The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Right / Wrong, Minnesota Vikings

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

Colin tells you where he was right and where he was wrong over the weekend, why the Minnesota Vikings are such a surprise team this year, and the honest reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 so far. Plus, Matt Hassellbeck joins the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Colin right, Colin wrong in a minute. Mark Sanchez next hour, Matt Hasselbeck coming up. Jay Mack, I had a good week betting. Three and one. I've got the Jags plus the points tonight in Buffalo. Had Atlanta last night. Felt really good about it. Had two opportunities and couldn't get it done.

Casey's defense is exceptional. Yeah, Rahe Morris and questionable play calls. The whole field, should they have kicked with four minutes left to go down by two? I would have. Again, but historically, Patrick Mahomes gets a ball. He's not giving it back to you. But this is not that Patrick Mahomes. It's not.

We can be honest. Atlanta's got the best field goal kicker in the league. So if I get it back, I'd try a 56-yard field goal. I mean, 50-yard field goals now. Something happened in the last two years. Everybody got bionic. People are kicking like 56-yard field goals. The ball goes through halfway up the net.

Except for Justin Tucker, who missed another one yesterday. Well, everybody has a peak. He was the best kicker for a decade. By the way, Niners special teams totally failed them at the end. Oh, no. They gave up a fake punt. Niners, in order to come back and win a game like the Rams did, you need several things to go your way.

So number one, Ronnie Bell dropped a ball. That's the game. Did you see Purdy had eight completions? I think the broadcast said six drops? Six drops by the... Purdy was great. At least you could tell the audience you told me during the commercial break how great Purdy was yesterday. Listen, he was exceptional.

And I wanted to see him without a completely stacked deck. Any poker player can win with perfect cards. He didn't have them. And he's like, okay, I got one guy I trust. I don't trust Ronnie Bell. Iuke, it's been out of camp, I don't feel good with him. No Kittle, no Debo, no Christian. And a pretty good defensive front for the Rams.

some young-towny guys. I was going to go to Jennings over and over and over, and he kept hitting him over and over. It was really impressive. All right, Colin Wright, Colin wrong, here we go. Where Colin was right? I took the Ravens, and I said when it comes to quality opponents, Dallas isn't going to beat him. And I just said, I'll just take Lamar and John Harbaugh on that spot. They led 28 to 6. It wasn't competitive. The rush defense for the Cowboys is atrocious. 30-second in the league. And again, it's not a knock on Dak who was, I guess, fine. I'm not going to blame Dak, but I've watched this game so many times. It's the Niners or it's Buffalo last year, or it's Green Bay or the Saints. I don't trust Dallas, especially at home in these big spots.

Where Colin was wrong. I didn't think you could win with one touchdown a week, but I was wrong on Justin Fields. I mean, Arthur Smith, he's coached out the reckless in him. Justin's still, you know, he's not a guy sitting in the pocket going to throw you four touchdown passes, but he's had only one turnover all season. What does this say about the bears? He's completing 73% of his throws. So, you know, sometimes we've seen it with Sam Donald, we've seen it with Baker Mayfield. I didn't think Justin Fields would ever complete 73% of his throws. I was wrong and I did not think Pittsburgh had a chance to go 4 and 0 in the season. I'm wrong. Where Colin was right? Sam Donald's passer rating is 117. And I'm just going to,

I'm going to take one more I'm right on this. Mostly because nobody will acknowledge there's no more reckless. If you take, I always said when he came into this league, his upside is Andrew Luck, although I didn't think he was that good, and a Carson Wentz. And he ended up being like a worst version of Carson Wentz. And I'm not saying he's Andrew Luck. It's been a couple of games. But this is who I told everybody he was.

I'm like big, strong athletic. This is what he can be. He finally got a coach. Now, maybe the best young coach in football. football, but he leads the NFL and touchdown passes. I'm waiting for it to, I'm waiting for the bubble to burst as well. I'm waiting. I thought this was the weekend.

He looked better than last weekend. Where Colin was wrong. Malique Willis? How about coach of the year, Matt LaFleur? Tennessee gave him away. The kid is super efficient. I mean, he just doesn't make a lot of mistakes. They're not asking him to throw 45 times a game, but he's making throws down the field now.

And, I mean, even Jordan Love as good as he is. It took him years. It took him a full season to develop once he started. I didn't see this coming from a mile away. I never thought he'd play. I mean, I said the last couple of weeks, everybody wanted to bet certain to, you know, like, I'm just staying away from Green Bay. This is a mess. Not at all.

They're going to win that division, I think. I really believe that. Where Colin was right. Bo Nix. Hey, I just kept saying, do not be surprised if Bo Nix, because he's, because he's, he's got an offensive coach doesn't have the best rookie season. Now, again, he's more athletic than everybody gets him credit for. Here's what I like.

They're not babysitting him. Now, listen, he's not lighting the league up. But they're making him throw 36, 40 times a game. And on script yesterday, he was pretty darn good. Again, y'all bailed on him so he couldn't move the ball against Pittsburgh. He opened up at one of the loudest stadiums against Mike McDonald's in a talented Seahawk defense. This kid can play. And I said, don't be shocked if after the rookie year with all these young quarterbacks with defensive coaches in defensive cultures,

don't be surprised if Bo Nix after one year doesn't look like the best statistically of all these quarterbacks. Where Colin was right. Joanne Jennings. I'd love this guy last couple of years. I think he's the best third receiver on any team in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers. He's just tremendous. 11 catches, 16 yards a catch. He was a big, tall, lanky kid out of Tennessee.

Now he's put on straight, and Brock Purdy and Brandon Ayyuk are totally out of sorts. So he is looking for him. And how many six, four, six, five corners do you have in the NFL? Not many. He's a body advantage. Where Colin was wrong. Not just that USC lost, but the way they were bullied, I thought it would be a low-scoring game.

USC's offensive line was completely utterly overwhelmed, and the bad tackling by USC reared its head. You know what they looked like? At the end of that game, kind of a soft Pac-12 team. I'm sorry, that's what they looked like, and I thought that was gone. Michigan ran for 290 yards, had three huge runs. And again, we knew that Michigan had the best defensive front in the country, and we knew that USC's O line was talented but young.

But that was ugly. They literally could not protect Miller Moss. Where Colin was right? Five of the eight Philadelphia Eagle touchdowns are Sequin Barclay. I said this poor kids never had a good offensive line. Can you imagine Sequan Barclay with the Eagles' offensive line? Without him, there's an argument. Philadelphia is 0 and 3.

He has just been incredible. And to let in your division a player, the level of Sequin Barclay go. As a general manager, it's almost a fourth. fireable offense. Where Colin was right? Well, Aaron Rogers, 24 of 32 fan bases. Last week voted Aaron Rogers' most annoying quarterback. I've been saying for years, I'm not picking on it.

I'd vote him in the Hall of Fame first ballot. I think he's smart, cerebral guy. I think he's complex. I think he's interesting. But it's gotten to a point over the last five or six years where it's kind of like, okay, Aaron, we get it. You don't get along with your family. You don't get along with the media.

you don't think the government's on the up and up. I get it. But you are a franchise quarterback, and that's the most important thing. But, yeah, I've been saying, I'm not an anti-Aaron guy. 24-32 fan bases, say, yeah, that's the most annoying guy. Where Colin was right?

Taitland Clark. The WNBA just did not have any idea she was going to be this good. According to the Associated Press, a unanimous rookie of the year, fourth an MVP voting. She was also the most flagrantly fouled player, which is a bit alarming.

My takeaway has been, we said this when she was at college. She's Steph Curry. She's got a shooting range that nobody else in the league has. In fact, she's the first WNBA player ever that led the league in assists and was top 10 in scoring. She is a, you know, I mean, the comps on Curry, people doubted Steph Curry had an injury early and people bailed he was too small. There's just nothing like her. Her tempo, her pace, her range. She's an unbelievable player.

She was going to work in the WNBA. I didn't know she'd be this good this fast, but it's been remarkable. to watch where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. The NFL is one of my favorite things about the NFL is that the margins are so thin. It's a special teams player, they're one or two of those by the Rams. You know, missing Puka and missing Cooper Cup. You just stay close in the NFL. Atlanta to Philadelphia on Monday night, Rams, San Francisco.

You just stay close. It is amazing what can happen in this league. And Matt Hasselbeck was in this league for 18 years, three pro bowls. I want to start with Brock Purdy, and I don't know if we touched on this last week. I said, I'd always been a little bit of a critic. I'd said, come on, it's a Mercedes. Just don't drive it into a tree. It's these guys, it's like nine Hall of Famers.

Let's contextualize this. But you know what? No Christian, no Debo, no kittle. I, you can hammer out of sorts. I sat there and watched it yesterday, and I'm like, I would sign him. I mean, it's just like, I can't sit here and punish him forever because he went in the seventh round. people missed on him. What's your take on Purdy? Yeah, well, I love you, Colin, but I could not disagree with you more.

Brock Purdy is an absolute baller. Like the guy does not get enough credit. I really don't enjoy the criticisms of him that his team so good around him because turn on the tape. This guy is an absolute machine. I think he's lucky to have Kyle Shanahan. Yeah, no doubt about that. But Kyle Shanahan's fortunate to have him as well. This is a match made in heaven. thought he was outstanding yesterday. You know, people will look at the three touchdowns. They should also look at the no interceptions. He protects the ball well. He delivers on double moves. He uses his legs when he needs to use his legs. He's very good at what I call KYP. Know your personnel. It's not about who's not out there. It's about who is out there.

And Joanne Janet's been playing the football for a couple of years now. And he leaned on him because he needed to. But it was outstanding. And it wasn't like he was going to his first read. He was, you know, there was a design play to go to somebody else. It's not there. He's cool and calm and he gets to number two and to touchdown. So I think he's a really good player that doesn't get enough credit. You know, I felt this about New England. When I lived back in Connecticut, I watched every game.

And certain teams are so comfortable in these late game situations. I feel the same way with Kansas City. They started as a high-flying offense. They were known as the comeback team. They could be down 24-10. It didn't matter. Now they're like New England. Great coach, great quarterback, led by their defense,

situationally insane. Did you ever play in a team that you got into these late game situations and you just kind of felt like, oh, we're going to win this game. This is what we do. Because I'm sitting there watching it and I'm like, I think they got into Atlanta's head with field goal kicking. They're so comfortable late. Have you ever played on a team like that?

Well, it reminds me a lot of, you know, Andy Reid's the head coach in Kansas City, but it reminds me a lot of when Andy Reed was the quarterback coach in Green Bay, and Brett Farv was the quarterback. You know, I'm not sure that we felt ending differently as the Packers, but you knew that the opponent felt like, ah, shoot, here, you know, it's two minute, it's third down, it's red zone, their quarterback's going to do something miraculous. And I think that's what people feel like with Patrick Mahomes. And sure, there's going to be an element of like, oh, the ball always falls his way,

the refs are always on his side, you know, some of that stuff. But whatever it is, I think it's an intangible where, you know, and Andy Reid said this one time about Brett Farb. He said he has a way of intimidating the opponent without even saying a word. And I think that's what you see in Kansas City right now with Mahomes. Yeah, no, I agree. They're intimidating and they don't have to verbalize it. So I keep waiting.

I love Darnold. And they're calling the other thing is like they're not playing their best football and they're undefeated. Like that's the crazy thing. Like offensively, they're really not playing that well offensively. Yeah. Except for the situations that I just mentioned, and they're still 3-0. So, like, what does that mean? The teams around the league, like Buffalo or, I don't know, the Steelers or Baltimore, they're saying, shoot, you know, the AFC championship might be running through Kansas City again, which is wild. Like, no one should be thinking that way, but it's probably what guys are talking about when they're sitting around the locker room. Like, man, can you believe the Chiefs are 3-0? Like, it looks like their year once again.

So I'm seeing multiple examples of great coaching, taking quarterbacks, and coaching the reckless out of them. Darnold in Minnesota. Malik Willis in Green Bay. Justin Fields, by the way, Arthur Smith and Pittsburgh. These are talented young guys, but they can be reckless. And I'm watching these coaches. I mean, let's talk Sam Darnold. I loved him.

But I always, he started becoming Carson Wentz, injuries and turnovers. What is Kevin O'Connell doing with Donald? Well, he's given him a lot of confidence. He's playing very decisively. That's why he's been so good on third down. It's why he's being so good in the red zone. They're also using a lot of what I would call pure progression reads, which is kind of a Bill Walsh thing back in the day.

And this is the philosophy. Sort of the opposite of the Tom Landry philosophy. The Tom Landry philosophy, it was kind of like, all right, let's see what the coverage is, and that dictates where we start our progression. The Bill Walsh philosophy is, I do not care what coverage you are playing. You can try to disguise your coverage. I don't care if it's man.

I don't care if it's zone. I don't care if it's blitz. I don't care. I'm going through my progression. It's a full field one, two, three, four, five. And my eyes will just like, do you like door number one? Nah. What about door number two?

Nah, door number three? Sure. And like you just keep going through it. It's like those old school sprinklers where they go, you just got to sweep the board. And it takes a lot of the thinking out of it. And you just tie the rhythm of your footwork to the progression. And so they're mixing in a good amount of that.

They're also using play action on first down where the offensive line is firing out and they're blocking run. And it creates a nice little pocket. And so the offensive line, they don't have to sit back and seven step drop past protection. So you're giving him time. You're giving him confidence. and that's, I think you're going to see the best of Sam Garnold, you know, in this first part of the season because of it. You know, for years and years, I've thought that Dallas Cowboys are a bit dysfunctional.

It's not, you know, it's like the corner store. It's all the Jones kids and it's a little dysfunctional, but DAC was good. The coaching was solid. They hit on some draft picks. But over the course of time, it's hard to overcome dysfunction. And I said this weekend, I'm going to take bowl. Baltimore to beat Dallas. I just, they're more functional.

I like him in big games. And I watched Dallas yesterday, and I'm not blaming the players of the coaching. Jerry's the GM. He's 81. I just don't think they have that many good players. In the last six months, I've seen Green Bay last year and Buffalo last year, Trouttsom. I've seen New Orleans and Baltimore trounce them. I don't think Mike McCarthy's a bad coach.

I don't think Dax a bad quarterback. I look at those games, Matt. I don't think Dallas has enough good players. That's just a great. That's what I see. What do you see? Well, I think defensively, they were exposed by Baltimore. You know, Lamar Jackson's obviously a great player.

Derek Henry's a great runner. But I don't think it would have really mattered. There were so many double-digit runs from Derek Henry where no one even touched him. Lamar's touchdown, it would have been a touchdown in flag football. So, like, they're not getting a pass rush like they did under Dan Quinn. There's certainly, they have no gap integrity like they did under Dan Quinn. And, you know, I think one of the best things that Dallas has done in the past recently with their defense is they've created turnovers.

And all that ties together with everybody doing their job, everybody, like, you know, you heard Michael Parsons talking about it. Like, we don't need a Superman. We don't need superheroes. We just need everyone to do their job and how it fits together. So I think defensively, they're learning on the fly. They're not playing great football. And they got embarrassed at home. But, you know, I would also just say, like, the best thing for them, I think they're going to be.

got a Thursday night game against the New York Giants, it's probably the best thing for them. Like, they should come out, get back to basics, short week. The short week should help them in a huge way. That opponent is not a very difficult opponent. As in terms of things that scare you, they've got a little bit of explosiveness, but not much. So I think it's kind of the perfect get right game for them because they did get embarrassed yesterday. Think about yourself, including you played in Green Bay for three years. So it's far. and it's Hasselbeck and it's Aaron and it's Love. The top of...

Haslbeck, starting holder, really good on fake field goals. But they can spot quarterback talent. Farv was down in Atlanta. Aaron dropped in the draft. Jordan Love had his critics. Malik Willis, they basically, it was a heist. They just took him. Myself included, I'm like, I'm not sure he can play.

He joined after the 53 roster cuts. The kid's been on campus an hour. what is it i mean green bay's done it like seven times they've spotted one of you guys and is it you know they don't have the pressure of an impulsive owner you're not going to get sidetracked in green bay there's not a ton to do i don't know what it is there's nothing like it in sports they just don't miss on quarterback take me to your experience there well you're absolutely right about you know the football people are the football people in that building and it started for us with ron wolf i mean he would even when i got

drafted there. We had the three years in a row, MVP and Brett Far of coming off of two consecutive Super Bowls and Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren, they would say, we're going to draft a quarterback every single year. That's just what we're going to do. And whether it was, you know, the guys that you mentioned or other guys, they invest in that quarterback position. I even remember when Ray Rhodes was there, we drafted Aaron Brooks when, you know, I was, I was going into my second year. And I think Ray Rhodes said to me, we're going to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer. at the quarterback position. That's just what we're going to do here in Green Bay.

And I think you've seen it work. You know, people freaked out when they drafted Aaron Rogers when Brett Farb was the guy. They freaked out when they drafted Jordan Love when Aaron Rogers was the guy. And I do think that Matt LaFlor is probably one of the most underrated coaches in the game. Yeah. He's done a great job of protecting Malik, not focusing on what Malik isn't good at, but he's focused on what he is good at. And he's really pulled out some of those, some of those Marcus Mariotta runs.

you know, the design quarterback runs in key moments, but also in the passing game, I think, like I would say it this way, it's your day one, two, three, OTA, install game plan. Like, we're not going to try to prove how smart we are as coaches. We're going to make sure that you know what you're doing. You're going to throw on time and you're going to play well. You're going to play fast. And he's done a great job. So credit to the coaching staff and credit to Malik for playing some really good football. Yeah, really efficient, really smart. It's really cool to watch Andy Dalton, the Malik Willis, a Sam Darnold, a Baker-Mayfield, a Derek Carr. I think it's great, is that as we're rushing all these young guys in and you're realizing, you've got to be really smart and experienced, like to take the live bullets in the NFL.

It used to me when I was a kid. It was hitting a baseball was the hardest thing to do, and that's really hard. But the athletes now, the coverages, the intensity, the defensive players are bigger, stronger, faster. I love watching all these guys we've bailed them. circle back. It's awesome. I mean, you must love it. Well, it's a team sport.

And like you mentioned Andy Dalton as an example. Like, you know, everyone's just wanted to pile on the Carolina Panthers. Like the Carolina Panthers are so dysfunctional, all this. Like there's something, there's a reason why people pay sort of, I want to say, like unathletic, uh,

overage looking quarterbacks. You know, like I was 40 years old. I probably couldn't beat my daughter and pick up basketball. on the driveway, but I was getting paid millions of dollars to play quarterback for the Colts. Like there was a reason why. And because it is so, it's so much of it is mental. So much of it is just getting the ball out of your hands and into the hands of the athletes. And so Andy Dalton, probably a much better athlete than I was at the end of my career, but he has sat back for a

couple of years now and said, okay, what would, what do we need to do better? And he goes in that game and plays maybe the best football of any quarterback this Sunday. Yeah. And just delivers the ball on time accurately. Again, KYP, know your personnel. Find the guys that you know need the ball more, need opportunities more. I'm thinking of the Adam Feele and touchdown. Yep. Like he wasn't wide open, but if you throw the ball with conviction and confidence to a guy that you believe in, you're going to throw the ball well. And it's just, it's just the nature of it. It reminds me, this situation reminds me a little bit of when Andrew Luck was the starting quarterback in Indy. We were struggling. I think we were like, oh, and four, oh, and five, oh, and something.

And I come in as a 40-year-old when Andrew got hurt, and I realized not so much what we, what we couldn't do, but like what we could do. Like, hey, maybe we couldn't throw the ball down field. We couldn't protect or whatever, but we need, what we can do is we can get the ball into Ty White Hilton's hands. We can use Ahmad Bradshaw in the run game. And we started, we went on a tear. We won the next four.

And so, like, there's something. not a long-term solution, but there's something to learn here from Carolina that I think the whole, not only the Panthers can learn from, but everyone around the league can learn from this. Matt Hasselbeck, three Pro Bowls, 18 years. He's our Monday, top of our second hour guests. We love having them. We all get smarter and good seeing him, my man.

Great to see you, too. Great to see you too come. All right, Matt Hasselbeck. By the way, he mentioned this, Cowboys Giants is a very competitive game. New York's offensive lines playing better. Neighbors is an absolute number one. What's the spread on that? I would guess Dallas.

Dallas humiliated probably a four-point favorite. So last week before Dallas got embarrassed by the Ravens, it was Dallas by seven. Now it's four and a half. I was going to say, the Giants look much more functional. And Cleveland's bad. Do you want any numbers here? Let me guess one. Give me a game and I'll guess it.

Well, hold on, hold on. How many games has DAC won in a row against the New York Giants? Nine. 12 by an average of 17 points per game. Last year they won by 89 to 17 combined. That's not going to happen. Giants are much more functional now. Don't overreact to a win over the hapless bounds.

Dallas is going to win, especially when they're humiliated, talented team. Dallas and the Bears too early week games I've circled in. That's insane. You don't like Dallas? Well, I mean, 40% of Dax wins have come over Washington and New York. And for the last 10 years, they've been the most dysfunctional. They've ever been his franchise. Yeah. So, I mean, last eight years,

Dak's feasted. 40% of his wins are against those teams. That's an insane. And that's why I always sell my thing on, I said before Baltimore, I said, I'm sorry, John Harbaal Lamar, Dak McCarthy. I don't care what the game's at. I'm taking Baltimore. Who came in with a better game plan, more

resilient. Like, Dallas has no chin. You got a shot in them, they're not in for the fight. Like, they're all yelling at each other on the sideline. Yeah, the CD Lamb stuff is not, that's not a good look for him. Be sure to catch line. Additions of the herd weekdays in noon

Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,

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

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

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot. or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. 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. They're 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Biggest sweat for me yesterday was Eagle Saints. I don't know how much you watched it. I thought it was unbelievable theater. Eagles dominated this game, should have won handily, but, you know, they really struggled. Ultimately, the Saints offense, which was so hot the first two weeks, Colin, they could do nothing.

Well, the Eagles shut down Alvin Kamara. Vic Fongio, yep, added a defensive lineman. Instead of forefront, they were five. Yep. That was a little like Belichick against McBey in the Super Bowl. Also, Derek Carr missed on a deep ball. that, you know, is one of those things where they just said, we're taking Alvin Kamar out, and if Derek Carr beats us, fine.

But again, when you watch Philadelphia, it's the opposite of Dallas. Toughness, relentless, never quit, and I like their roster. They just make too many turnovers. Yeah, and now the injuries are mounting. We'll get to them in a second. But former Saints defensive back, C.J. Gardner Johnson had a lot to say after the game. We keep receipts. That's what I told.

y'all in my room, see y'all Sunday. But I told you all four days before, they got rid of me. I ain't get rid of them. It's still in me. It's still a talent on me. How are you the best offense and best team if it's only been two weeks played? You still got what? 17, 16 weeks ago.

So at the end of the day, we had to just turn out the noise, understand who we were and just go out there and play Eagle Ball, and that's what happened. It was a classic Philadelphia win. Mistakes didn't play well on the road. That's why I told him after Monday Night lost to Atlanta. You have so many good things I like.

Owner, GM, quarterbacks of it, turnover prom. You don't have to love every coach. There's just too much. I still think they're going to win the division. It's going to be 10, not 12. I'll still take them. There's too many good players.

This was one of those, like, we're happy to get to win if you're an Eagles fan, but a lot of warning signs that there is trouble ahead. Between Siriani's decision-making, like he wouldn't kick field goals yesterday. No, they've just decided they're not going to do that anymore. What are you doing? I think my buddy John Middilcoff says he thinks it comes

upstairs. Like they've just decided, it's like the Dodgers the way they do with Dave Roberts. There's decisions made that are out of Dave Roberts' hands. It's not to say they didn't have value, but like it feels like upstairs has decided in the analytic department. We're just not going to kick field goals. I get that. If it's 17-0, you're getting crushed. Go for touchdowns. It was 3-0 in the first half and he's not kicking field. I'm like, what are you doing? Anyways, Lane Johnson loved with a concussion. We know he has a history of concussions. Devante Smith took a brutal hit. Oh, that was brutal. And, you know, there's some videos online about what happened.

It just didn't look good. Darius Slay, not Darius Slay. Big play, Slay got injured in the secondary. Like, Eagles are in trouble. They are facing Tampa. Remember a rematch from the playoffs? Tampa, I'll tell you something. They are beat up. Tampa, the last two weeks,

Baker has struggled on third down. Like, that game against Denver, if you didn't watch it, and I did because I'm into Sean and Boe Nix. That's right. That thing was a blowout. Like, it was 17. You looked up, and it was like Denver's just doing whatever they want offensively. I don't know.

You want to guess Eagles at Bucks? I would say Eagles are favored by two and a half. That's good. Eagles by two. I don't know that I can back them here. That was a rough game for Philadelphia. Again, Lane Johnson, historically the numbers say without him. No, they're not the same team.

It's like the Niners without Trent Williams. It's not the same offense. I don't think Tampa's particularly good. We both had the Broncos. They're also beat up. But that's a tough one now. I think I could take Philadelphia there. I think I could.

Probably a pass for me. Saints, right there. Running hot for two weeks. Everybody loves the new OC. And all of a sudden, Derek Carr kind of turns into a pumpkin. And it's like, oh, what do we have here with the Saints? Are they good? Are the Saints good?

I think the Saints are better coached. I think they have a very clever offensive coordinator. This is what we said about Dan Campbell a couple years ago. Can he coach? And all of a sudden, you look up and you're like, who's the O.C.? And Ben Johnson? And then you're like, the coordinators matter in this league. Clint Kubiak, I was texting a GM yesterday.

He's like, that guy's going to get a job offer. Yeah. And that wasn't a great match. for them. But again, I think in that division they're going to score some points. I think Clint Kubiak is, we've seen this before. Kyle Shanahan with Atlanta. Matt Ryan was the MVP of the league.

Coordinators, they're all making seven figures now. The good ones are worth it. And a note on Saints Falcons. So Saints lost their center on the first drive. I saw that. And the Eagles killed them. Jalen Carter had a huge game. But then the Falcons, you watch that last night. Their offensive line was just folding badly. So, you know, be

careful. That's a big game. Saints Falcons. Falcons? But I do feel like, by week, I feel like the first three weeks of the season. You kind of, I kind of feel like, like yesterday during my Blazing Five, I felt like I was winning because I kind of know what I have now. Right. Like you're over the preseason. Like you can, and then also teams that are kind of good lose a couple starters and you're like,

like you can really see coaching takeover now. You're watching Minnesota and the Rams. You're watching injury depleted team. You're watching Green Bay. Like the coaching is starting to separate in this league right now. Next up is the Chargers. They went down 20 to 10 tough loss to the Steelers. It was nip and tuck until Herbert went down in the third quarter with that ankle injury.

And after that, it was just a blood back. Taylor Heineke was not ready. Here's the bad news. According to Ian Rappaport, X-rays were negative on Herbert, but moving forward to week four, he left in a walking boot yesterday. And the line is telling the Chiefs are now seven-point favorites at SoFi Sunday against the Chargers. Yeah, I don't like that line. I would take the Chargers,

but I do feel like they're a different team with her. And you could see Herbert came out of the game, limping, and you're like, I mean, you're just no. Again, it'd be one thing if he was limping against the Buccaneers back in. But when you're limping against the Steelers, hyper or Kansas City, when you have talented and hyper-athletic defenses, good night. And that's going to be a problem.

Did Harbaugh make the right call here? Playing Herbert, who was fine, and then he re-agravated. Colin, if he's out any period of time, this team is in deep trouble. No defense respects Heineke. You saw what happened to the run game yesterday when there was no Herbert. It was like no room for Dobbins to operate.

I don't know that the Chiefs can get margin, but the Chargers just are tough watching. Chargers do play them tough, though. They play Kansas City well. Yep, they play them well. So you think seven's a little too high division? Listen, underdogs are covering. I took all underdogs this weekend.

I'm taking Jacksonville plus the points tonight. Underdogs had a great weekend. They did. Chargers cannot lose that game. Final story, how about the New York Giants Con, nice W in Cleveland, after a terrible start, by the way, in that one. They fumbled the opening kickoff in the Brown score, but it was the Malik Neighbors Show.

This kid is just absolutely fantastic. I mean, look at these catches that he's making. I mean, he is just, it's amazing how good he is. For the record, LSU, do they put out receivers or what? There was a guy who was crushing USC from LSU. Remember in the early game this season? Big tall kid. I don't remember his name, but here's the other thing.

Malik leads the NFL in targets. Here's the other thing. A couple weeks ago, a couple days ago before this game, there was a story that players were uneasy with Brian Dayball. Here's the reality. And I said this going into the game because this was one of my picks. I picked the Giants that upset the Browns. Nobody's going to talk about this because Neighbors is so great,

but they're offensive lines playing pretty well. Daniel Jones doesn't look. He doesn't have nervous feet. Like he's composed. he's under control. And because Neighbors is so... I mean, he's already a top 15 receiver in the league. He's a great player.

It's made all their other second and third receivers. They're in the right space. They've got a lot of Darius Slatens and wares. So all of a sudden, now you look at it and you're like, okay. And Daniel Jones is playing like, oh, I kind of feel like I got my guy. I'll say Jim Schwartz kind of screwed this up. I had faith in him in the Browns. He didn't have Dinsel Ward shadow neighbors.

And neighbors was eating. And then finally he puts Ward on him late in the game, and you start to see them slow down the offense. And they're like, why didn't you do that at the jump? But whatever. Neighbors had an awesome catch on the sideline. Did you see where he mossed that guy? Over his head and pulled.

I was like, oh, my gosh. No, I mean, there's some of you see this. You don't see this in college basketball or college baseball, where a guy comes into the NFL, and he is literally a top 12 player at his position. I mean, it's, you don't see it a lot. Miles Garrett walked in and you were like, yeah, that's going to work. I know. I know.

I know. Well, they came into the game all beat. Listen, you talk about worst team in the league? Is it the Browns' home? The Panthers look competent. Let's just be honest. Deshawn Watson. I mean, I don't know.

You can't get out of the contract. Like, I don't be going to play anymore. Whatever. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's mental. There's a lot of stuff going on. But I'm watching that game. I had more confidence in Daniel Jones with Day Bowl than Watson was Stefanski.

The offensive line is with Pute. Conklin didn't play. And nobody played for the Rams either. Stafford was amazing. Stafford's got backups everywhere. They're amazing. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. I'll give the Steeler some love next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in 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 is a win.

Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business

sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. 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, 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 Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hard Radio app. hard way and listen now. Sunday, we got a huge day of football on Fox at one Eastern.

Jalen Hertz leads the Eagles against Baker Mayfield in the box or at four. The Patriots take on Brock Purdy and the Niners. Check for the game in your area only on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a pretty surprising 3-0 start. Let's add context to it. They face Kirk Cousins in the opener coming off a surgery who just wasn't moving. Then they face Bo Nix and his second career start and a Denver roster that's okay. And then yesterday they faced 50, 60% at best Justin Herbert who left the game early.

They're averaging one touchdown a game, which is tied for last in the league. I'm sorry, Cedar fan. There's a ceiling to this. But we always felt with Pittsburgh. Yeah, there you look at it. They're like last or 28th and virtually everything. A, I'm happy for Justin Fields. And it's a great sign that Arthur Smith is getting the most out of him.

I never thought Justin Fields would complete 73% of his throws. He looked lost in Chicago, which just, that looks even worse for the Bears now, that Justin Fields can play. This is simultaneously good for the Steelers and terrible for Chicago. The other thing is the Steelers this year were always about the end of the season. I think it's the roughest. If Lamar Jackson, if Jalen Hurts, if Burrow were healthy, I've never seen a schedule that ends like Pittsburgh does with eight straight,

brutal games most against rivals. Just the quarterbacks they would face. Now, Cleveland does not look very good. So that's the break. But it's Lamar Jackson, Deshawn Watson, Joe Burrow a couple times, Patrick Mahalms, Jalen Hertz. That is, thank God Cleveland's a mess. They probably have to get better. And you cross your fingers. But it's nothing against it. It's good for the Steelers. It's a bad look for the Bears. But we have to be honest about this. I know, Steelers. You've never been under 500. I get it. You can't score one touchdown a game, and there's a total ceiling to this. But, and the ceiling is Kirk Cousins off surgery, rookie, and Justin Herbert got hurt.

But when you do start looking at that schedule, the reality is in the NFL, now they face this week a quarterback that could be worse than all of them you've faced, because right now Anthony Richardson is a 50% completion guy. And if you go 4-0 in this league, you can play 500 football the rest of the season, you get to the last weeks, you're a 10 and 6 team going into the last week if you're 500. And so the Steelers will be a 500 team you'd think the rest of the way. So this Indianapolis game, you know, then you got some games after that where it's a, you know, Giants offense and the Raiders offense and you get a buy in Washington's young.

You know, again, there's surprises like Minnesota. I look at the Minnesota Vikings and I'm like, oh, that team could play in the conference championship. Their defense is playing great. Their special teams, kicker can't miss. and their offense is insane, and they have an offensive wizard as a head coach. That feels like it can stay. You know, Saints is like, it's Derek Carr, I don't trust Dennis Allen. It's a hot start, but let's settle down.

I feel like we should settle down a little with the Steelers, although it should be noted. The real winner here is Justin Fields. There is no way in the world they're taking him out. He's completing 73% of his throws. Arthur Smith has clearly coached a reckless out of him. In fact, with Darnold it was reckless. With Justin Fields, it was like, can you see the guys that are open? So there is some unbelievable coaching going on.

Here's Justin after the W. I feel like I'm just very calm out there, cool, calm and collected on the field. And really just that sense of peace out there on the field and not really, you know, rushing things. internally my brain just staying calm in the pocket and just making plays when I can and just doing my job. Good for him. Some of the coaching going on, Kevin O'Connell, Sean McVey yesterday, Arthur Smith deserves credit. And again, the ceiling for Justin Fields was he was the worst fourth quarter quarterback in the league for a couple years. I'm like, I don't think he can play. I didn't think Malik Willis. I'm like, I don't know. Malik Willis looks good. Justin looks good. Donald's on fire. Like MVP level on fire. Andy Dalton yesterday was insane.

You may have had the best game of any quarterback. So you're seeing some real coaching going on, and that's pretty encouraging. That's why people in Philadelphia are freaking out. They're looking around saying, we're seeing all this great coaching. We think we're good except for the coaching. So you have to be very careful about interim coaches, though, in Chicago. Be careful. Be careful.

Interim coach wins four or five games, then all of a sudden there's these, that's the guy, and you're like, I don't know if that's the guy. Hey, can I ask you, the Steelers 3-0 start. I know the schedule is brutal, but Colin, if you start to look at the AFC, I think we would agree

Miami Dolphers are not a playoff team. They're not even in contention. Well, not with 2. He's going to be on I-R. He's out for a while. This Chargers Herbert situation, can we remove them the charges from contention for a playoff spot?

It's week four. You don't think this Herbert? You don't think the Herbert thing's going to linger? This is a walking boot in August? So if the Jets lose Sunday, are you going to say, okay, can we now say they're doing two. After they beat the Broncos, I'm just trying to eliminate teens.

Who do we know in the AFC that's special? Buffalo, Cincinnati, if Joe Burrell's playing. They're 0 and 2. I know, but they're going to win tonight. Casey, New York Jets, Houston Texans. I can't believe this. Pittsburgh's going to make the playoffs again. Honestly, even with the schedule.

This show, we're going to an hour three, fortunately. another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy not quite on humor me with robert smigel and friends me and hilarious guests from bob odenkirk to david letterman help make you funnier this week my guest s nL's mikey day and head writer streeter sidel 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 smigle 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 Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Keer Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple, podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but, celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed

human.