The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - CJ Stroud is special

Episode Date: September 19, 2024

Colin talks to Greg Cosell from NFL Films to explain what makes Texans QB CJ Stroud so special He makes his favorite bets of the week  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jordan Palmer next hour, too. He's going to go through all these young quarterbacks. Greg Kosell in about three minutes. I was talking about this. I got a text from a general manager in the league last night. And I was, you know, just asking about a lot of these young quarterbacks that he said, boy, Anthony Richardson at Indianapolis, you have got to be concerned. Shane Steichen is one of the smartest guys in the league, so it's interesting. Anthony Richardson faces Caleb Williams this week.

It's a surprisingly important game because you have two young quarterbacks, the greatest quarterback athlete from last year, and we had all this hope. It has been brutal. I just look now, he's the worst in the NFL since the start of last season. He's completing 55% of his throws. The best guys in this league are at 66, 6.6. 67. That is, that's just that the line of demarcation in the NFL is 60%. 55 is not close. And again, Green Bay's defense is in all world. On throws five yards downfield. So when you make him throw just down the field a little bit,

his completion percentage is 40%. So when he's not doing bubble screens and you just ask him to throw it downfield, he's not an NFL quarterback. And with that I'm going to bring in Greg Kossel 45 years, NFL films. Let's talk about that. I heard you were on the Ross Tucker podcast. I thought Malik Willis was kind of done, but when I watched Malik compared to Anthony Richardson,

I thought, oh, Malik is highly functional. This works in the NFL. Now, of course, he has Matt Lefleur, who's now becoming more of a veteran coach. But you tell me, of all these young quarterbacks, and I'll get to Caleb in a second, but does Anthony Richardson, are we getting to a point where you're looking at it thinking, I'm not sure he's

an NFL quarterback? Well, Colin, the way I look at this, and I've been giving this a lot of thought over the last couple of years, because what is the college game giving the NFL? They're giving the NFL quarterbacks that are really high-level athletes. Many of them have big power arms like Anthony Richardson, and they can make special plays. Look, we saw him week one make some special plays. The problem is, is they don't make enough of the routine plays. Right.

Okay? Is the basic concepts that need to be executed that pretty much are taught, in high school, they don't make enough of those routine plays. And we don't talk about that enough. You talked about five-yard throws. I mean, there's basic routes, something called Y-stick or snag-flat. Basic route concepts that are simple reads that a lot of these young quarterbacks with the big arms, they don't make those throws.

They don't throw it the right way. They throw it too hard. And so now it becomes a balance. And, you know, I'm sure you think about it as well. what's the balance between being efficient from the pocket let's say it's one to ten ten being the best they don't have to be a ten but what's the balance between being efficient in the pocket and being able to make special plays can you be a really good NFL quarterback if you're a four from the pocket just because you can make a special play here and there and by the way those special plays

don't happen every week right so let's go let's talk about guys that have been in the league a while I was really high on Trevor Lawrence out of college. You push back a lot. You told me second year you're like he's not Josh Allen. He's not that. You are right on this. He does not win enough games. Now, he's got size.

He is mobile. He's got a good enough arm. But you tell me, like, what's been the issue this year with Trevor Lawrence, somebody you hold has been a little skeptical about? Yeah, and I like Trevor Lawrence. I mean, I thought he threw the ball extremely well week one. This past week, I thought he missed a few throws that were there to be made. I thought his offensive line didn't play particularly well.

Keep in mind, and I thought about this when he came out of Clemson, he's a big, long athlete. By the way, he's a very good athlete. He throws the ball really well on the run. But he's a strider as a quarterback. So what happens a lot with Trevor is not that he can't make throws, he can make every throw, but when the pocket gets a little squeeze, Colin, because he's a strider, he tends to speed everything up. He speeds up his mechanics.

He speeds up his delivery. And at times, that leads to some lost energy on certain throws, and it leads to him missing some throws with poor ball placement. But I think if he's protected, and of course, I know we can say this about any quarterback, but there's no question he's good enough physically to be a top 10 quarterback in the league. It hasn't quite worked out that way on a week-to-week basis, but he's got those traits. but I think there are some things that still need to be cleaned up. So somebody we both liked out of college, I probably more than you.

Even I have been surprised that Sam Darnold without his number one receiver, number two receiver, number one tight end was moving the ball in the Niners. So is it scheme with Kevin O'Connell? Has Darnold cleaned up as, you know, his mechanics? Like, what are you seeing with Darnold who has been really strong? Yeah, I think that it's some with mechanics, because Kevin O'Connell is really, really good with lower body mechanics and the coordination of lower body mechanics and upper body mechanics. Because quarterbacks start from the ground up. That's where it starts.

And the other thing is scheme. Look, every offensive coordinator in this league, Colin, is trying to get the ball to the primary read on every play. We know that doesn't happen all the time, but some coaches are better than others at doing that based on their route concepts versus anticipated coverages. And Kevin O'Connell's very, very good at that. So you're seeing a quarterback that's far more decisive. Look, you like San Donald from the time he came out of USC. You know he's gifted as a thrower. There's no problem with his physical traits as an NFL quarterback.

There never was. The problem at times seemed to be decision-making, his ability to eliminate and isolate the right throw. So if you can really help him by defining that primary read more often than not, he'll throw the ball really well, and through two games, that's been the case. So years ago, I had somebody tell me, and it's been confirmed that Aaron Rogers in Green Bay didn't like a lot of cute motion. He didn't want to look like Miami, San Francisco, McVeigh. He just, he doesn't like it. Okay, that was fine because he had better personnel and a better coach

in Green Bay. He goes to New York through two games, and my take is it's a remedial offense. It doesn't move a lot. Right. And he's no longer an athlete. He's closer to Kirk Cousins than Mahomes. And I think if you're not going to escape the pocket, like a golf, a Kirk Cousins, and now Aaron Rogers, you've got to give me some bells and whistles. You've got to give me some movement. It becomes much more imperative.

If there's nothing off script, you have to be superior on script. I've watched the Jets first two weeks. Greg, I'm an amateur at this. It looks very predictable. I mean, even their first several series. It's four yards punt. Those are scripted plays. What's wrong with the offense, or is it just limited in personnel?

I don't think it's limited in personnel. Now that Mike Williams is back, you've got the big boundary X. He made a big catch this week on the fourth quarter. Touchdown drive on a back shoulder fade. They've got Garrett Wilson, who is a truly movable chess piece and a really, really good receiver. I think they've got some quality tight ends. They've got Breeze Hall. They've got Allen, who's a nice compliment.

So I don't think it's a lack of personnel. I think in some ways what Rogers could be saying, and again, I don't know how he thinks about this, but Rogers is so smart that I'm sure he feels that if the defense is static and he knows where they're going to be, even if there's some disguise in late rotation, he has a feel for what that would be based on their initial look, then he feels extremely comfortable knowing where he's going to go with the ball. I mean, he is incredibly intelligent as a quarterback, and he sees everything. When you start with motion, don't forget the defense also moves too, and sometimes it can be predictable in its movement and sometimes not.

So my sense is he probably likes the defense static. Now, I think it's only game two. It's two games. So we'll see, I think, this offense develop and evolve as the year progresses. Okay, that's fair, especially with the emergence of Mike Williams. Again, a really unique body type that's hard to defend. So a quarterback you've liked for a long time that doesn't get a lot of love as Kirk Cousin. So last year, with all these same pieces, they just were enemic.

And we don't think of Kirk Cousins as this dynamic athlete. I mean, I don't know if he's that much bigger than Desmond Ritter, but you watched him mow through and the last drive against Philadelphia. That's high-level quarterback play. The audience, the fans may not love him and fantasy people may not love him, but what is he providing that the guy last year couldn't even move the ball. Yeah, I think you're dealing with what we started this conversation with is that people now tend to respond far more to those outside of structure plays with the assumption being that you

can't be a quality NFL quarterback unless you can make those kinds of plays. Cousins is a professional pocket quarterback. He knows how to read defenses. He knows how to play with timing and rhythm. He knows where the ball should go. He knows Colin how to make the right throw to the right receiver. at the right time. Is he going to be dynamic with his legs? No. Are there going to be games here and there where the defense wins and he doesn't play at a high level? Yes, that's going to happen. But he is a professional quarterback who knows how to play from the pocket, knows how to deliver the football, understands what he's looking at. There's always going to be a place for that kind of quarterback in the National Football League. So Arizona, when you start looking at their

personnel, every year there's a team that shocks us, and they lost to Buffalo, but in the manner in which they lost, McBride, Connor, now Marvin Harrison, Kyler Murray's elusiveness and ball placement, you start looking at them and you're like, I don't know. I know the Rams were beat up. I thought Kyler was the best football player in the National Football League last weekend. I thought he was insane just in terms of his ability to move the pocket, deliver the football.

I don't know if you love, Kyler. Your take on this new staff, these new ways. these new weapons is maybe he turned a page. I don't think we know the answer to that yet. Now, certainly he's going to make those kinds of plays we've been speaking about. He made a couple of those last week against the Rams, and he'll always do that. That's the kind of quarterback he is. Because of his size, he tends to play a little frenetically, but that's just who he is.

He's always going to be that guy. The question is, how efficient can he be from the pocket? I mean, we just saw the 60-yard touchdown to Marvin Harrison. That was a great play by Kyler because that play was actually designed to be a throwback pass to McBride, and he didn't feel like he had the throw, so he kept rolling out, and then he hit Harrison, who also did a great job not abandoning his route. But Kyler's always going to make plays outside of structure. The question is, can he make those necessary plays from in the pocket?

And he made a few throws last week that I thought were really, really good from the pocket. And if he can get better at that, you know, he'll never be. Tom Brady or Drew Brees. But if he can get better at that, then he can be a really good quarterback on a weekly basis as opposed to a spectacular quarterback that is a game-to-game proposition. Let's circle back now, Colts Bears this week, to Caleb Williams. So I had Matt Hasselbeck on Monday, and I was lamenting the Bears' offensive line, and he shook his head and said, a lot of these are on Caleb. So you've been doing this looking at Phil for 45 years. Who's to blame for what a It appears to be, it's like backyard football.

It's like man overboard on every snap when he throws it. Colin, there's a significant difference, which I think a lot of people are unclear about, between leaving the pocket and making plays with your legs outside the pocket and moving within the pocket. Those are two totally different things. For people who are older, like myself and can think of Dan Marino, a master at moving within the pocket. Tom Brady, who probably ran a six flat 40, a master. at moving within the pocket. That is an area that Caleb Williams needs to get better at. We know he can be great getting out of the pocket, but those are two different traits.

That is one area he needs to get better at. And one thing that he has to stop doing in the NFL is retreating backwards. You can't retreat backwards in the NFL. There may be one quarterback I've ever seen that can do that, and that's Lamar Jackson. But you can't play that way. So he has to learn to move within the pocket to sort of find a quiet space in which to deliver the football. Because I'll tell you what, the ball comes out of his hand beautifully. He is a beautiful throw over the football. Okay. Before we get to the big play, my hometown Seahawks are 2 and 0.

My friends are always like, we've got to get a quarterback. But with this defense and this coach, you can win a lot of games with their weapons and they're running. game with Gino Smith. Gino's a big guy who throws strikes. He's an accurate. And so I think Seattle's one of those teams, all of us in the sports casting business were like, if this coach is as good as like a D'Amico Ryan's, we've seen bad teams or average teams get good fast. What do you make a Gino and the Seahawks overall in this new team, this new coach? Well, Colin, I have to admit, I think people still think of Gino Smith from 10 years ago. Yeah. Gino Smith has developed into a pretty sound quarterback.

He throws the ball really well. I think that the system they have now with Ryan Grubb from the University of Washington is a good one because he's very good at designing intermediate and vertical route concepts, and Gino can make every throw. They've got three really, really good weapons on the perimeter, and Noah Fan is a quality tight end that actually has some speed. So I actually like their offense. I like the design of it, and I think Gino is a good throw over the football.

that'll make all my Pacific Northwest friends happy. Finally, a quarterback, his comp out of college, and by the way, this is a good comp, was Jared Goff with a little better mobility. And I remember watching the Ohio State, and I said, that's a good comp. That's a really, Lance Zerline made that comp as a kind of a scout. And I'm like, yeah, I like that comp. But like Goff, I didn't see a lot of juice athletically. Well, he's got more.

We saw him against Georgie, ran around. You're like, like Herbert at Oregon in his last game against Wisconsin. and they didn't let him run. He did, and you're like, oh, Herbert can move. Oh, C.J. Stroud can move. But it's the pocket stuff to me. He is a complete outlier. I said this this week.

Forget the layups. I mean, he didn't even think about those like Mahomes. His ability to make hard throws, and they're seemingly effortless. The ball just comes out. I mean, it jumps off the television. Does it not? No, let me tell you something, Colin.

This kid, as far as timing, anticipation, making window throws between the numbers versus zone coverage, this kid is really high level. I remember watching week two his rookie year last year against the Colts and thinking, wow, I haven't seen this from a lot of veteran quarterbacks, and you're 100% right. And you don't see that a lot in college because the college game is different with the hash marks wider. You don't see a lot of those tight window throws that just require such an innate natural feel

for timing and anticipation. If you were sitting with me watching tape, when he starts his delivery, when he first separates his hands, you'd say, who's he throwing it to? And then he throws it to an open space, and all of a sudden there's Nico Collins. There's Tank Dell.

He is a master. He's really high level. And actually, the play we're going to look at, if you want to get to it, is a perfect, perfect example of that. It's from last week. It's the touchdown against a touchdown he threw to Nico Collins. And you're seeing it now,

and we'll take a look at it because it's really good on so many different levels. Now, you're going to see Stroud. He's going to be in the gun right here. And there's going to be a three-by-one set. And they do this a lot with Nico Collins, what we call the Boundary X, the single receiver to the short side of the field. Now, what Stroud's looking at is what we call a too-high structure. He sees two-deep safeties. So the middle is open right now.

And this look could be two-man coverage. That could be the pre-snap look. So he has to be aware of that. It looks like it could be man-to-man across the board with two high safeties. Now, as this play starts, it's not going to be that, but he doesn't know that before the play starts. So now, as we start to run this, you're going to see it's going to become a different coverage. It's going to become cover two. Now, there's still going to be two deep safeties, but the corners are not playing man-to-man coverage.

So there you see the two deep safeties, and you're going to see the underneath-the-one-safeties. and you're going to see the underneath coverage as well. They retreated so you know it's not manned because they retreated backwards. So now what you're going to get here is he's going to be working against cover two, not two-man coverage. So there's the coverage. So now where's a void? One void in cover two is right in the middle. Yep.

So now Nico Collins is running an in-breaking route into that void. But it's when he delivers this football. He delivers this football before Collins, clears that underneath defender. This is the timing and anticipation and just the natural feel for when to deliver the football. These are not easy throws. They look easy the way he does that. He does this all the time. So I would argue that he's a playmaker from the pocket. We think of quarterbacks who are playmakers when they run out of the pocket, Colin. But C.J. Strout is a playmaker from the pocket at a really, really high level. Yeah, one of the things that makes sports so

great at all levels, especially football because we watch these kids in college for years, so we're emotionally connected. When you get a surprise, again, his comp was a good player, a Super Bowl quarterback, but to be this, and we saw it with Lamar Jackson, by the way, too, his second year. You're just like, wow,

that transfers from college to pro. It makes it so fun and good for C.J. Stroud. Good kid, and Texans are for real. Greg, CoSell, 45 years NFL films. Thanks, Greg. Thanks, Colin. I appreciate it. Yeah, it's just, you don't get a lot of these at any position.

I mean, most of the, if you look at the history of left tackles, they mostly go in the first round. If you look at the history of great quarterbacks, it's first or early second round. But occasionally, I can remember Dak Prescott, and I don't think he's great, but Dak's good B-plus. Mississippi State, he had accuracy issues, but they didn't have a lot of round and bad O-line. He goes to Dallas with a great O-line and a great run game. Preseason game, I think, at the Coliseum, I was like, whoa, that was. works and he had 13 and 3 his first year. Every couple years, you just get a shock.

You just cannot believe. I mean, I think Puka Nakua, the receiver for the Rams, who was unguardable in the NFL, I watched him play at Washington, BYU. I'm like, yeah, he's a rotational guy. He's the number of three. He had like a month where he was the best receiver in the league. So it's just what makes the league great. The surprise is the drama.

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-Hart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, 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 in sports and entertainment,

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Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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, so. 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.

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J. Mack, it's fun during the break to listen to him. He kind of gives away some of his picks for the weekend. So I got to listen in. He has really turned on McBey and Stafford. Stop, that is not accurate. I was just reading off the depth chart for the Rams at wide receiver. Do you want to hear it? Yeah.

Okay, we got 2-2-out-well. Not great. We got Jordan Whittington. Very, very interesting rookie out of Texas. DeMarcus Robinson? Bounced around the league, dependable number three. Tyler Johnson. Went to Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Went to Tampa, I think. Had one great catch with Brady down there. I remember on the sideline. A good solid receiver again feels more three. And that's it. That's it. Four receivers. They like to run three receiver sets.

Somebody turns an ankle, Colin. What are we doing? It's very bleak for the race. Blake Corum, Kyron Williams, you run the football. Ronnie Rivers? Maybe line him up out of Fresno State? Yeah. Look at you flexing your knowledge of college football players.

I'm a mock draft nerd. I acknowledge that. J. Mack with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Cowboys Ravens, Week 3. It's a big one. Cowboys got blasted by the Saints last week. yesterday on speak. Michael Irvin, the playmaker, spoke to the pressure on Mike McCarthy

and whether the Cowboys are still America's team. I've never, ever worried about that old America's team moniker, but now I am. When we start talking about the lack of people that showed up at training camp, and Jerry, we talk about it all the time on this desk, how much Jerry always wants to promote. That means you want to be.

be in front of people. And if no one's showing up, that means there's a lack of belief in Cowboys Nation. You better believe there is not too much pressure that you can put on Mike McCarthy. By the way, you see Irvin's guns? I mean, what is it with the former players here? James Jones is wearing tight shirts. These guys are all jacked beyond belief. Well, they were pro athletes. Yeah, but they were pro athletes years ago, decades ago. Well, you and I work out. And then We don't have the DNA advantage of being kind of 6-4 and jacked. By the way, Cowboys could probably use Michael Hart. You know what's interesting?

They don't have any receivers either. CD-LAM, by the way. I'll argue that CD-Lam is their only truly great player. Because if you're a great player, you have to be good home away, regardless of the match. Miles Garrett is good against every tackle. T.J. Watts, good against every tackle. Micah Parsons can disappear against better tackles. DAC regresses against really good teams.

C.D. Lamb is Dallas's only great player. To win a Super Bowl, you've got to have about six guys playing at a high level in their prime. So you had a stat earlier that Lamar's 20 and one against the NFC. And what's your reasoning behind that? Because if you do not see Lamar Jackson on a regular basis, he is so shockingly twitchy and fast. You have nobody on your practice squad that can duplicate it. I've heard teams in the NFL use receivers in practice.

All right, just kind of run around to see what Lamar does. So he's a very hard guy. I mean, listen, Brady was hard to prepare for, but you kind of knew what you had. Brilliant pocket guy. Lamar can throw it from the pocket or it's just... Totally agree. That makes all the sense in the world. So I just went and looked at the last Cowboys Ravens matchup.

You remember the last time the Cowboys? I do not. 2020. What was it? What did it look like? Dak was hurt. Andy Dalton was the quarterback. It was a prime time game, I'm pretty sure.

And the Ravens rushed for like 300 yards. Lamar, two touchdown passes, rushed for like 94. The Cowboys haven't seen him in four years. Why is this line only one? What am I missing you? Well, I like the Ravens. I do too. But are we missing something?

Maybe the Ravens just aren't that good, Colin? Well, that's possible. And Dallas has a good pass rush. The two lines to me that didn't make a ton of sense is the Jets favored by six. So my guess is, with the emergence of that rookie running back and Mike Williams, people feel like the Jets offense, to Greg CoSell's point, is going to get better every week. And this week tonight, the Jets offense will pop because it hasn't for two weeks. So my guess is what you're thinking is Mike Williams, the rookie running back is going to get more looks the longer the season goes, is that the Jets offense has more growth than I see. This is the NFL telling you we just don't think the Ravens are that good.

It's hard for me to swallow because they've been good for, it feels like a decade straight. Let's just say that the Ravens don't blow a 10.4th quarter lead against the Raiders, and they win by, let's say they win by three or seven. They're a toe from being two and a half. Okay. What would you say the line here is, at least three? If I would have guessed, well, it's in Dallas. I would have said Ravens minus two and a half.

Does Dallas have a home field advantage as significant? I don't think so. Well, no, no, they've been a very good home favorite. Against bad teams. Well, they're not going to be favored against good teams. they don't beat good teams a lot, but they're a very good home favorite. I don't think we know if either of these teams have a good defense. I think that's reasonable to say, right?

Like, I don't know about the Cowboys. Derek Carr looked like fucking Tom Brady last week. So it's a great game. Very, very excited for it, and I'm with you. I'm on the Ravens. Next up, the Chargers. Boy, what a start under Jim Harbaugh. 2-0.

J.K. Dobbins leading the NFL in rushing. What a resurgence. Harbaugh had some all-time. quotes throughout the off season, back in his days at Michigan. He's just a great quote machine. He dropped another one yesterday talking about his staff of the Chargers. Like Moses, I'm going to die leaning on my staff. Greg Roman, Jesse Minter, Ryan Ficking, those coordinators are, you know, my opinion, some of the best in the business. He's a machine. Two best

quotes in the league, Tomlin and Harbaugh. I like the Chargers here if Herbert plays. What's the update on Herbert's health? Waiting for the practice reports now. Now the Chargers stayed east. Remember, it wasn't not like a ton of travel. I am looking into this game. So who's the Chargers OC, Colin? Greg Roman.

Yeah, Greg Roman. Where do you come from? Baltimore. Okay. How often did Pittsburgh see the Greg Roman offense twice a year for the last three, four years? That's a good call. There's going to be some familiarity here. Very interesting. I don't know that Dobbins and Gus the bus are going to go off as easily.

They know Romans' tendencies. They know what he likes. And now you've got a hobbled Herbert. I kind of like the Chargers. I like the under. There's probably a stay away, right? Oh, under, yeah, for sure. Okay, here it is.

Justin Herbert was back at practice today. His ankle was heavily taped. So he's in his 20s. That means he gets to sleep on it Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night. So he's going to have a ginger. ankle, but he should play. And he's going to be running from TJ Watt. The last guy, the last quarterback we saw hobbled, running from T.J. Watt was Kirk Cousins in week one. Had that workout.

I think the line on this is appropriately. I think it's a very low-scoring close game. If you give me the Chargers plus two points, I'd take him. At minus one and a half, it stay away. But if I get two or more for the Chargers, then I would take it. I think it's, I think it's the lowest scoring game of the weekend. Yeah, lowest scoring total of the season. I think I saw three-five. I think it's a, so whenever, when you get a total that's like mid or low 30s, take the points. If you have a

if you get a great coach, I have a coach and a quarterback advantage in my opinion. If I'm getting points and it's up to two, two and a half, charge of a good bet. Harbaugh is an advantage over Tomah? That might be a push. Well, today, it's an offensive sport and Jim's an offensive guy.

Well, it's funny you say that. One of your favorite talking points is always take the defensive coach over the offensive coach. No, no, take the offensive coach Offensive coach over defense. Sorry, I got that mixed up. So far, last week, defensive coaches throttled offensive coaches. 8 and O. Heads up. Defensive coaches are winning. It's early.

I know the offenses weren't there in the preseason, but we're starting to see some shifts in strategy and offense versus defense, Colin. Well, time out. Oh, so not all defensive coaches won when they faced offensive coaches. Yes. Some there were defensive defensive head coaches battling, but. There's some stuff happening in this league now. I'm seeing people complain about the lack of offense, and we need to adjust things. It's almost NBA-ish. Hey, we can't have 89-84 NBA games.

We need high school. I think scoring down in the NFL, some of these games... Well, I have a theory on that, which will take too much time. But we're also seeing the last several years a lot of young quarterbacks play immediately, immediately. And so we have an infusion. We've had a lot of quarterbacks drafted in the first round the last several years outside of the Kenny Pickett year. And they're being asked to play immediately, and people bail on them at the end of year, too, like Kenny Pickett if they don't see what they like. So this league's gotten very, very, the owners now are billionaires.

It's all rounding errors. It used to be you would keep a staff for another year because you didn't want to pay, you know, $24 million. These guys now will write off a staff. They'll write out $48 million. They make that in the market. these owners now the pressure now is top down the owners are all billion

even the poorest owners of billionaire and so what happens is they get more impatient the more money you have in life generally we all get a little impatient if we want something we want it because we can afford it I want a car if you didn't have the money you'd wait for another year

if you were rich you'd say I'm going to buy out of the lease and get this car I really like that's how NFL owners are reacting they're just getting out of contracts out of quarterbacks let's it's a very very impulsive league. It didn't feel from the owners. And by the way, the coach and the GM can feel that. And so they're making more drastic, urgent decisions.

Yeah, no, that's a good point. Final story is the Seahawks on the league's surprising team so far, 2 and 0 in the NFC West. They are struggling against a spread, 0 and 2 for what that's worth. D.K. Metcalfe believes the offense is waiting for an explosion. Here's his response. to Jackson Smith-Najibah's breakout game in with two.

I don't think it was good. I think it's bad for the defenses that try to cover us from here on now because you got locked, me, Jacks, and you still haven't seen Noah. You saw Ken, week one, Zach Sharman, they still has to break out. So I think, you know, it's just a ticking time bomb. Interesting team. You know, I said this. Nothing against Pete Carroll, but I thought their last three drafts

When John Snyder was going to leave for Detroit, Seattle, the Allen family signed him. He got more power. And John Snyder really controlled the draft to a greater degree. I think they've had three straight. Two for sure, but maybe three straight, really good drafts. I think Seattle's got good personnel. When you watch Seattle play, great corners, dynamic backs, dynamic receivers, they're, you know, Gino and Gino's not asked to do much.

Gino, complete passes. He completes like 74% of his throws. So for whatever reason, I can never get the right Gino Smith game. Anytime I back him, he turns into Jets Gino Smith. And then when I don't back him, he's like, oh, 385 yards, 4 touchdowns. It's like, I can never predict it. What's your guess, Miami against Gino Smith here?

I think Seattle's probably the easiest win of the weekend, right? That's what I keep thinking. So why is the line coming down? It's another one. I think, I mean, listen, you're getting, With Tua out, Seattle's got more good players. Now, the best players, Tyreek Hill. Well, you know who the number one graded cornerback is in the league so far?

Tyreek Wollin of Seattle. No, no. Now, they did face Bo Nix and Jacoby Brissette. No, but Seattle's corners are good. They have nailed mid-round draft corners. I think Wooten was a receiver part-time in college. They got him fifth or sixth round. He was a stud.

Yeah, Wollin. He's very good. So I like Seattle, and this offense, I think there's something here. No Kenneth Walker is not great. He gets hurt a lot. Good. Oh, he's great. Charbonnet.

I know we like him, UCLA guy, but didn't quite see the pop. Walker's a out of Michigan State. Tremendous player. He gets dinged up a lot. He runs hard. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lie News. Big bets are Thursday. Big Big Ten bets coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd. in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show.

We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubber lips. Blame and me. Well, you know what? It's called Overpromise. You should be good at it because you've been over-promising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino and Rich After Show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course. But we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over-Promised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, make sure you check out Over-Promise.

And also, uncensored, by the way. So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after-show podcast of all time. There you go. Over-promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino & Rich on the IHeartRadio 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.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

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

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

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

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 hear 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 iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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 blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday, it's an NFL doubleheader on Fox as Jalen Hertz leads the Eagles against the Saints or other regional action. then in America's game of the week, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Take on Dak and the Cowboys. Check for the games in your area only on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Those are good games.

Fox got the good games this weekend. Fox got the good ones. The best early, the best late. And I'm happy I don't have to watch the jets on like a side separate TV because they're playing tonight. I can focus on all the games. Red zone. Come on, Red zone's so good.

Come on. Like 10 good games. No, last week's 1 o'clock window, Eastern, 10 Pacific. was the best early window I've ever seen. It's like 11 games. Go look at this week's early window. Not that good? No, no, no.

There's a lot of drama. There's a lot of these games that before the season started, you looked at and you thought, man, and all of a sudden you got, there's some urgency by week three. You can't go 0 and 3. You've got to be very careful. Okay, here we go. Every Thursday at this time to close the second hour, our best bets from the Big Ten. It's time for Big Betts.

Colin and J. Mack make their favorite Big Ten bets of the week. All right, let's start with a Friday college football game that I think will be surprisingly entertaining. Illinois and Nebraska. So Nebraska's the most underrated team in college football. This quarterback Dylan Rayola, three straight games over 70%. I think that's the game on USC's schedule to watch out for. Nebraska is absolutely for real. And Brett Bilemma's got Illinois undefeated.

I like the over 43 points. I think there's some scoring here. Luke Altamire, the Illinois quarterback, accurate. Not going to make big mistakes. I think you get two competent offensive quarterbacks. I like Nebraska to win. But 43 points. I think Nebraska is going to be hard to keep out of the end zone this season.

Well, that's not good for me. I went Illinois getting eight here. I think this will be a slob knocker. I would lean to the under, but you're killing me in this big 10 segment through a couple weeks here. So I like the road teams this week. And you're going to give me eight? By the way, I'm seeing in the desert seven and a half now. So there is some pull down on this one.

Illinois is a great defensive team, Colin. I think this is going to be closer. All right, well, 43 is low. Okay, next, I'm going to take USC minus five and a half at Michigan. So first of all, Michigan's defensive line is stout. So I think it's an underplay, and that's a lot of points. But Lincoln Riley, off a bye week or an off week, is eight and three. And Miller Moss, I'm not saying he's the best quarterback he's ever had.

He may be the most efficient. Dude is completing 72% of his throws. It is a stacked offensive roster that are just all sophomores. It's not deep outside a receiver, but this is a multiple offense with a highly effective quarterback that throws to the right place. Their defense is well documented now. They shut a team out in college football two weeks ago. I don't care who it is.

That doesn't happen. And Michigan, second worst total offense in the Big Ten, the worst passing offense. And now they're switching quarterbacks against an established elite offensive coach with offense that's humming, I like USC to cover here. Yeah, remember when I backed Michigan against Texas like a buffoon? So then I faded them last week, easy winner, and I'm fading them again. I'm riding with you and USC here. Colin, the changing of the quarterback signals to me a little panicky for the new coach

Sharon Moore in Michigan. I'm just not feeling the vibes there, and I like USC to win and cover this one. Okay, I'm going to take another over. Washington off a loss. They're a very good home team at Husky Stadium. is going to be over 42 and a half against Northwestern. So Jed Fish, you saw what he did to Arizona in a couple of years, really high-end smart offensive coach,

and their quarterback Will Rogers. Again, very confident, 72% completion, 77% completion percentage, six touchdowns, no picks. Washington last week got knocked off their spot on the road. They come back home. Their run game, they got a transfer from Arizona. It's the best run game the Huskies. had in several years. I think Washington, it's a Saturday night game at Husky Stadium.

I think they drop some big points against the Wildcats. I'll take the over 42 and a half. I will round it out going with another road warrior. Give me the Michigan State Spartans getting six and a half at Boston College. Everybody's geeked about this Boston College team. They fought Missouri hard last week. I know our guy Will Blackman is Boston College grad. He's pumping. Oh, we're back. We're back. Everybody loves Boston College here. So give me the dog, Michigan State. I think they go on the road, keep it close, and Sparty covers, and I get back on the winning track with a 3-0.

The 3-0. What you're really seeing in all these games between Nebraska, SC, Washington, at quarterback, the quality of college quarterback play, how many college quarterbacks are completing 75% of their throws are 73, 74? I mean, Washington's in the number. an offensive rebuild and their quarterbacks completing over 75% of her throws. That's insane. The quality of quarterback play at the college level compared to even 10 years ago, it is so much better, so much more efficient. It's just, it's incredible. If you're looking for a non-Big

10, take a look at Cal if you're interested. I have a buddy who graduated from there, plugged into the program. Cal's good start to the season for Cal. Just keep an eye on the Bears. Nebraska's my most underrated team in the country. In the country? No, I said this two weeks ago when I picked him to crush. Can we see him beat somebody good? Because Colorado's not good. Sorry, they're not.

All I know, that quarterback. Minima Holmes? The five-star quarterback, that dude is for a fresh, he is good. And Matt rules a very good college coach. And Nebraska's not doing a ton of transfer portal. They're doing some. Matt rules there for the long haul. He's going all high school kids.

in most high school kids. He's building it. He wants this to be his last job. Can you win in Nebraska? I think he can with him. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me,

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw,

unfills of Conversations, with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me.

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

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host's Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're, 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 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 IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.