The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Westbrook, OBJ, Newton

Episode Date: November 11, 2021

Russell Westbrook is great in games that don't matterThe list of teams who are going after Odell Beckham Jr.The Panthers are going back to Cam NewtonGuest: Albert Breer Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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and trying to make sense of what happens this week. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy went to the Lakers game last night. It was probably the most entertaining, the best, most well-played Laker game last night. They were great hitting threes all night long. It was an exciting game. It's always fun to be at a game that goes to overtime.

Yeah. And, like, tension. and, you know, I'm excited for the Lakers fans. It was nice. There was a lot to learn from last night, so it was a good night and lots of fun. Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans. Happy Veterans Day throughout America. Thanks so much again for joining us.

You know, Westbrook last night played pretty well, right? And I know what you're saying. Colin, I told you so. No, no. We told you so. We told you on a Wednesday night in November, minutes, passion, production, hustle,

Westbrook's amazing. Westbrook is a lot of things. Just not somebody I want with the ball, fourth quarter, big playoff game, 2.30 left. Need a bucket. Need good judgment. Need a three.

Eh, no good. Very few players are all things. Steph Curry, LeBron and his prime, they're all things. You know, it's funny in football, we understand. There are sides, offense and defense, special teams. There are units, offensive line, line backing unit. There are positions, wide receiver running back. In basketball, it's like, ah, you know, we're just all out here hooping. No, it's kind of like football.

Andre Drummond, there'll be no three-pointers from you. Russell Westbrook, give me passion and give me minutes. I don't want you handling the ball when LeBron's on the floor. Basketball's got a lot of that, too. All of our lives are like that. You got your fun friend, your party friend, your Vegas friend, your friend, you trust if you have to go to the doctor, and you're a little woozy, you want to drive home, there's your wisdom friend, there's, I just broke up, I need some empathy, I need some love friend. We all got different spaces in people. And with Westbrook, I'm not anti-Westbrook.

I'm just anti-Westbrook in crisis, fourth quarter, playoffs in June. I needed three or a great judgment. I'm not anti-Westbrook. I actually was pro-Westbrook to the Lakers. In fact, last night's a classic example. I went over and looked at the minutes this morning. Well, you had Carmelo Anthony, you had him playing 38 minutes. You had Anthony Davis playing 45 minutes.

You had Malik Monk playing 35. Avery Bradley playing 40 minutes. You don't win that game without Westbrook last night. Last night was the great example why you brought Westbrook in. 80s brittle, the bench is old, LeBron gets hurt more. We need Westbrook. And you do not win that game without Westbrook. Here's the thing.

I would love to have a convertible sports car, not in winner. Some things I love, some things I like. I don't need them all the time. I can't use them all the time. And I think even the people who love Westbrook, who play with Westbrook, who recruited Westbrook, because he played well last night. Anthony Davis is a great example. Listen to this.

He loves him. He plays with him. He talks to him. He practices with him. But he knows what he is. One thing about Russ, he has no conscience. You know, you can miss 20 in a row. He's going to shoot the night.

next one. Two big time shops. He's fearless, relentless. And then also, you know, his ability to see the floor. You know, we had a conversation about what he wants to see from us so we can help him cut down the turnovers. I'll say that. And he had eight, but, but, you know, at least it wasn't a, what he had, triple double or quadruple doubles. Yeah, I think, like, everybody knows it.

He's relentless and it has a lot of turnover. You kind of close your eyes, cross your fingers in big spots. You know, when you stop trying to convince people to think like you in politics and sports, you're a lot less miserable. I used to with Westbrook try to convince you what he was.

And then the data and the games proved what he was. I'm no longer in the trying to convince you, Westbrook is what he was. This is it. You see it. And Wednesday night, in November, at home, LeBron hurt, I need 38 minutes from Carmelo off the bench.

You do not win that game without Westbrook. I think seating in the West this year will be more important. I don't think LeBron's in his prime where he can go on the road and just dominate the series, turn it on and play 44 a night. It's a minute. I think home court advantage is going to matter against the team like Golden State, if you're the Lakers. I think home court advantage doesn't matter against the Denver Nuckets going up into that altitude.

I think you want to play more games at home than on the road. I think home court advantage going to mad at against the Dallas Mavericks. So yes, it's not a told you so. We told you so. This is what Westbrook was. This is why he's in Los Angeles. Last night is exactly why. But when LeBron comes back, he won't be taking those shots.

He won't be getting those minutes. He won't have the ball in crisis or shooting big threes. All right. So I want to shift gears to this. So O'Dell Beckham, apparently like eight teams have made. offers that've gone out and said, we like him. And it's interesting because there was no NFL on Tuesday. And there was no NFL last night.

The game tonight could be a blowout. So this midweek, there's not a lot to talk about. So OBJ is actually for us, kind of a fascinating topic. But you do all understand all eight teams vying for him. And I think Green Bay is the most interesting. I think New England, New Orleans make the most sense. You all understand he's no longer one-handed catch O'Dell. Happiness is about expectations.

Just lower your expectations. He is brittle. He kind of freelances on routes. He got a case of the drops in Cleveland. And as I was told by an executive and a scout, both who faced him earlier this year, you can put single coverage on him. You can put single coverage on it. Saints, New England, he absolutely fills a void.

But he is not a number one receiver in the NFL. He is, unless you may talk New England. He's not a number one receiver on all the good teams in the NFL. I don't think he's a two receiver on most of the good teams in the NFL. So just lower expectations, understand what you're getting. He is a five target. three catch, can you get a couple of big plays out of him if you're the Patriots and you do almost everything else well? That'd be great. And they have no deep threat. New Orleans can it be an over

the top, a couple reverses, get him nine looks used as a decoy for a team that's got a really mediocre wide receiving court. That works. Now, I think Green Bay is fascinating, mostly because they've gotten really noisy this year. They've got a dominant one. I think Matt Lefleur is clever. Ron Rogers mostly makes all receivers kind of work if he trusts them. Like Randall Cobb feels shot. But he had a great game already. He'll end up with about 45 catches this year. That's fine for a guy that's kind of a four to a five receiver on most teams.

But this is about expectations. People are getting all worked up about this. Here's what Fox Bet Sportsbook has as the current favorites. Green Bay number one, Chief Sings. Saints to Seahawks, Patriots, Ravens, any other number seven. Now, it is interesting. I will say this. In free agency, it's a lot like recruiting in college.

There is some gamesmanship. I was just talking to Reggie Bush about this yesterday. I said, why did you choose USC? He said, I didn't have USC on my list initially. He played high school football in San Diego. He goes, I didn't have them in my top five. And USC Pete Carroll brought him up with a receiver named Renee Caldwell. only two of them came up for the recruiting weekend.

USC made it a big recruiting weekend. He goes, I left that place and I was like, wow, that's where I'm going. They made it a special Reggie Bush recruiting weekend. So New England right now is doing a little gamesmanship. You know how with the Patriots nothing ever gets out? Players don't talk. Coaches don't talk. Belichick doesn't talk.

What's interesting about New England now, you're seeing a lot of people talking about Odell Beckham and it's getting on to social media. Is that New England? stuff gets out only when they want it out. New England letting OBJ know, man, everybody's talking about you at practice. We can't wait to have Odell Beckham.

I think New England really wants him and is putting on a little gamesmanship. Albert Breer suggested that this morning on the interweb. We're going to have him on in 15 minutes. I think there's a little gamesmanship. I think New England wants him. I really do think he fills a need. He checks a box, which they don't have anybody over the top.

He'd be what Nelson Aguilar cannot be. Oh. We got a little story developing. I don't know how big it is, but it's a story. Joy Taylor's got it. Fresh off, three hours of sleep, and a Laker performance last night. Joy Taylor's coming around the corner.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

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I'm going to continue to take shots downfield. And it's interesting about this because as the media fawns over flashy offenses, coaches adjust to flashy offenses. boring has worked for a long time in this league. It's just not that interesting to talk about or write about. The number one seat in the AFC today is not Kansas City. It's boring Tennessee. New England dominated the sport for 20 years on efficiency and intelligence.

The last four years with Drew Brees, the Saints could not throw the ball down the field. They went 49 and 15 and won four straight division titles. Yet the greatest show on turf lasted three years. They won a Super Bowl, they lost a Super Bowl, they made another playoff, and it disappeared. Remember those Viking teams? Randy Moss, Jake Reed, Chris Carter, Dante Culpepper, 15 and 1, 10 and 6, 11, and 5. And then they dried up. There are things that last in this league, and as the media fauns, the teams adjust.

Steelers in the 70s defense, eight straight playoffs, four Super Bowls. Ray Lewis's Ravens, six or seven years, the playoffs. But Sean McVeigh, about five, six years ago, came into this league. And everybody was like, whoo, the media was fawning. And then Belichick gave the league a blueprint. And the following year, they didn't make the playoffs. And Kansas City, everybody, who, and now everybody's playing two high safeties against them, no freebies over the top, and guess what?

It don't look very good. The NFL over the last 20 years has been dominated by boring. Eli, Peyton, and Brady have 11 of the 20 Super Bowls. Peyton 2, Eli 2, Brady 7. Not running around. They're not flashy. They're all good at the line of scrimmage, good enough arms, cerebral guys, great in the two-minute drill, usually available in big spots.

Flashy's fun. It gets fond over. But the NFL, flashy does not last very long and the league adjust to it. The key is, do you have a counterpunch? It looks like Stafford is the counterpunch to people solving McVeigh, a quarterback that can go downfield more. Remember, Dan Marino was flashy, no Super Bowls. Aaron Rogers, last 10 years, Prima Holmes, flashy won Super Bowl. Eli 2, Peyton 2, Brady 7.

I think Kansas City you'll figure it out, and we can talk about throwing the ball down the field. But right now, they have no running game. Like no running game. I said this about Mahomes. He can win games throwing 48 times a game. He is best preserved throwing it 32 times a game. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Breaking news. This is where America comes for breaking news. Absolutely. We are, I mean, it's like Cronkite us. I mean, this is where you go. Well, the Panthers have announced that they have agreed to terms with Cam Newton. Boom! He is back in Carolina. Never say never. Never burn bridges. You never know. Matt Rule has said that Sam Darnold's fractured shoulder recovery time is likely four to six weeks. So they were in a desperate situation at the quarterback position. They have PJ Walker and Matt Barkley on the roster.

And Walker had been announced previously as the starter. But Cam Newton is obviously an upgrade over those two. Well, and also the seventh playoff spot in the NFC, we've talked about this. It is wide open. Oh, yeah, they're still in it. I wouldn't count Philadelphia out. They lost last weekend. I looked at him.

I thought, can they win eight games? If you go in eight games, go eight and nine, you'll probably be the seventh seed in the NFC. They're still in it, and their defense is good. They are allowing the seventh fewest points per game and allowing the second fewest, or allowing the second fewest yards per game. So if you can get this together, they could potentially go on a run. They are absolutely not out of the playoffs. Now, they play the Cardinals this weekend.

Kyla Murray is still an unknown there, but they're 10.5 point dogs to the Cardinals, according to Fox Betts. You know, can I say he's done two things. Cam's done two things. And this, it sounds superficial. But imaging matters. Yeah. So when Cam was without work, remember he was sitting out there without work,

he would release videos of him just like dripping sweat working out. New England says, Belichick appreciates that. We'll take you. Cam Newton on the market. I am going to get vaccinated. Say what you want. But considering the situation we just had with an unvaccinated quarterback in the last five, six days, what's the imaging? Don't kid yourself on this.

Two times, Cam has made a point of listening and going. I've never been a huge Cam fan. But the workout videos, I said it when it happened. I said, that's exactly what you do. Russell Wilson does this all the time. It's imaging. I am here in Arizona. I know it.

It matters. It sends a message to teams. And I think Cam getting the vaccination, not to be political. But what it told me was, hey, I'm sorry. serious. I'll do whatever it takes. I may have been reticent, but I'm getting it. I want to play. And I think, Carolina, listen. He wanted to put out there that he was going to be available if someone wanted to pick him up. And if he wasn't vaccinated right now, he probably wouldn't be there because it would take too long for him to process through the protocols to be available to play.

And because of the situation we just had where people are like, oh, I don't want one of those things. Right. Well, look, it's not political because both parties are very openly telling you to get vaccinated. So it's not a political situation. It's just an opinion situation and nothing more. But if you look at the rest of their schedule, obviously they have the Cardinals this weekend. Interestingly enough, they play the Washington football team next week. So up against Ron Rivera, the Washington football team.

Then they play the Dolphins, the Falcons, Bills, Bucks, Saints, and then the Bucks again. So it's a little bit of a tall task towards the end of the season, but they're absolutely still in it. And like I said, their defense is playing really well. So Cam Noon, back in Carolina. I would have not guessed that. I would not have guessed it either. Great example, like you said.

Don't burn bridges. No. You never know. You never know when you're going to be in a situation to go back somewhere. And why? Why would they burn bridges anyway? Why would he burn bridges anyway? They're like sometimes things just come to an end.

So the Ravens and Dolphins play tonight. And two amiss last week's game against the Texans with a fractured finger and his status for tonight with the Ravens is still up in the air. He's listed as questionable. And we'll be a game time decision. If he can't go, Jacoby Brissette will be the starter. However, Tua will still be active and he will serve as the backup. Jacoby Brissette has a, he started four games this season.

He is one and three, 64.4 completion percentage, five touchdowns, four interceptions, also has 64 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. By the way, if he misses tonight, in the 26 games he's been a dolphin, he would miss 11. Yeah. You got to be there. I think this is, look, they're not going to rush him back, obviously. If he's healthy, if he's not healthy, he's not going to be out there. And that's just, it is what it is.

It does feel like at this point in the season, every game that he is out, it's closing the door on whatever potential he had to go. Now, look, there's lots of games left. We're only having to the season. But he's not healthy. So every game that he's missing is a game of evaluation or a game he could prove himself. This is also, it's confirmation. bias for the people in the NFL and perhaps in the dolphin organization that didn't like him

due to injuries, they're going, I told you so. Like it's one of those things when there's a narrative and then it becomes reality, even if it's briefly, it gives people a lot of weight to go, yeah, I told you so. Well, I don't know, I don't know that it is a narrative. Like there was evidence that he, I mean, he was injured. He was coming off of a catastrophic injury in college. And now we do live, despite what many people think, in a time of great medical advancement, and you can come back from catastrophic injuries. We see players do that. However, when you're building an organization and you haven't had a franchise quarterback since Stan Marino, perhaps maybe you want to go with a player that doesn't have that hanging over them. That was my big hesitation amongst other things,

but my main hesitation with Tua was injuries, because being available, availability is a skill. And some guys are just injury prone, and it's not their fault. But there's excuses and there's reasons. If you're not available, you cannot perform. And at that position, you can't build a team around that. That's why Kyle Shanahan and the Niners are in the situation that they're in, which we'll discuss later. So the Nets have said they are willing to be patience with Kyrie Irving, but with no change in the New York City vaccine mandates in sites, they could be facing an entire season without him. So there's been some talks that the Nets should trade Kyrie.

but there have not been any takers up until this point. And one NBA executive told Hoops Hype for the most part, every front office and coaching staff is scared to death of him and doesn't want to touch him. Honestly, it might have been four teams before this, his refusal to get vaccinated. He's a guy that front offices don't trust and coaches don't want to deal with him. That's a bad combo. They're still paying him for away games, the Nets are. So he could make around 19 million this year.

He loses around $380,000 per home. game that he is out. So he's missed 18 games last season and the Nets went 12 and 6 in those games. He also missed three playoff games. I don't know what to make of the Kyrie situation anymore. It does seem like we've just closed the door on discussing it because if he's not going to get vaccinated or not thinking about getting vaccinated, there's really no point in having the Kyrie discussion. But the Nets would like to figure out a way to either move on from him and bring in other players or decide what they're going to do moving forward. Yeah, I mean, the Nets, had a double whammy.

Kyrie is not dependable, and the league changed a rule so James Hardin is no longer the same player. And Golden State's now great. Right. So it's really bad. Who really loses here is KD. Yeah. Because Golden State now has rebuilt very quickly.

And if you, I watched them again last night, Golden State's really good and really fast and really fun and really athletic and really deep. And Hardin is not the same player because of the rule change. and Kyrie you can't depend on. So I thought this would take longer to sort of unravel, but it's unraveled quickly. And I feel bad for Katie because I've said this. Katie is the greatest, arguably the greatest outside of maybe Kareem in his prime.

Like even better than MJ, I need a basket and there's no way to defend him. He can get you a three. Yeah, he's unstoppable. He can get you a free throw. He can get, he is as good as the league has. I just don't like his decision making on where he goes. Well, I mean, obviously the golden store. state decision worked out really well for him.

Initially, yes. I don't even, I didn't even have a problem with him going to the Nets. If he was unhappy there for whatever reason, whatever it was going on between Draymond and him or the organization, you know, he had earned the right at that point to go somewhere where he wanted to play and for whatever reasons he wanted to go there for. The situation with Kyrie, look, whatever my opinion on, it doesn't matter. He's clearly willing to give up money and clearly willing to sit at home and not play. But if you're another team, why would why on earth would I be trading for that? Oh God, no, I have no interest in him or Simmons.

I mean, he's just not reliable as a player. And they're expensive. So I get, again, I get expensive, completely unreliable. Sort of indifferent to playing. Yeah, like it's not the, and listen, like it doesn't have to be your priority. But then teams can also choose to make the decision to not make you. You're not my priority. Yeah, you're not my priority if basketball isn't your priority.

I mean, you can't just can't build around a player like that. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Senior NFL content guy from Monday morning quarterback friend of our show brought to you by Mercedes. Ben's the best or not in Albert Breer. All right, let's just talk about OBJ.

I thought it was, we mentioned this earlier. You had suggested this that New England, nothing gets out of New England unless New England wants it out. And suddenly out of Patriot land, it's like, boy, OBJ is the talk of practice around here. It does feel like it's a strategy. Does it not? Yeah, I don't think those things happened by mistake. I've been around that team for quite a long time. And I just, you know, normally, Colin, you know, you would hear Bill in a situation like this, you know, having called, like calling a player up to the front of the room and saying, you know, this is exactly what we're not looking for is for you to be talking about guys who aren't in this room.

And so I don't know if there was any directive, like go up there at the podium and field all questions about Odell Beckham Jr. but it wouldn't surprise me at all if there was a green light. If there was a, hey, listen, you know, if they ask you about it, don't be afraid to tell everybody what you think of them. Don't be afraid to tell people what's going on in the locker room. I think it's clearly, you know, a recruiting tool, you know, and it should be in a case like this where, you know, I think Bill is using the other guys in his locker room to kind of let Odell Beckham know that he's wanted.

Yeah. So, hey, give me the update on Aaron Rogers. I actually think the Packers match up great. against Seattle's primary weakness, which is their best safety doesn't cover well in space, and their corners are weak. I think Aaron Rogers wins this weekend. It's a perfect matchup for him. Any inside stuff, Scuttlebut you're hearing about the whole he talked again.

Semi-apology. Anything going on there now? Yeah, I think it's, I mean, it's basically been dealt with in the Packers building, and I think they're moving forward. And this is an important one, I think, you know, when you talk about where it's going after this year, too. you know, the Packers actually had some room to throw them under the bus if they wanted to. If you look at it, you know, all the unvaccinated players other than Rogers had been going to do their media interviews over Zoom, you know.

And so the Packers could very easily say to the league, hey, look, like, you know, we've been telling everybody to do these things over Zoom and follow the rules and Aaron just didn't follow them. The indications I've gotten, Packers did have his back on that. I think that could help them after the year. And as for what's going on right now, I think this is something they've known. Everybody in the building knew over the last three months what was going on. So this isn't come as a surprise to them.

I think the guys who've been around for long enough knew that if this ever got out, that it would be a big deal. And so, you know, they're just managing it the way, the best way that they can, given the circumstances, I fully expect them to start on Sunday. I talked to a coach there, you know, earlier this week who said, if there's anybody who can get out there without a week of practice and play at a high level, it's Aaron Rogers. And they've had him in the meetings.

He's been zoomed in to all the quarterback meetings. and the offensive game plan meetings and all the rest of it. So he's preparing to play on Sunday. I'd expect him to start against Seattle. Again, unless something comes up with the COVID protocol or there's some physical reason, he can't go. You know, listen, there's an old saying in business, can you see around corners? And the smartest executives can see problems before they exist. And Mike Tomlin came out yesterday, and he's like, listen, we need to clean the game up.

But the taunting thing is driving people nuts. There's the tipping point where, you know, the bear linebacker bumps butt with the ref. going nuts. So you tell me, why does the NFL care so much about taunting? It was actually driven by the coaches, believe it or not. The guys who are on the coaches subcommittee, the Madden committee, you know, guys like Ron Rivera and John Harbaugh, who I think really felt like the fighting got out of control last year. And there are a number of different examples of it. The Giants and Rams had a fight. The Saints and Bucks. The Saints and Bears had a fight. And really, like, the feeling when the coaches look back at it was that a lot of the mean mugging that goes on and

the finger pointing that was going on, because the celebration penalties had been relaxed, like that sort of, you know, that going in a, like, I guess, quote unquote, not fun direction where it was actually sort of mean-spirited was sparking a lot of these confrontations on the field where, you know, you saw a benches clearing last year. And so the coaches really felt like that needed to be taken care of. And that because the celebration penalty had opened the door for some of, or the celebration rules had opened the door for some of this that, you know, like the, that they needed to reign back on the, on the piece of it that was actually, like, directed at people out of there

the field. So that piece of it, I think, you know, there's a lot of support, more support than you would think from coaches on that piece of it. That said, I do know a point of frustration with both players and coaches to this point. You know, and I felt this way, too, Colin, coming into the year, that this was going to be, like, a two or a three-week story, you know, like where it takes a little while sometimes. when a new rule goes in or a rule's emphasis goes in for players and coaches to figure out where the line is. And then it gets to be October and they figured they figured it out.

And now everybody's going forward and it's fine. This happened in November. You know what I mean? Like what happened on Monday night? It's November. And so like I think that's some of the, that that's where the frustration lies right now as far as players and coaches go. It's not with the rule itself. It's that like the referees still haven't been able to give them a clear idea of where the line is. So we, Joey and I just talked about this is, um, In 25 NFL games, two has missed 10. If he misses tonight, it's 26 games, 11 misses. He has also been injured in two other games and had to leave.

And he was also benched twice in the fourth quarter. So to me, if you're still grasping onto the two is going to be the franchise guy, you're mostly trying to be right, not get it right. Like, there's momentum here and it's all bad. We were, on this show, we were big fans of what Arizona did. Arizona's like coach quarterback. Hey, this is a good class. We're going to get one.

We suggested last year on this show. We're not backseat drivers. I would go draft one of these quarterbacks. You have the number three spot. Don't move out of it. What is the future? Because I look at Miami's quarterback space right now, Albert. I would rather have Tyrod Taylor than what they have because I think he can win now.

And he also would be a great mentor for the next kid. So I think their situation's better. I'm not so sure with Cam, Carolina is not in a better space. I think Miami you could argue as the worst quarterback space in the league. It's certainly in a class of about six teams. What is their plan? I think there's important to start where you started, right?

And there's a veteran NFL executive who's been in these draft rooms for a long time who actually told me they had a saying in their draft room, broke, stay broke. And it's kind of a crass way of saying like injured players stay injured. Like if you see a guy who keeps getting injured in college, chances are coming to the NFL where the opponents are bigger and faster than they are in college isn't going to fix that problem. So top of everything else with Tua where, you know, physically he just looks small.

He doesn't look as instinctive or doesn't play as fast as he did at Alabama. There's the injury issue that you're dealing with too that is manifested going from college to the pros. And I think the important piece of this here is the job security of Brian Flores and Chris Greer, the head coach and general manager. And not this year, but next year, right? So I think Stephen Ross is of a mind because they won 10 games a year ago to give Flores and Greer a mulligan on this year. But then going into next year into 2022, which is going to be year four for them, like you look at the guys they traded out of that building.

Minka Fitzpatrick, one of the best safeties in the league and still young. Laramie Tunsell may be the best left tackle on the league and still young. And what they've gotten back, there's going to be a lot of pressure on those guys in 2022. And the question then becomes for Chris Greer and Brian, Brian Flores, do you want to hitch your job security to Tuo Tugavaloa as a guy who can pull you out of the ditch and makeups for some of the personnel mistakes that you've made? And I think the answer is going to be no. And I think we saw that answer before the trade deadline with the effort to go and get to Sean Watson.

I'd expect them to be in the veteran quarterback market in 2022. And that means being in on Watson again, perhaps being in on Aaron Rogers, and maybe being in on Russell Wilson as well. Okay, this is not sourced. This is my opinion. Is that Brian Flores, I think, is a very good coach. And when he can't get the quarterback right, that rebuild, which had momentum, is done. Nick Saban, by the way, went 4 and 12 to 9 and 7.

And he couldn't get the quarterback he wanted. Year 2 stunk, and he left. Remember that was the Dante, Joey Harrington? Yeah. All right. So everybody in this league know, it's never been more quarterback. quarterback driven. If you can't get it right, and I think Brian Flores is a good coach, and I think Saban would have been a great NFL coach. Matt Rule's got an impatient owner.

After a year, like Brian Flores, we're like, whoa, this thing is working a couple weeks ago. Darnold Hurt. Now they're bringing Cam. The backup's not really a franchise guy. And Matt Ruhl is a great college coach. I'm just throwing it out. We've seen this. It would not shock me if Matt Ruhl If they don't like any of the quarterbacks, I'm just throwing it out there. I had somebody a month throw out the name Matt Rule, not Urban Meyer. I was told by something, Urban's not coming back to college. I keep your eye on Matt Rule.

And I do not have this source. But when I watch the mess that is Carolina quarterback, I don't know. I mean, this owner, this is Steve Ballmer. He got rid of Doc River. He's not waiting around on a young coach. what do you just make of Matt Rule, the Carolina situation, darn old Cam, and the whole thing. I agree with you, Colin, that there are going to be college programs

that are going to make them say no. I would not be surprised at all. If USC, LSU, and we know there are big college programs, maybe Florida comes open, there are to be big college programs that are going to say, we will hand you a blank check. You tell us the number. Come here and coach for us because of what he accomplished at both Temple and Baylor. that said, every indication that I've gotten is that Matt Rule had his eyes on the NFL from the beginning

and that he viewed himself as an NFL coach from the beginning. And even when he was at Baylor, he told his players, like, I'm going to coach here. I'm going to coach the hell out of you guys. And I'm going to do the best job I can here. But when the NFL opportunity comes along, I'm probably gone. And so I don't think he's quite the same as Nick Saban was, you know, in Miami, just because I do think he's always viewed himself as an NFL. coach and I think he wants to see this through. The other thing is they've got a lot of good players in that building now. Yeah. And I know it's been clouded by the quarterback situation, but if you go down the list and look at like the Brian Burns and the J.C. horns and the Shaq Thompson's and the Derek Browns and the DJ Moors and I know McCaffrey's been hurt, but him too, like they're not that far off.

Yeah. So if I'm that rule and, you know, his new general manager there, Scott Fitter, I sort of look at it and say, if we make a big swing on a Watson or a Wilson in the offseason, we might be right there. Because remember at the beginning of this year, when Darnell was playing okay, they were three and O. So the quarterback situation clouded everything. But I think Matt Rule is going to get those sorts of offers from the college game.

I think it's going to take a lot to get him out of there. I think he views himself as an NFL coach. See, I threw it out there. I'm projecting and you shut the door on me. But I do believe you were right on something, though, Albert. If Matt Rule was available, I think he would be USC, Florida, and LSU's number one choice. I absolutely do. He would be mine. He is, you can say what you want about Jake.

I mean, he is, I mean, Colin, isn't he Urban Meyer at Yacht? When he was at Baylor, like he's Urban Meyer at Utah, right? Yes, yes. That's what he is. No, I in. So, but you, I think your points are very well taken. So big swing on Deshaun. And by the way, I was told yesterday again, keep your eye on Russell Wilson and see him. Seattle. I was told that by somebody I trust. Yep. All right, Albert Breer, that's why we bring him on. I throw out craziness and he shuts the door.

That's exactly why we bring Albert Breer on. Great stuff, buddy. All right, thanks, Colin. You bet. It's just something to throw out there. Everybody was buying into Urban. I said, Urban's not leaving. But when the same person goes, you know, Matt rules, Matt Rule's interesting. Okay, interesting means his agent would take a call. and I think he's the absolute slam dunk at all these college programs. By the way, Urban's not. USC's not going to hire Urban and Urban doesn't love L.A. Matt Rule would be number one on every college board.

And if he's not, fire your AD. Well, also, if you're Matt Rule, why not let your agent take that call? Maybe just remind Carolina that I have some value. That's a very good point. You know, I've got some offers out here. You and I'm in the taking calls business. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd 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. 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 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 a is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do 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 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so.

Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important, you know, 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, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the 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 or 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. Keep you. gains 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. This Veterans Day, we are making camo our cause and support of the Honor U.S. vets campaign and the belief that our veterans deserve to live with dignity and independence not on the streets. You can do the same by wearing camo and posting with hashtag honor U.S. vets. For more information on how you can help U.S. vets and veteran homelessness,

visit usvets.org. Good stuff. Michael Irvin, the playmaker for the Dallas Cowboys, was on local Bay Area, that being the San Francisco Bay Area Radio, and he was talking about something that now appears to be inevitable. Justin Fields is playing. Mack Jones is playing.

Well, Trevor Lue. Lawrence is playing. Everybody's plan. Zach Wilson was playing hurt. He will play again. Everybody's plan except Trey Lance. And here's Michael Irvin's take. I don't care how the rest of it goes or how the rest of it,

how you want to play the rest of it out, the rest of it, whatever we said, however it will fall off, must involve Traylands getting reps. You can say that no matter what. Right now, I don't care what. what the game, how it's going, where it is, what stage where he is,

we're going to get him some reps. Now, that's a statement I think they should be making. And that's the direction I think they should be going in. Barron on. Listen, one San Francisco lost at home, routed at home, divisional rival to Colt McCoy, I'd say get Trey Lance some snaps. Now, they are on Monday night football,

and you want to give your best football. forward if you're Kyle Shanahan, who's getting whacked, the last thing you want to do, throw a rookie out there and just get humiliated by Matt Stafford and the Rams off, by the way, a humiliating loss. So they're going to start Garapolo, and they're an underdog, and they're going to

lose. And so what's going to happen when the Rams beat him? Well, the division is going to have 9-1 Arizona because they'll beat Carolina. That's pretty assured. The Rams will be 8 and 2, and when the Seahawks lose to the Packers, may, not necessarily,

when the Niners lose to the Rams, they're both three and six, and it's over. And I think it's time to then punt on Jimmy Garoppolo. I thought Jimmy Garoppolo was the play if you were winning. But if you lose on Monday night, you're three and six in your O and four in division. It's time to get the kid 500 reps before next season. The good news is it buys Kyle Shanahan some time. Last thing you want to do is bringing another offensive guy, another coordinator. Kyle Shanahan's the play caller.

it gives him a year or two with Trey Lance. But they're already, they found a star. They found a gem in the sixth round with Elijah Mishelot running back. Okay, a couple of years ago, they found Debo Samuel at wide receiver. So got your star back. Got your star receiver. Let's figure out and see if we have a star quarterback. We always knew Trey Lance was going to be a little behind everybody.

I hadn't. And we also knew that Garapolo was better than like an Andy Dalton, right? The Jets didn't really have a choice. did the Jaguars. You know, we kind of thought Garapolo. My takeaway was play him for eight if he's healthy and you trust Tray Lance, then trade him, get a fourth round pick for Garoppolo and play Tray Lance. I don't know if Tray Lance is ready or not.

But the truth is, if you lose on Monday Night Football, it's time to get the kid reps. I don't think it's overly complicated. Jimmy mattered when he was winning. Jimmy was the play when they were winning. Another factor, Kyle Shanahan didn't trust Garoppolo. Watch the games. It looked like Arizona had more trust in Colt McCoy from play calling than the Niners did in Jimmy Garoppolo. It's time to move on.

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 acapella band with their between, between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way

with your favorite therapist and host Care Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a son? to the armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHare radio

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

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