The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Steelers-Vikings, Lakers, Tua

Episode Date: December 10, 2021

Ben Roethlisberger had to overcome a lot last night and he almost pulled it offMore problems for the LakersThe Dolphins are still looking for a QBGuest: Albert Breer Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Blazing five picks in an hour. I think they're the best lines since like week four or five. I've got one of my favorite bets of the year. I cannot wait, Joy Taylor, a Pittsburgh girl watching what was for about an hour and a half, a disaster, and then became really, really interesting at the end.

It was definitely a tale of two halves. It was. But look, it was an exciting game. We know where Pittsburgh is right now. Yeah. We're still in it at the end of the game. Last second, great defensive play. But I think we learned.

a little bit. Yeah, let's start with that. It's been an NFL season with a lot of weird games. Major upsets. Jacksonville beats Buffalo. We've had overtime games, so many thrilling finishes. Last night, though, that was the truest game of the year. You really got a game that personifies both these franchises. Minnesota, a lot of talent, their stars shined, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and their quarterback shrinks in stand-alone games. And they had it won and almost gave it away, because all Minnesota games look like this. They're all like this. They dominate early, almost blow it. They struggle early, almost win it. That's exactly what the Vikings are. And you know what? That's a lot of what the Steelers are. Mistakes cost them the game. But let's

me talk about Big Ben. And that was one of the most prideful performances I've ever seen. Big Ben makes mistakes. Big Ben's imperfect. Big Ben's offseason. Big Ben's age, oh, is an issue. But he sat in that pocket and overcame his organization. How many times did the Vikings have a safety or a linebacker that got a running start unblocked and bury him? Chase Claypool's silly mistake early, silly mistake late. The offensive line was brutal early. The defensive line was embarrassing. As Troy Aikman said, there are 10 yard holes.

So Big Ben sat on the sidelines, watched his defense, give up big yards, big chunks, and with all the pride in the world, he tried to bring him back. And he almost got there. And I've been critical of Big Ben, and I don't think he has much in the tank, but that was impressive. I'm not sure how many quarterbacks in this league could have safeties. And I'm talking pro bowl safeties for the Vikings and pro bowl linebackers for the Vikings get a 10-yard running head start.

Barry Big Ben, he's a six, five and a half, 260-pound man and was wincing for large portions of the game. The center wouldn't snap in the ball and chase Claypools being goofy. I mean, you could blame a million things. And this has always been my thing on the Steelers. I never doubt the talent. I never doubt their ability to compete. They're one of the great count-em-out underdog teams in the league. But I feel like half the time they're overcoming themselves.

And I don't know what the succession plan is for Pittsburgh. But I know this. Murphy, whatever that guy's name is, Dwayne Askins, and the other backup. Mason Rudolph. They wouldn't give you that last night. That second half would not look like that. That game is 45 to 7 with those guys. The ability for Big Ben to stand in that pocket and take hits, yelling at Tomlin on the sideline,

come back and almost, almost get us to an overtime, an inch away if not for a great play by a Vikings safety. So, you know, my takeaway is that was the truest game you could have. All Viking games are sort of like that. And the Steelers, the legacy of Ben and the Steelers with Tomlin and Ben's going to be, they can play against anybody and they can lose to anybody. And they can be terrible on one half and heroic in the other. And that's exactly what they were.

And for the record, and we said this yesterday, the Steelers are still in it. And the Vikings crept back into it. So the game really didn't have huge influence because Minnesota, I mean, the NFC, right now 25 of 30 NFL teams, 25 and 32 NFL teams are still in it. You take out the Jets, the Jags, the Lions, the Texans. I mean, even Seattle and the New York Giants are still in it. But I sat there and I watched Big Ben and I'm like, listen, man, he doesn't have much left. He emptied the tank last night.

Big Ben emptied the tank. Very impressive, especially late. And here's his coach. Just to be blunt, man, we're getting handled up front on both sides of the ball and that makes it difficult. It makes it difficult to do what we desire to do. We're not good in that area. with JV again tonight. And I'm talking about up front on both sides.

We lost the battle in the line of scrimmages, and that's football. We make no excuse. It is what it is. Not sure what their succession plan is, but nobody else on that roster could do what Big Ben did last night. Very few quarterbacks in the league could do what Big Ben did last night. Take that beating in that hole and almost rally them back. Tip of the cap to Ben. That was really impressive.

This wasn't. The Lakers are in the weakest part of their schedule. And last night they not only lost to Memphis, but Memphis didn't have the great John Morant, their best offensive player. And they didn't have Dylan Brooks, their best defensive player. And they still beat the Lakers soundly. I've always said this. Deciphering good from very good or very good from great, it's tough.

You know, you've watched these musical shows and people clearly have a competent voice. are they good or they very good? Are they very good? Are they very good? Are they great? It's hard to decipher. It's situational. It's inches in sports. But weakness or bad is easy to spot. And the Lakers are a very mediocre defensive team. They're old. Their benches old. Their starters are old. And even the guys who used to play defense like LeBron are limited now because of his age. He's in his 18th or 19th year. So they just get beat down the court. If you spread them out like a Phoenix can do or a Golden State, they can't defend the three, nor do they shoot it pretty very well. But here's something else that's really important.

Some of this is on LeBron. Like, LeBron's the smartest Laker. He's probably one of the smartest basketball players in league history. And so what that means is you want LeBron to have the ball in crucial situations. Well, that means he's going to be the de facto point guard. Well, that means you move Russell Westbrook off ball to a two guard. Yeah, that's not good. So I talked about this when Russell Westbrook came over.

He's great for providing production and minutes. But in crisis, you don't want him with a ball making decisions. You want LeBron with a ball. Just like you want it as a Laker fan, magic with a ball. Just like in Phoenix, you want Chris Paul with a ball. Just like in Golden State, you want Steph with a ball. There are a handful of players in this league are super smart, highly functional, play well in crisis.

It's like in baseball. Some guy shrink in the playoffs. Derek Jeter never did. like you want the ball in LeBron's hands in crisis for this team. And that means Westbrook moves over to the two. And that's not what he is. Now, the Lakers could have had Buddy Healed. Remember that?

About the time they were going to make this move for Westbrook or Buddy Healed. Buddy Healed, all the talk was, go get Buddy Healed. And we said at the time, he's a good two. He's not a lead. He's a two. He's a shooter. He would be really nice on this team. And Buddy would understand.

LeBron's got the ball, buddy, you're the two, you're the off guard. But instead it's Westbrook and it doesn't work. Last night's prime example. Plus minus. LeBron plus two. Westbrook minus 16. Westbrook's one of the worst plus minus guys on this team. It's not to say he's not a Hall of Famers.

Not to say he's not fun to watch. It's not to say it doesn't work hard. Not to say he's not passionate. I don't want Westbrook with the ball in crucial situations if LeBron's on the same roster. So a little bit of this is on LeBron. and unfortunately you're asking LeBron now to play like 37 minutes. This is not. See, this is the problem is that you're asking LeBron because he is the smartest ball handler,

the best guy in crisis, he's got to be on the floor and nothing works. This is my Seattle Seahawk criticism for years. I've said, Russell Westbrook, what do the Seahawks do well that's not connected to him? He gets hurt, nothing. Comes back still hurt, nothing. This is the Lakers problem. As you get into the second half of the season in the playoffs, it's all about crucial possessions.

What do the Lakers do well when LeBron is not in the game and doesn't have his hand on the ball? Nothing. It is a big problem. They jumped to a lead, lost it, and lost to a mediocre team without their two best players, Frank Vogel afterwards. Are you surprised that a veteran would show that kind of like said that guy's a mess of that went up? Yeah, I wouldn't say I was surprised. I've seen it happen with our group this year.

You know what I mean? We have to keep our foot on the gas and continue to play. You know, you'd hope that it's not like that. That's not the case. But, you know, we have seen it with this group. I don't think it's a, they don't keep their foot on the gas. I think it's a, when LeBron's not running the show, they're not built for situational greatness.

It's not a shot at Westbrook. It's his career reality. Chip Kelly to Oregon. Rumors are heating up. I've got thoughts on that. Is Tua proving me wrong? Blazing 5 and 45 to 50 minutes, and Mike McCarthy's making predictions he should not.

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'll say it.

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.

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Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. If you ever wanted to make your home feel safer, 40% off. Simply Safe now. My listeners only. Simply save Colin.com. C-O-L-I-N, indoors, outdoors, sensors, windows, doors, everything protected. So, you know, I hear a lot of this all the time. Colin, Tua, is very good now.

You didn't like to. He's a franchise quarterback. What do you say now? I say the exact same thing I tell everybody when they ask me about Tua. You can win games with Tua. There's three quarterbacks in this league, and they're all very similar. Mack Jones, Tua, who's a left-handed Mac Jones, and Teddy Bridgewater, who's an older Tua and Mac Jones.

I really believe that. Is that they're lower ceiling athletically, not going to do anything off script, but smart, accurate, and don't turn the ball over. And all three have a great defensive coach. Vic Fangio, Brian Flores, and Bill Belichick. you can win games with these three quarterbacks. I would ask you, is that the goal? Tim Tebow won seven straight games. Tim Tebow won a playoff game.

What's the goal? In the last five weeks, Mac is 5 and 0, Bridgewater's 3 and 2, 2 is 4 and 1, and 2 will win again this week. They play the Jets. All of them, almost no turnovers. All of them, accurate. All of them take few chances and let defense. win. You can win a lot of games like that. And New England and Belichick may be the exception,

but your defense will never be great always. Because there'll be cap casualties and injuries and free agents signings. And so at some point when you have a quarterback, you're going to have to win with shootouts. Russell Wilson came into this league and could play one way, and now the Seahawks have the 31st best defense, and he has to play another way. but Russell Wilson has the ability to play both. Keep it safe or win a shootout. Tom Brady has mostly had great defenses. Aaron Rogers hasn't, but Aaron wins a lot of shootouts, and so did Tom.

Two is not going to win your shootouts. I don't believe Teddy Bridgewater win shootouts. It's yet to be seen with Mack Jones, but the question is, what are your standards? Winning games? some franchises maybe that's good enough. It creates stability. I don't question that Tua can win games. I don't.

To me, he reminds me so much, went to the same school, of a left-handed Mac Jones. It's not the question. That's why I've always said. That's the question in Cleveland with that quarterback. It's not about winning games. What happens when you pay Tua and pay Mac Jones? And what happens when you pay Teddy Bridgewater?

Teddy Bridgetter went 5-0 in New Orleans as a backup on a backup. salary. Teddy Bridgewater really great defense. You win a lot of games with Teddy. And now you've got to pay him a little bit in Denver. And you're going to rely him a little more. Not the same. That happens when you pay to it. When you pay the Cleveland quarterback.

I think Matt Jones right now is a nickel. He costs nothing. But you're not going to keep a Judon. You're not going to keep a Kendrick Bourne. What happens when you have to let go of a great right tackle? It's not franchise quarterbacks. There's two standards. There's can win your games.

That's Kirk Cousins. and can win shootouts, big games against other great quarterbacks. I still, long-term, don't know if Mack Jones can do that. I don't. I want to see him in a shootout. Maybe on the road with Mahomes. I want to see him in a big game against Darren Rogers or Tom Brady. I already saw him against Brady.

Lost. Already some against Dak. Lost. He's a rookie. I get it. It's not about being a franchise quarterback if you really have high standards. Once you pay all these guys, Then it changes.

Right now, the minute you had to pay Teddy in Denver a little bit, not big, but a little bit, wins are harder to get. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, a big divisional matchup this weekend in the NFC East between the Cowboys and the Washington football team. The Cowboys have a two game lead over them right now in the division and the two teams face off on Sunday. Mike McCarthy,

feeling really good about his team's chances. You know, we're going to win this game. I'm confident in that. I mean, what am I supposed to say? Yeah, I mean, I fully expect to win every game I've ever competed in. I mean, that's what sports is all about. That's what the NFL. Trust me, I understand how hard it is.

Yeah, we're clearly playing on going to Washington to win the game. I mean, there's no doubt about that. I don't know what the question was. Yeah, yeah. do, I don't take my, everybody's got this as a big topic. It's fine. I'm not. I take nothing. I think the bigger question is Tony Pollard's dinged. Yeah, so Tony Pollard has a, let me find it again, he's a torn planter fascia. Yeah, so he's not going to be that hundred percent. He's left planar fascia during his big run against the Saints. So he was a non-participant in practice.

Didn't practice all week. It's going to be a game time decision. And Zeeks price 75, 80 percent. So and Michael Parsons has a hip injury. Yeah. So I just, I just, here's my thing. I don't care of coaches say that. What I do worry about, I think it's interesting. It's going to be a DAC game because he's not going to have a great run in support. So they're not going to run for 100 yards. And Dax's record is 6 and 17 in the NFL when he didn't get 100 yards rushing. Most of those wins against junk teams. So this can be, now, do I think Dax's better than Taylor Hineke? Yeah. But this is going to be a Dack game. And they are healthy at wide receivers. So I suspect the Cowboys will win and win by a touchdown. But this is a really good game to watch if you're a cowboy fan, because

you're not going to give him 100 yards rushing. And that's where DAC struggles. So they're going to need DAC to kind of carry it this weekend. And that's for the critics of him, I'm one of those. I'm always like, listen, there's one thing to be better with a good run game. Everybody's better with a good run game. There's another thing to rely on it. Like Aaron Rogers is better with a great defense.

But he wins without it anyway. He doesn't rely on it to win games. Well, Washington's trying to make the playoffs and they've won four of their last five. Now, DAC is 7 and 1 against Washington in his career. The Cowboys are favored by 4 and a half this weekend, according to Fox Bet. I think they're going to be 9 and 4, Washington, 6 and 7. I think Dallas, I mean... This is a huge game for Dallas.

Oh, they pulled away. They win the division. Yeah, they win the division. Boom. They remove all doubt as far as that goes if they win this weekend. Everyone's very, very, very, very high on Washington right now. And look, they're rolling. You won four of your last five.

But they've beaten bad teams. They're not beating great teams. They lost to the Broncos. and then they beat the Bucks, which is a good win. They beat the Panthers, Seattle, and then the Raiders last week. No, it's not great. I like Dallas in this game. I like Dallas as well, but the Mika thing is it's not too troubling.

Everyone's going to start to get banged up around this time of year. It's the running game that is concerning, as you mentioned, and the Cowboys are leading the division and would like to put some space between them in Washington. So the bills head to Tampa this weekend for a tough matchup against the Bucks after that notorious loss to Mack Jones and his three passes. And by the way, not only loss, but have been mocked by even their own media, ripped by the national media. I don't get that.

I mean, it was a great, I think two things can be true. I think it can be a great win for the Patriots, a signature type of win for Bill Belichick. And it can be a regular loss for the bills. Like, obviously, it's a division game. You want to beat the rookie quarterback at home. But season's not over. Okay.

When Michigan played Ohio State and the weather was crappy, what did we all say? Advantage Michigan. Because C.J. Stroud was the best quarterback. Anytime there's bad weather, it benefits the less dynamic offense. Right. If Buffalo and New England played and it was 70, it'd be a different ball game. And so just remember, Michigan, Ohio State, the minute we saw snow, we're like, oh, this plays right into Michigan. It was sideways.

So that weather, weather is not fair. It hurts the better offense. The weird thing is you play in Buffalo. So you probably want to build your team around where you will excel at home. Running game. And it tends to be rough weather in Buffalo. So they had a four-and-one start to the season, and they've gone three and four in their last seven. But Josh Allen says the locker room is not going to panic.

I mean, we're extremely hungry. I think there obviously is a sense of urgency of what we, need to do. Again, there's no panic in our locker room. We're extremely united right now with what we need to do. We've had a couple really good days of practice and walkthroughs, and, you know, we're looking forward to going out there and getting a chance to play against the defending world champs. And I'd be one of the greatest quarterback, like I said, the greatest quarterback to ever play the games. I like Buffalo this weekend. I love how everyone has to, we're so used to like kind of compartmentalizing the greatest, and now it's like, I don't know, no, no, no, I don't want, I don't

He's absolutely the best. Let me just reverse on that. But you look at the bills remaining schedule, kind of interesting. So obviously, huge game this weekend against the bucks. Win. Then they have the Panthers. They play the Patriots again. A win in better weather.

And then they have the Falcons and Chets. Win. I think they're winning. I think Buffalo is winning every game from this point forward. Every single game most by blowout. It's very aggressive. A lot of bailers on the bills. I am not one of them.

I'm not bailing on the bills at all. I think, I mean, I could see them losing to the Bucks. I think that's reasonable. And then them winning out. They're going to end up with 12 wins. 11 or 12 wins. 11 or 12 wins. I'll say it right now.

Well, they better start this weekend against the Bucks. The Bucks are favored by three, according to Fox Bet. And we will get to the blazing five. I'm wondering that's going to be in there. So Oregon is searching for their next football head coach. And Mario Crisp will obviously left for Miami. and they reportedly reached out to UCLA and requested to speak to Chip Kelly about possibly returning to Oregon. Kelly was the coach of the Ducks from 2009 and 2012.

We had a 46 and 7 record won three-pack 12 championships and made a BCS title game appearance in the 2010 season with the team. Now there's a real tricky situation here. If you wait until January 15, his buyout is zero. But right now it's $9 million. So does, I think UCLA is making them a mistake. stake here. I really do. It's a basketball school. If you win eight or nine games in football, which, by the way, they've got eight wins. Yeah, they're eight and four this season. He has an 18-25 record there. Now, I think Chip's a really smart guy. He has a disdain for recruiting,

which is why I don't consider him a great college coach. I think he's a good college coach, and I like him. But it's, there's the old saying, too, is you can never go home again. He was a little bit of a lightning in a bottle guy the first time at Oregon. Like he caught the sport flat-footed. I mean, he was literally a snap every 13 seconds. Nick Saban was like it's not healthy. Officials, older officials struggled to keep up. So he caught the sport totally flat-footed. So recruiting was less crucial. I mean, he got peak. I remember the game, Pete Carroll. These guys didn't know what they were seeing. Okay, the sport now has caught up to that. The Wildcat offense, by the way, for a year worked. Hiking the ball to a running back. Those gimmicky things.

Run and shoot. They work briefly. Yeah. So now what is what is Chip Kelly as a coach right now? A really smart guy, a good football coach, and a below average recruiter. So you're not now, now, now, here's what Oregon's thinking. Christobal is a great recruiter and has left the cupboard full of great recruits. So Chip comes in, he gives you his intelligence, and for three or four years, they're still relevant, they win games. And by the way, Chip's late 50s. He's not a lifer.

He's not a paternal or a Bowden. Right. He is out of this thing early 60s. So Oregon's probably thinking, listen, we. Oregon's not done. They know their program. He's not a great recruiter, but he enters a program that is stacked with the best roster in first or second best roster in the conference. And can you just use his system and his intelligence and just win games? Not being a good recruiter as a head coach of a college football program is an interesting strategy. It is. But even Clay Helton at USC, not a great recruiter, won early because he inherited Sark and Lane Kiffin's personnel. So if you're not a great recruiter and you come in after a great recruiter, you can get some stuff done for two or three years.

Well, also, Chip is also in the last year. He signed a four-year $23.3 million contract in November of 2017. So he's in the fourth year of his five-year contract. I wouldn't let him go, but I think UCLA's... I wouldn't let him go either. I don't... I think they're building. This was his first winning season at UCLA. So it takes some time. Get to tear it down for more. It's not the easiest school to get into. There are high academic standards.

So there are some complications on top of just recruiting to UCLA. And it's not a football school. USC has Lincoln Riley now. Yeah. So it might serve in your favor to keep Chip Kelly there for UCLA. And this might just be a negotiating tactic on Kelly's part. I know where Chip lives. He loves L.A.

He and his wife, it's a very good fit for them. I think UCLA has got to be very careful here. I agree. You know, sometimes you have to. to be able to, what do they say in the NFL, Joy, you've got to be able to scout your own players before you scout everybody else's? Do you know your weaknesses and strengths? UCLA's got to scout themselves here. You have a great basketball coach. You may win the national title this year. You mean, really a great school. It's a great school. It's a great university, great facilities.

It is not a football school. And, you know, for some of the doubters of Chip Kelly, he's still a big name. They beat an SEC team, LSU. Yeah, LSU. They crushed it. They beat all their rivals this year. And offensively, they'll be better at quarterback potentially next year. So they're, they've got some momentum going here. They won't be as good defensively, but you got to self-scout here a little bit, UCLA. Yeah, it might not be the time to blow it up. And by the way, many of the best candidates are gone now. Who's out there? Who is out there that's better than Chip Kelly today? Tell me, there's nobody. Not today. Well, that's probably why Oregon's looking for him. That's right. That's exactly right. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. Brough to you by Mercedes Benz, the best or not in our buddy, Albert Breyer, Monday morning quarterback. You got a great story this morning, an article that details that the run game, it's a little bit of a renaissance with a run game.

Now, obviously you have to have the right personnel, but kind of explained to the audience. We saw it last night with Delvin Cook, why the run game is making a renaissance here. Well, I mean, it's basically the premise of analytics, you know, and what we've seen in analytics in different sports, which is you're searching for inefficiencies.

And what's the biggest inefficiency in football right now? Biggest inefficiency is run defense because what teams have done is they built defenses to rush and cover to deal with spread offenses. What aren't you doing? You're not drafting 250-pound linebackers. You're not drafting 330-pound defensive tackles. And so, you know, what some of these teams have said is, if we've got a power running game, it's going to be really, really difficult for other teams to deal with it.

And so you see New England, you see Indianapolis, you see. San Francisco, you see Baltimore, you see even Philadelphia, really leaning on the run game, knowing that some of these defenses just don't have answers for it. And you know what's really interesting about it, Colin? Look at the last few champions. Like the last few championship teams, they've all had big back. Yes. Right? Leonard Fournette last year. Two years ago, it was Damien Williams. The year before that, it was Sonny Michelle in New England. The year before that, like Garrett Blunt for the Philadelphia Eagles, all these teams, they throw the ball well, but they also have an element of a power run game.

And I think that that's what smart teams are doing right now. They're building that into their offense. I'm not saying we're going back to 1965 here, but they're building that into their offense because they know there's something that they can take advantage of league-wide and how defenses are built. Yeah, this is a fascinating topic

because as the league has got linebackers now look like safeties about seven years ago, you got 200. And safeties are converted corners. Yeah, yeah. And so let's get big bad. That's why Derek Henry now is like a refrigerator on the loose down a hill. He looks so much bigger than everybody. All right.

I thought last night Big Ben was almost heroic. A lot of mistakes. Huge deficit. And I don't know what their succession plan is. But Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph are not giving me that second half. That I know. What did you take away from Tomlin, the Steelers, their mistakes in Big Ben last night? It just feels like they're in between right now and how they've built.

They've got a bunch of players who are in their prime, who I think are going to continue to be really good players. You know, you're Minka Fitzpatrick's. Your T.J. Watts, obviously, he gets hurt last night, but he's in that category. You know, offensively, like Najee Harris looks like he's really going to be something. You've got some good young receivers in Deonti Johnson, and I know what he did at the end of the game was inexcusable, but Chase Claypool was in that group, too. A couple good rookie linemen.

So it feels like there's a team there that's building towards maybe opening up a championship window relatively soon, and you're going to have your quarterback going out the door. And so I think they're in an interesting spot going into this offseason. Do you go in on a Kenny Pickett? You know, they've been down this road before. They had a win-now team that Ben Rothensberger walked into. So maybe that is a good situation for a rookie quarterback, the same way the Patriot situation was good for a rookie quarterback this year.

Or do you, you know, act a little out of character and take a big swing on a veteran and go look at, you know, maybe a Deshaun Watson or a Russell Wilson or an Aaron Rogers? I just think it's fascinating, you know, when you look at it, Colin, because really this is a team that they didn't, they haven't failed to build the way that they've built over the years. Like, it feels like now they're starting to get to a point where they've got a good core in place that can compete for a championship. You know, the question is going to be where they are at the most important position on the field after this year. Well, we know, Albert, it is a weak quarterback class. My guess is Aaron Rogers stays in Green Bay. I think he'd be nuts to leave.

I like it. Now Pete and Deshaun may be out there, but there's nine teams that need a quarterback, 10 if he can't Mount Ryan, so Atlanta may draft somebody, but Matt's a cap hit, so he'll stay. So the question is, and I've said, I think Tua at times is a left-handed Mack Jones, lower ceiling, very accurate, with a good defensive coach, you can win a lot of games with Tua? The question is, can he win shootouts? Can he go on the road against Aaron Rogers? That's the question.

So you tell me, what are your sources say? Two months ago, we had Tua getting a U-Haul and leaving town. Where are they at now this morning with Tua? I think that they're in the same spot they have been. Look, they've done a lot to help him. There's no question about that. And in Tua's defense, like their offensive coordinator situation was a mess at the beginning of the year. And I think, you know, the emergence of George Gatsy, after about a month,

as the offensive play caller has made a huge difference. they've gone to a more RPO-based game. It's not all they do, but it's a big piece of what they do. And that's done two things. Number one, it's sort of masked the offensive line issue they have, which is still there. And then number two, it's what Tua did so well at Alabama. And so they've gotten them going that way. And I think that they've sort of been able to dress it up in a certain way that works for Tua.

Now, does that mean the flaws that we saw earlier in the year have gone away? No. I mean, there's a chance that teams catch up to what the dolphins are doing now. and now Tua is going to have to learn to counterpunch again. Good progress over the last couple of months. I'm not sure that it's convinced anybody there, though, that they shouldn't be involved if Deshaun Watson's available again in February or March, especially if they don't make the playoffs.

Because Colin, if they don't make the playoffs, that's three years for Brian Flores and Chris Greer. And so I think they'd survive that because they've gotten hot here of late, but you aren't going to survive four years without making the playoffs. So they'd be going into the off season with a lot on the line for everyone in building. And then the question becomes isn't to a good. It's, are you willing to tie your job security to do it? And that's where I think the decision to take a big swing under to Sean Watson again could come. Yeah, good intel, as always, Albert. Finally, you know, we were saying this

yesterday, I think sometimes it's hard to unsee greatness. So when Mahalms is throwing for 50 touchdowns, you can't unsee it. But the truth was the following year, he had 26 touchdowns and really struggled the last five, six games. that year and then he got hot in the playoffs. So my argument's been, you know, mechanically, he's always been inconsistent. That's what the scout said in college. He's always been a little bit of a streaky quarterback. We just can't unsee 50 touchdowns MVP because it was just, it was a fireworks show.

It was the best fireworks show you've ever been doing your life. So in the last eight weeks, he hasn't played well, except the Raider game. He was amazing. And they play the Raiders again. So explain to me what happened in the Raider game. because that is a complete outlier for Patrick in the last eight weeks. There's been a blueprint, you know, drawn to some degree, and that most teams are playing too high against the chiefs.

And say into the chiefs, like, let's see if you can go 10 plays. Let's see if you can go 12 plays. Let's see if you've got the patience to check the ball down. Let's see if you can go somewhere other than Travis Kelsey and Tyree Kill. Let's see if you've got the patience and the consistency to do that. And I think that's caused them to struggle a little bit. It's cut down their possessions for sure because that shortens the game. And the difference in that Raider game is the Raiders were the one team that didn't do that.

The Raiders stuck to that Seattle type of defense that Gus Bradley's always run. And lo and behold, they explode for 41 points. So it's something that the chiefs have to figure out. And I think part of it's because there's been so much going on this year with that offense, right? You've got five new offensive linemen. And then there's this adjustment that you've got to make. And so, yeah, I think it's sort of on Andy Reid and Eric Bien, me and Mike Kaftkin, all the guys that are working with Patrick, and it has been to get him

to take the easy money more often, because you do that, and then you're going to start to open up things down the field. So I think this is part of the natural maturation process for Patrick Mahomes here in year five, and he's going to have to get better at these things because eventually the money he's making is going to wind up, meaning there's going to be a little bit less around him on offense. So I think it's good long term for Patrick Mahomes. The question is whether or not they can get it together. The good news, though, is the defense is really carried them through the last five weeks. They held their last five opponents under 20 points, which is a pretty good streak for that defense that was under a lot of fire earlier in the year.

And it sort of makes you wonder, Colin, you watched Alabama on Saturday, right? Like, we questioned them all year. Oh, wait, they're still bigger and stronger and faster than everybody. Like, I just sort of, I guess we're all waiting for that light bulb moment to happen, right? Like where they flipped the switch like Bama did. And it's like, oh, yeah, they're still better than everybody else. Maybe it happens between the end of the season, but between now and the end of the season. We'll see. Have a great weekend, buddy. Great to see you. Albert Breyer. Always great information. Thanks, Colin. You bet. He doesn't fall into, like, everybody now is like, two is great. And Albert sources are like, yeah, they're still looking. Like, that's why we bring him on.

By the way, there are things in life I get and some things I don't get. I do not get stubborn men. So didn't he just give you, he laid it out for you? There's a way to play Mahomes. and the seven of the last eight teams have played a certain way and it works. The Raiders, no, stubborn. We're going to go back to the old way and Mahomes lights them up. That's why that guy's an interim coach. That's why that guy's a special teams coach. Like, I don't get stubborn guys.

I just don't, I don't, it's a, it's a component to a male personality. If I can say to you, do this and win or be stubborn and lose, there's only one choice for 90% of reasonable human beings. Well, ego is undefeated. It's unbelievable. Like the Raiders, there's a blueprint that they struggle with. We're not doing it. Where the Raiders. Oh, really?

Not good the last 15 years. Congrats. I don't get it. You want to be an interim coach or a head coach? Because interim guys get stubborn. Head coaches, we want the big boy money? Want the big paycheck? Don't be stubborn.

It's not that tough. There's a way to play Patrick Mahomes. For the record, I think they've learned that game will be closer than you think this weekend. The Vegas guys love the Raiders and the points. Not necessarily to win, but keep it close. There's a way to play them. Follow it.

It's not that tough. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zata,

and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not a lot. 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. 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. in entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever

supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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.

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

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

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. So good to have you in. Blazing Five. Had a winning week last week, Joy.

I feel like I know two. Oh, Joy. These are joy to the world. I feel like this weekend. There's three games I love, two I like. No, I don't. There's four games I really, really like. You know, it's hard to find five games you love.

There's one I'm eh. And maybe I'll give a cue that I'm eh on a game. But there's some. I like multiple games. By the way, that's not always the way it is. Sometimes there's bad number weeks. Well, we're also seeing a much clearer picture of what these teams are at this point in the season. So I love Jimmy Johnson.

Yes. And I love Bill Parcells. One of the highlights of my career I had Bill Pollian on. And Bill Pollian, I was talking to him before I went on the air one time with him. He goes, you know, me and Parcells were talking about you golfing last week in Florida. I literally dropped the mic in. left, went home for the weekend. I just had dreams of Parcells talking about me. So I love Bill, and he's bottom line. So both of them are talking about all this analytic stuff that started in

baseball, moved to basketball, and now was in football. And Parcells, uh, analytics love you to go for it on fourth down. And Parcells had a great line about going forward on fourth down. He's, he goes, yeah, when I was coached and I went for it and fourth down quite a bit. I wasn't doing it because of the percentages. I was doing it because I had Jumbo Elliott and Mark Bavarro as blockers. You could count on them. Jimmy Johnson came out and said the same thing. He said, I think the people are taking too many chances here. He said, you're forgetting about their team and their opponent.

Some coaches fall back on analytics too much, and I feel like the risk-taking has gone to another level. It was really an interesting moment a few weeks ago in the Manning cast on ESBM. And Peyton Manning, and one of the smartest players ever. There was a fourth down. It was in the red zone goal, you know, fourth and at the three- or four-yard line. And Peyton Manning said on the air, Just get the points. Just, just, it's been an ugly drive.

It's inconsistent. Your offensive line's been very shy. Just get the points. The analytics, I don't remember the down and distance, but it was fourth down, I think, and it was short. And the analytics, all the analytic mavens on the internet who, you know, didn't play football or all like, go for it, go for it, go for it. And Peyton Manning brought up a very interesting part of analytics.

And all these sports, all, all things have a whole. Analytics has a whole. They don't consider injuries and momentum. him in a motion. There are just times. There are drives. I am beating the man across from me. Let's go for it. I am beating it. There are other times it is a fist fight and frankly, the guy next to me got hurt, so I have a backup next to me. And also, fourth and two with Tom Brady against an average defense is different than fourth and two with a rookie quarterback and a slightly better defense. There's a lot of things. Basketball is a

prime example. So you build, analytics are great for the regular season. That's where I love them. But in the NBA, refs swallow the whistle in the playoffs. So a lot of those analytics that worked, you know, Tuesday against Denver in January, don't we work in June against the bucks? Because now the refs let more go. It doesn't mean the analytics are worthless, but they get tweaked in baseball. Starters become relievers in the postseason. You go to your bullpen earlier.

Now you're asking a starter to be a reliever. That's a different ask. It's different rest. you often go on short rest. So analytics are great in the regular season. They're a volume play. But the playoffs are about situational sports. And the NFL is the most situational of all time because you only get one game a week.

So I like analytics for regular seasons, but you have to be willing. You go to playoff basketball. That's why Kauai is so great. Analytically, get a bucket, get a stop. He doesn't elevate others, doesn't hit three is great, but he gets baskets and stops. and so I agree with Parcells on this. Don't overthink the room. Our two next.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving. for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere,

but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not have to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.