The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 – Impressive Stafford

Episode Date: December 22, 2021

Colin talks about Matthew Stafford’s quick ascent to NFL history, is joined by 3 time Super Bowl champ and NFL analyst Mark Schlereth, and why the Lakers aren’t very good. 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 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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. 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. Ah, here we go, hour number two.

Live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Brought to you by Jersey Mike Subs. Be a sub above. Joy Taylor is joining me. The, I love those Tuesday games. First half for both were awful.

They kind of split it up. I would have liked to have had both games simultaneously, but one was east, one was west. I felt like I got. got the better team. I got the Rams. It's a fun watch, though. Yeah. I do, I know it's difficult. It was really difficult. All the coaches and the players and, you know, logistically, I'm sure it was a nightmare for a bunch of people, but for us, casual fans who didn't have to do anything. It was great. It's great. I mean,

athletes and sports really work on routine. Yes. And so when that's disrupted, especially in a collision sport, it's, you know, it's very disruptive. So very rarely am I surprised, but occasionally I'll get information and I'll go, wow. Like the other day, Chris Wallace, remember Mike Wallace 60 minutes, his son Chris Wallace is a commentator at Fox for years. And then he said, okay, I'm going to leave Fox go to CNN. That wasn't the surprise. I looked up his age and he was in his 70s. And he looks like he's in his 50s.

And I saw that and I was just like, really? Really? He's been around that long. And there was another one last night in sports. Matt Stafford became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to throw for 50,000 yards. Yeah. And I was just like, what? Matt Stafford.

That's 12 years in Detroit. And I'm thinking, is Matt Stafford the greatest player on a bad franchise ever? And then I thought, no, he's third. Barry Sanders won Calvin Johnson, two, Matt Stafford, three. And I talked about this with Derek Carr. yesterday. I mean, Matt Stafford would be, he's going to make the Hall of Fame for two reasons. One, all he needs is wins. He's going to get those with the Rams. So he's going to put out huge numbers for the next five or six years. He's only 33 years old. So I mean, he's going to be

fine. So he's going to put up big numbers, and he's already 12th in passing yards. So he's going to finish like top five in passing yards, top six in passing yards. And he's going to win a bunch of games. I wouldn't be shocked if he won a Super Bowl. I mean, this year right now, they're as good as anybody, maybe except Green Bay in the league. I mean, they're really good. Kansas City, Rams, Green Bay, Arizona's reeling, New England's limited, Buffalo off the hill. I mean, it does feel like they're really good. But this is what I said about Derek Carr. Derek Carr is not asking for Bill Belichick.

He's asking for competency. Derek Carr is going to have a sixth coach in nine years here in about three months. And so whenever Aaron Rogers goes into his, you know, Hollywood, I'm a victim, needy mode, I'm like, Aaron, you've had 45 pro bowlers in Green Bay since you started. 45 years of pro bowl players. 13 on offense and 13 on defense. Think about that. Aaron Rogers has had 26 pro bowlers

who have made 45 pro bowlers as he'd been there. So when Aaron gets needy, I'm like, I roll. Okay. Literally Matt Stafford got to 50,000 yards in that Andy Dufrain tunnel in Shawshank Redemption. Like it's one of those stats where it literally caught me off guard. I was like, what? Peyton Manning?

It's incredible to me. And, you know, whereas college football has a transfer portal, NFL doesn't, you get trapped. And you've got to be a bad guy. You've got to go out and say, listen, I just, I've been very lucky in my career. I worked in Las Vegas. It's a great station, great ownership. I worked here at ESPN at Fox. I worked in the Pacific Northwest in Portland.

I've been very lucky. I only worked one place in my life that had bad management, and it was just a mess. It wasn't any individual person's fault. It was just a bad culture. And that was Tampa, and I could just leave. In fact, I kind of forced myself out after about a year and a half. I'm like, I'll break my contract.

Come sue me. I got to get out of here. I don't like bad bosses, bad cultures. But, you know, Matt Stafford, that number, and it's funny because you get trapped, right? Like, that's the thing. The harder you work as a college athlete, the worst team you go to. That's why Mack Jones, better by Bill Belichick, a really nice Christmas gift. Because you cannot land any better than Matt Jones got that defense, that coordinator, that coach, that owner, that online, that running game.

And then they spend a bunch of money on offense. It's like, Mac, do you understand how lucky you were? Look at the draft order this morning. This is the current draft order. Jags, lions, Texans, Jets, Giants, Giants, Panthers, Jets, Falcons, Washington. I feel bad for some of those college players. Those are losing cultures. And, you know, when Matt Stafford's doing that, that is a shocking stat.

Fastest quarterback to 50,000 yards. I was just like, misprint. That can't, can't be possible. And he did not grow up. Those 12 years, a lot of that was maybe the last four or five. We've become more of a passing culture. But a lot of that, when he first got into the league, the rules have just gotten looser and looser and easier and more accommodating for offense.

They weren't his first four or five years in the league. So that's impressive. That is really impressive. Mark Schlereth now joining us live. Fox Sports, three Super Bowls. By the way, you know, it's interesting. You were around, you were on winning culture. So you had the L-Way culture.

I think about this all the time. I was in for a year and a half in my career. It's the only time in my 30 years of doing this, I was at a bad shop. Employees were great. Management wasn't. I hated it. Were you ever, give me the worst year of your career

when you just felt like, I'm driving, I'm driving to the stadium and we're going to get wallop today and what it's like. Yeah, you know, Colin, for me, probably 1994 playing for the Washington, while the Washington football team. But I'll never forget, lining up against Dallas Cowboys, and I was out early, you know, short-snapping out early and their offense was warming up. And I was just taking the inventory of their offense. And, you know, it went something like Mark 2&A, Nate.

Newton, Mark Stepnowski, Larry Allen, Eric Williams, Jay Novichick, Moose Johnson, Emmett Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and I don't know, maybe Alvin Harper or somebody like that. And I'm taking the inventory, watching them warm up,

and I'm thinking to myself, we don't have one guy in our office to start on this team. Like, we're going to get our ass whooped. You know, and sure enough they did, that was, like, you go into those situations going, we don't have a chance.

And that was, I mean, that's just tough. Yeah. So you did the Rams Vikings or you're doing it, so you're starting to look at that film. So I know you watched that game last night because you're going to do that game. And then you watch the Vikings on Monday. And maybe it's a little Ed McCaffrey. Matt Stafford threw him open a bunch and then Cooper Cup gets open a bunch. But what do you think, I mean, he's not the biggest receiver.

He's not the fastest receiver. what is the secret sauce to Cooper Cup, in your opinion? I think that Cooper Cup sees the game just like his quarterback sees the game. So when Cooper Cup is playing, he just understands routes, route combinations, defense, leverage, all that stuff. And he sees it while he's running full speed, the same way the quarterback sees it behind the line of scrimmage. And they are just completely mind-melted in pretty much every. situation. Cooper Cup is one of those guys that's, you know, faster than you think, more athletic than you think. He's tougher than you think. He just does everything exceptionally well. His wide

receiver coach, Eric Yarborough always tells him, make sure you wear dark black shoes look as slow as you possibly can because you're going to sneak up on a lot of dudes. And that's what Cooper Cup does. He just, he sneaks a lot of dudes. Plus, literally, they play a three wide set, but he oftentimes is the F receiver, which is your movement receiver, but also he plays the F receiver as though he were the backup, the secondary tight end. So he's cutting off on the backside. He's on the line of scrimmage men. He does a lot of things for their football team

and creates a lot of opportunities for other players when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. So I listen to you Cowboys Giants game. Cowboys won it kind of a – and I said, you know, it would be very easy to say Dax not throwing the ball down the field. He was yelling kill, kill, kill, kill throughout the course of the game. They're not taking any risks. And then part of me said, okay, but Dax's facing a backup across the field. The defense is really good.

Giants aren't moving the ball. And part of me thinks, Dax's at the line of scrimmage thinking, we're losing this game one way. I make a big mistake. So I don't care about the stats. I got my bag and I'm confident in who I am. So I think, I said, it's easy for me to go out there and go, I mean, DAC doesn't throw the ball down the field.

But I also think there's a self-awareness component that a lot of quarterbacks, young quarterbacks, and Dak still fairly young, don't have. And so as you watch the game, what's your interpretation of the data, the data, which suggests the Cowboys are dink and dunk a majority of their passing game? Yeah, they probably have been to a degree much too much. Like, Dak, and I talk to Dak about his health and where he, is since that week six calf injury that he missed week eight on and you know they had a buy week and all this that and the other and you know he swears up and down and i love this about him

i am 100% healthy i feel great i feel as good as i've ever felt but there's certainly something in that passing game that is not quite in sync one of the things they really wanted to work on column was their outside run game and i thought they did a pretty good job of exploiting the edge of the giant's defense with both zeke elliott and paulard so i think they accomplished that I just think they need to start pushing it down the field more. And that is, you know, they're out of rhythm to a degree. But then you look at, hey, man, they've had Gallup has missed a bunch of time. You know, Amari Cooper missed two games.

C.D. Lamb missed a game. Tyrant Smith has missed four games now at the left tackle position. They've rotated the left guard trying to figure that thing out. So there's been a lack, a little bit of a lack of continuity coupled with the fact that, you know, DAC was her and your body is the greatest compensation machine ever created. So if you have a little something that's bothering you, your body will compensate for that. And I think that's some of what's

going on here with Dallas Cowboys offense and something they just need to continue to work through. You know, it's interesting watching Seattle last night. I feel they've been a house of cards the last several years. I've had multiple executives in the league because they know I'm from Seattle. Tell me the exact same thing. I can never figure out the Seahawks drafting. It's weird. They use words like strange and weird. They have reaches. They've made a bunch of whiffs. D.K. Metcalf, I still think works only because

he has an elite quarterback. I don't think he really runs routes. I just think he's big, strong, and can really run. And, you know, it seems, it'd be crazy, right? Pete Carroll's their greatest coach ever. They won a Super Bowl. But, you know, their Pat Riley used to always say, the great Pat Riley. After about 10 years, people need a different voice. And I do feel like Pete and Russell, it's just time to break it up and you're not going to, whoever you're going to keep, I would

keep the quarterback. But it's, I think they're in a rebuild. Mark, I don't think they're close. I don't think they have a good O line. I don't. Where do you think Seattle is at today? Yeah, I think that offensively they have, there's no question they've struggled.

And, you know, I think there is some lack of continuity there between coaching staff and quarterback. I think there's also some frustration when, you know, we point the finger to the O line. We point the finger to lack of running game. But I guarantee if you broke down all the sacks, a lot of them were on Russell. A lot of them are the way he operates. And then, you know, sometimes you put yourself into harm's way. Like, you take a guy like Damien Lewis, who to me when he was, I think the year before, he was the right guard and I remember studying him going, man, this kid is playing as well as any rookie guard. I've seen. Then all of a sudden you put him at left guard and he struggles.

That's a tough transition. So like to me, why would you take a kid that was kind of a, you know, all rookie at right guard and all of a sudden think that you're going to make a move and put him at the left guard position and think there isn't going to be a learning curve there? Like some of those decisions don't make a lot of sense to me, Colin. So yeah, there's something missing there and I don't know if there is a relational like just kind of headbut that's going on between

Russell and Pete but I will say this you go under that facility man the competition the energy everything is amazing yes so if something doesn't fit and I'm not sure why that is but something certainly doesn't fit all right

if I said to you there's going to be a team that's going to make the playoffs and we know there's going to be an upset in the playoffs. We know a seven's going to be to one or a six is going to be a two. It's going to happen, Mark. Nobody wants to admit it. If I said to you, there's a couple teams, there's a team in the AFC or NFC, they're going to be the team that upset somebody. Who is it going to be and why? Be the Indianapolis Colts. Because there's like there are things, you know, we always say this, you know, like defense travels come playoff time. The run game travels come

playoff time. Physicality travels come playoff time. You go back to last year's playoffs, Colin, you know I have talked about this. Last year's playoffs, you show me the team that won the physical battle, the battle the trenches. I'll show you the team that won 100% of the playoff games all the way through to the Super Bowl last year.

That travels. That works. In Indianapolis, they just come out and punch people in the mouth. It's unbelievable. Jonathan Taylor is incredible. What do they have? Eight wins on the season? I think he's got 100 yards in all eight wins.

I mean, the guy has just been phenomenal. They just control and dominate the line of scrimmage. And you can win a game in a dominant fashion with a special teams touchdown and everything else when your quarterback goes five of 12. In a league where every rule is constructed to throw the football, every rule is bent toward the success of the quarterback. He goes five for 12, should have probably thrown four picks. and you still win a game against the team in New England that was on a seven-game win streak.

Yeah. I mean, that travels. And I guarantee you, people are hoping, they're hoping that Indianapolis does not get into the playoffs because nobody wants to face them. Finally, I always ask you a Broncos question. You're on the most popular sports talk radio show in that market. And you played there and you know it. So listen, I'm not a Drew Locke fan. He's too casual.

I just think he's too casual with the football. He's not the future. I love Teddy Bridgewater, but he's been banging up again. He's not the future. So I love their new GM. I think he's sharp. I love their roster. I think they're ready to win now if you give them an elite quarterback.

I've said, I think they're Tampa before Tom. I had all the pieces. They just needed a little upgrade at right tackle and a new quarterback, and they win a Super Bowl. I think Denver's the same thing. Little upgrade on the O line, maybe, the right quarterback, and I think they can win a Super Bowl. Give me your, as you take calls and talk to the Ciddle,

in the market and the organization, what's Denver going to look like at quarterback? What's their mission? They may not accomplish it, but what are they going to try to do by next year? Well, I think they are going to, I mean, I think they're going to leave no stone on term when it comes to continue to pursue Aaron Rogers

or Russell Wilson or if Deshawn Watson stuff gets cleared up. They're going to pursue a veteran, kind of elite level quarterback if they can get one. So I don't think there's any question that that's the direction. I think they feel very much the same way you do. They paid their receivers on the outside. They have a rookie wide receiver. Their running backs are phenomenal.

And Gordon and Giovante Williams is one of the best most physical runners in football. So I'm 100% with you. I think that's the way they feel. So I would assume they're going to pursue a veteran in a trade, try to see if they can't get themselves a great one that way. And if you can't do that, then you know, you're probably going to have to dip into the draft and see if you can get want. And I don't know if that means bringing back Teddy Bridgewater or if that means, you know,

finding yourself a free agent. But yeah, it's a bit of a mess right now. They've got to go out to find themselves a guy that they can rely on. And I think that, like I said, the veteran that's tradable is the guy they're going to try to go after. Good stuff, Mark. Happy holidays to you and your family. Merry Christmas, buddy. Always good talking to you. Mark Schlarath, who this week is doing the Rams Vikings game on Sunday. Interesting game because the Rams now they, they're They've got it rolling. Arizona's falling. Can the Rams win the division?

You know, it's funny, Joy. I looked at all these standings this week. You just forget on this stuff. We got a lot. Arizona can end up in third place very easily. If you look at Arizona's schedule is two big, big potential losses. So this thing, that NFC West, we do not know who's won that yet. Yeah, there's a significant amount of football left to play.

It feels like we're at the end because it's like Christmas. It's an 8-win team. It's right around the corner. Rams are a 10-win team, and San Francisco is a physical nightmare. Their schedule is a little easier. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. 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 to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 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. 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 bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Christmas Day on Fox,

the Browns take on Aaron Rogers and the Packers, then catch Colts Cardinals on NFL Network. It's a Christmas Day doubleheader on Fox NFL Network and stream. on Prime Video. Christmas Day, Terry Bradshaw is giving away a house on the Fox Bet Super Six app. Scan the QR code and enter your picks in the Christmas special contest, then opt into the house giveaway sweepstakes for your chance to win. One lucky winner will be announced on Christmas during the Browns Packers game on Fox. Don't miss out. It's free to play. You don't get those chairs on that house. You've got to buy your own chairs out front of the house. Have you ever won a contest? No. I had a friend Randy. He's still a friend. I haven't seen him in a while.

I haven't seen him for a year, but he lives in Las Vegas. He just retired. He was my luckiest friend ever. He won a slot machine. He won golf clubs twice. He won multiple cash prizes. Anything he entered, he won. I could never, and I told him one time, I said,

there's some cosmic mystic thing. He's Canadian. He won everything. Everything we ever, everything he entered, he won, Randy. And if he's listening, he's laughing. And he had a streak when I lived in Vegas. He could have won 100 things since I left. That was just when I was in Vegas years ago. He won everything.

If you went to a golf tournament and you signed up at a raffle and there was four prizes, he'd get at least two. Every raffle. I'm sure I've won some contest at some point, but yeah, I don't generally win those either. Yeah, joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News.

Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. That's exciting to win a house. Yeah. I would tell everyone I met for the rest of the life. There are a couple people in the country, not many, that have won the lottery twice. Well, I mean, someone's going to win. That's why you play. Yeah.

I mean, I play the lottery. Anytime it gets to like $200 million, I play it. Why not? And I always feel I'm going to win it. Every single time I buy it, I look at those numbers. I'm like, those are the numbers. You know what? I can't wait to see you retire.

tired. I just want to know what you're going to do. Oh, I know I'm going to do. Dogs, coffee, dogs, exercise, cocktails at 4.30 and chicken nachos about four nights a week. That's my, I can, chicken parma on the other one. Well, I told you, when I came, when I left ESPN and I came, and I, and I've been my, I'm, my wife and I are both kind of grinders. Like, we like working, we like being active. So sitting home doesn't appeal to me at all. Right. And even, you know, I got to do stuff. like I'm going to talk probably for a long time. But I took six weeks off in the transition from the other place to Fox. And I remember I got up at about week five.

And I'm like, if this is retirement, it's not terrible. I lived in Manhattan Beach. Yeah, that was week five. It wasn't week 400. I know. I know. They say there's a, they've talked about people who like retire at 42 or 43 that get rich. You know, they sell a company or something.

And they always say the 18 month mark is the key. Like they love it for 18 months. They travel the world. And even if you're rich, traveling the world's a headache and there's delays. And then after about the 18 month point, the problem is none of your friends are retired. And so you're like, nobody can do anything because everybody else, like my whole social circle will be working. What do I do at one in the afternoon? Like my wife doesn't want me around the house all the time.

She hides. She goes and does stuff. We were talking about this earlier. All you have to do is just walk around L.A. You'll find lots of people that don't do anything at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I like with people all the time. I'm like, what are you guys doing tomorrow? Well, you went out last night.

You went out last night. I was at the Lakers game and it was like, oh, they're growing out. I'm like, do you'll have anything to do tomorrow. And they were going out to one in the morning on a Tuesday after. I don't know who these people are. Yeah, I'm like, what do you do tomorrow? When I watch sports on TV, my big takeaway is always when I see Joe Buck and Ankeman, I'm like, man, it's third quarter.

I'm tired. Do they stay up to like midnight every night of the week? Or they'd be tired. You got to be. They have to, Joe Buck literally can't go to bed early because he's, got to be in that cycle of doing late games. I have not seen 1130 in years. No, I'm up a little bit later than you, but not too late. So the Eagles got off to a slow start falling behind 10-0 to Washington last night, but they turned things around, picked up an important division victory,

27-17 win, and Nick Siriani was very impressed with his team. You never want to start like that. And it was rusty. As disappointing as the slow start was, you saw a lot of guys contribute today, you know, and that was just a great team win. You just saw it as a full team win of guys making plays. So started off rusty, but they bounced back because that's the type of team we have. Resilient dog mentality, next play mentality. By the way, they got the world's worst break. Did you see the interception that was off the back heel?

That's the worst break by a team. The tight end had no idea. He was literally running down the field. That is the worst break. Like, I do kind of feel like, who was it? Is it Patrick Mahomes' mom that was talking about this earlier in the year? Like, like, not all the interceptions. Oh, they're not.

That should be on the cleat company. It should be, the manufacturer should have to own the, I mean, I do think you have to have some evaluation of, like, of weird things like that. Yeah, well, they've talked about before having a team interception. Yeah. Like, an NBA, a team foul. Right, so it doesn't count against, you know.

Like, I know the quarterback still through it, but. No, I mean, there's obviously, I mean, the other, first of all, a lot of interceptions, that you see this almost once every couple games. A quarterback gets a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage and it's batted in the air. I think I would still count those because maybe the quarterback is not moving around the pocket as well as he should be.

But something like that, like a freak thing. It was one of the strangest plays of the year in the NFL. It was a great. It was an inch above the ground and it hit the back heel and popped up in the air. And the tight end for the Eagles had no idea. Well, I'm very impressed with the Eagles this year. I'm happily wrong.

about them. Yeah, so am I. I don't think that they're going to make a deep run in the playoffs, but they have been really impressive. Siriani has done a really nice job with them. They've developed an identity. They play with a certain energy. Jalen Hertz, 2026, 296 yards, passing touchdown. That was a great catch. Two rushing touchdowns. Greg Ward, that was a great catch. And they're just very, very physical. They feel like an Eagles team. By the way, that's exactly right. They fit what you'd think they would be. And it's like when the Steelers can't run, you're like, wait, time out. How can Pittsburgh not run?

That's who they are. Right. And Philadelphia feels much more Pennsylvania. They do, but I'm glad that they are, that division is always really weird. Like a different team wins every year. Last to first a lot. It's not a stretch of a dominating winner. Now, obviously the Cowboys are, you know, a neck above everyone right now, but I like what they're building there.

So the Bucks have lost some important players due to injuries, Chris Godwin, done for the season, torn ACL. That's a huge blow. Vante David is out with a foot sprain. Mike Evans and Leonard Fernette are dealing with hamstring injuries. Leonard Fernett is a major, I mean, Chris Godwin, to me, they can overcome because they're deep at receiver. Brady is 7 and 0 when Leonard Fernett just gives him 50 yards rushing. That is his security blanket.

He's a power runner. He can throw on play action. With that Fernette injury to me, when I read that last night, I was like, Oh, they're not winning the Super Bowl. That's what it feels like to me, seriously. I mean, this is a bad... If I told you this morning, after all those injuries, Gronk can't play in the playoffs,

you would check them off playoffs. No. Like, I would sit, they play the Panthers twice in the Jets. I would sit gronk. We have seen teams able to overcome losing a bunch of stars, but this was kind of the gamble that they went in on this year. Like, they're going to bring everybody back. Yep.

And, you know, we're going to find out. out how much depth they have and what they're able to overcome. The Bucks also already lost Gianmani Bernard to the backfield. So they signed Levi-on-Bell to add some depth at running back. But they're in a bad way right now. We'll see how the rest of the season goes, who they're able to get back. But that's just, this is the worst time of year to have a bunch of injuries like that, like a cluster group of injuries to your stars.

And Tampa last year was the team that got healthy late. It was Kansas City that got hurt. It was Green Bay that lost David Boktiari. So the good teams got hurt. The Bucks got healthy. Now the opposite is happening. Green Bay is getting healthier. I mean, this is why it's so...

Look, they're not out of it. They still have Tom Brady and plenty of other talent. But that's a lot of injuries. But this is why it's so hard to repeat. Because you never know what's going to happen throughout the course of a very long season. And how healthy you're going to be going into the playoffs. And teams that win Super Bowls usually have veteran players.

And so you come back. The veterans got healthy last year. They get hurt. It's very hard to win. Very few championship teams are full of kids. It's just not the way it works. So Jake Paul is looking for his next opponent after knocking out Tyrone Woodley last weekend on his brother Logan's podcast.

He also called him out after the fight, but he also said this on the podcast. He called out Jorge Mosvidal and offered him $5 million guaranteed plus a percentage of the pay-per-view to make it happen. Now, Mosvidal is a UFC fighter. Yes. And Mazvedal did not waste any time responding to Paul's offer. He tweeted the UFC isn't going to let me go for chump change. Make that 20 guaranteed plus pay-per-view, and I'm sure the UFC will be okay with it, as long as I break them off their fee, and then I'll gladly break your face.

And a follow-up tweet, he also offered to fight Paul if he signs a one-fight deal with UFC, with the stipulation they can only box in the octagon. Mosvidal even offered to forfeit his purse to Paul should he do something other than boxing. Well, neither. We know Jake Paul would lose in the octagon. That's not a question. Right, but Masvedal is saying, come fight in UFC. I will do nothing but box you.

Clearly, Jake is not going to do anything other than box because that's what he's doing. So he's making a concession that you can come to UFC. I'm not going to break my UFC contract to fight you. But if you come and fight in UFC, I will only box you. And I'll forfeit my purse if I do anything other than boxing. I don't think Dana White likes this because I don't think Dana White likes his fighters losing to boxers. No, I don't think Dana would agree to this at all. No, I don't think it's good for UFC.

It doesn't help UFC. This is not what UFC does. UFC has legitimate fighters, and this is a legitimate sport. Not that what's going on with Jake Paul isn't, but we can all agree. He's not fighting real boxers in their prime right now. You know what I pay for? I'd pay $100 to watch Levian Bell Jake Paul. Now, that I'd pay $100 pay per view, easily.

Easily. I mean, I said I aged Levion like six years the other day. He's 29, Leveon. Oh, I would absolutely. But Levyon's playing right now for the Tampa Buccaneers. so he's not going to, he's not going to box him. But that's what people are talking about with Jake Paul. It's like you want, you need to fight a legitimate fighter.

Who's younger and not washed up? He's younger and not washed up. And also he needs to fight a boxer. Like even still, Mazvedal, who I think would beat him easily. I think so, yeah. Is, well, Mazbado is still fighting right now. Like he's not retired. He's not out of the sport.

He would beat Jake Paul. But I will tell you, I would pay for Mosvidal and Jake Paul. Paul, I would pay more for that than I would for almost. In fact, I would pay more for that than any fight in America today. Well, you and I are not on this high horse about paying for these fights. I mean, I pay for things that entertain me. I go to movies. That's right.

I go to events. That's right. I go to concerts. I go to shows. Like, that's what I pay for is to be entertained. So if that's what's entertaining me, then that's what I'm going to pay for. By the way, Stephen Spielberg's brilliant. He did another remake of West Side Story and nobody watched.

Spider-Man made $300 million. People want to be entertained. I want to be entertained. entertain me. When you turn my radio show on a car in L.A. I don't have the best voice. I may not know as much as the other guy, but I'm trying to entertain you. I want to be entertained. I feel comfortable about my principles in life. So do I. I feel comfortable. I feel comfortable on that. So if I want to watch Jake Poff, that's what I'm going to do. Yeah, same here. I'm not, I don't go to my name or an answer. And I'm not even watching it for him. I legitimately, I was more interested in the undercards in this fight.

I didn't even care about the Woodley fight. I'd already seen that. I didn't need to see it again. I grew up in the age of wide world of sports. So I am mid-50s. So I used to watch people barrel jumping. Okay. I used to watch daredevils. So I'm not one of these highly principled. It's got to be a sticking ball in baseball.

If you got a guy jumping over school buses, I'm in. And I grew up in the era of Nickelodeon shows. So how about the guy, the Nick Walenda? American gladiators. Remember the parking garage guy in Chicago? Nick Willenda? about three years ago there was a guy tightrope walking between in Chicago you're so into tightrope walking oh my God it's amazing next to the Super Bowl is the greatest sporting

event of the year at least twice a year you bring these up oh my God I can't watch stuff like that I don't know how you watch the single greatest documentary that has ever been made in America in the world in the history of the world is man on wire you have got to watch this I watched it It sounds like my hands are sweaty thinking about it. That just sounds like how long is it's an hour and a half of anxiety? Do you know what man on wire is? You've told me about this before. It's the craziest story in the history of the world.

That a guy snuck up, he was a French, he was a tight roll walker, Pierre or something. You know, he smoked and wore socks to bed. And he literally snuck up as they were constructing the Twin Towers. It's like in the 70s. And he put somebody on the other building. and in a foggy, windy day, he tightroped across the buildings. And there was people down to taking pictures of it. Why?

It's the greatest documentary ever made. During the holidays, after you turn this show off, you don't need to watch anything else after the show. Watch Man on Wire. It is utterly fascinating. Best documentary I've ever seen by a mile. I would be nervous doing those little bouncy things that they do down at the beach in Santa Monica. You ever see those?

Yes. Yeah. I fall immediately. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. People all over America are literally Googling man on wire.

Trust me, if you like Docs, it's great. Third. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sports. and all the interesting interactions along the way.

We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast 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.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-taped 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 cracks. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Now you're 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. 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 tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So words matter, and one of the reasons I've never been terribly interested, in the most valuable player award is that the word valuable eliminates virtually everybody that's not a quarterback. 13 of the last 14 MVPs in the National Football League have been quarterback, so I'm bored with it. Cooper Cup should be in the running. He has 122 catches. He'll probably end up with 145 catches. He is as good at any position as anybody in the NFL. But a hundred and 22 two catches.

is two games worth of snaps for Matt Stafford, and a wide receiver is dependent on a quarterback. He wouldn't have that many catches with a terrible quarterback. So once you use the word valuable, it changes everything. College basketball, March Madness has it right, men's and women's. They honor a most outstanding player. All right, that's just the best player. That's the way to do it.

But if you ask me, if the NFL called it, Best player. My top five would be Aaron Rogers, Cooper Cup, Michael Parsons, T.J. Watt and Jonathan Taylor. I think those are the best players in the league right now. Dominant play. Once you go valuable, it's Aaron Rogers and maybe Jonathan Taylor. And that's it. So, you know, if you had, for instance, in your life, if you had an MVP award,

most valuable possession in your personal life, it would either be your house, your condo, or your apartment. Every time. Otherwise, you're sleeping on the street, right? You need a place to cover your head. Well, my car, you can take Uber. You can walk. You can take a bike.

There's a lot of different ways to go. Transportation's much different. House, home. If you live in a cold climate, it's always going to be your most valuable possession. And so to me, I'm bored with it. Cooper Cups unbelievable. I think they should change it. They never will.

but it's like Heisman, we've gotten to the same point with a Heisman. Like it's just a quarterback at a power of school. It's going to be in Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State. It's the same program, same position mostly. I'm bored. Here's Sean McVeigh talking about Cooper Cup last night. I think he has an idea of how well he's playing, but he is truly one of the most humble, special players I've ever been around.

And, you know, he doesn't need all the accolades. I mean, I think it's great. He gets his first Pro Bowl recognition. I don't know how he's not going to be a first-team all-pro player. I think he's a legitimate candidate. for a lot of awards. He's so special, Jordan. You and I both know that. It's pretty cool. Meanwhile, I watched all but about the first five minutes of the Sons and Lakers game last night.

I watched it for the Sons. They're far more entertaining. The best teams, we say this all the time in football, that you've got to be able to beat teams multiple ways. Professional coaching is too good. Scouting's too good. Athletes are too good. You've got to have a lot of different ways to beat people. Lakers now have one way to beat you. LeBron's amazing. That's it. AD's hurt.

Shocker, again. The sons are 25 and 5. And they just toyed with the Lakers last night. Second half, shift gears over. They had eight different leading scores. Javelle McGee's twice led them in scoring. The sons can beat you so many different ways. They can clamp down, great wing defenders,

Chris Paul directs traffic, you can't match up with Devin Booker. Eight different sons. have led them in scoring. Six different Milwaukee bucks, Janus being one of them, have led them in a win. Eight different sons have led them in a win.

With LeBron and the Lakers, it's LeBron A-D, and then you're out of luck. Malik Monk had one really big game. That's it. It's basically LeBron and A-D and A-D's always hurt. And so as I was watching the game last night, you could just, you know, when you're really good in the NBA,

and there's always about four, three to four teams in the NBA, that, you know, they've been to the finals. You're talking about, like, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Golden State. These are really good teams, really well-coached, really good teams. Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Steve Kerr, scores, bigs. They're just different. And you watch teams like that, and they just, it's a long season.

And so they let teams kind of hang around. Then they come out in the third quarter going like a 16 to 4 run, game over, go to their bench. Phoenix just toying with the Lakers last night. The other thing about the Lakers, not only are they old, and that's why all these injuries are predictable. AD's out. LeBron hurt his ankle again.

He'll probably play. They're just an old team, and this was incredibly predictable. It's why we thought Westbrook was actually going to work in the regular season. They just need somebody that will play 32 nights and give them 24 points. Is that the Rams are now interesting and winning. The Chargers are interesting in winning. The Dodgers are about as interesting as a baseball team could be in winning. And if USC and Lincoln Riley are as good in three years, two years as I think there'll be,

Lakers are in danger of even in Los Angeles, just not being very captivating. LeBron's now his 19th year. Anthony Davis is not as special. He's not a one. He's a very talented and often unavailable number two. And they have no succession plan. They have a GM that's a former agent that just loves stars. They would have been better off getting buddy healed, keeping Alex Caruso.

They're bad defensively. They're old. Everybody's hurt. So they're in a tough spot. There's so much right now in Los Angeles. In New York, everybody's awful. I mean, in New York, sports are so bad, they celebrate a new manager. You'd have thought they signed Babe Ruth, not Buck Showalter.

I mean, they just forget the fact that they lost some pitchers. It doesn't matter. They got Buck Showalter. They're going to be great. And it's like, okay, he's a manager. He'll win like four more games. It's all arms. It's all situational hitting.

It's all bullpens. But in Los Angeles, the big brand, the Lakers, they don't have a succession plan. They're really old. They are totally reliant now with AD out again on LeBron carrying them. And watching Phoenix toy with them last night, that is what Great Laker teams have done with the rest of the NBA. Phoenix playing with them. Just go to the bench, get a good run, play a lot of people. When you got one way to win in the NBA, you're not playing in June.

You're not playing in June in July. So, all right, hour number three, Albert Breer stops by. We're flying through. We're shooting herd for the holidays after the show today with Joy and Joel Clatt and Chris Broussard. So looking forward to that as we, Christmas Eve Friday, Christmas Saturday, snowing around the mountains.

Feels like the holidays. Hour 3 is next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest,

S&L'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 is. Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.