The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - NFL playoffs

Episode Date: January 10, 2024

More thoughts on the Bears and what the should do next Colin gives his NFL playoff predictions based on the QB   Guest: Steve KeimSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. So, J-Mack, I've been saying this week, there's no such thing as working with Bill Belichick. You're working for Bill Belichick. is that with all the rings and all the intimidation, he's fairly rigid, he likes what he likes, this idea that you could bring a GM in and he would work with Bill and make big powerful decisions that Bill may disagree with, because if you work with somebody, you don't always agree.

I think you're working for Bill, even if it's not New England. That's interesting. So am I working with you or for you? Well, we both work for Fox. That's accurate. And we try to work together. Okay. So, but I think Tom Curran, NBC4 in Boston, was talking about Belichick, and there's a lot of talk about he'll relinquish his GM duties with the Patriots, and Curran, very plugged in, says, give me a break.

We got a whole lot of folks saying, hey, Bill's willing to relinquish GM duties, to which I say, come on. The guy is a master linguist. He said he'd be in favor of, quote, collectively what we decide as an organization is best to help our football team. he's part of that collective but do you think he's going to agree to punt on final say you think for instance he's going to be fine with wanting jaden daniels at number three and somebody else said yeah no bill we're not doing that we're actually trading down or someone telling bill that a fat chunk of cap space is going to be spent on something bill disagrees with again come on so and that's one of the bill realities i know Colin kissed the ring Colin look at the resume you guys resumes are yesterday

I want tomorrow. I think he could go to Washington, draft Drake May and build structure. Washington is starving for structure, and Bill provides that? No question. And if he gets the right quarterback, they get Drake May. Bill could win. I'm not denying that. But if you ask me to have a coaching tier based on strengths, weaknesses, liabilities,

tier one would be Jim Harbaugh. He has no holes. He wins everywhere immediately. He's an offensive coach. it's an offensive league, and more than any available coach, he's an expert in college personnel because for the last eight, nine years, he's recruited all of it. Mike Frable and Tomlin would be my tier twos. I don't think either would have to be the GM and wouldn't fight with you.

They just want opinions. They're tough guys and culture builders, very good with structure. And number three, Ben Johnson, Dan Quinn, and Belichick all have major holes. Ben Johnson's never been a head coach. Dan Quinn's success is tied to one coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, and Bill is toned deaf offensively. It's not worth arguing. The last four years without Brady, the Patriots are bad and have gotten significantly worse every year. The further away Brady gets in the rearview mirror, the uglier the windshield is.

They're bad. So, listen, I think all of these, those are six coaches. they could all be successful. But I do worry about the holes with Ben Johnson, Dan, Quinn, and Belichick. I don't think Harbaugh has a hole. He's going to be the expert like Pete Carroll right out of USC or Jimmy Johnson, right out of Miami.

They had like a three-to-a-four-year window. They just knew personnel better than all their NFL peers. They'd recruited all of it. Seen high school tape. They knew the odometer reading. With that, Steve Kime, my friend, former NFL GM, 10 years in Arizona, three-plers. playoff appearances, draft Tyler Murray.

So it's interesting. A head coach is hired. Usually there's an owner. And then there's the general manager. But if Bill gets hired, Steve, a GM would know it's not the best day for him, right? Like his power is going to be usurped. Do you think like Washington, for instance, it's got a rich new owner, would a GM even have a say with Bill, or is this an owner move in your experience?

You know, I think, Colin, if Bill respected the GM, it could certainly work cohesively. I know he worked well with Nick Casario, who is in Houston right now. But I think there's a number of conversations that need to happen. I mean, number one, I think Robert Kraft has to find out whether Bill Belichick wants to be back. Whether he has the passion or not to lead the organization. And number two, you know, what's the plan moving forward? Robert Kraft is the owner. He has owed the right to know what is the plan moving forward.

how are we going to fix these things? And number three, how are we going to hold you accountable as the general manager? You have made some poor decisions. The roster is not up to speed right now. And how are we going to fix this? And I think always to some degree, especially guys like Bill, I think they do respect good football men if there are variances of opinions because to me, again, it sort of opens up eyes and is very, very healthy for an organization to have those variances of opinions.

Mike Vrabel fired. I was a bit shocked. reads like a power struggle. Don't think he'll be unemployed long. What did you make of the dismissal of Mike Vrable? Yeah, I was shocked, Colin. I think Mike Vrable is one of the better head coaches in the National Football League.

Again, I know he's a defensive coordinator in terms of background, but his leadership of men, his ability to set a culture is second to none. And I think certainly he's going to be unemployed very, very shortly here. We know it's an offensive league, Steve. The rule changes.

indicate that. It's like 11 or 12 of your playoff teams have offensive coaches. Would you be concerned a little about a Tomlin of Rabel of Belichick because they're on the side of the ball that increasingly has limitations? Well, I certainly think that's a question, Colin, but I think the better question is, is who are you going to have as your offensive coordinator? Who is going to lead that quarterback room? Who is going to develop a player at the most important position in the National Football League? And I think that if you can address that position. And again, I know Bill

has a guy like Bill O'Brien who has a tremendous amount of respect in the National Football League and who's had some success. So there are some good quarterback coaches and offensive coordinators out there who can certainly get the job done. So Chicago has retained Matt Eberfluse. They've moved

off offensive people. It doesn't mean that they, Matt loves Justin Fields. And I said this earlier. Caleb Williams, with only one elite player in two years, Jordan Addison, led the nation in offense. They didn't really have a good offensive line this year.

They didn't have a powerful run game. So even if your scouts, if I ran the Bears and my scout said, he's even with Justin Fields, I would say, okay, I'm going to draft him because I can restart the salary clock. And I don't think he's even with Justin Fields. If you ran the Bears, is it as obvious as I'm making it that you need to move Justin, get some draft capital, and draft Caleb. of it feels obvious to me yeah colin i would certainly attempt to to move just and i think he's a fine

player but uh to be able to trade him to somewhere like atlanta or washington there's enough quarterback needy teams that would certainly be in play for a guy like justin fields the other fact of the matter is you have to determine whether you're going to pay a quarterback like just and again i think is a fine player but he's not a special player he's not a guy that he's played 45 50 million dollars to and then quite frankly from the cap standpoint to be able to reset like you and to draft Caleb Williams. Again, I think it's sort of that mindset. Do you not draft Michael Jordan because Clyde Drexler's playing that position for your team?

You take the special talent, the guy who can reset your organization, who can put you late years ahead. And that's to me the decision they have to make. Russell Wilson's situation, so Sean Payton says we haven't made a decision yet. My gut is they've made a decision. It's just not public. I said earlier is that the reason I'd move off him is a fairly simple one. that his production this year, 29 total touchdowns, 13 giveaways, is okay.

But that's not going to rise dramatically. His contract is. So it's like a bad mortgage. I'm going to be paying a lot more and the house is decreasing in value or staying the same. So again, that looks like an easy one. That is production, it wasn't terrible. It's a cost issue. More than a production issue.

That's what it feels like to me. What would you do if you're in Denver? Yeah, listen, when you look at the decision for the Denver Broncos that they made to trade for Russell Wilson and to give them that big contract, I mean, supply and demand is the real issue here. There's not enough quarterbacks to go around the league, but now you're looking at an aging quarterback whose skills are somewhat deficient and is declining in his play. To me, does not warrant a $50 million contract anymore. And to me, this is the point in time where you have to cut the cord. You have to minimize your losses moving forward, and you now have to reset. To me, you look at Sean Payton and Russell Wilson.

It looks like oil and water, in my opinion. It doesn't seem like his type of guy. And to me, as an organization, you've got to cut your losses and move forward. Jim Harbaugh seems like the obvious best coach. Jim is a disruptor. Jim's going to do it his way, but his teams are good, fast, and they're physical. If you were a GM, it may not be in your best interests to hire him, but don't you owe the owner the best coach?

What do you do with Harbaugh if you're a GM? Yeah, as a general manager, Colin, you owe the organization to do the right thing. And as much maintenance may come with a guy like Jim Harble at times that he may be hard-headed or maybe hard to work with, the results speak for themselves. I mean, I think he was 44-19 with the 49ers.

Not only does he have a great track record of the NFL, he's done it at every level, whether it's been San Diego, Stanford, obviously now at the University of Michigan, and he has won everywhere he's been. And to me, as a general manager, if you're going to have to have some battles and you're going to have to, again,

I think some of those conversations that are tough to have, are spirited, good conversations that are healthy for an organization instead of looked at as such a problem or that they're confrontations. Yeah. All right, Steve Kime, great seeing you as always.

I appreciate you stopping by and we'll talk off air as well soon. Thank you, Steve. Great to see, Colin. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, the Justin Fields thing. He's not a $40 million player. Come on, what are we doing here?

If he was just even with Caleb, you'd make the move for the salary cap. What about Iber flus? There's no coach salary cap. I'd move them both. I'm not retaining both. I mean, you can't bring both back. It doesn't work. It's 10 and 28.

It doesn't work. And you can't be incrementally better. Joe Burrow didn't make the Bengals incrementally better. Josh Allen didn't make the bills incrementally better. That's not the game. It's not, well, slow. I mean, Josh. Jordan Love, from October to December, made a massive uptick in production, more so than Justin Fields has made in three years.

So Jordan Love, in two months, went from, uh, to wow. Jordan Love, eight weeks made major strides. I mean, C.J. Stroud, college to pro, week one to week 12, three months. Is he a top seven quarterback in the league? He is good. I have a buddy who watched tape. He's like, he's better than people think. He's that good.

That's not a great O line. So if you've got guys like C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love, in two and three months, making Grand Canyon size leaps, you can't give me incrementally better three years later. No, I'm not paying that. Can I ask you, what is the argument to keep even? Because couldn't you say, like, listen, we got the number one pick and improving defense. We're going to get a really good head coach.

Like, this is an attractive job. I think. Would Vrable take it? I don't know. But like, why are, again, I'm not saying fire earber fools. I'm just asking why do you think keep him, but get rid of all the staff? I wouldn't. But they probably didn't want to blow everybody out of the building.

They probably argue the defense we like. We like how he drafts and develops defense. We like what he's done with the defense. we've given our offense all sorts of new personnel it's still bad we've given our defense a few more defensive players we even moved off rocon smith we moved off some good defensive players acquired one two so i i would argue their argument is listen neither's been good enough but if we have to keep one you don't have a salary cap for coaches so you keep i would have moved off both i would go ben johnson caleb williams start the clock and go so if you're an

offensive coordinator, let's just, I'm just going to throw out of it, Kellan Moore. No, it's not, see, that's why I wouldn't have done this, because who's going to take that job? That's what I don't get. Well, you don't, I don't get the Bears either, ever. I wouldn't have done that, because now you're not going to get a good staff. You've got a lame duck coach. You're not going to get a good stuff. It feels weird, and I'm not fire Eberfuss for sure. I didn't love what he had done. Now they finished okay, but I mean, you're as good. You're as good as your staff. I mean, one of the reasons McVey and Shanahan are good, they have really good staffs, always have really good staffs.

One of the reasons the Steelers in the last two, three years, have driven their fans crazy, their offensive coordinator. When did the Buffalo Bills get better this year? They moved off Ken Dorsey. They've been excellent since. What are they six and one since? So you're as good. You can be a great head coach. If you have a weakness on your staff, I mean, the Jets are absolutely limited, in my opinion, with their current OC.

It's a totally average staff. And just remember, if you're letting him pick the offensive coordinator, assuming he will, then the officer coordinator is going to, what if Iber Fluster says, hey, we don't want any high profile throwing, we want to play, we win with defense in ground game. You know what these defensive coaches think? I just, something doesn't strike me right here, Colin. I don't want to say dust the guy, but. Well, I just start, press the reset button.

Just start completely over. That's what I would do. I think, again, let's go back to it. You're as good as your staff. There's a reason John Harbaugh keeps winning. Part of it is Lamar Jackson. Another part of it is he builds really good staffs. His staffs get poached.

And Sean McVeigh staffs get poached. And Kyle Shanahan staff gets poached. And Andy Reid staff. The best coaches are usually really Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. That staff is outstanding. Siriani lost his OC and D.C. And that team has taken a significant step back. So you're as, you know, the quarterback's the most important thing.

And the head coach is second. But if you don't think coordinators matter, Justin Herbert was never better than his first year was Shane Steichen. It was never better. Jalen Hurts never better than Shane Steichen. So these coordinators, we don't talk about them. They're really valuable. And the bears are not going to get, I would imagine, who's going to take that gig?

I mean, it's... Do you almost have to narrow your candidates to who will fit with Caleb? Williams, assuming he's your pick? I think a lot of people would fit with Caleb Williams. I think a lot of people. It's different than Lamar Jackson with needing the pistol and they definitely win. But even now, Lamar Jackson now, now he's a different quarter. Anybody can work with Lamar. There was a time for two years that he had a certain style, but I think what they tried to do is bring a new OC in because their takeaway was he didn't have to run as much. He's just a great quarterback, which he is.

Had a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King's Sportsbook. Download the app real quick. New users? The code is heard. H.E.R.D. when you download. Now, for my parlay picks of the week via Draft King Sportsbook, I'm going to take the Chiefs minus four and a half. That's not the best number, but I think the dolphins are a bit of an injury-plagued mess in zero degrees at Kansas City. Take the Chiefs. Listen, I don't think the Steelers can beat the bills. Mike Tomlin, though, is a great underdog coach. Bad, cold, windy weather. I think tens too many points to give up. I'd take Pittsburgh as the side. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take the Rams plus three at Detroit head coach quarterback advantages.

Lions a bit banged up physically. You want to take the herd, parlay. Check out Draft King's Sportsbook. Download it quick. New users, the code is heard. H-E-R-D. Download the app takes 90 seconds. New users, code is heard when you download the app.

21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler. In New York. Call 8778-8 Hope-N-Wire, text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. See show notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 conversation.

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 Clivert 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 Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you 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, so. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for Black. 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. By the way, the staff just sent this to me. Jordan Love in 17 starts, that's it, has 32 touchdown passes. Justin Fields has only eight more in over double the starts. And he's well, he's got DJ Moore, he's got Cole come at. He had Chase Claypool. He like had dudes, he had Mooney. Like, it's not like Chicago didn't go out and buy him some players. Like they had, they drafted guys. They've got him another tight end, a couple of receivers. So it's like more than twice the starts, only eight more touchdown passes.

You can blame whoever you want. You can blame whoever you want. The reality is it's a cost production business. Like Russell Wilson, productions here, cost is here. I got to move on. Justin Fields, the productions way down here and the cost potentially in a year is here. That's all it is. It's just like your budget, the salary caps of budget.

Where can I spend my money? If I'm on the road 60 hours a week, I'm a salesperson, I'll pay more for the car. If I'm in a cubicle, I won't. So it's a passing league. I've got a big boy production to give you an extension. J-MACC with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. All right, so Jason Kelsey, the Eagles Center, went on WIP. morning show in Philly. I think you said you were going to have a show there one time. Saying that this team does not need to make any crazy offensive changes. Last week, we just didn't handle

the blitz. Outside of that, we moved the going pretty good. We had some good running game. I don't think we need to do a whole complete shift or revamp of the offense. I think we need to do some things better and put ourselves in better situations, coaches and players.

The reality is, you know, the plays that we have in and have been doing all year, I think, are ones that we can have success with and have had success with. I don't think he's wrong. I just think I have questions about the guy running the show. Okay. We love to play the blame game in the media. Give me your top three reasons.

The Eagles right now are just failing, losing, I think, five of six. Give me top three in order, number one. Lost two great coordinators. Okay. That's number one. Well, they were 10 and 1, I think, at some point without those coordinators. Well, no, no, no. The longer those coordinators are gone, the worse it's gone.

Okay. So that's number one. So you can take basic momentum. You know, even bad coaches. You go to college when the assistant takes over for the legend, they win for a year. Okay. All right. So they lost two elite coordinators.

Number two, I think they have a very average head coach. Oh. And number three. They had to move off some defensive pieces for a defense that could be at times a bit inconsistent, and they're just not as good. But it's a primarily a coaching issue. Just to be clear, this is not about Jalen Hertz, right? I don't think there's any issue with her. No, no, no, I like Jalen Hertz.

You are, hey, you go back and you look. I mean, Matt Stafford in the last three years, why is he better than all the Detroit years? He's got a better coach. Even great player. Mahomes would not be Mahomes with a defensive average. coach. Even the best players need help. Brady would tell you today. Without Belichick and that defense, I'm not winning all those rings.

Yeah, it's weird because didn't the Eagles have the best defense in the league last year? They had a great pass rush. Now, they had to move off linebacker. They had to move off a corner, a safety, a linebacker. Those are good players. So I'm looking at their, and again, it's just one data point, but their PFF grade. They missed Maddox a lot this season, the slot corner. Bradbury has been awful.

He can't guard anybody. And Slay has regressed. Okay, and they had a linebacker they moved off of. He's had a very good year elsewhere. But also, if the defense... Didn't they move off Gardner Johnson? A C.J. G.J. or however you say it. They moved off him. He's a good player, too.

It's one of those deals where if the defensive front isn't getting all that pressure and forcing these bad passes, maybe the cornerbacks just aren't great. Maybe Bradbury and Slate just aren't very good. They're paying a lot of people. So Jalen, Herb's Kelsey. And that's why I bring up Perts. Fletcher Cox. Hertz just got paid a lot.

And now Eagles says, oh, oh, we got to start. This offseason, there could, I don't want to say a bloodletting, but like, what happens if Lane Johnson and Kelsey say we're done? Well, Lane Johnson's not going to say that. I think it's possible with Kelsey. And then you have to go draft the center. That's what the drafts for. Kelsey is like part of the heartbeat of that team, the brotherly shove.

There's no question. I don't want to say tough times ahead, but it could be a bit of a rocky offseason. Philadelphia has always made moves even after Super Bowls. They've been savvy, yep, yep. Next up, we've talked a lot about Justin Fields' future with the Bears, especially now that they've got the number one pick. Despite the prospect of drafting Caleb Williams, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel,

I think you remember him, he's been on the show here. He believes Fields is the answer to the Bears' franchise quarterback search. Chase Daniel says Fields is the answer. Nice guy, he's not. Who's the nice guy? The players don't consider Cap. They don't consider injuries. If you took the cap issue out, aren't you a little concerned he's missed 11 starts?

Eli Manning far have never missed any starts. I mean, like, even if I love Lamar Jackson. You had to consider if you were the Ravens the last two years he's been hurt. Joe Burrow, with one more injury, I'm drafting another quarterback. And I love Joe Burrough. Whoa, whoa. Time out. First round?

I'm drafting him somewhere. Belichick was drafting Garoppolo in the second, and Tom was hoisting trophies. Didn't they just give him? Burl, $5,000 million? Come on. You got all the money, literally all of it. Yeah. And he's been banged up three straight years.

So when I called him Glass Joe, I was spot on? Well, I'm just saying, regardless of what you pay somebody, injuries change everything. There's an argument to be made, and you and I have made it. You should draft a quarterback three out of four years. Well, they got Jake Browning. Jake Browning looked. Listen, I know people aren't going to say. No, he was pretty good.

He was way better than anybody thought. Yeah, way better than I thought. I watched him in college at Washington. I didn't think he had an arm. He was limited. I thought he was a totally limited downfield thrower. I thought he looked great.

Final story. Okay, here we go. On Christmas Day in the NBA, reports indicated that people around the Suns organization were feeling Durant was frustrated with the Bradley Beal injury and the, quote, underwhelming supporting cast.

Well, Fox Sports's Melissa Rowland sat down for an exclusive interview with Durant who refuted those claims, saying, I don't want to get traded. I'm not frustrated because Brad was injured. I wasn't frustrated. because of the role players on the team. It's like, yeah, we lose a game.

You think I'm supposed to be happy after we lose a game? I'm not frustrated with the whole situation. I may be frustrated at the moment at a bad play or a tough stretch, but nah, I enjoy the grind. Yeah, I mean, this, I would just, Suns fans are freaking out. It's a work in progress. This is an 82 game schedule.

Last year, you had me believe in the Sacramento Kings. It's a work in progress. So, I mean, you can't bring in Bradley Beal and Durant and move on, Grayson Allen, and move off Chris Paul, and you're like, well, we're not great yet. How many games into the season are? Listen, we saw Patrick Mahomes crack late in the season with the Chiefs. Like, we were like, oh, all these drops and he's not doing anything. Late in the season, he started, you started to see it unravel.

Like, I wouldn't be surprised if Durant got more ticked off. Big game against the Lakers Thursday. Big one. They'll be fine. Where's the game at? Here. Oh, I'd go to that. Really?

I'd go to that game. Once you get tickets. I go to that. How do you know I don't have the ticket? I got to lock in all work, man. This is, you know, I'm focused. Okay, yeah, sure. Jay Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd. So I've always had this theory that you can spot. Like, if you go, they used to have, when I was a little kid, I watched Johnny Carson. Right? So all the comedians that ended up on Johnny Carson were pretty good. but I can remember watching Drew Carey the first time

or Gary Shandling the first time and Carson brought on a lot of comedians but I remember watching specifically Gary Shandling Albert Brooks yeah I'm that old the first time I saw Albert Brooks I was like oh that guy's like a genius I don't even know if I knew what the word meant when I was 7, 8 years old but I remember watching Carson and the truly great comedians after like a 7 minute set

that's it six seven minutes you were like like, yeah, that's different. That is, wow. And without exception, I'm not some talent scout. What do I know? I laugh like you laugh. The person that you thought was okay, the person that you thought was great, ended up having a great career on Carson. Seinfeld, the late Gary Shandling, Albert Brooks identified largely as a genius comedically still living. And so I just don't think it takes that long. Now, in the NBA, it's different because the kids come into the league at 18. So your first couple of years, they can't even drink at the hotel bar. But in like, let's say football, if you get to Carson, your act is refined.

Like, by the time you get to Carson, you're funny or you're not. You're great or your average. Same in the NFL. It doesn't take that long. You've been in college for three, four, some of these guys five years. So basketball, put that aside, there are guys that grow into games you don't see initially. But we were talking about during the break. is that

Jay Mack asked me, we were talking about C.J. Stroud. And I said, by like week two with Joe Burrow in the NFL, I was like, wow, he is accurate. C.J. Stroud. And I don't think you got to give the coach

or the coordinator or even the receivers, the credit. His accuracy downfield is top five in the league. Now, I'm not saying you didn't have a good coordinator and Tank Dell, you know, like some of this guy, he had Nico Collins earlier, Tankdale's hurt.

Nico Collins. I'm not saying the receivers don't count, Dalton Schultz, the tied end. But his accuracy is crazy. By the second, third game, you're like, my God. He's like one of the most accurate throwers in the league. And J. Mack asked me, give me the question you asked me during the break. I was going crazy. I would like to change it.

But he's basically Cowherd is on the break just glowing about C.J. Stroudies. The man is deep passing. And I say, who would you rather have the next five? years. C.J. Stroud or Trevor Lawrence. And I said... C.J. Stroud. Absolutely. And I I mean... Let me throw this at you.

C.J. Stroud's rookie year with a defensive coach this year is similar, if not better, than Trevor Lawrence's best season. 23 TD's 5 picks, 101 passer rating.

Best year for Lawrence, 25 touchdowns, eight picks in a 95 passer rating. Now, they both play in the same division, so you can't use that, and they both play in the same conference. So they face the same defensive coordinators. So it would lead me to believe that Stroud's better. If Stroud is this good, this fast, he's the better quarterback. And by the way, I know all you fanboys, I'm sure you knew he was going to be this good. Houston didn't know he was going to be this good. Nobody. Nobody thought he was going to be this good. His comp, we set it on the air. His comp was Jared Goff. And my take was,

well, Jared Goff's top 12 in the league. That's possible. I like Bryce Young because the way he moved, but he looks very small. The minute you see Bryce Young in the NFL with no good receivers, you're like he's overwhelmed. But I'm saying, C.J. Stroud to me, it's classic Joe Burrell. It's classic comedian on Seinfeld. You can watch six, seven minutes. You can watch C.J. Stroud for a half. And he will make a wow throw every half.

And I mean stuff like, I'm not sure anybody but like Mahomes, Burrow. And how many guys in the platt. How good I think his accuracy is. and he can do it off platform on, moving left, moving right. That dude, he just lets go with the ball. He made a throw about three weeks ago, and he was off platform, up the left side, a sideline throw. And I mean it had to be in a spot as big as the football.

Off balance, moving. And I was just like, okay, there's five people in the world that can make that throw. So this is what's pretty cool about the NFL, right? Like, you can make a statement. C.J. Stroud is an amazing deep ball thrower. I can look up the stats and see if it backs it up. He's third in big pass plays as a rookie. Third, do you want me to...

I'm sure the audience would love it if I knocked you down a peg here, but according to pro football focus, C.J. Stroud, second best completion percentage on passes of 20 yards or more in the NFL. Number one will shock you. His name is Brock Purdy with his deep ball accuracy. But C.J. Stroud on passes of 20 more yards, eight touchdowns, zero interceptions. Pretty phenomenal. I'm just saying.

Trevor Lawrence is, you know, his accuracy. His accuracy on plays down the field. It's freakish. It is freakish. And you could see it immediately. It's like, the hell. It is like Stafford.

Like Matt Stafford's one of those guys. On 30 plus, you're like, that's way too easy. It looks like Stafford. It is just a naturally gifted thrower who effortlessly makes 37 yards throws into small windows. So now let me rearrange a question. Next five years. Next five years.

C.J. Stroud or Jordan Love? C. Peter, you've got to think about that. Well, well, I would say C.J. Stroud, because of his ability to be great, with a defensive coach. It does matter that you've sat for three years, Matt LaFleur, and all those receivers. Jordan Love's got some special stuff, too. He does. He moves better than C.J.

Not nearly as good of a deep ball thrower percentage-wise. By the way, what I'm saying is, on just the deep ball stuff, what you're watching with C.J. Stroud is not a coordinator. It's not a coach. It's not a tight ender receiver. It's C.J. Stroud. And it is unbelievable how good he is. It is Matt Stafford to me is one of the best 40-yard throws. Stafford does it. He flicks. It's John Elway. It's just a flick. It is effortless. That's what it looks like. So you know the smart teams when they get a quarterback on the rookie deal. What's like the second move? Go get me a superstar wide receiver. You know, Kyler Murray got DeAndre Hopkins. I don't need to pay for it.

and got Stefan Diggs. I know you like Nico Collins and Tankdale was great before the injury. You could go big game hunting and go out and get somebody, Colin. A.J. Brown doesn't seem thrilled in Philly. Stefan Diggs? We'll see what happens in Buffalo. I don't need the drama. I like my young, inexpensive receivers.

You can go get the ego and the drama. Even Patrick Mahomes, they got him Sammy Watkins. I know Watkins was never a superstar, but he was a top 10 pick. At the time, he was a big name, I'm saying. Like, they could go out and get somebody. No. You're saying no. Draft.

You know what I want? Make sure his offensive line gives protection. Because when that kid has a third second to throw, it lights out. You've got the quarterback on the rookie deal. You're going to, C.J. Straub's rookie deals up. You're going to give him $55 million a year. You've got to spend this off season to get this team into Super Bowl contention. And you're saying you don't want to add a receiver?

We can add one. I'm not going to get a superstar. I got two, three guys I like. Go draft another one. Okay. All right. I'm telling Rome O'Donze. You're not getting him.

He's going early on the draft. Not as early as you think. Really? I think the LSU kid. You'll put some money if he goes top 10 or not? I think the LSU receivers? Oh, come on. Yeah, LSU never has a receiver.

Rome all day. Goodness, he's so talented. You know somebody told me he's going to be like Keenan Allen and the pros? Just catches everything. Well, that's awesome possessing. It's pretty good. Did you know, Discover wants everybody to feel special? That's why with your Discover card, you have access to 24-7 customer service,

zero dollar fraud liability, never held responsible for unauthorized purchase. Learn more at Discover.com slash credit card limitations apply. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised.

You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never. have time for. Yeah, you blubberlips. Blameen me. Well, you know what? It's called Overpromise. You should be good at it because you've been over-promising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part

of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course. But we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over-Promised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, make sure you check out Over-Promise. And also, uncensored, by the way.

So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after-show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino and Rich on the IHeartRadio 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

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

this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode We pick it here unpack what went down

And try to make sense of how we survived it Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill Waxing all about crack In the 80s To be clear 84 is big to me

Not just because of crack I'm down to talk about crack On day but yeah yeah 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

There's a through line We also have AIDS On the table right now So Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, I debuted this several years ago, and it was an absolute disaster on the air.

It was called the quarterback face bracket, where I pick the playoff games only on who had the better quarterback. First year, it was awful. And in the last couple years, it has been marginally redeemable. But as the NFL has become more quarterback dependent and more offensive coach-driven, I have a feeling this year, my initially embarrassing quarterback face bracket may hit paydard. So I will pick the playoff games, the winners based solely on who I believe.

believe today is the best quarterback. So we start in the AFC, Joe Flacco and C.J. Stroud. Now, Flacco was a great story. But he hasn't been great this year. He's their fourth quarterback, and he is limited mistakes, passer rating low 90, but C.J. Stroud is the better quarterback this morning, this afternoon. So I'll take C.J. Stroud. AFC wildcard round in my quarterback face bracket. Two of Patrick Mahomes don't need to waste a lot of time here. I think two is much more of a game manager. I think Patrick Mahomes is a game elevator.

I will take Kansas City and Mahomes in my quarterback face bracket. Again, Josh Allen at home against Mason Rudolph feels pretty obvious to me. It's Josh Allen. In the NFC, it's a little dicey. Jalen Hertz against Baker Mayfield. Now, Baker was a number one pick. Jalen Hertz, a second round pick. But I do think the athletic ability and decision-making of Jalen Hertz,

Baker may throw a prettier ball with time to throw, but I would take Jalen Hertz is the better quarterback today. Stafford and Gough, both top 12. But I think most people would acknowledge Stafford throws one of the best balls in the league. former number one pick hyper talented Rams moved off golf for Stafford. McVey knows his offense

I would take Stafford and this is interesting I think Jordan Love has a higher ceiling I think he throws a prettier ball and is more gifted athletically than Dak Prescott but today this morning in this spot

Dak Prescott's the better quarterback Jordan Love is really talented but still can be erratic prone to some mistakes, just hasn't seen all the defenses live like Dak Prescott has. So in review, my winners, according to my AFC and NFC, wild card round bracket, C.J. Stroud, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hertz, Matt Stafford, and Dak Prescott. Any pushback J. Mack for any of those? Unfortunately, I have pushback on one.

You're not going to like it. It's funny. On my podcast, I ranked the quarterbacks on Wild Card Weekend, super Wild Card weekend. And I had Joe Flacco ahead of C.J. Stroud. And I took a couple things into consideration. Number one is experience. His nickname is January Joe Flacco.

He's 10 and 5 in the playoffs in his career. The moment's not going to be too big for him. And Colin, I'm not saying it's going to be. be too big for Stroud, but the history of first-round picks who are rookies in the playoffs, it's not good against quarterbacks who have experience. We might see Stroud have a rough day, and I don't want people to overreact if Joe Flacco's tremendous, but I would rank Flacco ahead of Stroud. That would be my only issue.

And experience does matter. I know he hasn't had a playoff game in like six, seven years. No, Flacco was always good in the post. He's just going to walk in just Joe Flacco, just casual. I think Cleveland has the better roster, so that's, possible. But that would be my only quibble, if you will. So I saw this. The Warriors,

Draymond Green is back. You know I employ him as a podcaster. And Steve Kerr has been very pointed and very honest. We can't have apologies. You just have to be better in real time with officials. You know, I was thinking about this

that the Warriors bigger issue and the NBA's bigger issue is beyond Draymond Green. Green and the Warriors have been wildly popular and polarizing. And Draymond Green is part of their popularity. People defend him. People don't like him.

He's the current villain in the NBA. There's no question. And that has real value. So was Bill Lambere. So was Rodman. The Bulls and the Pistons are, and these Warriors are three of the five, six most popular teams I can ever remember.

The Bad Boy Pistons were wildly popular. So were Jordan's Bulls. So were the Warriors. The Spurs had great players. What was polarizing? Milwaukee, what's polarizing? Denver. It does matter.

Rodman, Lambeard, Dremont, they're part of the appeal. But two things have really carried the NBA's eroding ratings over the last 15 years. One is LeBron and two is the Warriors. And they are both fading. One of them warriors very quickly. So I love Yokic, but the last five Mbriors, And your top five MVP voters, SGA, Mb, Janice, Yokic, Luca, they're all international players. Now, baseball's gotten more international.

Hockey's always been international. I don't mind international. I don't necessarily think it helps your domestic TV ratings. We'd rather watch our Olympians than other Olympians. That's the reality of it. Whatever the media says you should watch, we tend to want to watch Americans crush. we watch him in college we watch him March Madness we watch them in college football then we just an easier follow so the warrior Celtics final had over a million more people watching

than Denver and Miami Miami's popular but Denver's led by Yokic who again I think is is remarkable so there's sort of a domestic supply chain uh shortage is that we're looking Zion didn't work John Morant hasn't those were going to be emerging stars aunt Edwards in Minnesota that's not a high profile team kind of fascinating. We've talked about this with the NBA. I love the NBA, and I love the international players. I love Janice. I love Yokic. I know everybody says it's

ugly basketball. I covered Sabonis for years in Portland. I love watching them play. When your center is your best passer and arguably your best shooter, I think it's fascinating. But it's interesting. The Warriors and LeBron have carried this league for 15 years. They've really carried the ratings, and

the Warriors are fading fast. And LeBron's not necessarily as a player. We saw that dunk the other night, but there are limitations what that roster can do if they don't make some whammo trade at the deadline I got your guy for you the next great American NBA star who's going to carry the league who you go Jason Tato there you go it's that's him he's the guy oh he's so good who's a better American player right now no he I think he is it's a guy yeah I mean I guess people and B'd you know played at Kansas and you know these are international born players yeah listen all these

sport, the globalization of sports to me, this is why all the leagues, baseball's never had more good players, ever. Football, basketball. These leagues have never had more talent. But I'm just talking about the NBA's ratings are always a topic. Not necessarily on this show. They shouldn't be, but. Well, they're a topic.

And I do think what's fascinating for the league, remember when Jordan left, David Stern's like, oh, let's go elevate this guy, this guy, this guy. League lost half its numbers. Remember that when Jordan left, because he was so appealing. So it's going to be fascinating. We are pivoting to the international NBA, which I love watching.

Not sure the whole country is as into it as I am. It's just fascinating. Mark Sanchez, hour three, two done, quickly. Been a fun show. Live in L.A. at third. 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, Street or 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Podcasts, 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.