The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 – Blazin’ 5, Albert Breer

Episode Date: December 22, 2023

In this hour of The Herd, it's another edition of Colin's Blazin' 5. Later, Albert Breer of The MMQB joins the show to discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers' incompetence on offense (and what it could mean for head coach Mike Tomlin next season), a possibly tumultuous offseason for the Chicago Bears, and might the New England Patriots trade head coach Bill Belichick? Finally, Colin gives his 10 best players between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

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Four blazing fives in a row, winning weeks. Four in one last week. Feel good about the picks this week. It is not according to the wise guys. Sharps, a great week to pick games. You have to use that laser focus radar to

see what others can't. Very Aaron Rogers like. I am seeing what others are not. I just don't need the darkness retreat. It's been an interesting week. So Aaron Rogers admits what we all knew. That was part of the week. The Cowboys get blown out. We're looking ahead of the Cowboys rebounding, Raven

San Francisco. Last night, the Rams put on a master class. The Dodgers signed the second big prize in Major League baseball. And I got a text from somebody last night, and I said, listen, you watch some of these channels and you listen to these talk show hosts, and you would think California is falling into the sea. Our economy is the biggest in the country by far. L.A. has got like 28 sports stars. Justin Herbert's like the 25th most popular. New York's got two and one's hurt. Aaron, Judge Aaron Rogers. The reality is this thing, when it comes down to money, Dodgers draw

a 10,000 more people per game than any other franchise. And by the way, once you get into the Dodger Stadium, which is a Taj Mahal, it's gorgeous, beer prices, food price, no discounts. This is a massive revenue monster that is unrivaled in sports. They're deferring payments. They're the Yankees of 20 years ago when the Yankees had the Yes network. And nobody whined and complained about that stuff when the Yankees bought all the best players. This is the reality. California's economy has exploded with tech.

There's more money. They charge more, and the Dodgers are brilliantly run and highly strategic. But the taxes are so high, Colin. Well, you know, stuff costs money. You got to deal with stuff. Some stuff. It's not great. So what? Taxes are high. Let's get to the picks. Come on.

Taxes are too high. Let's hear these winners, Cowherd. All right, here we go, Blazing Five. That's a hot one. Let's blaze it up. Fire it up. It's Collins. Blazing Five. Seahogs and Titans.

I'm going to take the Titans plus three. Seattle on a short week, an emotional game. They're overvalued because they were outplayed. Let's be honest about it. They've lost five straight road games. Their last road win for the Seahawks came against the Giants, October 2nd. They've scored more than 20 points in one of their last five games. That game last week was fun.

But I'm talking about a Titans defense that shut down Miami, Ryan Tanna Hill or Will Levis may play. The number one red zone defense in the league is Tennessee. They make you kick field goals. Seattle on a short week, defensive coach, could be a backup quarterback. This is one of my faves. Titans win it. I'll take the points.

Mike Brable's a great underdog coach, 27, 24, Tennessee. Cardinals at Bears. You know, I like the Bears initially. I'm going to take Arizona plus four and a half. As J. Mack talked about yesterday, the numbers are interesting. The Cardinals this season, once they got Kyler Murray, all the offensive numbers, yards per play, yards per game. Everything's ticking up substantially. This is now a top five red zone offense with Kyler Murray.

The Bears have the worst red zone defense in the league. And three times this year, this is like NFL history. The Bears have led by 10 or more in the fourth and collapsed. So even when the Bears out play you, they can't hold on to it. I'm not giving up four and a half to a very dynamic offense against the Bears defense that collapses late. I'm going to take the upset Cardinals win, maybe get outplayed, but cover and win late, 2423. Cowboys at Dolphins. Dallas plus one and a half.

I like Dallas. They're nine and five against the spread. They're going to reinforce their physicality. Miami's O line is weak. Dallas pass rush is excellent. The Cowboys following a loss. this year have been sensational. 35 to 12

is their average win after a loss. Their O lines number three, according to PFF, they should control the line of scrimmage. And let's be honest, the Miami Dolphins have lost seven straight games to teams with winning records.

Show me the money. Beat somebody that's good. Dallas has ticked off defensive line. If Tyron Smith plays, Bradley Chubb's not getting pressure on DAC. 3127. I think Dallas will establish itself. Miami scores garbage touchdowns late. Take the Cowboys to win the game. Jaguars at Buccaneers. I'm going to take the Bucks and Baker minus three. CJ Bethard probably starts. Now, Jacksonville's reeling with Trevor Lawrence.

They're a bit of a mess right now. But here's the thing. The story this game's Tampa. They're an emotional team because they're quarterbacks and emotional player. But Baker's last three he's on fire. ATD's one pick, pass a rating of 108. They do not turn the ball over. Baker can be hot and cold, but they're bottom five in the league and giving the ball away. They're also seven and one at home as a favorite. This is a team that's a bit of a front runner. All right? They're a bit of a front runner. Baker as a player's always been better with the lead and feeling himself, but they are feeling themselves. And I think Tampa covers the spread. I'll take him to win 28 to 20. Ravens at 49ers. Niners are going to win, but I'm taking the points at five and a half. Harbaugh is a great underdog coach. Lamar is unbeatable against the NFC and the Niners are banged up. Listen, right now Baltimore's got six wins against teams with winning records.

They're really good in this spot, especially when you doubt them. Their defense this year is first or second in virtually everything. Yeah, the Niners are 13 and won their last 14 home games, but they've got cluster injuries on the defensive front. That is the area. You do not want cluster injuries against the Baltimore Ravens. My guess is San Francisco is going to win the Super Bowl. This is a weird week.

Baltimore feels completely disrespected. The Niners are beloved by everybody, especially J. Mack. Niners win, but that's just too many points to give John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson, the best defense in the league, in a big prove-it-yourself game. take the points. 2824, San Francisco wins. So, my picks, in review,

I am taking a very good Titans underdog team and coach, Cardinals as a dog, cowboys as a dog, Ravens as a dog. I've got some dogs barking. I do like the bucks as a favorite. J-Mack is rolling his eyes of these pig. Well, it's more of concern for you, my friend.

Don't love the picks this week. I'll just put it there. Take a look at the Titans Injure Report. They got like seven starters likely out this week. I know it's a good spot for them against Seattle. Baker Mayfield laying a field goal. I don't care if it's C.J. Bethard or whoever. That's risky, man.

And you know I don't like Dallas at all. You know, poor. This could be a brutal Christmas week. Tell Ann to cancel Christmas. This is a rough one for you. Ann and I agreed we are not buying each other presents this year. I like that. Yeah, it's the new, we'd given each other a very nice months leading up to Christmas.

We were busy, and so we said no Christmas presents for us. Just eggnog and football and skiing. We'll just see how it plays out. We'll just see how it plays. Okay. You know, she said that. You got to have something ready, right? You can't just roll up with nothing.

I got nothing. Not even like some leather gloves or anything? I got some worker gloves. A stocking stuffers, maybe? Okay. So I will say this. I don't want to oversell the Rams win because I think it's a flawed team of the great coach and quarterback. But I'll just throw this out to you.

Are the Rams the 2008 Arizona Cardinals? Kurt Warner, Matt Stafford, great veteran quarterbacks. That Rams team was 9 and 7 in the regular season. This Rams team is 8 and 7. You had a star quarterback, Stafford, Warner. He had a star receiver, Cooper Cup, Larry Fitzgerald. and you had an emerging star receiver, Anquan Bold and Puka Nakua as a number two.

And the Arizona Cardinals just snuck up on people like the Rams are doing. And if you go back to that year in the NFC, it wasn't very good. They beat Philadelphia in the NFC championship. Donovan McNabb was the quarterback. It wasn't a great Philadelphia team. Another team that year that was good, Carolina with Jake Delome, 12 and 4. The other team that was really good,

Atlanta with rookie Matt Ryan. Look around right now. Jared Gough, Brock Purdy, Philadelphia is reeling. You don't trust Dallas. Matt Ryan, Jake Delome, McNabb. Kind of feels the same to me. This season, if you look at the NFC, you got Mr. Irrelevance, one quarterback,

Dak, who's hot and cold, home and away, Baker Mayfield, who's the Vikings quarterback. I'm just saying, you start looking at what the Rams have. They have an A-plus head coach. an A plus quarterback, an A to an A plus number one receiver. The best offensive rookie arguably in years at wide receiver. A running back playing in an A plus level. The offensive line, middle of the pack, but it is improved if you've watched the Rams dramatically in the last six weeks.

That overtime loss to Baltimore was an eye-opener. I thought this was a bit of a fraud. They outplayed Baltimore. They went toe-to-toe at Baltimore. I saw Seattle go to Baltimore and get shaled. I saw Detroit go to Baltimore and get shelled. I watched the Rams go to Baltimore and mostly outplay the Ravens. It was an eye-opener.

And this Puka Nakua story, as Sean McBay said after the game, this kid is unbelievable. He's outstanding. I mean, I couldn't be more grateful for the contributions. He would get my vote. And, you know, he's really special, but the best part about him is he doesn't worry about those things. He worries about, you know, just being a great teammate,

continuing to improve his game and sure love this team. and he's one of those guys that you really love. Due to injuries and due to odd stories like Brock Purdy, the NFC, is it more wide open than we think? Now, maybe the Niners go out and knock Baltimore around, and we just say, it's the Niners by a mile, nobody's close. But it's going to be an interesting weekend. And the Rams have some interesting elements.

In an offensive league, they are working. They are manipulating games. not good enough to put people away early, good enough to win and struggle late. But there's some magic there. I have a great parley for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code heard. That's me, H-E-R-D when you download the app, and that takes under two minutes. Here's my parley pick of the week via Draft King 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 heard 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 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope N-Y 467-369. See Show Notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's super. 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 what 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 a little Kim?

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

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Albert Vera is joining us live. We got all sorts of stuff. Albert told me during the break, we had 10 or 11 potential coaching change. which is about 30% higher than usual. And we average about 6 to 7. It's a rambunctious year. So I want to get to that in a second.

But my first question is a team that I still like a lot, but they feel like fatigue too many long snap games for the defense, Philadelphia. What are your sources saying what's happening inside that organization? Jalen and Siriani sort of coded messaging here. What are you hearing? Yeah. Yeah, well, I mean, I think you look at Jalen what he said after the game, that loss, obviously a heartbreaker in Seattle, and then the move from not by Nick Sierra, I had to go from

Sean to Cy to Matt Patricia as his defensive coordinator, even if the title didn't transfer there. And, you know, the sense I've gotten talking to people there is, you know, Nick, Jalen, all those guys are trying to make sure the details are nailed down before they get to the playoffs and you know one of the big details for them defensively was on third down they were not very good and for a team that's got the horses up front that they do that was alarming and there was a feeling there we need to be more multiple on defense and coming from the patriot system that's sort of matt patricia's specialty and you know this kind of goes back to last year and the timing of losing jonathan gannon too remember the plan was if jonathan gannon left to replace him with

Vic Fangio, but because Gannon was hired so late by the Arizona Cardinals, they had already lost Vic Fangio to the Miami Dolphins. So they go with one of Fangio's disciples, and Sean decide that doesn't work out. Now they're in this position in December. So again, it's a lot of things that sort of led up to this, but I know Nick Siriani and his staff are focused on nailing down the details. And I think that's what Jalen Hearst was referring to and what Siriani was trying to address and changing defensive coordinators last week. So Mike Tomlin, Steelers don't make moves. First of all, many suggest the charges are a good fit.

Others suggest accurately that networks would pick up Mike Tomlin in about 35 seconds. Like Andy Reid, he'd be unemployed very briefly. Pittsburgh doesn't make a lot of moves, but the world has changed. And this team is a defensive culture that looks inept on offense for several years in a row. Even the end with Big Ben was choppy and disappointing. What do you hear on Tomlin and the Steelers? I don't think he's getting fired. Let's start there.

I don't think that'll happen. I do see a path, though, to a place where he's not the coach next year. And here's how it happens. There are going to be two owners out there, presumably, with ties to the Steelers organization that are relatively new owners that are going to have openings in a couple weeks that they're looking to fail. One, the job is already open in Carolina, David Tepper, a former minority owner in Pittsburgh. And two, Josh Harris, the new owner in Washington. if he moves on from Ron Rivera in two weeks, he'd be a second guy who's a former Steelers minority owner

that be out there looking for a coach. So both Harris and Tapper have relationships with Art Rooney. They've both seen Mike Tomlin from the inside, and they both could very easily pick up the phone and say to Art Rooney, what would it take for us to get Mike Tomlin out of there? Additionally, for Mike Tomlin personally, both those places are geographically close to where he's from. He grew up in the Tidewater region in Virginia. So I think Art Rooney would owe it to Mike Tomlin if those teams called to go to him and say, what do you want to do? And maybe that's the circumstance where they both decide.

It's time. It's been 17 seasons. You've been here for two years longer than Bill Cowher. This potentially could be the time for us to reset. They haven't looked like an inspired team in their last three games. You've seen the video of Deontay Johnson. You've seen the video of George Pickens. again, I don't think Art Rooney is going to fire Mike Tomlin,

but what could prompt the separation is one of those organizations where the owner has a tied to Art Rooney picking up the phone, making the call and asking about Mike Tomlin's availability, which, of course, could eventually lead to a trade. There's nothing about the bears I like top down. I think they have some nice offensive pieces. Montez's sweat deals worked out. We predicted that.

But I think you can make an argument. Iber Fluse has had a much better second half of the season post- Thanksgiving with a defense he's got some players but i think they're going to blow it up i get it totally understand it that's my vibe that they're going to take a quarterback restart the clock is that what you're hearing yeah i think that a lot of that is still up in the air but there are there are two you know real things to look at here number one's the president that the presence of the new team president kevin warren he didn't hire matt eber flus he didn't hire ryan polls so um you know with any new executive or new owner there's that feeling we just talked about it with

Washington that you want to bring in your own guys. So that like adds a little bit of a different dynamic to this. The other piece of it is what you just referenced is what sort of offseason they're going into. They're going to need to make a decision on Justin Fields. They're going to need to make a decision on what to do with the first overall pick. They're probably going to need to make a decision on what to do with another top 10 pick and they're going to have money to spend. This team right now looks like it's ascending. Ryan Poles has done a nice job putting good young players on the roster over the last couple of years. They look like over the last few weeks, they're getting better.

Notwithstanding what happened last week under Matt Eberflus. So, you know, now Kevin Warren's going to make the decision. Who do I want to put in command of making those quarterback decisions? Who do I want to put in command of making decisions on the cap space? And are the guys who've done a really nice job over the last two years, the guys that I want to tie my name to? Again, he didn't hire Matt Eber Fluse. He didn't hire Ryan Poles.

And I think on balance, they've done a good enough job to stay there. Only Kevin Warren knows if he's comfortable enough, again, with this important offseason ahead, going forward with both those guys. I think Poles is probably safer than Eber Fluse, but only Warren knows what the plan is in the next couple of weeks. Patriots, you've always been tied to this organization, and it is fascinating because they could end up with the number one pick, probably two. There's talk about trading Belichick. How much do you buy? This has so many tentacles. Belichick, other teams, Drake May, Caleb Williams.

there's a lot at play here. What do you hear about? I don't think they can, listen, they don't have time to work about a trade. They got to get the new coach in if they have. What do you make of it? Yeah, well, I would say like there's been an awkwardness in that organization over the last few weeks. You know, at the top, you've got a guy in Belichick who, you know, you use the term whistling

by the graveyard. It almost feels to other people that organization like nothing's happening. Like this is normal. You know what I mean? Right. So he's still holding. you know, his draft meetings with scouts. So, you know, this Friday, he might be talking about the safeties to them.

Next Friday, he might be talking about next year's guards to them. He's talking about contracts for coaches for next year and beyond. So he's operating business as usual. Meanwhile, everybody underneath them just is sort of wondering, like, what's going to happen two, three, four weeks from now inside that organization. And the real turning point as far as this goes happened in Germany. you know Robert Kraft was more present around the team in Germany it seemed to people in the organization like he was doing a little bit more fact-finding

so I know that there's at least a belief there that he knows what he's going to do in a couple weeks because this isn't a sort of decision with a coach like this where you wake up on Black Monday and you decide what you're going to do he also has his handpicked successor in Gerard Mayo in house does he stick with that despite the year that they have does he go and try to trade for Mike Frable you know I think Robert Kraft's kind of kept what he's going to do close to the vest. But the feeling you get from people in that building is that this thing is, you know, hurtling towards some sort of separation, whether that's a firing, a mutual parting,

however they wind up dressing it up. I think Kraft would like to get some level of compensation for Belichick if he's going to coach again. You know, and then I think somebody with ties the organization winds up becoming the head coach, whether that's somebody who's in-house now, like a Gerard Mayo, or maybe you try to get somebody like Mike Brable from another organization. who, again, has strong ties to your own organization. Okay, I'm going to talk about a coach that I wouldn't fire, but it's a mess. I want to talk about the Aaron Rogers situation, sort of the silly circus that surrounded it.

I don't think Nat Hackett's elite. I don't think Robert Sala probably would have hired him, but they have surrendered their franchise to a large degree. They did it with FARB. Now, I mean, there's so many similarities. Fav came in to save the young coach. Here comes Aaron to save the young coach. There's instability at top. In both instances, it was a roster.

with pieces but not really a great culture or roster. And in the end, it all blows up. We know Aaron's coming back. Zach could be a backup. They'll probably shipmen get picks and get another backup. They need a left tackle, regardless of who's quarterback. Do you see major upheaval for the Jets and Aaron, or is it just bring the band back, appease Aaron, and cross our fingers?

You know, just talking to people there, I just think, like, a lot of the way the owner's thinking right now is back to September 10th. And the good feeling that he had that the organization had coming out of a training camp coming out of the preseason, that they were really in position and ready to compete for a Super Bowl championship. And that's why I think, like, what he's going to wind up being comfortable in a couple of weeks, allowing all of those guys a chance to come back. And so long as Aaron follows through with what he says, and I believe him, that he's coming back in 2024, I think Salas back. There's no reason to make changes on defense. So Jeff Albrecht,

the defensive coordinator's back. Maybe you could say the offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett would be gone, but that's Aaron's guy. So, you're not moving on from him. And then you have Joe Douglas, who I think has on balance put together a pretty good roster. Yeah. And I'll tell you this too, Colin, may have wanted to draft an offensive tackle a couple of years ago. And I think ownership may have stepped in and didn't want him to do that, you know. And so you give Joe Douglas another chance to get the offensive line, right?

You give Robert Saul another chance to kind of build what they built over the spring and summer and put everybody in a position to accomplish in 2024, what you were intending to accomplish in 2020. three. Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback. Happy holidays to you. Listen, I know with Michigan beating Ohio State, it's a little cloudy. That's a little gloat. Roll tide. I know that. I can sense the bitterness. Good seeing you, buddy. Happy holidays. All right. Thanks, Colin.

All right. I just had to throw that in. Just a little off-speed pitch. By the way, his Tomlin take, that's the spiciest thing I've heard in a long, long time from anybody. Like, Mike Tomlin and Washington or Carolina. Wow. I know. That got me up. I was like, holy cow. That's the kind of stuff I like, man.

Outside the box. Like, listen, everybody's on Harbaugh charges. We've been on that for a while. I ain't never heard anybody say. Tomlin and Carolina or Washington. I told you Washington was going to make a splash somewhere. This new owner, that's what he does. I didn't think it was top.

That's interesting. How about this? I have been told by people I trust in the broadcasting industry. So I've been in this thing of years, right? I have some contracts, contacts, blah, blah, blah, blah. Two networks, bidding war for Tomlin if he's available. Two networks love him. So I'm just saying, if I'm Tomlin, I'm going to take a year off.

I'm not taking Carolina. I'm going to take a year off. It's like Mike Tomlin has earned a year off. Sean Payton did this. In fact, I would argue when Sean took the Denver job, I was like, bro, that's not the job. That's not the job to take. Sean wanted back in.

I could see, you know, Parcells did this. You go, you work at a network, you make friends, you have contacts, and say, I'm going to, I'm going to try this broadcasting thing for a year. I'm going to come to it eventually, but I want one more crack at a big boy job. That's what Peyton did. Sean's going to come back and do broadcasting. Hopefully here could be somewhere else. But Mike says, I'm going to give, I'm going to do a year broadcasting, a lot more fun.

Tomlin walked into this building tomorrow. He'd be beloved. Didn't McVeigh almost go to, what was it, Amazon? McVeigh had just won his Super Bowl. He's young. He was getting married. A sabbatical maybe. He's a workaholic.

Not the Tomlin's not. But to Sean, it was like, Sean, get out of here. Go coach. You're too good. Tomlin's been grinding this thing forever. He doesn't have the right quarterback. He doesn't want to. Nobody wants to let go a picket.

I could see Tomlin saying, I'm just going to, I'm going to go make blankety blank million. I'm going to broadcast, making a lot of friends in the building, do it for a year. blows everybody away, he'd be great on television. Say, guys, I'm going to be back in seven years. Seven years? Well, I mean, but I think he would go so.

He's not going to stay as long as he stayed at Pittsburgh. Mike's got big, he's got big guy, tough, big alpha energy. He got about seven great years. Then Mike's like, okay, I'm shutting her down. He's never going to coach college and just come back to the TV networks. Check, consider a sabbatical like that. You know what, Colin, I'm going to take next year off. Power down, hang with the fan.

I hear any more of that. I'll put Tomlin right there. Jay Mack with the news is the herd line news we'll have some breaking news here shortly but let's start with breaking news in a minute just be patient we're going to start with the game you keep hyping

Dallas and Miami I still can't believe you're picking Dallas but anyways Despite as good as Tua has played this year Tyreek Hill is getting a lot of the MVP attention So Tua was asked about the narrative that the Dolphins' offensive success is built on Tyreek. I kind of like this from Tua.

I understand that my platform and who I am in this league as a quarterback makes me, if you want, polarizing, whether I'm the best, whether I'm the worst. Like, I could care less. Like, I don't listen to it. At the end of the day, like, I really don't care. But if she does share it with me, I mean, I keep her seats. We all have a way of how we do things. but like all the narratives about it, I am, yeah, sure.

I am only good with Tyreek and I, that you're right. I am, that is the only time I am at my best. I think he's so good at the podium. Here's my only thing about the receipts. He's just, he's like Dak. He's like Dak. You put him in a podium. But Dak doesn't talk about receipts.

You know who talks about receipts? Who? Ja Morant. Baker Mayfield. I don't want to be, I don't love that from two. I like two a lot. You don't like that term. It sounds weak, like you're listening to the noise.

Don't let them know you hear the noise. You don't keep receipts? It just sounds lame. I don't know. It just doesn't sound cool. Two is cool as this. And I know Dolphins fans think I hate Miami and I don't love Miami. You like Miami a lot.

This week, I like the city a lot. I'm a Jets fan. All right, let's get to that breaking news, Colin. So Trevor Lawrence had not practiced all week. Here within the last 15 minutes, Trevor Lawrence takes the practice field. Now, I know you have Tampa. in your pick this week.

But Trevor Lawrence is practicing, but still technically in concussion protocol. This is a little crazy, okay? I just want to remind you, twice this season, Trevor Lawrence was banged up. There was a Thursday night game against the Saints. Everybody's like, he's not playing, he's not playing. He played and they won.

Then there was coming off the ankle, remember against Cleveland? He's not playing, no chance. There was the golf cart saga. Yeah. He played. They lost, but it was close. All week. Trevor Lawrence, not playing, not playing.

And now he's practicing. This guy's like bionic, indestructible. Well, he's 6, 6, 2, 25, 20, 30. He's a big kid. C.J. Bethard or He gets the power. He's like Trump. He gets the power from his hair.

Never read those stories on Trump? How many political references have you made today? Is that three? I just got to ask, though. Listen, I know the Jags were number one in the AFC a few weeks ago. I know. If the Colts win and the Jags lose here now, it's like, whoa. I think the story in this game is not the Jags. I think

it's Baker at home. They are really good as a home favorite. Tampa's not a great team, but Baker plays when he's emotional and stepping into it. Baker's a good quarterback. Right now, Tampa is a little like the Rams. Flawed, but they really in-house

believe, and that's a dangerous team. Tampa's a, Tampa, it's like, remember Washington a few years ago when Brady won the Super Bowl? They went to Washington played Taylor Heineke, and Washington wasn't very good, but Tyler Heineke was like, I'm the man. And it's like, self-belief is powerful.

Tampa believes at home, they're going to roll Jacksonville this week. And a lot of that's led by the Hutzpah Baker, and it's fun to watch. Tampa doesn't roll anybody. So it's weird. Eagles have lost three in a row. We love them this weekend. Jags have lost three in a row. I'm not touching those guys.

I'm not touching the Jacks. They don't look. It's just defensively. They're terrible. I don't really believe in this team. Listen, I don't want to get into the Trevor Lawrence thing, but I think we're going to have to have a discussion about him in the offseason. Is that fair?

We'll just table it for now. He's fine. We like him. I like him a lot. The numbers don't back up. up your love for the guy with the nice hair. I mean, at what point is he a backup? No, I can't say that.

So you got Purdy the MVP for Trevor Lawrence a backup. Settle down, okay? First of all, you've been saying all season, you don't pick up, you don't pick up the phone and somebody calls for Trevor Lawrence. I'm not saying you do, but do we maybe consider moving him a little to the, like, half in, half out of that discussion. This franchise might as well have played overseas. He saved the franchise.

He did a Griffey with the Mariners. He saved the franchise. They were done. They were tarphing upstairs. They were playing games in London. Let me readjust. Is Trevor Lawrence right now a top seven quarterback in the league? Top 7, 8, 9.

If you're top 10, you can win a Super Bowl. I'm not going to go to every list. Top 10, you can win a Super Bowl. Jared Goff got there. He's about 10. And I think Goff's good enough. You know, Super Bowl's indoors. Could you win a Super Bowl at Jared Goff?

It all works. Right, coach, right line? Probably. Probably. I do like Lawrence a lot. I'm just... Who would you take today, Gough or Lawrence? Lawrence.

I don't think it's... By the way, I think Gough's really underrated. I don't think... I think there are days. I would take Gough, but I think Lawrence is a better town. By the way, you know Gough bought a house near me, and then he bought the house next door, and he's tearing that down. He doesn't want you to say that on the air.

It's out there on the Internet, I think, isn't it? Well, it is now. Oh, stop it. I did not just break that. Why you just give his address out? It's P. Anyway, it's all right. Final story.

Let's go to the Lions in Gopph. They haven't won a division title since. I don't know. What is this saying? 1993? What? Oh my. That was like pre-internet.

Listen, that was the NFC Central back then. With a win Sunday, Detroit will lock up the division to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And Jared Goff, here he is, talking about what it means to Detroit. It's really just that. Is that a win gets us the division. And we understand it. We understand it. We get it.

I think I've said this before, but we don't carry the weight of the last 30 years here. We don't. It's the 20-23 line. and we're different than last year's team, the year before, and then 30 years before that. So how long the fans have waited and all that, we certainly understand that. But I think we have to focus on what we can control, and that's this week right now. The Lions are a good team that have had great Sundays. The Lions are a good team that have had great series and great halves.

When they're more consistent, they have a chance to be special in the playoffs. But don't doubt, they have had absolute great games in great games. great halves. A lot of these teams aren't capable of that. The Lions have Sundays when you're like, oh, they're blowing out people. It's like Buffalo. Buffalo's had great games. Baltimore has, Dallas

has San Francisco. I thought the Rams last night. Rams don't have a complete great game because they're not a great team. They have great moments. But lions are, you go into Detroit on the wrong Sunday. They'll embarrass you. I mean, Denver's been playing

well. They humiliated Denver. Denver's got some dudes. Okay. First of all, I just handed in my picks to foxports.com. 65% all documented. I like Vikings this weekend. Colin, this is a spicy take. This is the year for the Lions.

After this, who knows what the future holds? Ben Johnson is out the door after the season. Bears are going to get the number one pick and a new quarterback. The Vikings have an awesome coach. They probably will figure out their quarterback situation. We don't know what they're going to do. And then there's the, who's the other? The Packers and Jordan Love.

We'll see what happens. But if the Lions don't make a run this year, I don't know about next year. And by the way, we're seeing the Eagles after last year with that new offensive coordinator. I disagree. Pull back. You did the Lions have something? I think the front office of Detroit is arguably in a rarefied class as the best front office in the league in terms of drafting players. I think they've hit three straight home runs drafting players.

I think the front office, the Brad Holmes, I think these guys upstairs. They've built a good team. They have taken huge risks. They have hit home runs three straight years in the draft. And I mean home and been doubted on almost all of them. Left tackle, running back, tight end, linebacker. Hitting on all of them, rush end. The star of the Lions is not the quarterback and coach.

The star of the Lions is the GM in the front office. Tell me who's drafted better in the last three years. They've had some hits. I don't love taking running back that early. And I mean in every position on the field. The linebacker in the first round. By the way, why did you look like you smelled sour milk when I said Vikings plus three and a half? What are they on their 17th quarterback?

T.J. Hawkinson Revenge Game. Oh, good hell. That doesn't mean anything. I heard a laugh. Tide-end revenge game. Dude, he's awesome, and the Lions cannot guard tight ends. I know. Justin Jefferson. Minnesota is going to be juiced up this week.

It's going to be a place to be. They got a chance to get in the playoffs. Nick Mullins and O'Connell. Minnesota in December is never the place to be. It's a fine town. Miami in December is the place to be. And that game's on Fox Sunday, and that's a watch. J. Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Minnesota in December is the place to be. Said nobody ever. Love Minneapolis, wonderful people. Spring, summer, fall, I'm all in. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying? Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments and sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

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

Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so That you're 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 Celebrate the holidays with the gift of football on Fox. On Sunday, it's an NFL doubleheader featuring a showdown between title contenders as Dak leads the Cowboys against Tua and the Dolphins. Then on Christmas Day, the Eagles take on the Giants all on Fox. And wait for that tight-in revenge game. Okay, so I like Dallas.

I think Dallas's pass rush is going to be in two his face all day. Whereas I think Dak of Tyron Smith plays left tackle, all-timer, first ballot Hall of Famer, DAC will have more time to throw. They'll establish the run game. So what we do, we don't do that often. This is the second time we've done it this week, where we take both rosters and we give you what we view as the top 10 players in the game.

We were, I think, eight, Niners, two Ravens, or was it seven Niners, three Ravens? Let's do Dolphins Cowboys, 10 best players. So I would say the best player in this game would be Tyreek Hill, who's had eight games of over 100 yards. He's the number one weapon in the game. He's the number one weapon in the NFL. So Tyreek Hill would be the number one player in this game.

Number two would be Micah Parsons, a dynamic edge rusher, leads the NFL in pressures this season, and he had led the NFL in pressures last season. So he's just dynamic like Tyreek Hill. not many people on the planet is gifted. The number one rated offensive linemen in the entire league is a cowboy, Tyron Smith, former USC Trojan. He is one of the 10, 7, 6 best left tackles of all time, has not allowed to sack this season, and frankly, engulfs, even good pass rushers.

Jalen Ramsey's had a heck of a year. I'd put him at number four. Now, he hasn't played a lot, but he is, as Greg Kosell said yesterday, A great zone corner still can do great man-to-man. Against Garrett Wilson did not allow a reception in 23 steps covering Garrett Wilson. Not a reception. So he's elite. Big, strong, risk-taking corner who is now matured and plays the zone effectively.

Number five, that's probably Dak Prescott having his best year. B-plus quarterback having an A season, top five and, you know, passing yards per attempts and completion percentage, passer rating. I think Dak, you know, take away last week, take away the Niners. He's had a couple of really bad roadies against really good teams. I think Dak's having a great year. Six, his partner, C.D. Lamb, who is not Tyree Kilb, has to be a top six or seven. You know, he's one of two players in the NFL this year with 100 catches.

The other is Keenan Allen. So he is a 10-target-to-game guy. I never thought he would be this good in the NFL. he's just added strength and just grown with DAC and he's good. Number seven, let's put two up there in this system with this coach and these receivers. He's very, very good. Back-to-back years with 25 plus touchdowns. So he's done it in multiple years.

I like him. I think he's also intangibles. He's a grown-up. He's good at the mic. Got a good sense of humor. I think players respect him. I like him a lot, too. A number eight, DeMarcus Lawrence, a heck of a pass rusher.

He's not Micah, but he's the seventh rated edge rusher in the NFL. He's a handful. Now, since 2016, he's got 50 plus sacks. There's only five guys in the leagues that have done that, so he's a really good player. Number nine would be Bradley Chubb, who is the ninth-rated edge rusher. Disappears at times, but he was a good top pick. He's a very good player. He was a first-round guy, if I recall.

And I like Bradley Chubb a lot. I think he was a first-round guy, NC State, I think. And then number 10, drawn Blan the corner. who I think is a risk taker but leads the NFL with eight interceptions. And number 11s are running back. Most hurt for the Dolphins. He would be number 11. But on that Miami offense, it's kind of a Tyree kill to a offense, Jalen Waddle.

So there you go. It's six Cowboys, four dolphins, and I'll take Dallas controlling the game. You're deeply bothered by not having that. Hold on. What did Jalen Wattel do to you? Pro Football Focus has him his third best receiver in the league this season, according to a lot of the stats. Waddle's been incredible.

Let me ask you this. Last night for the Rams, if you had to have two receivers on the field and you were given Puka, Cooper, Cup, or Jalen Waddle, he couldn't get on the field. We're talking Cowboys, Dolphins here. Okay, that's fine. You want to bash Waddle? I'm not bashing. He didn't make the top 10.

He is 12. Daron Bland? He had a couple of awesome pick sixes. Otherwise, he's getting cooked. Come on. All right. Now, this is the one that really upset me, only because this guy's been incredible. And you're not that familiar with me. He's got the long hair, the kid from Wisconsin, Andrew Van Ginkle. He, I mean, he's being an all-pro season right now. He's been unbelievable. He makes splash plays every week, not like Bland who just gets a pick six. Did you notice what I said for a couple players, a lot of them, like this is the second year, two has had 25 plus.

Bland is 10 because he's been a spectacular pick six guy. But I like guys who do things over and over again. Rookies probably aren't going to make the cut. Now, Bland has been unique because he leads the league in categories, but he was 10. So I like to see guys that do things over and over and over again. That's fair. Javon Holland, the safety out of, I think, Oregon. No, very good player.

He's all pro this year maybe. He's been awesome. Safety. Now I'm like I like the dolphin. I don't like those. I didn't put Zach Martin in here, Dallas. He's a guard and he's been banged up. He's obviously a Hall of Famer.

You got me amp for this game now. It's on Fox. It's good. It's a kind of... I'll tell you, I was going to watch that game, but I'm watching that tight-end revenge game instead. That thing has got me locked in. That gets you worked up.

T.J. Hawkinson gets me to a TV. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. 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. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care

which I'm saying. 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.