The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Chargers need Jim Harbaugh

Episode Date: January 24, 2024

Colin gives an update on the Chargers trying to land Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach and why he would be the best fit to turn around their franchise He has major questions about Bill Belichick landing another head coaching job based on his recent drafting historySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff could be breaking live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Yes, J. Mack, it's inching closer, the inevitable, the Harbaugh talk, the chargers. Things are moving, I'm told in that direction. At a glacial pace, no doubt, right? I mean, this should have been done a week ago, Calherd.

Talk to your people, will you? my people aren't returning call, which is always a sign things are getting close. So, I was told last night by a couple of different sources, agents are involved, there are hurdles to overcome.

Harbaugh and the Chargers, however, is headed in a positive direction, but again, it's not done. Big money, big agents. It really is, though, the only move for the Chargers, for a lot of reasons. First of all, they've missed on

multiple coordinators. Jim's not a coordinator. They need a real culture. I mean, there's a term called chargering. You got to get that thing out of here. You got to get chargering like off the mantle. He's a culture builder. No more chargering.

They've already, I mean, they're already at a disadvantage in Los Angeles. USC's going to the Big Ten. You're going to be paying fame. Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Penn State. and the Rams have had more recent success and more historical success. And the other thing is, Jim Harbaugh has a huge advantage, and it's one the Chargers need. Herbert, in about a year, Justin Herbert's going to be starting making big boy money. And they're $45 million over the cap now.

So they have got a hit on multiple draft picks. They've got to get cheap because they're overspending. They had some free agent misses. Herbert's going to be making a lot of money. You don't want to get trapped. At this point, Harbaugh's the only move. Even hiring Mike Vrable, who I'm a huge fan of, would feel small. It just sounds right.

Starhead coach in Los Angeles with an emerging young star quarterback. It's like a movie script. And Reed and Mahomes are rolling. Okay, so you need a disruptor. And that's what Harbaugh's been. He was a disruptor to Pete Carroll and the Trojans when they ran college football in the pack 12. He was recently a disruptor

to Ohio states dominant in the Big Ten for years. Dominance by the Buckeyes. He was a disruptor as Seattle was building a mini dynasty under Pete Carroll with a Seahawks in the NFC West. Disruptor, disruptor, disruptor. And this is actually more

plug and play. This is an easier lift. I mean, Stanford was an absolute mess when he took it over. San Francisco had gone eight straight years without a winning season, and nobody knew what to do with Alex Smith, and Michigan had one double-digit win season in eight years before he got there and didn't even look like they could compete or match up with Ohio State.

The Chargers were in the playoffs last season, and they've got their star quarterback. This is very close to plug in play. Hitting a couple of draft picks, move some chess pieces out of town because they're too expensive. This is a much easier lift than Sean Payton with Denver. where you had to fix an expensive older quarterback, you had to change the culture, you had new owners, the GM's not your GM,

it's not what this is. This is Harbaugh moves in, has control to a large degree of personnel, star quarterback, star left tackle, star receiver, and a bosa pass rushing. This is about as good a job. This is Matt Lafleur to the Packers.

It really is. It's Matt LaFleur to the Packers. You got a quarterback, you got a no line, you got a weapon, you got a good culture. This is a much better job. Easier lift than Tennessee.

Atlanta, Carolina. Washington's not bad, but who's their quarterback? I mean, the first round quarterbacks are a 50-50 miss. So the chargers need a big swing. They need a big change. You got to get rid of the term chargering.

Harbaugh, to me, is the only fit. It may get disrupted. It may not be finalized, but I've been told money isn't the issue. There are more concerns about personnel and choices and control. Peter Schrager on our show last week talking about Harbaugh fitting with the Chargers. The Harbaugh thing was a perfect timing for the Chargers when they're blowing out their head coach and their GM. So there's a vacuum of power. And that's kind of what you need for Jim Harbaugh.

He went to the University of San Diego, one right away. Stanford turned him around, one right away. Of course, with the 49ers, they went to 3-8 conference championship games in four years, one right away. And then naturally, he goes to Michigan, it might take them a little bit longer, but they ended up national champions. There's a lot to like there. Also, you think about that market that you guys are in. USC, UCLA, the Rams, the Lakers, the Clippers. Is there a Chargers fan base that is loud and vocal?

No. Some of this is when LeBron came to the Lakers, the Dodgers got very aggressive with acquisitions, because this has always been a Dodgers-Lakers town. USC may be third. And you can see USC took a big swing with Lincoln Riley. The clippers have taken multiple big swings. This is a town that is distracted and highly competitive and with great Mediterranean weather.

Teams are average, people stop going. It's not Cincinnati. It's not a one-horse town. It's not Green Bay. It's not Buffalo. There's no guarantees here. And so you got the big 10 coming in town, the Rams and the United States.

McVey and Stafford. Dodgers now have an all-star team. You got four stars with the Clippers. You get lost really quick in this town. One more stumble, one more coordinator hired,

going cheap. You may not recover from that. This is the only hire to make, and I hope they do. Speaking of hires, it's official. Doc Rivers is the new coach. of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Listen, they hired Adrian Griffin. He was a first-time head coach with a championship or bus team with two stars. Didn't work. But think about this for a second. Maybe I'm wrong. But this does feel what's happening in Milwaukee a little bit like LeBron and David Blatt.

They were the number one seed, 30 and 11. And LeBron didn't like the coach. and the bucks of the number two seed, 30 and 13, 1, 5, of 6, and Janus doesn't like the coach. And LeBron gave the okay initially to Blatt, and Janus gave the okay initially to Griffin. But eventually the superstars aren't happy. But just think about this.

Janice comes in, and I'm not blaming him, he was a sweet, naive kid. I mean, you'd see pictures of him at McDonald's and local restaurants, and he signed every autograph. And then, of course, he is now, been infused, not his fault, it's a reality with the American idea of success, which is nobody's ever satisfied. Lamar Jackson wins an MVP.

Hey, where the playoff wins. Chiefs 11 and 6 off a Super Bowl win. What a disappointing season. Four titles for LeBron, 10 trips to the finals. Hey, he's no Jordan. That's what we do to our young stars. And it's not going backwards. It's getting worse.

So between Aaron and Green Bay and Janice with the Milwaukee Bucks, it feels like, you know, biggest star in town, cold Midwestern, kind of irrelevant city. I used to call it the Green Bay quarterback system, the Green Bay quarterback syndrome. And now it feels like the Wisconsin superstar syndrome. First, you feel lucky to be there, then a title and a few MVP's, and you're lucky to have me. but it does feel like it does feel like Janice feels a little like LeBron. Shaq

for the record was too big for Orlando. You know he was. This happens. Too big for Orlando. KD felt too big for OKC. LeBron felt too big for Cleveland. Yonis now has MVP's. Star

of the league. Pressure. Expectations. He's getting annoyed very quickly. Anybody else notice this? I mean, they're doing everything now like they did with LeBron. They put Janice's brother on the roster. They get him dame or else. They hire the coach he wants, then fire the coach he wants.

And again, it's a Midwestern, cold, overlooked town, Cleveland, Milwaukee, kind of rust belt feeling, although Milwaukee's a little hipper. And it feels like the superstar. Remember what Kareem did? and it was a different league back then. Stars didn't get everything they wanted. Kareem basically said, quietly to the organization, get me to New York, L.A. or D.C.

Look it up. He said it quietly. I don't want to burn the organization, but I want out. I'm bored. There's not enough here. I'm not challenged. And they did everything they could, and they pulled off a pretty good trade

considering they lost the great player in the game. But this feels like, to me, very LeBron in Cleveland, they're doing everything. It's Midwest. They're trying. And then you come to the realization that just Shaq was too big for Orlando. And LeBron was too big for Cleveland.

And Katie was too big for OKC. You've got to build it a different way. And by the way, you've got a title with him. And you've had great years with him. But this is his coach. You're a number two seed. You're on a hot streak. I want him out.

And they cave in one hour. I mean, they just cave. and they caved on his brother, and they cave on dame, and that's what you got to do. To me, it just feels very LeBron in Cleveland. Midwestern City, have a superstar, caving to his demands, and it just feels like Janus is getting more annoyed more often. Doesn't it? Kind of? I don't think that's a reach.

Like, like, you're a number two seed. You're 30 and 13, you've won five or six. You're annoyed. He was your guy. Now you don't want him. By the way, the first time LeBron left, he didn't get a title. At least you got a ring, you got a trophy with Janus. But, you know, from naive kid infused with the American idea of success, nobody's satisfied.

And I don't, I don't view Janus is a wanderer or disloyal. But let's be honest about this in the last two years. He's changed. He swears more. He's a little harsher. He's less patient. And I, you know, I love him as a player. I think he's a great guy, great face.

But he is getting annoyed on stuff. 30 and 13, 5 of 6, number 2 seed. That's when you knew LeBron and Cleveland was not going to last forever. You know, like, LeBron came into the league. Hometown kid, going to stay there forever. We're getting very close. We almost win. Nobody's ever satisfied.

And then LeBron went and played with some Olympians and went, yeah, yeah, this isn't big enough. And it's starting to feel like that. I was in Florida when Shaq left Orlando. He said all the right things. He loved it. He was on a beautiful lake, beautiful home, star the city, but like struggle to go to the grocery store. you know, in kind of a one or two sports town. And in the end, he went to Los Angeles.

And we got a flirtation last year. Did we not with Steph Curry? And remember, he used to deny those things. He would just close the door on those things. And now he doesn't. This feels very, very much like LeBron and Cleveland. Irritated over things that three years ago, you would have been so happy about.

I mean, I said this this morning to somebody to me, It's like a marriage. Like you're arguing over stuff that you used to laugh about. You know, you used to laugh at the flaws when you go out with somebody and she does this and he does that. And then after a while you don't laugh about him. And then you start picking on people about stuff

and flaws that are like endemic to a person's personality and you're like starting fights. I don't think I'm reaching. Doesn't that feel a little like this? Yeah. And some of the reports that are coming out about how, you know, Nick Nurse was on the market when the bucks were looking for a coach and Yana said,

No, I don't want that. Mark Stein, who you work with. He's like, Janice didn't want Nick Nurse. Nick Nurse doing okay in Philadelphia now, isn't? Right, right. Yon said, I'll take this Griffin guy. And then he wants him out. And apparently, he would draw up plays, and Yonis is like, no, I'll drop my own.

We'll run another plays. There was a moment where Yonis, you know, he was checked out of the game by the coach. Yonis just went to the sat at the table. It was like, I'm going right back in. Just kind of big time in him. I don't, and not a great look for Yonis. It's not necessarily, like, it's easy for me to blame LeBron in Cleveland, but they couldn't get him a second star the first time around,

and it's Cleveland. He tried to get Chris Bosch there. He tried to get people there. He went back because Kyrie Irving was there, right? And so he's like, okay, I got Kyrie Irving, and then he tried to get Kevin Love. He tried to make it work, and they did get him dame. But in the end, Chris Middleton has eroded, regressed

because of some injuries, and they can't get the coach, right? The defense is abysmal, but we knew that was going to happen when you lose holiday. Well, it's not. You got to remember, this is a winter league. what is the one team on the eastern side of the country that is crushed with free agency historically in this league? Miami. It's the warmest winter league city.

And New York has struggled. Philadelphia, sometimes Boston. You know, it's a winter league. And so it's not a shock that Miami does well in free agency. And through the years, Los Angeles does well. And now, Phoenix will make players are willing to go to Phoenix. So I feel like just some of this is Janus is just like, Okay, I'm in this city.

It's small. I'm getting irritated. It's not going. I'm getting a lot of pressure. I don't want to be a one-time champion. It's hard to get people that want to come here. We lose Drew Holiday. It just feels like it's getting annoying for him.

Do you get the vibe he's going to be like a curry and stay in Milwaukee for the long haul? No, I don't. I don't. That's fun. Yeah, and I'm not criticizing Yonis or Milwaukee for that. I think it's well-owned. It has been, I think, mostly well-run. But I think he looks at the long.

Those boodin-holes are years and thinks we probably should have had another. And then you start in the social media world reading about other people. And now Janus gets up and Yokic is the better player. And Embed is winning the hardware. And by next year, Wembe's a star. Janus is feeling like I'm falling down the ladder. I mean, let's be honest. We don't talk, Yonis.

Now it's Embed, Yokic Wembe. Don't forget your boy, Jason Tatum, obviously. But Janus has fallen down. No, certainly. He's falling down. He's still a great player, top five guy in the league. No question. But it was four years ago, he was it.

Now, Yolkich, Mbibb by next year. Even Chet Holmgren, like guys are like, oh, this guy's a 25-a-point guy in a year. So all of a sudden, Janus now is not as relevant. And for these young stars, that's a big part of it, being relevant for advertisers in the championship circle. And Boston goes out and gets Drew and poor Zingis. And now he looks up at the... them and thinks, oh, and now Philadelphia's got the great coach. So you can tell in his world, he's looking around thinking, I'm falling further and further

behind. That's why I think he signed off on Doc Rivers, a championship coach, a relevant guy. We'll see how that works out. It's all fascinating. Fun stuff. I think it is. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King's Sportsbook. New users, just use the code heard, H-E-R-D when you download the app.

All right, here's my parlay picks of the week via Draft King's Sportsbook. I like the Ravens at home minus three and a half to win in cover. Feels like 2720 to me. They've blown out 7, 8, 9 teams. Chiefs look better than they are due to Buffalo's defensive injuries. I think the over 44 and a half in that game feels right. And I'm going to take Jared Goff over one and a half passing touchdowns in San Francisco. You got to score to beat San Francisco.

They're not getting a great pass rush. I love Detroit's weapons. I think it's a good game. You want to take the Hurd parlay. Check out Draft King's Sportsbook. New users. The code is heard. H-E-R-D when you download the app, which doesn't take more than 90 seconds. 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 and Y or text Hope N Y 467-369. See show notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the fourth. 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.

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podcast. All right. So there are stories here that in the Atlanta Falcons coaching search, it's Belichick or bust as they enter sort of week three on it. And this is kind of a strange one because if the Falcons had a quarterback, maybe I would think differently about this. Belichick would clean up the defense, create a detailed culture, and dominate a weak division. But they don't have a quarterback and Belichick wants personnel power and in his career in Cleveland and New England he has drafted 15 quarterbacks

one was a workaholic obsessed superstar Brady one was a starter a middling starter Garapolo a couple like Jacoby Brissette were good backups and ten dudes couldn't play

that's his track record and Terry Fontno is the Falcons GM from New Orleans and for the record, Drew Brees fell into his lap, so he has no history of nailing a college quarterback. And beyond that, Bill is not staying current. Football and players have changed. He irritated Brady, who I was told wanted to leave three years before he did.

He didn't get alone with Mack Jones either. Couldn't get along with him. By the way, his staff now, kids. and retreads. Can he put a good one together? This feels like a guy looking for a milestone. And I don't care if you're the greatest coach of all time. If you're the greatest film director of all time in your last five movies tank,

that's what you are now. Bill Belichick has become petty in the last five years. Lots of ego, which he pushed back against for years. He only wants to coach players he likes. You tell me, he's alerted. to offense and he is an absolute personnel liability dude can't draft at all especially on offense and I'm not sure he's great in free agency remember about three four years ago they opened up the wallet for the first time one player hit Matt Judon one so doesn't

draft free agency doesn't appear to be a strength getting a quarterback no he's not good at that either. Belichick's the greatest defensive coach of all time. Nobody disputes that. But he doesn't show an ability to draft or get along with young offensive players. Last seven drafts, two pro bowlers. One's a punter. So, I mean, it sounds weird to say this, but we know this to be true. A lot of old legendary

coaches don't stay current and don't age well. Belichick has become one of those. For years and years, I'd read stories about his mom spoke multiple languages and his dad was a pioneer of scouting and I don't doubt any of that. And you all take certain things from your parents. He's a very bright man. But he is not aged terribly well. The league is now more about collaboration, not doing it your way. And then you add the age. Bill's old. Does he have the energy? Maybe, but he's certainly not Pete Carroll in that department. I just don't see the pluses. Bad at free agency.

bad at personnel, sort of petty, kind of stubborn, wants to only coach his kind of guys. I think the Falcons are smartly owned and well run with a great stadium and nice pieces. I'm just not sure looking in the rearview mirror at a former greatest coach of all time is the answer. I don't think he's the best candidate. I could see him if they had a Justin Herbert going there, cleaning up the defense and winning a weak division. I mean, Todd Bowles did it. I think Bill could do that. but I have no confidence Atlanta and Belichick, if he has personnel power, can nail the quarterback.

None whatsoever. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. And then you've got to wonder how that young locker room, a lot of young talent is going to handle a disciplinarian walking in. He's very my way or the highway, you know, and I don't know that that's going to work. The hypocrisy, and I've seen this with other coaches.

Bill's entire mantra, what he sold to people, was sacrifice for the betterment of the team. Now Bill's not willing to sacrifice. He's not willing to relinquish personnel power or coach what he views as divas. So it's like he's not doing what he preached. The late Bobby Knight, that was always my issue with him. You're preaching self-control and discipline and yet don't have any personally. And I think with Belichick, what he preached, he no longer views that as a rule. he has to live by.

Yeah. All right, let's start with Lamar Jackson. He's on his way to his second MVP. Look at him to make his first Super Bowl appearance. He and the Rams have to go through Patrick Mahomes first. This will be their first playoff meeting. Mahomes is singing Lamar's praises ahead of Sunday. I mean, it's not just the running, but I mean, just to be able to throw the different

arm slots, to be accurate, throw it downfield. I mean, he can do it at all. And that's why he's going to be winning his second MVP probably. And I think that just speaks to the type of player he is. needs to get better and better. That's what we're all trying to do in this league. It'll be a great challenge for us and we're excited to go out there to their place and see what we can do. I was just looking at Baltimore this morning. Baltimore has blown out. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. They have nine blowout wins. And over the lions, the Niners, they beat

the dolphins by 37, the Browns, the Texans twice, a pretty good Seahawks team, a Jags team that we thought would win their division and a pesky Bengals team. They have nine 14 plus point wins over winning teams. Yeah. You could argue like, how do they do in close games? You know, will they get tight? Will Lamar get a little? They beat the Rams?

I mean, beat the Rams in a close game. They did. That was a special teams fluke in overtime. Well, that's not a fluke. It's a play. All right. But your point, okay, blowing out teams is one thing. They're great front runners.

You know, Lamar rolling downhill, they get that machine going. What if it's a close game? Or they got to come back in the fourth quarter. They haven't had a ton of those type games this year. Yeah, but there's a reason. There's better than everybody. Okay, but it's Mahomes and the Chiefs. I don't know.

I said, I'm calling for a Ravens runaway. I know that's not smart. And I'm calling for the Ravens by a touchdown. 26, 20, 2720. That's kind of what I think. But I do think Baltimore is just absolutely proven to be a better team all year long, all year long. And I think we're overvaluing to some degree the win over Buffalo and Miami. where they were both completely injury riddled on the defensive side,

which made the offense look more engaged and more fluid than it actually is. And you look at what McDonald has cooked up against some of the best offenses in the league. He shut him down. Like totally shut him down. Why can't he shut down Mahomes a company? Next up, Cliff Kingsbury, your guy. He's making the rounds. Going to get back in the NFL, likely as an OC.

According to NFL media's Mike Garifolo, the Eagles are going to interview Cliff Kingsbury for the OC. opening. He was supposed to maybe land in Chicago, Kingsbury, with Caleb Williams, but there's also a report now that Kingsbury could meet with the Steelers. What do you think of that, Jalen Hertz Kingsbury pairing in Philadelphia? I know this because I talked to an agent two days ago. There's multiple teams interested. He is right now considered. Kingsbury gets a little bit of a bad rap. So I was just watching a video. I was just watching a video. I was just watching a video. this more. I get up, you know, I get up early. And it was a video of Arizona's

NFL head coach on the phone having to sell season tickets. Like being a salesman. Jonathan Gannon? Yeah. He's calling people asking. Calling people in Arizona asking for season tickets. Cliff Kingsbury went to that division.

Shanahan, Stafford McVeigh, Pete Carroll. And he took Arizona to the playoffs. So the idea, I think it's one of those things where, and, you know, at college, he didn't have a great record at his alma mater, but he was also a kid. It was like a first big-time job. And he had some nice wins, but that's not a great program.

So he goes to Arizona, and what I would say about Cliff Kingsbury, some of the smartest people I know in football really like him. So when smart people like him, I just think Cliff is, I think that Arizona stint, stint, is more impressive than people want to give it credit for. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Cliff Kingsbury working with a number one overall pick who you say throws a beautiful football, is that impressive despite zero playoff wins? McVey, Shanahan, Pete Carroll, Cliff Kingsbury,

and he made the playoffs? I like Kingsbury. That could be the best coach division. For about a five-year stretch, you had McVeigh, going to be a Hall of Famer, Shanahan could be a Hall of Famer, Pete would get Hall of Fame votes, and Kingsbury with the worst ownership group.

That's true. the playoffs. Yeah. I like, I like Kingsbury. So do I. Does he work with Hertz? I think Cliff works with anybody. I think he's a smart guy that works with anybody.

I just thought, I think we've lumped it into, you know, people get, people get Jalen Hertz at Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley had 52 total touchdowns in one season. Kingsbury spent last season under Lincoln Riley. And so. It's possible Lincoln Riley said, hey, you could work well with Hertz, right? deep familiarity with him. This is a quarterback right in your wheelhouse. I had this discussion with a fan last night. Fans tend to think the salary cap,

everybody's dealing with the same money. No, they're not. Arizona is so much poorer than everybody in their division. You don't pay for the best scouts. You don't get the best staff. The facility stinks. The Rams have a much bigger staff than Arizona does. Scouting, executive level.

People just, fans think salary cap, it's all even. Philadelphia's got a size of a staff. The Rams have a size of a staff. The Cowboys do. And then there's Arizona. And Kingsbury got him to the playoffs with that. That's all I'm saying. Final story.

The Raiders have officially hired your pal, Tom Telesco, as the new GM. He comes over from the Chargers. They had fired him. I don't know. I was looking at the roster. Telesco has some stuff to work with, Colin. He's got not a ton,

but they have some talent on defense. Absolutely. They've got some pieces. is in place on offense. Jacobs is a free agent. We'll see. I don't know. Do you think Raiders can compete next season or is this like a multi-year deal? I talked to Tommy last night. He's jacked. He said the facilities are unbelievable. And he mentioned

Max Crosby's Unblockable. Devonte Adams. They have a real left tackle. Starback. We had this discussion last night. I was driving to go to dinner. And Tom's got 11 years being a GM. The Raiders' recent history is they hire people, his first-time GMs, without experience. Tom's a grown-up.

Tom's been doing this for over a decade. Now, he missed on the JC Jackson Corner thing. He took a swing. I've told you this before. I'm all for guys taking swings. Nobody's perfect. Take a swing. And he missed on that one.

But they hit on a lot. And again, ask yourself this when you look at the roster. They got the quarterback, the weapon, the left tackle, Asante Samuel, the corner, and a Bosa pass rusher. They've gotten all the key stuff right. He's had a great run. He did. Missing on several receivers and taking Quint to Johnson was bad.

And in fairness, in fairness, Mike Williams injuries, because Mike Williams has been a hit, Mike Williams has struggled to stay healthy. Can't say healthy. And I think if Mike, I think the one of the things that undid him that doesn't get discussed is Mike Williams could not stay healthy when he was healthy. Oh, it's very good. When he and Keenan were healthy, that team was a tough stop. Yeah.

I mean, I just, is Tom to Lesko still with the chargers if they take Zay Flowers instead of Quentin Johnson? Say Flowers is awesome. I mean, he could do so many things. Well, no, Brandon Staley was the coach. So that thing wasn't going to work. And I will say this is that, like, Telesco is not a bounce around the league guy. Like, he wants this to be his last job.

And listen, Pierce did a hell of a job down the stretch, coaching him up. Like, I was looking at their defense. Don't have a ton of guys, but Spillane, who came over from Pittsburgh was excellent. Coots turned into an awesome edge rusher. And the kid, Jack Jones, they bought low on him. He's a bit of a high-risk character guy.

He's had some issues. You know why this works? Awesome. Talent was. Yeah, the Raiders are, they just need a quarterback. Well, they got to clean up the culture there, Colin. We know historically last like five years. It's been a bit of a nightmare.

So, and the best part is Telesco and Pierce. I know both well. They work with people. Like, neither one's stubborn. You don't get a bunch of ego. They're just, he was excited. He didn't know Antonio, but it's like, and I told him, I said, Antonio is just a grinder, all about winning,

easy to get along with. You'll love it. No layups in this division. Broncos are going upward. Well, there's no layups in the league outside of the NFC South. I don't know. Patriots are a layup next year, buddy. Layup for the Jets.

Several layups around the league. A layup for the Jets. New York Giants? They'll have a layup next year. New York Giants are layup? Come on. There's some give-ies here in the league next year. Some real bad bottom feeders.

I'm going to go off. Tennessee Titans? Come on. All right. J-back with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The HARD line news.

I like how you already have the Jets 2-0 against the Patriots next year. Interesting. Aaron behind that offensive line. Good luck. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. Host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor.

It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture if you will a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing

facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, 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. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday on Fox, Jared Goss, aims to lead the Lions to their first ever Super Bowl, while Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and the top-seated Niners await.

The NFC championship games Sunday at 6 Eastern on Fox. That line is 7. That's a lot of points if Debo Samuel does not play. J-MAC was bothered yesterday, so in the second or third hour, I forget where it was. I made a comment that he found outrageous, but all the data points to the 49ers are three points less of an offense without Debo-Samuel since he arrived. So all the other pieces, they're three points less. So I said that's a reasonable argument to me made that Debo is worth a field goal. Now, in the NFL, the quarterback is the only player.

The perception is worth more than a point. But I think Debo is such a unique X factor that there's very few players like him ever, that you can do running back after the catch, wide receiver. I think he's a different player. So he's not your classic receiver. he's not a running back, he's not a quarterback, but he's a bit of a mix of wide receiver, tight end, running back, and because of that, and I do think McCaffrey's worth a couple points in this league.

I think Debo's worth a field goal, and if he doesn't play, I think that field goal is the difference between a 28, 27 Lions win and probably a 30-26 Lions loss. I do think it feels like that big of a deal, because remember, it's not Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen or Burr, losing a three-point player. It's brought Purdy losing that player. So that's different.

Again, Lamar Jackson's on his third string running back, hasn't had his Pro Bowl tied end. It's not that big of a factor. Tyreek Hill leaves Mahomes. They win the Super Bowl. Not that big of a factor. That's a different ball game entirely. But to give a guy, you take away a star,

and a guy that I think is worth about, now Vegas would argue he's not worth three points. But the numbers indicate, With him, they score this, without him they score that. That's what the data tells you. I love how you give just a guy. That's all Brock is to you. What's his record like 25 and 4?

Anyways, I think there's a big difference, though, losing Debo like in the first quarter versus, hey, we're not going to have him this week. Let's install plays. We've got an entire week to prepare without Debo. I think that's a massive change. It won't be as much of a shock to the system for Brock Purdy. He was just a guy. The Niners are favored for a reason.

They're at home. I think they have a better roster. Even without Debo, I think they should win. But if you're a Niner fan and you're honest, you've got to be a little nervous without him. It is not... Listen, a prime example. When Brady went to Tampa, they had to get a right tackle in the draft.

Brady was on the phone daily with Gronk. And Gronk was worth a point to a point in a half. He knew the value of Gronk in the red zone. Third downs. Gronk's size, the ability to manipulate an outside line or an edge. Like, these quarterbacks who've been around the league, they have guys and they have safety valves. Debo's the ultimate safety valve.

He's the ultimate. Get it out in the, like, it's drizzling. I can't get a good grip. They have a pass rush. Get it out to Debo. Corners can't tackle him. He is the ultimate safety valve when things aren't going right. When things are going right, Brandon Iyuk's wonderful.

Jennings is amazing. But when things aren't going right, And they often aren't in January. People get hurt. Debo's a complete. He's the cheat code. And so, especially with what I view as kind of a B-minus quarterback talent,

kind of a... So I just think it's... Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they go blow Detroit out. Maybe Detroit's Pete. But when I watch Detroit play, I see elite players at tackle, running back,

tight end, edge rusher. And they're younger than the Niners. And remember, they got some... Detroit secondary has some cheap shot artists. Matt Stafford let him know about it. So, you know, Debo comes back. Be careful. guys are head hunting. Remember Matt Safford the video. Come on.

Not head hunting. Aggressive. Overly aggressive, cheap shot artist. I'll go there. Go ahead. Go ahead, lines fans. Come at me. So I was thinking about this with the bucks. So basically, it's the third shortest stint in the history of the NBA. Adrian Griffin gets the job. Feel bad for him. It's like his dream job gets it and you're done. Because the star doesn't want you. But it's a star league. People bellyache that it's a star league. It's been a star league since in the 70s. It's been a star league forever because the scarcity of players that matter.

There's a handful in the league that matter. This firing, though, should make you appreciate Steph Curry and the Warriors dynasty. Pressure, drama, expectations, one head coach, one GM, Steve Kerr, Bob Myers for nine years. Drama broke up Kobe and Shaq, MJ's Bulls twice, the Miami Heat, the Hedels and a lot of drama. The Warriors pre-KD-1, with KD-1, post-KD-1. And I think all of that circles back to the selflessness of Steph Curry. Zero roster demands.

Makes it easy on Steve Kerr. Let Kevin Durant come in, kind of be the man for a few years. Always gets along with Draymond Green, who at times can be volatile. you just don't appreciate what Steph is. In the history of the league, a lot of these stars, it's not a criticism, they run hot. Kobe ran hot, MJ ran hot, were people out. Luca runs hot. Shack could.

Demands intensity. LeBron can. LeBron's run through a lot of coaches, and I'm very pro-Lebron. He has run through a lot of coaches. Two weeks ago, Darvin Ham was in trouble. That means LeBron's unhappy. So Steph never runs hot. Cool, chill, makes it easy on the coach.

And I think Janus has crossed a threshold. Janus now feels like he's running hot. Didn't initially, but he's running hot. And I'll say it again. I think this is a real thing. Janus was the guy. And all of a sudden, Yonkich appears to be the better player. Embed is now winning the hardware.

The rival Celtics have added Porzengis, and they clearly appear to be better than the bucks. Wemby is the star of the future. Keep your eye on Chet Holmgren. And it does feel like Janus's time to run the show is over. So he's getting short-tempered, demanding dame. I don't blame him. They needed dame.

But I think he's running out of patience. He's running a little hot. And generally, when guys run hot, coaches get fired or players move. And that's the history of the league. it's the reality it should make people appreciate step curry never ran hot no drama i mean there's a lot of drama he got draymond punching guys you got k d and draymond issues you got the kd kind of i'm happy i'm unhappy there was a lot of drama in fact if i recall it could be wrong on this i think step curry sort of defended mark jackson before steve kirk got there like he he's like hey we don't need to

make any moves here. Mark's great. So you just don't, there's a Tim Duncan quality. Tom Brady was mostly this. Steph Curry. You look at some dynasties, it's not a, it's not a surprise that Brady, Tim Duncan, and Curry, all part of dynasties is keep the temperature chill

because it's high standards, low demands. High standards for everybody. But the temperature gets worked up really fast. And I mean, I saw the Lakers. You had the brilliance of Phil. Kobe. Shack, Jerry West.

I mean, you go watch the winning time. I mean, there was just, the Lakers have just had these massive stars. A lot of times they don't get along. And it gets hot. And the Bucks feel like they're running a little hot right now. That's how I feel. Little hot. Who's your take?

What's your take on Bucks? Do they get to the conference finals? Or do they run into the Sixers? Because it's still, right now, Boston won. So two and three theoretically would face off. Milwaukee hasn't proven the ability with this roster to get key stops, so I would say Boston wins convincingly over Philadelphia. That's what it feels.

I like what I see from Philadelphia. Yeah, you do. I do. You and Joel and Bede. Got my Tobias Harris out there. Oh, yeah, that's right. You're a Tobias Harris truther. Geez.

Why don't you set up a Reddit board for Tobias Harris fans? You know what? Guy needs support. Both Tobias Harris fans will join you on the Reddit port tonight. Guys like you banging on him. I'm not banging on. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your.

Podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.