The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Westbrook, Harbaugh, McCarthy, Raiders

Episode Date: January 20, 2022

LeBron James wanted Russell WestbrookJim Harbaugh would take the Raiders HC job if offeredMike McCarthy is doubling down on being wrongGuest: Maxx Crosby Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 you're 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 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Live in Los Angeles on a Thursday, it's The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio FS1, if you love fantasy football, you love betting football,

or you just can't wait to watch this weekend's football, one hour from now, Greg Kosell, 42 years at NFL films, always puts on a master's class, and Max Crosby of the Raiders stop. by this hour. Joy Taylor is joining me. We are ready.

Manuel Sanders is stopping by the day of the bills. It's going to be a huge weekend. Do you see the ratings for last weekend? Yes. The ratings were up like 22% from a year ago. And last year's NFL ratings. Like the NFL is just separated from everybody. I guess all the boycotters are back home.

Boycotters. I know you didn't go anywhere. You know, my wife and I were talking last night at dinner. And she'll spring these lines on me. I don't have this ability. So she'll save a line for nine years. And she'll use it at the perfect time. If I get a memorable line, I use it that day.

Usually within five minutes. I can't like I'm a kid that has 20 bucks in his pocket. I spend it immediately. And my wife and I were talking about something last night. And it reminded me of Westbrook and the Lakers. So my wife said, you know, boats don't sink because of the water around them. Boats sink. on the water you let into the boat.

LeBron let Westbrook into the Lakers. This was going to be a great year. Now they're sinking. That's the boats that sink. Not the water around you. LeBron and Westbrook, they like each other. So the Lakers didn't really want Westbrook.

Vogel didn't want him and they brought in Westbrook and I thought it was fairly obvious why they were bringing him in. Not for the playoffs. Get him away from the playoffs. Old roster, 80s always hurt. LeBron increasingly so. Carmelo, same.

Bring him in 30 minutes a night, 20 points. Just get production out of him. He's a hustler. Last night he was benched. And this shows you the state. This is the danger of bringing in fading stars. Frank Vogel had to ask permission in the last week to just put him on the bench in certain spots. For Westbrook, it's his fourth team in four years.

Vogel's reasoning why he took him out last night in a loss of the horrible Pacers, it seems reasonable to me. Frank, you opted to go with Russ on the bench at the end of the game. What were you looking for there? What was the thinking behind that choice? Yeah, playing the guys, I thought we're going to win the game. It seems incredibly reasonable to me. But yet LeBron and Carmelo afterwards, coddling. I hope it's okay. I hope Westbrook's okay. And what if it isn't? So what?

Fourth team four years, outrageously expensive. By the way, Mello is very well liked within the roster, I am told. He's very supportive of other players. Westbrook isn't. Westbrook couldn't get along with KD, couldn't get along with Hardin, couldn't get along now with LeBron. Why? It's kind of selfish. He won't do the screens. He doesn't want to play defense. He's not really there to support his teammates like Mello is. Mello's a faded star. But Carmelo Anthony accepted at some point over the last three years he came to terms with, I'm a bench guy. Westbrook still sees himself as just as a slump. This is just a six-year shooting slump. He'll break out of it any day now. And this was going to be the place. They weren't asking Westbrook to carry him to a title. They just needed minutes.

It's LeBron. Everything works with LeBron, right? Like almost everybody plays well with LeBron. And he can't even do this. So Westbrook needs a long, hard look in the mirror. I've been on this for years. He's like Cam Newton. The game has moved beyond him. What the game asks now that stars, he doesn't do well. And I have some sympathy for that. Like sometimes the sport moves into you, sometimes it moves out of you. But the fact that Westbrook now, you have to ask permission to bench him in key spots. Westbrook, the babysitting and the coddling for Russell Westbrook, they don't do that in baseball.

They don't do that in football. We don't do that in soccer. I don't think they do it in hockey. I don't watch enough to know. But like, you're almost to the point now with the Westbrook deal, and this is shocking to me, you're better to just ride it off maybe and just move him. Just get him out of the locker room. Is that where we're at?

because LeBron and Carmelo, let's listen to LeBron here. It's still, everybody's walking on eggshells because they bench the guy who can't shoot late in a game. Have you followed Russ throughout his career? Okay. Have you followed Russ throughout this season? Yeah. Would you think that would bother Russ not being in a late game? I mean, I hate losing.

So, yeah, of course, there's a level of frustration for sure. I feel like, you know, we have a good enough team to win ball games. be over 500. I mean, we're not a, I mean, we are who we are. Mimo to NBA front offices. Don't give special treatment to players who are no longer special. Westbrook isn't. All right. Here's the story.

We told you the last couple of days I have been told, I said on this show yesterday and the day before, Harbaugh would take the Raiders job, I'm told. If not, he's going to stay at Michigan. But the Raiders job with those offensive pieces with Derek Carr is very, very interesting to him. And let's be honest about it. Jim Harbaugh, 58 years old, has a lot of coaching left. It's very, very possible. Michigan's not going to be his last spot.

He could stay six years at two places, retire at 70. Coaches now are coaching in their 70s. So Harbaugh's got a long runway left. And I am told he would take the Raiders job if it was offered. But they have an interim coach, and we'll get into that later. But this all stems from this. A few years ago, and it may have been seven, eight, nine years ago, I forget. Sabin lost to Auburn, the big rival.

And he's lost him a few times. But he lost to Auburn. And the fans ripped Sabin. The media did. And there was a lot of talk about his Sabin overpaid. Can't even beat Auburn. You know what Nick did? He went and interviewed for the Texas job.

Remember that? And got his salary doubled. and made boosters pay off his mortgage. He got a car dealership. You don't mess with excellent. This is what happened to Harbaugh, who's been to a Super Bowl. The Michigan brand was in big trouble

between Rich Rod and Brady Hoke. There were tens of thousands of, at the end of game, seats available. The revenue machine wasn't churning out the dollar bills. Harbaugh arrives in immediately merchandise sales spike. Spring practices, there's more people. The recruiting goes up. The brand is back.

And because he can't beat Ohio State, which, by the way, very few programs can. There's about two to three that can consistently beat Ohio State, one Bama, maybe one Clemson. That's about it. That's about who beats Ohio State. They wanted to give him a pay cut this year, and they did. And he has not forgotten it. John Calipari at Kentucky, been there 13 years. Calipari only has one title.

You could argue he's underachieved. Ask him for a pay cut. and see what happens. Ask him. Whether or not a Calipari wins titles, a Sabin beats Auburn every year, or Harbaugh beats Ohio State as much as you'd like, there's two things he equals.

Revenue and relevance. Don't screw with that. The Sabin brand, the Harbaugh brand, the John Calipari brand is beyond just winning. And he's winning enough. He is now won 10 games or more four times at Michigan. That's half of his career there. But Rich Rod and Brady Hoke, they not only did damage to the roster, they did damage to the brand.

A lot of times people in the media, I don't think they get this. Lincoln Riley makes over $100 million. Damn straight he does. Clay Hilton not only crushed the roster. He and Lynn Swan almost killed the program. That's a billion dollar brand. They just, I mean, literally, there's nobody at the game. in Southern California now with two NFL teams.

So Lincoln Riley now is in a mad dash in the transfer portal to not only get the roster better because it's a mess, but to get the brand back to churning revenues, 75,000 USC hoodies all over town in golf shirts and hats. So memo to athletic directors who have a Calipari, who have a Sabin, who have a Harbaugh, don't get too worked up when they don't beat the rival every year. year or don't beat him as much as you'd like or don't win the national titles you got a harbaugh you got a calipari you got a sabin revenue and relevance because all these great jobs kentucky basketball almost every other hire stinks alabama football before sabin every other hire

was a whiff michigan football back-to-back wiffs rich rod brady hoke u sccc footballs had like three great coaches ever and about nine whiffs. So just be very careful. Tread very lightly on, hey, Jim, I want you to take a big pay cut. Hey, Nick, you know, you got to beat Auburn more. Hey, Calipari, only one title. Go look at the history of each of those programs. 50% of their hires take the revenue and the relevance into the tank. I don't know if Harbaugh is going to get offered that job. I've said I don't have a source on that, but my source has been apparently according to. to the new stuff from the athletic.

My source is accurate, and that Harbaal take the Raiders job if offered, it clearly yet has not been offered. So my guess is, I'd probably say 60, 40 stays at Michigan because I think the interim coach probably going to get that gig. Certainly a strong candidate. We'll talk about that more coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encourage.

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 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

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

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible. Great rates.

None of the Bull. So Mike McCarthy had a press conference yesterday. It was not great. At all. It was bad. I kept thinking the whole time, is Jerry Jones watching this? Or is he tended into like other businesses? Is Jerry watching this?

So Mike McCarthy said a lot of things, almost all were wrong or weird. he was doubling down on the 14 seconds left, no timeout quarterback draw play. Here's what he had to say about that. The only thing that we talked about, Doc and I was, you know, put a yard limit on it, cut it to 10 yards. I mean, that's probably going to be the change adjustment to we make.

We had great confidence in that situation, because we were just trying to get inside the 30-yard line for the change of the play call for the final play. So that's the right call based on. on our preparation. It's a 13-second threshold is the call. So at 14 seconds, it's, in my view, the right call. Do you hear that? So you had 14 seconds left, and Mike's like, yeah, I mean, it's a 13-second play. So you give yourself one X for a second. That's asking a lot for Dak Prescott. Run, slide at the perfect place, get the 49er off you, grab the football,

get the team organized, give it to the official, spike the ball. You'll have no problem. You should have at least one second left. That's his take. That's absurd. Yeah, it was a 13 second play. There's 14 seconds left, Mike. Yeah, there's plenty of time.

You know, like a half a second. Extra. I mean, you know, Mike McCarthy's won 61% of his games. Bill Parcells is only 157%. So I don't ever look too much at that, right? Because like Parcells took four. rebuild jobs.

McCarthy's had two great jobs in two dysfunctional divisions. He inherited Fav and then Rogers in a very stable organization and in a terrible division. And he won that a few times. Then he won a Super Bowl. And then he goes to Dallas. And again, it's a terrible, terrible division. It's a very nice roster.

There's a lot of playmakers here. A lot of playmakers. His first defensive coordinator was a whiff. Dan Quinn's been great. But if you look at his resume, it's seven division titles, 61% winning. and a Super Bowl. And then you remember that he had Farr of Rogers and now DAC and two bad divisions. And you're like, but at the podium he's bad, game management's bad, building coaching

staffs, not great. Here's the thing, though. I think sometimes we forget about how bad it was at the end in Green Bay. Now, Aaron Rogers has been so good for three years and the NFL is so captivating. We don't romanticize a lot about the NFL. If you ever listen to a talk show host, talk baseball, they'll talk about Mickey Mannell. They can't get through a segment without going in the rearview mirror. In the NBA, the NBA was more popular during Jordan and Magic's era.

So a lot of people, you know, the MJ documentary got massive numbers. I mean, if you did a Brett Farve documentary, would we all sit around on Sunday for three months watching it? Not really. The NFL is so good now that we don't need the past to enjoy it. So we forget about stuff. It just doesn't matter what happened three years ago. Do you remember how bad it was in Green Bay? Aaron Rogers last two years with McCarthy, seven and nine and four, seven and one, and he was fired in that division.

The hell? Aaron in back-to-back, the last two years, led the NFL in throwaways. Remember I talked about that? What does that mean? That literally it was so condescending. He hated the play call so much he would come to the line. Aaron Rogers and just throw the ball out about. He led the league in throwaways, basically saying that is a crap call.

I'm not even going to justify it by trying to make it work. There were also multiple reports, I think one from Jeff Saturday, where Saturday said he would come into the huddle, the play would be called, and he would just roll his eyes at the play call. And then he was out of work and fired. And he went down to his basement and he created something in the year he wasn't hired called the McCarthy Project, where it was him and some old heads. and they were going to talk about these newfangled analytics.

And they had computers down there, honey, nachos please. And they had their Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi was working down there. And then admits he lied to Jerry about the job. Like he didn't really watch all the Cowboy plays. I'm watching that thing yesterday. And I'm like, we all get this, right? Like we get how bad it was at Green Bay.

We get that nonsensical analytic basement project. with computers and stuff in his basement. He made it up to the Cowboys. He's still doubling down on that goofy quarterback draw. I honestly feel like, is Jerry getting conned here? Like, nobody's being fooled on this, right? Like, you still. The NFL is so deliriously entertaining in the moment.

We forget three years ago. Why would we care? I mean, literally every game, every weekend. Joy and I were going, God, week 18 is going to be terrible. It was one of the best weekends of the year. It was upsets everywhere. It was the Jags beating the Colts. Owners are firing people.

It's a firework show. Just go back and remember how bad it was with Aaron Rogers. Because it's been so good with LaFleur. We just forget it was a mess. Aaron couldn't stand him. Aaron was eye rolling. Aaron was leading the league in throwaways. Seven and nine, four, seven and one.

Now we just bank it in. Aaron's going to be a top two seed. He's going to win 13 games. He's going to host playoff. games. One like that a couple years ago. Man, it's, it's, that thing yesterday was doubling down on wrong for about 30 minutes. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Maybe like 10 seconds. 10 seconds is reasonable. One second? So he's acknowledging it's a 13 second play and you had 14. And so that is not, we talked about this the CRDA. What if the 49er defender, and they often do this late in games, they sit on you a little longer. He was sitting on him.

Yeah, and Dak had to literally do the draw, slide at the perfect spot, get the niner off him, grab the ball, organize his offense, give it to an umpire, set, make sure, check, spike it. Hey, you got an extra second there. You've got to be kidding. That's why they think it's reasonable. and criticized the refs in that spot. Like, oh, we had one seconds. I actually can't believe he said that. The Rams are heading to Tampa to take on the Bucks on Sunday.

L.A. did get the win over the bucks during the regular season, but Sean McVeigh knows they'll have their hands full in the playoffs with Tom Brady. As a competitor, it's awesome. I mean, he's the most successful guy to ever do this. His mindset, his mentality, his ability, the mental makeup. up. You can't help but appreciate the body of work, the way he handles himself. And, you know, as a coach, you're still kind of a fan. I have tremendous respect for Tom. And, you know, our guys are going to be excited. We know what a great challenge it is,

but to go against the guy that's done it better than anybody else is, it certainly is a great challenge, one that we're looking forward to. I'm really interested to see the health of the offensive line. So we know that Chris Godwin's out. A, B is out. So it's not quite as dynamic at receiver. We know that Tristan Worf's is a game time, very possible, a big body with a bad ankle. He won't make the entire game. By the way, the number one rated right tackle pro bowler in the league.

It was a urgent need when Tom got there. Leonard Furnett should play, but they don't have their full cast of running backs. So it's this Tampa last year got healthy. They're a little dinged up. Well, they played a lot of games. Yes. That is a little bit of the anxiety that you have when you run. back with the exact same roster.

Like these guys are going to have some fatigue. Yeah. When you get to that next part of the season, which we are in now. So the Rams are healthy for the most part, but this is a different game during the regular season. Like I know there's some things you can take and obviously they're going to watch the film and that will be valuable. But just consider this a different game.

Like Tom Brady in the playoffs is, he's great in the regular season. He's different in the playoffs, as we all know. So I'm really looking forward to this game. I think the Bucks win, but I do too. I think the health is going to be a big factor in this game. It's really interesting because if you watch the Bucks against Philadelphia, it was so clear defensively that Todd Bowles had said, fellas, they can't beat us throwing the ball. I always say this.

If you get into a fight and as a boxer, you know you discover very early, he lands a punch and it doesn't hurt you and you think he can't hurt me. Like Mike Tyson knew that Holyfield could hurt him or Lennox Lewis. So Mike Tyson stays away. If Mike Tyson thought you couldn't hurt him, there's a pit bull. He just attacked you, right? Watching Tampa's defense against Philadelphia, it was so clear that they're like, they can't beat us over the top. They played so fast.

Now you can't do that because I got Cooper Cup and I got OBJ and Tyler Higsby and Van Jefferson. So I'm interested to watch the defensive game plan of Bowls. Will it be so hyper aggressive? and also Cam Acres can catch the ball out of the backfield. Yeah. I mean, to your point, it was very obvious early that the Eagles were not going to hurt the bucks. It's not going to be quite that situation here. Again, my question is, is Matthew Stafford going to turn the ball over?

Is that going to be an issue in this game? You don't want to give Tom Brady extra possessions. But I do think this will be an evenly matched game and a good one. I can see Stafford and McVeigh being very aggressive, throwing the ball way downfield. Well, you're not going to be able to, you're going to have to throw. wrote more than you did against the Cardinals. No, and not only throwing it, but saying, okay, you want to bring extra people, you want to beat out aggressive, you will pay for it.

I wouldn't be shocked if there wasn't a lot of misdirection against Tampa. Because when you watched Tampa play, it was so great. The way to beat that is tricks, misdirections, fakes, make them pay for their hyperaggressiveness. Philadelphia couldn't. Right. through an up and down season and obviously lost Eric Henry in the middle of the season. And Ryan Tannahill felt that the road to the top spot wasn't easy. He said, I'm proud of our guys in the way that we fought through a lot and continue to find

ways to win. So it hasn't always been perfect and pretty. It's football. It never is. So the fact that we can continue to find ways to win has been a lot of fun. Yeah. That, I guess, that finding ways to win thing is, I guess, what always gives me pause about the Titans.

It's like, I don't want you to, you don't have to win. every game pretty. That I think is a little bit of an exaggeration. We've seen plenty of teams. Look what happened with the Colts in Jacksonville. Like all of these are professional teams. This is not college. Any team can beat you on any day. Hey, Rex Ryan's Jets for the first couple years with Mark Sanchez. It was running in defense and they beat Brady. They beat Peyton Manning. I mean, this league has a history of if you can ugly it up a little bit. That is what the Titans do. That's what they do. They ugly it up. They shrink the game. And now, that's not the trend.

the NFL. They do it really, really well. I think the key to this team is Tennessee gets an amazing pass rush with no blitz. There's six and points allowed per game and 12 yards allowed per game. So as much as we talk about Derek Henry and, you know, AJ Brown and Ryan Tannahill, like their defense is tremendous. Yes. Now, will they have Derek Henry back? We don't know yet. He said he responded well to contact and practice and said he felt great. So again, this is another one games this weekend where, you know, the San Francisco game, I think it's really going to depend on health. I still feel like it could be close, but Green Bay feels like the better game, like the better team. They're more prepared, healthier in a different situation than the

Niners this year. This one, I don't know, like, because they can go over the top in Cincinnati. So we'll see. And obviously we'll have to wait until game time to find out if Derek Henry's going to be available. Remember last week we had said this, the Bengals Raiders game was the first playoff game. So what the league basically does, what they think will be the least interesting game they put first. And then they put, you know, like they put, you know, the Rams, SoFi on Monday, like this week. They're putting the Packers Saturday night. You know, Tom Brady, I don't know what that game is. I would get that. That's somewhere on Sunday, right? So they're putting Titans Bengals, and I'll say what I said last week as the first game. I think it could absolutely be the best game

of the weekend. Yeah, I think so too. Bengals Titans is first, Niners Packers, Saturday night. Rams, Bucks is early, and Bill's Chiefs is Sunday night. Wouldn't have necessarily expected this to be the lineup entirely, but I'm looking forward to that game. So the Steelers are in the market for a new quarterback with Ben Rothesberger retiring. They still have Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in house, and both are looking forward to

the opportunity to be the starter. Rudolph said that with Big Ben gone, he wouldn't worry about stepping on anyone's toes and could be the leader he knows he can be. and Haskins believes he has what it takes to be a starter, and his plan to do the work this off season to put him in position to do that. Neither of these names stir my soul's future of the Steelers. But I do think what the Steelers do in the draft will be telling. Because if they don't go with Kenny Pickett,

which just means they've seen enough of him to think that he's not going to fit with them because no team in the NFL has seen more of Kenny Pickett than the Pittsburgh Steelers. They're in the same building. Then maybe they're waiting until. next year. Yeah. Then that could be the situation. So I don't mind Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins for a bridge year.

I'll give a team some grace the year after you, your Hall of Fame quarterback retires, the Saints, the Patriots, in this case, the Steelers. Like, you had a down year. Yeah. That's okay. Like, that was your guy. And now he's gone. Dwayne Haskins was a top pick, though.

I mean, Dwayne of the two is bigger, stronger with a better arm. He's a three and ten record as a starter. That's right. Yeah, it wasn't good. But you can look at Dwayne Haskins and the in the hotel lobby. Physically, yes. Yeah, I mean, he throws. And obviously he was not mature enough to be a start at the time.

So perhaps his time in Pittsburgh has changed that. Rudolph started 10 games over three seasons with the Steelers. He has a 5-4-and-1 record. So not much better. They'll likely, if they keep these two, they'll battle it out in camp. And again, I'll just look at this year as a bridge year. You lose your Hall of Fame quarterback. You shouldn't have massive expectations of a team in that situation.

Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. He's really become a star in this league. And we say this all the time. After about the 10th draft pick in the NBA, you run out of stars. Half the NFL is undrafted.

So Max Crosby's somebody, you probably didn't watch a lot of in college. Yet he has now become a force in the NFL. He led the NFL in pressures and hits and hurries. He was the third highest-graded defensive player in the end. entire league this year. And this isn't a one-off. This is year after year. Three seasons in the NFL.

A dominating player once again, and he now joins us live. First of all, it's great to see you again. You have become, you and Derek Carr feel like the soul of that franchise. And Rich Basatia, and you guys down the stretch, not only won games, you won close games. You'll want road games. were great situationally. Derek Carr says, I want Rich. Where are you on that today?

Who do you want? You know, I've said it many times already. You know, Rich, Rich is my pick. You know, if it was up to me. He's a great leader. He's a leader of men. He's somebody who look forward to, you know, seeing every morning and just getting to work with.

You know, he's a great coach, you know, from top to bottom. And I think he's earned the right. You know, we want 10 games this year with all the, all the things going on in our building, we still found a way to stay together and win, and I think that's a big, you know, reflection of Rich. You know, Max, a lot of guys are great players. They don't necessarily want to be leaders.

And I've said this before. Not everybody's built to be a leader. You feel like one. You're outspoken. Derek Carr feels like one. You didn't go to a big, you weren't a five-star recruit. You didn't go to, you know, the big net. And yet you walk into the NFL and very quickly, it's like, oh, we got a dog over here.

How have you embraced the whole, like you're a foundational piece. Are you even surprised a little at that? You know, it's tough to say. You know, I don't, for me, I try to just take life one day at a time. So at the end of the day, I try to just stack up, you know, stack up days and just be the best version of me I can be. You know, whether that's being a leader, you know, being the best player I can be. You know, I try to be the best at whatever I put my heart into. So, you know, every single day I walk in the building.

I want to be an example for the younger guys, an example for the older guys, and just lead the way by my actions instead of my mouth. Well, you have a year left. I got to ask this. Are they working on your contract right now? We'll see. Obviously, there's going to be discussions of things that nature, but I think it all, it all settle itself out.

So I want to ask you, last week, against Cincinnati. Joe Burroughs is a really interesting player because Max, he's a kid still. You know, he doesn't have two, you know, he's a kid. And over the last five or six games, watching him play, I feel like he's getting better every week. Like I'm like, he's better today than he was two months ago. When you prepared for him and played against him, what impressed you about Burrow? Yeah, you know, he's got a calming presence for a young guy. You know, that's really, you know, rare. You know, I feel like him and Herbert are a lot, and, you know, they're very alike in that way. He doesn't panic. He'd take, you know, I was, I played him twice as

year, and I hit him plenty times, and he just gets right back up. And he's one of those guys. He doesn't, he doesn't get phased. And, you know, it's just a credit to him. You could tell he's got an old soul, and, you know, he's a, he's going to be a really good player for a long time in this league. Max Crosby joining us, the sensational defensive player, third highest rated defensive player. So in the middle of this season, you guys had some turmoil. It's well chronicled. We all know what it is. And there is something about this Raider franchise that not only did you win games again, you were winning overtime games, situational games. In your life of football, have you ever experienced anything like the second half of this season?

You know, I wish I could say I didn't, but my experience at Eastern Michigan, my last two years, we went to, I think, a record seven or eight overtime games in my last year. Like, it was ridiculous. So, you know, there's something I'm not, you know, I'm not, you know, I am used to and it's crazy. But that's something I've just been, you know, dealing with for the last five, six years, you know, it's just been nonstop, close games and all the, all the craziness. So when do you think, what are you hearing, when do you think the Raiders will make a decision on your coach? That's a great question. You know, obviously, I'm not 100% sure. You know, I feel like it would be sooner than later.

We want to get, you know, we want to get it rolling. So at the end of the day, you know, I don't know who it's going to be, but, you know, we just got to stay locked in. And, you know, obviously Mr. Davidson and them, they're going to make the best decision for the organization. So I'm looking forward to that. And, you know, obviously, you know, my vote. But, you know, at the end of the day, we'll, you know, we'll find out. Mike Mayock, who I know just got fired, he actually hit a lot of home runs in this draft. They just weren't in the first round.

But Hunter Renfro and you are two great examples of he got talent. Do you remember your first phone conversation? Were the Raiders on your radar? Was Mayok? Were you surprised you went there? Did you have a relationship with him? Yeah, you know, the draft process was a little different. me. The Raiders

literally didn't talk to me the whole draft process. But my agent, you know, the whole time was telling me, yeah, Max, the Raiders love you, Gruden, Mayhawk, they love you. So once draft day got there, you know, I was like, okay, we'll see what happens. They had an early fourth round pick

and they end up calling me. And Mayok's first conversation with me, he was telling me, Max, you're a hell of a player, but you need to get in the weight room, you need to get with Deuce Gruden, and you got to get right. And, you know, that's something I, you know, I wanted to prove to him that my loyalty to him for taking me. I'm going to get right.

I'm developing of the player I am today. I have so much respect for him. He's done a lot for my family that people don't even know about. So he's just a great dude, and I wish him the best. 25 sacks and 43 career games. He's on a Pro Bowl team again. Looks like he's in a very cool ranch in Las Vegas. I don't know where you are.

It looks like you got to put your cowboy hat on here in five minutes and go ranching or something. Yeah, I'm back home in Texas. I just got back home, so I'm at the parents' house. All right. We're out in the country right now. Good for you. You're in the country right now. Oh, I love that.

Yeah, we're in a desolate area. It's beautiful out here. Good for you. Max, congrats on your career. Good luck on the contract extension. We'd sign you fast if we could. You're going to get that money, and congrats on your success. Yes, sir.

Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys. You bet. Max Crosby, a great NFL player. And again, a great story. Overlooked, Easter. Michigan. You know, it's amazing how many good football players. And he is a force. And he was really good at the end of the year, by the way. When the Raiders needed Hunter Renfro, Derek Carr and

Matt Crosby, they were the best in the last month. They were all fantastic. And Jacobs, the running back. So say what you will about the Raiders. You know, it's funny. I went looking this morning on interim coaches. I think you'll be surprised. You know, there's this feeling, and we've talked about this. You had the Miami experience with Dan Campbell. The interim coach, he works initially, but he's a failure. I think you'd be shocked at the truth about interim coaches. That and more on Mike McCarthy. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Mike check. If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game,

what's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things who's culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move, and tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from 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 Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's 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 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.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with their brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science

and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Weather's getting nasty. Don't change your plans. Change your wipers. Misholin wipers. Get them today on Amazon Prime. Michelin Wipers. So there's this feeling that interim coaches are trouble. Don't hire interim coaches.

So I thought this morning, I thought of a few that worked and I thought, all right, so what would I do if I was the Raiders? As I've said often on this show, I try to put myself in the position of a GM. Well, they don't have a GM. So I put myself in the position of Mark Davis. There's three things that Rich has done. Rich Basaccio. This was not your typical interim job.

a coach got fired because of racist emails. Henry Ruggs killed a person off the team immediately, your vertical threat. They cut their first round cornerback. It was a lot of chaos in a really good division. So he stabilized chaos, not just not losing. A lot of times the interim coach comes in because you're losing. Chaos stabilized it immediately. Not only won games, won overtime and close games, often on the road against teams.

like the Colts, like really impressive situational football. And number three is, Derek Carr and Max Crosby, they love him. And that's the foundation of the franchise. I think I'd give him the job. Here's the thing about interim coaches. You'll hear the media say this. They're bad hires. Well, I'm going to give you some interim coaches that were successful.

You've heard of all these guys. Marty Schottnheimer in Cleveland. Marv Levy got to four Super Bowls in Buffalo, Art Shell, Jason Garrett, won three division titles, Don Coriel, Jeff Fisher. Those guys winning percentages are all better than Bill Parcells. Now, here's some interim coaches that did not work. It just did for whatever reason. Usually they didn't have a quarterback.

Mike Singledary, Dick LeBoe, Romeo Cronnell, Tom Cable was another one. It just didn't work. And there's some guys that were like, it wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. Jerry Glanville, Mike Tice, 500 in Minnesota. Wayne Fonce, by the way. Wayne Fons got more crap because of the way it ended. He coached 120 games for the Lions.

You want half. Wayne Fons was pretty successful, more successful than the average coach. There is no, you know what all these numbers are? The same numbers as every other coordinator that gets a job. Some are going to be hits, some are going to be whiffs, and some are going to be okay. And when I looked this morning, you had more whiffs than great, but there was some great, and there were some average, and you did have more whiffs. but you also have more whiffs on all coaching hires.

McVeigh is an outlier. Tom Coughlin from Boston College, did anybody think he would get Jacksonville stabilized and then beat Belichick twice in Super Bowls? He wouldn't have without the right quarterback. So the bottom line is Rich Basatia has a quarterback. So he's going to win a bunch of games. If the players like him, he stabilized it, he won close,

that will give him a much greater chance. to be a winning coach. They really have nice weapons. I don't even think all their drafts were bad with Mayok. They just butcher the first round picks and some of the second because Gruden, there's a lot of stories out there, a lot of belief that Gruden was sort of usurping Mayok's power and saying draft this guy like Alex Leatherwood, it was never a first round pick and did not have a good year. So my guess is today, I'd probably give him the job.

Thomas Dimitrofts, a general manager was on our show yesterday. He backed him. Rich Posacha is a really good football coach. She's earned his time to step into that spot. And you can't just find someone that's going to react as well as, you know, as he does as a coach to all the players and the players react to him. He has something special about him. If they truly believe they can secure that, you know, just that guy who has everything

as the offensive coordinator, then you pair those guys. And I think it's really important. Look, the Raiders have a lot going in their favor. They do. It's an offensive league. They've got a star quarterback, a star wide receiver, a star tied end. They got banged up at wide receiver. They got some other guys I like.

They have a really good B to B plus running back. And I mean, the division's tough, but they got to the playoffs this year. Denver still has a new owner coming. Denver doesn't have a quarterback. The Chargers haven't shown their ability to win close games over the last five or six, seven, ten, twelve years. So everybody's playing for the wild card with Andy Reed and Mahobes. but I think today I'd probably hire Rich Basatia. I probably would.

By the way, another thing to think about, Mark Davis is not one of the richer owners. He still may have to pay Gruden a lot and Harbaugh's not cheap. So this may come down to a way I'd rather overpay for coordinators and get a reasonable deal on rich. That's a way to do it as well. So Greg Kosell is 10 minutes away. NFL films, you gamble on football, you play fantasy football, you love it. Nobody, this year more than any year I've had Greg CoSell, he's been great on these segments. He really dissect us and tells us stuff.

I'm interested to see, I think the Bengals could get overwhelmed by the Thero Line and the Titans defensive front. I have a feeling that could get a little ugly if Tennessee gets a lead and burrows under duress. But we'll have Greg CoSell next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it.

Yep, that's me. 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 Clifford 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 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. 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast Guaranteed Human