my parents didn't give me a lot of money. 80% of millionaires did not inherit it. What they have is really good habits. They're people that always bargain shop, even when they get rich. They bargain shop. And some people will fall into money early in their life.

But the kids who inherited money and fall into it early in their life, if you look at studies and stats, they're not the bargain shoppers. They're used to money. And that's why I like the Rams. Because the Seahawks are just doing a bad Rams impression. The Rams are in Glitzy Los Angeles, but they do a great job bargain shopping. Sony Michelle, they got in for nothing.

It's like a rental. OBJ is a rental. All they had to give up for Vaughn Miller was a couple of draft picks. They do a really good job. What they really do is they draft well. And so it's funny, you know, Seahawks fans can, I'm from the Pacific Northwest. They can yell about the officials last night.

There were two bad calls against Seattle. But you know who doesn't get on that plane? flying back to Seattle, referees. So you can't control them. Your cruddy offense, which has been broken now for a couple of years, that gets on the flight home to Seattle. That's your responsibility. Officials are the league's responsibility.

Your offense is yours. And in a division with Kyle Shanahan, Sean McBay and Cliff Kingsbury, you have an outdated offense, a 70-year-old coach, a defensive-leaning guy, and the Seahawks are officially broken. Is it Pete Carroll's fault? Well, it's been a house of cards. I've said that ad nauseum last two years. The house of cards, they draft poorly, therefore they reach.

They take big swings. But Seattle reminds me of the person that got rich early in their life. They blew a lot of that money. They're trying to maintain their lifestyle. So they take some big financial risks to maintain their lifestyle. And they miss on most of them. And they never fully reassess their financial reality. And now they have aging assets and old home and bad.

real estate. By the way, they give up all their first round picks, but so do the Rams. But the difference is the Rams are great bargain shoppers. OBJ and Sony Michelle and Vaughn Miller. Cost you nothing. The Rams draft better than the Seahawks. 14 of their 22 starters, many of them high-end starters, they drafted. And when Seattle goes out and takes a big swing, they get a box safety for two first round picks and a third who's never healthy. When the Rams go out for a big swing, they get Jalen Ramsey, the first or second best corner league and Matt Stafford, who's top five an MVP. So Seattle's just doing a lousy Rams impression.

The glitzy Los Angeles football team works harder, drafts better, bargain shops better, and when they do take a big swing, they go get a star. Andrew Whitworth and Matt, Seth. Stafford and Jalen Ramsey and they did draft Aaron Donald. And so I just, Seattle's a house of cars. They've had to reach and they've whiffed and they had all this early success. And they blew that Super Bowl, right? They had it there and they blew it.

And they didn't pay attention and they haven't drafted. Well, I mean, if you go to their last four or five drafts, I mean, the only people that are any good is a punter and somebody connected to Russell Wilson. And so when the Rams. go for a big trade, it's not to compensate for mistakes in a lifestyle they can't live up to. It's to add to a really smart, savvy, shrewd culture. When the Seahawks go big on Jamal Adams, it's to compensate because they whiffed on defensive line picks, they don't have a pass rush, and they're trying to engineer it. And Carlos Dunlap, by the way, it's not like everything Seattle does doesn't work.

Carlos Dunlap had a great night last night. But there is a big difference. Not all purchases are the same. You can buy a car, I can buy land. Mine is not a declining asset. You can give up your first picks. The Rams give up their first round picks, but they get Matt Stafford for it and Jalen Ramsey for it,

and they get great compensation for it. And the Seahawks get a box safety who's never healthy and kind of feels a little bit outdated because he can't really cover sideline to sideline, though he is a great talent, Jamal Adams. So Seattle's exactly where they should be. They have earned every bit of this five and nine record. They can complain about the officials. And yes, there were a couple of blown calls.

But they don't get on the plane home with you. Your offense does. It is outdated, broken. Blame who you want. You can blame whoever you want. You can blame Russell. You can blame Pete. Here's Russell after the loss. There's so many other moments in that game. I felt like we could have capitalized. And the game was, like I said, the game was 10 to 10 with, you know, eight men's to go or whatever. So it was there for us. We've always created such a high standard of playing. winning and found ways to just win these close games. And this year, unfortunately, we weren't able to do it.

All right, let's shift to the other game that people on the West Coast didn't see. People on the East Coast did. Philadelphia beat Washington. And I would say the Eagles are the ugliest pretty good team in the league. They have a way of playing that's not always pretty in the first half, is that they wear you down. The Eagles have 14 second half rushing touchdowns and seven first half rushing touchdown. So they're twice as effective, getting the ball in the end zone rushing in the second half, then first half. And that's what happens when you have a good run game, time of possession.

You wear people down. They are a wildly productive run team. I get the skeptics on Jalen Hurts. Totally get it. Who have they beaten? The Falcons, Carolina, Detroit, the Jets, Washington, New Orleans. And they got a big one over Denver. Who have they lost to?

Kansas City, Tampa, Dallas, San Francisco, the Chargers. So there's a pretty clear line here with Philadelphia. beat good teams, they beat bad teams, and there's about, you know, eight to ten bad teams in the NFL. I don't know, I really don't, if Jalen Hertz is going to work. Kyler-Murie smaller has been hurt last couple of years. Jalen Hertz is smaller, not nearly as good a passer as Kyler. He's been hurt this year. But I will say this. My rule has always been in the NFL. If you're not a great team, be great at something. And they are. They're a great, productive run team. And by the way, in college football, everybody argues

for non-power-5 Cincinnati to get in. That's not a conventional route, right? The conventional way to get into the college football playoff is like you win a Power 5 conference. You do an Alabama or, you know, historically you do an Ohio state this year. It's Michigan or that's how you get in. But in college football, everybody demands that we take these non-conventional Power 5 teams in that beat mostly garbage teams, maybe have one big win over in Notre Dame and so they should be a. Well, not every playoff team is a Super Bowl team.

I mean, the Tim Tebow playoff team, not conventional. Y'all loved them. Taysam Hill. That's not conventional. If you go to Lamar Jackson's first year of starting in the NFL, he wasn't nearly the passeryas now, they were very non-conventional. I mean, they were running around doing stuff. The league couldn't catch up to them.

So in college football, everybody demands that you accept the non-conventional route, although I have every right to be cynical, because every time one of these non-power five gets in, they get crushed. But we have a history of non-conventional NFL playoff teams getting in. Tebow won a playoff game. Like Lamar Jackson has won playoff games. I've seen this. So I don't know what Philadelphia is.

I don't know what Jalen Hertz is. You know what they feel like? It feels like Nick Seriani didn't draft him. He inherited him. And he went, I think that's the best way to win with this guy. And for that, they deserve credit. this is the way we can win with them. Here's what he's really good at.

Moving, running. It's not a great deep ball thrower. It's not what he does. But I'm going to take my players. What do they do well? And I'm just going to lean right into it. I got no problem with team like that making the playoffs. I don't want 14 teams like that making the playoffs.

But we don't have 14 teams like that making the playoffs. Philadelphia is the ugliest, most unconventional potential playoff team. And they do, I will say this. they feel like a playoff team to me. I don't know if Jalen Hertz is going to work, but when I watch them, if you're not great, be great at something, and they are. And again, last night, it's ugly.

I go to the internet. Jalen Hurt can't do this, and Jalen Hertz can't do that. And I don't know, but at the end of the game, Jalen Hertz, they had 70 total plays, 35 minutes time of possession, 240 rushing yards, 12 passing first downs, 11 rushing first downs. That's pretty productive.

but they're not, this isn't art here. They're, they're, they just do it a different way. You demand it in college football. You don't like it in the NFL. I'm okay with it. Philadelphia feels like to me a bottom end NFC playoff team. Good for them. All right.

You know, a couple, sometimes you get news after games, in between games, and it feels like really big news and it doesn't get a ton of play. But I thought Tom Brady yesterday got really awful news. Really, really bad, like Super Bowl dreams really close to being over news. That's next. 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 Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're not. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So bad news yesterday for Tampa Bay, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Leonard Furnett, a real source of comfort for Brady, is out for the season. Add to that, Chris Godwin out for the season. Linebacker Levante David, he's gone. Giovanni Bernard, good running back. Tom likes the run.

He likes play action as he's aged. He's out. They've got Mike Evans is week to week. He'll be back. But it's interesting. Tom Brady was always great in New England at those big night games. You ever noticed how bad he is in those night games in Tampa? Why?

That's weird, right? Because as Brady is aged and this happens to lots of people, you become a little less flexible, more a creature of habit. So as Brady went to Tampa, he had to move his family, schools, wife, new coach, new system, new teammates, new culture. So Tom was seeking comfort. He went after Gronk, really hard. And he wanted a big running back, a veteran running back.

He went after Leonard Fernette, really hard. So Tom this year is 7 and 0. Well, Leonard Fernette, he can hand off to and gets 50 yards. Tom leans on that. Because when you're a world and you're a creature of habit, but I am, when your world is giving you all this new stuff, you seek comfort, the small, tiny, dependable spaces of comfort. Tom was a great night quarterback in New England.

He's terrible in Tampa. He gets off his routine. He is seeking routine now. It's why I would consider with all these injuries sitting gronk for the rest of the regular season. Here's a stat for you. And his nine losses in Tampa, his only nine losses in Tampa, it's mostly been Brady unraveling.

He's missing a teammate. He's out of his comfort zone. He's had 14 picks in those nine losses. Six multi-interception games. In his last nine losses, a couple years ago in New England, he had zero multi-interception games. Why? Because he was a creature of habit,

and he was surrounded by things that he knew were there. Josh McDaniels, the offensive line coach, the offense, Bill Belichick, it's the same owner, it's the same drive to work. My kids are in the same school. Tom is a creature of habit. And in Tampa, he's got all these variations, all these variables. And if you're a creature of habit, I am as well. When that happens, you seek dependable. So he wanted all 22 of the starters back after winning the Super Bowl. He desperately wanted Leonard Fernetta power back. He desperately wanted gronk. And now what you're doing is you're taking this stuff. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans,

Leonard Fernette. Now you're taking stuff away from him. I don't think it's good for him. A, he unravels much faster in Tampa. All the numbers tell you. In the nine Tampa losses, the buck's turnover differential is minus 11. In the last nine New England losses,

the turnover differential, zero. He does not have Belichick's defense to save him. He does not have the comfort. And when something is taken away, from him he unravels much more quickly. So I do not think this is good news for Brady and I think he knows it. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Cooper Cup is having an outstanding season. And last night he made Rams history. Set the franchise single season record for receptions passing Isaac Bruce's mark of 119. And he finished last night's game with 122 catches on the same. season, which leads the league as well. He's also first in receiving yards with 1,625 and 14 receiving touchdowns. He's on pace to be the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to win the

receiving triple crown. Jerry Rice did it. Sterling Sharp did it. And Steve Smith did it. He's, you know, the thing about Cooper Cup is he's just so consistent and so good. And we never talk about him. Like he's just not, we don't, he should, he probably should be one of the first three mentions. When we talk about the best receivers in the league, we always go, and deservedly so, to Devante Adams and D'Andre Hopkins. We don't view him as, as spectacular wins a lot of awards. Right. You know, it's never the dependable Metro reporter for the local newspaper. It's the columnist, but the Metro reporter over 30 years breaks more stories and has more, has tons of loyal readers. But Cooper is not, we wouldn't classify him as as spectacular, so he doesn't get it.

And I will say this, Stafford deserves a lot of credit. Last night, as Matt and Cooper have grown together, Matt threw him open a couple of times. Boy, the last three games for Matt Stafford, he looks really. He looks like he's gotten it together. Like, this is why you give up a first round pick. Like Jalen Ramsey this year, you're like, yeah, that's last night. He was huge. Jalen and Matt Stafford, when you give up a first round pick and you get that, you're not going to get those two in the first round.

You're not going to get a corner that good in the first round or a quarterback that good. Jamal Adams, I can get that in the first round. That's the difference between the Rams and the Seahawks. Both swing big, but Stafford last night, the last three games, you're like, that is worth multiple first round picks. And it's, I'm happy that he has turned the corner. Yeah. During that losing streak, he was contributing to those problems.

And it takes a little time to get it together. And him and Cooper are clearly on the same page. And Cooper, the spectacular thing is interesting because, you know, you think you'd want consistency as well. And Cooper has been good with multiple quarterbacks. Well, you know, it's almost like, I'll give you an example. So Aaron Donald, everybody knows, football fans know him. But we love to talk about edge rushers, right?

Like Aaron Donald was winning NFL defensive player year. So there was accolades within the industry. But if you look at guys selling jerseys, it's going to be a Trayvon Diggs who's getting interceptions or a T.J. Watt. Because, I mean, there's no question. The dunk contest, they don't do a passing contest. It's the dunk contest, the three-point shooting. And so Cooper is just a volume receiver, and I understand why he's overlooked.

But I think within the league, everybody gets it. Everyone respects it, yeah. So there's a new favorite in the NFL MVP race. According to Fox Bet, Aaron Rogers has taken the top spot with the odds of plus 130 to win the award for the second straight season. That's shocking because I thought he was canceled, but apparently not. He jumped ahead of Tom Brady, who is now second. at plus 170 after week 15. He is Aaron Rogers having a spectacular season again.

The last way to win back-to-back MVP awards was Peyton Manning in 2008 and 2009. So Rogers is the best odds than Brady. Jonathan Taylor is plus 1,000. He has been. And he's gaining a lot of momentum. Well, also, they have 17. I think Jonathan, I could be wrong on this. I think Jonathan Taylor has 17 more rushes than Carson Wentz has completions or something.

some number to show you how important Jonathan Taylor is to that team. Not that Carson's not talented, but he really is. There are two teams in this league led by a running back. Derek Henry and Jonathan Taylor. Those are run first teams. And I got nothing against Carson Wentz, but you take Jonathan Taylor out, they're not the same team. But also, when you have someone who's having a season like Jonathan Taylor or like Derek Henry was, why wouldn't you just lean into that? I mean, you'd be silly not to take advantage of it, but no one can stop him. He has 1,518 rushing yards. That's 400 more than anyone else in the league. And he has 19 rushing touchdowns, which is more than, which obviously leads the NFL. So he's getting a lot of momentum as well. There's still obviously games to be

played, so we'll see how this all plays out. Again, you and I aren't big MVP people. And this conversation this year has been a little fuzzy. It's really bounced around a lot. Yeah. because this has been a really wild season with a lot of parity and a lot of injuries and a lot of issues with COVID. And there are still games we played to figure out how this is all going to play out. But Rogers feels like he should be at the top. I mean, he's been incredibly consistent. And we saw what happened. And he's overcome two dozen injuries.

I mean, they've been banged up all year. Unbelievable. It's just really next man up there in Green Bay. So LeBron put up a game high 34 points last night against the Suns, but it was not nearly enough to get the Lakers the win. They dropped their third straight game, 108, 90, and fell back. back to 500 with a 16 and 16 record. And after the game, LeBron was asked if he's seen enough in this team

to know if they can take it to the next level. I mean, I feel like that's a question you asked me after every game. I'll get y'all just not, I don't know. I mean, I don't think so. We have not, you don't know, we have no idea what this team can be of and though, how can we really fully assess

what we have, you know, when we haven't been whole. We haven't, I can't remember the last time, you know, we, you know, played the same song lineup, the same rotation coming off the bench. It's been a long time. So it's hard to assess that. The Lakers use their 17th different starting lineup of the season against the Sun of Swissures the most in the league. And they're old. Their bench is old. They're old. So you're not going to be whole. I mean, one of the reasons we both thought the Westbrook move work isn't because we think he's the greatest team player. But AD was going to miss 20 games. LeBroma's going to miss 15. So who's going to score 28 points on those nights?

Like who's going to score points? And who's going to bring that energy? Yes. That's, I'm not. I'm not. Westbrook fan at all. But I was like, I know LeBron and AD are missing collectively 30 games. Somebody's got a score. It can't be Malik Monk. He was the only other Lakers started with more than with a, he's scored 22.

Yeah. So I mean, yeah, this is predictable. Like old teams get hurt more all the time. And it's also everyone in the league is dealing with a flurry of COVID issues, not just this league. NHL, obviously.

NFL. So everyone's trying to adjust to different starting lineups, having guys out, having G-League guys in. Like, it's, chaos right now. And if you're a team like the Lakers, who's been dealing with a little bit of that before it became an issue with COVID, he's right. It's hard to assess what it is. It's still also very early in the season. Like, we're not even to the Christmas Day games, which was really when most of us in the industry, like, okay, like now we have a good full chunk of NBA games to start evaluating these teams and see what's going to happen going into, you know, the all-star break and so on. But it just doesn't feel like that for the lake.

You know, it's interesting. It's funny. So hockey said, okay, we're going to go on hold, which is really interesting. A friend of mine I was talking to last night was at the New York Rangers game in New York against Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden. It went to overtime. It was a great, great game. He had a blast. And he said, no masks.

So the team, the league shutting down, he goes, I'm in New York City. There's 20,000 people in the building. He was looking around. He's like, am I the only guy wearing a mask? So it's funny. Like, the fans who are not always in world-class shape, but the athletes who are not always in world-class shape, but the athletes who are not. world-class shape. They're shutting it down. So much of this stuff for me is hard to get my brain and my arms around. I don't know. I wouldn't shut down leagues right now, but I do think,

I think the NBA is doing it the right way. We'll monitor it. We're going to do the best we can. They by and large, the bubble was a wild success, an incredible success. But they can't, they can't. They can't do the bubble again. No, they can. It's impossible. I don't, I don't think it's necessary. I don't think shutting, I don't understand the NHL. I would not shut the league down. I would just, again, my friends at New York game, 18,000 people not wearing masks, and they're not pro athletes. So, I don't know. It's, uh, I would not be, I don't want to be the one to have to make any of these decisions.

Right. They're hard. I just think we're at a point now with this variant where you got to get through stuff. You just got to, and that's why I'll support leagues if they move games. Like, I'm going to support the leagues. Everyone's just trying to figure it out. That's right. None of us have the answers.

None of us have the answers. Yes. So we're all just trying to figure it out. Everything's changing day to day. there's new information, and when you're in charge of billions of dollars and thousands and thousands of jobs, those are big decisions to make. I agree with you. I would not stop any of the leagues. You just have to keep going and figure it out and make adjustments. And if you believe that to be true, then we also have to be fair with all the leagues. If they have to move games and put up some protocols,

everybody's just trying to get through it. And so when the hockey did that, I was like, I don't know if I do that. I think the NBA has done the best thing. And they got the tsunami in the middle of a season, but I like the NBA's approach over hockey's. Anyway, joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie news. Fox Sports analysts played for a decade in the NFL at an incredibly high level. Three Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl champ now a Fox analyst. Jonathan Vilma is now joining us live. Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. You know, we were talking about Philadelphia, and I said, you know, they're not conventional. Tim Tebow's playoff team was not conventional, but it was kind of fun.

And in college football, everybody demands that the non-power five team get into the playoff. And I'm like, well, that's not a conventional route, but okay. But in the NFL, all I hear about Jalen Hertz is, oh, I can't do this and I can't do that. And I'm like, there's room for an unconventional offense. And they kind of are, and I'm here for it. They're not great, but they're great at something. And I think they're going to go into the playoffs, and they're going to face a Tampa or a Rams, and those coaches are going to be like, all right, there's nothing on film in the league like that.

I mean, I think Philadelphia would be a handful to play, Jonathan. You played in this league decade on the defensive side. Physical run-driven teams are hard, right? Yeah, just stop right there, Colin. Physical, they run the ball, they're a driven team. There's really nothing else that you have to look at and say, oh, well, this is how we're going to, you know, disregard what they do offensively. They are a run first team.

They run the ball very well, very effective. You've seen the last few weeks, Miles Sanders has been great. Jalen Hertz is picking up where he needs to. And then now they have the passing game off. Dallas Goddard is really coming into his own. So I love what they're doing offensively. It works for them.

They have the players. And that's the mark of good coaching when they adjust the offense to the players that they have instead of trying to force an offense. on the player's skill set that doesn't work. So I started my show saying the Rams and the Seahawks do a lot of similar things. They have kind of star coaches and star quarterbacks, big player receivers, and they both give up first round picks. The difference is when the Rams do, they get Jalen Ramsey and Matt Stafford,

and the Seahawks got a box safety who's hurt again. And I feel like sometimes Seattle in the last several years has been taking big swings to compensate for bad draft picks. missing a lot. And I, even when Seattle was winning 11 and 12 games, I had sent on the air two years ago. I thought it was a little bit of a house of cards. Not a lot of these draft picks were hitting. Jamal Adams felt like a reach. A lot of their draft picks feel like reaches. I think Seattle, Russell, Wilson, hides the fact that they're totally in a rebuilding mode, but Russell makes you think you're more competent because he keeps games close. That's my view on what Seattle is now today. What's yours?

You know, Seattle is a team. You have mentioned that they haven't hit on the rookies and the draft picks. And then they're reaching on some of the veterans. But Seattle is a team that is trying to recreate the identity of the Legion of Boom, you know, Marshawn Lynch, Beast Mode. And then Russell Wilson was kind of the third act of that program, right? And so when you're saying what has Pete Carroll always done from, from USC days to Seattle days, it's always been really, really good defense, run the football,

and then you have the quarterback, whether it was Matt Liner at the time, Mark Sanchez, whoever it is, now it's Russell Wilson. And so the issue is you're trying to recreate what you had before, but still trying to make Russell Wilson the first act. When he needs to be the third act, your first act was always the good defense, great defense. And then it was the run game, Beast Mode. you had Reggie Bush, you had Lendale White, the USC. Right. So that's your first act, your second act,

third act is a quarterback, and that's where the issue is you can't recreate this thing anymore. You can't put on a performance that you've had for so many years and had so much success because you're trying to make that quarterback the first option, and he can't be the first option. Not in Pete Carroll's system, but right, any other system. It just doesn't work. And that's always been this conflict where, yeah, they like, like each other, they have a good relationship, but when it's all said and done, Pete Carroll, deep down, he just wants to run the ball.

Yeah. That's it. Yeah. He's like, just, that's all I want to do. Just run the ball and play good defense. Yep. And that's always going to be a conflict. Yeah.

No, that's a really, really good point. I don't think Russell's a third option on most teams, but I think in Pete's ecosystem, he is a third option. And that's where it's broken to me. And that's why they have to make a move in my opinion. You know, it's funny. We were talking about Cooper Cup. and my guess why he doesn't get nearly as much love is he's not as spectacular as D'Andre Hopkins.

And, I mean, let's be honest, there's a lot of great defensive players, but the guys getting the interceptions or the sacks are the ones that win awards. Trayvon Diggs getting a lot of attention. Trayvon Diggs gets burnt a lot over the top, right? He's a big risk taker. But he gets interceptions, and so he's going to make, you know, pro bowls. And I think he's a great point. You said it, not me. Yeah.

You said it not me. So, and I get it. So that's why, when I, when I, I see Cooper Cup, I'm like he's not spectacular. He's just that treadmill guy that gets you seven catches. You tell me, what would you rather face the inconsistent but spectacular or the same route? What would you rather face? You just said what I don't, I want to face the consistent. I want to face the inconsistent. The consistent is hard to stop because they've seen every defense, they've seen all the good defenders and they still produce.

The inconsistent, you can get in their head. You can throw a defense at them that they don't like. They are, you know, moody that day, whatever it is. And, you know, it's kind of funny when you think about a moody, a person with attitude. You know, I played against guys like Stephen Smith for Carolina where he was always consistent. And then if you had him on one of those days where you're trying to talk trash to him, he became great. And those are the hardest guys to defend, right? and then you had other players where I'm not going to name any names,

you get into their head early, they just shut it down. And those are the type of guys that I want to face. Cooper Cup is a nightmare. I don't want to face a guy like Cooper Cup who's seen every defense. He's been doubled a million times. He reads the defense just like Matthew Stafford does, and they're literally on the same page every single time. That is the hardest thing to defend,

and I would hate to be one of the defenders right now going against him. Jonathan, you had the bills, Panthers last week. And I will tell you this, I thought Buffalo would make the Super Bowl. They just don't consistently run the ball. I mean, Josh Allen to me feels like their best runner. Now, they won last week, but I just over the last two months, as the weather's gotten colder, you need to be more physical post- Thanksgiving football. They just don't feel like a Super Bowl team. Did you see anything last week that would change your mind? I saw a few things that would change my mind.

I do want to agree with the, excuse me, I do want to agree with you because, you know, your eyes aren't lying to you. The past few weeks, you are looking at the number one defense in the NFL, but the past few weeks, they gave up over 160 yards rushing, right? So your eyes aren't lying to you when you talk about not being physical enough. Same thing in the run game. You see that they are running the football, but you see Josh Allen is the one running the football.

Devin Singletary wasn't the one. one that was getting the bulk of the yards in the rushing game. So segue, or fast forward to what just happened against the Panthers, I did see an emphasis on Devin Singletary running the football. It's not going to be, you know, three yards, three yards, boom, busted for 10. It's going to be like two yards, four yards, get into a third and manageable, let Josh Allen convert that third down, and then go back to two yards, four yards. It's not what you see from these playoff caliber teams, but if they stick to it and if they're consistent with it, then it can work. And then for the defense, it's really about the best thing Sean McDermott told me last week.

He was like, someone just has to go in there and get wet. That's it. That's all it is. Sometimes you just got to blow some things up. That's what he told us, which means, yeah, you can fit it all and it's all nice and great, but when you take a Ray Lewis in his prime, just go. Bam, just blow it up, right? Forget all the fits and the scheme and you got to kind of hit this guy this way.

Just go blow some stuff up, man. get wet. That's what he wants to see from his defense. Jonathan Vilma, great part of Fox Sports, 10 years in the league, Super Bowl, Pro Bowls, great seeing you. Happy holidays. I love that tree behind you. Your shirt matches the tree. It's all dialed up there, buddy. I did it

just for you, Colin. I did it just for you. Happy holidays. Happy holidays to Jonathan Vilma. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time. but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport

and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what 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, personal health, personal health, personal. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're all right. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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. 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 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. I can just hear Cleveland Brown fan today. Oh, BJ had won catch last night. One. What do you make of that? Nothing. Nobody cares in Los Angeles.

The Rams are really good and don't need him. OBJ was a talking point in Cleveland. Like when he came to Cleveland, it was a big story. It was not a roster full of accomplished people. Los Angeles was winning before OBJ. They're winning now. Cooper Cup, maybe the best receiver in the league. and OBJ's maybe the 18th biggest star in Los Angeles.

The Rams got him for free. They don't need his production to win, and expectations are much lower here. I mean, if you go to the box score last night, they averaged twice as many yards per pass as Seattle without OBJ's production. They had 330 yards passing. They were 50% on third down.

They had almost doubled the first downs. They had 35 minutes time of possession. without OBJ. It's not that they're not reliant on him. He gets lost in L.A. They didn't need OBJ. Van Jefferson and Cooper Cup and that running game, you can win a lot of games in this league.

But OBJ and L.A. when he came here, wasn't even one of the top five most accomplished people on the roster. Matt Stafford last night became the youngest quarterback ever to get to 50,000 yards. Aaron Donald is a three-teenth. time defensive player of the year. Vaughn Miller is an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP. Jalen Ramsey is the best corner or second best in a multiple time all pro.

Andrew Whitworth is the oldest person to ever start at tackle. Cooper Cups on Pace is Joy noted to be the triple crown winner in the wide receiver race and the head coach is known as Boy Genius. I mean, OBJ is not close to that stuff. So he's not that accomplished. when OBJ arrived in Cleveland, who was really accomplished? Oh, my bad, Baker had won the Heisman. So he's not a talking point here.

Like it's he's here. They lost Robert Woods or they wouldn't have brought him in. I do think it's interesting how quickly he started catching touchdown passes, but this is a better team and a better culture and a better quarterback and a better coach. And, you know, it's easier to be good here in Los Angeles with this culture. So, and that's not Baker or anybody in particular's fault. It's just it's easier to thrive in a Sean McVeigh offense than a Kevin Stefansky offense when you have Matt Stafford. That's pretty obvious, right?

But this is not a winnable argument for Cleveland. Like it did not work in Cleveland. And it's working more here really quickly in Los Angeles. But it's not a talking point. You don't need his production. I mean, we have the best receiver in the league playing next to him. And I would make the argument, whereas it was obvious early that OBJ didn't work with Baker. It's obvious early that OBJ and Stafford will work just fine together.

They just don't need him. They really don't. They just, they, Cooper Cup is, it's going to end up with 150 catches. I mean, even by Jarvis Landry standards, he's a volume of. receiver. That's like double his catches. So on average of his career. So it's a whole different ballgame. Cleveland had very few accomplished players, didn't have the culture. So OBJ was a talking point. And when it didn't work, it was obvious. And it became a discussion. He's just one of the dudes here. He's just one of the dudes, not nearly the most accomplished wide receiver right now.

forget player. I mean, he is third or fourth most accomplished, fourth or fifth most accomplished, offensive player. Whitworth, Stafford, Cooper Cup, the coach, boy genius. So it's not a winnable argument. You just, he's not a necessity here. Although I do think he's nice to have. He's a nice little icing on the cake, but the cake's really good here.

The cake in Cleveland's never really, really for back-to-back seasons and 30 years been good. Cake's great here. A little more icing, nothing wrong with that. But he's not needed for them to be productive. All you have to do is go to the box score last night on a weird Tuesday game when everybody in the league looked awful in the first half. All four teams looked awful in the first half. They did a bunch of good stuff without him.

All right. Mark Slareth is going to join us as well. it was interesting having Jonathan Vilmon. I thought he brought up a really interesting point is that in Pete's way of doing business, the defense, the run game, the quarterback is third. And Matt Liner was great, but it was the defense and Reggie Bush and then Matt.

And that's not a knock. Like that's what Pete wants. And, but it is also interesting. If you go to Pete in New England, it got worse slowly. And it was high point and then went down. and then USC High Point and then tailed off and Seattle High Point tailing off.

And I also think it's just different now. Pete's older. He's 70. Do you want to rebuild it 70 years old? Now, Belichick did. He went into the free agent market, but Belichick's not paying anything for his quarterback. He's got a rookie. Russell Wilson's the second biggest cap hit in the league.

So whereas Belichick could go spend that money because they weren't paying a star receiver, they weren't going to pay their quarterback. And they've always been wildly frugal, smart with their first. money. Seattle's got some big contracts. Russell Wilson's a massive cap hit. This is not going to be a New England turnaround. You can't do it that quickly. It's very difficult. They are trapped to a large degree unless they move and they're not moving Russell and probably not moving his left tackle. So you probably have to start over on defense, Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams.

All right. Hour number two on a Wednesday live in Los Angeles. 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.

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. 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 Cliford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled of 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford, and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was 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.

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 Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. It's the hurt.