The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Kelly, Cowboys-Saints, grades

Episode Date: December 2, 2021

More on Brian Kelly leaving Notre DameCowboys-Saints preview for tonightColin grades offseason moves in pro sportsGuest: Greg Cosell Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Turning to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be. However you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. I like the color of this shirt today. I don't even know how I would describe this, Joy.

What color shirt is this for our television audience? It's kind of a salmon. Yeah. I'm from the Pacific Northwest. Very popular fish. I'm wearing a heritage from the... Pacific Northwest. It's great to have you in today. You know, we're going to get to Greg CoSelt in a couple minutes. Just a reminder, because Notre Dame, and we're not knocking any other schools, but Notre Dame

is just different. The eight schools, the top eight schools in the college football rankings right now, seven large public state schools, and then Notre Dame, the private. Like, it's different. So when Notre Dame wins, like if I had a kid that was a great quarterback and all these schools were fantastic, You know, Notre Dame would be top three in my list. Stanford, Notre Dame would be two of the top three. My wife would want Northwestern because she's from, you know, Chicago. But that would be for like that position and be like, oh, you've got a great education. And 99% of these quarterbacks don't play in the NFL.

Your kid comes out with a Notre Dame degree? Well, yeah. I mean, what kind of quarterback is your son in this situation? Is he like projected to eventually be a number one overall pick? Because then you're going to USC with Lincoln Riley. but if you're a good quarterback, D1 quarterback, smart, yeah, you're going to Notre Dame. I just don't want to hear about integrity. No one is marching down the street with picket signs about integrity when these coaches get fired.

By the way, it's not just a head coach that gets fired. It's their entire staff. It's the people that help their staff. Sometimes mid-season. Right. And not everybody is making that head coach money and then has to move their entire family to go find another job on the other side of the country. How about this?

And nobody's bawling up tissues about the integrity that the school had. They're not pulling back those old tweets talking about coach and welcoming and all of that stuff. So just, yeah, just messing with it. It's a business. It's not a relationship. It's a business. You're not leaving someone at the altar. As soon as that checks slides across the table, it's now your career.

You have to move differently. Yeah. Sometimes you just got to cut a cord in life. It's the reality. We're so mean. We have no feelings, call it. It's not that we don't have feelings. We're realistic.

No, I think you can treat people well while also making business decisions for yourself and your future. And Brian Kelly would argue, I did treat you well for 12 years. I literally saved the brand. I'm going to cut the cord eventually. I'm just going to do it this year because you're not really a national championship contender, which, by the way, Notre Dame love them. They're not this year. Next year, maybe.

It doesn't feel good, you know, getting, you know, getting news over text message. You know, things could be warmer. I can see both sides of the argument here. But to go with the whole character assassination when someone makes a career move. It almost sounds like people who complain about it have never been offered a great job.

Well, that's, I mean, I wasn't going to say that. But, I mean, seriously, you have no idea how it works. Like, if you're really great at something and you get offered a lot of jobs, when I used to work at another network, they had a long contract with the NBA. And the NBA is a property that multiple networks would like to vie on. And so when you have these big contracts with the NBA,

they're supposed to allow it to go to market. So like Fox and NBC and everybody can bid on the NBA. And I remember talking to an executive of some renown at the other place. And they were working on the contract on the NBA before the window was to open. And I'm like, oh, that's a. That's not the way it's supposed to work. And they're like, yeah, but that's the way it's going to work. And that's what happens in college football.

We need Lincoln Riley. So whenever he texts us, that's the way it's going to work. We're going to steal them. And the LSU need to coach and we're going to steal. By the way, Oklahoma, I'd get a coach real quick here. Starting to lose kids to Texas and USC. Well, they're not doing anything illegal. It's not illegal.

It's just a matter of people want everything to feel good. And sometimes you can't make business decisions that are going to, first of all, you're never going to please everybody. Like, that's the start of, end of it. You're never going to please everybody. So if you spend your entire life trying to make everyone around you happy, the one person you are sure to make unhappy is yourself. And when it comes to business decisions, and I don't know, a hundred million dollars, which everyone climbs up on the highest horse to say that, declare that they would pass,

they would never sell their soul, which you're not even, you're not selling your soul. You're changing jobs. I get it. There's a lot of people involved. And there's young people who have committed to you and you're selling them on loyalty. And, and all of these values. But that's why the NIL is so great, and that's why the transfer portal is important. Kids have never had more power. They should be allowed to have the same flexibility that these coaches have.

Here's a second argument, and I don't want to go too long on this. Whenever I hear this. What about the kids? What about them? They're great athletes. They're going to Notre Dame. They're going to Oklahoma. They're going to great universities.

They got swag. They can transfer. They get paid. What about the kids? When people say that, Colin, what about your kids? What about them? They got granite countertops. Life's good.

Got crown molding and dad gets them door dash. What about my kids? Well, they're crying. That's called life. You don't have a right to be happy. What about my kids? My kids are doing great. They're healthy.

They got granite countertops. We travel occasionally. I took them to Disneyland a bunch of times. They're fine. It's slightly hyperbolic. They're not out on the street. What about the children? I, look.

If you're going to Notre Dame. I'm hard knocks approach with that. well and that's that's life like things are going to change the earlier that you learn that probably the better for you as as a character building it's not great but what is he supposed to do he's supposed to look at a hundred million dollars first of all he has a wife by the way yeah who's probably like yeah if i will leave you if you turn not you know what anne would say to me if i was offered a hundred million and you said no i said honey i have integrity honey anne that bentley no that Rangerover. I have integrity. I would encourage Ann to just like, you know, slip a little

NyQuil in your, in your tea. Yeah, you know what? And go ahead and sign that little contract for you. You know, be on the front lawn in the morning? My suitcase and my integrity. God, get over your morality. It's not, it's not even morals, though. It's such an exaggeration. It's a business. It is your job. It is your career. He has aspirations. And maybe one of those aspirations was to put $100 million away in the bank for his family. That's one of mine. That's generational money. Can't work on peanut brittle forever here at Fox. We are, we sound like

crazy right now. I stand by everything I said. Greg CoSell, 42 years, NFL films is having to tolerate this nonsense sitting there waiting to talk and we're just blabering on. Listen to us. We're just a bunch of capitalists. I'm only doing this for a hundred million talent, so if you're not giving me a hundred million,

I'm out. All right, so the Cowboys play tonight. They're going to have more of a full compliment. You know, and I said this earlier, I like Dak and I'm happy he got rich. I got no problem. There's the big bad quarterbacks and the little bad quarterbacks and, you know, Mahomes is one and Garoppolo's another, right?

But I do feel like if you look at his numbers since he's been in the league with Amari Cooper and without, he's kind of a different quarterback without him. And I don't feel like, I mean, Aaron's 10 and O without Devante. Mahomes is 4 and 1 without Tyreek Hill. And Dad's numbers dive without Amari. Do you see that? Does it concern you? No, I think as I look at the Cowboys this season, and I think that's what we have to look at,

I think the Cowboy Offensive Line has been a bit of an issue over the last month or so, particularly with the run game. They started this season, Colin, being a very good running team and running quite a bit, by the way. That's been lost in this discussion over the last number of weeks. And they actually were a really good first down rushing team. Their last five games, they're only averaging about 80. yards rushing a game. Their O line has not done real well with run blocking. And I really like Dak as a player. That's what the tape tells me for the most part. But I just think it's hard to ask

him to drop back 45 times a game on a weekly basis. It's really hard to protect that way. You know, I was saying earlier, find me an average team, and I'll find you a team that's struggling with a core identity. And Baltimore and Cleveland played Sunday night. It was virtually unwatchable. but Lamar is gifted enough with his feet sometimes to overcome bad performances. I feel like with the Cleveland football team offensively, I feel like they're a running team, and that's what they should do? They are. What did you see?

What is happening with their recent performances offensively? They're just not the same as six weeks ago. No, well, in this particular game, their run game was not very good. I thought that, you know, Mayfield's taken a lot of abuse. I did not think Mayfield was bad in this game. I thought that one thing that really showed up on the tape was that the quick game timing and rhythm throws that were designed to get Mayfield comfortable were taken away by the Ravens defense. And when you're talking quick game, which is three-step drop timing, maybe some quick five-step drop timing. If those get taken away, the quarterback gets stuck in the pocket.

And I think that happened too many times. Those throws got taken away. Now, there were plays as well where Mayfield was a couple of beats slow to Olympia. what wasn't there and get to where he should have gotten. That happened a few times. But you're right. Their offense starts with the run game. So the question becomes it's not Mayfield per se unless they feel they have to play this

way because of him. The question is can they only win offensively one way? Because teams that can only win offensively one way, there will be games that that doesn't work. And the result of that normally is the quarterback looks bad. Yeah. So a surging team that is healthy now is Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. And there's always been a little bit of a debate.

Is it Kyle's team? Is it Garapolos? How good is Jimmy? But Kyle does not have a winning record without Jimmy in this league. So there's got to be some value given to Garopolo. As you watch them surge in recent weeks, how important is Jimmy G to this offense, Greg? Well, it's funny you say that because he's not throwing the ball more than 25 times in any of the three games. in this three-game stretch.

That's another team offensively that essentially can only win one way. Their run game needs to be a factor. And notice how multiple the run game has become. Debo Samuel will now be out for at least a week. But look what they've done with the run game, how they've made him a big factor in it with different formation looks. Garapolo is he's essentially a pocket quarterback. He's a timing rhythm thrower.

The ball needs to come out. The reeds need to be defined for him. he must be a big-time thrower on third down, and he's done that over the last couple of weeks. Their past game works between the numbers. Those are difficult, tight window throws. He's been making in the last couple of weeks, but they have to win offensively with the run game as the starting point. You know, nothing looks worse even for a great quarterback than a pick six. Tom Brady's last game in New England against Tennessee, he had one.

He's had them in Super Bowls. sometimes you got to spit balls into tight windows pick sixes now mark Matt stafford's had three weeks in a row he's had a pick six I never thought of him as a necessarily a reckless uh thrower uh like a Carson Wentz is a tad more reckless as a player and Andrew Luck what do you make of the Rams Stafford the pick sixes should people be concerned about that well there's a couple of points here there's a lot to unpack that particular touchdown by Douglas was a great play

because he understood the route concepts, and he played two routes as a cover two corner, and he did a really good job. So that was a great play by a corner. But I think there's a couple of larger issues here that are not necessarily Stafford-related, okay? I think there's a big difference in receiver type between Beckham and Woods. Woods is a physical competitive receiver who worked the middle of the field effectively and had run after catchability. Beckham is a smooth, finesse receiver who plays on the outside, and that limits the receiver location looks the Rams can use. And I noticed watching that tape that the Packers had a really good feel for understanding and defending the route concepts that the Rams like to run out of their three-by-one sets.

And Beckham limits you to some degree because he can only be used a certain way. So I think the difference in receiver type between Beckham and Woods is critical for them and is something they're going to have to work through and we'll see how quickly they can work through that. You know, a game last week that was such a blowout, people may have stopped watching unless you lived in Ohio, was the Bengals playing physical football against the Steelers. And we all know that Zach Taylor, he comes from Los Angeles, he can be clever, Burrow and the weapons.

But if you just switch uniforms, that looked like the Steelers beating the Bengals the last 15 years. It was physical football, and now the Chargers play, I don't know if the Chargers can stop this Cincinnati run game. What do you make of what you saw with the Bengals? Yeah, I mean, I like what they're doing. I think, you know, I'm a Brandon Staley believer. I think that football is a physical game, and at some point you have to run the ball.

Now, is Mixing going to get 30 and 28 carries every week? No, he's not. But they are foundationally an outside zone run team. Mixing is a big physical back. He's an eye back, almost 80%. center of his carries have come with Burrow under center as an eye back. And that's the way they run the ball. And their O line was dominant against the Steelers, absolutely dominant. They consistently controlled the point of attack. They didn't really need Burrow in the passing game to be a big

factor. But I will say one thing about Joe Burrow. He is a very confident thrower. He throws to the one-on-ones. And he'll throw to the one-on-ones vertically, even versus a bailed or an off-coverage corner. He has total confidence in Chase and Higgins. But this team has really run the ball physically the last couple of weeks. All right. I want to break down Monday Night, Bills and Patriots. I think this is the best game of the weekend. It is.

I think it is. What did, and I love when you do this, you don't buy into the narratives by the media and people like me, Mack Jones against the Titans. Now, you know, the opinion out there is, oh, very impressive win. What did the tapes say about Mac and the Titans? Not his best game by any means. He didn't throw the ball as well as we have seen him.

He missed some opportunities that were there. There were some plays he didn't see his clearly post-snap, but because his numbers were good, people see the numbers and go, wow, he had a great game. I guarantee that Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick are going over a lot of details with him this week, and he may come out and be much, much better because he's that kind of kid. But the game against the Patriots was by no means his best game of the season. Yeah, against the Titans, yeah. So now let's go.

So as I watch. Right. Yeah. Every single win by the bills this year, every single one has been a blowout win. And that's just, I call it's the Mike Tyson quality. If he sensed weakness, it was over fast. But if you got Mike to go into the later rounds, he'd wear himself out and you had a chance to beat Tyson. And Buffalo's the same way.

If they sense weakness, that defensive front just unravels you. But they don't run the ball. I feel like Josh Allen is running for his life way too often. How do they match up against this Patriots defense? Yeah, well, the one thing about this that we know with Bill Belichick is that he's going to be very situational. So you're definitely going to see double teams on Beasley, on Diggs. It will be situational. What we know about the bills is they're trying to work the running game as a more meaningful part of their offense.

It will never be the main part. They still need to orchestrate more big plays in the past game. And they have not really been a big play passing team this year as they were a year ago. And that's been a little bit of an issue as well. So I think this game is going to be very, very situational for the Patriots defense, because that's how they're going to take away what the bills try to do. Now, on the other side of the ball, Colin, I'm very curious to see what Sean McDermen and Leslie Frazier do because at their core, the Patriots are a run first team.

But without Travius White, I'm curious to see. if the bills stay with man coverage because they play more man than people probably think. And here's another factor. They're playing a team in the Patriots that run the ball physically. The bills have not played with three linebackers on the field on any snap since week six. They are a 100% nickel defense because their nickel slot corner to Ron Johnson is a really good player. And no one may know about him, but he's a physical competitive player who's very good in the run game. That is interesting.

That's the game of the week. All right. So the Bucks, I almost feel like I know what the Colts are. If you give them the Titans, if you give them the Bucks, they're just a little bit too mistake prone. They're not going to quite be able to do it. I felt they lost themselves a little bit. They forgot the run game in Jonathan Taylor for a little bit in that game.

Some would say that's overblown. What did you make of whence they were a little pass happy against the Bucks, or is that nonsense? Well, that was intentional. I mean, people can say, people can disagree with the approach, but that was intentional. The Bucks are a great run defense. And then just because they had the big run game drive late in the game where Taylor was the foundation, people say, oh, they should have been doing that all game.

You don't know how it would have worked out if they started playing that way. We just don't know that. But their approach was intentional. They didn't forget about it. They came out against a team that stops the run as well or better than any. team in the league and that has struggled with past defense due to injuries just due to not playing well against the pass and they decided to throw it and they actually did pretty well throwing the ball. Yeah. Let's go to your big play of the week. It's from this game. Yeah. It was the 62-yard

touchdown to Doolin, which was a pretty fascinating play and speaks to the way personnel and formation can be used. So let's go to that play. It's the 62-yard touchdown to Doolin. And there's a lot of interesting factors to this. And it was what we call a shot play, Colin. It's a designed big play. And so what did they do? They had 13 personnel, meaning they had one back and three tight ends on the field. Okay?

And look at the tight bunch to the field side. So that formation with that and Ashton Doolan as the single receiver to the boundary side of the field, that says run, run personnel, run look. So the bucks lined up with a single high. safety in cover three, basically an eight-man box because they're playing the formation and the personnel. So what do you get? A basic combination. Post cross. Granson with the cross, dueling with the post. And Wence is going to do play action from under center. And when he turns back to the defense, he's looking for Antoine Winfield. That's his read. It's his only read. What does

Winfield do? Does he drop deep or does he stay a little bit low with his eyes on Grantson on the crosser? That's what Winfield does. So now you've got the post to Doolin with no deep safety and an outside leverage corner in Murphy Bunting because it's zone not man to man. So Murphy Bunting is really expecting help, but Winfield's not there. So you get exactly what you want and Wince couldn't have handed it to him any better than on that throw. So this is what you hope for when you call a shot play. You get the defense that you're looking for. You get a reaction you're looking for. And then you get the big play over the top. Great stuff. NFL films over four decades. Greg CoSell. Thanks, Greg. Appreciate it.

Thanks, Colin. Appreciate it. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where do 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. I don't care where 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.

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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.

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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

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into their first ever Big Ten championship game, looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Against number 13, Iowa. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern only on Fox in the Fox Sports app. I'm in a mischievous mood to them. You are. Caused trouble. People start talking about integrity and morals.

Joy Taylor with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. It's emotion. People are emotional. Oh, I get that. That part I get that. We're Capricords.

We have no idea what that is. I know, isn't that funny? I don't know what you're talking about. You, me, my wife, we're all Capricorn. And we're all bottom line people. What is the point? Let's get to the point. Let's solve the problem.

Now. Let's move forward. I've told you before. Your personality, my wife's personality are very similar. We have the same birthday. exact same birthday. January 17th. January 17th. Goats only.

So the Cowboys are six-point favorites tonights against the Saints, according to Foxbet, and they were getting some big pieces back for this game. Mari Cooper and C.D. Lamber both expected to play, both out for different reasons. Demarcos Lawrence is also expected to return. He missed most of the season of the foot injury, so that's big to get him back as well.

Different story for the Saints. They will have Taysam Hill starting at the quarterback for the position for the first time. this season. They will be missing Alvin Camara and two of their starting offensive linemen. They're a mess. I mean, if Dallas doesn't win this game convincingly, this is worse than I think, because I think they're going to rebound. But what if they go out tonight and it's 2420 or it's 2320 and overtime? It's like, I don't know that I need them to win convincingly, but I do need them to win. I mean, the Saints are still capable of winning

games. It's not, and we've seen every team this year take a bad loss. Who are they starting at quarterback? Tassum Hill. That's her third quarterback. They're in their third quarterback. No, I mean, the Cowboys should win this game. They should win convincingly, but wins are hard to come by in this league, so I don't need you to blow them out. But I do want to see the offense get back rolling, and I want to see the run game

get rolling, because that's obviously a huge question with the Cowboys as well right now after last week. So, yeah, like, that's really what you need to see from Dallas tonight is a solid offensive performance. And I'm interested to see what Taysam Hill does. he's such an enigma. Like the contract is crazy and we just, it's such a weird situation with him.

Like there's so much like love thrown his way for someone that wasn't the starting quarterback. I do think he'd be a very good backup because he's so unique. It could throw you a curve ball for a couple games. No, I mean, you could literally come out with a college offense for a game. Now, you can't win big, but you know, the first time people face Jalen Hertz, in division, you've seen him a couple times. But if you've never seen Jalen Hurts, it's different.

You're not, maybe the first time Lamar Jackson, the first, remember his first starting year? Yeah. People just didn't know what to do. And then the Chargers actually, I think, faced him a second time. And then they beat him because it's like, it's startling. It's not the way the game or position generally is played. Well, we'll get to see him probably for the rest of the season if he stays healthy. So he's going to be the stars tonight against the Cowboys, again, who are six point favorites, according to Fox Bet.

So speaking of the Cowboys, the Cowboys legend. Troy Aikman had some thoughts on super teams because the Rams are hoping to turn things around. They have lost their last three games and they put together an All-Star roster, adding Odell and Von Miller during the season. But Troy Aikman doesn't think the strategy of a super team is a good idea in the NFL. The All-Star team just, I've never seen it work in the NFL. I know Washington tried it back in, I think, 99. And I've just never seen a team that really goes out and tries to,

put together this all-star team that can win a Super Bowl, have much success, and usually it unravels. And right now, that's kind of what's happening with the Rams. They just have not been... You know, I think people would default to thinking that the Cowboys that Troy Aikman won with in the 90s was a super team. Yeah. But that's not true.

The Cowboys drafted a majority of those players. Now, they did add Charles Haley. Well, they made a big trade. Andy on Sanders. But they drafted Emmett. They drafted Eichmann. Drafted Troy, drafted Emmett, Earl Johnston, Michael Irvin. Yeah.

You know, so there's a lot of players that were drafted by the team. I mean, there's a whole list of them. Darren Woodson, Kevin Smith, Ken Norton. So that's kind of the same thing as the Warriors. Like people talk about the Warriors like they're a super team. They drafted and developed those players. And then they added. That is not a super team make.

The Miami Heat is a super team. You bring in Chris Bosch, you bring in LeBron James. names. You bring in Ray Allen, that's a super team. Brooklyn's a super team. When you bring these players that you didn't draft and develop together, once they are already certified stars, or maybe even if they're out of their prime, but you know what they can contribute, that's a super team. If you are just well run and you develop your players to a high level, that's not a super team. Shack and Kobe, not a super. That's a good team. Yeah, the truth is there have been very few super teams. Yes, we get very exaggerated with this. And teams are

obviously going to make trades and acquire players and pick up players in free agency, because That's how you build teams. It's not all through the draft in every sport. But particularly with the NFL, to his point, and you talked about this earlier, what's happening with the Rams is you get away from your identity because you bring in a certain type of player. And feel that you have to validate it. It's what happened, I believe, with O'Dell in Cleveland, is you brought in a player that didn't necessarily fit with what you were trying to do because of his name and talent. And then it fell apart.

And it wasn't O'Dell's fault or Baker's fault. I think, again, it's the front office's fault. You're the ones who make these decisions. We on this show, I didn't like the O'Dell move. From the jump, me either. No, Jarvis Landry to me was the soul. By the way, Austin Hooper hasn't done a ton. They still, I mean, so a lot of their big offensive moves, OBJ and Austin Hooper, I'd

argue, have not been worth it. O-line money has been totally worth it. But it's, like, that's the formula, right? Like, that's what everyone's trying to figure out is what kind of players do you bring in, what kind of players do you trade for, what kind of players do you draft and put it all together to make it work because that's how you build a team. And sometimes you see free agent moves that are incredible and end up leading you to a Super Bowl. And sometimes they're complete bus. There's so many moving parts with this, but I don't hate how the Rams do business. I don't think

that it's necessarily the wrong thing to do. I mean, they were just in the Super Bowl a few years ago. So that's a success to me. If you make it to the Super Bowl with however you do business, like you did something, right? You got to the Super Bowl and the other teams didn't. But are you going to be able to get back with this move because they have been incredibly aggressive. And I think that the pressure is really going to turn up very quickly on the Rams if they don't get it together. So Cliff Kingsbury's name has come up in rumors surrounding the Oklahoma head coaching job. He didn't outright deny the reports that the Sooners are interested in him, but he said he

didn't want to get into it and he's focused on the Cardinals next game against the Bears. He said he was in his movie room, enjoying entertainment. Listen, I think somebody came on this show and mentioned. It may have been Peter Schrager. Cliff Kingsbury is not paid like an elite coach, and he wants to get paid like an elite coach. It was Peter. Yes. This is a great leverage move for him. This is a levy. He's not leaving. And Kyler Murray, and this is a Super Bowl team to go to Oklahoma. Zero chance. Well, Kyler was also asked about the rumors.

What did he said? I know Cliff. I don't really buy into it. I think he's got a pretty good job right now. Yeah, he does. He does have a great job. And look, Arizona is a great place to live. And if you watch the draft from home during the pandemic. And you saw Cliff's place. Clips got a pretty nice setup there in Arizona. Not that Oklahoma isn't beautiful. By the way, I saw Lincoln Riley's house in Oklahoma. Stunning.

Beautiful. It's gorgeous. Beautiful. Lincoln has a family and children. Yeah. So I'm just saying. He's got a good gig. Yeah.

Cliff can play a little coy because he does need, he is trying to get paid. and that's completely understandable. That's called leverage. That's what people do when they are desired for different positions. Anyway, the Cardinals are favored by seven and a half against the bears. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. By the way, Ryan, I need a piece of tape. Long story. You guys will know what it means in a bit. 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 Heart Radio app. He's by Carmen.

I'm Dan Byrd. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world. That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire

to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. It starts. Fantasy football players rank. to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you 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 put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

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

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. 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. They'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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. By the way, congratulations to our friend Trent Dilfer.

Five minutes ago, he won a state championship in Nashville, Tennessee at Lipscomb Academy. For years and years and years, I talked to Trent when I used to work with him about being a football coach. I thought he could add some wisdom and value to kids' lives. He said, oh, I can't coach pro football or college football. You don't have a life. And then about a year later, he decided to move his family from Austin, Texas, a beautiful city to Nashville, another amazing place. And he got this football program that needed a lot of work and they'd be rebuilt.

And three years later, they are state champions in Tennessee. Congrats. That's amazing. That is amazing. So he shaped kids. High school football is amazing. Some of my favorite memories of my life were high school football games, losing most of them. But nonetheless, yes, playing against basketball.

Rocket. That's a real person. So, you know, Troy Aikman came out earlier and he was talking about super teams and stuff, about how they don't really work. And so this morning, I said, as a staff, let's look at the last, let's go three years back at the big mega moves, trade or free agency. And we came up with what we considered, we didn't care what the number was, it was eight. And Max Scherzer's a big deal, but it's not as big as these eight, like a big trader, big signing. We talked about it for a week, like on the show.

And let's give him a grade. So one of them was Matt Stafford of the Rams. I mean, that was a topic, honestly, for like a month and a half. So Matt Stafford of the Rams, what grade would you give it? I would say C plus. He is leading the NFL. He has the most regular season passing yards. He has been an upgrade from Jared Goff.

But he's got five TDs and five picks over his last three games. He's banged up, and he is not without a great running game been able to carry this team to another level. That's a C-plus. Kauai Leonard, that one was talked about for a month. I'd go C-minus. He's never available. He's missed 57 of the possible 166 games. He's not available. Now, they made a conference finals, but they didn't get to the finals. And so what do we always say? Availability is the key to ability. I'd give that a C minus, and he's not really a team leader. There's no proof he can be the number one leader.

He can be your best player, but does he galvanize people? I've got my doubts. How about Anthony Davis? I think it's a good solid B bubble championship, but that was LeBron's team more than A-Ds. Also, not available. He's missed 46 games since coming in 2019. Also, this year, he's shooting 19-1-9.

percent from threes. He doesn't want to play the five. Vogle wants him to be a big. He doesn't want to be a big. He wants to be a four and on the perimeter. He can't shoot threes. Can't bang on Westbrook and not bang on AD. Shoot 19% from the floor. So he doesn't really want to play the position. His DNA, which is a big, and he won't play it. He's a finesse player, not a pounder. He gets a beat. Garrett Cole with the Yankees. Best pitcher in baseball went to the biggest brand. I would say B plus. He's very, very good, no doubt. But in the month of September last year, and that's why you paid him the big boy money. You paid him $324 million, not to be good in June, July and August.

You paid him to be good in September, and he wasn't. He was not. He had an ERA over 5 in September, and when you needed him in the American League wild card game against the Red Sox, he lasted two innings. So he was good, but you can't give him a big grade. You can't give him an A because he wasn't good when you wanted him to be good. You didn't get him for April. The Nets, the big three, I'll be kind. I'll say B minus because I do think they've been interesting, and that matters too.

The NBA stories matter, and they've been interesting as heck. But the big three have played a combined eight games together. Now, Kevin Durant's been worth every penny, and I think Hardin's done a good job to kind of mold his game that works with KD. So I'm all in on KD and Hardin. But James Hardin did miss three playoff games. last year because he was hurt. And so that's part of it, right?

So remember, Hardin came into the season out of shape, played himself back into shape, and at the end of the season, his body wasn't right. So I'd give it a B minus. Many would say C, but they have been interesting and compelling. And I think they're number one right now in the east. How about Tom Brady? That's the easy one. That's an A.

Not only that he went a Super Bowl, but he changed the culture. He got every coach and every star player to resign. Everybody buys into Tom. and so I don't think we need to spend, you know, too much time on that. That's an A to an A plus. Bryce Harper to the Phillies. Now, Bryce has been very good. Last year he batted 309 had 35 jacks.

And he was the nationally MVP. So that's a B to a B plus. But you didn't bring him there for individual stats. You brought him there to get you to the playoffs. And they've yet to make the playoffs since signing Bryce Harper. I'm not blaming him, but it's the reality. It's not a blame, but it's a reality. He's not elevating the team to new heights.

And because they're paying him so much money, let's be honest about this. There's not a salary cap. But when you pay a big slugger, all that money, you may not be able to keep your middleman or your second best closer or maybe your number three starter. They're not a playoff team. And they should be. And then Mookie Betts. Now, I would give Mookie an A.

The only one higher is Tom Brady. He's been injured a little more. He's been banged up. But he's been a two-time MVP. They won the World Series after losing it the previous year. so he was no question. He was the igniter. He's good in the locker room.

Hardest worker on the team. MVP runner up. A to an A minus. Again, banged up a little bit this year. The team was a little uneven all year. Nobody, you know, Bellinger didn't play well. There was a lot of stuff. Seeger's hurt.

Now he's gone. But so the point is, we went, we found eight of the biggest moves. We've got a C plus, a C minus, a B to a B minus, a B minus, an A, a B and a B and A, the average grade is about a B minus to a C plus. That's the average grade on this. It's about a B minus slight edge over a C plus, meaning these huge trades, they're never as good as you think. These huge signings almost never as good as you think. Mookie and Tom are the A as you can't argue it.

And even Mookie's been banged up a little bit. So, you know, buyer beware when you go out there. And I thought I was trying to be nice. Like the Nets, I gave a B to. played eight games. I mean, there's an argument to be made. It's been a little bit of a disaster. The Kyrie thing's been a disaster.

I could easily go to a sea on that. But I do think the NBA, there is value in being interesting. It's always been kind of a story league before, you know, the finals. They are interesting. I watched them the other night. I mean, I flipped through the channels the other night and Brooklyn was on. And Katie and Hardin were on the floor. And that's why I kept watching for an hour.

I mean, they are at the top of the east. Yeah. And that's why I stayed and watched. And I, people are buying their merch. and people are interested and they're getting on TV. By the way, I love this. I know you think I'm an L.A. Homer, and that hurts my feelings. But I will give credit.

I said this two days ago. Did I not say this, Joy? I said, the Phoenix Suns are getting no respect at all from the television networks and sportscasters like myself. They are outstanding. They're exciting. They're fun. They were in the finals.

They've got stars. The Lakers were flipped off a national TV game for the Suns. Suns Warriors are playing. The Lakers were scheduled to be playing. And ESPN said, nope, knocked him off, put the Suns Warriors in. It's absolutely the right move. If you watch the Suns play, and we all know the Warriors are good, right? But the Phoenix Suns are the only team in the country that's unbelievable.

They were in the finals last year. And like nobody talks about them. And they've won 17 straight games or something. Yeah. I watched them the other night against the Warriors. Steph Curry, worst game I ever remember him having. He was totally handcuffed. So it's like, that's the right move by ESPN.

That is the absolute right move. You can't, we have to acknowledge to our audience. Big brands matter. When Ohio State or Michigan or Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame win, it is good for my show. But we can't lie to our audience. We have to admit, okay, this big brand is not close to this other brand. And right now, the Phoenix Suns would sweep the Lakers in a four-game season. Also, LeBron's not going to be playing because he's out with COVID.

By the way, Joy, I have a sip of coffee. Oh, is that? He's been asking for a piece of tape. Okay, so what does it say? It says... USC Trojans number one? Number one. This is for sale.

That real estate right there is for sale. Delicious. See, I, me, I'm a company man. You got Fox. It's for sale. I lack and Yeah, she's got integrity. I have no morals, no integrity.

How easily you can be bought, Colin. Look at me. It's for sale. All right, hour three is around the corner. It's heard. 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,

Idle 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.