The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Predictions, QBs, Tua

Episode Date: October 13, 2021

Colin gives his early NFL predictionsThe young QBs that should do well going forwardThese next few games will tell us a lot about TuaGuest: Joel Klatt Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. We're on iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. A little nervous, Dodgers, Giants, Game 5, excellent pitching matchup. Mookie Betts was big last night. Bellinger's doing okay. Very nerve-wracking time in Los Angeles. These games are, there's such a, you know, it is, I will say this.

I was watching the Dodgers last night, and I thought to myself, you know, you've got to hand it to people. Sometimes I hope we all realize Joy Taylor's joining me as always that how lucky I am and we are that we have these people America that are so committed to our sports products. And I'm watching the Dodgers game last night. That thing wraps up at about 945. And Dodgers Stadium is gorgeous, but not easy to get out of. And when it's full, it can be an hour and a half. It's a rough.

It's no fun. But it's easier to get into. The stadium's amazing. Have yourself a second beer and just hang out and take you a while to get home. A lot of people drive to San Bernardino. They have to drive, you know, 20 miles up to 1,000 Oaks. people didn't get home maybe till 1130 last night, 1145 or midnight, and they are there, and they stay to the end, and they're totally into it.

And I saw it in Atlanta. I saw the same thing, the Milwaukee Atlanta game. And I think I always try to be grateful as a sportscaster is that we have these people in America that are really committed. Their families are committed generationally to all sports. But baseball, it asks a lot of you. You can get into four and a half hour playoff game. because they get very situational.

Yeah. And, you know, this is the season. There's millions and millions of dollars at stake for a baseball team. I mean, whoever wins the Giants Dodgers, just think of the additional revenue. You make a couple million bucks, five million bucks a home game. You're paying for your shortstop. You're paying for your front office. So I just sat there and I watched it, and I'm like, boy, these people,

some of these people won't get home until 1130 at night. And they work in the morning. I mean, we saw how important fans were over the pandemic, not having them in the building. the energy and just viewing the game, seeing empty stands, hearing empty stadiums and empty arenas. The fans are the most important part of the sport. And I hope, and I think they do, but I hope the owners of these organizations, and I think they do, just realize how committed these people are. How committed Americans are.

You know, people talk about, oh, baseball is not what it used to be. Well, I look around, I see full stadiums. Fenway's jammed, and Dodger Stadium's jammed. and San Francisco, that place is going to be a zoo tomorrow. I don't know if I don't think, I don't know if the Dodgers can win. I don't know if they can. Logan Webb's throwing, right? I mean, let's just speak some positivity into the air.

Well, I don't want to be a home. We're not rooting. I'm not, I don't want to be a homer. If San Francisco wins, they were the better team. So it's like, they deserve to win. I don't, you know. LA's a little happier when the Dodgers. Well, I'm on a station here in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

So it behooves us. If they, if they, if they win, it's good for, you know, our business. But, look, the Giants have been great. I like to see the Giants are funny. They're either great or awful. That's their 10-year, 12-year trend. They win the World Series or they stink. There's no middle ground for the San Francisco Giants.

So, by the way, this is way too early. But it is, this week is week six. Yes. And you can see this in all sports. You do get a sense by mid-June in baseball, who's good and who's not. you get a feeling by week five or six in the NFL. Like Jacksonville's not going to be great. Buffalo appears to be really special.

This cowboy team is not going anywhere. The Chargers are going to win a bunch of games. You can tell. So I just said, give me the playoff picture today in the NFL and how accurate do I think it is. So the NFL playoff picture in the AFC, the Chargers are one seed, the Ravens of two, the Bills of three, the Titans of four, the Bengals of five, the Raiders a six, the Broncos a seven. So my only strong take on the AFC is the Raiders will not be a playoff team. I would put Kansas City somewhere in there.

I don't care about the seeds, but I don't see the Raiders as a playoff team. I still think Denver could. I'm not saying they will. But Raiders out, Kansas City will make their way back in. In the NFC, Cardinals of one seed, Dallas a two, bucks a three, Packers of four, Rams, Bears, Bears, Panthers. My only strong opinion there, I don't think the Bears with a rookie quarterback will remain a playoff team. And I think Seattle will find its way back in. Now, you're saying Colin, you're a Homer. That is not journalism. This is Big J. Journalism. The reason I like Seattle

is this. Russell Wilson never gets hurt. He finally is. He'll be a fast healer. They say four to eight weeks. My guess is it's four. It's not leg. It's not groin. It's not, it's not, calf, its finger, it'll heal, he'll be ready to go. If you look at Seattle gets very lucky. They have a buy in four weeks. They get a very lucky buy. So the next three weeks, they go to Pittsburgh. They host the Saints and the Jags.

They're going to beat the Jags even with Gino Smith. So the question is, can they beat the Saints at home or Pittsburgh this weekend? Can Gino Smith do that? There was a big argument in the building this morning. I said, yes, everybody laughed at me. All they have to do is beat Pittsburgh this weekend. don't think they will. Or the Saints at home.

James has his moments. He's a little roller coaster. I think they have a chance to. They will be the Jags, but they get lucky. They get a buy after that. And I think at Green Bay, Russell Wilson will return. So it's my way too early predictions. The herd brought to you by Jersey Mike.

Subs, be a sub above. And with that, the King of Iowa, Joel Clap, the voice of college football, is joining us. By the way, he's got another burner this week in Oklahoma State at Texas. I'll talk about that in a second. So let's, okay. I mean, being in Iowa for me because of this show is heaven. You were like Elvis.

Yes, exactly. Everybody just shouting, like, you tell Colin, you keep giving him the business. We're legal. We're not the fake idea of college. We're legal. And I was like, I, you bet. Well, their best player is a punter. Anywho, now you have them number two in the country to Georgia.

Now, okay, I'm just going to be Iowa. I love corn. I am not anti-Irawa. Yes. But if Alabama played Iowa this morning, Alabama is a 14-point favorite on a neutral field. Penn State, I thought, controlled the game until the quarterback got her. I didn't think they were significantly better, but they went to Iowa and they were better. Yeah, I mean, that's not an exaggeration.

They had a great game playing early with Sean Clifford, but this is what Iowa does. I don't want to take away from the fact that they force you to make a change at quarterback, whether it's via injury or poor play. This is not the first time they've seen a backup have to come in and play quarterback, partly because of the defense. Jack Campbell is the guy who got to him. He's a linebacker. He's a terrific player.

Their only two losses last year were the first two games of the season during a pandemic. Jack Campbell had mono. It wasn't on the field. So, I mean, listen, yes, while you're right, they also did, Iowa things. They were able to run the ball enough. They were able to play field position. They did some really smart things from their coaching staff. How about Kirk Ferrence taking the chop block penalty? It was on a third down. It would have made it a fourth down. Normally, if something makes it a fourth down and you're going to get the ball back, every coach in America would be like,

yeah, decline the penalty and we'll take the ball. We're never going to give that team the chance to move the chains. No, no, no, not Kirk. Why? Because he knew that the 15 yards were more important the penalty. Yes. And so he backs them up, replays third down, ends up getting field position, then they have to punt again. Tori Taylor pins him inside the five-yard line. So two series later, they're able to score and actually win the game, partly because Kirk Ferrence is playing the long game, taking a penalty on third down rather than just taking the ball. By the way, I think it's good when Iowa's good. I like the Big Ten in the middle of the country to have representation. By the way, Bama just lost as a 14-point favorite. So you're sitting here like

Bama's a 14-point favorite? Like, who cares? They just lost. in Texas A&M. They lose every couple decades. So let's go to that. The Bama loss, which was, again, all these games were great, and they were all separate. So I watched this, Texas, Oklahoma. Unbelievable. Then I switched the TV to Iowa, Penn State. Unbelievable. And they went over to Alabama.

It was like every network had a different game. And you still had Michigan, Nebraska in there, which was a great game. But yes, BAML was incredible game. Winnable game by Alabama. Sure. What do you make, Bryce Young's really good, by the way. What do you make of some of the play calling and the... Yeah, so I think that the narrative coming out of that game was way too much about the defense not being up to par.

And while, yes, I mean, I think that that's an easy takeaway. This is a defense that's ranked 40th in the country right now and scoring defense at 22 points per game. By the way, it's the first time that they're giving up over 20 points a game since Nick's first year in 2007. What you see, though, is that when that happens in this modern day and age of college football, They have chased offense a little bit and done it really well. They had one of the best offenses in the history of the sport last year. But when you don't play dominant defense like they have in the past, your margin for air offensively shrinks.

That's right. Okay. And in particular, Colin, when you get inside the 10-yard line and the 5-yard line. Need touchdowns, not field goals. Exactly. And there were two situations that I think lost the game for Alabama. All else being equal, they had a first and goal inside the 5 in the second quarter, come away with no points.

They had a first single inside the five in the fourth quarter, come away with three points. So there's two situations where you should at least get 10, probably 14 out of that. They come away with three. Why'd they come away with three? I actually think it was really poor play design and play calling from Bill O'Brien and really poor execution from some of the players, namely the tight end group and poor decision-making from Bryce Young. Let me give you a quick example. On the third down play in the second quarter where Bryce Young throws an interception inside the five-yard line,

It's third and goal inside the five, he ends up throwing a pick. And you could say, like, man, young quarterback making a mistake, oh, quarterback, quarterback, quarterback, this and that. The formation had no movement to it. There was no bunch to the set, right? So the wide receivers weren't close together, and it's man coverage from Texas A&M. There's no rub routes being run. There's no pick plays being run.

It's just straight one-on-one matchups with tight windows. That's a terrible play design from Bill O'Brien. For a freshman quarterback. For a freshman quarterback. So they have three receivers on one side, one on the other. One of the three receivers is a tight end. He's running a crossing route across basically the short area of the end zone. The wide receiver should be coming across from that short side to pick his defender,

to create space and a bigger window. He went to the back end zone to what, create levels? You don't need to control the levels of man coverage. You need to control the men. of man coverage. And so I'm telling you, folks, Bill O'Brien called a terrible game inside the five-yard line. It's just true. It's just true. And when he did get to pick plays in the fourth quarter, they didn't know how to run them. They ran into each other. They were too slow. The execution was terrible. That's what lost the game for Alabama. Was really poor play design and poor execution inside the five.

Well, so this week you have Oklahoma State at Texas. Oklahoma State's defense is pretty good this year. the offense isn't as dynamic. Texas is coming off a wild game and a loss. And I do worry about the emotional state. Sure. You know, do they like, how do they respond? Now, I do think in a rebuilding season, which it is, I think they'll rebound fine. It'll be a very good game. I will say this, though, is this is, I've seen Sark at Washington. I saw him at USC and now Texas. He gets the offense right before the defense. Yeah. Sometimes he didn't get the defense quite right. But I will say offensively, they're pretty clever. They do a, they kind of get the ball to the right. people. I kind of like what Sark's doing at Texas.

Well, let me just, you bring up Sark. Can I go back to my previous point about Alabama? The biggest problem with Alabama this year is not that they don't have any of those players that all went to the NFL. It's that they don't have Steve Sarkesian. You're talking about the creative, clever, offensive play calling. He's got that. He would have scored inside the five-yard line as a play caller for Alabama. Now with Texas, he had a great game plan early. They jump all over Oklahoma. I mean, big. 28-7.

And they just couldn't sustain it because their defense is not up to par from a personnel standpoint. Those aren't his players. They're not his players. And so he's going to get a pass. Listen, it's still honeymoon phase. Even after losing Red River last week, it's still honeymoon phase for Steve Sarkesian, in particular with the guy that I think is the best player in college football

on their team in Bejohn Robinson. He's different. He's unbelievable. He could walk right to the NFL and be a top five, six. I really believe this. I totally agree. to the league and be a top five running back. And he's going to have to be at Texas for one more year next year because of his age. So Sarks, Sark's plan is working. Whether the defense ever gets to the

point where they can be relied upon is going to be the ultimate hurdle of whether they can become a great program again or not. Because they can't tackle. They cannot tackle. And listen, Oklahoma had a hard time tackling in that game as well. But tackling in space has been, such a huge problem. Now, Oklahoma got the defense right enough in the last couple of years under Alex Grinch, where you feel like they're more of a playoff style contender and we'll see if that continues. But Texas has got to get to that point. And I think Sark will get to that point. I really do. I was a pretty effective high school quarterback. We don't have footage of it. You'll have to take my word. But I know a thing or two about it. So, Big J. Journalism right there.

So Spencer Rattler, I was, Joy, as my witness. I said, big arm, but I don't get it. at it. He misses a lot of layup. There's a lot of Zach Wilson where it's a lot of stuff that's flashy and fun and show-offy, but a lot of the basic stuff, it's like, hmm, man, feet, mechanics, little stuff out in the flat. My biggest pet peeve is when a quarterback leaves the pocket when he's not forced to leave the pocket. So when I watched Oklahoma, and he does that, their backups better than Rattler. That's my interpretation. He was better, more accurate, better decisions, more calm. He certainly provided them a spark. And I don't think they run it for 339 yards on the ground if they don't have his threat, right? Because he comes

in and makes that run and you're like, okay, now we got to account for the quarterback in the run game. And then equalizing out those numbers allows Kennedy Brooks to run for over 200 yards. Can I make an argument, though, and say that why does it have to be one or the other? Don't they play different enough styles, different roles within the system where both can still contribute and probably will? I think the reason Lincoln Riley hasn't named a specific starter is because he's going to play both of these guys moving forward. I don't know how big, you know, each role is, but Caleb's not coming off the field after last week. I think that's pretty clear. So you think Spencer Rattler will, you won't transfer portal, it'll just stay there?

I don't think he will transfer in the middle of the season. I don't know what's going to happen at the end of the year. His dad has come out and said, listen, he's working to help his team in any way he possibly can. Good dad. And then he said, and then we'll look at the future when it comes. I like that, I really like his mindset in that sense. Coach has talked to me at length about the fact that he's a good teammate. He was a young guy voted captain, so I don't think he'll transfer, and I do think that he will have a role. Remember, he had to come in in the two-point play and throw that ball to Drake Stoops.

Good point. And that was a huge play in that game. So I don't think that we're talking Caleb Williams or Spencer Rattler. I think there's a world in which both of these guys are going to play moving forward for the Sooners. Okay, let's go so far. We're on the same side on virtually everything. It has been weirdly. Although I cannot confirm whether you are good in high school.

One time went eight for 12 with a touchdown pass. Okay, if you don't throw over 15 passes in the game, you can't even be considered a quarterback. At that point, you're just a glorified running back. Okay, let's go. Do we have clats top ten? This is where you're a nice guy, because you are a very nice guy. Thank you.

And this industry is full of sharks, but you're one of the nice guys. And you got Iowa. I've got them number two. Okay, so Georgia has the best defense I've seen, and I think easily, you've got Georgia one, Iowa, too. Now, come on. Okay, let's stop this for a second.

You have a problem with Cincinnati. You're such an elitist. You're such a coastal guy. You're a big conference snob, aren't you? Are you a big conference snob? Yeah, yeah, I am. You are. Okay, at least he admits it, folks.

Cincinnati's got a great question. quarterback. And a great defense. How many NFL guys on that defense? I think that their corner is one of the best corners in the country. I think he's going to be a first round draft pick. When they go on the road in that conference, you have to 27,000 people. When you go on the road in Penn State, when you go on the road.

I understand that. But if we're going to do that, then this becomes then just a Vegas thing. Who wins if they're on a neutral site? We're not doing a Vegas ranking. See, this is where you're wrong, Big J, is that the rankings in college football have to be a combination of what you've earned and who would win. So it can't just be like, well, who would be favored by Vegas?

That's just not how it works. These teams have earned the right. Do I think Iowa is better than Penn State? Not based on what I saw with Sean Clifford on the field, but they beat them in the game. So they earned the right to be ranked higher. Oh, I got some else for you. Let's hear it. So sometimes I don't get the media.

So, and this is a good connection. I just thought of this. So I met, so when Mel Tucker left Colorado, they came at him four times. He said, no, no, no. And they finally, he relented. That's right. I would have taken the job to Michigan State better jobs than Colorado, even though you're a Buffalo. But I don't disagree with that.

The media was very, not reticent, but kind of like, it'll be okay. And I think I told you privately, Mel Tucker's going to crush it, Michigan State. He's got a presence. There's no BS. Got a little Sabin to him, has connections in the South so he can. pull players up. I'll tell you something. I don't get the media.

I think Mel Tucker is maybe, he's not for everybody. I met him one time. He's not for everybody. I like him. He's a big presence. I think Michigan State's going to be a top 10 program in two years.

I think Mel Tucker is the most. I'm not, I'm sorry. Am I taking crazy pills here? You're not a top 10 program in America now. Sure they are. They're ranked in the top 10 right now. Well, it's ranked.

Well, doesn't that mean they're a top 10 team? Well, you said a top 10 program. Oh, well, I will tell you this. I didn't see this. I didn't see this coming this early because he's relying on a lot of transfers. But they did something that only five teams in the history of college football have ever done last week. Peyton Thorne, their quarterback threw for 300 yards. Kenneth Walker, leading Russia in the country, he ran for 200 yards. And their wide receiver, Jalen Naylor, excuse me, he went for 200 yards receiving.

That's only the fifth time in college football history. They've had a 300-yard passer, 200-yard direct. rusher and 200-yard receiver in the same game. They did it against Rutgers, albeit, but they did it in the same game. This is a team that I think they play Indiana this week, then they have an off week before a potential undefeated matchup against Michigan. The reason Mel Tucker got some of that bad rap from the media is they didn't like the way that he left Colorado. Give me a break. I understand, but that's how it is. I think the same thing was said about Todd Graham when he left Pitt and went to ASU. I'm not saying that's right or wrong. I'm just saying that there's a sentiment that he

told Colorado he wasn't going to leave and then all of a sudden he's gone. I would have gone too. I've talked to the athletic director at Colorado about this. Mel had to leave. Just so you know, here's the backstory on this. Colorado could only pay about six, seven, maybe eight million dollars total for the staff for the staff and for Mel Tucker, which is good for Colorado in the Pact 12. Immediately at Michigan State, he's going to get close to 11 and a half, 12 million for the pool for the staff, he and his staff. No brainer. So it is a no-brainer to some extent. As much as that pains me, This is just the finances of a big conference in the Big Ten versus a conference like the Pac-12

who's not sharing enough revenue to allow their teams to compete in that situation. All these writers didn't like the mobility. You're all working at the athletic. You left a Sacramento Bumblebee to go to the athletic, didn't you? It's called professional mobility. You know what they do at the Sacramento Bumblebee? What?

Big J. Journalism. Exactly. And now you're just being an elitist. Yes. Elitist. Look at you. Big conference snob. A little bit.

I mean, I like my stuff. I'm ripping on you a little bit. You know what I am? What? I am a big conference snob. Look at the schedule. I agree with you. I know Cincinnati has ranked a number,

or earned a number three ranking. But come on. But you put any other team in the top 10 that's playing a power five schedule against Cincinnati's schedule, and they're probably doing the same thing. This has always been my take with like Boise State and Coastal Carolina and all these teams. I mean, so yes, I'm also a big conference snub. But I will keep Cincinnati at number three because they earned it. Good thing, buddy.

And it's a two-year runway and blah, blah, blah, blah. Great to see you as well. Good to see you. Want 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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.

Thank you 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and

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now. Friday on Fox, the ALCS begins as Xander Bogart's leads the Red Sox against Jose Altoube and the Astros. ALCS, Game 1, Friday, 730 Eastern, only on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Astros remain a villain, but this is a

very deep, well-run organization, lots of talent. Boston, a little bit of a surprise, but we've got a huge brand. This is nothing against the Tampa Bay Rays, but it is nice to have baseball is a sport that can be a little dependent on the big brand. The Red Sox are a big brand.

The Dodgers are a brand. San Francisco's a West Coast brand. Astro's more of a Texas brand, but nonetheless, that's a very good series. I'll take Houston in that one. And a joy with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Sponsored by Mercedes-Bets, the best or nothing. Well, the Patriots kind of uncharacteristically brought in several free agents in the off-season, and they have a rookie quarterback, so they're still working things out, but Josh McDaniels thinks they're getting closer to establishing their offensive identity. Schematically, I think we're trying to, you know, settle in on some things that we feel. feel like we know how to do. And there's always going to be an element each week of something that maybe we don't do it a lot,

but we're going to do it this week more. Certainly that happened in Houston, and I'm sure it'll happen again this week against a really good defense in Dallas. So I feel better about where we're at. They're two and three. Yeah. And second in the AFCEs behind the bills. Yes.

They ranked 26th in scoring offense and 26 in total offense. Yeah, there's limitations there. Who do they have this week? They have the Cowboys. They're three and a half point underdogs. At home. I thought the number was four, so it's come down. A lot of money on the Patriots then.

I don't know about that. I don't know about that. Well, I believe I said yesterday, the Cowboys have never beaten Belichick. Well, Dallas is the only team in the league that's beaten the spread every week. They're five for five against the spread. Not that anybody cares about that. but it shows you.

What that tells you is they're undervalued by Vegas. Yes. Vegas. So because a lot of people bet the Cowboys. So Vegas is losing, Fox Bet's losing on the Cowboys this year. Vegas's number is off. And this is something you talk, you and I talked about by week three, two weeks ago, we said, oh, this is a real good football team.

Like the I test, whatever the data says, the I test on Dallas is, they have four young stars in the last two drafts. And they are special players. So they have hit home runs in the draft at receiver, linebacker, defensive line, corner, and that's hard to do. Well, the Patriots are tough at home. A lot of people thought the Buccaneers were going to go in there and blow them out. That didn't happen. So, you know, it is Bill Belichick. And, yeah, I was correct.

The Cowboys have never won against Bill Belichick as a coach and haven't won a game in Boston since 1987. They don't play there a lot. Yeah. And, I mean, I think we're talking about different teams now. This is the Tom Brady led. Bill Belichick Patriots is a little different. Now, I don't think any of this is an indictment on Mac Jones either. I think that we look at teams like the Patriots and the 49ers a little differently than

we're looking at, say, the Jets or Jacksonville or even the Chargers last year where it's like, okay, it's a rookie quarterback. Like, it's still Bill Belichick, it's still that defense, it's still that offensive line, still that coaching. So we have this idea that they should maybe be better than they are. And they are still dealing with a rookie quarterback. Yeah, Dallas's defense gave Justin Herbert problems and that offense. So New England's not going to score much.

It's going to be a new England's not going to put many points on the board. The question is, will New England be able to hold Dallas back? Yes. Because I'm going to tell you right now, Trayvon Diggs doesn't even have a guy to guard. They don't have a receiver worthy of his talent. So this is a, the New England offense in the Dallas defense is a mismatch. That's where the game is won there. the question is, New England's going to have to have a great game plan and forced Dallas to kick a lot of field goals.

That's their only hope. If it gets touchdown to touchdown battle, it is over and it gets ugly. No, I'm not winning a shootout against the Cowboys. So the Colts are one and four, but their owner, Jim Ursay, insists his team's futures bright. He wrote on Twitter that the Colts will win the Super Bowl and hoist the Lombardi trophy at least twice in the 2020s. Colts Nation, don't you worry, we're going to get the horseshoe. At least two more Lombardis this decade, as sure as the sun rises and the seasons change. It's coming.

Don't you ever doubt that ever. You will see greatness, believe, and you will see. All right. Well, they've won one Lombardy since moving to Indy. Maybe he's not talking about Vince Lombardi. Maybe there's another. Is there another kind of Lombardy? I don't know.

A car or something? They've got to, the quarterback situation is fine. The defense is fine, but they've got to get better at the positions that matter. Left tackle, wide receiver, pass rush. they're not great there. They're very solid. And I told you this yesterday. Easy to bail on them.

They're going to end up winning eight, nine games. Go look at their schedule. They got a lot of doubles coming up. And frankly, they outplayed Baltimore for most of three quarters on Monday night. They host the Texan Sunday. They'll win. They're nine point favorites, according to Foxbat. Yeah.

But if it doesn't, you know, they're not a playoff team this year, if they're not, they will be without their first round pick or second round pick in the 20, 22 drafts because of Carson Wentz. Yeah. So they're going to have to get a little creative if the season doesn't go the way that it's supposed to. I don't have a problem with Jim Mersey saying that. He's getting the fans excited. And he's a very connected. I like how he's very connected to his fan base.

Most owners aren't. Yeah. He's giving away prizes and tickets. I don't know how realistic it is. But I'm here for him getting the fan base excited. So there's a huge amount of young quarterback talent in the league right now. And former quarterback and NFL network analyst, David Carr, ranked the five quarterbacks under 30. you would want to build a franchise around.

We like lists, so I thought I'd get your opinion about this and how you feel about these guys. One, Josh Allen, two, Patrick Mahomes, three, Justin Herbert, four, Kyler Murray, and five is Dak Prescott. Well, he put Josh ahead of Patrick Mahomes, and I think that's the one. I'm not going to, you know,

I don't have any major arguments. Top five quarterbacks under 30. Yeah, I mean, I don't have any problem. I like all those people. The order we could argue about. Mahomes isn't one. All I've said in the last two weeks, I have said this on the air, we have put Patrick Mahomes in a space where he's beyond criticism. And he is great, but he is loose throwing interceptions.

My only thing about the Mahomes thing is not that he's beyond criticism, because I don't think that that's realistic. But he doesn't have a league MVP in his Super Bowl. Yes. So none of the other guys on this list do. Now, Kyla Murray may end up winning an MVP, and obviously Lamar is probably six on this list. And he does as well. And we don't know what DAC is capable of this year, but obviously he is a franchise quarterback. And everyone on this list is deserving to be there.

But I do think when we talk about Patrick Mahomes in this group, he is separated. Like, Josh Allen is having an incredible season. Josh Allen has proven everyone wrong, myself included, and looks incredible. But Patrick has the hardware. So to me, he is still on, he's on a separate level than everyone else right now. Now, when the rest of these guys start winning Super Bowls and we can start comparing them more evenly, but we know what Patrick is capable of because he's done it. Yeah, that's fair.

Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. I'll have my own list coming up next. One more Herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live.

on demand whenever you'd like. He's by Carmen, I'm Dan Byard. 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. Sit, 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 Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days I'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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

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

Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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.

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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and,

conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid. Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

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

search learn the hard way, and listen now. Escape QuickBooks, QuickSand, with NetSuite by Oracle. NetSuite.com slash herd number one financial system gives you control and visibility over your e-commerce and more. So Aaron Rogers played and beat Joe Burrow this past week. Burrow was okay, didn't have his best game, but still super talented with great wide receiving trio at his disposal.

And Aaron Rogers on the Pat McAfee Show said, here's some advice I gave him after the game. I'm a Joe Burrell fan. I enjoy the way he goes about his business. I enjoy the way he plays with confidence. I will tell you the thing that I told him, which I've told other quarterbacks, from time of time, slide.

I said you're too damn talented. You got so much in front of you to accomplish in this league. Just sometimes you got a slide. You know, I would have said the same thing to Andrew. You know, Andrew initially got hurt in Indy, you know, being Superman and running guys over and stuff. Yeah. So let's, I was thinking about this this morning. You know, David Carr just had his classification of quarterbacks.

I really do like Burrow, but I was thinking about the quarterbacks in this league three years in the NFL or sooner, or fewer. And we know this to be true, is that because quarterback coach is now like a cottage industry, and this has been well documented, we talk about it ad nauseum on our show, quarterbacks are now just more ready to play fast. They get 10,000 snaps for the time they're 12 years old. They have quarterback coaches, all these camps. you didn't have that years ago. You played your high school football, went to college, played a couple years, went to the NFL. And there just used to be a rule that, you know, you just sat, you know.

Now guys are bouncing around, transfer plural, college coaches, camps gone all year off season. So I said, let's just take the quarterbacks who have been, we'll start with, we have rookies from this year's class. Now, I won't count Tray Lance because I've seen one game. I can't count him. I'm going to include Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence. Mac Jones from this draft. I'm going to include Joe Burrow, Tua, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hertz from last draft class. And then I'm going to include Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones from 2019.

Now, I'm not going to count Drew Locke already been benched and Dwayne Haskins already been benched. They are misses. And I'm not going to count Tray Lance. I haven't seen him. If you told me, if you could, you know, redraft it, where would you put him? So we don't have a ton of video on these, but we do have trains. I think with all of them.

So number one, two, three, and four for me would be Justin Herbert would be number one. So many college starts, ready to play, big bull win, four two biology major, day one played, very few interceptions. I'd go Herbert, Kyler, smaller runs more, that worries me, took him a while to get up to speed. Herbert was great initially. Burl three, Trevor Lawrence. four. Now, I have Burrow ahead of Trevor Lawrence because I have more video on him and I see

certain patterns. Trevor Lawrence hasn't won an NFL game. These four, though, I would classify is they're going to make it beyond circumstances. They're just going to work. Now, to what level do they work? Super Bowl work, playoff work. They're going to work. There's three others that should work, but I have concerns, not all of their own. I would go Justin Fields five, Daniel Jones, six, and Mac Jones 7. Justin Fields, I worry about his organization. Daniel Jones, the turnover thing. Mac Jones, pretty low ceiling and a franchise that does not draft skill people.

They should work, but I do have concerns. And then 8, 9, and 10, I have no idea. I don't feel great about it. Zach Wilson, never been a huge fan, too careless, little small, shows off too much for me. Jalen Hertz not a great thrower with the football but there's something there

and I think he does deserve the rest of the season so we can see, I mean last week they came from behind there's something there, he's a playmaker and then I would say two at 10, I don't see it I don't see the size, I don't see the arm, I don't see the playmaking, I just don't see it. His teammates didn't name him captain, that would concern me. So, and again, Herbert and Kyler Murray,

they're going to be, they're stars like now. That's just a, Herbert's got more college starts, Little bigger, better earlier, bigger body. That tends to matter to me. And Kyler, it took him about a year and a half that we felt like, okay, now it's working. So that's kind of where I'm at with them. First four are going to work regardless. Next three should work.

Little question. Now, that's not saying Zach Wilson can't move into another category. It's just I see stuff I don't like. And wasn't a huge fan coming in. So that's where it is. Not going to do Tray Lance. Have not seen anything of it. Don't know. He's big. He can run around. I know that. I will say this in terms of Tua.

And I think this is important. So he is, by the way, designated as Joy broadcast earlier, to return off the injured reserve list. And this is something that if you're young and in your business, you're going to have, it doesn't matter if you're a quarterback, a sportscaster, a salesperson, it just doesn't matter. You're going to, when you really get good at your job, you're just going to take out the highs and lows. You'll have more highs, very few lows. You'll mostly hit doubles. That's a great way to live in life. Hit doubles, occasional home run. You won't strike out as much.

To his problem, he has no career momentum. There's nothing to grab on. So he comes into the league hurt. So we've got our concerns. Then he gets benched twice for Ryan Fitzpatrick. then he doesn't get named captain by teammates like the only starting quarterback in the league that doesn't that's a problem and then he gets hurt again there's nothing to grab onto here even Zach Wilson we've seen moments where you're like oh oh he's got a lively arm he can move

there's nothing I can grab onto size arm talent acknowledged he didn't know the playbook benched But the key is, is I don't think he's a superstar talent. But there are opportunities when you're young. You've just got to take advantage of the layups, the easier ones. And this is where he's got an advantage. In the next month, they play the Jags, Atlanta, and Texans. Now, they're at Buffalo. They'll lose.

That defensive line and the Dolphins offensive line, that's a bad matchup. But he's got to win those three games. And he's got to, if not win, he should win. he's got to play well. This is his opportunity. So you start looking at the schedule. It actually, I mean, we knew this coming in, Buffalo, Tampa, those are tough matchups. At home, Jags, you go win that game. At home, Atlanta, you go win that game. Trevor Lawrence and Matt Ryan can't look significantly better than you. You're not going to beat Buffalo and I don't think any reasonable person in Miami thinks he should out duel Josh Allen. That's not fair.

You've got to beat the Texans at home. So you get three average teams all at home. Well, the Jacksonville ones in London. Oh, it is? Well, yeah. There'll probably be more dolphin fans. No, yeah, because it's a dolphin, yeah, there probably will be. So those are those, and by the way, and then two weeks later, they face the Jets. There's your window. Yeah.

When you're young, you're going to have peaks and valleys. It's not, that part I don't worry about. That's Justin Fields, it's going to be up and down. We said that that's not the issue, but you got to hit the layups. You got to win because he has not. no professional momentum at all. He and his agent, you got to be able to walk into Brian Flores and Chris Greer's office. You got to stake a claim to something.

Hey, in that five-game stretch, we beat the jet. We beat all the bad teams at home. We're not going to beat Buffalo or Baltimore. They're ahead of us in the rebuild or whatever. You got to have something. And right now he didn't have anything. And then anything. So there you go.

We'll see. I feel bad for joy because she's from Pittsburgh and Miami. And her teams all stink. that's sometimes in this business. Yeah, we had a good run in Pittsburgh. You did. You had a 15-year run of really excellent stuff. I still have faith in the Steelers.

I have a little more faith in the Steelers than I do with the Dolphins. And by the way, when I rank the quarterbacks three years or fewer, I don't think when you look at that, I mean, obviously, Jet Fan would push back. People will go, well, there's no way to his 10th. The reason I have Jalen Hertz above Tua, I do see the playmaking ability. That's not arguable. And what I've seen in recent years, and I've seen it with Lamar, Kyler, and Josh Allen, is that if you can run around for two years and make plays with your feet as you learn to be a pocket quarterback,

oh, it works. It worked for Kyler. It worked for Joe. But they were all up. Josh was a mess for a year. So with Tua, he's got to be good in the pocket now. Now, there is no other thing. So Jalen hurts.

I want to watch him until things. I want to see six, seven more starts. Because he came from behind him one last week. Hour 3. Peter Schragger's here. Good 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, S&L'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. or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere,

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A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrating. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

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