The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Nick Wright, Herd Hierarchy

Episode Date: December 26, 2023

In this hour of The Herd, it's another edition of The Herd Hierarchy. Later, FS1's Nick Wright joins to argue with Colin over his Herd Hierarchy. Finally, Colin examines Michigan's contract offer for head coach Jim Harbaugh and why he might not be on board with the conditions of the deal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Nick Wright in five minutes, hurt hierarchy in a second. So I've been saying this all year in the NFL. There are no great teams. There's just one great roster, the Niners. But there's no great teams. Now, if you put a great quarterback on the Niners, that's a great team. We have one great roster. The rest of the league is situation.

Except San Francisco. That's what I said. And then last night I said, no, it's situational for them to. Is I think the difference in this league between the third best team and the 10th best team is situational. Who did you play the week before? Who you play in next week? Who won the turnover battle? It's all inches, not feet.

I think the difference between the four. Dallas plays Detroit this week. week. I mean, really? You're going to tell me one's 10 and one's three? How about one's maybe six and one maybe is five? I think the whole league is situational. This is not like the NBA where the Celtics and the Nugget starting fives are absolutely better than everybody. It's not tennis when a Serena or the Joker can dominate for years. You know it going in. We have one great roster and I don't think we have a great team, though Baltimore looked like it last night. So here is my herd hierarchy, one of the more difficult ones of the year. I don't know how I've been winning

bats because it's a hard league week to week to figure out. Here we go. The hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college, number 10. I think Cleveland's weird. I said this last week and Joe Flacco took over and they're three and one. I think it's a great story. I don't think it's a great team. But Flacco's an adult. He throws the ball down the field. And the bottom, line as opposing quarterbacks this year of a passer rating of 71.6 against Cleveland. So they muddy it up and ugly it up. It's a fun story with Flacco. I don't think they're going to do anything in the postseason with Flacco. So I'm going to keep them where I had them

last week at 10. Number nine. Listen, Kansas City is, they got a problem. They're bad at wide receiver. By the way, they lead the AFC in offensive penalties. They look disorganized. And that's with Mahomes and Andy Reed and Travis Kelsey. They're just not good there. And they're not good at hackle. Mahomes, I don't want to hear he's not seeing the field. He sees the field fine. He's not comfortable. They're trying to duct tape some of their issues. They're averaging only 21 points a game. So again, I think they're going to win out. I think they're going to end up 11 and 6 and be fine with a shot to get in the AFC championship. But they remind me of that Cincinnati team that, by the way, got to the Super Bowl that had a horrible offensive line and they got some

narrow wins down the stretch and in the playoffs. I think Kansas City can do that. But right now, That ride receiving group is a mess, and the O-line isn't great. Nine for Kansas City. Number eight. If you'd have told me before the season, I had the Rams over Kansas City, oh, wait, I told you the Rams reminded me of an older Kansas City. I said that in preseason. Stafford's an absolute heater. The O-line is healthy.

Kiron Williams only trails Tyree Kill and Christian McCaffrey in yards per game. Running the football, not turning it over. Great coach. Stafford, they got Pooka Nakua, Cooper Cup, Tyler Higby. They're really playing well at tackle. They're doing a lot of things Kansas City isn't, right? Like good at tackle. Quarterbacks on a heater, not many drops, rookies delivering.

They're a real team Rams at 8. Number 7. These are not standings. I still have Miami about 7. Oh, great. They finally beat a winning team at home. Well, they're good at home. You get that funky Miami weather and it's raining.

say this. Without Tyron Smith at left tackle for Dallas, Bradley Chub looked like LT. He wouldn't if they met again. Dallas would beat him on a neutral field. They'd beat him in Dallas. And I think it's still a team that hasn't won a playoff game in 23 years that I don't trust.

I do love their coach and some offensive pieces, but I've got him at seven. Number six. And I still think Dallas is better. These are not standings. Dallas didn't have their Hall of Fame left tackle. And I said that going into the game. If he doesn't play, it's not the same offense. Bottom line is, Dallas has three wins against winning teams.

There was some funky officiating in this game. I don't even know what to say about that Micah Parsons penalty. That's the dumbest thing in the world. Michael Parsons is 6-2-2-30, running full speed, can't make a full stop in half a second and you penalize him. But I don't want to blame officials. Mike McCarthy promised us a more physical run team. That's not what we have, Dallas at 6. Number 5. I like Philadelphia. Once again, they're offensive. line in the fourth quarter, three drives dominated. The team's going to be fine. Last year, they finished 14 and 3 against a bunch of yucky quarterbacks. This year, they're going to finish 13 and 4 against much better quarterbacks. I like them. They're not perfect. I think they're

trying to figure out their way offensively, but I like their receivers. Their O-line, capable running backs. Jalen Hertz is a leader, offensive coach. They're not good in the back end, and you can beat them on the back end and everybody's beating them on the back end, but they're going to finish 13 and 4. I like Philadelphia at 5. Number 4. They won't be here next week, but I got to give Detroit credit. Here's an amazing stat. Detroit has four different players, four different players with eight plus touchdowns. They nailed the draft. Jamir Gibbs, Laporta, Amaran St. Brown, dominating offensive line. Again, I think they lose to Dallas this upcoming week, but Jerry at Goff, when he doesn't turn it over, they are 7-0.

I love this about him. They can play with a lead without O-Line. They can play from behind. I like teams that can play multiple ways. The Lions can play trailing. They can win when they play poorly. They can win playing great. Do I worry about them on the road?

Yeah, I don't think I'd take him against Philadelphia in January. But I'd take him at Tampa. I'd take him at home. I'd take him against Dallas. I'd take him at SoFi, although they wouldn't have to play there. They'd play the Rams at home. I like the Lions at 4. I don't say it with a great deal of confidence knowing their history, but I have them at 4.

Number 3. The Bills. People are not paying attention. Josh Allen is the least sack quarterback in the league. This is their best O' line. James Cook, first Bills player with 1,000 rushing yards in five years. For years, I've been saying there are two Josh and reliant.

Finally, they're not, so I have to be true with them. Their O-lines playing well. Their run games legitimate. This is the Bill's team that is not completely beholden to Superband making nine plays a game. He needs to make about two. I like this version of Buffalo a lot we've seen in recent years. Teams catch fire. The Tampa Bay team did.

The Rams team did. Teams catch fire. Week 12, 13, 14. they get the old line right. They finally get the run game right. I think the bills are the team this year. Number two. San Francisco, listen,

Brock Purdy's not good enough to overcome turnovers. I still think it's the best roster in the sport. It's just that their hole, unlike the Chief's receiver hole or maybe the Eagle's secondary hole, their hole is the quarterback when he's trailing. When Brock Pretty trails in the second half, he's got a pass racing in the mid-60s.

That's just who he is. I still think the roster is unbelievable. Number one. Baltimore. I've been high on them all year. I had them won for about an hour. They lost a game. I think the physicality, Lamar Jackson.

You know what cracks him up about Lamar Jackson? All this Tua MVP, DAC MVP, pretty MVP. Do you think those guys would face the Niners in Santa Clara and easily be the best player and athlete on the field? Lamar's unbelievable. physicality. They don't have their star tied in. They have a rookie receiver who had the drops. They're on their third string running back. I think their culture, their coach, their defense, their quarterback, their toughness, Baltimore number one. So as I said, to start this, it is one of the

stranger herd hierarchies. I am much higher on Buffalo because I think they are what I've been waiting for for years. Formidable O-line, not Josh Allen dependent. I know y'all Miami. It's their first win against a winning team in a game in which officiating was not great, not using it as an excuse. I do think without Tyron Smith, their defensive line looked like they were world beaters. Vic Fangio gets credit for that, but I'm buying the bills. I still think they beat Miami. Why? Because every time they face Miami, Josh Allen goes off. With that, Nick Wright joins us. I acknowledge it's a weird heard hierarchy.

You're out of your mind. Well, I don't think. You're out of your mind. Okay, go ahead. Out of my mind. Go ahead. Listen, I'm not arguing with you about the Chiefs. The Chiefs deserve to be.

They're lucky to be in the top 10 after that performance offensively. So I'm not here to argue with you about the Chiefs. We'll see if they can fix it come the postseason. But your Eagles and Bill's faith is baffling. Colin, I understand it was a holiday weekend. But did you miss the game? Buffalo played this weekend? They needed a field goal at the gun to avoid losing to Easton Stick, pardon me, and Giff Smith. They were 14 point favorites trailing with a minute left.

That team you think is peaking right now, that team is peaking that that Buffalo Bills team, they just played terribly on Saturday against a team that had just fired its coach and whose quarterback, who's the one redeeming quality about the team, everyone says, wasn't playing. Why did the bills earn more of your trust? Then we can do the Eagles. Okay. The reason is, is because despite that,

off a huge win, they won. And it's a situational league. And you see these Raiders did it yesterday. Backup quarterback, can't complete a pass, interim coach. Week to week, you don't know what's coming out of that locker

room. The Raiders look like a Super Bowl. team. The Chargers played their butt off. It's situational. Bills had come off a big win. The world loves them. They traveled 3,000 miles, played like crud, and they won. And in this league, that means something to me. Okay. So listen, I agreed to a degree with that. I think three is a touch rich. Now to Philadelphia, which I guess you can make a similar argument. They found a way to win. Colin, Philadelphia has looked bad for a month. Again, another double-digit favorite whose game comes down to the wire. They can't stop anyone through the air.

Their quarterback is not healthy and is not playing great. And everyone on the team keeps telling you something's wrong. Siriani fires a D.C. Jalen Hertz says people need to be committed. Devante Smith says we're not playing well. Those are all things that have happened in the last month. So, like, I think Philly right now is super vulnerable. And I think that if in the first round of the playoffs, the Rams were to play the Eagles,

I like the Rams. I think if Philly ended up losing the division to Dallas and they had to go to Tampa, I would like your guy Baker-Mayfield and that Bucks team. I think this Philly team is ripe for the picking. And their own players and coaches have been telling us that for a month and a half now. Okay. So I said this earlier. I said this earlier. If you were a scout and the head of scouting says, I want you to go out, you're a pre-scout. And watch, you'd never seen him. This Brock Purdy guy, they're saying's MVP and Lamar Jackson guy, and come back and give me a report. Your report would be, yeah, the pretty guy may have been a fill-in. I don't see it. And the Lamar Jackson thing would have been a, yeah, I think he's running at half speed and he's still faster than all the bosses and all the Fred Warner's. And, I've never quite seen anything quite like him. Can we at least acknowledge when you watch Lamar on a field with other great athletes,

it doesn't, you know what it looks like? A Division I football player in high school playing with other non-division-one players. And Brock Purdy looks like a guy. That's what you saw, right? Yeah. I don't think you'd have to be a pre-scout or a scout. I think you actually wouldn't even have to know the rules of football. think it could be your first time ever experiencing the sport.

And we're like, hey, the guys, I don't even need to tell you the position, but the guy who gets the ball on every play, give me your read on each of them. And then I'm going to tell you something you won't believe, which is that the people who are paid to talk about the sport for four months have sworn one guy is the league's most valuable player, and it's not the guy you're thinking. I mean, listen, Lamar was sensational.

Lamar's been better than his numbers suggest this season, and there is all of a sudden a very sneaky pressure on Baltimore to make the Super Bowl, because the Chiefs look ripe for the picking. Miami does have issues with good teams. Baltimore's going to have the one seed, and Lamar is playing out of his mind. So all of a sudden, if Lamar and the Ravens fall flat in the postseason again, it's almost worse than if he didn't play so well this year. But the story out of last night is the Niners, and it is their quarterback.

And it is baffling to me that otherwise smart people saw Brock Purdy. And instead of seeing what I see, which is the weak link on the team, they saw the league's most valuable player. Of the 15 Niners that matter, if they don't win, it will be because Brock Purdy is the the reason why. Everyone else in the MVP discussion, including his own teammate, when we talk about them, we're like, he will, he is the reason that team is great, or one of the bus drivers to use the Berkeley term, with Purdy, and this is why I was not moved, every time the Niners got up 14-0 and then Purdy had a 140 passer rating with 300 yards, everyone would come to him and be like, oh, you ready to admit it? Has he shown you enough? And my answer,

was always, no, that's not my concern. My concern is not, can he look great when things are going great? My concern with him is two things. One is, if any of the Avengers are out, Trent William, C. MacDeebo, I mean, any of them. If any of them are out, will he melt? And if all of a sudden the Kyle Shanahan game script gets off course and we need you to make some plays, can you? And I would, one last thing, Colin, I would encourage anyone who, who, claims, oh, Shanahan trusts him. Shanahan loves him. Watch the past plays, they called

Down 21 to Baltimore. Not a lot of deep downfield routes, a lot of screens, a lot of dump-offs. Not exactly the game plan you do if you really trust your quarterback, but I mean, I feel like everybody knows it, and folks were just pretending

to think Brock Purdy should be the NFL's most valuable player. So we're watching the stitching come loose on the Chiefs, argument on the sideline altercations, could I not argue this version of them, has become a little like Buffalo in previous years? Hey, Josh Allen, save us. It's a bad receiving group.

Travis Kelsey's limping in virtually every game. I don't think, as Greg Cosell said, he trusts his tackles. They're a little beat up on defense. It's one of the great things about this Chief's dynasty is as great as Michael Jordan was for the Bulls. He only needed it to be crazy three times a game. Mahomes only had to go sidearm and make a big play three to four times a game. But the components around him were excellent. This feels a little like the Buffalo team you've rolled your eyes at where Mahomes is being asked on the fly to solve all the issues.

And he can't. It's just not that good enough. There's spots on this team on offense that aren't very good. Is that fair? No, the last part's definitely fair and saying, listen, I have to keep the Buffalo comp going, people have often said Josh Allen is the modern day Brett Farrb. And I've said, yes, absolutely. As, you know, if you remove from FARV, the league MVPs, the championships, and the Super Bowl appearances,

they're just alike, except for the fact that's what made Farr Favre. Yeah, the chiefs are like the Bills. If the Bills had a pedigree of winning with this coach quarterback, but the Chiefs, of course, have that and the bills do not. So that is the reason that if there is any reason to believe the Chiefs can pull out of this, it is because Mahomes, Reed, and Kelsey have been there before. Now, they look disorganized on offense. They look uninspired on offense.

They are absolutely having a hard time just getting plays in. They have all the benchmarks of a team that is going to have a. very short playoff life. We heard Tony Romo say repeatedly for the first time in the Mahomes era, the chiefs are going to have to go on the road in the postseason. I think some people might have heard that and been like, no, they're not, because in order to go on the road, they're going to have to win a postseason game. And the team that showed up yesterday doesn't look like a team that will win a postseason

game. The reason I think it would be insane to write them off is in the midst of all of this, they have had now for six, 15 weeks, a top four defense in football. And you do think that at some point Mahomes will be able to put the cape on like he did in the Patriot game and at other times. But yes, the Chief's path right now is very simple. The defense keep it up and Mahomes be the best player in the world by a mile. That is a big ask. And right now, no one on the Chief's offense is up to it. I said this earlier, finally with the Cowboys, that Jerry's a great salesman.

He may not have a good BS radar because Mike McCarthy said when he got the job is, I watched all your plays. And then he later admitted I didn't. And then he said I would lie about it. And then before the season, we're moving off Kellynne Moore. We're going to be a physical run team. No, you're not. You go on the road, you're just Dak Reliant.

Is that McCarthy just wanted Kellan Moore. He wanted him out of the building. That's what he wanted. He saw him as a threat. I watched Dallas. They're totally Dak, Reliant, which when you don't have a number one running back, and you go on the road against teams that can score, you lose a lot of those games.

By the way, that explains Philadelphia, the Rams, Detroit, Tampa, those kind of teams that you have to get into a shootout. Well, they don't run the ball. They're totally dachraline. It was just a comment by Mike McCarthy to keep a job, retain power, and I'm a sucker. I got reeled in.

I bit the bait, and it's like they're just the cowboys again. I mean, I think that they are better than the Cowboys teams in recent years. I think that, you know, and I know this is how football works, but if they don't fumble on a full-back handoff on the opening drive of the game, I think they win. And we're sitting here saying they're fine. Here's what I will say. And this is partially my take and partially Nora Princiotti of the Ringer first mentioned this,

and I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head. the best thing for the Cowboys, obviously, is to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 30 years, right? We are nearly 30 years. We all agree that's what their goal is. Here's my question, Colin. Is the second best thing for them to go on the road to Tampa in week one of the playoffs as a wildcard team and lose and have Jerry Jones say, you know what? Yeah. Three straight 12-win seasons.

Three straight disappointing playoff performances. Something's got to change. And here's where the Nora Prince is. and Siotti Park comes in. If Mike McCarthy were to get fired, do the Dallas Cowboys become the number one landing spot for Bill Belichick? Is that a marriage that you could see actually happening? Bill going for the Chula's record.

Jerry recognizing this is a short-term thing like it was with Jimmy, Bill knowing he has the quarterback, all of those things. Like is that and Jerry wanting to spend the money the way maybe the Chargers wouldn't? is that at least on the board of possibilities? Is Bill Belichick head coach of the Dallas Cowboys one of them? Yes. I don't think that's, I don't think he wants to go all west, and I still don't think the Chargers would go all in on Bill running everything.

That's interesting to me, and I do buy it. Yeah, so I think their Cowboys goal win the Super Bowl. Goal number two, if you don't get goal number one, have such an embarrassing playoff defeat that you, you fire McCarthy. The worst thing for them is like win round one and lose to the Niners in round two by a field goal and just run it all back again. That's the worst case scenario for him. By the way, Nick Wright, who's on TV more than Susan Lucci in the 90s, he's got more commercials.

And you look great, by the way. I knew you were going to say this. I mean, honestly, I can't. I knew you were going to say this. You're like Ryan Sechrest. I can't get you out of my life. This guy, for four years. I had to watch Colin Cowherd walk into a dry cleaner and be like,

here's the thing about quarterbacks. They get the ball at nine. And I was just happy for you. I watched that thing in my sleep. I'm just happy for you. I get my first ever commercial for two weeks. And it was a good timing with the Christmas games and stuff. Just be happy for me.

That's all. All right. You know, kind of. A little resentful, but little, tiny, small. I get it. I get it. I'll see you later. A little petty.

Funny, funny commercial, by the way. All right, we got a lot of stuff here. It is interesting that, you know, I mean, NFL is a powerful business, and I'm watching the Cowboys, and they don't fumble. And, I mean, I really do. When I do a hurt hierarchy, it's not standings. Neutral field, Dallas, they win the game. I think if they play it again, they'd win.

But I will say, Bradley Chubb looked like L.T. Without Tyron Smith at left tackle. Like Dallas is not the same team. Tyron Smith and Trent Williams in the last 10 years, best left tackles. That's arguably the second most important position in. in football. If you miss your quarterback for a game, you're like, oh, we're not the same team. If you're missing a great left-knit. Niners don't win when Trent Williams is hurt. The Cowboys don't play well when Tyron Smith is out.

Baltimore's not the same usually when Ronnie Stanley's out. Like, it's the most important position outside a quarterback. It's worth a point. And I thought the minute he didn't play, I'm like, all right, here we go. Here we go. Not going to be the same. We got hardball news. Big splashy headline. 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. Hi, this is Jay Glazer, and you may know me for the world of football or fighting or even shows like HBO's ballers.

What you don't know is for my entire life, I have lived in something I refer to as the gray, depression, anxiety. So now I'm coming out with a new podcast, Unbreakable, a mental health podcast with Jay Glazer, where each week, While we talk about mental health, I hope to describe it. Give it words. Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

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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 J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

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Little Celtics Lakers stuff. Harbaugh News is out there. Let's not waste any time. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, let's go back to that Raiders win over San Francisco.

They were big underdogs of that one. Six and a half that was a closing line. Remember it was five and a half. We gave it out on this show. Lamar Jackson was very good. He was the best quarterback on the field. Nearly 300 yards of two touchdowns, which has now vaulted him ahead of Brock Purdy and the MVP race.

It's temporary. But Lamar is staying focused on finishing the season strong. We got the dub. You know, I really don't care about the performers. I just wanted to win. That's what happened tonight. You know, on Christmas, that was my gift. We know what it was 2019.

You know, we was playing against guys like this, winning games, winning regular season games. And when the time came, we didn't finish the season. So we just going to keep taking the day at a time, you know, practice at a time, and the game at a time. That's all I'm focused on right now. Did not care about any of the awards, only cared about winning a game.

How do you not love that? that guy. Very good. It's weird. I was just looking at the stats for quarterbacks this year. Let me hear the stats. No, no. Lamar's been, it's been good. He's top five. Double. We should give him the MVP. Top five in a couple categories. Fringe top 10 in others, quarterback rating QBR. He's good. How about the wins thing? How about that's that? Wins is a quarterback stat? Or is that a team stat? The analytic nerds, I like my quarterbacks that win. You like winners. Okay. Interesting. Listen, Lamar was good. I didn't think he was the story of the game last night. I thought the

Baltimore Ravens defense. It's very good. Holding a San Fran offense that's been dominant all season. No, no, no. It was excellent. And I gotta tell you talk about physical. When a team out physicals the Niners and it was obvious early, you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are we watching here?

We don't see San Francisco not have success. Like, they move the football on everybody. And, you know, Kyle Shanahan doesn't lose a lot of chess matches. He got body bag last night. You got worked. Ravens had everything. The one interesting thing I will say, Colin, about this San Francisco team. They've now seen Lamar.

They know the speed. That's true. So for the rematch and the Super Bowl, and I think we're both in line, this will probably be the Super Bowl. No, when I was watching this, my takeaway is Baltimore, don't rub it in too harshly, because you're probably going to face them, you know, February 11th or whatever the day is. I kind of, listen, you'd never want to overreact, but the 49ers' offensive line was really, like, aggressively beat up last night. Three guys left injured, including Trent.

They had like no other reserves, like but five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Well, when you're paying, and that's the thing, with 49ers, they're paying a lot of those stars, a lot of money. Fred Warner's making it, and Kettle's making it, and Trent's making it, and Chrison's making it. And it's like, you know, very few Brandon and Iyukes on that roster who's good and you're not paying.

So you have depth issues. They're very, very top-heavy. It's like the Rams that won the Super Bowl. You know, the next year, you're like, we've got to move off people. So the good news is you're not paying Brock Purdy, but they got a lot of mouse to feed there. And the linebackers, as good as they are, they could not hang on the more in space. That's a game you miss Mufunga, the safety, the guy who's everywhere and super fast.

Tough one for Sanof. They're still the best team in the NFC by a mile. Anyways, how about the second best team in the NFC? The Cowboys! Oh, I forgot about your Eagles. Anyways, Cowboys lost their fourth road game against a winning team this season. Fifth overall loss. Oh, close.

2220. Great game. Dak was phenomenal on the final. drive making all the place. He was everywhere. Wouldn't you like him, though, to be a little more willing to run the ball? If I face Miami, my takeaway is the way to beat Miami is get first downs. Run the ball.

Play keep away. You don't want to get into track meets with Miami. And they didn't. They kept it low. But it's like I, at the trade deadline, I said, go get Derek Henry. Add another element to win, beyond DAC and CD Lamb. They don't run the ball with any consistency or passion. Pollard was so good last year as the number two is like the off-speed pitch. That's what he is.

Now he's the number one and it's like, oh, wait. He's a two. Can I get some more Rico Dowdell in there anyways? Mike McCarthy is not concerned about Dallas's road wars. I think the resilience, the battle, the grit that you're looking for, you know, I think we clearly have that. I think just the mode of the week, you know, the pregame, the halftime, you know, the team had a good look. But, you know, we need to be better.

I mean, we got to play better than we did today because, you know, you have to play above it on the road. And, you know, road warriors, we will be. Those numbers aren't great. Let's be real, though. Ain't nobody to be afraid of in the NFC except San Fray. They're not afraid of Philadelphia. You want to go to Philadelphia again? I don't think Dallas is worried about that.

You want to go quarter by quarter. Dallas has outplayed them. I think it was like 5-2-1 or 4-2-1. For our TV audience, sorry radio. By the way, get the Bears, Saints, Packers, Falcons, Vikings out of here. Those aren't playoff team. I will say this. You know, it's funny.

In a league of parody, you know, when people say, you really like Philadelphia, they're going to finish 13 and 4. They could still be the number one seed. So just keep your eye. Unlikely. Let's be. Whoa. Oh, they can't beat Arizona and the Giants.

They barely beat the Giants, but sure they can't. San Francisco slip it up. I don't know. You know what I like about those playoff teams, though? San Francisco, 13. Here's what I like about the NFC playoff team. San Francisco, Philly, Detroit, Tampa, Dallas, L.A., Seattle. Those teams could all win a playoff game.

If Green Bay, Atlanta, Minnesota get in, they're getting doubted. Those feel like true playoff teams. I mean, when you watch Seattle, there is a little Pete Carroll magic. They're pulling out games they get outplayed. I mean, Tennessee controlled the game and Seattle wins it. So the one thing I like about this, even Tampa at home, I wouldn't. We get the good quarterbacks, right? We get Stafford.

No. Seattle, they got some good players. Outside of San Francisco, you get elite quarterback. Maybe one of the Vegas guys watching can give us a line here. If you had to guess Dallas at Tampa, wild card weekend. Dallas would. be favored by three and a half to four. I think you're probably right.

I would bet Dallas there. If it was the magic number four, I would take Dallas. But Tampa is your classic average heavyweight fighter that's got a punch. They can go over the top on you. Cowboys handle it. Let's get to the next story. Oh, final story. Yes, yes.

Here we go. Phoenix Sun's calling. Woo-hoo. They got smoke last night by my guy, Luca Donchich. I'll say it again. I've been saying it for years. the best player in the NBA, drop 50 points.

Oh, boy. 15 assists. And he basically owns Dallas. He is, Dallas owns Phoenix in the playoffs in the regular season. Lucas totally dominating. Now, here's where it gets interesting. According to Adrian Morgian Rounds.

Did you see that report? Interesting. Kevin Grant is frustrated with the team's underwhelming supporting cast. Bradley Beals never healthy. There's a lot at stake for this org. It's got to change. Now, I think Dallas.

Woge also brings up the point. They gave up draft capital to get these three stars together. So what do you do with the trade deadline? You're not getting much bench support. You don't have draft capital. And a lot of this is just, it's been surprising. But I didn't know Bradley Beale was this banged up. I thought Bradley Peel would give me 60 games.

He's never available. I don't think he's going to get the 50 games. They can't really do much. Do you see Devin Booker kind of losing control last night against Grant Williams? I guess Phoenix team is frustrated. Sadly, I picked them to go to the final. I was dumb. Well, it's early.

They're like playing material right now. A long way to go. But Colin, they're like a Duran out for two weeks. Like, oh, geez, if that happens, Duran or Booker out for two weeks, they're in some major trouble. I'd rather have Phoenix's issues than the Lakers, which is, we're to LeBron dependent in the fourth quarter. At least if Beale is healthy, I got Booker, Durant, Beal, who can take over a game late. Lakers are like, if LeBron's not hitting it, who do you trust? AD, AD, for sure.

On the defensive end, I trust it. It's the holiday season, so we're being positive and nice. All right. I'll say it quiet. I don't want to anger any of the fanboys, but, boy, Dallas is playing great without Kyrie Irving. They really look awesome, Luca. Really, really good. Kyrie on the bench, Rooving.

Yeah, to point made. I'll just slide that in quietly. Noted. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. Did you know, Discover wants everybody to feel special, especially at this time of the year. That's why with your Discover card, you get access to 24-7 customer service, as well as zero-dollar fraud liability,

which means you're never held responsible for unauthorized purchases. Learn more. Discover.com slash credit card limitations apply. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep. That's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

Tomorrow we've got a great college bowl game on tap as the 15th ranked Louisville Cardinals look to cap off a stellar season when they take on the USC Trojans. The Direc TV Holiday Bowl tomorrow at 730 Eastern on Fox. You know what makes the NFL great? Three games this weekend that you thought would be duds. Buffalo at the Chargers ended up being great. Raiders, Kansas City thought would be a dud. great. Giants

Philadelphia think it's going to be a blowout. Great. The other thing that jumped out to me this weekend, think about in the last 12 years the two biggest stories in New York sports that have literally, my wife knows who Tommy DeVito is, and my wife doesn't like sports. The two biggest sports stories, think about this, J-Mack, in the last

12 years in New York, have been Linsanity and Tommy DeVito. That's the state of New York sports. Cute little boutiquey stories that nobody really takes seriously as a championship level. That's how bad New York sports are. That my wife couldn't name a Yankee or a Met or a Nick.

She knew Tommy DeVito. Like, Linsanity, Tommy DeVito, like crazy. Come on. What are we talking about here? Atlanta's looking at World Series titles and Kansas City's winning titles and Los Angeles win in titles and the Bay Area win in titles and Philadelphia getting the Super Bowls. Linsanity and Tommy DeVito.

Big stories. And I was watching Tyraide Taylor yesterday, and I'm thinking, yeah, Tyraud Taylor is better than Tommy DeVito, right? Like, we all know that. He's not as cool as story. He's a better player. So here's a headline. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh weighing $125 million contract extension offer that carries no NFL

clause. You can't go there, Jim. Very dramatic headline. Here's what it is. It's a one year, hey, can't go to the NFL for the next nine, 12 months. Followed by, it's a big college football head coaching contract. That's all it is. The headline's much more dramatic.

Michigan's in flux because of the NCAA looming baggage, and they also have 18, 19 players that may go to the NFL. So Michigan's very realistically saying, hey, for a year, we just need stability in the program. After that, be on your way if you want to leave. It's a very fair contract by Michigan. Harbaugh is pushing back for one reason. The Chargers job. That's it.

That's the only great job out there. Don't tell me Chicago's a great job. Ownership, front office. No, it's not. Chicago's never been a great job. It looks like, it's like you'll see this all the time. If I've had to hear this a thousand times. Well, Arizona State football, Rutgers football, those are sleeping giants.

No, they're not. Bears isn't a great job. Also, Vegas, Carolina, Washington, rich owners in two of the cases are those great jobs. The Chargers is a great job because of Justin Herbert. They have a left tackle. And it's the L.A. market. There's money here. Great stadium.

Drives revenue. But that's why Jim Harbaugh is pushing back. Otherwise, I think Jim Harbaugh would sign the contract. Because I think Jim Harbaugh is going to stay at Michigan, most likely. But I do think the Chargers have a reputation, fair. not, they've been cheap. And the Chargers don't like that reputation. And so Belichick and Jim Harbaugh are front and center in their pursuit. They're building a new facility in El Sagano up here in Los Angeles. They spent money on Bosa and Justin Herbert. So the Chargers get very sensitive about, hey, everybody

says we're cheap. We're spending money on players. We're changing everything. And so they're going to go after Belichick and Harba. I would take Harbaugh over Belichick because I think he's much better at drafting and developing. And because Harba, I mean, let's be honest, about Belichick's last 10 drafts. Offensively, they stink. Harbaugh, with all this college acumen, all this college recruiting, those first two or three years, just like he did with the Niners like Pete Carroll did with the Seahawks when you come out of college, Jimmy Johnson with Dallas, you have a real advantage over all the other NFL coaches in college personnel for two or three years. And then you go back to being an NFL coach with some limitations. But I think I would hire

Harbaugh tomorrow. I think the Chargers in a very distracted market in Los Angeles and with the Chargers' reputation fair or not that they don't, you know, their staff's not as big as the Eagles or the Cowboys or the Rams or whatever. Bottom line is, they want to let everybody know we're going to spend some money. So they're going to go after Harbaugh.

If Harbaugh says no, they go after Belichick. My take is, is he handling personnel? Because if so, that doesn't sound nearly as good as it does in the headline, Belichick to the Chargers. So there we are. And I'll say this about Michigan. I can't figure it out. I have never seen a college program over three months

deal with this level of distraction and controversy and win all the games. I do worry that it's going to eventually catch up to them against the team that went unbeaten the SEC. A much improved Alabama team. A lot of the wise guys like Alabama. And my whole thing is, has Michigan been able to survive?

all this controversy. I mean, Harbaugh hasn't been on the sideline for six games. They're six and oh. Have they been able to survive it mostly? Because outside of Ohio State, the Big Ten is mediocre. And even this year, Ohio State wasn't great. That's my takeaway. I've been a Michigan guy all year.

But I do look at all this controversy. And now there's rumors and there's a new contract and there's the NCAA baggage. and I think, how the heck are they going 6 and 0 in these games when he's not on the sideline? And my takeaway is Penn State was overrated. It wasn't a great Ohio state team. The Big Ten will be better next year adding Oregon,

Washington, USC, UCLA, but it wasn't that great this year. I don't know. There's a lot of people out there. I mean, I can't find anybody that likes Michigan. J. Mack, you're on this stuff. You like Michigan? It is hard to find a Michigan backer. But don't you worry about at some point

in college, whenever there's distractions around the coach, because the coach is the starring college, not the player. In the NFL, a coach can have distractions, but the quarterback, the coordinators are real pros. But in college, if the quarterback is average, you go in national titles, if the coach, the stability, the recruiting, the inertia, at some point, doesn't some of this stuff catch up to Michigan?

Not at all. I love when everybody's on one side, I'm on the other. That's the best place to be. be, you know that. I'm sure internally Harbaugh talked to the team before they left and he said, I'm going to be here, whatever he said, to get them focused on the game. I don't have any concerns about that. My only concern really is the McCarthy situation.

Is he going to be able to get it done last year? Jay McCarthy. Yeah, against TCU, the two pick sixes in an otherwise great game for him. You can't do that against Bama or it's a game over, you know? So you like Texas, Michigan. I'm on Texas and Michigan. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you flipping? Are you going Bama here?

I don't know. By the way, when are these games? Is it New Year's Eve or New Year's Day? Few days down the road. The bowl season is just a total. The NBA for years and years, the NFL stayed off Christmas and the NBA had their day in the sun. The NFL said, no, we're not going to play that. The NFL shrinks everything.

NBA games on Christmas Day, I watched half of the Celtics Lakers, but it's like Bucks Knicks. It's amazing what the NFL does. New Year's Day used to be bowl games wall to wall, and now it's like, I don't know if you know when they are. Yeah. I don't know who I like yet. I got time. I'm not the coach. I'm not doing the game plan. I got time. I'm just betting them. Hour 3

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

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

mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.