The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - The Dallas Cowboys Are Legit

Episode Date: December 27, 2021

In this hour of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, it's pretty clear by Week 16 who is a legitimate contender for an NFL title and who is trying to fool us. After getting healthy, the Dallas Cowboys wrecked the Washington Football Team and showed Colin that they are indeed legitimate. Also, after the Bills' win in New England, Colin sees quarterback play as the major difference between Buffalo and the Patriots. Plus, after seeing the Packers hold on to defeat the Browns, Colin likens Green Bay to the boxer who wins on points. The Packers are pretty and make plenty of contact, but they lack a knockout punch. Finally, former NFL quarterback and FOX Sports NFL analyst Michael Vick joins The Herd to offer his reaction to the weekend's gridiron results.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a loaded Monday.

Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Great to have you back, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. I was supposed to work last Thursday. I got a booster shot and got very warm for about two days, but I am back. I feel great. I want to thank everybody for tuning us in. You have a lot of options.

a lot of people are off. The airports are jammed. So many of you are with friends, skiing, family, somewhere, and you're choosing us today. Enjoy Taylor, who was awesome doing the show when I'm gone, which is amazing. Thank you. And you crushed it, and you're clever. And I was at an area, and you were on the big screen. And you and Alex looked unbelievable on the air. It was like that. You looked a lot better than I would have looked. Thank you. Well, it was quite an operation getting set up over there. I know I look like I'm very tall, statue-esque, but I'm actually five foot two. So Colin is a foot taller than me. So it was a whole thing with the chair and a lot of adjustments. I was like, I'm not a cellul's calling, but we figured it out. Oh, you did great. So, you know, it is, you know, when you're a single guy and you got all these cheesy pickup lines, right? And you got all these lines and I'm funny and everything. And after about the third date, you kind of had lines and you kind of get exposed for who you are.

Who are you and what are you? And it's the same way in the NFL season. We're in week 16. everybody knows everybody's plays. You're not fooling anybody anymore. Like you need guys who can make plays off script. And that's, I want to talk about two teams to start the show, Dallas. I've been saying this all year.

When I look at Dallas, McCarthy can drive me nuts. Dak is sometimes conservative. And I'll get to that in a second. But nobody's fooling anybody. And Dallas has playmakers. And the great Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aitman teams, they had playmakers. Who gives Nick Saban trouble in college football?

Quarterbacks that can run around. Who gives Belichick trouble? Quarterbacks that can run around like Josh Allen. But Dallas has defensive line playmakers and Micah Parsons wherever you line them up. And Trayvon Diggs at Corner. And they had five different receivers with over 50 yards and running backs. And between the injuries in COVID, so much of this now, I was talking to GMs over the weekend. They're like, listen, it's survival.

We're just trying to get through games with. COVID and injuries. But Dallas, all their playmakers now are healthy. That's why they're surging. I mean, New England may have the best coach in the world and the best offensive coordinator and the best culture. New England doesn't have dudes that can make plays off script. And you can't fool anybody.

Everybody, you're playing division teams now. You've seen them twice. You know all their players. And so when I'm watching Dallas is, the truth is, after that third date, you get exposed. Well, after week 16 in the NFL, you are what you are. And what Dallas is, fast, athletic, rangy, multifaceted. And let me support to people who sometimes I'm critical of Mike McCarthy. You can say what you want about Mike McCarthy.

He went out, had a major issue at defensive coordinator with Mike Nolan, and he solved it. Like they got to pay Dan Quinn to stay. Like Dan Quinn hit it out of the park. Simplified the offense, let all these playmakers play. So Mike McCarthy has mostly gotten out of the way. He sees how good this talent is. And by the way, Dack Prescott, and I've said this before, he can fall into a Dack and dump. But again, I think Dack is smart enough that, and I said this last week, that he looks around at all these playmakers.

And Dax's like, you know, I don't screw it up. We can drop 30 every weekend. And that's what Dack does. If you look at his home and road splits, like Dack never makes mistakes at home. He may not throw it down field as much as I'd like, but it's almost like. Chris Paul running the sons. When you've got an 8 and then a Devin Booker and a Mikhail Bridges, just I don't need you to drop 38.

Get it to the right people at the right time, occasionally make a big throw or a play with your feet. So, you know, you get to this time of the year, the teams with playmakers, they're separating. And Dallas has a lot of them. And yes, they're well run. You know, I've said this before. You never get credit as like a president of a company or a country for the mistakes you avoid.

Right? Like we had a president recently. There's chaos every 15 minutes, every 15 days. You don't get credit in life if you don't have to solve problems you create. And that's where Mike McCarthy and Dak, they're looking around. It's like we draft well, we run well, we sack well, we protect well. They've kind of gotten out of the way. So I think Dallas now feels like, as everybody's battling injuries in COVID and their scheme fatigue,

Dallas feels like they've moved back into that 6-7 team Super Bowl bubble. And here's Mike McCarthy after. We're playing more complimentary football. That's the goal of the team. It's not to be the first, you know, I'm not, I've been number one in the league and offense. So that doesn't guarantee a championship. And when your team's lopsided, that way it's a lot harder on the defense and a special teams. So I think you're seeing a team that's more balanced. It's more complimentary. You have

the ability to win, you know, games in all three phases. And that's what we want to be. We still have a lot of work to do. And I think our guys recognize that. But, you know, we want to be complimentary football. This ain't about statistics. Yeah. And by the way, they're not dependent on any player or any unit. They've got stars on the defensive line, linebacker, secondary, wide receiver, running back, O-line pro bowlers, quarterback. Like, not dependent on anyone thing. That'll get you knocked out of the playoffs fast. If you're dependent on a unit or a player.

And Dallas isn't. Very impressive. So I want to talk about the Buffalo Bills. And, you know, it doesn't matter if it's a team or a movie or a relationship. Some people just suck you back in. There's something about them. They're funny. They're dynamic.

Buffalo, I had Buffalo. I had Buffalo getting to the Super Bowl. And they drove me crazy. They don't run the ball enough, although against New England this weekend, they actually committed to the run. But we always talk about the value of quarterbacks. And you know this.

I'm not telling you anything. We talk about it all that. We know they're important. Like if you look at right now at the standings in the NFL, seven of the eight divisions are the best quarterback leads it or is tied for the lead. The only exceptions, the A.A. F.

South, and I'm not sure that division has a best quarterback. Tanna Hill, Carson Wentz, I'm not sure it has one. But in every other division, the best quarterback, leads it or is tied for the lead? And the New England Buffalo game was back and forth and close. And it really came down to three plays and one series. And it was all Josh Allen. And you just can't, it's priceless. You can't define how value.

Fourth and one, New England's got it absolutely booked in, first down. New England had it perfectly. defended. Next play. Third and 10, big play. Shovel pass to Sivan Diggs. They get down to the red zone. And once again, New England's got the people in the right spot. Nope. Dawson Knox. Those three plays are the difference between punting to Mack Jones and crossing your fingers with Buffalo's defense and winning the division and leading it. Three plays, one quarterback. In each one, you got to be special at quarterback to be a special team. In each one, New England has it perfectly defended.

Josh Allen, with all due respect, Jim Kelly, is a once-in-a-franchised player. Six-six. He's their best runner. Huge arm. Those three plays are the game. And simultaneously, Mac Jones on back-to-back weeks. scheme fatigue. People know what New England does. He is trailed in back-to-back weeks. And the difference between this game was all quarterback. Go look at the box score. Third down, Buffalo was great. New England was terrible. Yards per pass, Buffalo was great. New England was terrible. So back-to-back weeks, Mack Jones is trailing. He doesn't have the great run support. And what has he done in back-to-back

weeks against the Colts and the Bills while trailing in the second half? He completes 51 percent of his throws, two TDs, two picks, a 66 passer rating, that's what he is. And again, I've said this about quarterbacks for a long time. What are you trailing? What are you when you have to throw? What are you when you don't have a great run game? This game, the coaches are great. There's very little to criticize New England and Buffalo.

But when this game was done, it all came down to one has a superstar our quarterback talent. One has a guy. And that's not a knock on Mac Jones. He's young. He's a rookie. But the ceiling is so obvious once everything's not lined up, he's trailing in the second half, they're facing a good scheme, he has to throw and everybody knows it. And that's why I keep falling in love

with the Buffalo Bills. They're my Shawshank Redemption. Every time I'm bouncing around the TV set and Shawshank Redemption, on the movie. I just stop. It doesn't matter. I could be doing my taxes. It doesn't matter. I can be late for a meeting. I'm going to stop and watch the rest of the movie. That's Buffalo. When you are that gifted at the most important position and you can do so many things off script, I'm in. You can talk about Kansas City. If you asked them privately, who did they not want to face? I'm not even sure they'd say the Buffalo Bills. They would say Josh Allen. If you go back and look at those three plays,

the fourth and one, the third and ten, the goal line. They are perfectly defended. They got two guys here. It's over. He gains five yards, six yards, seven yards. Look at this, third and ten. Again, people, every, doesn't matter, makes a play. Then go to the goal line. I mean, if you're Bill Belichick with your staff this morning,

you're like, we had it perfectly defended. I'm not sure if there's two other quarterbacks in the league that can make all three of the plays. For our radio audience, I apologize. The fourth and one's incredible. How does he get nine yards out of that? He's a quarterback. I mean, how?

It's one of the best defenses in the NFL. Want to be special? Get special at quarterback. Some thoughts on what I saw over the weekend. You know, I hear a lot of excuses. You hear this all the time, but we don't have a star quarterback, so it's very difficult.

Now, there's three teams in this league that don't have a star quarterback, and they're doing just fine. Also, if you're a Packer fan, and you're honest with yourself, there is a statistic that is really troubling and it is almost always a one-and-done or you are out quickly in the playoff stat.

And the Packers have it. It's too late to fix it. It is what they are. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, F-S-1 and the I-Hard Radio app.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast'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 Clivert Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok

podcast network on TikTok. 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 you know.

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

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Colin right, Colin wrong. 45 minutes from now, top of our next hour.

So my first job out of college, I got a job in Vegas, and boxing was huge. Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson. It was just a great first job. Generally, you know, your first job out of college, you're working in Yakima,

Washington and covering like a minor league baseball team. I'm covering fights. And for about a seven-year period, it was just, I'm just a small town kid. I'm watching the greatest fighters in the world. And very quickly, you do get attracted, and I did it as a kid. I like heavy weights with power, Tyson, Joe Frazier, Ollie in his prime. I never liked Larry Holmes. And he just didn't have the knockout.

It wasn't as dynamic. He had a great jab. And he knocked people out. He's a huge man. He's like 6'6. he was a huge man, but he didn't have, and I would never classify him as one of the all-time greats, although he was heavyweight champ forever. I mean, he had a long range, eastern Pennsylvania, but I never felt he classified, qualified

in his prime. He didn't have the punch. And Green Bay is the fighter that wins on points. I've seen them outplayed by Cleveland this weekend. Aaron saves them. Out played by Cincinnati this year. And Aaron saves them. and outplayed by San Francisco this year, and Aaron saves them.

And the defense against Tyler Huntley saved them. Green Bay's point differential, and this is what Vegas pays attention to, for a 12 and 3 team with Aaron Rogers, their point differential is plus 59. 43 of that is two games against the Bears and one against the Lions. They're 11th in the NFL, and thank God. they play the Lions, or they'd be about 17th in point differential.

Meaning their margin for error is very slim. They play in too many close games. And we know they're in a division with two lousy teams. And Minnesota's not even good. I could say they have two lousy teams and a third average one. Is that

their point differential is squeezed in the NFL in between two eight and seven teams. And they don't, half of their wins are one possession. Cleveland felt like they had more good players. And I don't want to hear about injuries for Green Bay. This whole league is hurt.

Everybody's hurt. I mean, honestly, everybody in this league, it's COVID, it's injuries, it's, it's, I don't want to hear about excuses anymore. Cleveland had four picks. Should have had five, but four, at Lambo. And Cleveland using backup tackles, had a chance to win that game late. That's not good enough. And here's the other thing, and you watch this.

They're pretty and their talent. Aaron teams are always pretty. But the playoffs are about getting in the octagon. They are 31st in yards allowed per carry. They're going to get absolutely controlled by San Francisco if they met him in the playoffs. You get into the post. Cleveland got seven, eight yards every time they wanted to. Either Nick Chubber is backup.

I mean, that offensive line is missing. multiple starters in Cleveland. It's still great. Guard, center guard. They ran at will on Green Bay. Anytime they wanted to. Screens, anything to the backs worked. And so when I look at Green Bay, this is their, I wouldn't even classify it as kryptonite. It is an unsolvable issue. You can run the ball on them and you start looking at the Rams right now. So Cam Acres is coming back with Sony Michelle. Uh-oh. San Francisco. Big run. Tampa's offensive lines got two pro bowlers. So be very careful.

Be very careful if you're Green Bay. Like, I'm watching that game and I'm like, how in God, it was one of the worst quarterback, I think I'm fair to say that. I don't think I'm picking on anybody. I won't even mention his name. I thought it was one of the worst quarterback performances of the year in Lambo. And you look up with two minutes left and you're like,

Cleveland's going to win this game. When you play multiple times this year, I've watched Kansas City, Buffalo, Tampa, just to a Tyson, just over Arizona early, overwhelms you. If you're a great college team like Alabama, you better have six blowouts. You've got to have some blowouts on this stuff. I don't see it with Green Bay. And I've said all year, I think this team is so talented. But man, the last couple of weeks, you just, it's eye opening.

Remember that game when they played the Bears a few weeks ago? We're like, how is this close? Chicago doesn't even know who their quarterback is. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, sticking with that game,

Aaron Rogers did make Packers history on Saturday. He became the franchise's all-time leader in passing touchdowns, jumping ahead of Brett Far with a career total of 445. But as you mentioned, they almost didn't get the win on his milestone day. The Browns did come back from a 12-point second-half deficits. and Baker threw four interceptions, which is hard for any team to overcome. But the Browns were averaging 8.8 rushing yards per attempt against the Packers.

That's the highest this season. They're averaging 144.9 rushing yards per game, which is the third highest in the NFL. So let's have Baker throw it 36 times. Here's the other thing. Dallas and Cleveland are similar. In every unit, Cleveland's got a playmaker. Denzel Ward in the secondary.

Miles Garrett, Chubb, literally two pro bowlers in the offensive line. Dak is like, listen, Dak looks around, is like, just don't screw this up. And I often say it's Dak and Dunk. But Dak's like smart enough to realize, I'm going to do a Chris Paul here. I can give you 16. I don't need to give you 28. Like Cleveland's quarterback's getting in the way of wins.

Like, DAC is getting out of the way. Yeah, I mean, I know Cleveland fans are kind of upset. they feel like it was a little bit of, you know, past interference. There was a little push and pool going on on that last play. But you're not going to get that call in that moment. And you shouldn't be in that situation. You can't make excuses for a four interception game. Like, we all watched it.

If you want to complain about that last one, fine. What about the three other ones? You can't turn the ball over that much. It's insane. But again, I don't know why they weren't running the ball. Run the ball. They also, and I think Stefansky is a good play caller, I really do. my only criticism with Stefansky is because I do think there's been a trend over the year.

He does see he's got to manage his quarterback. And by the way, I love Indy, but you've got to manage Carson Wentz. You've got to get him under 35 throws. The numbers don't lie. But they do not use their tight ends. Now, I don't know if that's the quarterback. It's the offensive coordinator. But Cleveland's got really talented tight ends and they're invisible, invisible in this offense.

So that's something they've got to figure out. And I don't know who to, I don't know who that is to blame. Is that the quarterback not seeing it or the offensive system, but that they do not use all their weapons offensively? They don't. And in this game, I think it really showed that there doesn't seem to be any kind of continuity with what they're doing. Because if you know that you run the ball as well as you do and you are having success running,

I can see if you're trying to run the ball during the game, you're usually a good running team and you're not getting anything that day. Adjust, okay? Make adjustments. But you are getting it. You're getting almost nine yards per carry. So what is happening here? I don't know if it's the quarterback making those decisions.

To your point, take the easy stuff. Because it feels like he's forcing it. It felt under control every time until Baker tried to do something with a little sauce on it. And it's like, okay, you don't have it. Yeah, that's not who you are. Like, you're a 500 quarterback through 57 starts. Like, 58 starts. Like, let's get out of that space.

By the way, he has the most interceptions in the national football league since he entered the league. Like, you have to manage him. him. Colts are doing the exact same thing with Carson Wentz. They're 9 and 0 when Carson throws under 35 times. The Colts totally get it. And they're like, this is what we have. He's talented. We're going to manage him. You got to manage Baker. You also have an MVP candidate as a running back in Indy. So I think the word manage feels a little icky. You know, like you don't want to feel like you're being managed or being, you know, compartmentalized. But the reality of it is, and I think this is, look, we talk about Dax and Tangibles all the time. Right?

Right. Like, there's no measurement for that. But when you do have self-awareness, when you do have a lack of an ego and you're not demanding things for yourself over the team, you're comfortable with that. I think that's what the Bill's Mac Jones situation showed in the first game this season. Yeah. It doesn't have to be about me. However, we get the win.

But managing how many times you throw the ball is not a bad thing. You want to balance offense. The running game helps your defense. It's not all about getting stats or being able to prove that you're the guy. You want to get wins. So Joe Burrow made a statement against the Ravens on Sunday. He said a Bengals record throwing 525 yards, which is also the fourth most in a single game in NFL history. Now before the game, there was a little bit of bulletin board material.

Ravens defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, said it was too soon to fit Burrow for his gold jacket, which is a reasonable statement, but I wouldn't say it right before about to play somebody. Not publicly, no. And when he was asked if he would have a similar game for Burrow as they did for Aaron Rogers, similar game plan for Aaron Rogers the week before. That's what he said. Well, after Burroughs' big performance, he responded to Martindale's comments. I didn't think it was a necessary comment. I wouldn't say I was offended by it. I mean, I'm in year two. Who knows what's going to happen down the road? I didn't think it was a necessary comment.

Was it on your mind when you were throwing at the end to 525? Maybe. See, I find, I find Joe Burrell's confidence incredibly imbrisely. Well, yeah, because he's also self-aware. He wouldn't go out there, but the Santa had if they got destroyed. Right, right. I find him so easy to root for. Listen, you don't know to tell me about Joe Burrow. I love Joe Burrell.

And I think it was Jordan Palmer who came on with us and said that was the one thing about him that he had complete and utter confidence in himself. Like short memory, we messed up. All right, let's get back out there. Can you imagine this? I was thinking about this. I flew back. I was in the airport last night. and I was a terrible high school quarterback.

If you went to any quarterback before a game and said, how do you think you'll do today? And you said as a quarterback, I'm going to throw it for over five football fields. You'd be like that, you're really arrogant. Just think about this, the simplest terms. In an NFL game, division game, Joe Burrow threw for over five football fields of offense. That doesn't even make sense. But I also think outside of Joe Burrow, that's exciting.

citing for the Bengals. Someone had to catch all those passes. Yep. So Joe Burroughs 25, he is 4,165 yards. Joe Mixon is 25, 1,159 yards to Mark Chase, 21, 1,163 yards. T. Higgins 1,029 yards, he's 22. So they're the first team in NFL history to have a 4,000 yard passer, a thousand yard rusher,

and two 1,000 yard receivers, all 25 are younger in the same season. That's a bright future for the Bengals. And they've swept both the Ravens and Steelers in the same season for the first time since 2009. Good for them. to root for. Building things, building things. It takes a little bit of time. Yep.

But yeah, they're definitely headed in the right direction. Well, the other team in that division is the Steelers. Oh, God. The Chiefs secured the AFC West with a dominant performance of the Steelers. It's their six straight division title. That was tough to watch. They were dealing with the COVID outbreak. So it was like some concern.

How are they going to do without Travis Kelsey? Tyree kill. Well, Mahomes threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns. And then the defense forced three turnovers, 3610 victory. This was very, very, very hard to watch. Ben Rothesberger was 23 of 35 for 159 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Okay, but if you had grandparents and they've never thought about retirement and they're finally 67 years old and they don't have any money, that's sad too.

But they're culpable for it, right? Like Pittsburgh three years ago, we were on this show saying, you guys have a succession plan? Because Ben's old, unlike Brady and Russell Wilson, he won't age well. He's not that kind of quarterback. He's taken too many hits. Like, I have a hard time having sympathy because the smart teams in this league, I mean, say what you want about Green Bay, but they were like, errands had back-to-back declining years.

We just got to get a kid ready in the bullpen. Like, this is on Pittsburgh, and it's not because they don't draft well. They draft as well as almost anybody in the league. They have been beholden to the rear-view mirror, and it's hard for me to feel sympathy for them because this didn't creep up on them. them. This is terrifying. This is terrifying. The Steelers are a well-run organization. To your point, they drafts really well. They develop players. Fantastic. They have a Hall of Fame coach, great ownership, great fan base. How does this happen? We've seen this happen so many times in the

NFL. You had a really unique opportunity the Steelers did. Obviously a bad situation with Ben getting hurt. But you saw Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges. You saw what Mike Tomlin was able to do with that level of talent. And you knew they weren't the guys. They weren't the guy. So get the guy. And you knew that Ben wasn't going to come back better than he was before his injury. So how are you in this situation? It is 100% self-inflicted. Now, who knows? Maybe they'll go find something in the draft or they'll get someone on the market in the offseason. Aaron Roddles will go there and it'll be grand. But those are a lot of gambles that you're leaving your franchise in. Yeah. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. So Mike Vic, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, The Best or Nothing. Mike Vic, you know him. 13 years, four Pro Bowls, most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. So, you know, Andy Reid, and we had said it during the year. We're like, listen, they'll figure it out. Smart people figure stuff out.

So it's taken about six weeks, Mike. And I watched them yesterday, and I'm like, they got COVID stuff they're dealing with. So how did they figure out? What do you think they did to figure out the offense with Patrick Mahomes? Well, I know Andy Reid has extensive playbook, and he can go back to 2010, 2011, to the things that we was doing that can be very effective versus any defense still to this day, 10 years later. He actually sent me a play last year and asked me what was the name of the play, what was the protection, and what did I think about the play?

as I broke it down and looked at, it was a play that we actually ran, and the play was called Ram, and he was installing it in the offseason. So I know Andy, he can go into his bag of tricks. He can find plays. He can pull things out that no other offensive coach can do across the national football league because he's got plays that extend back to, you know, the early 2000s with Donovan McNabb and guys like that. You know, a team I had my reservations about the Eagles and Nick Siriani,

But, Michael, you don't have to be great at everything in this league. But you have to have an identity. And I watched Philadelphia and Jalen Hertz. And I said this about six weeks ago. I said, he's not the prettiest thrower. But every time I look up, they're scoring in the 30s. So all I know is it's like the NBA. You've got to put the ball in the basket.

If you get to 30, you win almost every weekend. What do you make of Philadelphia's offense, their limitations, their talent? and what do you see with Jalen Hertz? I got to give a lot of credit to Nick Siriani. He's a young coach in this league, and we got to be real with ourselves about that. And it takes some time to learn, like players, even coaches, learn how to win, get into a floor of the game, and build personnel to go out and execute your offense and, you know, come out of the games with a win at the end of the day.

And, you know, he's just been plugging away. He's been plugging away. I think they drafted the right guys. I think they got a lot of superstars on offense and Riga and Smith. And now Jalen Hertz is starting to get comfortable and coming into his own after gaining a ton of experience this year, ups and downs, highs and lows. And even getting a chance to go out and watch Gardner Menshoe go play a phenomenal game against the Jets. It's all learning experiences.

And when you've got a young coach who understands the game, who's been around some great coaches, you know, the young players and quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts going to pick it up quickly and they're going to be successful and come out on the other side. So I think it all starts with him as a coach. You know, we said this about Dak Prescott is that sometimes he, you know, Dak and Dunk, it's a lot of short stuff. But I think Dak looks at this team and I think he looks at his defense. And I think he looks around and a lot of times, there was a story a couple weeks ago.

He was yelling kill, kill, kill, kill, kill. He was audible all the time checking down. And my takeaway was, okay, I can crush him for that. but they were playing the Giants, a backup quarterback, and I'm like, sometimes the hardest thing to do as a talented athlete is to just distribute and do a Chris Paul. I'm just going to give the ball to my playmakers, and I watch Dak, and he makes almost no mistakes.

His home splits are incredible. And go back to your career, because I don't consider Dak a kid anymore, but the ability to audible out of stuff and check down is often viewed as weakness by a quarterback. But I don't, I look at Dak and I'm like, I don't think with this roster it is. I think he's really smart and figured it out. Your thoughts on that?

Yeah, it's all about compartmentalizing everything, Colin. And as a quarterback, you'll stretch yourself out going into a game. You know, you got 100 different past plays and you're trying to figure out, okay, I want to get the ball of this guy on this player. I want to make sure if this guy's not open down to fill in this player, I'm going to check it down. And you run through all these different scenarios and then it gets real foggy.

When the stars to clear up is when, you know, you just take a step back and look at the offense for what it is. And, you know, you break it down, you slow it down to your mind. And obviously it comes through play and in practice and seeing what works and what doesn't. But I think that is at the point where he's very comfortable now with not only with Mike McCarthy, but with Kellyn Moore and the play caller selection.

When you can hear a play and hear it come in and you know why it's being called, that's when you're going to be at your best. So it's always about the wire and the play call. I think, Dak, he's getting there. He's still got a long way to go, but right now he's super comfortable in that aspect. So I said, I know Green Bay's record tells me they're really good,

but they don't have much of a knockout punch. They really don't. They jab you to death, and Cleveland throws four picks, and yet at Lambo, with two and a half to go, Cleveland's driving for the win. And I said, what worries me about Greenwood, Green Bay is you can run on them. Yards per carry, they're 31st in the league.

Well, the downside of that is Aaron Rogers could end up in the playoffs sitting on the sidelines and watching a game. Like, the last couple of weeks I've watched Green Bay and I'm like, they are not blowing average teams out. Did you ever plan a team that was a good team but couldn't stop the run and how did it affect you? You always feel like you got to carry the load. And it's not a good thing as a quarterback. It can weigh on you. Right now, I feel like Aaron Rogers is, he's mentally strong. He's capable of handling. He knows what he's dealing with. And the Green Bay Packers, like the last

four games have looked like they was going to lose the game, including the game last, you know, this past week. And Aaron Rogers always comes and saves the day. They give up big plays on defense. They get some stops on defense. They get a short field. Something always. happens, but, you know, in the grand scheme of things, Aaron Rogers comes and saves the day, and the Green Bay Packers got to be thankful right now and looking to sign Aaron Rogers, you know, for the next five

years if they want to continue to compete and obviously have a chance to win in the Super Bowl, but it all falls on the hands of Aaron Rogers when it's all set and done. Yeah, Mike, great seeing you. Happy holidays to you and your fan. We'll talk soon. Thank you. Same with you guys. You bet. The Colts

win over Arizona said so much about that franchise. That's next. Live in Los Angeles on a Monday, it's The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I'm George Reister,

host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings. at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100.

This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rights or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 documentation.

It's not branded it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that. don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little bit? 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 it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade. of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person? because you're afraid. Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Not to go all philosophical, but I was reading something not long ago, and it was a quote by a famous artist and it was like Picasso or something. And they were talking about being gifted. And one of the quotes was,

exceptional is out there, but it's got to catch you working. And I tell my kids this, you got to get you right. You will over the course of your life get an opportunity. A great job, a great relationship. You got to get you right.

It's just going to come, look at you and go, size you up. and go, you ain't it. Because it's very rare. I mean, Patrick Mahomes' situation is totally historically unique. You land with Andy Reed, the fastest receiver, the best tight end, a great owner. Usually, you know, it's a struggle. And Mahomes has taken advantage of it and deserves all the credit.

But a great example in this league, everybody uses excuses. Well, we don't have the quarterback. We don't have this and that. San Francisco and really Tennessee and the Colts. Colts are really impressive. So they were missing nine starters by the second half in Arizona. They don't have a Josh Allen. They don't have a Patrick Mahomes. But while they're trying to find the next great transformational player like Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck. And Carson Wentz is good. He's not that.

They got Peyton Manning. Andrew Luck. But what they have been able to get right is themselves. They got the head coach right. They got the culture right. They got the roster right. Is Carson Wentz the future? Well, he's probably more of the future than Philip Rivers, the one in Dunner was.

But he's probably not a guy that'll be here in seven years. But you can be B to B plus at quarterback if you get everything else right. If you get you right. This is Tennessee. Tannahill's not really the answer. Tannahill is not going to win you Super Bowls. But they're doing everything else right. And there's probably six quarterbacks on this planet.

Mahomes, Rogers. You can figure out who they are, Brady. They're outliers. Ten teams in this league have no clue at quarterback. Another 15 would take a call tomorrow if you rang. But it goes back to get you right. You don't have to be perfect, but get you right. And the great job opportunity will come.

And Indianapolis is missing nine starters. They're on the road. They have such a strong call. culture. Such a strong run game. Such a strong head coach. You know, I didn't like the hard knocks, a mid-season with the Colts. I said, I thought it was invasive. I thought it was like a really bad idea by the league. I don't love hard knocks. I understand it now, why the league does it, but it's invasive. And especially for a bad or a young team or a young coach or young quarterback, we've just seen teams come unglued. You ever notice that? Hard knocks has unraveled.

Like usually the hard knocks team ends up being really bad. The Colts, once Hard Knocks came into the building, they got better. Why? Because they got everything right. They got everything right. They figured out themselves. And, you know, I like Carson Wentz. Like I was for the move.

But if you look at him, his passer rating, it's good enough. It's 96. His completion percentage, it's under 63. I mean, it's 62.7. It's is good enough. And if you ask him to throw a lot, they're 0 and 5 when they ask him to throw over 35 times. Okay, they're 0.5. They're 9 and 1 under 35.

And they can do that. And they're surging because they got everything else right. So there's no excuse for the jets or the giants. The New York Giants don't do anything well. The Jets don't do anything well. The Jaguars, the lions. there's plenty of teams in this league that don't have a star quarterback. I mean, how limited is Ryan Tannahill once you take Derek Henry away?

I mean, they can't get in the 20s. It's like profound. But watching the Colts play, smart, resilient, efficient, tough, all the things that matter. And the last two years, you know, kind of ham and egg that at quarterback. It's like Philip Rivers is now a high school coach a year later. They won 11 games with him. And like Carson Wentz, he's kind of got injuries and he's really really, reckless and we can't have him throw over 35 times, I wouldn't want to play him in the first round.

I would have no interest playing them in the first round. The other thing that jumped out to me, and we've talked about this, is, you know, you grow up, if you're a family, I have a friend that used to, his parents were psychologists, both of them. So every night at dinner as a little kid, as a teenager, he had psychologists as parents. So whether or not he was ever going to go into it, he like knew the industry. He was comfortable with it. He understood it.

He had a real sense for it. And Joy and I have talked about this. Obviously, offense is controlling this league. If you look at right now in the divisions, the two top teams in the NFC East, offensive coaches. NFC North, offensive coach. NFC South, offensive coach. Two top teams in the NFC West, offensive coaches.

AFC West, offensive coach. The surging team in the AFC, Indianapolis, second place, playoff team, offensive coach. AFC North, a tough division, offensive coach leads it. And the only division

where an offensive coach isn't in first or second is the division that doesn't have an offensive coach, AFC East. But the top two teams have the two best offensive coordinators, Josh McDaniels, New England,

Brian Dayball, Buffalo. So it is obvious where this league is going. The league is set up rules now that all benefit the offense. If you're a major college, you've got to go offense. Unless there is a, and you can say, oh, what about Belichick or Sabin? They're all so smarter, but in this sport for 50 years. But by and large, if you're hiring a coach today, go offense, go offense. But it's interesting because offensive

coaches, like my friend who was a psychologist, no offensive personnel better. So it's interesting to watch Cincinnati in Pittsburgh. One is run by a defensive coach. He's very good coach. They have a star running back. They're rebuilding their offensive line. They have great young receivers. But Pittsburgh is struggling to develop any chemistry, struggling to develop with Mike Tomlin. This is Pete Carroll. This is Vic Fangio. Have you noticed the defensive coaches? Seattle can't get the coordinator right. They can't get the offensive line right. Why would they? All Pete's allies and connections are on the defensive side. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have the same thing. A star young running back, star wide receivers,

a developing offensive line. But look at how quickly all the bingle young players develop quickly. Because Zach Taylor knows offense. His best coaching friends, his allies are on offense. it really is interesting. So much of Cincinnati in Pittsburgh, so much of it is they've all got the same elements. But if you start looking around this league right now, the offensive coaches, all their best connections, all their best friends,

all their best allies, all their best ingredients, they know the offense so well, and that's where the league is going, terrifying for the Steelers. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

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

On the Look Back at a podcast. That was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford, and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.