The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 – Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Michael Irvin

Episode Date: December 22, 2023

In this hour of The Herd, after exceeding 2023's expectations, Colin reflects on the brilliance of the Rams' Sean McVay as a scout, talent developer and game-planning coach. Plus, when considering the Los Angeles Dodgers' new pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, along with acquiring Shohei Ohtani—the Dodgers have inked one-billion dollars in deals. Teams spending money and going after multiple high-profile players is not bad for baseball. Colin notes historical instances of MLB teams spending a ton of cash on players. Also, comparing and contrasting the mortal flaws of the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. Finally, Michael Irvin from "Undisputed" stops by to chat about the toughness and size of Buffalo's Josh Allen, the Rams over-delivering (and the emergence of Puka Nacua), and how uneven the Dallas Cowboys play at home vs. on the road. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 IHard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Heard at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Friday, and there is so much to celebrate. Okay, mostly in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. One hour from now, we're on a four-week heater with Blazing Five. Love our picks as we head into a varied and wild, tumultuous,

NFL football weekend Jay Mack I got to tell you something I honestly think we're very very lucky I watch a lot of football you watch a lot of football but we all all across this country we watch

the team in our hometown more we hear about it more we read about it more I think McVeigh is on a short list of the best coach in American pro sports football NBA baseball I think he's amazing you're watching this. It certainly is interesting that the Rams show out on Thursday night football. McVeigh's

amazing and the other team that shares that building, Colin, they don't have a coach. Yeah, the coach matters. The Rams should not be this good. Let's just state it right here. They should not be this good. Their special teams, poor. Their defense kids. The secondary is prone to getting beat over the top all the time. What you're watching is one of the great coaches in American pro sports in a remarkable talent at quarterback. Dennis Allen, Ron Rivera, Back-to-back weeks just got worked. You know when you go to the airport during the holidays, if you have TSA pre-check and you get there two hours early,

it gives you the best chance to succeed. Doesn't mean it won't be hell on earth. When you have McVeigh and Stafford, Stafford's healthy, McVeigh's cooking, they hide a lot of flaws. And the Rams have them. Special teams are scary. Secondary, watch out. But they make a lot of stuff work.

I love Pooka Nakua. Everybody does. But 96 catches, this impounder. You think he's doing this with the commanders or the bears? Give me a break. DeMarcus Robinson. Guy was a bounce around the league-wide receiver. Three teams, four years.

He's had touchdowns in four straight games. Fifth round running back. Kiron Williams. Fifth rounder, Notre Dame, he was good. He's a better pro than he was in college. He's second in the NFL in rushing. He's ahead at Christian McCaffrey in rushing. Cooper Cups even a third-round pick.

I mean, it is. I'm not saying it's smoking mirrors. These guys are talented. But McVeigh is getting the most out of everybody. Stafford's an elite all-time talent. There's no question. He throws as pretty a ball as we've had in a decade. And when he's upright and has time,

eyeed arm, sidearm, arm angles, deep balls. The guy's a wizard. But I mean, Derek Carr has Chris Lave, who's tremendous. He's got 15 fewer catches, I believe, than Puka, and he's not nearly as impactful. Alvin Camaro with Sean Payton was unbelievable. Five-time Pro Bowler. He was irrelevant last night.

They rarely do the Saints even use motion in offense. They're near the bottom of the league. They line up and here's the play. The Rams offense, second in the league in motion, jumbo sets. They're constantly putting your defense. Saints have a good defense. Defensive coach, constantly in conflict. And what was Dennis Allen doing before half?

Pin the Rams deep. You'd had a good half. Don't hand the Rams the ball because you fail on a fourth down, give them full timeouts to march down the field and lay by 10 at half at SoFi. Game over. What are you doing? Pin the Rams deep. You played a great half.

You're on the road. Come out. Give yourself a shot. Coach buried it. But I mean, ask yourself this. How many teams, and I'm going to use the word love, how many teams in pro football, love their head coach and love their quarterback? Three.

Rams, Chiefs, Ravens, that is it. Cincinnati, you guys wanted to fire Zach Taylor before Joe Burrow arrived. Buffalo, three weeks ago you wanted Sean McDermott out. Dallas, nobody trusts McCarthy. Philadelphia? Nick Seriani's not the same

without Shane Steichen. Look at these teams all around the league. Jaguars, you have some misgivings about Trevor Lawrence. Rams, Chiefs, Ravens. This Ram team should not be this good. They don't have a single elite defensive player in their prime. Aaron Donald

still excellent, but he's out of his prime. Even their wide receivers. Fifth round, Puka. Third round, Cooper. Tide in, fourth round, Tyler Higby. Running back, fifth round. Left tackle, undrafted. Who has a left tackle that's

undrafted? The great ones are all first round, second round guys. So this is really remarkable coaching. McVeigh, and Stafford, it is a masterclass. And I'm not saying the Rams don't have talent. I like their offensive pieces. But you could put Guyron Williams with a lot of teams

and Puka Nakua with a lot of teams. He wouldn't be 96 catch guy. Puka's going to go over 100 catches. And last night, he was a centerpiece in the second half. And then bounce around the league guy to Marcus Robinson. The receiver was a centerpiece in the first half. What's going on here? What's going on is unbelievable culture and energy.

mixed with a shrewd GM who works very well and collaborates with his coach and Matt Stafford is something else. Here's Sean after. We sure make it interesting, don't we? God, dang. But I love the resilience of this group. They just continue to show up. I thought there was a lot of really good stuff throughout the course of this game. Matthew Stafford was outstanding. Kiron Williams did a great job.

I thought the Marcus Robinson and Puka were big time from the very beginning. And then we gave up some stuff at the end that we got to clean up. And there's a lot of things that we can certainly improve upon special teams. But love this group, really proud of them. And it's going to make for a good Christmas. So, Merry Christmas to you guys. I'm out of here. There's a reason they make it close.

They're flawed. They got holes. This is a rebuild year. There's a reason they dominate teams. And at the end, you're like, why is this Commander game close? Why is this Saints game close? It's close because they've got holes on the roster. fixable with one more free agency.

They've got some cap space and another strong draft. But it is fun to watch football when it's brilliantly coached and smartly quarterbacked. And that's what the Rams are. I don't know if you heard the news last night. Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers. 12 years, 25-year-old star from Japan, 300 million plus. When I worked at ESPN, the other place, the Red Sox and Yankees controlled what they called the Hot Stove League.

It was hot for two teams. It was celebrated. It was never a problem. Crystal for everyone. Now suddenly the Dodgers have the two top prizes. Bad for baseball. Nonsense. What's bad for baseball is the raise in the World Series,

or Otani going to Canada or state. in Anaheim. It's not bad for tennis that Serena dominated it like nobody else for 17 years. It got its biggest ratings. Or the tiger dominated golf for 15. He left, so did the ratings.

The Dodgers are now must-see TV, and the sports never been even. How many World Series titles do the Rockies Mariners have? How many do the Yankees have? The Braves are always well-run. Detroit never is in recent memory. The sport's not even. There's no salary cap. This is now

Oceans 11. Pitt and Andy Garcia and Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts and Matt Damon and Don Chedell and Julia Roberts. It's one of my favorite movies. How unfair though, it's got all the stars. Yes, all playing roles. There's no guarantee the Dodgers even win a single World Series. Baseball's quirky. The season lasts forever. Arm angles, pitchers all of a sudden. Walker Bueller. just disappeared this year.

It happens. You're always on pins and needles at the end of a season and in spring trading. Will the arms stay healthy? The Dodgers last year moved off some stars in 100 games. Even with these two additive superstars, it's 104, that's their

over-under. There's no guarantees this is going to win and dominate baseball. If you could get a couple World Series over 7, 8 years, the Dodgers probably be pretty happy. It's a different sport. It's not quarterback led or NBA superstar led. It's a collaborative vehicle

that needs the right manager, the right analytics. You've got to have three, four, and five guys with some power and pop, but not be owned and burdened and literally only able to score with home runs like the Yankees. You need athletes, old and young, a bullpen and a setup

guy. But this idea that it's bad for baseball is absolute nonsense. It was celebrated when the Yankees and Red Sox because of the Yes Network and Nesson were way ahead of the sport. They just bought whoever they wanted to. Listen, I know you can watch conservative news outlets and think nobody likes California, but our economy is number one by a mile.

The Dodgers outdraw even the second best draw in baseball by 10,000 fans, and trust me, I've had a few beers there. Those are more expensive too. But it's worth it. Our weather's Mediterranean. It's a great organization. and they reward the fans and defer the payments. It's not bad for baseball.

Tampa and the World Series is. Otani and Canada is. It's must-see television. It's MJ's Bulls potentially, but not assuredly. Because baseball's never worked that way, and it's why it's quirky and weird and fun and different, and the season's too long, and the games can be plotting and too slow.

But this is great for baseball, a villain for everybody. outside of Los Angeles County. Sports needs them. The Dodgers are feeding them, and I can't wait. All right. J. Mack, I know

today felt like L.A. Radio, but it is fun. I will say this. Well-coached football is fun to watch. Cowboys Dolphins this weekend could be very well-coached football. I've got thoughts on that on the other side. Remember yesterday all this sharp

big professional gamblers were driving that line down a Rams Saints. Remember that? We were like, we didn't understand it. What are we seeing? Rams were up 30 to 7 last night. That was a beatdown, Colin. They were definitely the better side. But you know, it's funny, as much as I like the Rams,

I know how the season's going to end. They're going to outplay somebody in the playoffs, miss a field goal and get burned deep with 48 seconds to go. McVeigh's laughing. We make them close. They make them close because they're not Philadelphia last year or Kansas City last year. They're not that kind of team.

They've got holes. They've got youth. They can't get kicking right. Another punt blocked, miss field goals. They're a totally flawed team, but I can appreciate brilliant, efficient, management, coaching, ownership, and quarterbacking. Yeah. Rams Lions would be a hell of a playoffs game. Oh, it'd be a great story.

Where did Matt Stafford plays like its entire career. Goff sent packing by the Rams. Yes, yes. That would be on Fox and that would be great. And that's a high-scoring game in the dome. Yeah. I'm not ruling out the Rams winning that. I think it's a close one for short, like a last possession.

wins? Yeah, it wouldn't be a lot of defense. I think the Rams can play it. Rams can play it in spurts, but Detroit's a fast track, and Detroit plays fast at home. In between Gibbs and Leporta and Amarron St. Brown, and now the emerging young receiver Williams, Rams would give up some bombs. Yeah, that might be the best wildcard game.

Can we just make it happen, speak it into existence? I'd love to see it. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook, new users, use the code herd. That's me, ATRD, when you download the app, and that takes under two minutes. Here's my parley pick of the week via Draft King's Sportsbook, and we had a very good week last week. I'm going to take the Jaguars plus one getting points at the bucks. Tampa Bay has been a good story. Jacksonville's a better team. I get a quarterback edge off an ugly loss.

Cowboys plus one and a half at the Dolphins. Miami struggled with physical teams. Dallas didn't look like it against Buffalo. They'll be ready to be physical. And I'll take the Broncos at home minus six and a half again off an ugly disappointing loss. They'll circle the wagons and beat a Patriots team that is pretty lifeless. If you want to take the herd parlay, check out Draft King's sportsbook. Sign up quick, new users. Use the code herd when you download the app, H-E-R-D. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction.

Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler in New York. Call 877-8 Hope and 1. wire text Hope and Y 467369. See show notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the eye heart. Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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, 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. Well, I just get to sit and watch football on Sunday. The late Fox game is a Dallas off an ugly loss at Miami. And I've had my doubts about Miami all season long. I don't expect much from them in the playoffs, although this is the year to do well in the AFC. Mahomes is down, borough's gone, Baltimore's falling apart.

but Miami, the dolphins are a perfect representation of Miami. They're fun, they're exciting, they're flashy, and a little fake. Dallas is different. They can be physical. I've seen it. They can overwhelm you physically. I've seen it. They have a suffocating defense.

I've seen it time and time again. But what the hell was that against Buffalo? What was that? The difference between Miami and Dallas is Dallas has multiple elements that soon. Super Bowl winning teams have had. A veteran offensive coach, not a kid genius. A Pro Bowl quarterback having his best year. A star game-changing wide receiver.

An elite, elite pass rush and pass rusher. And an excellent O line. Top three, according to PFF, the Dolphs, is at best a work in progress. Plus, they've had seven blowout wins. That is customary for the last decade for Super Bowl champs. Dallas has a lot of things I like. Miami is a lot of fake tough guy, fake Gucci bag. But the Cowboys have a real Gucci bag, and they actually are tough.

And they're not a $40,000 millionaire. They're actually a millionaire. Like there's a lot of elements to Miami that I think are inauthentic and fake. With Dallas, I've seen them physically push around good teams. Even the coach, Mike McDaniel, Twitter loves him. hipsters adore him Mike McCarthy's got a Super Bowl he doesn't have a Twitter account

he's boring Miami's easier to like they're fun they're new they're flashy it's too it's Mike McDaniel he's awesome he's a hipster you see his viral stuff McCarthy he could lose a few pounds and he's boring

it doesn't land the same I mean it really doesn't like he's the most boring coach that's a good coach in the league even Belichick is grumpy but kind of bizarrely privately fascinating. Why is he so bad now? Why was he so good then? So I see Dallas blowing him out.

I think Dallas is going to blow him out. I think they're going to push him around. I think two is going to get sacks seven to eight times. I think he's going to be running for his life, passes batted down. I'm here to tell you right now, I think Dallas is going to go in there and control the football game beginning to end. And Tyreek, he'll have some, you know, he'll do some somersaults in the end zone. a big player too. Duran Bland will bite on an out.

It'll be an out and up. It'll be a chair. It'll be a touchdown and everybody will celebrate. But the crowd will be 75% cowboys. And one team doesn't have to have a fake Gucci bag. They've got a real one. Sometimes they lose it, but they got a real one. And I like Dallas big.

Big being 10 points, 12 points, comfortably, in control. Two are running for his life, getting sacked. Dak, time to throw. Bradley Chubb overwhelmed by Tyron Smith. Interior offensive line, creating big holes for Tony Pollard. Dak with time to throw, Tua, none. That's how I see it. Jay Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Wow. I thought your Aaron Rogers take was the hottest take you had this week. That was spicy. You think the Cowboys smash them? I think, listen, score aside.

double-digit win. It will look, you will watch that game. It's not going to be Buffalo, Dallas. You're going to watch that game and go, O2 is under constant duress. It's possible. And Dax got nothing but time. Quick note, Zach Martin hasn't practiced this week, either as Tyron Smith, the guy you just mentioned. So two starters potentially down against that defensive line. Dirk has all day to throw. Okay. I have a feeling we'll revisit this a little later in the show, perhaps. Let's start with the Eagles, reeling three straight losses.

Jalen Hertz had those weird comments after the game about commitment yesterday. He doubled down on his comments but started to shoulder some of the load on himself. All of that starts with me. And that's something that I own. You know, that's something that I take responsibility in and I've never shot away from. And so I embraced that challenge. You know what I'm saying? I embraced that challenge placed upon myself and my teammates.

It's just a situation where we are, you know, where this is something that we're going through. That's what we're stuck in. You know, it's beauty and all of this. You know, it's beauty and all of it. And I embrace every ounce of it. Yeah, Philadelphia is going to win. 13 and a half. That's for a division game.

That is an insane line. Especially for a team that's lost three in a row. But I love the Eagles in this spot. This feels like 30 to 9 or something insane. We've talked about concern level for the Eagles. If Dallas wins that game against Miami. Oh, they're winning that game. They're still firmly in control. Like, the Eagles do not want to have to go on the road in the first round.

They need that division win. I don't know. Something about Hertz, like hat all low, speaking kind of slowly. I wonder, is there something brewing in that locker room, you think? Three straight law. There's a team that had a lot of success. Yon, they're angry and should be because they outplayed Seattle. Philadelphia's mad.

They had that game one and gave it. up. I think Philadelphia is going to come out and put a whoopin on the Giants. I think Philadelphia is good. They're going to finish 13 and 4. They're going to have this mid-seat late-season blip because they played the Cowboys and the Niners and all these tough games. I think they're resolute. I think they're focused. I think they're ticked off. I think they're a little embarrassed how they lost in Seattle. I think they're embarrassed about that. Yeah, a lot of finger pointing. Bradbury got lit up, that people going after Siriani, Brian Johnson, Jaylon Hurts. Well, a lot of finger pointing outside of the organization.

There's no finger pointing in. Seriani said it's all on me. We don't know that. It's weird that Siriani and the quarterback are like, hey, it's on me, it's on me. Because maybe they know and some of the guys are starting to worry. Like, it's just the first adversity this team's had in, I mean, what, over a year and a half, right? Well, yeah.

Since I got AJ Brown, it's been a honeymoon. They've been dominating everyone. And now it's like, ooh, not going great. I love them. I like the six years and the Eagles. I'm going to start doing afternoon drive in Philadelphia. I just talk Sixers and Eagles and people will love me and I'll have a parade. I am pro Philadelphia everything.

I even like the Phillies. What's happened to me? Well, Bryce Harper is fun. Well, that he makes a big difference, yeah. Joel and beat, huh? Okay. Afternoon drive on 96.5. That's the new me.

Okay. When I retire from this someday. Let's get to the MVP leader, Brock Purdy. Your guy, Brock Purdy. You love him. Oh, my goodness. He's being called a system quarterback by a bunch of people. I don't think you've said that, but other people have.

Well, you know, Kyle Hamilton, the really talented young safety on the Ravens, he's saying, uh-uh, that guy's no system quarterback. I mean, the word around the league is he's a system quarterback, and I just think that's not true, just from why I've seen. He's making every throw that you can make as a quarterback. It's on time, on target. Makes good decisions. He's mobile, and he's got a great cast around him at the same time. But, I mean, yeah, he's really good. And props to him for his. He's a pretty cool story, what he's done now, and he's an MVP race. So it's going to be a good challenge, but I'm excited to do it. I didn't say it was a system quarterback, which, by the way, everybody is somewhat of a system quarterback.

I don't think he's a game manager. I think he's good. But I do think he's good. He's good player. Good. Good. Have you looked at that Niners injury report, by the way? A little banged up.

Armstead did not practice. Hardgrave. Hardgrave did not practice. Those are the two big dudes in the- Baltimore will run the ball with those injuries. When this practice report comes out later today, if those two guys are still not practicing all week, probably won't play.

I think this will dip down to four. Will we see a three and a half? I don't know. Blazing five is including this game. I often avoid the big trap games, the TV emotional games. I stay away from those. I concentrate on the Saints and the Titans.

But this week, I am going right after this one. So last week, Ravens go down to Jacksonville. then back up to Baltimore now across the country to San Francisco. Not ideal late in the season. They're called planes. It's okay. I understand, but that's a lot of travel for December holiday time.

You know, you got stuff to do with the wife. I'm, I'm in my late 50s. I'm flying today. I'll ski tomorrow. It's okay. They're called planes.

I'm not Lewis and Clark here. I'm not scaling down. Baltimore's fine. They're traveling by first class planes and eating roast beef sandwiches and having frescas. They're okay. They're eating roast beef? They're eating this. Believe me.

Lewis and Clark. Are those your favorite expedition guys? Always have been top of my list. I'm a Vasco da Gama. I liked him. I sold some of his stock late. A little quirky for me. Couldn't depend on him.

Like DiAngelo Russell in the playoffs, couldn't depend on them. Speaking of Russell, got lost too often and is he explored. Let's get to the Lakers. DeAngelo Russell last night played a lot of minutes. More than Austin Reeves. Darvin and getting questions. Lakers lose to the T-W wolves. T-Wolves are good.

T-Wolds are very good. They're very good. They're records awesome. Lakers need a wing. I don't know, Lakers have some problems, man. And after the loss, Anthony Davis is a little ticked off. LeBron did not play. We know what we can be.

We've shown what we can be. And we've shown that we don't do the things we need to do to be successful. Then we're going to continue to be on this side of our record, which is losing. So it's going to be a season. There's going to be ups. They're going to be downs. You know, right now we're in that down period. You just got to continue to fight, continue to play, play hard, play with some efforts and energy.

And, you know, we're treating Saturday as a must win. Anthony Davis is doing just fine. They need wing help, better wing defenders, they need to be a little more athletic on the wing. This league, this West, Denver's young, Minnesota's young, Sacramento's young, Portland's young. There's a lot. The West is getting young very fast. The Lakers tend to be a tad old. I think they need a little more hop, a little more.

Twitch on the wing. So they play on Saturday that game you was referencing OKC. Oh, I'll be one. Now that's, there's another super young talented team. And then they play the Celtics on Christmas Day. They're going to lose that one. So they might lose two more here and then you start to wonder what

is going to? Remember last year? Didn't the Celtics and Lakers play last Christmas? Is that me? It's possible. And I was sitting there and I barely would I remember what I had to dinner last week. No, I remember that game. That was a wasn't it last year? That was a Lakers Celtic game I watched on a Saturday night, it was great.

I know we've hyped Victor Wenimah a lot, but I'm just telling you, Chet Holmgren is the real deal. No, he's good. This guy looks awesome. Really good. And OKC's good. And the Lakers, they got some problems, Colin. Currently, they'd be in the playing.

And if they lose two more, we're looking at, oh, boy, here we go. Very curious what Darwin Ham does, because you know the front office. You're going to have to do something. There's no chance they miss the playoffs. Because they're a LeBron two-week injury away from being like 12th. in the West. This is not ideal for the Lakers. J-MAC with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. By the way, the bills get a bit of a breather. They face Easton's stick and the Chargers. This is interesting. Josh Allen, so yesterday,

I said some sort of premonition, this is the best Buffalo team I've seen. They're not nearly as dependent on Josh Allen. They feel like a Super Bowl team to me. I worry that Baltimore is falling apart physically. I really worry about it. And Kansas City's issues are not going away.

Josh Allen leads the NFL with 37 touchdowns. If he scores three more on Saturday against the Chargers, he'll become the first in NFL history to have 40 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. That guy is so good. Mahomes, like Joe Montana or Tom Brady, is a great talent, but has the necessary elements to be highly productive in February. The perfect coach, the great owner, cash-heavy franchise, stability.

But as a singular force, there is one Josh Allen in the league, as a singular force. 6-6-2-40 hyper-athletic can jump over linebackers. Every tool in the tool belt is A-plus. And size matters. Despite massive, violent collisions, he's rarely even dinged up. Think about this. Josh Allen is already second all-time in quarterback rushing touchdowns. For God's sakes, it's year six.

He's 35% through his career. He's not only going to win that. he's going to blow, I think, Cam Newton out of the water. This is not a knock on Mahomes, who is the most productive and currently the best quarterback in the league, but he's got an A-plus owner, an A-plus GM, an A-plus coach, the best tied end ever, and for a while the best receiver in football and Tyree Kill. In a highly dysfunctional division with the Raiders, we don't know who their coach is next year, the Chargers, Ditto, and Denver, they'll figure it out good, not green.

great. Josh Allen, year six, now with a dependable run game, to me, this is officially the scariest team in the AFC. I've been on Baltimore all year, but we have to be honest. They lost Mitchell, the running back. Ronnie Stanley left tackle, now rarely healthy.

Their top tight ends gone for the year. They're becoming a little Lamar dependent. This Buffalo team, Very interesting. Like him a lot. Michael Irvin's going to be around the corner for us. We don't get Michael often, but it's a big cowboy weekend, and we need to discuss it.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport, and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories.

You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio 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 says,

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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite

athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space.

For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-taped 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 kill? 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 you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Got a lot of stars. It's a lot of stars out here. But I love it, man.

And happy holidays to everybody. You are slim down. You look fantastic. Listen, I went through something this all season. The fatter jump off you when you worry in that much, too. Trust me. Trust me. All fat gets out of here with that kind of worry.

But, no, I'm good, man. I'm good. And I'm just having a great time this year. Okay, so we love having you. So I think I didn't sell my buffalo stock or my cowboy stock. I do think occasionally, if you go up to a buffalo with Josh Allen. It's a little wet and rainy. You're feeling yourself.

And that thing goes sideways. Even your cowboy teams, you would go on the road sometimes and you know two series in Michael is over. Well, you don't buy into two series is over. But too serious, you'd be like, we are in the football. This is going to

be something. We got to try to figure this one out. You know it's going to be that kind of game. And it's going to take everything you got to pull up out of it. And I saw that with Dallas. You know, first of all, you go down, they stop Buffalo

and you get the Demarchus Lawrence Fagg, right? So you Buffalo now instead of three, that's seven points. You get another opportunity. Then you come back. So you hold at the three. Then you hit Brandon Cooks. You were up seven, three. That was wide open touchdown.

And then you blocked the punt. I don't know how that plot thing happened. How you jumped over the punt that was being put. Missed that. That would have been 14-3. That kind of swing right there in that game means everything. Everything.

Any chance you had at winning that game, you had to do it right in the genesis of that game. You had to withstand that what I called the monsoon of fans who thinks that if they beat the Cowboys today, that somehow make up for the rings I got in my trophy room right now. It does not. I still got them rings, but they came out anyway and played hard. Yeah, they did. I'll get back to that in a second. Matthew, I want to talk about Matthew Stafford McVeigh.

It's a flawed team. They don't have an elite defender in their prime. Pook is a fifth rounder. Right. Kyrin Williams, a fifth rounder. Higby a fourth rounder. But when I watch them play, the motion on the offense, the sets. Michael, they are humming, and sometimes it's belief.

I think when I watch the Rams, I think that offense believes you're not stopping us. They are risk-taking. They are run it. I see a confidence building. I think they're a flawed team. Can they win multiple playoff games?

And this is the question. And a lot of teams are flawed. And we're finding this out. And what I have been saying here for the last few weeks is you can have your flaws, but you better be able the score points.

Offense is what matters. And the Rams have some offense. Yeah, they're scoring. I don't know if they can beat everybody on a run to a Super Bowl, but they can beat anybody that's trying to run to a Super Bowl.

That's a great point. Anybody that's trying to run to a Super Bowl. And here's the kicker. What you were just talking about, fourth round, fifth round. Guys that don't supposed to be here right now. And they're They're playing with House Money as a team. As a team as House Money because you're not supposed to be here.

I think they predicted them before and something. Five win team. Five win team this year. And look at them now. And then you got these young players who don't even know they don't supposed to be doing what they're doing. They don't know what they don't know. What do you make of Puka now? Like you, he is a big physical kid.

Big smart, smart player, plays hard, make plays. It was one ball that he made, one play he made last night was insane. He uses his body as leverage. Right. And somebody was talking about that when we were watching the game. And they said, well, he pushed, you know. No, no, no, no. Those are locators.

You know, whenever I put my hand on a person, I wasn't necessarily pushing him. I was just locating him. I just want to locate way here. They call a locator. You need them locator. Just locate where they are. You got it's moving a little bit and get the ball.

He's great at that. And these are young quarterbacks really playing wide receiver. Him and Cooper Cup. And then that mastermind, Sean McVeyhu, who is a mastermind. Yeah. You know, it makes it a dangerous. Right. All the motion movement.

So your eye gay gets caught over here, and it's just amazing what the guys, what they're doing. It's amazing what these young coaches are doing. So it's interesting. People are bailing on Philadelphia, and I've said this about the Eagles. When you have to have your defense on the field for 90 snaps in multiple weeks, because their offense is uneven, it's really an offensive problem. We're all saying defense is the problem, but we know their defense isn't great. But the problem is their defense is on the field for 90 snaps.

It's Buffalo. It's Kansas City. It's Dallas. Even Seattle, they outplayed them. End of the game. Their defense is like, we're on the field too much. I think they solve a lot of their issues with a more even offense. I think they should go back to what they are.

Heavy Jalen hurts. Run ball. That's what I think they are. But he's not as healthy, and you can see it in his gates. Like I tell you, when he's running, when he's coming up on guys, he's coming up, you can see he's not the same Jalen hurts right now. And I think what we're looking at it in, oh, he loses another game. because I think we should be kind of throwing some praise on this dude because he felt it's like I can't leave my dudes out here

no matter how hurt I am he's not he hasn't missed the game he still pops back in there and plays hard for his team but you can see they're struggling right now and that happens let me tell some each year we won a Super Bowl each one of those years we had like a two-game losing street we would always lose one game and I was I'm saying this not going to happen again we don't fix it we got it We got it. And you'll lose another one. And then you tell Spain, like, what the, what is going on? You get where Philly is right now, where the coach feels like I have to come out and say, put it all on me.

Because he sees that his offense, he sees that his quarterback is taking too much on him. It was smarter him to come on and say, no, put it on me. Let's pivot back to the Cowboys. I like them against Miami for a couple of reasons. I think Tyron Smith is healthy. It will mitigate Bradley Chubb, and it will give Dak a lot of time. I thought in Buffalo, he didn't have the time. They couldn't run the ball. Then he gets behind.

Dak trailing isn't Dak leading. I think he'll lead. They'll be comfortable. I also think they were humiliated physically. They're embarrassed by it. And they'll establish physicality early. But it is interesting, Michael, that they're almost a college team. They're great at home and collapse on the road.

were you ever on a team in college or pro that maybe wasn't mature enough Road is often maturity Road is a veteran staff sometimes you know the Cowboys are a glamour franchise Tuesday Wednesday you don't quite put the time in you're all the show and I look at Dallas and I think it's not a lack of talent

but they're very uneven home in a way is it youth is it lack of maturity what is it? Well first of all because we run we run off with this and the Cowboys with three and four on the road right now. It went in the last week. I think it was three and three and three and four.

Just speaking if you wanted to. And we'll stay 16 to make it even. That's 8 and 8. If you can go for it, four on the road and have the record you have at home, you're having 12 and 12 and 4 seasons.

Everybody in the world will sign up for that. You see what I mean? It'll sign up for that. So So this is very, very, very careful waters that they have to tread. Because you absolutely need to make sure you prove into yourself that you can win games on the road. And this is your last great opportunity. And you have to prove it to yourself because you're going to be playing playoff games on the road. If things don't fall out absolutely perfect, and it'll take a miracle almost for you to fall out where you're having it at home.

You know, even though I must admit, last. night they gave you a little hope with the way that rams played that maybe you could have that possibility if philly falls off and then the rams go take care of some business after the baltimore take care of business you there's a little possibility in there but they have to get their mindset ready to go on the road and this is a great opportunity to put all of this stuff shoulders up behind them and say we beat a good team on the road and beating Miami that's why is a huge game. It's the Fox game, late game.

Let's talk Miami. We got a minute to a minute and a half left. I like them, but I do think I can't see them going to Baltimore, too cold weather, to Buffalo. It's just ingrained in me Miami to even Marino's teams. There is something about cold weather, toughness, physicality. Maybe that's part of the Cowboys problem 25 years. Do you buy Miami? I do.

I buy explosiveness like that at any turn anywhere. I'm not the dummy like everybody else in the world who keeps saying that defenses wins championships those are dummy talking this dummy talk it's offense I can't take it it's points

and you get that on offense mostly now turnover defense I call it that you can Dallas has that that's a difference you got to turn that ball over so I can go get points right you know so yeah you can

You can put up points. They can put up points. Miami's a dangerous team because of that, right there, and there will always be in. And that's why this is dangerous for Dallas. They got to get in there, all that men running with this team, with all that speed they have, and all these crossing routes that this master will design, this master designer will design, it's going to be tough for Dallas. That's why they got outscore.

I said earlier, it would be 41. 38 and I need that and those guys to just light it up finally a minute left it's the holidays now are you uh do you do you buy a lot of gifts for the fam no and that's why i was so happy man i we were almost crying up there when when luan gave us gifts today i buy all the gifts i don't go shopping for all the gifts i don't get any gifts i tell people don't worry about buying me a gift with my money just Say happy Merry Christmas. Just say Merry Christmas. Because they'll say, I got this gift.

Can you send me $10,000? I want to get you a gift. I don't need it. Don't worry. I don't need it. Well, it's great having you here. Happy holidays to you. And you've been such a great addition to the network and that show.

We've been trying to, for years, we've been talking about getting Michael Irvin over here, and we absolutely love having you. And I love being here, Colin, man. And you know, I love you, man. And come on and talk with you guys anytime. And this makes it great. It really is just great to be here. All right.

Get up, go. Get on your plane. We know you're always rushing. You stay here for us on Fridays. We know you've got a plane to catch and we appreciate it. I'm good with you both. All right. Blazing five.

Feel good about it on a heater. You can walk in front of the camera. You're Michael Irvin. You're not a number three possession receiver. It's a good walk. It ain't a bad walk. It ain't a house. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the 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 what I'm saying. 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 unfilled 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.

On The Look Back at it podcast For 1979, that was a big moment for me 84 was big to me I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode we pick a year unpack what went down And try to make sense of how we survived it

With our friends, fellow comedians And favorite authors Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s 84 was a wild year I don't think there's a more important year For black people Listen to Look Back at it On the IHeart Radio app

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.