The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Herd Hierarchy, Cowboys, Lakers

Episode Date: January 18, 2022

Colin's playoff Herd HierarchyWhat will the Cowboys do with Mike McCarthy?HC Frank Vogel may night be with the Lakers for longGuest: Carson Palmer Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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. 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I mean, 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Our number two, live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. You know, I was thinking about this last night. I said this. I've lived in eight states. I've been to 48 or 49.

I don't think I've ever been to South Carolina. My kids have, I haven't. L.A. is by far and away the best airport city in the country. If you live in Orange County, Santa Ana Airport is so clean, so smart, so easy. You have L.A.X. and L.A. County. In between the two is Long Beach Airport, which is like a 1970s airport with amazing restaurants, just enough flights. You got Burbank to the north, multiple privates. I'm 12 minutes now from getting on a plane at Santa Monica Airport if I wanted to. It is the best airport city in the country. Chicago, it's 45-minute drive out of town. O'Hare's always a zoo. Midway's the other direction. New York, forget it.

JFK is a mess. L.A. is a great, great airport city. It's now the best stadium city in the country. There's nothing close to SoFi. Jerry's world is beautiful. It looks almost generic compared to Sofi. MetLife's a dump for $4 billion. It is a majestic facility.

We have the Rose Bowl. We have the Coliseum. Our soccer stadium for LAAFC is the coolest stadium maybe in the country. And then we have Staples. And then Steve Balmer is building next to SoFi, his basketball arena. Maybe you've heard of Balmer like the Feth's richest guy in America. He ain't going cheap on it.

No, that place is going to be amazing too. Unbelievable. SoFi Stadium is insane. The best stadiums and parks to me are ones that really lean into whatever the city is. Like obviously, Dolphins Stadium is a hard rock is not a new stadium. But when they redid it, everything was like, as a lot. Miami as possible. Right.

So far, I feel so L.A. Like, there's just, there's certain parks that just do. Like, Heinz Field, it's, like, those PNC park, it's just like it feels like the steel and it matches the city. It just feels like the city. Those are the best parks.

Staples was the first basketball. Petco and San Diego. It feels beautiful. Beautiful. Like, we're very lucky. In the West Coast, our stadiums are amazing. Yeah. Well, we also have good weather, too.

So we have the ability to, like, have some indoor, outdoor facilities. that are beautiful. All right, here we go. It is our playoff hierarchy. Eight teams left. I'm going to rank them one through eight or eight through one. Here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college, number eight. I think Cincinnati has the weakest roster remaining and the weakest O line. Now because of injuries, they may have the weakest defensive line. But Joe Burrow, in his last five games, is completing 75% of his throws. He and Jemar Chase are very much Aaron Rogers, Devante Adams. They're just going to do what they want to do.

They also lead the NFL with 21 big plays passing the ball. No other team has 18 in the NFL. Bengals at 8. Number 7. The 49ers. They've won eight of their last 10. There is sort of a recipe here. They're hard to beat when Jimmy G. doesn't throw a pick. But Jimmy G. often throws a pick. they're healthy, they can run the ball. I think there's a ceiling to what they can do, but Debo Samuel is so remarkable, you're just never out of a game with him. And I think they have an excellent head coach, Niners at seven.

Number six. It gets really close here. I would put the Rams at six, and maybe I have them low, but like Matt Stafford last night, through 17 times, they're going to make him throw a lot in Tampa, and I have concerns about that.

OBJ now, six touchdowns in nine games. He didn't have one with Cleveland. So I feel like they are moving into a really good space, but I got to be honest, too. When they face really good defensive fronts, Tennessee earlier this year, they can come unraveled really quickly, but their ceiling is through the roof. Number five. The bills who now are running the football, they have a very good defensive front, first team in league history, to have a seven-time. touchdowns, no punts and no turnovers in a game, and that's against Belichick. Their defense has held opponents to under 17 and four of the last five games, and they have the ultimate knockout artist

Mike Tyson at quarterback in Josh Allen. He's Mahomes, but a better runner with probably a stronger arm bills at five. Number four. I got to say, the Titans have thrown me for a loop all year. And now Derek Henry comes back. They're six and two against teams with a winner. record. Their offense went into the tank in December, but in the last two games, they've been able to write the ship offensively and get into the high 20s. So they're at home, off a buy. There's some limitations, but Tanny Hill makes just enough top throws. You've got to be honest. I'll put Tennessee at four. Number three. I'll put Kansas City. You're all falling in love with them, but they have lost this year to the Bills, Titans, and Bengals, and they're all

in the playoffs in the AFC. Patrick Mahomes went through a slump, but his completion percentage is up, and he's cleaned up his mechanics. He's completing 72% of his throws in the last six games. I still think their offense is uneven. It goes through dry spells, but I got him three. Number two. Tampa.

Tristan Worf's injured right tackle concerns me. But last week, to dominate Philadelphia without Ronald Jones and Leonard Fernett. I also think they force you to play the way they want you to play. You can't run on them. So they're going to force the Rams to throw the ball 40 times. That's not what Sean McVeigh wants to do. Last night, given the option, Stafford threw under 20 throws.

Tampa's got a way of forcing you to play on their terms, which is what Super Bowl champion teams do. Number one. Green Bay, they're getting healthy on the offensive line. They're the favorite to win at all. Aaron Rogers is on fire. It's all working out. Their offensive lines getting healthy.

David Boktiari. They're at home. They have a cold weather advantage. Remember, a lot of the teams left now, Tampa warm weather. Rams dome. It's a lot of these warm weather teams. San Francisco's moderate weather. So this is an advantage.

It's not like they're playing a bunch of cold weather teams. I've seen the giants go in there and beat them. This is not the giants. So they should be favored. They're number one. And with that, we bring in Carson. Palmer, three-time Pro Bowl, or 15 years in the NFL. You know it was interesting last night?

I watched over the weekend. Jalen Hertz looked a little frantic. Kyler looked a little frantic. And it's like, yeah, of course. Stafford's been around longer. Brady's been around longer. Mahal's been around longer. And it is different, Carson.

Look, these playoff quarterbacks, the young ones, the game goes faster. You just think football's always fast. But I watched Kyler last night, and he looked. frantic to me anyway. Yeah, he looked frantic. He looked uncomfortable. And more importantly, he looked gun-shy. There were a number of times where number one Reed was open and he cocked his arm to throw it and pulled the ball down.

And here's one right here in the end zone where he's getting ready to throw it and just got gun-shy. He wanted that that's unfortunately the thing that happens to younger quarterbacks in the spotlight is you want to see that receiver come open in the playoffs. And you don't have that opportunity. You don't have that ability. You need to throw it before he's open. And unfortunately, it cost him last night,

and it was really unfortunate for the Cardinals. You know, it's interesting. You know Cincinnati well. You know, we forget sometimes, like, players get better in season. Like, Mack Jones was way better in November than September. And I look at Joe Burrow, and I'm like, you know, he was getting into a really bad stretch of, you know, that Chicago game of ugly throws.

And then, like, he's kind of moved out of it. And the last three or four times I have watched him, Kansas City this weekend. I mean, it feels like honestly, Carson, I'm watching a quarterback that's like literally moving into his peak. I mean, can you sense that he's literally in season feels like he's taken a step? Absolutely. He looks like he's in year eight. He plays calm. He plays cool. He never feels like you watch Kyler play and then you watch Joe Burrell play and it's like watching an NFL guy and a non-N NFL guy. I mean, Joe is cool and calm. He understands. when he needs to take a sack and not flip it up in the air and try to make something, you know,

happen at the last second. He understands the duration of the game and he's going to have another opportunity and another chance to make that play when he does just eat one and throw it out of bounds or take that sack. He's playing well beyond his years right now at the right time for the Sincy Bengals. You know, it's interesting, Carson, when you came out of college, I mean, you looked and played like a number one pick. Okay, you were big, you had a big arm. You could, people forget this.

you could move. And then there are quarterbacks that are obviously good enough to play in this league, Jimmy Garoppel, obviously good enough. He's a professional athlete. He can win games. But there are times he doesn't drive the ball down the field. He's not going to move around a lot. And, you know, it's funny.

I thought he didn't get the respect he deserved for just, I mean, they literally drafted his replacement. And he was a grown-up the whole year. He was a grown-up the whole year. I think that's a lot harder. If Fox brought in my replacement for the next two years, and I'm supposed to mentor him, I mean, take me to that. I mean, you know how hard this is in this league.

I mean, you at one point said, get me out of Cincinnati. You know that environment matters. It was not an ideal environment for San Francisco. Are you a little surprised, the Lance Garoppolo thing, went as well as it did? No, because like you said, Jimmy's a pro. I mean, at the end of the day, Jimmy wasn't a top three or four pick. He had to squeak his way in the league. He didn't get drafted in the first round.

It took him until the second. And now he's been prepared for this youngster that got drafted at number three all offseason long before the draft. They were talking about trading for Aaron Rogers and Russell Westbrook and there was chatter. So he wasn't surprised that they were going to draft somebody. But Jimmy, you know, at the end of the day, Jimmy plays for a great coordinator. Just watch that opening drive. You watched the opening drive in that game where they went down and got seven points. Jimmy really didn't have to do a lot.

Jimmy didn't have to throw any incredibly challenging throws or difficult reeds. There was a lot of runs. There was some screens. There were some Nakeds. And then you watch in the Tampa game, another great coordinator in Byron Lefwich, the Tampa went right down the field. But Brady was throwing challenging balls. He was throwing, you know, very challenging reeds, getting down the

field throwing the ball over the defensive head. And you just noticed that in the coaching. It's two great coaches in Tampa and obviously in San Francisco. But the level of expectation and the trust that Tom Brady has is totally different than the level of trust that Jimmy Garapolo has in San Francisco. I want to ask you about two quarterbacks now. They're season's over. Let's start with Dak. If you would have been, let's say, because you could move, somebody called the quarterback draw with 14 seconds left. Dak did have, you know, He's earned the right to say, no, we're not doing that. 14 seconds, I said this yesterday, Carson,

God, if it runs perfectly, you're left with about a second and a half to two. Is there any blame for DAC not just saying, hey, we've practiced this? You need 18 seconds. I'm going to call this thing off. What did you make of the whole moment? At the end of the day, it just comes down to situational football. Situational football is something that every great coach practices a sixth or seventh of the practice. So on a Wednesday practice, you have a certain amount of time dedicated to situational football.

And this play was, you know, textbook situational football. They unfortunately ran it with 14 seconds and they needed 16. But DAC is so ingrained in situational football practice during the week that they've run it so many times. And it worked so many times in practice. Unfortunately, they had to learn that in the playoffs at the very end of the season that that play actually needs 16 seconds. But, Dax, in the heat of it, as a quarterback, when that play comes in, you've practiced it a million times. Everybody on offense knows, they know to get lined up, they know to get set, they understand the situation. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

The ref ran into them. But in no way do I put that on, Dak. That's on the head coach. So I got to ask you about Derek Carr. So there's this thing in the NFL, we've seen it before, that an interim coach comes in, and the team has a pop. You know, Dan Campbell in Miami, the Raiders got. guy and then you hire the guy and he's not the guy. And Derek Carr wants them to keep their coach.

And you're sitting there if you own the Raiders thinking, I got Dan Quinn out there, I got Harbaugh out there. I see I got two guys that have been to Super Bowls. And then my quarterback, he likes the guy I got the interim. That's hard. Like what, you ran the Raiders tomorrow. Do you keep the quarterback happy? and maybe not get the best coach on the market.

What do you do if you're the Raiders? If you're the Raiders, you do what's best for the Raiders. And what's the best for the Raiders isn't maybe necessarily what's best for Derek Carr. But Derek Carr has a couple years left. I mean, he's in his 30s. He had a nice year. He had a great start. I thought he was playing at an MVP level week one to four.

And then they lost Henry Ruggs. They had all the turmoil and all the distractions. And they pulled together and had a nice season. But at the end of the day, when you're the owner, that's a pretty good job. You've got a brand new stadium. You've got no state income tax to lure in free agents. You've got some draft picks. You've got some, you know, you've got a really good defensive front that can stop the run.

You need some more pieces. So that's a good job. That's an attractive job. At the end of the day, it's not the most attractive job because you've got Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. But you can't worry. I mean, it's nice for Derek to stand up for his. coach and give him a vote of confidence. But at the end of the day, you've got to do what's best for

the organization. And it's nice to hear that from Derek, but he's not the one making those decisions. Finally, I don't think I've asked you about Lincoln Riley. You're a former Trojan. His hiring, there's obviously, you know, transfer portal can make things turn around much quicker than, you know, when you played. You can get six, seven starters around the country these days. What do you make a Lincoln Riley? Yeah. Now that, you know, college football, there's a free agency period in college football and you can just be a one and done and go to the next place and get the next check from the next university. It's changed the landscape. And Lincoln's the right guy at the right time. For the for the future of college football that is drastically changing, we've got a

young, innovative, smart, former player. He's had success. He wanted that spotlight of L.A. He loved Norman and loved Oklahoma and the tradition and the history and all that. But he wanted to take his game to another level. And now he's in Los Angeles. He's in the spotlight. I think he was the perfect hire, the one out of left field that none of us saw coming, none of us expected. And I think he's the right guy at the right time. Carson is great seeing you. Undisclosed location. I know where it is, but I don't tell anybody. It's just one of my favorite places on earth. And it's great seeing you. Thanks, Colin, you too. You bet. Carson Palmer. Former Pro Bowl quarterback. He, Carson came out of college and you're like at the time, like that's what a quarterback. That's what, that's what you should look like. Big, smart, tall, strong, could move. Big arm. I don't think they've ever found, I mean, they've had good quarterbacks, but even USC.

You don't get many of those. You don't get like, the fact that Clemson, Deshawn Watson into Trevor Lawrence, it's like, what? It's not the way it works. I mean, it's like, you have John Elway, then 35 years later, you get Andrew Luck. Like it's, it's, even at these great programs,

it is, you get these once in a lifetime, like perfect quarterback molds. And then there's Oklahoma, and Lincoln Riley just made all of them good, fast. Want 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 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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.

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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. And 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. Terry Bradshaw still has plenty of cash left. So Fox Bet Super 6 is bringing back stack the cash to give away even more of his money.

Scan the QR code, download the Super 6 app, and enter the divisional round contest featuring Niners, Packers. for a free chance of the growing jackpot than invite your friends because the more people who answer, the bigger the jackpot gets. You're not going to ask me to make a big pick or anything? Not this time. By the way, are you doing a cowboy story?

No, not here. I want to say this. Like certain coaches, McVeigh fits the Rams. He's kind of slick. He's good looking. He's slick. He looks like an agent in L.A. He looks like a football coach in L.A. I mean, he can be a news anchor.

Like, he's a good-looking guy. He's in shape. He's quick. He's fast. He's funny. He's kind of a get-it guy. Mike Tomlin is Pittsburgh. He's a tough guy. No BS, tough guy. There are coaches that kind of fit their, by the way, Shanahan fits San Francisco. It's academic. It's Silicon Valley. He's like a brainiac, right? Belichick fits Boston. The hoodie, the IQ. It's got 51 universities and it's metro area.

like McCarthy does not, it's interesting. McCarthy to me doesn't fit the Cowboys. The Cowboys are, the Kardashians do not leave the house without makeup. Like that's the brand. It's a vanity brand. The Cowboys are the NFL's vanity brand. The stadium, the yacht, the facilities. Everything is top notch.

All the charities they do stuff with, everything is high end. Like McVeigh would fit. LaFleur would kind of fit. Sean. There are guys out there, and I'm like, Mike McCarthy doesn't, aesthetically, it just doesn't work. He can't figure out clock management. He's not good at the podium. He acknowledges, yeah, I kind of lied to get the job. Like, nothing against the guy, but it's just like, I just think it's such a weird fit.

Stephen Jones talked about this yesterday on Dallas radio. They're all in on Mike McCarthy. You know, at the end of the day, to have such a really nice season, and to have it in so abruptly. And certainly so disappointing not to get that, you know, that bear off our back in terms of our success in the playoff. It's certainly been few and far between and, you know, not get something done here was, you know, it's disappointing.

Are you of the belief or are you confident that Mike McCarthy will continue to lead this team next season? Absolutely, very confident. Jimmy Johnson is what a cowboy coach should be. A little bit of a star in his own right. little cocky, right? Like, and, and discussed, talked about excellent, like high end. Sean Payton to me would be a very interesting fit there.

A little bit of his own brand, little cocky, has success. I mean, Jimmy, Sean Payton, they got success beyond the Cowboys. The McCarthy thing, like Aaron Rogers is significantly better since he left. His success has tied to another player. but he's just aesthetically for a family that's as aesthetically and optically engaged and with it and that's kind of their brand like the Kardashians do not go out of the house without looking right like that's their brand the cowboys are the facilities the stadium the uniforms everything's clean and tight and big and the yacht and I just I just don't feel like it fits here

like you're asking me what I would do I would just overpay or whatever I would go get Sean Peyton. That just, I, Dallas is too big a job. It's like, you know, there's just some jobs are too big. It can't be your first. And it's not Mike McCarthy's first job, but I like somebody with the Cowboys that had success beyond the Cowboys. Like Chan Gayley, where's his success? Like, Jimmy had his success. Jimmy was a, you know, as good a college coach as college football had. And then he comes to the Cowboys and it's like, okay, he's successful. He's going to be successful with or without the Cowboys. That's kind of how I feel with Sean Payton. He was successful.

Think of what Sean Payton's overcome. The Katrina, they had to move the franchise. Now he's in the division with Tom Brady. There's a lot to overcome there. So the McCarthy thing feels like a blind spot. Like they're being blindly loyal to a guy that, I mean, I watch him in clock management. I think a lot of times, and I'm not a fire of the coach guy, he just feels like the games just move past him. He feels outdated.

Joy with the news. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. What about Peterson? Yeah, I mean, Doug Peterson's. Payton would be my choice over Doug Peterson, but I... I mean, I don't know why the Saints would want to move out of...

Why would we want to leave the Saints? Because they don't have a quarterback. Yeah, but I mean, that's a big move for Sean Payton. Like, I'm sure I was a lot of power in that organization. Oh, he does. Yeah. But they just lost. I mean, if Jeff Iron leaves in personnel, I don't know.

I mean, I'm not saying he would leave. That's who I would call. Right. That's who I mean, Harbaugh is obviously the other. John Harbaugh had success. Like that to me feels like that big, splashy hire that actually makes sense. Yeah, Peyton or Harbaugh. I've had success.

Yeah. Listen, I'd call Mike Tomlin. He feels like it would work, right? Like he's had success beyond that. Mike's not leaving Pittsburgh. He's not. Especially because when. When you look at the situation with coaches getting fired around the league,

the Steelers don't fire their coaches. But ask this. The GM of the Steelers left, the quarterback left. It's a pretty good time. Pretty good time to leave. Yeah. I mean, look, anything is possible at this point. But I would not.

I don't see Sean Payton leaving or Mike Tomlin leaving. I think that if the Cowboys are going to move on from Mike McCarthy, which it doesn't sound like they are, you would give the job of Dan Quinn, or you would go and get a hire to your point of someone who's had success before that can handle being the Cowboys head coach, which is a different job than any other job in the league. Any relationship should be even. You should never marry somebody that you have all the power over. The Cowboys don't need Mike McCarthy at all for their brand.

If Mike McCarthy left today was on the market, who would hire him? Like it feels like an uneven relationship. McCarthy needs the Cowboys way more than they need him. Dan Quinn. But isn't that what the Cowboys do when you look at since Jimmy Johnson? Yeah. I mean, it hasn't that been the story since they let go of Jimmy Johnson? Doesn't Dan Quinn make sense for this reason?

He got to a Super Bowl without Dallas and he's going to get a job without him. It would be it. By the way, Dan could go, no, you're not going to lowball me because I'm going to go to somewhere else. You know what I mean? Like the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy feel uneven and lobsided as a relationship. Yeah, but I think that's what the Cowboys like. Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, you look at the list of like, look at the Cowboys head coaches since.

Oh, no, it's not. since Jimmy Johnson's left. Switzer, Chan Gaylee, Dave Campo, outside of Bill Parcells, obviously, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett, and now Mike McCarthy. So outside of Bill Parcells, that's the power dynamic they like.

No, you're right, you're right, and that's the problem. Probably, probably. So the Broncos could be up for sale this spring, and John Elway would like to be included in Denver's new ownership group. He said, who knows where that is and where that falls, but I do have interest in being part of it. The Broncos have been in my life for 40 years, so I'd love to be a part of it.

So it's a matter of seeing how everything plays out and what's going to happen. I'm sure there will be a lot of things going on, but I would definitely like to be involved. He has worked in the Broncos front office since 2011 when he was hired as the GM and EVP of football operations. In his first five seasons with the team, they won the AFC West in five consecutive seasons and made the Super Bowl twice winning one title. They've missed the playoffs over their past five seasons,

so his record is 90, I'm sorry, 90 and 70 under his tenure. And obviously they finished 7 and 10 this year and fired Vic Fang. the franchise is estimated to be around $4 billion. It would make sense to have John Howe-to-Ber. Oh, I'd love him to be part of it. Absolutely. That feels like a no-brainer with whatever new ownership group is coming in. You probably want John Elway to be a part of it.

Look, they haven't found the quarterback. That's the problem in Denver. We all know Denver is a well-run organization. He got him Manning. He got Peyton there. Yes, which is a big reason. Got him a Super Bowl. Why he's still untouchable in that space.

Outside of obviously he's a legend there. but he hasn't done a bad job. They need a quarterback. Denver feels like we talk about this all the time. They feel like Tampa last year. And I also. They have great pieces, great talents. I like their new GM too.

The guy that replaced, and I like John, but the new GM's sharp. In fact, I can't give you that story. I know somebody, one of my sources is really tight with the GM of the Broncos. They used to hang out together. And he's really sharp. They've done a really good job. They just need to get a quarterback there. So the Cardinals had a rough night last night here in L.A.

And following the 3411 loss, Cliff Kingsbury talked about what he thought caused the team to fail. Yeah, I think experience is a big part of it, you know? There's only one way to experience playoff football and that's to go through it. And unfortunately, we didn't play our best game. And I thought L.A. played a great game, had a great plan, and outplayed us and out-coached us. But I think you just got to go through these moments and learn from it and grow from it and use his motivation. Yeah, I think he's right.

There were two competitive games this weekend. Bengals, Raiders, and Niners Cowboys. Every other game was a blowout. Yeah, I mean, the Niners Cowboys, Niners aren't great enough at the most important position to blow people out as a road team. That's not going to happen.

If they beat Green Bay, it'll be down to the wire. And both the quarterbacks and the Raiders, Bangles game was their first playoff game. Yep. Like, first playoff appearance. But yes, every other game was a complete blowout. It felt like the game was too much for Kyler Moore. Absolutely.

It felt like things were flying around. That pick six was, I mean, just the worst. I mean, I don't, there's just, yeah, you just can't do that. It was really bad. But JJ Watt called the season a massive failure. I don't know that I would go that far. No, God, no. I would not move off of Cliff Kingsbury.

No. I would not make any kind of panicky move if you're the Cardinals. First of all, Kyler Murray got hurt. It wasn't the same when he came back. Look at how Pete Carolyn Russell Wilson finished in the last place. What happened? Quarterback got hurt.

Right. Changes the whole dynamic. They're in a little bit of a different situation than this. But this Cardinals team feels like a young team. Put some great pieces together. Yeah. It takes a little while to get over the hump. Like just calm down.

Everything is not need to like be a full panic move. Just make incremental changes. That's right. Progress. It's okay. I do not think it was a massive failure. I do not think that this Cardinals team was Super Bowl team. They had a really great run

during the regular season. We always get fooled with warm weather offenses. We always get fooled every October. The sun's out. And then it gets cold and you've got to run more and you got injuries. And it's like... They rushed for 61 yards yesterday. That's not going to get it done. No. It's not going to get it done. So the Nets will be without one of their star players for the next

four to six weeks. KD. will be out. And Karee made it clear. His stance on getting the vaccine will not change in the wake of KD's injury. Kep's going to heal. Kev's going to be okay. You know, and we're going to have to deal with that as his teammates. But in terms of where I am with my life outside of this, I stay rooted in my decision.

And that's just what it is. You know, it's not going to be swayed just because of one thing in this NBA life that somehow is, you know, somehow it's brought to my attention as being more important than what's going on in the real world. It's just not happening for me. Not surprise. Kairi went on to say that he's bothered his decision as being questioned and that it's almost framed in the context of his profession, not his personal life. The only reason why anyone's asking you about it is because of your profession. No one cares about your personal life.

No one in that room cares about your personal life. The only reason they're asking you a question is because you are at your job, your profession. That's why you're in front of the microphone because of your professional life. It affects your professional life. That's why they're asking the question. I can't deal when people like try to muddy the lines with these extra words. You play basketball for a living. You get a check to play basketball.

You are a professional basketball. You're at the microphone because you're a professional basketball player. No one cares about your personal life. It doesn't have anything to do with it. The only reason they're asking is because you can't play, you can't perform your profession in a certain place. And the team that you work for could use you in that place. And those reporters work for newspapers who cover the team.

Correct. So they're going to ask about the best. You're not a Kardashian. This is only about basketball. I'm not surprised at all at Katie or I'm sorry, Kyrie, nor do I expect him to do this. Like, he's made it very clear what he's going to do. There should be no confusion about if he's going to change his mind because of Katie.

He clearly did not prioritize basketball at the beginning of the season with this decision. So I don't know why he would change it now. Now, this is going to be interesting how the nets can balance this with out. They're the best villain in the playoffs. I can't wait to watch them. I think they're going to be a fascinating watch. I was excited to see the three of them back together. And now it's like Katie's out.

Yeah. So it just feels like they are... Well, we never... You and I said from the beginning. They're a headline team that has the potential to be great. We never thought this was going to have the duration of the Shack Kobe Lakers or the MJ Bulls. This was going to be a firework show for about two years. If you looked at the personalities and the injuries, this was not...

Yeah, this is not a situation that's put together for longevity. Yeah. No, but I'm, but it's fun. And it's, it's NBA, it's this league. Yes. Big stories, big stars. I got no problem. Hopefully everyone's healthy for the playoffs.

And during the third in the Eastern Conference standings now, half the game behind the Bulls and the heat. But hopefully KD can get back sooner rather than later. But you want them back healthy for the playoffs, which is the most important part. Yeah, good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. My wife asked me last night, she said, you know, football's over. She said, what are you going to talk about? March madness? And I said, if you're in Canada, and your sports talk show host, you talk hockey, 75% of the time.

If you're in England or Europe, you talk soccer. And I said, honey, we're just going to go from NFL football to the USFL, to the free agency period, to the draft, NBA playoffs. And then, you know, let's go have a vacation. It's not like I give up on football. It's not like I have football season and then the other stuff season. Well, we have one solid month of football left. And then I can gamble on the U.S. SFL.

Yeah. I mean, nothing against the league, but that's... And we're going to have a spicy NFL offsees in this year. March is going to be nuts. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game?

What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things hoops culture that you will not find anywhere else. So make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever.

you get your podcast right imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast's superhuman documented it all embedded in the

games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all 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, 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, at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the I-Heart. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, here's the latest. Frank Vogel and the Lakers had a disastrous loss the other night to Denver. LeBron apologized to Laker fans on social media. They did beat the jazz last night because Utah couldn't shoot. But Frank Vogel of the Lakers is, according to reports this morning, working on a game-by-game basis. This is not a shock. We told you before the season started,

I heard that he was not long for the Lakers, and I predicted that at some point in this season, he would be on the hot seat. So this is not a surprise. LeBron can occasionally run through coaches. I'm not sure if this roster is perfect for what he likes, especially when AD is not there, and he and A.D. don't see eye to eye.

He would rather have A.D. plant near the basket. AD increasingly wants to shoot jumpers and is never healthy. So the Lakers have several problems, and living in Los Angeles, many of my friends are Laker fans, and I have tried to say I would cool the expectations. First of all, to win championships in this league, you really do need a big three or at least a big two and a half. AD's never healthy, and Westbrook is what he is, but not a great playoff performer, so they right now have a big one.

Secondly, they traded away a lot of young legs when LeBron got here. He wanted to play with older players, so a lot of the young guys are gone. Then they gave up lots of draft picks to get AD, so they have outside of Malik Mon. no dependable young players. Number three, LeBron is no longer in the space where he attracts young stars. Now, he was for about 12, 15 years. He get on the phone and bring you in. Those days are over. John Moran's got his own brand. Devin Booker's got his own brand. Janus has his own brand. These young guys out there, they're smart guys, man. They're not giving their brand to you. Number four is, do we think this is a great front office? I think Rob Polink is capable, but tends to be a little too

star-obsessed. And the fifth problem, and this is the real obstacle, is that Phoenix and Golden State in the West, probably have better coaches, better cultures, better rosters, younger legs, they're deeper, they're just better than the Lakers. And so, I mean, Phoenix and Golden State are just better teams. And they shoot the three better. They defend the three better. Phoenix can defend the three really well, so can Golden State because they've got young, fresh legs, and they can run you off the three-point line. So the Lakers have a lot of problems. ideally, you don't want to make a coaching change mid-season. You really don't, but ideally AD comes back healthy.

And with LeBron, who's playing at an MVP level, right now they're a 500 team, 22 up, 22 down, 7th in the West. You're a headache, but you're going to have to probably face, unless you get in a hot streak, Phoenix or Golden State to open. Those are bad matchups for the Lakers. Those are deeper teams. They are going to have coaches they've had for multiple years. The culture is set.

I mean, when you watch Phoenix play especially, they know exactly what they are. They know exactly what they are. Monty Williams has those guys rolling. Even in Utah, Quinn Snyder, they've been together, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Engel, same system. So the West has a lot of these coaches and a lot of these rosters, you know, Denver. They're all banged up physically. Same coach, multiple years, same players.

So blowing things up and getting a new coach at the trading deadline is just, just adding on to, I think, some fundamental issues with the Lakers right now. Now, I will say this. I don't like to, you know, tout my success, as you well know, I'm very humble. But the Blazing Five won again this week. So the last three weeks, the Blazing Five, three and two, three and two, three and two. Niners, Bengals, Rams, good week. Hey, no reason to flaunt it.

No big deal. means revenue for free. But nonetheless, last week was my last Blazing 5. So I finished strong, had a crappy year, but finished strong. Now, there's only four games this week. So for the integrity of the Blazing 5, I'm not going to do a Blazing 5. But I did introduce, I've been doing this now four years. Last week I introduced the face bracket.

And every year, it's been more accurate. Why? The face bracket is where I pick games solely on who's the better quarterback. I don't care about your coach, your defense, I don't care of anything. Who's the better quarterback? That wins. Now, why is my face bracket terrible the first year, mostly terrible second year, not terrible last year, amazing this year, five and one this weekend.

Only loss was DAC. Why? Because the league's getting more quarterback dependent. Best quarterback won every division. Best quarterback arguably outside of DAC won every game. So I'm going to show you what my face bracket is picking this weekend. And the AFC, the face bracket is going to pick Joe Burrow over Ryan Tannahill. He is the better quarterback.

I don't think, and I think Burrow right now is in about a six, seven game stretch where he's freaking on fire. It's going to take by an inch Mahomes over Josh Allen, because Josh can be a little hot and cold. It's going to take Aaron over Jimmy G. And it's going to take Brady over Stafford. Now, three of those four picks, I agree with. I think Tennessee probably I would take them to beat Cincinnati. But my face bracket has five and one this weekend. It has gotten increasingly more accurate every year.

Why? Because the league is becoming more quarterback dependent. The coaching, the rules. This first year I did this, it was four years ago. It was a disaster. The following year, we made fun of it, had some success. Last year, it got way better. This year on fire.

But again, no Blazing Five this week. The integrity of the Blazing Five, there's only four picks. Just telling you, I'm not going to do it this week. Hey, Car Shield, best defense against costly winter repairs, go to carshield.com slash Colin Cowherd to save 10%. Feel good about it. It is interesting. If I was betting this week, it's weird.

Last week, I had to talk myself into taking the favored Bengals. I was on the fence, but I just went Burrow, Raiders defense. It played too many snaps. But I liked the dogs last week. I like San Francisco. I got killed. I liked New England. I like Philadelphia.

I didn't bet it. I would have taken Pittsburgh and lost. I was all in on dogs last week. I did like the Rams last night. This week, I like all the favorites. Four for four. like all the favorites. So I thought actually the Kansas City line came out initially at like minus one and a half. Chiefs minus one and a half. That's a great. If you got Kansas City at that,

congratulations. Now it's up to two and a half, which is still I'd take Kansas City, but it came out. It was like one, one and a half. I only think about the bills, man. I know. It's like what Josh Allen are you going to get? He is. They go as he goes. I'll just say this. At his best, he's the best player in the league. On his good days. If I take his six best days of the year, he's the best player in the league. Wouldn't you rather have him at like his 80% more consistently than

his best and worse? Because he does. He has this thing. On his best days, he's insane. Hour three, Peter Schrager, the herd. 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 helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people

are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say. 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 Clifford 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 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. On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild 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. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human