The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - NFL QBs, Harbaugh

Episode Date: January 5, 2022

The NFL teams who need QBsClues that could mean Jim Harbaugh is leaving for the NFLGuests: Jordan Hicks, Joel Klatt Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

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From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go.

Hour number two. So many good things to talk about today. Live in L.A. It's the Hurt, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Jordan Hicks, linebacker, Arizona Cardinals. Used to be a Philadelphia Eagle, Texas Longhorn. I like Longhorns.

Sooner fans are very mean to me. I'm going to consider that when I book guests. Very mean to me. I'll take Texas Longhorns. Longhorn fans treat me with a lot of respect. Sooner fans. mean. You know, there's a different fan base mad at me every week.

I just kind of take it as it comes. Although Dolphins fans are very apologetic these days. Oh, oh, really? Dolphin fans, why don't you bring some love over here to this microphone? Very apologetic these days. And all the Patriot fans who thought Mack Jones was Patrick Mahomes have kind of scaled back, haven't they? Hey, I want to talk about that.

So I'm very excited about this. So what you think I'm into is often not what I'm into. I like uncovering little mysteries, and they may not be true, but they're little theories. But, you know, we all know if you have a bad quarterback situation or no succession plan like the Steelers, you can be a big trouble. You got Lamar Jackson's coming back. I got Joe Burrell. Heck, I even like the Ravens backup, Tyler Huntley.

And Baker Mayfield, when he is healthy, is better than an old Ben. You can't have the fourth best quarterback in a division. You got the coach and the GM, but Belichick can't. with bad quarterback play, are you going to go into the ice age? The Steelers ice age. Like, this is bad football. Oh. I want you to think about this.

So the Steelers are currently 17th. Now that's, for the Steelers, that's way up the draft board. Like they're usually, you know, stinkeruny like 21st, 22nd, 23rd, right in the middle. And they could finish even a little, you know, they can finish. If they lose this weekend, they can. could have like 15, 16. So that's important. That's not a terrible spot. Easier to move up from there than 25. They got three things going for them in the quarterback situation. Number one, a lot of the bad teams that draft above them, you know, your jets and your jags, they've got quarterbacks.

I think the lions are not going to move off Jared Gough. They gave up, you know, they pay too much. They're not going to move off him. So that's good. Like a lot of the bad teams last year, they got the quarterbacks last two years. Number two is, there's not like a superstar prospect that we know somebody's going to take. Here's the third thing that plays into the Steelers, though. The teams above them, three of them, that could take a quarterback. Let's start with the Texans at three. They actually kind of like Davis Mills.

And reportedly, they don't love this quarterback market, and they've got a terrible roster. So what people are saying down in Houston now, is let's just get the best player. We'll go after quarterback next year. But Davis Mills, okay. We got to find her, and they're going to give him a second year. A lot of people think Davis Mills, remember when he got drafted?

A lot of people were like, give him some time. He's an interesting. He was a great high school quarterback, had some success in college. So I don't think they're going to take a quarterback. I think they're going to go and get one of those, you know, like the former JJ Watt, like a big Thibodeau, a rush end. Okay, let's take the Broncos at 11. They need a quarterback. Come on, man.

They've done Paxton Lynch and Drew Locke. They've done the draft twice. Whiff, whiff. You think they're going to go get another college quarterback who's like in not a great and they're in a division with Mahomes twice a year, Derek Carr twice a year, Justin Herbert. They're going to go big game hunting. They're going after Russ. They're going after cousins.

They'll go after Derek Carr. They're not doing the college thing again. This roster is ready to win now in Denver. They're going big. They'll overpay for somebody. And then you have the Eagles. Well, I'm not drafted a quarterback. Jalen Hertz has emerged.

He made the playoffs. And if you watch Jalen Hertz, he's way better now than week five. Like, he's getting better. He's an ascending player that leads the number one rush offense. I would not draft a court. Maybe if you want to find somebody in the fifth or sixth round, because he does run around, you find kind of a symmetry with like a backup guy that Like if you could find a Tyler Huntley in the draft that moves around, a little undersized,

because Jalen does, you know, get whacked once in a while, runs around, very mobile. But so you've got three things going for you, is that you're in a pretty good draft position. If you really look at this. And, oh, by the way, Carolina and Washington are two teams that draft above you that need quarterbacks. Well, Carolina's paying Donald almost 20 million a year. So they've got to think about what they're going to do. And Washington, yes. but there's like four or five quarterbacks that are all kind of the same.

Like, right? There's like four or five guys that are nobody. And this is why Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh, who I don't think is a great prospect, but he's been in the building. The Pitt Panthers and the Steelers share the facilities, share the building. It's very interesting. And I do think he feels like Pittsburgh. I think he feels like Pittsburgh.

size, he can move, he's experienced. You know the Steelers have incredible intel on him because he's in the building. So if I was Pittsburgh at 17, this is the kid I would go with because I have the most intel on him. I know the Odominor. I've seen him for three, four years. You know all the coaches. Steelers coaches and Pitt Panther coaches know each other. Sometimes you just have intel that nobody else has. And so it's interesting. It's a weird year in Pittsburgh that their draft spots better. A lot of the bad teams have quarterbacks. backs, three teams above them, I think have, they're going to go, Jalen Hertz's emergence is great for the Steelers. You can't draft a quarterback in the first round with Jalen Hertz. That'd be idiotic.

I love, I love that. I love that I just came up with that. Got of thin air. It didn't even exist yesterday that topic. It's very exciting. Oh, I got another thing I want to talk about. So the Jim Harbaugh thing, there is a, there's a story that Jim Harbaugh from reputable sources that Jim Harbaugh is going to consider the NFL. And I have a belief, if you, Jim Harbaugh's father, Jack Harbaugh, there's legendary stories that John and Jim would be in the backseat with Jack Harbaugh. And the saying they always said was, they didn't grow up with a lot of money. He was a football coach, was always, it doesn't get any.

better than this. It doesn't get any better than this. That was like the legendary saying. And there's a saying similar to that that if you look at Jim Harbaugh's career, he always leaves whenever this saying happens. It can't get better than this. I want you to think about that. That was what his dad said over and over. I can't get better than this. Go read the stories on the Harbaugh family. So his career. San Diego. Why did he leave? Because he went 11 and 1.11 and 1. You're not going to go to a major bowl. It can't get better than this. He went to Stanford. Four years. Why leave? 12 and 1. Andrew Luck won the Orange Bowl. You're not going to be, you know, it's Stanford. There's limitations. It can't get better than that. He goes to San Francisco. He gets to the playoffs with Alex Smith, but it can do better than that because he found Kaepernick and liked him. gets to a Super Bowl with Kaepernick. Lossed but got to a Super Bowl.

He looks around the league. He was starting to kind of lose trust in Kaepernick style. It can't get better than this. Then he goes to Michigan. 12 wins beat Ohio State, get to the playoff. He's not stupid. Michigan's an elite academic institution. They're not going to get into bidding wars for players with Alabama and Georgia.

They're not. They are not. It can't get better than this. Harbaugh knows when he plays. plays Georgia. We don't have. We can't. We can't. That's not what we can be. I mean, there's an understanding right now in college football. I was talking to somebody in the Midwest that's in the recruiting space. He's like, if the SEC wants the best players with NIL, they get them. They just get them. And Harbaugh knows the game. He doesn't live in a footprint in Michigan that's

got 75 high school stars like a Georgia does. Georgia's in a state with a hundred, division one players, 30 great ones. Michigan's in a state with 28 division one players and six great ones. It's hard to convince kids to go to different regions and away from their mom and dad and their friends. If you look at what the dad, Jack Harbaugh said for years in that car, it can't get better than this. Look at Harbaugh.

All four moves. He left when it couldn't get better. This is it for Michigan. They're not going to go into a semifference. final and beat Georgia one game and Bama the next. They don't have the personnel. Go look at their, even with Harbaugh, who's a very good recruiter, look at the last five drafts. Do you see six Georgia guys in the first round, six Bama guys in the first round, sometimes four Clemson guys, five Buckeyes, maybe get a couple. Michigan this year's got a great defense event.

So I, I, if you look at Harbaugh, the dad, what he said, what Jim's done, it can't get better than this. It just meant something different in the backseat of the car than how Jim uses that interpretation. Just my thought. Just my thought. Oh, is Jordan Hicks ready to go? Here we go. Arizona Cardle linebacker.

We've said with Arizona, we think they can beat everybody in the league. We're not sure if they will, but they can. And most teams in this league cannot say that. Most teams in the league, there are certain limitations. And Jordan Hicks is now joining us live, seven NFL seasons, Super Bowl champ. So there he is. So, you know, it's really interesting.

We were talking as a staff this morning, Jordan, that there's a lot of guys that have been brought over. And the JJ watch yourself, like they're like high character, been around the league, respected guys. and it's an interesting mix of super young talent and veteran dude to know the league, respected, leaders, and it is, like, can you compare locker rooms like Philadelphia to Arizona? Because it's a very unique locker room right now in Arizona

that Steve Kime has built. Yeah. You know, it's interesting because since I've gotten here, there's been quite a bit of similarities. A lot of people have tried to talk that comparison up. And, you know, it's hard to deny. At the end of the day, I think you need veteran presence in the locker room to guide the young guys. And when you get in a position where, you know, now you're making the playoffs, you've got a chance to go on and run.

You know, the focus has to be right. The energy has to be right. And as the season dwindles down, you know, that's where a lot of the leadership takes. Yeah. So when you guys were the hottest team in the league, you had a three-game losing. streak. And I said on the show, I said, I don't think it's anything more than this. You can't lose James Connor. You can't lose DeAndre Hopkins. You can't lose Rondell Moore. For a young quarterback, he's just learning these relationships. You can't pull them out. And then I watch

against Dallas, you're still missing people and you won. But that's, I didn't view it as Arizona had a problem. I had it. Arizona's not healthy. And there's a lot of different ways. I mean, you know, Jordan, you've been in this league. Sometimes teams lose confidence. There's, disputes in the locker room. I just saw it as Doudreau banged up. So when you go into a three-game losing streak, how did you view it? Yeah, personally, it was

it was an opportunity for us to mature, an opportunity for us to come together as a unit and as a group. You know, we all talk to, if when we make it out on the other side of this, we're going to be a much better team. Adversity doesn't do anything,

but test you and make you stronger. you know, kind of where we were at. You know, we were, it would have been crazy at the beginning of the year to say we weren't going to hit any adversity at the, at some point in the season. So, uh, that's what we took it as, you know, took got back to the basics when one played a time and made more plays. By the way, congratulations. You and your beautiful life just had a baby. I, uh, I was informed that this morning. So, uh, is that your first or is it your first child? No, it's actually my third. I've got two boys, two and three and then, uh, a one year old. Oh, wow. We're in the thick of it. I'm going to say you've got your own little team going on right now. You're having one of your best years ever. And in fact, you're the only player in the NFL with over 100 tackles right now, it says,

four sacks and five passes defended. So you've been good since you came into this league from Texas. You were good in Philadelphia. Is it scheme? Like what makes this? By the way, you're playing a division with great offensive coaches. You should not be having your greatest. year now. This is a tough division to defend. You got Russell Wilson. You got McVean-Stafford. You've got

the running power of San Francisco. Why is it all working for you this year? Yeah, you know, I think it is partly the fact that this is year three in the scheme. It always makes a difference, understanding the details and, you know, being able to get a few years under your belt. But we're just playing together as a unit. And, you know, it's not my most tackles in a season. before. It's not, you know, the most necessarily interceptions or anything like that. It's production within the scheme. And I think that's what it's boiled out to. Yeah. So you play Russell Wilson this weekend. You know, he's a handful. As a linebacker, what's the challenge with Russell? I mean, his ability to make every throw, his ability to escape the pocket, big play guys downfield.

he is as dynamic of a quarterback as you'll face in the NFL. And he does things right. He's always prepared, always making the right reads. So he's a guy that's always fun to go against. I didn't know if Kingsbury was going to work in the NFL because his alma mater, it didn't work. And alma maters never want to fire their own people. And I thought, man, it didn't work there.

So I don't know if this division's brutal. It's Pete Carroll. It's Shanahan. I'm like, this is a brutal division for a guy. and it works. So if I said to you, give me two things about Cliff that you're like, these are really good attributes as a young coach.

Confidence. I don't think he's doubted himself one time since he's been here. You know, you see him on the sidelines fired up when he's feeling it. There's a clip right there of him feeling himself. And, you know, he's got that confidence, and we feed off of that, you know, and he knows he's going to do the right thing.

And we're, you know, following him into every game. So if it's not that, I would say his offensive mind. He's done a great job with Kyle. He's done a great job with this offense. It's dynamic. And obviously, Kyle runs the show,

but Cliff's out there putting him in the right position to make the right place. You know, it's interesting. The Dallas game, I watched every snap. You guys controlled it from the very beginning. And it's weird about game plans. You can have game plans and they just unravel. And then you have game plans. And I watched that game and I'm like, I have a feeling that's what you guys thought the game was going to look like.

You put on paper, this is what we wanted to do. And as I was watching it unfold, first of all, Kyler was so absurd on third down. It was ridiculous. I mean, just absurd. But why were you able to defend Dallas's offense and mostly shut it down in key spots? Why? Yeah. It starts with the run.

You know, it's everything that they do and everything that most teams do is predicated. off the run. And when you can hold the team to 45 rushing yards, you know, and 2.9 an attempt, you know, that's saying something. So when we were able to do that, we were putting them in third and long. We had a few key, they had a few key penalties that pushed them back even more. You know, anytime you have an offense in those situations, you're pinning your ears back and you're going after the quarterback. And finally, I don't know why it is, but Texas fans are so nice to me on social media, very nice. Sooner fans treat me, terribly. They're just the worst to me. What is it? Why are Texas fans nicer? What is that, Jordan?

It's the state, I guess. I'm not originally from Texas. I came from Ohio for college, and they were that way with me as well, so I'm right there with you. There we go, right there. Jordan Hicks, great year for the Arizona Cardinals. Good luck to you. Congrats on the new baby. Got a family going on there. Good for you with the Cardinals, and I love watching your play, man. Thanks. Thanks, Colin. All right, Jordan Hicks. He's having a great year, a great team. Leadership all over that locker room. And that was the thing Steve Kime did.

I got a young quarterback. I've got a young coach over the last couple years. I'm going to bring in some veteran guys who know the league, leaders. Boom, there you go. 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 doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-taped Little Kim boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little count? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but... Yeah, yeah. Literally.

But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, 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. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday on Fox, the NFL, Season finale, canality comes down to this.

As Aaron Rogers and the Packers take on the Lions, then in America's game of the week, the 49ers fight for the final NFC playoff spot against the Rams. Check local listings for the matchups in your area, only on Fox in the Fox Sports app. By the way, a defensive line coach for Michigan is now leaving to USC. We talked about Jim Harbaugh. It's harder to keep a staff intact.

We've got transfer portal, players out of bowl games. NIL is, I think, it's a good idea. It's the Wild Wild West. It's just sort of college football now. It's like a family with great potential and no discipline. There's no structure in college football. And I've had more, it's really, I've had more than a couple of coaches say, I'm not against the changes.

Could we organize any of this stuff? It's like a land grab. And the SEC is going to win the land grab because college football means more in the south. They don't have as many pro teams. It really defines, I think, to a lot of. of people in the South success and it's just very important. It's not as important, though it's important to other places in the country. And so, you know, this is, I, Joel Klatt's going to join us before the end of the hour on this stuff. I do think in its current form, Jim Harbaugh looks at the

NFL and Jim likes his structure. He's pretty rigid that way. He looks at the NFL and sees structure, and he looks at college football and loves it, but sees kind of, you know, no walls or borders on any of this stuff, and it's frustrating. I will say this. Raiders need a coach, and you know how I think about Derek Carr. That was the problem in San Francisco, is he kind of lost faith in Kaepernick. He'd moved on from Alex Smith, and they, you know, in this league, he didn't have a succession plan. And they were too good to get a good draft pick because they were in Super Bowl. So, you know, I kind of think right now could be the perfect time. You got Trevor Lawrence's team out there and Derek Carr's team out there. That's pretty good. That's pretty good to come from college

and get that most college coaches that go to the NFL, a lot of them, like when Pete went to Seattle, they didn't have a quarterback. You know, the reason Urban took that job, I know Urban. It was Trevor Lawrence. Like, you've got to have a quarterback in the NFL. You don't in college. Does Michigan have a great quarterback? Does Georgia have a great quarterback?

George is playing in the national championship with a quarterback that's not even going to be an NFL prospect. I don't think. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. is the herd line news. Last week, the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention.

They're 34-13 loss to the Chargers. And Melvin Gordon said he knows they had the necessary pieces to make a playoff push. I'm just thinking about from the D-line, from secondary, you know, from from receivers, tight-ins, the linemen we have young, but just a lot of moxies. you know, running backs. I mean, linebackers, I mean, it was just so frustrating, you know, because, I mean, it's such a well-built team.

You just sit back and you just get so frustrated because we're so much better than what our record show. I think a lot of people would agree with him. Oh, I think we've said this over and over, but we keep saying it. They are the Tampa Bay before Brady arrived. They've got all the pieces. Tampa needed a right tackle and maybe a better running back.

But like Denver's ready to win a Super Bowl with the right quarterback. This Fant is a monster at tight end, good running backs, way better than average O-line. Justin Simmons, Patrick Sertan, Jerry Judy, KJ Hamler, Cortland Sutton, Jvante Williams. They got a lot. And by the way, now they have two good corners, three good receivers, a great tight end. Their O line is, I think, better than people think. The left tackle kind of got it together after a few years. Like, they're really good. It's their third straight losing season under Vic Fangio. And obviously we know that they have been through a carousel of quarterbacks. since Peyton Manning retired at the end of the 2016 season,

and that just feels like their issue. They need to get competent at quarterback. It's a very tough division. You can't just put anyone out there. But it's not that simple. There's a lot of teams that would just love to have the guy. There's only so many guys to go around. There's only so much of that talent.

But they feel like they can't even get consistent at quarterback. It's been really rough there. So I'm with you. I think that they're going to try and take some big swings this offseason because they've tried in the draft and it hasn't panned out, and they have a team that's ready to win right now. They're not going to develop some kid who, and again, there's nobody out there that you look at, even a Mac Jones with a low ceiling that you're like, oh, he could play immediately

and start, like came from a pro system in Alabama. Yeah, I mean, and I think a lot of Mac Jones success is Belichick. It's Belichick. Like, we can admit that, which isn't a knock on Mac Jones. He's doing what's being asked of him, and he deserves credit for that. But that's a different situation. The Broncos hosts the Chiefs on Saturday. there are 10.5 point underdogs, according to Fox Bet.

So Joe Burroughs been having a great season, and Hall of Famer Brett Farr have had some high praise for the young quarterback. A guy like Joe Burrow is certainly in a different class. The front office will say we expected this right away. But I think that, you know, the fact that it's happened as quick as it has, and really the collapse of the rest of the division, is got to be somewhat of a surprise to even the AFC North faithful. You know, I didn't see it coming.

I did, Brett. I didn't see the Bengals being this good. I did not. Joe Burrow was going to be great. But he's right. It is a little bit of a collapse. Baker got hurt. Ben got old fast and the Mar got hurt.

It's a collapse. I mean, the whole Ravens roster got, I mean, annihil. But also luck favors the prepared. Be good when the rest of the. division collapses and that's what the Bengals are. They have their guy and they can take advantage of the other teams being down. But even if, you know, the other teams were competitive, which like the Steelers are going to be back. They are not an organization that's going to walk off a cliff. The Ravens, it's just, it's just a year. Like every team has a year. You're allowed to have a down year. That's what happened this year is a ridiculous amount of injuries before this season even started. Before we even got into all this COVID mess and injury mess with everyone, the Ravens were kind of the first team to deal with an entire position group getting. injured. So I think what Joe Burrow's been doing is, I'm with you. I would give him some MVP votes. I think he deserves it. And when you look at, look, I don't really get too crazy about the MVP. The MVP has become the best quarterback on the best team award. Like, that's just, that's what it is.

Maybe the name of it is mislabeled at this point. We've gotten away from it. But maybe the most outstanding player is Joe Burrow this year, because every year they've gotten better. He's coming off of a major injury, by the way, which we were not even talking about anymore. And his performance. at the level that he has. It's really remarkable. They've done a fantastic job. They play the Browns on Sunday. There's currently no odds, according to Fox Bed.

Zach Taylor said Monday, he hasn't decided whether Burrow and the other starters will play against the Browns ahead of the playoffs. Again, we're going to talk about this probably all week, leading into the teams that have already locked up their playoff position. So two blowout wins in the college football football semifinals have ignited the talks about the need to expand the college football playoff format.

However, the commissioners are a report. not focused or concerned about the lack of competitiveness. And the semifinals, the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, are set to meet Saturday to continue discussing the expansion format. The AAC commissioner, Mike Oresco said about the meeting, I think we're talking about a playoff that would be essentially more inclusive, give more teams an opportunity. And if you gave more teams an opportunity, you know, a few of those teams might perform at a level better than the teams that you chose.

So a 12-team playoff mode was proposed last June. It would guarantee spots to the six highest ranked conference championships, as well as at-large to the next six highest-ranked teams. There you go. It was a delay decision. It's still subjective because highest-ranked teams. Right. Well, there's no way to remove the subjective nature of the college football playoff format because

of the way that the sport is designed. Like, that's just, that's how it is. There's a limited number of teams in the NFL. It's very structured. It's all the point you made about Harbaugh. It's a different sport. Yes, they are playing football, but it is a different sport structure in the NFL

than it is in college football. So there's no way to remove completely the subjective nature of the college football playoff format. However, I do agree that expanding the college football playoffs might actually eliminate some of these blowouts, at least in the early rounds it will. And we can see if perhaps, you know, the committee made a mistake on the top four

and this team that was six or whatever who may have suffered a loss that they didn't like is now at this point in the season ready to take on the Alabama's and the Georgia's and make a more competitive game or sneak through to the championship game. I would bet $10,000 with anybody that nobody fifth or below will ever win the national championship. I've never had a year in college football where I thought the number four team could win it. So there have been years where there's three really good teams and I don't know the outcome. Right. Like I thought Michigan could beat Georgia. But we're expanding this.

There's going to be more opportunities. But, can't engineer parody. The fifth, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, they're not going to be winning the championship. There's just not enough talent. There's not. We know who the best players and teams and coaches are. And there's more of those great players on those great teams. We're trying to engineer with tax rates

in America, even things out. The gap, the inequality, has grown over my lifetime. Taxes have gone up. So we're taxing this, taxing that. And why? There's just some people that have advantages. They're harder working. They're smarter. They get breaks. They're

whatever it is, it's like college football. You can bring eight, six, how many teams get into the March madness? 68 now? Yeah. Number one, two, three, four seats dominate it. Rarely, I think one. Yeah, there's always somebody that makes a nice run and it's a good story and we fall in love with it. But they don't win it.

I don't think this is so much about who is going to win the national championship. As one, obviously, everything comes down to money. We know this will bring more money into the sport. I like that it will make those. otherwise, you know, nice but not relevant to the college football championship bowls, more relevant because they are part of the college football playoff structure. Right. And I do think it benefits teams, say, teams five and six that we're arguing about getting into

the college football playoff who may have actually given those bigger dogs a better fight. And now we will actually get to see because nobody thinks more than the, you know, the 15th, 16th team really had an opportunity to win the national championship. Yeah. So I'm in favor of expanding it. And look, I'm in favor of bringing more money into the sport. I'm also in favor of bringing a CEO. I think probably should work on that.

But throw that on the meeting list, guys. The sport, it's just the reason boxing got overtaken by the UFC. There's no structure. Boxing had no structure. UFC had Dana White and the Fritita family. The reason college football is kind of a turnoff to some coaches, it's not the NIL and the transfer portal. It's that there's no structure to it. And I know all the do-gooters out there.

You've got to pay the players. I'm not against that. But the NFL has a salary cap. There's got to be some borders. You know, you don't want just every car dealer given somebody $10,000. It's not the way you want. If we want pro football, just watch pro football. I don't want college to be pro football.

There's a lot of kids here that, you know, they go to get an education. These are teams connected to universities. I'd like a little structure on it. I'm sorry. I'm not a play of Heda. I'd like a little structure with my NIL and transfer portal. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News.

Joel Clatt next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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 sits, starts, fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, at 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, 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 Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related

episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you 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. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years.

for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The voice of college football Joe Clatt stopping by 44 school records, Colorado Buffalo, starting quarterback and minor league baseball. Couldn't hit the curve, boom, get rid of him. Nobody can get it. It's very true. Nobody can hit the curve.

It's very true. Except Derek Jeter maybe or something. I tell you, it's people have no idea how rigorous it. Like to become a big, big leaguers are unbelievable. Like guys go to the NFL all the time. Big leaguers and baseball. That's tough. That is tough what they do.

Okay. I said this Harbaugh stuff I believe in. Okay. Because if you look at Jim, Jim leaves every job when he kind of feels like I think I've done as much as I can. Okay. Beats Ohio State. Now I've got to go back to Columbus and play him. He's not stupid.

He looks at Georgia in Bammons. Like, those are in talent-rich state. I can't compete. Also, Derek Carr and the Raiders available. Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville available. what hurt him at the end in San Francisco. By the way, maybe Denver and a free agent quarterback in Denver? I think that could be available.

Do you think he leaves? I don't know. Listen, I thought that he was happier this year than he has been at any point in time in which I've covered him at Michigan. And from my standpoint, I think a lot of that had to do with the staff that he hired. Remember, he got a lot younger. Hired a lot of new staff, a lot younger. In fact, he was the only one that was over 45 years of age on that staff.

He believes in what they're doing, and I don't think he's driven by money, but I do know that he's driven by competition, and he's driven by trying to go out there and take on, I don't want to say a project, but some level of competition that's a little bit different. It interests him. And I won't be shocked, but I would be a little bit surprised if he leaves. And the main reason is because I think his family is settled. I think that he's settled. I think that he's settled. I think that he found a nice niche. they're recruiting at a high level. But you bring up a good point. Do you want to continue to be evaluated against Ohio State when they're recruiting at a higher level? Listen, for the foreseeable future, if Michigan is to beat Ohio State, it will remain an upset. Because of the way that they're recruiting.

This is not a knock. That's just the facts of the matter. So do you want to put yourself in that position if you're Jim Harbaugh, that remains to be seen? I will say this. Regardless, someone is getting a great coach. Obviously, Michigan knows that and what he's been able to do. If he leaves, he will succeed. Mark my words, he will succeed.

He has succeeded everywhere that he's been immediately. San Diego, Stanford, San Francisco, and Michigan immediately succeeded. So if he does jump, watch out, because wherever he goes, they'll probably start winning right away. Okay, so Georgia, Alabama, I don't understand. Bama's got the better coach and the significantly better quarterback and their underdogs. I know. Like, I think Alabama's going to win the game, right? Well, I mean, it's hard to beat a team twice.

And we will say, I think that you can also, while those things are absolutely true, Nick Savon is the greatest coach that we've ever seen in our sport, and Bryce Young is a fabulous player. Game changer. Absolutely. Having said that, Georgia has been the better team more consistently this year. We've seen Alabama at times, and I know that they bristle at this when you kind of bring things up, but they did not play well against Florida.

They did not play well, obviously, in a loss against Texas A&M. Arkansas. LSU got after him a little bit at times. Auburn should have beat them. All they got to do is just manage the clock at the end, and Auburn wins the Iron Bowl. So those things are also true, and it's very difficult to beat a team twice. If the Georgia that showed up against Michigan shows up against Alabama, I think Georgia wins the game. I think they're better at the defensive line spot, and we saw that in spades against Michigan. And if they can present pressure in Bryce Young's face, then watch out.

and I think that Georgia is going to be a little bit more motivated. Remember, they had very little motivation in that SEC championship game. I hate using that excuse, but their future was still ahead of them, regardless of the outcome of that game. And now you're going to get to see what Georgia is fully loaded, fully ready to go. That defensive front seven is as good as any. I've seen in a long time. And Bama's going to have their hands full.

I am going to side with the smart people in Vegas. I'm picking Georgia in this game. Oh, boy, geez. You hate it because of the quarterback thing. By the way, that's breaking my rule. You always take in one game affair. You got 60 minutes. You take the best quarterback, right?

Georgia. All right. So one of, this is a mantra I live by, and many of mine are duplicated, copied, and earmarked success for people who follow them. I thought you were about to say, you duplicated or copied them from somebody else. Which is fine.

It was just fine. Just repurposed them maybe. Yeah. Well, maybe I did that. I'm not going to tell you. So money's important, but it can't drive the car. It's got to be a passenger. Sure.

So Caleb Williams can make more money short term going to Auburn or Georgia. Okay. There's a certain SEC school. I won't name that is now giving a million dollars promise to five-star recruits. USC's not going to get into a bidding war. Michigan's not going to get into bidding wars. It's not. That's not what they're going to do.

Okay. So to me, Caleb Williams, go to Lincoln Riley. It's obvious. Auburn, who's another school or Georgia, he can get more NIL money. But I'm sorry, Kirby Smart's defense. Brett Venables hired a good OC. I could see him staying there because I like who Oklahoma hired as the O.C. I do like that. But Lincoln Riley has a history of walk-ons, baseball players, no doubt. Bench, Jalen Hertz. It's obvious, right? I think it's obvious, although you have to be able to see past a foot in front of your face, which is hard at times, in particular when you're talking about something that maybe is life-changing, like a million or two dollars.

And I don't know exactly the figures being thrown out for Caleb Williams. This is wild speculation on my part, which I probably shouldn't do. He would get a million dollars promised in the NIL and the SEC. That's around there. I would say probably north of that. I would say maybe closer to two because he's more of a proven commodity. rather than some high school player. And I don't think USC is going to get in that game in the NIL.

However, if I was Caleb Williams, don't you have to look past that immediate sum of money and look at the future of what your potential earnings can be based on where and who you play for? Okay, so look at what Baker's been doing now, career earnings, Kyler Murray, career earnings, what Jalen Hertz is going to be doing, career earnings. Well, that far surpasses some two,

million dollar payday, even if it's a high-end, $2 million payday for two years at Georgia or Auburn, when they don't have the track record of putting the quarterbacks recently in the National Football League in order to have those big pops of success like you've seen with Baker, like you've seen with Jalen, and like you've seen certainly at Arizona with Kyler Murray. So I think for Caleb Williams, it might not just be about the money that he's about to receive in this NIL cycle, as much as it is, where can I go and develop so that I can be the best prospect I can potentially be, maximize my draft value, and potentially get to the second contract in the NFL. Because remember, when Caleb Williams goes to the NFL, they're going to be in the new

television deal. And if he can get to a second contract at the quarterback position, $300 million or more. Easy. Easy. These contracts that we're about to see for quarterbacks are going to be $50, $60, $65 million annually because of the rev share model with the 51% to the players in the NFL CBA. You know, I only have like a minute and a half left. Okay. I am for player mobility, and I am for players transferring.

But there's no fence around any of this stuff in college. Guard rails. We need guardrails bad. There's no guardrails. And all the do-gooters are like, you've got to pay players. I'm okay with it, but the NFL has a salary cap. And it's hard to cap NIL because we don't cap NIL for NFL players. Right.

Right. I mean, you can't tell Patrick Mahomes, hey, there's only a certain amount you can make from State Farm. We just don't say that. And so it's hard to get into that mold. But the guardrails, as far as calendar and roster structure, there's been 3,000 players enter the portal in the last two months. That's too many. That's too many. There's going to be hundreds of college football players that threw away college scholarships and never get them back because of roster mismanagement and the lack of calendar structure and guardrails around the transfer portal.

And we're both for mobility. Totally. I'm totally. I said earlier, I love ice cream, not for breakfast. I can love something and simultaneously need guardrails on it a little. Speak for yourself. I just work out harder and I love donuts. Oh my gosh, I love donuts. Do you love donuts? I like donuts, but I do know this as a

Joel Clat fact that you are obsessed with donuts. Love donuts. There used to be a crispy cream right outside the complex with the San Diego Padres in Phoenix right out there, like the 101 in Peoria. You guys know what I'm talking about. And before spring training it would be like 30 minute lines. Why? Why? Because a dozen crispy creams goes down like butter. That's why you couldn't hit the curve.

You're sugar high. It's probably true. It's probably true. I'll take the donuts. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? 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 panes. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.