The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Herd Hierarchy, Raiders-Chargers

Episode Date: January 4, 2022

Colin's new Herd HierarchyChargers-Raiders previewThe Raiders are a great story this seasonGuest: Brian Billick 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. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was 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. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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.

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High Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Joy and I were just talking about this a second ago about that situation where the Philadelphia Eagle fans fell off the railing over the railing and they were just leaning over and over and over. It's such a preventable issue. smart people generally figure stuff out proactively not reacting

like it's outrageous that pre-9-11 you could bring anything on a plane. I mean you could bring knives on a plane, box cutters, it's like duh I mean like you're just like the stuff we do now and don't allow is obvious I've said this

once before on this show years ago and I'll say it again I think the proximity fans have two players is too close I would never ever allow that first row where they can reach over and touch a player. I would just put some barrier up. We're in a pandemic, by the way. I don't want fans breathing and touching players, but some fan will do something outrageous.

I mean, I've had multiple players tell me people hurl racial slurs of players. So there's animosity and there's anger, especially for road players. But if you can reach out and come close to touching a player, then your stadium should figure out you're too close. And so when I watched that, years and years ago, there was an horrible incident at the University of Wisconsin where their stadium collapsed and killed some kids. It was brutal. Just a gutting moment. And nobody got hurt with this. But why do you have?

Luckily, forget that they almost hit Jalen Hertz. None of the fans got hurt, which is miraculous. Like everyone just popped up. Like they fell really hard. Anyone could have twisted their ankle or busted their face of him? What happens if that steel was? railing, you fall over and the railing comes on, bangs you in the head. It lights out. It's really, I mean, we're all kind of joking about the video, but the more I watch it, I'm like,

Oh, it's horrifying. It is. And that could have gone much worse. By the way, people are not only up the sides, which generally, as the stadium goes up, those people fell five feet. And then it goes eight, 12, 20. And then there's people at the top over. We're going to have a tragedy at one of these games from a fan and we're going to go, God, and then everybody will react to it instead of being proactive. It's just get fans away from players. Just just, you have a right to go to games. It's not just for the players.

It's safer for the fans, too. Those fans got really hurt. Yeah. All right. It's called the herd hierarchy. It's close. I mean, there's a lot of good teams. Is there a great team?

I'm not sure, but here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. the top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. They have the number one total offense and the number two scoring offense since week 11 as this young coaching staff figures out Justin Herbert.

They're hyper aggressive. Herbert's the highest-graded quarterback on third down in the entire league. That includes Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady. They are a big playoffense that can't stop anybody. So I think there are limitations to what they can do in the playoffs. but receivers, excellent backs, O-line upgraded, star quarterback, productive tight ends. This is a team that can win trailing by three touchdowns, entering the second half, and they can come and win.

They score big, they score fast, they just can't stop teams, so I'd put them at 10. Number nine. The Patriots, who have a great defense, but opposite of the Chargers, they fall behind, they're not winning the game. They just don't fall behind much. Listen, Mack Jones has been terrific. completing 70% of his passes or more. We knew he was accurate.

But if it's not on script, you don't get anything here. They are 7-0 against teams with a losing record. They are 3-6 against teams, 500 or better. So they meet their match physically, and they don't have the personnel to overcome a Kansas City. That level of a team. A Green Bay, an Arizona. I just don't think they're built for long-term success right now in the playoffs.

House. Number eight. Arizona. The thing that impresses me about Arizona, and I said this a couple weeks ago, I don't think it's a Kyler-Murie issue. It's a, they don't have James Connor, Rondell Moore, and DeAndre Hopkins. Now, they want it Dallas despite that. But those are three hugely important players, and they're all banged up. So I don't think there's anything for Arizona to necessarily solve. I think they just have to get healthy. And as we talked about last year, Tampa Bay got healthy at the end of the year, and the Packers didn't. This team was healthy until about week 12. They fell apart and you're seeing the offense isn't as robust.

But I will say this. They are eight and one on the road this year. That's pretty impressive. Like they are a very good road team. That'll matter in the playoffs. Number seven. Ah, my Shawshank Redemption, the Mike Tyson of the NFL, the Buffalo Bills. I know they're too reliant on Josh Allen.

I know they don't run the ball enough. But Josh Allen's a freak. Offensively, oh, by the way, opposing quarterbacks have the lowest passer rating in the league against Buffalo's defense. They have a great defensive coach. They have an excellent pass rush. Their defense allows the fewest yards per play in the league. So they're going to be in games because it's hard to run away from them. They can be a little mistake prone, can't run it, but man, do they have a knockout punch?

Buffalo at seven. Number six. I'll say Buffalo at six because their offense has been more consistent. They can run it. They can throw it. and Joe Burrell's getting better every week. Listen, the offense has 21 big plays, and those are considered by the NFL big plays. 21.

Nobody in the NFL has more than 15. So they're like the chargers, who beat him, by the way, but they're the chargers, but I think a little more consistent and on hyper speed. They are a big play offense. Burrell can make mistakes. He's not a dink and dunk guy. Like he'll throw it down the field. they've got great receivers.

I still contend they are a rebuilding roster. That's why I would consider Zach Taylor coach of the year and Joe Burrow MVP. I think this is of my top 10 here. There's an argument to be made. It's the weakest overall roster, but I put them at six. Number five. The Rams, 5 in December. There's two stats that jump out.

Offense leads the NFL in yards per play. They are a big play offense. Secondly, Matt Stafford leads the NFL second half passer rating. So this is a team that's good when it counts, good in the fourth quarter, good late in games. Odell Beckham's moved in. That works now. The defense leads the NFL in sacks. So what happens is Matt Stafford can struggle, but he's usually comfortable in the second half with time to throw, good runners and good receivers.

And your quarterback is uncomfortable in the second half. And that's what they are. They're a flawed team with a massive ceiling, a little like the opposite of New England, where New England doesn't make any mistakes, but has a low ceiling. Rams make all sorts of them. But on their best quarter in their second halfs, they're as good as any team in the league. I think they're a dark horse Super Bowl team.

Number four. The Titans. How are they here? I mean, seriously, the soul of their team is running. Derek Henry's gone. Tanna Hill's okay. He's probably C plus B minus. They're really well coached.

What I like about him is when they've played the best games of the year, it's been against the best teams. You know, New England's beating the bad team. teams. Dallas beats the bad teams. Tennessee is six and two against teams with winning records. I've seen them push the Rams around in L.A. So this team, I want no part of if Derek Henry comes back, I would want no part to play them. Well coached, tough, A.J. Browns become a star wide receiver over the top. Number three. Tampa Bay. Number one offense, they lead the NFL in sack differential. What does that mean? Their quarterback's clean and your quarterback's in trouble.

This goes back to a theory I have about the NFL that's fairly simple. If I, over the course of a game, have a more comfortable quarterback, I win the game. That's what Tampa does. Tommy's comfortable, doesn't get hit, and your quarterback's under duress. You win a lot of games like that. They haven't looked good about six times this year, but even in some of those games like this past weekend, they kind of find a way to win. They are a little beat up right now, and that would concern me.

Number two. Kansas City. Now I know Cincinnati beat Kansas City, but Kansas City jumped to a big lead, and the game is in Cincinnati, and I think on a neutral field or in Kansas City, the Chiefs win. Kansas City's good. Here's my big concern. I still don't think Patrick Mahomes in the offense is right. Huge first half, nothing in the second half. They did snap a 25-game winning streak in November and December and January, so they're fine. Don't worry about them. They've got their playmakers. They're getting healthier, a little beat up on the O line right now. I don't worry about them, but I still. still think the offense is not right.

Like there are things about Cincinnati that are not right. The offense is fine. I, this is not, maybe it's mechanics, Mahalm, whatever it is. I still think they're going to have to figure something out offensively to win a Super Bowl. They just have too many bad quarters offensively. Number one. Green Bay. Home field, have a buy, have an MVP at quarterback, and a very competent defense.

My big concern is you can run the football on this team. And whereas they were physical early in the year, they've gotten pretty at the end of the year. They've gone back to being kind of the Green Bay we know with a great quarterback, play great with the lead, but you can push them around a little bit. That would worry me. But they're 12 and 4 against the spread this year, which matters. Because what that's telling you is, we know they're good. They're probably better than we think.

That's what Dallas was early in the year. Better than we thought. better than better's thought. What that tells us is, we know they're good. They're probably a little better than we think. I do worry that they don't have the knockout punch. They played, they did this weekend. But by and large, they let bad teams kind of hang around.

And that, you've got to be very careful with that because that's how you lose playoff games. But I would say in a league where there's no great team, there's some really good ones. I would pick Green Bay number one. There you go. Health. Whenever you have a league which has a very small bottom and a very small top, that's the current NFL. You go from about Team 4 to a team 24, who's healthier? I mean, there's a lot of that in the NFL right now.

You got, let's say start 4 to 20. Most of these playoff teams, I mean, I'll give you a great example. Green Bay is the number one team in the NFC. They'll get a buy. but if they played Philadelphia the last team in, like they're not going to because they got a buy in Philly has to play. But you'd be like, oh, that's a bad matchup for Green Bay. I mean, Philadelphia is what?

15th best team in the league, 14th. Run the heck out of the ball. Green Bay struggles against the run. Like you could see that game. Philadelphia gets a lead. Everybody gets a little tight in Green Bay. They can't get Jalen Hertz off the field. They're running for five yards of carry like Cleveland did,

six yards of carry, seven yards of carry. and Aaron Rogers is looking at the clock and okay, we're in the third quarter and at 17, 14, we trail and Jalen Hurts is on the field. Like that's the league right now. It's a lot. We're going to have upsets in the playoffs and they're not going to really be upsets. Philadelphia is going to beat somebody and you're going to be like, yeah, of course they did. I mean, when Green Bay would go in with house money, they'd probably go in as a nine point favorite over Philadelphia.

I would take Philadelphia and the points all day. Now, Green Bay may win it, but I think we're going to have, I mean, Tennessee and Tennessee, and Tennessee, with Derek Henry and Philadelphia with that run offense, that's how you beat a great quarterback. He watches the game. Derek Henry with a 13-play drive. Like last night, the Cleveland Browns had a drive. It was like 14, 15 plays. Why?

Nick Chubb. That's how you beat great quarterbacks is they watch the game. They don't play. All right. Is Dak in a slump or just average? That's next. It's the herd. One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day. days a week within the iHeart radio app search heard 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 superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days i'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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.

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 ton-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 bowl 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 J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. Sunday, it's the season finale of the NFL regular season on Fox. A big doubleheader starts with the Packers taking on the Lions or other regional action. Then in America's Game of the Week, the 49ers try to. to win their way into the playoffs against the Rams team looking to clinch the NFC

West title. Check local listening to the games in your area only on Fox in the Fox Sports app. Want your home to feel safer? Go to SimplySafe 20% off. Simplysafecollan.com. Simplysafecollan.com. So it's interesting. A lot of people are saying, hey, Dak Prescott, he's in a slump. And the quarterback's slump. Now, quarterback's going to have bad years. Peyton Manning year four. Sometimes the quarterback like Patrick Mahom, Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl loses a left tackle and a right tackle. There are times that quarterbacks, like right now, Kyler Murray, is he in a slump? I don't think Kyler Murray's in a slump.

I think Kyler Murray misses DeAndre Hopkins and Rodell Moore and James Conner. I don't think he's in a slump. But there's this thing now, you know, DAC is really in a slump. So it's not fair to just, quarterbacks do have off years because maybe they're beat up or they lose a left tackle. Or there's a coaching change, a coordinator change. not quite up with it. I mean, clearly Aaron Rogers in year two with Matt Lefleur was better than in year one with Matt LeFleur.

Like, there's that stuff. But let's take four years with Dak Prescott. Is he just Kirk Cousins with more fans and fewer haters? So here's the last four years of Dak Prescott. Against the NFC East, he's 16 and 2. The worst division easily in the league. He's 14 and 20 against everybody else. Against the NFC East, he's a pro bowler.

got a 109 quarterback rating against everybody else. He's got a 94. He's a guy. He's not terrible. He's a BB plus guy. The last four seasons against teams with winning records, he's 8 and 17. That's just 500 or better against teams that are 500 or worse. He crushes.

And the TD interception ratio is insane against bad teams. So my takeaway is, is Kirk Cousins in a slump? or does he occasionally have really good Sundays, but against good teams, Kirk Cousins is kind of what he is. That's kind of where I am with Dak. Kirk Cousins, to me, is a B2B plus guy. Dak's a B2B plus guy. This idea there's a big slump.

Again, quarterback's going to get hurt. I mean, Baker Mayfield today is better than what he's playing like. He's banged up. I still don't think he was great or even very good. But I'll give quarterback's passes for a year, but I have four years of data. That's what Doc is. And by the way, that's with good weapons. That's with competent tight ends, star receivers, the number one rated offensive line for some of those years.

In fact, I still think the Cowboys O line is highly rated. Better than average running backs. Now they've got a good defense, didn't before. So if you just, if you look at four years of data, is it a slump? Or he just, you know, he's just not a guy that can carry a team against good teams. I think the answer is he's very much Kirk Cousins. He's just, I think we like him more than Kirk Cousins. The Cowboys are a bigger brand.

Dax's got kind of just a likable quality about him, very good intangibles. And, but I, the slump thing, I'm like, no, I mean, Dak has had some good Sundays, but I think overall when you watch him, he's a good athlete, but he's not Kyler. He's not Josh Allen. He's got a decent arm, but it's not like Herbert. It's not like Mahomes. And he's a B plus quarterback, which, by the way, that's good.

There's like seven A's in the planet. And then there's like seven B pluses. It gets bad after that. So it's like not a bad place to be. And he's going to have a great life. But I keep hearing all this slump stuff. And I'm like, so I went this morning, I went and let's go digging. Let's go.

Is it a slump or is it kind of Kirk Cousins? I think it's the latter. That's what I see. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Antonio Brown stripped off his uniform and left midway through the game against the Jets on Sunday. We've all seen the video and the photos.

And there's a lot of conversation about what actually happened leading up to that moment. According to Ian Rappaport, Brown and the coaching staff had a disagreement during the game about whether he was healthy enough to play. He said, A, B. did not believe he was healthy. He told the staff that he was not going into the game because in his mind he did not feel he was healthy. The response from the offensive coaches and from Bruce Ariens was, if you're not going to go into the game, when we tell you to go in the game, you can't be here.

At that point, they threw him off the sideline and then cut him from the team. Ariens refuted this and said that Brown never told him that he was injured. With most stories, there's two sides and there's the middle. And the middle is the truth. But in this situation, we shouldn't say but, and in this situation, we have characters that we have a lot of history and information about in Bruce Ariens and Antonio Brown. So your judgment of whatever happens or whatever the conversation was can be what you feel like it is because we may never get the actual truth of what happened here.

What we do know is that Mike Evans was standing there talking to Antonio Brown, clearly urging him not to do whatever it was he was planning on doing. And then abandoned it because it was clear that reason was not being heard. And then we proceeded to see this. What I'm trying to figure out in this situation is what could possibly, what could possibly be an acceptable trigger for Antonio Brown to behave this way? There is none. That's what I'm trying to figure out. Bruce Ariens said you can't be here if you don't go in the game.

Did he mean take off all your clothes and run around in the middle of the field during the game? What reasonable person is having that conversation with a straight face? Resumays matter. Yes. Antonio Brown has treated people like dirt for women, man. Go look at his Wikipedia page. Resumays matter. If Larry Fitzgerald did this, I'd be like, let me get to the bottom of this.

Right, exactly. I don't need to get to the bottom of any of this. It's Antonio Brown. I was not shocked when I saw it. I was not surprised when I saw the aftermath of it. And I'm not surprised now. It's Antonio Brown. That is an excellent point, Colin.

If Larry Fitzgerald did this, I would be not only shocked, I would be concerned. and I would believe that something was said to him that was so outrageous that this behavior was warranted. Yeah, if Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald or Cooper Cup did this, you'd be like, whoa, that's way out of character. Like, what was said? I got six years of him treating everybody terribly. Men, women, delivery drivers, stiffing people, robbing people. I mean, it's like, I have a resume. He doesn't treat people right.

And two things can be true. He can not treat people right and also need help. I'm not a, yeah, I mean, I'm not a mental health specialist. Everything doesn't have to be polarizing. And yes, none of us are mental health specialists. And more importantly, none of us are Antonio Brown's mental health specialist. He has had opportunity to get help. It's not like this is somebody who doesn't have access or means or hasn't been in

organizations that are wildly supportive of their stars. He was living in Tom Brady's house. You don't think he had access to help. You have to get the help yourself. unless you believe that Antonio Brown is beyond reason of any accounts. Well, there's also, there's an ego component here. You have to have such an enormous ego to believe you're above other people that you would treat Tom Brady like this, that you would treat Mike Evans like this,

that you would treat the Raiders like that, the Patriots like that. Your ego, you have to be so distorted on your value to the world that you could ever, I mean, we all have egos, but like at some point, when you start treating people poorly, how you view them as you are above people. There's no victim in this situation. Yeah. So the outrage is very confusing to me. Who is the victim here?

It's Antonio Brown, who's on his like 15th chance. Yeah. It's not Bruce Ariens because Bruce Ariens clearly invited this by allowing him back on the team after he was suspended for a fake vaccination card. Tom Brady knew what he was getting into before this, before he brought Antonio Brown in. It's just not a workable situation.

Now, as far as if he's going to get into the opportunity in the league, he very well might. at the end of the day, talent trumps anything. And people clearly don't have a problem giving him opportunities. It's not going to bother me. He's not working for me. I'm not his teammate. But let's not act like we're surprised that this is the outcome.

And there's really not, there's nothing in my mind that could be, I'm not saying, I won't say nothing. I won't be hyperbolic here, absoluteist. But what could have been said by Bruce Ariens on that sideline, knowing Bruce Ariens' character, knowing Tom Brady's character, knowing Mike Evans' character, who was sitting there trying to reason with him, that. would prompt that behavior that would be acceptable to you. Well, I came up with a rule years ago at the other place. My rule is I will not babysit other adults. That was my rule. So when I started

the volume, right? Yeah. There were a couple people that, you know, we'd sit down as a staff and should we hire them? And I'm like, oh, and I got to babysit that person. I don't babysit. Like, when you bring Antonio Brown in, this is what the Cowboys did with Des Bryant. Remember they had to have special security? Like, I'm not babysitting guys. Now, Kids. I'm not So I would always be, I think we've talked about this. I'm not dealing with people that can't manage themselves. I refuse if I was building a team, a company, a business.

I'm just not going to do it. I'll take somebody slightly less talented that can handle day-to-day work crises. Well, that's what Bruce Ariens told us was going to happen. And again, I'm not judging Bruce Ariens for keeping Antonio Brown. He's trying to win football games and they needed him. Right. But let's not act like any of this is surprising. Apparently the league, there's no consideration, according to the Washington Post for league imposed discipline for him.

I don't know what there would be. I don't think this is a situation where he'd need to be, you know, has any kind of repercussions for this from the league. If he's going to be released, they have to go through the steps, obviously, to release him. He'd be subject to waivers. If he clears waivers, he can sign with any team. The Chiefs, Packers and Rams are reportedly the teams to watch to sign him. I don't anticipate that anyone's going to take this in at this point in the season, especially teams like that. but strange things have happened.

So the Jets ran a quarterback sneak late in the game against the bucks, and some people have been trying to blame Zach Wilson for saying he was trying to play hero. But Robert Sallis said Wilson is not at fault for the lack of communication and play calling. He's a rookie. His heads barely above water with regards to this team. He's still in the pleasing mode of his career

in terms of just doing things the way it's drawn up. If you're talking year three, year four, and he does something like that, and then I guess you can start making, maybe, but as a rookie, who's still trying to figure this league out, try to figure out what he can and can't get away with and how to take control over things and all that. He's no more close to that in terms of a selfish player.

He wants to get better. He'll learn from this. I actually like that Robert Siles defending him in this spot. Well, Zach has talent. I've never say he's a selfish human. I think sometimes the old... He likes to show off a little bit. Yeah, there's the old talk.

He's a hot dog. He can be a little bit of a show off when he plays. doesn't mean he's a bad person. Like, I don't, he's talented. A little small for me, but, you know, I said Johnny Mansell had talent. Zach's got way more talent. They both have sometimes a little hero ball. Like, it's a little backyard for me, and I think you have to play with more urgency.

But I did think there were moments this year when he, you see the special with him. Well, yeah. And that's, when I look at the Jets season, they're four and 12, they're last in the AFC East. It's pretty predictable that that's the season that they had. That's exactly on this. show we predict that they would be, I could be wrong, four and 12. Right. And I don't feel like the Jets are dysfunctional. There's just not a good team. So I'm going to give Robert Salon his first year a pass, right?

Yeah. Okay. It was a struggle year. We get it. You've got a rookie quarterback. They weren't a good roster. They were struggling. That's why he's there. Next year, a little bit of growth. Like we didn't panic after Zach Taylor's first year. Like where they are. So, yes, are they struggling? Does Zach Wilson need to grow a lot? Sure. But I like that he defended his rookie quarterback in that spot. They play the bills on Sunday and are 17-point underdogs, according to Foxxbeth. So last night, Ben Rathusberger played what's thought to be his final game in Pittsburgh.

And following the win, he talked about how much the support of the city has meant to him. I was born in Ohio, but I live here and I'll always be here. And these fans in this place, it just means so much to me and my family. And always will. And I've always said that they're the best fans in all the sports. And I'll stick by that to the day I die. and to see all the signs and the jerseys and the towels and to hear them cheer for me coming out of the tunnel, all that stuff.

It just, I don't know that I'll ever put into words, and that's why I want to soak. I wish I could bottle it and have it forever. But I will in here and in my mind. Last night was a nice night. I think, oh, I thought it was great. You know, sometimes sports gives us these little moments. Yeah.

You know, and maybe it wasn't the best season. It was clunky. We had our moments where we were frustrated. But 18 seasons he's been with the Steelers. It's a legendary. franchise, as he mentioned, incredible fans, an international brand. And he had a wildly successful career with the Steelers. It's very hard to win championships.

There's definitely moments where I felt like they underachieved as a whole, based on the talent that they had. But he's 13 and 9 in the postseason. Two Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl appearances. He's tied for seventh in playoff wins. He made the Pro Bowl six times. He's a Hall of Famer, obviously. Yeah.

But to me, Ben Rathusberger, when I'm watching the game last night, and I'm born and raised in Pittsburgh, lived there until I was 18 years old. He feels like the last old school quarterback. Yeah, he does. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he does. Doesn't commit in the offseason quite like other guys did. But like I don't really necessarily blame him for that.

Like what Tom Brady is doing and what, you know, Russell Wilson is doing and what the Bronner is doing, it's kind of new, right? Like he was, he's that Pittsburgh guy, like that blue collar guy felt like Pittsburgh. Yeah. And maybe the league has moved away from what he is. Yeah.

But for the time he was there and in the city, he fit that franchise. Now, where they go in the future, I think, might be telling. But to me, I'm watching that last night. He's the last of this brand of quarterback. And it fit and it made sense and he had a legendary career. Good stuff. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly News. Well, Brian Billick certainly faced him. Nine years in Baltimore in that division. Faced him twice a year. He is joining us live. Bowl chance for Super Bowl in Ravens history. So go back to Ben and his prime. First couple times you faced him. I remember Eric Allen in the corner telling me the single hand pump fake. He goes, I'd never seen anybody do that. He goes, I bid on that thing about three times. And I was like,

all right, don't do that. So go back to Bennett's best in his prime. How did you game plan for him? Well, I'll go back even further. I remember when he first showed up. Tommy Maddox was the starting quarterback his rookie year. And they played us. And we knocked Tommy Maddox out. and Ben goes in, and it's not like he had this spectacular rookie year, but right away, you could see it wasn't too big for him. I always told my guy, I said, if we'd have known this was going to be the outcome, we'd have not touched Tommy Maddox. We'd have made a no-touch rule on him.

The thing I love about Ben is that I don't know that we've ever seen a quarterback do more in a game or a season with fewer throws. He's only throwing the ball 600 plus times in his career in a season three times, compared to the Brady's and the breezes and the Rogers and that type, where they're throwing it all over the field. You know, his typical box score would be, you know, 21 of 29 for 450 yards and four touchdowns, you know, that type of thing. And he, the thing I love most of mine, he's a drama queen.

There's no question about it. I used to love where he'd drag himself on the field, just carrying an arm. Like, oh, my God, I don't know if I could do this and then drop back and launch a 75-yarder for, you know. He's a spectacular place. player, it was great to compete against. You know, Joy just said this. He does feel like the last of the old school guys. Now, you know, he's not doing yoga in the summer.

He's with his kids. He's camping. He does feel like that, doesn't he? He does. And it fits because it's Pittsburgh. And compared to, you know, you don't ever see him in ads. You know, he's not all that. It's just, you know, there's football and then there's the offseason.

And it is old school. And I agree. I don't know that we'll see the likes of him, again, his ability to the hardest thing about playing Ben was you had to coach your defensive line and don't get frustrated because not, you know, one guy is not going to bring him down. Right. You'd get a wrap and he'd shrug a shoulder and do this and do that pump fake you talked about and extend a play in a way like, I don't know that we've ever seen that before. Now, I want to ask you about Baltimore because there's been a lot of quarterbacks hurt, and this year it's a lot of guys that run around. The Jalen

Hertz moves a little bit. Kyler moves a little bit. Some are a little undersized. So Lamar's been dinged up. And, I mean, it's part of his soul who he is is his twitchiness and his ability to escape. And then they bring a backup in Tyler Huntley and you're like, that's pretty interesting. Do you think they're concerned? And this is about what happens with quarterbacks that move a lot. First three or four years, it's all fine. And then Michael Vick once said, then you get hitting the ribs again and again. And you start realizing this is no fun.

And I can't keep playing like this. Do you think in-house there's concern about Lamar's health going forward because of his style? I think in the back of their mind because one of the things you give Craven's credit for us, they were all in. When he was carrying the ball 160, 170 times on the year, they're going, fine. I know that defies NFL logic, but this guy's special. This is the way he operates. And we're going to ride that horse. And but in the back of your mind, you're going, okay, well, it's not a problem until it's a problem.

And you're right now with the ankle injury, you know, the injury is up to this point. now that tends to linger a little bit. And will these things continue to show up? You don't know. You hope not. But even though they are all in on, no, we're not going to dial back on what Lamar does and this is what he does. And I'm sure going in the next year, John Arbald say, no.

If he runs it 160 times, that's fine because it means we're doing well. But at some point, you're right. With each year, it becomes tougher and tougher to imagine him holding on and staying healthy for an entire season. if he's going to carry the ball 140, 150, 150, 160 times. So what do you do if you're Dallas, do you play starters? What do you do if you're Green Bay and have a buy?

Belichick used to play him. I think Tony Junji would prefer not to play them. I don't think there's a right. But I'll tell you this, Brian, I wouldn't like to take three weeks off a radio. I'd like get out of a rhythm, right? What would you do? And that is the concern when you go into that last game,

particularly I have the buy, because you're exactly right. And it's not a matter of a player just not playing on Sunday. If he's not playing on Sunday, where's his focus that week before? What are his reps? So that means he has that week off, the by week, and now the week getting ready for an important. You're right. That is a long time.

There is no one right way because whatever you do, if you play them and they get hurt, you're an idiot. If you don't play them and you're a little rusty and you don't play when you come back, well, you're an idiot. I mean, there's no right way other than whatever you do if it works, you're in good shape. Dallas, I don't think, Dallas doesn't have the right to take the game off yet. Yeah. They're still having to show who we are, got to get into a rhythm. I mean, Green Bay, you know, when you used to talk about Drew Bree's doing it all the time and Peyton Manning,

they had earned that right to say, okay, yeah, I can take that week off. I can show we can continue this. Dallas is not there yet. So I'd be surprised if they don't continue to play through it. Listen, I saw another story from, and there's these reporters, and I trust them because these are veteran NFL reporters that Pete and Russ. It's just there's a fissure here and Russ doesn't want to be around it and Pete 70 and stuck in his ways and a defensive guy and that division's all McVe, Shanahan, Kingsbury. Right now, in fact, Brian, every playoff team in the NFC as an offensive coach, that's where the league's moving.

And so I look at it, is there, if you're coaching Russ and you're like, there's not a lot of Russ on the market, but he wants out. you know, one of the things we were talking about this this morning, I'm like, I wonder if I'd go to the Saints, get as much as I could, trade Bobby Wagner. They need draft picks. And then I went and got a Tyler Huntley, somebody who's kind of a little bit like Russ. Let's see him play for a year. It's okay. Belichick took a step back for a year. Sean Payton's taking a step back. But if you had to move him, what is equal value? Oh, boy. For Russell Wilson, I can't imagine. It would set a new bar because he's a spectacular. talent. You can see there is no team, and this sounds a little silly, because every team is dependent on its quarterback, but no team is more dependent on its success than Seattle is with Russell Wilson, taking nothing away from Pete Carroll and the organization and the Legion of Boond Doom and all that when they had it going. There is no team that has had the success, do more to the singular position of quarterback than any in the league. And that's saying a lot. So I don't know what that value is and where it's going to go. You know, the question for me was

was Belichick, what's Belichick, 69? Does he really want to sign on to kind of a rebuild? Well, he did, and it was a very short rebuild. Pete Carroll, 70 years old, do you want to sign on for a rebuild? Because it's not going to happen in just one year. Like you say, get the draft choices, build some things. But, you know, what's the time frame on that when you're 70 years old? So, yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what happens with these two.

Will they be back together? I don't know. Sounds a little prohibitive. Will one or the other? Yeah, sure, likely. By the way, X-Tech, you see his jacket? He's an investor and ambassador, number one pads in the NFL. I think you're also the number one shoulder pads in college football right now.

Yeah, absolutely. Top programs, Oklahoma, Oregon, Iowa, and the pro, you know, Josh Allen, Cooper Cup, Josh Jacobs, Devante Adams. And the great thing is now we're firing away into the top high schools as well. It's fun to watch how parents are now vesting themselves and protecting their young people. Great stuff, Brian. Great talking to you. Happy holidays to you and your fam.

Sounds great. X-Tech. X-Tech. Good stuff. All right, it's, I've got, I really do believe if you're Seattle and you were forced to do it. I'm not kidding you. I would go, I would trade Bobby Wagner and get draft picks. Seattle didn't have any draft picks.

I'd get a good draft pick for Bobby Wagner. It'd give me some cap space. Remember, if Bobby Wagner goes, cap space. If Russell goes, cap space. If you can get draft picks, if I go to the Saints and say, give me Marcus Lattermore and three ones and two. So I solved my cornerback issue. I got an elite corner. I now have a ton of cap space and I have draft picks.

I'm not so sure Tyler Huntley for a year. He's got a little bit of Russell stuff going on. And by the way, Baltimore probably would want to secure him. But I think his contract's coming up. It's a matching offer situation. But I mean, there's a way around to do it. You may not have a solution. in year one.

But Seattle's got a cap issue, a roster issue, a coaching head coach, quarterback fissure. I think you can solve the roster really fast because if you move Bobby and Russ, you have a ton of money. And you give me, as a GM once told me, don't give me just draft picks. I don't want a bunch of 19, 20-year-old guys. Give me a player. So Seattle doesn't need five draft picks. I would go to the Saints, for instance, and say, I want an all pro and draft

draft picks. I've heard this before. When you trade a great player, everybody thinks, oh, I get all these draft picks. Draft picks are like a 60, 40 proposition. You've got to give me some certainty. So give me an elite corner. Okay, Seattle now has enough corners. They've solved a huge issue. Now I can go by an elite center or it's a good drafts for center. I get a first round pick. I take a center. Seattle's going to be near the top of the draft because it's bad. So I can get Iowa's center. They have a great left tackle. They've got a good left guard. He was a right guard. He's a left guard. Now I've solved the O line. I've solved corner.

We're not going to be as good at quarterback as I want to be. But you have like three issues. You have a quarterback and coach issue. You have a roster issue. You have a salary cap. You're paying too many guys huge money so you're thin. I don't know. It's just something to think about.

I wouldn't want to trade Russell Wilson either. But you have so many issues now. You have no draft picks. You have no caps based. What are you going to do? All right. It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports

Radio, FS1 and the IHeardt radio app. He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byrd. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world. That's right, Dan.

And every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sit, starts, fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you be 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. 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. 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 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 bowl your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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. correct. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Fairdi is founded by Twin Brothers. Family business is to make the best-looking clothes, backed by a lifetime guarantee of quality. They go to Farritybrand.com slash heard, code heard 20, 20% off. So if you look at the playoff picture right now in the NFL, the Chargers Raider game is like that's the one. You start looking at that winner gets in. There is a possibility both get in if the Jags beat the Colts, doubtful. But the Chargers and Raiders are both, they'll battle for the playoff spot. Listen, let's be honest about this. The Chargers are a better playoff team.

They have a better quarterback. and I like Derek Carr, but they have a more spectacular talent at quarterback. They have better weapons that are healthier. They have a legit real head coach, less chaos. They match up well with everybody. Chargers could beat everybody in this league, including the Packers. They can beat anybody in the league. They've already beaten the Chargers.

They've already beaten the Chiefs once, and they could have beaten them a second time. Okay, so they match out with everybody. Raiders don't match up against Kansas City, who they'd play if they got in. They got torched twice already. They're all beat up. They have an interim coach. They're weapons. many of them are hurt.

I mean, Hunter Renfro is like it at wide receiver. Don't confuse a great story. The Raiders are a great story this year in terms of what they've been able to do to save the season. They're the Cincinnati Bearcats of the college football season. It's a great story. Don't confuse the bear cats as a great team. They couldn't move the ball with an NFL quarterback. They couldn't move the ball against Alabama.

The media confuses great stories. Russell Westbrook triple doubles a great story. He's not a winning player. Like, I get people. when Katie bailed on him. It's a great story. He's not the most valuable player. He's never been the most valuable player

on his own team. And so the Chargers would be a better playoff team. They're healthier. They've got a legit coach. They've got better weapons. They can win a shootout against anybody. And they match up against everybody.

So, I mean, yesterday we had T.J. Hushman's Auto on, and he's with me. I don't even know how the Raiders are here. I am surprised. Very surprising. you got to give Carr a lot of credit, man. What he's done with this team,

considering what they've been through, you lose your head coach, a teammate has the incident that he has, that's unfortunate, and for them to be one game out of the playoffs, I don't understand how they're here, but when you look at it, you've got to give Carr all the credit in the world, man, he's rallied this team, he's put them on his back, and they're one game away. We've been talking about this for years,

aggressive wins in sports. A great example of this. This is my all-L-A segment, is the Rams. Sunday was an absolute validation of what the Rams have done. Stafford was perfect in the second half. Von Miller had a key sack. OBJ had two massive catches. And Sony Michelle, who they gave up a couple of running backs for, right?

That was a big swing, has become a workhorse and Cam Acres is back. All their best players were huge down the stretch in the second half. Sony Michelle. Guys, they took big swings on. Von Miller gave up two draft picks. Sony Michelle, draft picks. OBJ, a lot of doubters. And it's what I've said. When you got the right coach, he creates the right culture and you can take big swings on big personalities. The Browns don't have the right culture. OBJ never fit. Rams have a strong coach, a strong culture, built over time, four, five, six years. OBJ fits. But the people being eliminated from the playoffs this weekend, had good players and solid quarterbacks.

The Rams are now as gifted, as talented in key units as everybody. And they didn't draft Jalen Ramsey or Vaughn Miller or Matt Stafford or Shoney Michelle, but it validated. Swing big, you get rewarded. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirkton. 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 I-Heart 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human