The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - CFB, Steelers

Episode Date: December 1, 2021

Brian Kelly is getting more criticism for leaving than Lincoln RileyThe best thing the Steelers can do for next seasonGuest: Bruce Feldman Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Joy Taylor is, of course, joining me today. Joining me today. You know, I will say this. Defending the big, powerful, rich college football coach, it's harder to do because nobody, it's easier for me to just say I'm pro player, get no pushback on social. It's much harder to take my position, which is players don't have the leverage, the power that the coach is doing. They don't matter as much because Michigan brings in 25 new great players every year.

It's not saying they have no value. But if you look at what Brian Kelly did to a massive brand that was dying at Notre Dame, He got $100 million. Mel Tucker got $95 million. Mel Tucker, who I love. Brian Kelly has 19 times more wins. Is he worth $250 million? Player, it's easy to go on the air or to go to Twitter and say,

I'm for the players. They should all be paid. Very few have any leverage. Go to Kansas basketball. Been good for a zillion years. Name their five best players. Wilt. I mean, they literally changed the program.

Because they get five-star guys every year. So the players are valuable. But I hear a lot of media buzz kills lament what coaches make. It's called leverage. Leverages money. Leverages power. And timing is both. And so when you are getting up against the early signing period and you have Brian

Kelly's record and Lincoln Riley's record and the market, LSU is a big brand and USC is a big brand. they're bringing the bag. And by the way, these great players in the pros, many of them will have the exact same leverage. It's called free agency. And so remember, just because as a broadcaster, I had no leverage at 27. Even my bosses would acknowledge today, I got leverage. I'm good.

I got a lot of people like me. I had none at 27, nor should I have. Brian Kelly's got leverage because he's been great for 20 years. He rebuilt a staggeringly important brand. Doesn't mean Kyle Hamilton doesn't have leverage. By the way, I pay him too because he's part of my podcast network. He doesn't have Brian Kelly leverage. So it's just, it's always been easier for a media person to defend the players.

They've never had more power. They can transfer anytime. They can flip it anytime. They can skip bowl games. 99% of the bowl games, they can decommit, they get paid. Players have never had more power. But they're like 21. They're not going to have the power of a 55-year-old coach.

I don't have the power of Eric Shanks. I don't have that kind of power. He's negotiating with Roger Goodell. He's negotiating with Olympic committees and World Cup committees. The idea that any 21-year-old outside of a Silicon Valley genius would have the power of a 55-year-old female executive of a Silicon Valley brand. No, he wouldn't. It's not the way the world works.

It's not the way the players eventually do have massive power. You tell me LeBron didn't have power. Chris Paul. How long was his, remember the contract? We were like, he's almost shot, isn't he? Players do have power. They don't have it when they're 19. So I'll give you an example.

Here's an example of a player having power. He's not even a great player, Jimmy Garoppolo. So we would both say he's a B quarterback. But he's good. Yes. played in the Super Bowl. If you and I rank quarterbacks, we'd probably both have them around 14, 15-ish. Yes, it's healthy.

And going into the season, everybody was like, yeah, he's done. Think this this morning. If Aaron Rogers doesn't leave Green Bay, if Russell Wilson doesn't leave Seattle, both probably true. We have six teams minimum that need a quarterback. Pittsburgh, Washington, Denver, Houston, Carolina, New Orleans, three others that will consider it. Giants, Dolphins, Detroit. He will be a veteran Super Bowl quarterback on the market. Do you understand the leverage the 49ers will have for Jimmy Garapolo?

So players don't even have to be great. Mel Tucker's no guarantee he's a great coach. I think he is, but he had leverage. The San Francisco 49ers have Garoppolo. It's not a great quarterback. They'll have insane leverage. That's what this is all about. Leverage is money.

Leverage is power and timing is both. The Niners are going to go, if Jimmy stays healthy, into this offseason, 10 teams need quarterbacks. I'm not even counting Matt Ryan in Atlanta. They do, but they can't get out of his contract. He's too big of a cap hit. So we always lament players have value. It's just not at 21 in a college program.

They got a little value. I'm probably making, I'm going to guess here. I have no idea. I know my company's paying a little bit. He's probably making $600,000 this year. Bryce is such a great kid. He's probably giving it to his offensive lineman. A year ago, he got free pizza in a commissary. This year he makes $600 grand. And we don't think, but it's rare. 20 year old athletes, 21 year old athletes. I mean, look at even in the NFL, Aaron Rogers can be franchise tagged. Now, you get a lot of money for franchise tag, but you're kind of trapped. right? Like you get more if you went to the market. So we get all worked up about this stuff.

The players, anyway, I'm just done ranting. I just tried to make a point on when I see people lament what coaches make, 99% of football coaches in, there's 360 Division 1 college basketball programs. There's 130 Division 1 football programs. I'm not even counting Division 2 and Division 3. 99% of coaches at all these levels don't make anything. Brian Kelly does. Okay, there's about 12, 15 football coaches that make, wow. What is he supposed to do, turn it down? I don't like having conversations with people who haven't been offered $100 million to do something about what they would do if they were offered $100 million.

The only people I know that have been are coaches. Unless you've made $100 million dollars or someone has brought you $100 million check. The preaching about what you would do with that check is a waste of everyone's time. It's $100 million. There's not a whole lot I wouldn't do for $100 million. I'm going to say that. All right. He's one of the great college football guys.

He's Foxes, The Athletic. He does a ton of stuff. Writer for the athletic. Follow him there. I pay my monthly. Bruce Feldman now joining us. I'm off my soapbox now. I'm done ranting.

Mr. Feldman, Mr. Connected. So, you know, it's interesting. And I said this to start last hour. I said, listen, whenever you lose somebody, your girlfriend breaks up with you, your boyfriend breaks up with you, your college coach leaves you. A network loses a talent. person. People have hurt feelings. You feel like you've been dumped. And I understand that. Like you have a right if somebody dumps you at the altar to be sad. Like Oklahoma fans have a right

to be upset. So to Notre Dame fans. I think they'll both be fine. They're great programs. There's great coaches. But there is this whole thing. It's not it's not that they left. It's how they left. Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley are kind of leaving the same way. Isn't the only only difference, one fan base thinks they can win a national title. I'm going to make a different distinction. So on the Brian Kelly part of it, I think one of the issues that some people have on this is they're still technically alive for the playoff. That's right.

So coaches constantly preach finish all in, all those things. And if somehow, and it's not that far-fetched, there could be a couple of losses this weekend. Notre Dame could be in the playoff mix. They legit have a shot. it's an outside shot, but to make the playoff, and Brian Kelly's gone. So the whole aspect of finish, finish, finish, and all the things coaches preach. This is hypocrisy.

Yeah, hypocrisy. Now, some of the other stuff, you said a minute ago, I do agree with. I mean, Nick Saban has paid a fortune. Nick Saban is underpaid compared to what he has done, not just for Alabama, but for that entire community, the university community, the state, quite honestly. Dabo Sweeney, still also, probably underpaid, given what he has done to Clemson, the brand, the university, all those things. There are a bunch of other guys now who have gotten swept up because they're getting paid millions upon millions, and they're going to be disastrous hires.

And that's where the school and the boosters, they're out, and they've made bad investments, right? I think what has happened in this wave, and you mentioned Mel Tucker. Mel Tucker's done a really good job at Michigan State. I think what they've done is really they're investing in him to say, we believe he is going to be the next big thing. Yeah. And so they ponied. up. And I think that is on, you know, former walk-on basketball player at MSU who has hit it big since. And look, you know, these aren't like Jerry Jones, but I think for a lot of people who can't own pro sports teams right now, I think they see the investment of their alma mater. They have a connection of a feeling of ownership.

And I think that's how they've done it. Yeah. Dan Gilbert owns the Cavs. He's probably the biggest Michigan State booster. there's another one that's huge. There's three of them. And they're all sports fans. Like sometimes your biggest, your richest alums are not sports fans. It just happens that Michigan State's got three billionaire alums and they're huge sports

fans. That's a great point. One does own a pro team. Two don't. And so they're like, this is kind of our. They have a sense of ownership. They can be, as one football coach I know said, they can be the hot shot at their country club now.

And it's like, look, that's a big deal. And if Mel leads Michigan State to the playoff or a national, title, that investment will be very, very prudent. So sometimes lost in all this is that we believe these big brands, Alabama, USC, Oklahoma, they've always got all great talent and a new coach will come in and flip a switch. You don't think that's true for Lincoln Riley at USC. I believe you think it's a little bit more of a challenge. I do, and it has nothing to do with Lincoln Riley for Fox.

I did the UCLA USC game. and so I was around the USC program for a couple of days, and you'd look physically at them. I've lived out here, Colin, for 20 years. This was the worst-looking USC team kind of on the hoof since I've been out here. It's just very underwhelming. And look, there's reasons for that is when you've had basically a lame duck head coach, as Clay Helton has been, for like three years, that undermines recruiting in a big way. And then I think what does also happen, and look, this is no fault of the assistance.

It's no fault of the interim Dante Williams. I think that you had basically a lot of folks who feel like they've been independent contractors. Yeah. So there's been really shaky leadership at best. And so I think all those factors have conspired to a very, very average roster. I mean, I don't really care what the star system says of like, oh, this guy used to be a five-star and this guy came out as a high four-star. A lot of those guys were probably over-rated because of they were committed to USC. And I'm not saying all of them were that way, but I think a bull.

bunch of them. That's how some of that stuff works. You talk to enough coaches about it. So I think what Lincoln Riley is inheriting is a roster that needs a massive upgrade, right? There was Drake London. He's an all-American, but Drake London was on crutches for our UCLA game. He was, you know, when he was out,

they were way limited, and their defense, there's nothing close to Leonard Williams. There's no Troy Palomalus. There's no Brian Cushing's there. So I think that is the biggest challenge. Now, what bodes well for him is Lincoln Riley has a huge name and reputation for developing offensive players, right?

We've seen it multiple Heisman guys, multiple first picks of the draft, cutting edge offense, guys are going to want to come play for him. They already do. A bunch of these Southern California kids were committed for the 2023 class. Guess where they're going to end up going, right? They're going to end up staying home now. The question will be how quickly can he, in part through the portal and in part through recruiting, can he elevate the defensive side of the ball and the offensive line?

Because that is a huge issue. O-line for USC. Dreadful. They have one NFL prospect of the 17 kids on scholarship. It is a disaster. It has been, they've paid no attention to it. What's good, though, there is, look, he's expected to bring Bill Beadenbow from Oklahoma. He's the reason why this isn't a regular air raid because they have a really physical run game.

They're very creative. He's arguably the best offensive line coach in college football. If he comes out here, as we expect, that is a huge coup. guys, you know, I think that will take care of some of the softness that you see in right now in this program. Okay, so I hear, let's talk Brian Kelly to LSU. So, you know, people can be upset, what-evs. Let's talk this. People have said he's a weird fit kind of. Winning tends to solve fit. I mean, Nick Saban was not from Alabama. I always tend to think, you win stuff. Pete Carroll when he got the USC job, people thought it was an awful hire. And it's like old NFL kind of quirky guy,

the corkiness was perfect when he was winning. Right? Like we all saw it as an asset. So let's just talk. Brian Kelly LSU. Will they win quick? How does it feel to you? It feels a little odd,

but like you said, I mean, less miles from Ohio, you know, Savans from West Virginia, and it was up in the Big Ten and spent a bunch of time. You know,

he bounced around. But I think Brian Kelly, don't underestimate him. He's a really smart coach. You know, what you said, Notre Dame was a mess. Literally it was a mess.

The locker room was a mess. Everything was a mess. And he turned it into a legit, consistent playoff contender. Right? And I think he knows exactly what he's doing. Also, I give him credit. He evolved in the job. He did.

He did. Yeah. And I think one of the things with Brian Kelly that maybe doesn't get said enough is Notre Dame job. Five years at Notre Dame is a long time. It's like dog years at other places. He was there for 12 years, right? So that's an extensive amount of time.

I think what is going to be interesting here is the area where Notre Dame has been best in the last decade is they've had great offensive lines. And right now, knowing the LSU roster really well, they were very average at best, if not worse than that, this year. And their old line room is seriously going to be depleted because a lot of those guys have played for a long time and they're going to be out of eligibility. So if you're Notre Dame and if you're Brian Kelly, you're going to have to really hit the portal really, really hard because you don't have the bodies that you're going to inherit to be able to compete at a high level. Now, there's some really gifted defensive linemen.

There's a bunch of really good receivers and a ton of really good defensive backs. I mean, there's talent on the roster. The O line is a big concern. And the question I would put to you, Colin, is what is doing a good job for Brian Kelly? Doing a good job for him. If you don't win a national title within four,

years. Three, I'd say. They're not going to wait four. He'll get heat by year two of the... I do think he'll win. What's win, though? I mean, him going 10 and 2, that's not going to be good enough. You win, you've got to win a national title there. They just fired the guy who won a national title. It was less than two

years within him winning a nationalite. And he's from there. He's one of them. Brian Kelly's from Boston. Yeah. He looks like he's from Boston. He does. Look, and you know what? To his credit, I think he's sincere and authentic in terms of like he's not trying to be somebody else. He knows who he is at 60. We'll see how it goes. Okay. By the way, Joy, remind me to bring up Lane Kiff into Miami. I have to go to another question first. Just remind me.

Okay. We're not letting you out of here without that. Because I'm rooting for it. She's rooting for it. Nothing against Ole Miss. I want to say this about Michigan. I love college football. I do not talk it as much as I did seven years ago because the sports become increasingly insular. I love this weekend. I love Michigan beating Ohio State. I love Lincoln, they come in West because Denver West, it matters. When USC played Texas, it got a 22 and a half rating. Now it gets 15s. It's not the college football is bad.

It's too insular. So I watched Michigan and I thought, okay, I could take two paths on this. It's a one-off. It was cold. But as I watched them play, Bruce, I thought, you can duplicate that. Because they owe it. They have found an identity. Now, I'm not saying they're going to Columbus and not.

and Ohio State backwards next year. But that will be what they will look like going forward. Because that looked like to me, oh, you can do that. You don't have to be the fastest team. You don't have to have Alabama receivers. Michigan's had great old linemen, good backs, tight ends for my entire life. So your takeaway on the win, I think it's bigger than just the day. It felt identity changing and momentum changing.

This felt to me a lot like Stanford 2.0 Jim Harbaugh because it was the more physical team, as you said, really good on the offensive line. Hassan Haskins was a punishing runner who just kept moving the ball down the field. And I think what is key there is, like give credit to Josh Gaddis, the offense corner. He took a lot of what his buddy Joe Moorhead had whipped Ohio State with when Oregon went in there and just had them on their heels. and there was a lot of different stuff that they couldn't handle. I don't want to say they weren't prepared for it. They just couldn't handle. The other thing that was big was Aidan Hutchinson, David Adjabo,

those guys got after Ohio State. I mean, Aidan Hutchinson looks like he could be a legit top five pick. He was dominant. It's been a long time in this rivalry since Michigan had the best defensive player in the game. And there was no question they had that. You know who reminded me a little bit? JJ Watt. Yeah, it was probably a slightly lighter J.J.J.,

but relentless, he's every bit as exceptional. He can't block him. He made Ohio State's tackles who are pros completely overwhelmed. It was, you know, it was like pretty amazing to see. Now, here's where I think it, Harbaugh said this after the game. He was like, I think this is the start of something. This is the beginning. That's what it felt like to me.

Yeah. I mean, now that all of a sudden, and look, he deserves credit from this point because he got younger, like we talked about Kelly of Alvin, and you mentioned it, got younger. When he brought in Josh Gaddis, that was a good move. When he found Mike McDonald, nobody knew who he was other than his brother because he was on the Raven staff. That was a brilliant addition. And I think now that they will be able to recruit,

people are going to buzz about, whoa, do you see what's going on with Michigan and Jim Harbaugh? I want to go be there. I don't think you've heard that in years. And so we'll see where this goes, but they got momentum now. No, you brought up something really interesting. Brian Kelly at Notre Dame is two Brian Kelly's.

There was a tragedy early. They couldn't kind of identify what they were. And then at some point he went, time out. We're a northern power. We're going to go O line like the Cleveland Browns, is the centerpiece of it. And then there's a second four years, five years, six years. It's a different Notre Dame program.

They can play with George's mostly. I think, to your point, I think Michigan feels like this year, it's like, oh, okay, this is a different program now. So I'm excited for it. All right, I want to segue to this. Let's go, because I'm going to probably have you on before the games. So I want to go to the Lane Kiffin story. Lane Kiffin is different.

I don't think Lane would ever. fit at a Notre Dame. No, of course you wouldn't. That's nothing profound. Even Michigan. But Miami's got a little toad. Miami's got a little coastal attitude. Miami's got a little swag.

Sometimes they're borderline inappropriate. And I think, okay, Miami doesn't have the greatest facilities, nor do they pay what the big boys do. But Lane Kiffin to Miami to me feels absolutely right. The savior of the program. Am I nuts? Not necessarily about this. You might be nuts about other stuff.

But like this, I would say, look, Mario Cristobal has done a great job at Oregon. He is from there. He is of there. He is a Miami guy through and through. If they could get Mario Cristobal, I think that was a lot. Can they afford him? It depends. Is the Rock going to bring money out?

I don't know who's going to. Like, where's the Miami money come from? I don't know on that, honestly. They have to sort out. They're close to, I think, having an AD in place. Remember, they're going through an AD search. If there's no Mario, I think there are some old Miami people. former Miami players who do have some influence.

They have more voice than at any other program in the country. There are a lot of those guys are interested in Lane, and Lane, I think, would have a hard time saying no if Miami came after him. I think he knows it's a great fish. I know Lane well enough. In his off time, he loves to get in a boat with his kids and go fishing. He used to send me pictures when he was at that Florida job. It feels like Miami feels like Lane Kiff.

I think Brian Kelly looked like a Notre Dame football coach. It's like Brian Kelly, once you got out of the kind of the anger tunnel he was in, it was like, yeah, it kind of worked. Boston guy, Notre Dame. I mean, there are coaches that feel like schools. Yeah, and also, by the way, you know, he's done a really good job at Ole Miss, and Ole Miss has been elevated. In the ACC, it's basically Clemson right now, and that's what you're shooting at.

You don't have a lot of other stuff. You know, yeah, Pitt had a really good year and NC State had a decent year. But, like, it's there for the taking. You're going to compete against Clemson, and you don't have to go, go, like, push past like six other SEC heavyweights who are, honestly, they're better resource than they are in Ole Miss. So that's the interesting part of that. He has a ton of social media, you know, like a lot of the stuff that Miami, I think, buzz is about. Yes. It fits with him.

Yeah. All right. One minute left. Here's the committee last night. I tend to defend committees. I think it's hard. You're public. You get ripped.

I think Oklahoma State, I said it three weeks ago, is the most underreact. ready team in the country. I think they could play Georgia and make it uncomfortable, although I would take Georgia. So when you looked at the committee and you go Georgia one and Michigan 2 and Bama and Cincinnati and Oklahoma State and Notre Dame, I still think Ohio State would beat Notre Dame. I do not think Notre Dame as a national... They may have aspirations this year. I don't even think they're close to the top four or five team. I think Oklahoma State would blow them out. I think Ohio State would beat them bad. Are you any problems with that? The group? No. And I think honestly, the issue for Notre Dame, last week hurt them, not

because they played Stanford and Stanford stinks this year, but more because Wisconsin lost to Minnesota. Well, why does that really matter that much? That was their big one, wasn't it? They needed Wisconsin, who they whipped early in the year, and Wisconsin had started to go on a roll. They needed Wisconsin not only to play for the Big Ten title, they needed to win it.

If Wisconsin is 10 and three, that would give Notre Dame a big time win in their resume. Right now, arguably the best win is an eight and four Purdue. That's it. Right? You know, they just don't have enough. And I think that hurts them. I think...

They were also soundly beaten at home by Cincinnati. They were. Now, what is interesting is if Oklahoma State loses or even if Michigan gets knocked off by Iowa, I think, or potentially Cincinnati could lose. To me, the most interesting thing right now is going to be SEC. If Georgia beats Alabama and Alabama is a two-loss team, I wonder how far the committee would drop them because you got to remember if they lose, there are two-lossed team with one really good win.

It's Ole Miss. After that, I mean, we saw them struggle badly with a bad LSU team, bad Florida team, not a good Auburn team, right? But they won those games. But if they're sitting there at 11 and 2, does the committee say, yeah, they're the fourth best team. Sorry, George, you've got to beat them again. I don't know how the committee kind of does that. That's why it's no fun to be on committees.

It's very hard. Bruce Feldman, the athletic. Boy, we went 20 minutes on that. You're going to come out to Carson to watch our game? on Fox, the Mountain West game, San Diego State, Utah State? No. Are you deeply offended by that? No, our bosses are, though.

Oh, okay. I know. You have leverage. I got it. I got it. I heard. I was listening. It was a little tiny.

It was a little granular. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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. A win is a win. 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.

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Michigan Wolverines into their first ever Big Ten championship game looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs against number 13 Iowa. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern only on Fox in the Fox Sports Out. So I got Nick Wright and me arguing today, intense arguing. I've already got Lane Kiffin going to Miami. We've been talking about leverage all day long today. Listen, Mel Tucker's going to make $100 million. He's a 500 coach.

I don't begrudge him at all. He's put 15 years into coaching. I think he's got it. I think he's got a persona. He's got a presence. But if you looked at his resume, you'd be like, he can't make what Brian Kelly makes. But he does because he has leverage.

And Michigan State's boosters are billionaires and they love sports. You're worth what someone's willing to pay you. Yes. And by the way, that's why college athletes at 19, six of them in the whole country are making money on NIL. Because most of them don't have leverage. Alabama quarterback star program, Bryce Young, you can get some money. 99% of players, it's just easy to rush to your social media accounts and say, players deserve the same as coaches. No, no, no.

Coaches are literally the CEO of a billion dollar brand. players, the following year they bring in 25 new players. Players get hurt. They get tackled. Coaches don't get tackled. You know they'll be there as long as they're winning. Yeah. And it's also not the pros.

Yeah. It's a different business model in the pros. Players have never had more power. We got college football players making $100,000. And by the way, now can skip an irrelevant bowl game. And we're like, yeah, of course. We're on their side. Yeah, I don't know why it has to be polarizing.

Why does it have to be you support players? Because I think there's a- And that means you don't support coaches. I think there's a percentage of people in the media. I think fans get it overwhelmingly. I think the media, there's a, you and I aren't in this, there's a percentage of people in the media who are resent the power. A lot of people in the media, by the way, not just sports media, media resent power.

They attack power because they see power is bad, which, by the way, sometimes it can be. I'm a big believer in regulations on Wall Street. It's been proven if you don't have regulations on Wall Street, it gets corrupt fast. Right. Right. So I am for lots of regulations. I live in a state in California. It's got a lot of regulations. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yeah. Like California's got a lot of regulations. I'm a business owner. Like I pay a lot for it. I'd rather have more regulations that creates a fair opportunity than some of these states.

I mean, you've got states changing, voting lines and where you can vote. It's like, yay, no thanks. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. by Mercedes-Bets, the best or nothing. There's nothing wrong with holding people accountable. But you're not paying his check. Like, you're not the one paying him.

Right. Like, I get it when it's like, wait a minute. Like, we're the taxpayers and we're paying for this. And then you can complain. But like, I'm not losing any money because Brian Kelly went jealous. Yeah, I'm not saying players don't have power. I'm saying do not. Well, also just have some perspective and nuance in the situation.

Yeah. It's like everything else. There's nuance to it. Yes. if you have turned around a billion-dollar brand, you're going to be worth more than a 19-year-old wide receiver. And I'm very, very pro-player about everything. Yes.

And I think I'm 75-25 pro-player. Yeah. So Daniel Jones might not play this week against the dolphins. He suffered a strained neck in Sunday's game against the Eagles. Joe Judge says he's not ruled out for Sunday, but he did practice today. The plan, according to Joe Judge, is that Jones will also practice tomorrow and Friday and then undergo an evaluation.

so Mike Glennon would get the start of Joneses out. That's the bet of the week. Miami's going to roll. It would be his first start of the season. Right. That's kind of what we're talking about this because Miami has been on a roll. Oh, and by the way, I'm not a huge fan of Tua, but the comparisons to breeze, when you look at his completion percentage,

the one thing we said with Tua, even I said, he's accurate. Boy, is he? He's like 80% accurate. He is, and that's, again, why the whole conversation around Tua and all of these young players is if you're going to bring them into a situation, evaluate them. Yeah. Like that's the San Francisco situation is an outlier. Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith is an outlier.

Brett Farve and Aaron Rogers is an outlier. In most of these situations, you need to find out what these players are. Isn't it fascinating? So, like, Tua is going to win this weekend again. So Miami may very well either get into the playoffs or win like eight of their last night in games. and if Tua continues to complete 75% of his throws, it's a weak draft. And this is where I plead patience.

They're probably not going to draft a quarterback because they need to still rebuild the offensive line. And there's going to be none on the market. So Brian Flores will go into his third year with Tua as his quarterback in a division with Josh Allen and Belichick and Mac Jones. So I think they almost have to give Tua another year. year. So when you always want to run these coaches, I am absolutely certain that Brian,

I am certain that Brian Flores is an excellent coach. But he may go into next year with two again, and he's not a top 12 quarterback. And this is a league where it's hard to win a lot without a top 12 quarterback. People, you got to identify a coach beyond just, what does he have as a quarterback? What does he have as an owner? Like Kevin Stefanski, historically crazy ownership, a quarterback who's very inconsistent. Kevin Stavansky's the right guy.

Yes, yes. We're talking about coaches a lot today in college space and in pros. It's easy to run the coach out. It's easy to put the blame on the coach because front office certainly isn't going to fire themselves. Ownership's not going anywhere. Whatever role they played in how this became

the disaster that it is in the situation that you do that. But yes, Brian Flores is the right guy. Joe Judge is probably the right guy. They're just, they need the talents to be able to work with. And that's why now you're getting to see Tua in a full evaluation. You can see what he is. And that's why bailing and being impatient and talking about the Sean Watson, like, do it or don't. But now, even no matter how to a plays, how do you really feel about it at the end of the

season if they don't win a playoff game? You really don't know because it's been so much disruption throughout the season. So they are five point underdard. dogs to the dolphins on Sunday, according to Foxbat. So the bills have officially placed Darius White on injured reserve towards ACL on Thanksgiving against the Saints. This is a huge loss

for the bills. White allowed a 61.4 passer rating when targeted this season, according to pro football focus. So that's the fourth lowest amongst all CBs with at least 25 targets. He's a huge part of their defense and they're going to have to find a way to replace him. Dane Jackson is the one who,

will be replacing him right now. He's made two starts in his career and he's played just two games this season, week two and week 12, when White went down with injury. There's 7-4 and are one game behind the Patriots in the AFC East. They host the Patriots on Monday night and this is a massive massive Monday night game. They're currently three-point favorites according to Borsbad. I may have a party

at my house for that game. That feels like a party game. Is it in the moment? Is it the biggest game of the year? It's gigantic. It's very important. Big. And the Bill's defense without him is going to, it's going to be a big adjustment. I mean, they've been great this year and he's been a cornerstone of that. So I think that's the biggest game of the year.

It's darn big. I have to look, but it's pretty big. So LeBron was forced to miss last night's game against the Kings after testing positive for COVID-19. He was placed in health and safety protocols. And he was given follow-up tests and he's fully vaccinated. reportedly asymptomatic, which is great, but he could miss as many as 10 days, according to the protocols.

He could return sooner if he returns at least two consecutive negative tests. So it might not be 10 days. But he's now missed 12 games this season, two with right ankle soreness, eight with a strained stomach muscle, and one due to suspension in year 19. Now, they played well last night. They beat the Kings convincingly,

which is what they needed to do, 117, 92 without LeBron, and they are eighth in the western. conference. So then over the next 10 days, they play the Clippers, Celtics. They're at the Grizzlies and at the Thunder, which is... Oh, yeah. Ws. They're... Well, about the Thunder. They struggle with the Thunder this year, but that's their line up for the next 10 days. They don't play the Suns, I don't think, until December 21. So they have, they've been very fortunate with this LeBron stuff. They're playing dogs.

Well, they need to find a way to win without LeBron. And that is on Anthony Davis. And as Nick Wright said earlier, he's got to stop playing the... the way he's playing, you can't shoot 19% from the outside consistently. Like, that's not, you're not aiding the team in that space. So they'll have to figure it out without LeBron, at least possibly over the next 10 days. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lie News. Journalist right there. Joy has always given us new stuff. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world.

That's right, Dan. Every week, we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sit, starts. Fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready. dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

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

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 Jay. 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. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you here on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Pittsburgh Steelers are 5, 5 and 1 in the last three weeks. They've tied the Detroit Lions and lost two road games.

They are on the precipice. if you look at their remaining schedule of going over a cliff. It's not going to be pretty. There is no succession plan. The remaining schedule has got Baltimore at Minnesota, Tennessee, at Kansas City. I still think Cleveland's got a lot of good players at Baltimore. They could literally lose all of them. I mean, that's what you're looking at.

They could lose all of them. So it's getting a little tense there. And Chase Claypool, the wide receiver, says, I think I know a little something that could help us. this is something I've said since I was in college because we never had it but I think like maybe some music but help but uh we have music in the in the warmups and that's so it's fun and people are dancing and having fun so I think maybe music would make practice a little more fond and a little more up tempo that's my one suggestion but coach T's been doing this a lot longer than I have music is the answer okay dokey Mike Tomlin talked about that out and I'll let him do that. I'll formulate the practice approach and I think that division of labor is probably appropriate. Mike's right. Steeder fans put your seatbelt on. I like Mike Tomlin. I put him into the Hall of Fame. I like Pete Carroll, I'd put him in the Hall of Fame.

I have had multiple executives through the years say they both run a very emotional culture. Nothing wrong with it. It's won a lot of games. They both got trophies. but when you have a little looser culture and it goes sideways, it can go downhill fast. Eagles, Super Bowl, Seahawks this year, over the cliff. Steelers, I think, are going to go over the cliff. When you have a little tighter, more restrictive culture, I know nobody wants that. Nobody wants the mean boss. New England has slight erosion and they're back to being good.

Cultures matter. There is a best case scenario for the Steelers. It's not the draft. But it's just something to think about. And I do not think this is a reach. The best, best thing for the Steelers is to go get Russell, Wilson, or Aaron Rogers. Now, let's just talk Aaron because the flirting between Tomlin and Aaron was substantial. Now, I don't think Green Bay should let him go, and I've said that.

I'd rip up the contract today, trade Jordan Love, it's all years ago. but there are scenarios and I think what I'm about to say is incredibly fair Aaron can be moody and a little Green Bay getting a lot of love Aaron loses in the playoffs COVID toe never shakes it starts getting criticism can't be Brady tired of your nonsense overrated Aaron doesn't take kind to it and decides I'm out Pittsburgh is obviously a great landing spot. He'd get that great defense because Pittsburgh does defense and wide receivers as well as anybody and they've rebuilt their own line and have a star back.

This felt like something yesterday. Aaron Rogers suggested the Packers coaches are blabbing about his broken toe. He says, you see these reports? I don't know what they're coming from. I don't know who's talking. It seems like there are certain coaches that may have friends in the media. They don't realize they're actually just trying to report on things. kind of thrown coach under the bus.

I don't think Aaron thinks anything of it to say that, but it shows, don't kid yourself. Aaron's prickly and temperamental and is prone to getting sensitive, and it's all good now. That toe doesn't heal properly, COVID tour, whatever they call it. He and his Dr. Joe Rogan, you know, they can't get it right. playoff loss, starts getting heat for it.

Packer coaches out there throwing stuff out. Steeler fans, you have been irrelevant for like 30 straight years. There was the 80s, the Packers were irrelevant. By the way, the 80s, the Yankees were irrelevant. There have been decades where Alabama football was irrelevant. It doesn't last. Trees don't grow over the sky.

It doesn't last. Put your seatbelts on. You look at that Steeler schedule. you are headache. You got players talking about. We'd be better if we could have music. Man, you'd better put your foot down on that stuff. Like, just Aaron and the Steelers.

Just keep your eye on it. Just keep your eye on it. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's, Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have with, but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the

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

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.