The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Joy Taylor Shares Her Favorite 5 in the NFL!

Episode Date: December 24, 2021

In this hour of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Joy Taylor--in for Colin--shares her "Favorite 5" upcoming NFL games. Plus, FS1 NBA analyst Ric Bucher joins Joy to discuss the league's Christmas Day games and the Covid issues plaguing rosters. Also, Joy mulls over some of the MVP, DPOY, and COY candidates in the NFL. Finally, FS1 NFL analyst Greg Jennings chats with Joy about some of the NFL's pertinent storylines. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm Joy Taylor, filling in for Colin Cowherd. He is enjoying time with the family this weekend for Christmas. I'm joined by Alex Curry. We're rocking our holiday colors today. I'm serving Rich Auntie on the holidays. Oh, I love. We're full Christmas. Christmas came early today for us and everyone listening and our outfits.

So you're welcome. We'll talk to Rick Bueger in just a moment about the Christmas Day NBA games. Yeah, I'm fully into Christmas this year. I'm not a Grinch usually, but Thanksgiving is more of my favorite holiday and the holiday. Well, yeah, obviously, I love Halloween. It's my high holiday. Yeah. But Thanksgiving of the holiday season.

I don't know if people consider Halloween to be part of the holiday season. It's a start. Yeah. Everyone doesn't acknowledge Halloween. Actually, short joy story, the reason that I, probably, that I am so obsessed with Halloween is I was never a trick-or-treater. I was never allowed to trick-or-treat. What? Yeah, my dad thought it was like the devil's holiday.

or something. What's the day of the dead? So it is a little bit much. Like it's okay. Let us go get some candy. He never let us trick-or-treat. So we would go church people know about this. We'd do like the harvest party, which was like you go to church and like you get candy, but it's not the same. So now I'm obsessed with Halloween. Anyway, no one cares about that. But my childhood is very weird. So we'll get to Rick Buehker in just the moments. There's a lot of NBA games tomorrow, a lot of NBA stories and a lot of stuff going on with the variant that's making things very difficult for all these leagues. But this weekend in the NFL, we have a great slate of games. It was a little weird last week with all the movement and, you know, it was strange. But we're back on track and we have

some great games this weekend. So before I debut this, I do this on my Saturday show. One of our listeners on the Saturday show picked the name of this. I did not think about how close it was to Blazing Five. Colin does Blazing Five Fridays. So this isn't Blazing Five. This is my favorite five. So trust me, I know how close it is. That was not intentional. All right, well, let's start with the Browns and the Packers. The Cleveland Browns are traveling to Green Bay to play the Packers who are great at home. They are 6 and 0, and I think they will be 7 and 0 after this weekend.

The Packers are favored by 7.5, which feels about right. I do think that they will cover. The Browns are coming off of a really bad COVID week. Getting a lot of people back, they have eight starters on the COVID list, though. the ones that could return is Baker Mayfield, Case Keenham, Karim Hunt, Jarvis Landry, Judgeick Wills, Javin Clowney, and Greg Newsom. The Browns have been held to under 20 points in four of their last five games. This has been a year where Baker has really struggled,

and Aaron Rogers has done the opposite of that. He is leading the MVP race. They are the best team in the NFC and have the best record in the NFL. They have the fewest giveaways of Packers 10 and the second best turnover differential plus 12. season and have scored 30 straight points in four straight games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. Otherwise known as a major mismatch, I do think that Cleveland will be very desperate in this game, which they should be the way that the AFC North is playing out. But I think the Packers win this convincingly. However, I am still interested to see what Baker

and the Cleveland Browns do. The Colts at the Cardinals. Now, the Colts are eight and three over their last 11 games, and they lead the NFL with a plus 14 turnover differential. They have the number one scoring offense since week four, 31.1 points per game. Jonathan Taylor is the story of this team. He's been incredible. He's getting a lot of talk for MVP as he should. He is remarkable. Leads the NFL and carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns,

scrimmage yards, and scrimmage touchdowns. Very impressive. Wow, the Cardinals who were tearing the league up are three and four in their last seven games after starting seven and O. Kyler Murray has struggled three touchdowns, five interceptions. in the last four games since returning from his injury. So maybe he's not 100%, but they need this win desperately. The Colts run the ball really well, obviously with Jonathan Taylor

and have a lot of great pieces and are playing really well, very complete football. So this is a great matchup. I'm looking forward to this weekend. Bills at Patriots. We just talked about Mack Jones with Nick Wright. The Patriots beat the bills 14 to 10 on the road. That was a notorious game where Mack McCorkle Jones had three passing attempts.

I don't think that the bills are going to. to prepare for a game like that again. But Bill Belichick, he owns the bills. We know Aaron Rogers. He owns the Bears. Will Bill Belichick owns the bills? 36 and 8 career records against the bills. That's the most wins against any opponents.

And the Patriots have the number two scoring offense since week seven. However, however, I do think this will be a much more competitive game. I think it will look much differently than the one that they played earlier in the season. Mac Jones leads all the rookies and wins and completion percentage. and I do think that the bills need this game more than the Patriots, so I think they will bring all their best stuff. It will be very close. The spread is Patriots minus two.

I think I'm going to go with the Patriots there, but I think this is going to be a great matchup. Ravens at Bengals. So the AFC North is completely wide open. It's any one's division. Essentially every game from this point out for all of these teams is a playoff game. The Bengals are favored by three, and the winner of this game will be first in the AFC North.

But the Ravens are coming off of three straight losses, and two of them have come off of failed two-point conversions. Everybody loves those. I like a little aggressive, okay? No one's ever described me as being not aggressive. But maybe the two-point thing is not your thing. The Bengals beat the Ravens 41-17 on the road in week seven, and Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes of 20 or more yards.

I think this is the Bengals game. Also, we don't know what the situation is with Lamar Jackson as well. So if you're playing closely attention to this game, you're going to need to watch that throughout the weekend. And you got to sneak it in. I got to sneak it in. I know everybody's not really hyper about this, but I'm very excited for dolphins and same.

The dolphins are a six-game winning streak. Okay? They're looking to become the first team in NFL history to win seven-plus consecutive games, immediately following a losing streak of seven games. They have the number three scoring defense and number two total defense during their streak.

Tua playing really well, leads the NFL with 69.9 completion percentage. Two in Mahomes are the only two quarterbacks to win each of their last five games. That's good company. Now, I know the Saints are really banged up. They have a lot of COVID issues and their top two quarterbacks are out.

But that's actually why I'm interested in this, because Ian Book is probably going to start. So we're going to get to see Ian Book this weekend against the Dolphins. And the Saints are coming off of a shutout of the Bucks, not the prettiest game. It's a little bit of rough one. watch. But the Saints have Brady's number, so their defense is still incredibly competitive.

And I'm looking forward to this Monday night game. So that's my favorite five. Not the Blazing Five. My favorite five. I can't believe how close that was. I don't know what I was thinking. Rick Buecker, Fox Sports NBA analyst joins us now on the herd. I've been covering the NBA since 1993. Also is a podcast on the ball with Rick Buecker. Rick, Merry Christmas Eve. Thanks for joining us. It's a big slate of NBA games tomorrow. Which game are you most excited about tomorrow? Has to be the Suns Warriors simply because they're the teams that have lived up to what we expected them to be this season. And the first two contests were interesting enough. All the other ones, there's one reason or another where I'm just kind of like, you know what, I might be able

to get some things done on Christmas rather than parked on the couch watching games all day. Nets Lakers is probably the next best and not because of the contest, but simply because what are we going to see from Kyrie Irving? Are we going to see Kyrie Irving? How long are we going to see Kyrie Irving? There is an intrigue in that. The rest of the games, quite honestly, one way or another, somebody hasn't lived up to their billing or they've been affected by COVID to a point.

The Dallas Mavericks are the first team that comes to mind. that I'm just not sure that this is going to be a reflection of who they are. So I will go Suns Warriors first, Nets Lakers next, and then you know what? If I've got the TV on in the background and I'm doing other stuff with the family, I'm going to be okay. Well, singing with the Warriors, Steph Curry is having an unbelievable season and had another amazing performance last night.

Do you think he should lead the MVP? Is he deserving of the MVP so far this season? Joy, I can't put him as the leader. Is he in the mix? Does he have a shot? Legitimate shot? Could he win it? Absolutely. I give you all of that. But I feel as if, and I've seen it said, like this is between Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. And well, it should be because Kevin Durant is right there doing things for the Brooklyn Nets that Seth Curry is doing for the Golden State Warriors. But we're forgetting Chris Paul. Look at where the sons are with the best record in the league, or at least they were going into last night. And they've had Devin Booker out. They've had guys in and out, DeAndre Aiton, and yet they've kept it rolling. And I know the numbers and the splash of Chris Paul's game, no pun intended, is not the same as Steph Curry. But his leadership and his direction and what he's done with that team, the way he's brought it together,

and kept them going in spite of what could have been a hangover after getting to the finals last year and not getting there. emotional hangover, I believe has to be recognized. So I'm good with Steph being there. If you want to just give him like the, you know, the slight edge, the Kevin Durant toe on the three point line edge in the race, I'm okay with that. But to suggest that he is the clear favorite at this point, I do believe doesn't give justice to what KD, Chris Paul, and a few other guys are doing. We're talking to Rick Buecker on The Herd. You mentioned Kyrie's return. What do you think of them bringing him back and what are your expectations for him with this Nets team? Joy, this is why the NBA employs about 800 lawyers because they try to think of every

eventuality in every situation that they can prepare for. And they just weren't expecting this one where we were going to have a rash of absences. The Brooklyn Nets were not expecting where there was going to be this rash of absences and then suddenly there could be justification for bringing Kyrie back as a part-time player. But now that everybody in the league, is hiring part-time players. It's like, well, we got a pretty good one like in our employ. Why not give it a run? So it makes it awkward as far as where the league has stood on vaccinations and players playing who are not vaccinated. But I understand the circumstance. It is a difficult one. The big question is going to be, what exactly can Kyrie Irving do? Is he in any kind of a shape, any kind of shape?

what it's going to look like to take a player, not an ancillary player, not a complimentary player, not a Joe Johnson type player who's happy to come in and play six or seven minutes and get a shot, but a Kyrie Irving who is last we saw a bona fide star and would expect to get the touches and the shots that a star would get. Is he capable of living up to that not having played all this time and presumably not being in game shape. I just, I'm, I'm not sure how this is going to work. And I have my doubts that it's for sure going to be successful for the Brooklyn Nets. Yeah, I mean, all these leagues are dealing with this crazy COVID, you know, breakout with this new variance. And coaches have had to

deal with all kinds of different lineups. What are coaches telling you about the difficulty with everything that's going on right now? Well, it just, you know, normally look, the normal pattern for NBA head coaches, if you have a day between games, is the day before you devise your game plan. And if you have a practice, you run through some of the things that you think are important, and you figure out your matchups. And then in the shoot-around on game day, kind of do a refresher. You walk through it, everybody's got what they've got. You know what your minutes are going to be.

You know what your starting lineup, your rotation, your substitution pattern. You have all of that in place. Well, now, because of the testing being ramped up, because of the rash of positive tests, now teams don't find out until 3 or 4 o'clock who has tested negative or positive. So they're going through their normal routine. And then a couple hours before the game, they're finding out, oh, so-and-so is out. This guy's out. And they have to change things on the fly.

So you normally have that happen. you go in with your game plan and then you have an injury, you have foul trouble, you have somebody who has it going so you play them a little bit longer, you make adjustments. Well, now they're having to make adjustments, major adjustments, before they go into the game. And where we are now is, you know, initially they were going and they were getting guys that were in training camp with them. So they at least were familiar with the system and they were familiar with those players.

Or they got guys who'd played for them previously. There was a level of familiarity. Now, they're going out and getting guys that they've never had before. They've never coached before that have never played in their system before, and they're adding them in the mix in short order and trying to get them up to speed. So it is, I don't know, it's like being an AAUQ. A lot of people complain that the NBA has become AAU. Well, with this latest turn of events, it's really become AAU.

even for the coaches. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure it's a shlamy difficult, but they've got to get through the season, and that's where we are right now with all these leagues. They're just continuously making adjustments. We're talking to Rick Buecker, Fox Sports NBA analysts on the herd.

So, Rick, you are, you are the GM, the all-powerful GM of the Los Angeles Lakers. The great Los Angeles Lakers, right? Wait a minute. Joy, you couldn't pay me enough right now. Okay, but let's say I could write a challenge for you to do that.

All right, let's fantasize. You are that guy, right now or that woman, whoever, right? Like, you know, you're that person. Person. What can you do? What would you do to fix this lineup? To do anything to save this Lakers season where LeBron is playing entirely two minutes,

too many minutes, and it appears that this roster is not constructed to win a championship. Do I get to use the DeLorean from back to the future? Can't go back in time. You can only use the tools, money, and trade deadline. exists right now in the NBA. No DeLorean. Yeah. I allow Frank Vogel to coach this team and utilize it in the best way possible

and not give credence to I have to play my stars a certain way or I have to play LeBron James a certain way. I am going to utilize all the pieces on my bench. That means if Russ Westbrook, If you're going to sit a fourth quarter or you're going to sit a half, you're going to sit a half. Carmelo Anthony, same thing. LeBron James, same thing. The idea going in in adding the tail and Horton-orke-tuckers and adding the Malik Monks

and bringing back Dwight Howard and all of that was that you were going to utilize all of the pieces and mix and match. And quite honestly, I feel as if that has not happened. Russ Westbrook gets to play. Carmelo Anthony gets to play. Everybody gets to play regardless of how they are playing. And I just don't believe that this team can function or that you can get the most out of it if you approach it that way. I've got to go into my bench and play the guys who are playing the best.

And I can continue to play them. Sort of like Ty Lou did midway through the season last year with the Clippers. And we saw the profound change that that had with the approach of not only the bench, but the starters. That's not happening. So to me, that's the only way you can squeeze the most out of this Lakers team. But, Joy, you're really asking me to do the impossible because I told you, I don't know if it was August.

I don't know if it was September. It was October. I'm pretty sure I said it every one of those months. This is not a formula that I expected to work because simply you're looking at the names and the accomplishments and not. where they are at this stage of their careers and how they fit. And for all that LeBron James is giving you, and he's giving you everything that I think he possibly can at this point in his career, the whole idea was that Anthony Davis was going to be a monster.

And, well, Russell Westbrook was going to become a more efficient player. And maybe Carmelho Anthony could, with an expanded role, be a little more than he was when we saw him in Portland. And Malik Monk and all the other additions were going to be able to add something. But the truth is, all of those pieces, I would say Russ Westbrook has actually been exactly what you would expect Russ Westbrook to be.

Percentage-wise on his shooting, it's actually higher than it was last year. And three-point-wise, I think he's shooting higher than he has in his career. So as much as everybody wants to bag on Westbrook, I don't see that as the problem. Anthony Davis, not playing up to what you wanted him to play, and now being out. Carmelo Anthony, not being as consistent as we saw in Portland, or at least that I recall.

Dwight Howard, not being the Dwight Howard that we last saw in a Lakers uniform. So all of the things that had to go just right have gone all wrong. So you're asking me to fix something that I didn't think was going to work at its best to begin with, and now has gone the other direction. So Merry Christmas to you too, Joy. Thank you, Rick. I think that's a good suggestion, though. I think that's actually a very realistic solve if, you know.

It's the only one. I mean, you're asking me to drop. You're asking me to fix an impossible situation. That's the best I can do. I think you did a good job, Rick. Well, thank you very much for joining us on Christmas Eve. Enjoy the holiday and be safe, Rick. you got it.

Thank you to Rick Buecker, Fox Sports NBA analyst for joining us there. You feel comfortable with his suggestion. You're a Lakers, a Lakers, Homer, L.A. native, Alex. It's just so hard right now. It's anything. Just throw it up, see if it sticks. They need help.

He is right. LeBron is giving you everything that he can. I do think that the COVID situation has put everybody on alert and on pause. It's really hard to evaluate anything when you're doing with all the injuries in the COVID situation. which I'm, no one's ever accused me of being an optimist.

But I do, I feel a little sense of optimism about how everybody is, is being flexible with all this. Okay. College football playoff committee aside, I think we're going to figure it out. Like, we've got a lot of smart people working on this. It's a rough time right now. But, you know, as long as nobody panics, no panicking, I think we'll get through it and figure it out.

And hopefully, you know, after the holidays, because everyone's going to be seeing each other. With family. This might go on for a couple more weeks. that it'll settle down and we'll get mostly back to normal, whatever the new norm. Whatever normal means anymore. Exactly. Joy Taylor filling in for calling Cowherd today is with the family for the holidays alongside Alex Curry.

We'll talk to Greg Jennings and MJ Acosta later in the show, but let's talk MVP, and I have an interesting suggestion for Coach of the Year. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Celebrate Christmas with a boom. Fox Sports proudly presents a documentary tribute

to one of football's most beloved figures. The coach, the broadcaster, the video game, All Madden premieres Christmas Day at Two Eastern on Fox. Looking forward to that. Joy Taylor filling in for Colin Cowherd alongside Alex Curry. That's going to be a great documentary. Rinaldi almost had me crying. talking about it. I know. Just seeing all the interviews leading up to it this week,

those alone are incredible. So I can't wait to see the whole thing. I just love, I love studying the greats and finding, finding ties and connections to all of them, what they do, whatever it is that they do, whether it's, you know, Beyonce or Tom Brady, John Madden, you know, there's lots of goats. Oh, yeah. But Michael Jordan, what it is that they all do this the same. because I want to do that. Yeah. But one thing that I do find with people like John Madden and those other names and obviously there's many others is like this insatiable passion for what it is that they do.

It's infectious. Like John Madden still watches all the games on all these screens in his soundstage. But yes, they're just obsessed with it. And I think greatness requires a bit of obsession. So we're filling in for Colin today. He's with the family for Christmas. Merry Christmas Eve to everyone. and thank you for hanging out with us today.

So Tom Pallisero did a survey of some executives from 23 teams, 10 general managers, and obviously anonymously. And they gave out there the awards so far. MVP, defensive player of the year, coach of the year, executive of the year, and so forth. And some of them I agree with, I agree with. But I had some alternates for some of them. So Aaron Rogers is my MVP this year. And it's switched around a lot this year, which has, it really hasn't been a,

a very contentious conversation like it normally is because it's been such a weird year with COVID and the injuries. Kyla Murray's out for three weeks. Tom Brady has a game like last week. I mean, even Aaron Rogers was out for a week with COVID and he's dealing with a toe injury. But he's been unbelievable. He leads the NFL and wins with 11 touchdowns. Touchdown Interception ratio, 30 touchdowns, four interceptions and pass the rating of 110.4. He is the fewest giveaways amongst all qualified quarterbacks. He's the current favorite to win, according to Foxx, And the last player to win back-to-back MVP was Peyton Manning in 2008 and 2009. And, of course, the Packers have the best record in the NFL.

So I know this has become a bit of a quarterback award. I do think Jonathan Taylor definitely deserves some recognition in this space. Patrick Mahomes, obviously Tom Brady as well. But this clearly seems like Aaron Rogers' award and the rest of their season is pretty light. They have the Browns this weekend, the Vikings and the Lions. So they could potentially finish 14 and 3. So he deserves the MVP. And I don't think there's anything that's going to happen.

the next three weeks that's going to move anybody off of that. For defensive player of the year, T.J. Watt was their suggestion for defensive player of the year. I think Michael Parsons should win defensive player of the year. He currently has the second best odds plus 250 to win defensive player of the year, according to Fox Bet. One of the things that's kind of moved me off of T.J. Watt is that the Cowboys are a much better team than the Steelers. Now, this isn't going to be outrageous if T.J. wins that he's had an unbelievable season is certainly deserving. But the Cowboys are a better team. Micah has 12 sacks this season, leads all rookies and sacks and quarterback hits and pressures and forced fumbles and tackles for loss.

He needs two and a half more sacks to tie Javon Kurses' rookie record and he's the only player with 10 plus sacks and 75 plus tackles this season. He's had an unbelievable year. He's a phenomenon. He's incredible to watch. I love the success that he's having so early in the NFL. But I think he is not only deserving of defensive rookie of the year, but also defensive player of the year. Offensive rookie of the year is Mack Jones, leads all rookies and wins with nine. Completion percentage, 69%.

Passer rating 94.6. Passing yards and touchdown passes with 18. He's on pace to have the highest completion percentage by any rookie in NFL history. He has six games with 100 plus passer rating. He's obviously having a great season. I know everyone's pointing to, like, you know, they keep him limited. He's a rookie. What do we want to do?

What do you mean? What are you talking about? Not only is that this Patriots offense is conservative in that space to begin with, he's doing everything in a very complicated system with a lot of pressure. I thought he was always of all the rookies going to the best situation, but he has far exceeded my expectations for him this year. I'm happy to be wrong about him. No, I don't think he's Tom Brady,

but he deserves offensive rookie of the year, and he's playing really well and deserves some recognition for it. So let's talk about coach of the year. So they have Bill Belichick, which is perfectly acceptable. Bill's pretty good. But I think we always ignore Matlafleur. I think it's time to give Matt LaFleur some flowers. Right?

The best team in the league right now. They've overcome a lot. It's not just that it's Aaron Rogers. And I think with Aaron Rogers-led teams, we default to it's Aaron Rogers and it's not the coach. It's the third straight NFC North title under Matt LaFleur. By the way, he manages this whole Aaron Rogers situation, which is an award in itself. Because it couldn't be me. I have no patience for any kind of drama anymore, no capacity for it.

It's run out. My last nerve is shot. I can't do it. The Packers have the best record in the NFL. The floor is the highest winning percentage. The floor is one win away from tying George Seaford for the most wins by head coach to his first three seasons. And their co-favorists to win the Super Bowl, according to Foxx bet, along with the Chiefs.

Like, it's not just Aaron Rogers, as incredible as Aaron Rogers has been. I do think that Matt LaFleur deserves some credit. He's at an incredible season. He's built quite a resume for himself, and I would have him for coach of the year. Executive the year, I think Jerry Jones deserves some credit. Wow. Cowboys clinched. clinch, but they can clinch this weekend.

They're in the playoffs now. They clinched a playoff spot. It's the second team to clinch a birth this season. Micah Parsons, unbelievable. Obviously not this year, but C.D. Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Tony Pollard, Michael Gallup. He's made some great moves. They're currently the second seed in the NFC. Five pro bowlers this season.

I think Jerry's done a great job. Obviously, finally figured out that Dak Prescott situation. Thank you, Jerry. Thank you. If I had to talk about Doc Prescott's money one more time. time. I think he deserves some credit. They've done a really nice job this year. I don't know what's going to happen in the postseason, but I think Matt LaFlor and Jerry deserve some credit. Let's get to Alex Curry with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I'm with you on the coach

and the executive. Great points there. Thank you. Yeah. Not something I thought about before. I'm like, yeah, you're right. Now you mentioned the chiefs, Travis Kelsey and Tyree Kill are two of the chiefs currently on the COVID list. There's still a chance they could clear protocol in time to play against Steelers on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes is very hopeful that it will happen but knows the rest of the team will be ready to step up if those two aren't back. Take a listen. There's obviously some routes and stuff like that that Tyree can't trap and run that no one else in this world really can. But really, I mean, we just went out there and put a game plan together, trusting these guys to make plays happen. And we got the guys to do it. We got the speed. We got the playmakers. And I'm going to keep

trusting in them and hopefully we have Trav and Tyreek back, but if not, we'll be ready to go. This is the reality we're in right now. We are hearing more people get COVID than not. If he doesn't have his two-star targets, it's a big deal, but I think the bigger story is if they pull off a win and he doesn't have them, it just kind of adds to the Patrick Mahomes greatness and you can kind of put the beginning of the season struggles behind you. I think they're at the points, and Nick mentioned this earlier, like not having those guys out there is obviously huge. But what does this team look like without them? Are they, to your point, able to put to rest everything that happened earlier in the seasons,

all the questions they had about them? They still have Nicole Hardman, Byron Pingle, Josh Gordon, and they are still a very talented team offensively. But they've been winning with their defense. So this Pittsburgh defense has T.J. Watt is a good. is a high level complicated defense. Offense, not so much. But I want to see, I think this is interesting.

I want to see what they do without their stars. Obviously, nobody wants to watch teams without stars. Obviously, ideally we'd want them out there. And this is a bad situation we're all dealing with. But we are dealing with it. So everyone has had to overcome this in some way this season, injuries in some way this season, and the chiefs are the latest.

And I'm actually interested to see how they, how they fare against that Pittsburgh defense. And they have Patrick Mahomes. And as you saw, he's very calm and has a great attitude about it. And he's Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, he's Patrick. Okay, let's move to the Seahawks. They'll finish with a losing record for the first time since Russell

took over as their quarterback. The offense struggled a lot this season, even before Wilson was forced to miss time with a finger injury. And Pete Carroll says the team as a whole needs to pick things up. We've got to be better in all phases is the first thing. And it's not just one guy. but I know that it took Russ it took Russ time to get back after the time off

and it wasn't quite the same and he could still play and do well and do lots of things but he just had to work his way through it I think it's a little bit of everything you know we've got to be better in all ways you know but I think it's been a challenge in that regard you know physically I think it's time to admit that Pete and Russ

just might not be a great fit anymore We got a glimpse into the attention this offseason when Russ finally spoke up. But at this point, it might be better for Russ's career to force a trade because he has another two years on his contract and just kind of go their separate ways. It's not working. Everything comes to an end. It's, look, they had a rough go this season. Yeah. And Russ getting injured, really derailed everything.

I think he probably came back too early. They were mysteriously still in the playoff hunt for a while. Yeah. So it's been a down year. Like it happens. I just, I'm kind of with you. I think we've seen it year after year. And it's sort of started to tail off.

It's time. The situation with the Seahawks. Now, again, as you mentioned, he's going to have to force a trade. If I'm the Seahawks, I don't even, I'm not even thinking about this until he comes in the room and says, you must trade me. I'm not playing here anymore. I'm not doing anything. I'm not trading Russell Wilson, a future first ballot hall of famer still in his prime for

anything. Like, I'm not even thinking about it. Whatever we got to do to retool around him is what we're doing here. And I don't think that they're going to move off of Pete Carroll either. But, you know, Russell Wilson's kind of at a space where he needs to make these kind of decisions. And if he does force his way out, I don't see him going to a small market. Like he's going to want to go somewhere where it's not necessarily the most talents, but it's a different environment.

So I could see him. I mean, we talked about it obviously at the beginning of the season when there were some rumors out there. It was the Saints, which are probably still on the board. because they don't have their quarterback. Possibly Miami. I mean, I like Tua, but if Russell Wilson's trying to come there. What do you do? They're probably going to do that.

You have the Giants. Like, there are some options out there. I don't know if it's going to happen. I don't know if Russ is going to force that or just play out what this current situation is, but it's bleak. It's going to be a tough two years if he stays. But let's move to Lamar Jackson, who still has not returned to practice since injuring his ankle nearly two weeks ago.

This leaves his status very uncertain for the Ravens, big divisional match. of Sunday with the Bengals. Now, backup Tyler Huntley stepped in last week and played well, despite losing to the Packers, and he has taken all first team reps in practice this week and is in line to get his second start. Now, if the playoffs started right now, the Ravens are on the bubble.

They are not in it. The Bengals are. They are right above them. Same record, but they have that number one spot. This is a huge divisional game. Not an ideal time to be without your number one quarterback. Nope, that's why it's in my favorite five. It's a huge, huge game, huge AFC North matchup for all the reasons you just mentioned. I think Tyler Huntley did a nice job last week, but obviously Lamar Jackson is a step up.

They want to try and get him back. But this is when we're going to watch up to the minute to see what happens. That's Alex Curry with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Greg Jennings next on The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. 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 sport 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 Alib on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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'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 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 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 a 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, 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. 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 Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowherd on the herd on a beautiful Christmas Eve alongside Alex Curry. Thanks for hanging out with us today. Hope you're being safe. Hope you're at home enjoying a nice mid-afternoon cocktail and all the craziness is over for you already. Let's go out to Greg Jennings, Fox Sports NFL analyst. Super Bowl champ, 10 seasons in the NFL. Hello, Greg.

I teased at the beginning of the show that yesterday, I thought of you yesterday, because I knew you were coming on the show today, and I was out doing some last minute errands, and I got the staff cupcakes for breakfast. And as I was buying them, I was like, Greg Jennings would not approve of this breakfast. No. What was the last time you had a cupcake? Actually, I would like to say on either my daughter's birthday, which was December 1st. Wow.

But it was post my season, my cousin. my competition season was over. It had literally just ended about two and a half weeks earlier. Did you do an extra workout to work off the cupcake or you just enjoyed yourself? No, I just enjoyed it. It's not a big deal. I mean, people make it seem like, oh, my gosh, no cupcakes. I mean, it's just when I'm in prep, that will throw off everything.

So I can't dive into that rim of things. And I'm not a sweets person anyway, so it's not a learned discipline. I bought the staff cupcakes and I bought two separate ones for myself, which I will eat later. Merry Christmas Eve to you and the family. So we've got a big fun weekends of NFL games coming up. It was kind of a weird weekend last week. But I want to start with, I just gave out my awards for the season. And I gave my coach of the year to Matla Flore, who I think is a bit overlooked.

What do you think about that? Do you think that we give a little too much credit to Aaron Rogers? Because I also think that, and it deservedly so, but I also think that. also think that Matt LaFleur deals with all of the Aaron Rogers drama. Yeah. So for me, I think Aaron Rogers does deserve a lot of the credit. And Matt LaFleur is getting to the point of where he can deserve the credit as long as he remains consistent when it comes to winning. I think when I look at coaches and what makes a great coach and when should a coach start getting credit. Well, Mike McCarthy, he inherited Brett Farb as a.

a quarterback. Then he inherited Aaron Rogers as a quarterback. So one would say, well, Mike McCarthy, was he really a great coach or was it a byproduct of his great quarterback play? But then he goes on and he wins a Super Bowl. So then you have to now consider him great coach because not any coach can take any team to win a Super Bowl regardless of your quarterback talent. And so for me, Matt LaFleur, he's done a tremendous job. I think he does deserve more credit. But I think more credit will come. if he's able to at least even get to the Super Bowl and have a Super Bowl appearance attached to his already

stellar coaching career and wins lost record. So Amari Cooper talked this week about how he wants more targets. He feels like the offense is not performing to the level that they should be, but they're winning, and they just clinched a playoff spot last night. So is this a wide receiver thing? Because it sounds a lot more eye than we, and it feels a little bit unnecessary because it's okay to win ugly in December, I believe. Okay.

So this is not just receiver bias. I agree with Amari Cooper. I do think he has been underused. They obviously know how important he is and he comes in clutch in big moments when he's needed most. But you sometimes can take a guy like Amari Cooper for granted because he doesn't speak up. He doesn't say the things that most people are already. thinking in terms of this offense struggling and why they're struggling. And when you feel as strongly as Amari Cooper does and C.D. Lamb and Ezekiel, all these talented guys, but Amari Cooper

specifically as you're one of the reasons why we could be better and we could be, even though we're winning, we could be much more improved as an offense and more explosive. Then you're going to say something because you feel like that is just who I am. My competitive nature won't allow me to just continue to keep my mouth shut if you're not going to use me. And then on top of that, and I'll stop when you're making the amount of money that Amari Cooper is making, you know the talent, you know the criteria, you know the expectation. You want to live up to that and exceed it. You don't want to fall short of what teams are thinking, of what your expectations are, and what you feel like you can provide to your offense and that. offensive unit. So I don't mind Amari Cooper saying this. I know it comes out of time where they're

winning and it's like, wait, we're on a playoff run. We just clinched. But it's needed. Maybe it'll spark because it's a guy that typically doesn't say much. We're talking to Greg Jennings. A guy that we don't really talk about too much when we talk about the top wide receivers in the league is having an unbelievable season. And now some people are talking about should be in the conversation for MVP is Cooper Cup. Why do we sort of over, not over, overlook him, but we don't, we don't mention him when we talk about the Devante Adams and the D'Andre Hopkins or the Amari Cooper's of the league. Because he's white, period. There is no getting around it. I play with Jordy Nelson. And we used to tell Jordy all the time, Jordy,

go out here and ball. They will get underestimated. They will get overlooked because when we think of the great receivers in this modern era, they're not white. But Cooper Cup does it every single week. Jordy did it every single week. Adam Thielen has done it. Like it's it's no longer what you look like. It's what you provide. And Cooper Cup provides a great asset to not only Sean McVeigh, but to Matthew Stafford. And I think receivers overall get overlooked, specifically white receivers like Cooper Cup, because we're dependent on a quarterback to make those throws, to be consistent, to be great. And if we're having a tremendous year, that tends to already highlight the most prolific or the most storied faces of forever football, which is the quarterback. And then they say,

well, this quarterback is special. Matthew Stafford is having a tremendous year. Aaron Rogers is having a tremendous year. And so that's why I believe quarterbacks or receivers get overlooked. But in this particular instance, I've been in the receivers room and in a lot of locker room with Jordy Nelson. We knew teams and DBs and coaches were going to overlook them until you continually did it over and over again year after year. So Green Bay feels like the most solid team in the league right now, even though they're still dealing with some injuries. Who is the team in the AFC that you're most afraid of? This is tough. For me, I, even with the loss that the Patriots had, I like the Patriots. I like the Patriots because I don't believe

that they will friendly fire like they did last week. And I didn't think that they would have that type of blow up. I didn't think Mac Jones would have that type of performance. But then again, you think about him being a rookie. And it's like, okay, let's get on some, cut them a little bit of slack. But Bill Belichick will forever have his team prepared. And any time you're going against a defense that can get stops, and all you're asking your offense to do is score about 14 points a game,

you have a chance. And I just believe that that team is one that will be scary in the playoffs. Thanks so much for joining us today, Greg. Merry Christmas to you and the family. Hope you have an amazing weekend. Absolutely. Take care. Merry Christmas to you guys.

Thanks. Eat lots of cupcakes. Of course. Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowher today on the herd alongside Alex Curry. MJ Acosta is joining us in about 15 minutes. We'll get her thoughts on the NFL weekends. Later and best for last. I'll give out my Christmas gifts.

I have some good ones, put lots of thought into this. And coming up, Jimmy Garoppel in the Niners, didn't get the win last night, but I'm still feeling really good about his future in the NFL. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman 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 IHart 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 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill.

on the 80s. 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 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 of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.