The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Bears are making changes

Episode Date: January 10, 2024

Colin reacts to the Bears making big changes to their offensive coaching staff and what this means for QB Justin Fields Thoughts on the Lakers win over the Raptors last night and the officiating See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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,

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Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us on this Wednesday part of your day. We have some breaking news. Things are happening. This is one of my favorite times and least favorite times. People lose jobs. That's bad, obviously. new people, new opportunities, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Quinn, Ben Johnson.

So a lot of moving and shaking right now in Chicago, not wasted any time. Carolina midseason, Raiders midseason, Washington, Atlanta Monday. Now we got Chicago making a move with their coach, and they're staying with their coach, Jay Mack. I think this is a great, great opportunity for an offensive coordinator, right? Iber Fluse doesn't have any power there, and you've got a star quarterback coming from the draft. This is a great job opening, Colin. All right. The Bears have decided the coach for now is staying.

Matt Eberfluse. He's going to return. They fired the O.C. They fired the quarterback coach. Chicago does not do offense well. Historically, they can be pretty good defensively, and the Bears' defense did play well down the stretch. I'd move on from both, but if I have to keep one, probably be the coach because coaches don't have salary caps, right? So what does it mean for Justin Fields?

That doesn't mean anything necessarily. It doesn't mean Iber Fluse loves him. It means Iber Fluse was given a choice. You're fired or clean out your offensive staff. My guess he gets one more year, but it'll be with Caleb Williams. With almost any other NFL franchise, I could, with a high degree of certainty, predict what's going to happen over the next few months. But I can't with the Chicago Bears.

They butcher offense. They butcher quarterbacks. They can't get anything wrong. right. Caleb Williams, think about it the simplest terms. If Caleb Williams is not better than Justin Fields at all, and he is, but if he's not, in fact, if Caleb Williams in his first 38 starts, goes 10 and 28 like Justin Fields, misses 11 games due to injuries like Justin Fields, finishes last place, like Justin Fields, if he's not an one iota better, you still obviously draft him to restart the salary clock.

It's a no-brainer for everybody in the world not called the Chicago Bears. And Caleb Williams, according to every scout I know, is a much better prospect, a much, much better thrower of the football. With USC's middling talent, they led the nation the last two years in offense. They don't have Ohio State's offensive talent. They don't have Washington's or Oregon's. They have one good receiver last two years, Jordan Addison. he left this year.

They still have the nation in offense with Caleb Williams. But if he wasn't better than Justin Fields at all, and if you could project he's going to go 10 and 28, you'd still draft him for the salary cap. Again, this is really easy for the next several months. Draft Caleb Williams, right? Trade Justin Fields, get a second round pick, and then try to move down with the number nine pick,

though that's easier said than done. I'm not a big Iber flus fan. Wrong side of the ball? Don't think he's great. But coaches don't have salary caps, right? So I can give him one more year. I start giving Justin Fields, who misses games, who doesn't win, one more a year. Now I've got to make another decision.

And next year's quarterback class is not as good as this year's, where you could have two or three stars, Caleb Williams, Drake May, Jaden, Daniels. Who knows about Bo Nix, Michael Pennix? So, listen, the Chicago Bears in offense go together like tuna fish and ice cream. right? Like I like offense and I like the bears, but I, and I like tuna fish and I like ice cream. None go together. To really double down, triple down, quadruple down on this. Two bears offensive coordinators, two in the last 25 years, have lasted more than two years. John Schupe and Ron Turner, the next offensive coordinator, this is not a misprint, will be their 13th O.C in 26 seasons. they just don't know offense.

They're still honoring defensive grates from 85. So the Chicago Bears, of course, butcher Justin Fields' first team. Of course, they'll retain their defensive head coach. Of course, they're firing their offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach. I would have moved off both. They're keeping one. Don't make a mistake and keep two.

Justin Fields has value. But if he's, and Caleb Williams, if they're even. If they're even, and I don't think they are, you draft Caleb Williams, just for the salary cap availability. So they're making moves.

Chicago's always making moves. All right. So the Lakers last night beat Toronto 132-1-31. And, you know, listen, we got conspiracy theories everywhere in the world now, politics, sports, vaccines. It's just a loser's paradise. I got no interest with conspiracy theories.

I know your favorite podcaster does them, and maybe your favorite New York quarterback does them. I'm not a conspiracy theory jockey. It's not my thing. I think mostly I follow science. I follow rules. I follow laws. I don't see.

Now, that doesn't mean historically there haven't been a few that have hit, but, you know, I can hit a full court shot in basketball once in my lifetime, too. But the Toronto. coach, Darko Rykovic, is absolutely certain something was fishy last night with the

officiating. What happened tonight, this is completely BS. This is shame. Shame for the referees, shame for the league to allow this. 23 free throws for them, and we get two free throws in in a four quarter.

I understand respect for all stars and all of that, but we have star players. on our team as well. How's possible as Scottie Barnes, who is all-star caliber player in this league? He goes every single time

to the rim with force and trying to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls. He gets two three throws for the whole game. How is that possible? How are you going to explain it that to me? They had to win tonight? If that's the case, just let us know so we don't show up

for the game. Oh boy. I'm going to pick this part. Now, there was a late game charge. Anthony Davis flopped. I didn't love that call. It negates a three-pointer by the Raptors. I didn't like that call, but it's the NBA. Flop still work. They're trying to outlaw them. They still work. I didn't love this call. Boo-hoo. I didn't love every call Michigan, Washington. I didn't love every call in the NFL last weekend. It's pro sports. But let's dismantle this silly argument. Ten of the 11 Laker free throws in the fourth quarter were in the last 30 seconds as the Raptors had to foul.

The Lakers also lead the NBA and free throw differential this year and last year. Why don't they foul? Because Anthony Davis is the NBA's arguably NBA's best defensive player. He didn't foul out in New Orleans. He doesn't foul out in Los Angeles. Anthony Davis is an unbelievable defender. I think he's the best in the NBA, and he is very disciplined. He doesn't foul.

By the way, LeBron doesn't foul out. either did MJ, either did Kobe. The greats don't foul out. LeBron, when he wants to play defense, occasionally, he didn't commit a lot of fouls. So your two stars don't commit him. Also, also, Scotty Barnes doesn't draw fouls outside of the top 50. He's not a top 10 player in the NBA. He's good player.

He doesn't draw foul. Also, what teams, what teams draw fouls? teams that score closer to the rim. The Lakers do not shoot a lot of threes. They don't. Why? Because they don't have a lot of good three-point shooters. So Anthony Davis doesn't foul a lot.

Lakers are Pelicans. He's fouled out one time in six years. LeBron doesn't foul a lot. Every metric, every data point, every reality is on the Lakers side. Scotty Barnes doesn't draw a lot of fouls. I didn't like the off-ball charge. That was a bad call. Not bad. It was just it was a go either way call. I didn't love it. I didn't love every call Michigan, Washington. Texas, Washington. Michigan, Bama. That's sports. Not everything's a conspiracy theory. The metrics tell you. Scotty Barnes doesn't draw fouls. The Lakers don't foul. The Lakers don't shoot threes because they don't have the three-point shooters, so they score closer to the rim, meaning the Lakers get to the free throw line a lot. The more you shoot threes, generally, the fewer.

free throw attempts you get. I thought it was wildly entertaining after the game. I mean, he's going to get fined through the roof and should. But this is the class, this is what you get now. Well, the president said, if you take the vaccine, you can't get COVID. That was a mistake

by the president. He didn't know like a lot of people didn't know. You can take the vaccine and you can get COVID. It does, however, help you in most cases, especially if you were overweight or older. So you can pick little parts. parts of things and say it's a conspiracy people make mistakes presidents make them doctors make them officials make them teams make them gms make them we all make mistakes doesn't mean there's some vast conspiracy theory the lakers have the best foul differential in the league well that's

because that's because they don't shoot threes and they score close to the rim and they do some bully ball they're a big powerful team a lot of bully ball and they don't shoot threes well scotty barnes doesn't draw fouls he's outside of the top 50 well lebron never gets called for a foul. How many times did MJ foul out? Wilt. Karim. Kobe. LeBron. Staff. They don't. Stars get the whistle. Just because a referee makes a mistake or it's a call that doesn't go your way. And I didn't like it. I don't like the flopping stuff. I've always understood flopping. Dee Wade was great. There's an art to it.

I don't think it makes you less of a man, less alpha. I think there's an art to basketball. of all the sports it's got the most artistic flair it's an open canvas every player's jumper looks different every player has their own stylistic aesthetic it's optics basketball is very unique football there's one way to tackle you know most most quarterbacks throw the same way same mechanics but one bad call doesn't mean the league is favoring the lakers the league is always leaned into the stars kevin narrant doesn't foul out lebron does it michael didn't cobi didn't wilt didn't jubar didn't Russell did. That's just the way it is.

You let the stars get the whistle. So there you go. The bears are doing bears things. And when people lose to the Lakers, they're doing coach things, blaming the NBA. And you don't have to love the NBA. But when's the last time you watched the game and thought it was perfectly officiated? College football, college basketball, which you watch a lot of. NBA, NFL.

Last game you watched that you thought was perfectly officiated. And 10 and the 11 free throws the Lakers had in the fourth were all in the last 30 seconds when the Raptors had to foul to get back into it. First of all, props to this guy. I'm not familiar with the Raptors coach. I'm not familiar with him, but that was an epic rant. And Colin, 23 free throw attempts to two? Like, listen, if it were 28 to 8 or 23 to 8, someone a little closer. 23 to 2.

You do get the Raptors. The Raptors are not good. Yeah. The Lakers are better. The Lakers have better play. So the Lakers have better players, and better players get a step on poorer players, and they draw more fouls. The good players usually beating the bad player. The bad player or average player has to foul.

I told you this years ago, you guys all laugh at this. They used to make eight bucks officiating all through college. That's right? Intermurals, right? Yeah, I didn't have any money, and I took it totally seriously. I ended up refereeing in the championship game a couple years. I took it seriously. I needed eight bucks.

Parents were divorced. I needed eight bucks. and so every night I'd go out I wasn't doing homework so I'd go out and do three or four games and it was mostly the athletes on the campus our football players basketball players few of the football guys went to the NFL

Ed Simmons left tackle a few of our basketball players you know were like CBA level good players so it was a lot of athletes in intermereals or at least good high school athletes and I learned something in officiating

and I learned that after one or two games and I took it very seriously is that the better athletes get the call because the better athletes always beats the lesser athlete off the dribble. So the lesser and the better athlete can figure out the lesser athletes moves so he more often draws the foul. That better athletes put themselves in position over the course of a game to foul less. It's not just the way.

I found myself always giving the better athletes the call. And I would think, you know, me and my theories, I'm like, I don't understand. because the better athletes are always a step faster, a step quicker. The average athletes, the average players are a step slower, less twitchy, and they foul more. The great players have never fouled out in the NBA. I'm not going to argue with a former intramural referee over here. So listen, I'll let it flag. For the record, I love doing that.

And I literally, you know, my first job when I was like 12 years old was refereeing soccer. My parents would drive me to games and I would be the ref. I got yelled at sometimes. Yeah, no, I got to yell at all the time. I needed to get my Jordans when I was a kid. You know, I needed to pay for them. So, all right, we got all sorts of stuff. The Denver Broncos situation's interesting.

Tua gets ready to play in the coldest game in NFL history. There's more news on Belichick. The NFL draft order did the jet screw themselves by beating New England? We'll talk about that today. Had a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King's Sportsbook. Download the app real quick. New users, the code is heard, H-E-R-D when you download. Now, for my parley picks of the week via Draft King Sportsbook,

I'm going to take the Chiefs minus four and a half. That's not the best number, but I think the Dolphins are a bit of an injury-plagged mess in zero degrees at Kansas City. Take the Chiefs. Listen, I don't think the Steelers can beat the bills. Mike Tomlin, though, is a great underdog coach. Bad, cold, windy weather,

I think tens too many points to give up. I take Pittsburgh as the side. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take the Rams plus three at Detroit head coach quarterback advantages. Lions a bit banged up physically. You want to take the herd, parlay, check out Draft King's sportsbook, download it quick. New users, the code is heard, H-E-R-D, download the app, takes 90 seconds. New users, code is heard when you download the app. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction.

Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8 Hope-N-Wire, text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. See show notes for full details. 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Cliverts 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast.

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

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. They're 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. All right, a lot of different things going on today. That Denver Bronco situation, they love Russ, they don't love Russ.

Now they're undecided. Sean Payton went to the podium yesterday. And despite all the pushing and pulling Tugawar here said a final decision on Russell Wilson, hasn't been made yet. When we get back and we begin this process of looking at a roster, you know, where we select, there's so many things that go into a decision specific to the quarterback, which is significant, obviously. So it's too early at all. I spent half an hour with Russ yesterday.

You know, and I told him, I said, look, you know, I don't think it's going to be a long, drawn-out process, but it hasn't been decided relative to what our plans are. And but as soon as we know something, that certainly he would be the first

to know. So Russell Wilson right now is a B quarterback with an A-plus contract. It is okay to have an A-plus contract at quarterback, Josh Allen, Lamar, Mahomes. Nobody cares what they make. It's okay to have a B quarterback if he's inexpensive.

Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love. You can win games, get to the playoffs. What's your production relative to your cost? Russell Wilson's production's not terrible. He had 29 total touchdowns. That's top 10 in the NFL. That's a playoff quarterback. And 13 giveaways, middle of the pack.

Like a few less, no biggie. I'm okay with Russell's production. Don't love it, but I'm okay with it. I hate the cost of it. So, because Russell's production is going to stay the same or slightly tick down due to age, and Russell's contract is going to spike enormously, that doesn't work for me. I'm going to rip the Band-Aid off God. The production's not going to increase dramatically.

The cost is going to increase severely, so to me you've got to move off him. It's a bad mortgage. The house, the repairs are going to spike. The value of the house is plateauing or going down. It's a bad mortgage. That's all it is. It's a math equation. But 29 total touchdowns and 13 giveaways is a B quarterback,

and there's B quarterbacks all over the playoffs. You got a rookie quarterback. You got a seventh round quarterback. You got Baker Mayfield on his 14 quarterback. You got Jordan Love first year starting fourth year in the league quarterback. If Russell's contract was half of what it is, they'd keep him. This is really about the country. contract and not about the production.

The production is B level. But again, bad mortgage. When the costs go up and the mortgage plateaus, the value goes down, you got to rip the Band-Aid off. To me, it's a no-brainer. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the Herdline News. Also a veiled attempt, hey, everyone, we might keep Russ. So, you know, you're not going to get him for free. We're not cutting him. So offer us something. Yeah, right, good luck with that. Let's start with Lamar Jackson.

It's weird. They get a buy, so nobody's really talking about Lamar this week, except for the GO. Tom Brady had Lamar on his Let's Go podcast, and this was a nice exchange, Colin. First time I ever really noticed you was that high school highlight, where you put the brakes on the guy and he went flying by. And, you know, not that I've ever had that experience in my entire life. So I don't even know what that feels like, but now you're doing that at the highest level. You know, you're the reason why people watch the NFL because guys like you and you just had an amazing career. So thanks for coming on.

I appreciate that. It means a lot from you. For the record, he is one of the five or six most watchable players in the league. He may be number one on, I think Josh Allen, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, and the mere the three biggest draws in the league in terms of, I'm a consumer, that's the product. There are days it's Lamar. I would lean Lamar over Josh.

Josh is more of like the bully ball runs. Lamar is just the beautiful dancing around. Lamar is a, he is a main attraction. He and, you know, just because of his stylistic, because of the way he does it, there are a lot of Sundays. I mean, Raven games on a lot of Sundays were the most fascinating, even in blowouts. They're the most fascinating because people can't figure out what to do with him.

You may think Mahomes is better and his production has been, but there is a way to defend him. People came in and said, okay, we're going to put the safeties too deep. We're not going to give you anything over the top, and it did change the way he played. You can't make Lamar slower. Josh Allen, there's ways to defend him in the red zone.

He throws more interceptions. You can't make Lamar less twitchy. What Lamar brings, you can't change, you can't alter. You have to just sort of guess. When you watch teams play Lamar, watch the bosses and the pass rushers. They don't go full steam ahead because they don't want to be embarrassed. You can become so vulnerable.

Fred Warner, linebacker. You have to defend them differently. So Mahomes and Allen have to this point been more productive throwers, probably, if you look at the numbers. But there is a way to defend both to some degree. I think Lamar's the Rubik's Cube. There's no real way to defend him. If he moves out of the pocket, he's going to do what he wants. But here's the thing.

And listen, I know yesterday I made a comment about the chiefs and Mahomes doesn't have weapons. We said it in the offseason. This is Lamar's best wide receiver room he ever had. That Zay Flowers draft pick, I mean, it looks like one of the best first round picks that there was because of what he brings to the table. Like, you just dump it off to him a six-yard out. He could go for 40 yards. He's that explosive.

Yeah, he's a one already in the league. Odell Beckham, by the way, is having a nice season. And I know people will say they lost Mark Andrews. This kid likely is really good. We saw it last year a couple flashes. Yeah. He's making one-handed catches out there. This dude is good.

The knock on the Ravens for years has been. They're not very good on the perimeter. They're great between the tackles. Now, the strength of their team to me is out on the perimeter. They lose their top two running backs, and it's like, we're still fine offensively. Bateman, the kid who was, I believe, an early round pick first or second. He looks great as a number three receiver, right? No pressure on him.

That's right. I mean, the Ravens are stacked. Lamar, things are going well. Next up, let's get, oh, the earlier reports this week about Mike Tomlin. Could take a break from coaching at the end of the season. this comes after Steelers fans heavily criticized him throughout the season. Former Steeler great Troy Palomalu believes Tomlin would be crazy to leave Pittsburgh. I'm assuming you agree with that, right?

Well, I think, no, I think he's been there, he's rich, he's got everything. He's got the trophy, he's got everything. I don't think, I think Sean Payton should have stayed out of football for a couple more years. Here's the question with Mike Tomlin. His legacy is set. The only way it goes up in Pittsburgh is a trophy. Not a playoff playoff way. Does it go down

of four more years of Kenny Pickett? So to me, I've never had a problem with coaches after a decade somewhere going. I'm going to take a break.

He would be vied, so viable on the broadcasting market for two years and then wait for the perfect job. These guys are wired differently. No, I know.

That's a different argument. They are wired differently. But I think stepping away when you, hey, Sean Payton, Drew Brees leaves. And he goes nine and eight with four quarterbacks.

And he's like, I'm not going to work myself the dust. I can go 500, but what's the point? I'm not hoisting a trophy. Mike Tomlin's got the trophy. Big Ben leaves. He can make the playoffs. Will 14 out of the 32 teams get in?

Well, I guess his counter could be, so Colin, everybody counted me out. They said we were going to be last in the division. I had three different starting quarterbacks this year, and we're in the playoffs. How you like them apples? Like, this is, imagine if I got a quarterback, what if they get one in the draft? I may have a mock draft coming later.

Congratulations. vaccinations. Stafansky had four, and he got into the playoffs too. Also true. Neither one's winning a Super Bowl. Well, one team wins a Super Bowl. And everyone else is a failure? Come on, we got to applaud getting to the playoffs. Two things are true.

Mike had a good year and he's a good coach. And you can also take a deep breath and say, I need to change his scenery. I doubt he would leave. He feels like the Steelers coach forever. He'll probably in seven years retired U.T.B. and be great. But I don't think it's the craziest thing. This idea that Pittsburgh's going to run him on. Pittsburgh doesn't fire coaches.

But I'm saying from Mike's perspective, change the scenery for a couple years, go somewhere with a quarterback. Does this sound like a leverage play for more money if I'm Tomlin? Remember, a few weeks ago, it was like, hey, Tomlin, hey, they might get rid of them. Ask yourself this. Rookie head coach, D'Amico Ryan's, or Mike Tomlin next five years. Who's going to win more games?

I'm with the guy with a quarterback. Well, he's also in a easier division. The division, every team had a winning record this year. You got Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson. That's another reason to step out. I'm not saying the Steelers are making the moose. I think people need, I've done change of scenery four times in my career. I'm comfortable with it.

I've never, ever done the change of scenery thing and regretted it. Not once. And I've done it coast to coast a lot. Change of scenery makes you think differently. You have to, your challenge, you're a bit uncomfortable, you grow. I just feel like the Pittsburgh thing is kind of stale. Now you're making me nervous. You sound like you want to go out on top.

I'm just saying, take it. Take a DE. This idea, I'm going to get that gold watch. You want six more years of Kenny Pickett? Is that, is that, I mean, again, you've got to look around the league. What's happening, defensive coaches? You know, I mean, Pete Carroll, like, I love Gino Smith. All right, that's fine. So, John McVeigh owned you in division, has a ring in the last several years and beat you again twice this year.

Why? Because he got better quarterback. Okay. So maybe the GM comes to Tomlin and says, hey, here we go, quarterback options. We got Ryan Tannahill. Any interest? Yes, yes. Okay, we've got Russell Wilson.

We could go after him. Any interest? No, I'd take the phone call. Both Knicks in the draft? Absolutely. Okay, so we got options, Mike. Stick around. We're going to win a lot of games.

Okay, that's different conversation. I don't think they'll do that. If Pittsburgh said to themselves, we're going to move off the Pittsburgh kid. You don't have to move off him. He can be your backup quarterback. Mason Rudolph, thank you, buddy. Have a good career. Mr. Ribiskey, Adios.

Kenny, you're the backup. We're bringing in a new guy. It's all worth, it's going to be a fun off season on this show, I think. Final story is Mike Vrable got the axe yesterday. Very surprising. Weird. Many questioned why Tennessee didn't look to trade him, who now becomes one of the hot coaches on the market. Here's what Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk when asked if they considered trading him. Yes, there was, but there's a bit of misconception about a coach's contract, say, versus a player's contract.

A coach's contract, you can't trade them unless they're a willing partner to that track. So, yes, we thought about it, but at the end of the day, with league rules the way they are, it would have maybe put us back three weeks. And, you know, honestly, to get the right head coach, I was just not willing to go to the back of the line and take a chance of missing out on someone we really wanted. Yeah, I wouldn't have fired him, but I don't think he's the problem. But, I mean, when he had Tanna Hill, who's a good beat quarterback, it was number one seed.

That's a gutty move. I wouldn't have fired him. I don't think he's one of the few things I like. I don't like the quarterback situation. I don't like their roster. There's not much of the Titans. I like Derek Henry. I like Mike Vrable.

They have one receiver I like. One defensive lineman I like. At the risk of getting myself in trouble, what do you think about this Amy Adams drunk owner making the call on whether or not to trade or keep or whatever, Mike Vrable? She made the call. So what?

Have you done any reading on her background or anything? I have no idea. I mean, don't executives usually make the call on that stuff, right? Sometimes owners do, but I don't know. I don't know enough about her. I wouldn't have made the call. By the way, you'll know. Mike Vrable, okay?

Well, Jim Harbaugh got fired. Like, this is a great, great coach. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know when somebody, sometimes companies fire people and they make a mistake. And how do you know? Because they get a job an hour later. Andy Reid waited about 45 minutes by his phone and got a call. Mike Frable is going to be offered four or five jobs.

So when you make that mistake, you'll know if it's a mistake based on the offers. And if somebody gets three or four in any industry. I just go ahead and tell you now, that was a colossal mistake. I'll be honest question. This is not a slight to the Titans organization. What is a better job when you factor in everything? The Tennessee Titans or the Carolina Panthers. That's how far down the list.

tendency is right now. They're not getting anybody. No, who's going to want that job? The GM just ran off Mike Rable? Good luck. Yeah. No, I'm not saying a good job. Vario is my favorite part of the organization. Malik Willis or Willis? Who you got? Just pass an option.

Derek Henry's gone. He's out the door, by the. J. Mack, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. To be honest with you, I haven't seen enough of both, but it appears they've already moved. Vrable had moved off Willis. He was going to Will Levis.

I haven't seen enough to know either's not capable of playing, but it looks like, from what we saw Will Levis in college and pro, he's making the same mistakes in the pros. He made in college. It's a judgment thing, not a talent thing. 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. Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, but here's the thing.

We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubber lips. Blame and me. Well, you know what? It's called Over-Promise. You should be good at it

because you've been over-promising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino-en-rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course. but we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Overpromised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, make sure you check out OverPromise. And also, uncensored, by the way.

So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino and Rich on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. Sunday on Fox, iconic rivals collide on Super Wild Card weekend as Jordan Love leads the Packers against Jack and the Cowboys. It all kicks off at 4 Eastern 1 Pacific on Fox. That's the game I'm spending some money on. All right, the draft order set in the NFL. I want to talk about the top 10 picks.

So the Jets may have sort of messed up by beating New England. Now they have dropped to the 10th pick. So what does that mean? That means that eliminates the Jets from getting the best anything. The best left tackle? Nope. Best receiver, nope. Best edge rusher, no.

Best quarterback, nope. Best tight end, no. It eliminates them from getting the best anything. They don't have a second round pick. They have to get the first pick right. And they want to tackle. Well, they drafted Mackay Beckton three years ago at number 11, and he was a total bust. He was the third tackle taken.

First two were good. The third was a complete utter bust. It matters. You want to get the best of anything. And so they've gone from, hey, we're going to solve a major issue to a bit of a finger cross at number 10. So they have to draft the left tackle. They have the worst left tackle situation in the league, and Aaron Rogers is 40 off Achilles surgery.

They have a good defense. They also need weapons, but they got a running back and a wide receiver who are both excellent. They don't have a left tackle in the building that can play a lick. So here is my guess. This is not necessarily what I would do, although some of them are true. This is my guess on the top 10 picks. Caleb Williams won to the Bears, Drake May number two to Washington, Jaden Daniels quarterback number three.

Marvin Harrison, you're not moving off, Kyler, Marie, you'd be out of your mind. Marvin Harrison, best receiver in years, goes four to Arizona. I think the charger should move down, but I know in the building they love Brock Bowers and they need another weapon. Number six, giants have needs not defensively outside of a corner, but there's not a great corner this year. There were two last year. They need weapons because they're probably not moving off Daniel Jones. Tairod Taylor is an elite backup. I think they go Malik neighbors. LSU. LSU is a wide receiver NFL factory. They almost never miss. Tennessee at seven takes the best tackle. Olu Foshanu out of Penn State. He is fantastic. My guess is Michael Penix probably is somewhere

right out of the top 10. Bow Nix, accurate, health. no mistakes can move. Atlanta has to get better at quarterback. If they don't land Justin Fields, they may not want to pay him in a year either. Falcons go quarterback. They have to. They're a mess there.

The Bears have a defensive coach. Montez Sweat plus Jared verse, the defensive end from FSU, and the Jets get Joe Alt. Alt, and the Penn State tackle are viewed very similarly. Very, very, very, similarly. Those are your two best. By the time you get to your third left tackle, it's a different

class. Now, now could the Giants go get a tackle because Evan Neal's a disaster? Absolutely. You don't want Daniel Jones hurt again and Tyrod Taylor gets hurt. So I can see the Giants saying, hey, the Jets need a tackle. We're taking Joe Alt. Believe me, left tackles are gold bars. And historically, the greatest ones in NFL history all go middle up and in the first round. So there you go. That is my draft projection. I think the Jets will get that left tackle,

and the second best one, although Joe Alt is not a major drop-off from Penn State's left tackle. All right, so the Chiefs Dolphins game this weekend, I just wrote a story this morning. It is shaping up to be the coldest game in league history. So a quarterback who played high school in Hawaii, college in the deep South Alabama

and in the NFL in Miami is going to play in the coldest NFL game of all time and you know how I view Miami I always viewed him as sort of fast, flashy a little innovative a little bit of a fraud not built for this stuff this stuff being December January so when you draft a quarterback

there's obviously a lot of things you consider size arm strength health in college, productivity. Tua, as he's freezing, his took off Saturday night. What is he as a quarterback today? So, big, powerful, no. Huge cannon for an arm, no.

Hyper athletic, no. Health, concern. So it really isn't anything I need. But I also think something that I would consider, and I think about this all the time, is that is your quarterback built for December and January football? This is what the weather is.

My issue with Tua, he is not, not a lot of things I need. He's not hyper-athletic. He doesn't have a big arm. He's not Matt Staver. He's not a big, powerful guy. And his health worries me. And so because of that, he also can't be expensive. So I couldn't pay him going forward.

But it's interesting when you look at Tua, and it's not a small thing. The Hawaiian kid who now plays in Miami, if you look at his race, record. He is 22 and 9 in all other months, not called December and January. He is a different quarterback in cold weather. And then not just a little drop off, a significant drop off. And what's notable about that is Miami is warmer than the rest of the league in December and January. But the road games aren't. So I don't expect Miami to play particularly well. Those numbers to me are another reason. You start talking about Tua. Power, no. Size, no. Arm, no. Athleticism, no. December, January? No. They're not really built for it. So it's another reason I can like the kid and like

him at the podium and think he has great intangibles, but I have real questions about is he built for this? And now, he may go to Kansas City and play his butt off, but it is noticeable, December and January numbers, and I've said this before. You can say, oh, Colin, and I mean, those games are harder. You're December games. They're just all they are for Miami is New York Road, Buffalo Road, New England Road, cold weather. His numbers come down. So I think this is a really interesting game.

The number's not ideal anymore. When it was minus one and a half. I love Kansas City now. Minas four and a half, not so much. But I do think it's something, you know, when you watch Justin Field, sometimes it takes a long time for the truth to get out. It's not in the first year or two. And as you watch Justin Fields for years and years and years, we went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. And then you watch them in the last game against Jordan Love, and you're like Jordan Love is way better than Justin Fields.

You can blame the coaches all you want. Two young coaches, but it wasn't particularly close. Watch two against Kansas City. If you're thinking about Panem. These are the games you need greatness. December and January. He hasn't been very good. Again, we knew this.

This was a miss. until Mike McDaniel showed up. Remember the Brian Flores to a, it didn't work at all. It was bad. So he's got the right coach and the right platform, but I think this game will give you some illustration. I said this years ago when the Lakers split up Kobe and Shaq. And the first two years of the deal, it looked like the Lakers made a grievous mistake

because Shaq went to a better organization in Miami and he won a championship with D. Wade. Remember that team? And so everybody was like, the Lake Kobe Bryant was upset. they were bad and then Kobe got Pal Gasol Shaq aged very quickly and you were like, oh

the Lakers made the right move. The answer for moves and decisions sometimes you've got to be patient and I think Miami's playing it right they haven't offered to the contract. I want to see what he looks like Saturday. Now if it goes out Saturday night and it's minus one and he has got nothing but

sizzle gets into a shootout, okay that's going to be part of the decision. But it was like when you watch Justin Fields and Jordan Love in that game. Same field. One of them looked fantastic. And one of them looked like, oh, yeah, he's like 10 and 28. He doesn't see the field. Can't get first downs on third down. You'll blame all you want. When you watch that game and you were reasonable,

I would pay Jordan Love right now going forward. I couldn't pay Justin Fields. So the answer took a while to get there, but I think you got the right conclusion. Love here, fields there. So I know you like Kansas City in this game. I like Kansas City in this game. I think there's a lot of things about Tua that are admirable, mostly intangibles, but this becoming, it's almost what Miami needs. We need this kind of weather because this is the NFL in December and January.

This is what it is. I think we saw Baltimore and then last week Buffalo choke off the middle of the field against Tua in the second half and he could not make the throws. So now we're going to ask him to make those throws in freezing weather with some, it looks like there might be some wind as well. Like it just doesn't set up well for Tua. And I wonder, you know, I had that theory last week. A lot of people scoffed, is there a chance?

Penix falls to Miami in the draft or Miami trades up for him and says, you know what, we don't want to pay Tua. We're going to just basically put it a bigger Tua with Michael Penix. And we're going to move forward. He's played an inclement weather in Washington. I know it's not, you know, Kansas City two degrees, but. Yeah. No, I think the reason the Bears made the Montez Sweat move is because they had a defensive coach.

And the feeling was Montez Sweat with Matt Eberfluse will be utilized to his highest degree. If you're going to move off Tua, Mike McDaniel's going to get the most out of any quarterback he gets. So if there's a quarterback that drops because of concerns, you would argue our coach can get the most out of Michael Pennock. And you don't have to change a lot, right? he's a lefty just like Tua. No, no, his comp is Tua. I think he's a stronger and a bigger Tua, and it can be a little bit more mobile,

but not because of the surgeries Super Bowl, and both have injury issues coming out of college. So why not just go with Pinnix, who's a bigger, stronger version who I don't have to pay? He's got the same injury concerns. And there's some Dome teams out there. Like, listen, Tua would thrive in Atlanta, okay? Indoor Dome, not bad weather.

It's a great call. Great call. Hour two on a Wednesday 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.