The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Right & wrong, NFL

Episode Date: September 19, 2022

Where Colin was right and wrong Thoughts on Week 2 of the NFL   Guest: Trent DilferSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, 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're not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that doesn't. It does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the Hurt at Fox Sports Radio.com

or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it's great to have you in. We're in Los Angeles. It's called The Hurt. wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. It is another wild Sunday. The early window was a lot of quarterbacks and offenses struggling.

The late window was incredible. And then the Packers rolling the Bears was completely predictable. I'll tell you what, when you have a young quarterback and you're sort of teaching him how to play the position and, you know, like Chicago, rookie head coach, young quarterback, O-line got issues in a rebuild personnel-wise. You've got to be patient with Justin Fields. Like, you've got to be fair here. This is not a Tray Lance Niners where you've got a great coach, you got a great roster, and you've got a ton of weapons.

I can be a little less patient. Or, you know, I mean, I think Trevor Lawrence, by the way. They gave him $300 million in free agents. Doug Peterson's won a Super Bowl. Trevor Lawrence does need two this year get some wins. Jags look good. Well, they should. They spent $330 million on free agents.

They got him good receivers. But in Justin Fields case, I'm like, we've got to be fair here. This kid is bailing water in Chicago. By the way, bears look like a pretty bad team, but they face the Packers and Niners to the best defenses in the league. Well, you can argue this morning. Those are two of the top three teams. Maybe the top two teams in the NFC, some would say. All right, we knew it.

Colin right. Colin wrong every Monday. Here we go. Where Colin was right. Another winning week for the Blazing Five. We took New England over Pittsburgh, Detroit over Washington, and Green Beta Route, Chicago, and we have Philadelphia tonight, and I like it a lot. So couldn't we go four and one after a three and two week?

The only team that disappointed me was the Saints. I bet on James Winston over Brady, so that's a me problem. Where Colin was wrong. Listen, the Dallas Cowboys look well coach yesterday. beyond Trayvon Diggs. Trayvon Diggs made plays beyond interceptions. They had a pass rush beyond Micah Parsons. How about Noah Brown?

Look like a legitimate receiver. They got constant pressure on. I thought they were the more physical team. Boy, Micah Parsons is insane. How many moves does that guy have as a pass rusher? I thought their young guys played well. They limited their mistakes. Dallas, it's not just winning the game.

Dallas looked buttoned up. And I thought they had a chance to get just steam rush. old, but they, from the first minute of the game, they were the much more aggressive physical team with many players playing high-end games. Good for them. Where Colin was right? Folks, we told you. If you start Mitch Trubisky, know you're going to have one way to win, low scoring. And here's Trubisky yesterday. They played it safe. They have a defensive head coach. They have a defensive-minded organization. They tend to play it safe and be conservative. And here you are in Pittsburgh with a passer rating of

73, you're not throwing the ball down the field. My takeaway is I have no problem with Kenny Pickett sitting like Alex Smith made Mahomes sit. I get that. Even Lamar sitting for a few games with Flacco, I kind of get that. But at this point, this is a real division. Deshawn Watson's out for a couple of months. Now is win time. By the way, Cincinnati's scrapping because Burrough didn't play in the preseason.

You got to win games now. Like this next six weeks is your big advantage. to win games. Don't mess around. Trubisky is exactly what we predicted. Where Colin was wrong. Yeah, the Houston Texans in Denver. That's a mess.

I feel bad. I don't know. I think it's mostly the coach. He's a rookie offensive coach. They're burning through timeouts. Situationally, they're a mess. They can't figure out, I mean, third and inches, you're running some sort of RPO to a tight end.

They didn't have enough guys on the field. They didn't have a punt returner on the field on a fourth and 14. We can blame Russell Wilson. He should be more aggressive. But in the red zone, he doesn't run around like Kyler Murray anymore. That's not what Russell Wilson does. He sits in the pocket in the red zone. And so he does those fades to the corner.

Those are low percentage. So I figured that Russell Wilson would just make this puppy work. Whether or not Nathaniel Hackett knew what he was doing, I thought Russell Wilson would just make it work. And he's great between the 20s. But in the red zone, they got major issues. Where Colin was right? Trevor Lawrence has separated from the pack.

Now, in fairness, Doug Peterson is a perfect coach for him and the Colts are scrapping. But Mack Jones is limited. Justin Fields is learning on the job. Zach Wilson's hurt. And this kid's completing 68% of his throws. They look competent. Christian Kirk is already productive. And again, they're not asking him to do anything he can't.

But he looks like of all the young quarterback. He looks like the best, the most polished, the most game ready. I'll be honest, this morning in that division, I'm dead serious. J. Mack may have been right. They may win this division just because offensively they're competent. The Texans aren't, the Colts aren't, and the Tennessee now are struggling. So we said on the show we thought they would be an improved team, but offensively, they're pretty fun to watch.

where Colin was wrong. The Bengals are o' and two. I did not think they'd have a Super Bowl hangover. I didn't see it. But again, Joe Burrow didn't take any much practice. He didn't take snaps. The offensive lines got new people, and they're a mess. They got pushed around by the Cowboys.

They do not look dialed in. Joe Burroughs got more picks than touchdowns. Now, maybe they were lightning in a bottle last year. Maybe this is just a fun team that had a crazy run. We saw that with the dirty birds in Atlanta years and years ago in the 90s, where they just had one great year. Maybe that's it. I don't think that's the case.

But he's been sacked 13 times. It's the most in the NFL. And I think a lot of this is he didn't practice with him. He didn't play with those new offensive linemen. We forget how academic this sport is. It is hard to be a quarterback. You are literally have to cognitively deal with a lot of things. And if you don't practice and play with new offensive linemen, it looks like the Bengals.

Where Colin was right? I said Lincoln Riley may not win a national title in a first couple years at USC, but they will look really well coached. So far, 520 yards, 50 points a game, almost no penalties and no turnovers. Whether or not they're great, and I don't think they are, defensively, they have one NFL player in their front seven. It's a really well-coached team. But offensively, they are really clever. I mean, they got mostly the same offensive line as last year, and yet the quarterback has more time to throw, and the running game's more effective. That is coaching. So they, we, Lincoln Riley to me is the best young offensive coach in college football.

I'm sorry, Ohio State fans, but to go from a four and eight mess with a bad roster to 50 points a game, I know it's just Stanford. I know it's just Fresno State, but those programs, they put a lot of guys in the NFL. They have been really, really impressive. And we told you, we thought Lincoln Riley would figure the offense out day one. And they have. And it's not arguable. where Colin was wrong. I have said it's the lost decade in New York. All their teams mostly stink. But yesterday, for the first time in 13 years,

the Giants won, the Jets won, the Yankees who lead their division one, and the Mets who lead their division one. Has not happened since 2009. And for the Giants, listen, they're not real dynamic offensively, but they're 2-0, it looks like their offensive coach.

They are what Denver isn't. They look like they're pretty good with clock management. They don't burn a lot of timeouts. They're good situationally, totally limited offensively. The ceiling is pretty low. But I've been banging on New York for a decade. They're mostly a tire fire. And yesterday, everybody won in New York and both their baseball teams are headed to the playoffs. All right, with that 15 years in the NFL and a Super Bowl 2, the 2000 Super Bowl Ravens. So I want to talk about Denver real quick. So I kind of felt like, you know, Russell make it work. Their personnel's good. He'll make it work. But we've got to be honest here.

Coaching, it may not be the majority of what wins games, but it matters. You know, at high school and college, coaching is like everything. In the NFL, it's something. Denver looks disorganized to me, Trent. That's all I can say, they look disorganized on offense. Yeah, I think it's more than just something in the NFL. It's not as much as high school and college, but it's still, I believe in X's and O's coaching, organizational structure, probably more than Willys and Joe's, even in the NFL, because it gives you a chance if you're a good player to be a great player, a great player to be a Hall of Fame player. But conversely, you can be a really good player and just play average if your coaching is poor or suspect. I think what's happening in Denver is kind of a learning

curve, a growth process for Nathaniel Hackett, the entire staff. We'll get in this more just in general about quarterback playing the NFL right now. But when you don't practice, it really affects your ability to be successful offensively. I don't think you have to practice as much defensively. A lot of defenses, alignment, assignment, effort, cheating formations, alignment, spacing. But offense, there's a lot of nuance to it. And the NFL just doesn't practice very much right now. So I don't care if you're Russell Wilson or Trevor Lawrence or anybody else. You need a lot of practice to play at a high level at the quarterback position. And now, you, Russ has learned new offense.

They're trying to teach Russ this offense, the other skill position players are at the offensive linemen are trying to learn it. I do think the Denver thing will correct itself over time. But right now, you think you're just seeing a really tough growing pains of a new quarterback with very high expectations, learn another offense, and that coaching staff trying to learn how Russ plays best as well. Well, it's interesting because Tua did practice. And Tua did play in the preseason.

and Miami looks like a very competent offense. You know, I've said before, a lot of those things yesterday were broken coverages, but he did make a couple of throws that were nice. Where are you at on Tua today? I think you're a bigger fan of him than I am. Well, I think I've been the most bullish on Tua of anybody. I've taken a lot of heat on this. I've said since day one that I'm biased.

I mean, the kid's a friend. I helped train him getting ready for the draft. A lot of things I said before the draft are polarizing because they were contrarined to what the scouts were saying. I just knowing the kid since he was 17 years old and know the kind of stuff he has, both as a human and as a player. I think the kid's going to be a star. This thing is about winning.

Let's not forget, it's about winning. And he's 17 and 8 and his 25 appearances in the NFL. He's now married to two dynamic playmakers in Waddle and Tyreek Hill and a mad scientist as a play caller. Mike McDaniel is a play designer. I remember years ago, we were talking about, Sean McVeigh when he used with the Redskins. And I said, I think I was one of the first to say it.

The next great head coach, the next great offensive mind is in Washington, is Sean McVe. And people laugh because they didn't know a lot about it. But a lot of NFL people, when you talk about Mike McDaniel, would put him in the Sean McVe category. He has been, he's revolutionized some things in the NFL. Kyle and him together were incredible in San Francisco. But Mike just has a unique brain for football.

and the marriage of Tua is perfect. He knows how to get the most out of Tua. He's got the weapons to do it. I think this is just the beginning for the Dolphins and two. I think this is going to be an incredible marriage between Coach McDaniel and Tua. They have the playmakers. They'll be highly creative. And yes, six touchdowns is easy to overreact.

I agree with you. Some of those were just negligence by the Baltimore Ravens defense. But look at his body at work to this point. He was careful. He was more conservative as a quarterback under the last regime. but that's how they coached. And now Coach McDaniel, a little more aggressive, little more creative,

and now you're seeing the numbers follow the wins. So I'm excited about the Dolphins and Tua. Listen, it's pretty well documented. Brady and Giselle live apart, took 11 days off, takes Wednesdays off. Combine that with, he's had major O-line injuries and major receiver injuries.

So when you watch them, even Brady, I'm like, he's hadn't practiced enough. You can tell. They're completely out of sorts. I think Tampa is going to be really good, but does it point to what you're saying is, even Tom Brady, you don't get reps, that's what you look like. Listen, yeah, and listen to talk about Brady.

Let's talk about Stafford, put Wilson back in this. Talk about Burrow. Let's talk about a lot of these guys did play in the preseason. I think my numbers are right here. You can fact check me on this. But in the first week of the season, 10 quarterbacks did not take a preseason rep. Only two of those quarterbacks won. It's hard with no practice.

I think the biggest misconception to the fan is that NFL players just roll out the balls on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and kind of toss it around a little bit, practice a little bit, and then go play on Sundays. It takes a lot to all be on the same page. Even when you're the greatest of all time, there's still a craft to this. I think you can combine two analogies here. I think you can combine the professional golfer. A professional golfer doesn't just take six weeks off, go out, tee it up on the first. to you and expect to hit a six-yard butter cut in the right corner of the fairway, then spin a wedge back, you know, 12 feet to two feet from the cup.

He knows it's going to take some time to get back to it. I think you talk about driving high speeds to a lot of the NFL pass protection, playing the game. Put yourself on the Autobahn, driving 105 in a little Porsche, but you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic. You're not by yourself, right? It's not three in the morning in L.A. when nobody's on the freeway and you can drive fast.

Nobody around you. Like there's a lot going on. It's craft yet mixed with controlled chaos. And when you don't practice enough, when you're not getting game reps, when the off-season's cut short, your training camp has one padded practices every other day. You don't get a real second practice.

I'm not a get off my lawn old grumpy NFL guy, but the old NFL, you got to practice a lot. You got to develop. You got better in the off season. You got better in training camp. You got better as a season or on. NFL now's designed for it to be dysfunctional. They don't practice enough.

So now you're looking at September is really your old offseason, but yet it has the same expectations in dynamics, life or death, win every week or lose. And it just doesn't make sense how it's structured. And that's why I think you're seeing some of these great and not just good. Greatest of all-time quarterback struggling, they just haven't had enough real reps with their team.

So a lot of people in San Francisco were critical of Kyle Shanahan saying, why are you running Trey Lance? He got hurt. And my takeaway is he's calling plays which he think will, that will work for that quarterback. He's at practice all week. He knows what works. And everybody's like, well, why are you running him? Because he's completing 50% of his throws.

By the way, Jimmy Garoppolo comes in. They don't run him because he's a distributor. So what do you make of the criticism of Kyle as he's to blubes? for the injury? Foolishness. I mean, when you drafted Trey Lance, part of the reason you drafted him was because his ability to be a design

ball carrier in the run game. We've talked about this ever since the read option, his own read, wherever you want to call it, got into the NFL. It creates defined looks in the secondary. If you don't use the horsepower of your quarterback when he's a runner, you're not going to get those looks. When you

drafted him, you knew that the quarterback design run was going to be part of your run game. It's going to be part of your offensive of attack. Trey signed up for it. He likes running the football. It is one of the risks of running your quarterback, but it's no different of a

risk than dropping back 55 times a game and having your quarterback sit in the pocket and have guys around his legs. Quarterbacks get hurt. Quit whining about it. I know we don't want them to get hurt, but they get hurt. It's part of the job. I think Kyle and John should be celebrated.

In fact, I think you can get Mahomes and Rogers off these State Farm commercials and put Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, and Jimmy Garoppolo on the State Farm commercials because that's the greatest insurance policy we've seen this offseason. He's a proven and tested winner. He's a good player. His team likes them.

They can still run the football, which they did at a high clip the other day or yesterday. And he can make enough plays in the passing game to help give him a chance to make a run in the playoffs. So I think Kyle and John should be celebrated, not criticized. So I said this about Green Bay. They were going to thump Chicago. Networks love to put the Bears Packer game at Lambo on. television because it's historic. The fans are amazing.

It's great television. Even though the games are bad, it just looks like NFL football, right? It's historic. But we kind of knew what was going to happen. But I am concerned. Watson, Romeo Dubs, it's jet sweeps, it's screen passes.

It's like, you've got to develop this stuff because here come the Niners. And Tommy's going to get his stuff ready in Tampa. And Stafford's going to get it corrected. You tell me, patient, impatient. What do you do with young receivers if you're air? Aaron. You run the football. Yes, they need to be developed. I agree with all that. They've got to pour some gasoline on the passing game. They got to develop these guys. But as long as this game has existed, if you can run the football and stop the run, it covers up a lot of stink. And I think it is a long-term formula for the Green Bay Packers. It's the best I've seen them run the ball in a while. It's very creative, too. Coach LaFleur and his staff have done a really good job of taking some of these college concepts from your boy, Lincoln Riley and others,

and implementing them into the NFL game. Some of this run game is really creative. It's creative with physicality. It's not smoking mirrors. It's creative. You create numbers. You create edges. But you also see these guys with some violence and some downfield finish.

They're getting the receivers blocking the passing game. All the Rams. You saw the Rams get the run game going yesterday because the receivers blocking. Like these are the little things don't get talked about. enough in the NFL. When you get receivers that are willing blockers, you're violent in the run game. That's a sustainable formula. And then have Aaron put on the Superman cape three to six times this year and throw them to victory. That will take some development by the wide receivers. But this is a sustainable model. They shut the Bears run game down. They ran the ball with violence. It took all

10 of them to accomplish that. That's a formula that can sustain Aaron's career. It could also allow him to put the cape on less, which he wouldn't mind. At the end of the day, Aaron Rush trying to win a Super Bowl. He isn't care if he throws for 5,500 yards or throws for 3,800 yards. That's what he wants to do. And if this is the formula for the Packers, it could be a good one. By the way, how'd Lipscomb Academy head football coach in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee? How'd you do this weekend?

We won again. We cracked the top 20 nationally. Pretty good since we started, I think, 5,8007, 4 years ago, and we took the job. How about that? You won again. Was it close? Did it take coaching? Did you butcher the fourth down?

Did you give you the quarterback or the field goal kicker? Who won the game? Dilfer. Our players won the game. A quarterback through sticks that. Our players won the game. Got you out of that situational stuff that's scary as a head coach. There you go.

Trent Delfer, 15 years in the Super Bowl in the NFL, Lipscomb Academy head football coach. They built a powerhouse there. Good for him. Always wanted a coach, and he's doing it. Great stuff. Thanks, Trent. Thanks, brother.

You bet. Sean Payton. coming up last hour. Wouldn't that be nice if your quarterback can throw over six touchdowns every weekend? That's what I'm saying? Some of these high school coaches could coach college. If you're winning every week, what's the point? I get it. Winning is really a lot of fun. I don't care what level you're coaching football. If you're winning a lot of games, may not want to try to get happier than happy. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app.

Search Her 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 iHeart radio. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered

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

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert

from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics

from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of 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 Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me

not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday, it's a huge doubleheader on Fox. First, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens take on the Patriots, then in America's Game of the Week. It's one of the biggest games of the year as Aaron Rogers leads to Packers against Brady and the Bucks.

It all kicks off Sunday at one Eastern, check local listings for the games in your area. Packers' Bucks is tasty. That's great. It's a game of the week. It's in Tampa? Yeah. Tampa's favored by two and a half. I already bet the under.

See, I think Cincinnati and Tampa and the Rams with those quarterbacks are just, they're going to figure it out. There are some bad teams that are bad. I think those are good teams. The quarterbacks that didn't play in the preseason, they'll be fine. Trent Dilfer said that about the Rams. Like Stafford didn't practice, nor did he play, and that's what they look like. J. Mack with the news.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You just mentioned bad teens, Colin. Let's start with the Indianapolis Colts. The worst team in the NFL right now. Listen, they've lost eight straight games in Jacksonville. They got blank 24-0. Matt Ryan was brutal.

Three interceptions, sacked five times. They did not have Michael Pittman, the star-wide receiver, and they had nothing on the outside. I thought all the problems in Indianapolis were Carson Wentz. I thought he was the reason they couldn't win games. It's funny. Their great linebacker, Leonard also missed the game, but they were inept offensively. They have nothing. Listen, when your best players are a guard and an injury-riddled linebacker, they have got to get better at, well, he said it during the preseason.

Matt Ryan is not going to get anything off script and wide receiver, it's Pittman and nobody else. That's why they drafted Alex Pierce. I just don't think they have the weaponry in 2022. You were right. You said you thought Jacksonville would win this division. This division is the kind of division. You don't have to be a great team. If you're really, really good on one side of the ball, that may win this division.

Yeah, by the way, Christian Kirk, you mentioned him earlier. He's productive. He looks amazing. Through two games, he's catching everything. Arizona could sure use him on the outside right now with no D'Andre Hopkins. Christian Kirk was phenomenal. I'll add this, the Colts had 71 yards total in the first half. Wow.

I mean, listen, I know we're talking about coaches in trouble. Nathaniel Hackett, rookie off to a tough start. Frank Reich in Indy. I love him, too. I love him, too. I like him. A lot of people like him, but he looks terrible right now, Colin. First two weeks of the year cannot move the ball in the first half in either game.

His big argument is, well, I've had five different starting quarterbacks to start the last five seasons. Well, I don't blame. He's not wrong. He's not wrong. It's a fact, but, you know, good luck selling that to the fan base. All right, next up, Colin, the Rams almost blew a three touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. Crazy game. We talked about that with Sanchez. We were like, eh, be careful.

No, he said, Mark said, watch out. This will be interesting. So, you know, they were up 283, ends up a 31-27 victory. No cover for the Rams. by the way. Sean McVeigh seemed a little nervous after the game. Geez, almost blew it. Here's what he said.

We're not going to run away from some of the things that we didn't do well today, but we're also not going to allow ourselves to do anything other than appreciate being able to come away with a win and what we know is such a competitive league. And so there's a lot of different things. I mean, you know, it's very uncharacteristic, but it happened. And we still found a way. And unless they tell me that you get more points for being able to win by more points, I don't really care.

We found a way to be. be able to get it done. And, you know, that's how I know I'm maturing, because I used to be, I would have been grumpy before on this thing, but holy hell. I need a couple drinks. Yeah, listen, it's tough. He was so funny yesterday after the game. You just have to take the Ws.

Just take the wins in this league. They are hard for Brady. Yeah. This team can't run the football right now, Colin. So Stafford's dropping back a ton, and he threw a couple bad interceptions. Okay. So the center, they have a very good centers out. Yep.

and they have another injury somewhere on their O-line. So, again, I think they're a good team, but we've got to be honest about this. Stafford can be reckless. We both like him. But his history has been, he'll throw you about three stinkers a year. They're trying to work in Allen Robinson. He didn't play in the preseason. So I think they're going to be fine.

I think they're Tampa. They just need time together with the O line, get healthy. I think Tampa and the Rams are going to be eventually at the top of the NFC or near it. And Atlanta looks frisky. Marcus Marriota. I mean, he's making place. And how about Drake London? You told me I have to mention USC every hour.

Drake London has looked great out there for the Falcons. He's not as good as Garrett Wilson of the Jets among rookie receivers. But he's good. He's very good. Making place. All right, Colin, we'll wrap up with college football. The new rankings are out. Not a lot of change in the top 10.

Georgia 1, Alabama 2. Shocker, Ohio State, and Michigan 3-4. Clemson, Oklahoma, USC. number eight, Kentucky, nine Oklahoma State. Kentucky, keep your eye in Kentucky. Kentucky's not bad,

they got an NFL quarterback. They got a great coach and an NFL quarterback. Arkansas at 10. Do you think USC's being slighted only at seven? No, I actually. You want to know who's being

slided, actually? Oklahoma. Ah. I test second best team I've seen to Georgia. I test. Wow.

No, I think Oklahoma looks great. Okay. So I think Georgia's the best team I've seen. Oklahoma's the second best team I've seen. I'm just watching the games. I'm not a coach.

I think Alabama's third, Michigan's four with Ohio State. But I honestly feel like Georgia won, Oklahoma, two, Alabama three, and then there's a drop off to Michigan, Ohio State. Michigan's got a quarterback now with an arm. So Michigan now, you know, Harbaugh's been kind of power coach. They can play that game. Now they can sling it downfield.

USC, you know, I love them. They're a little overvalued, not because of the quality of the opponents. But they are so good offensively. They're getting these leads. What happens if USC plays, plays training? So they've basically, they've jumped on big leads on Rice, on Stanford, on Fresno State. You've got to be careful about that. They're going to score points.

It's a top five offense, maybe a top three offense in the country. That's not the issue. But they've been allowed, they've been afforded to play with huge leads, and it makes your defense look better than it is because you can pin your ears back. They go to Oregon State this weekend. It's a tough game. I think it's their second. I didn't think this a month ago.

I think Utah at Utah is the tough SSC game. I'll make the argument the next toughest game. game is UCLA and Oregon State. So I think they may have to play from behind finally on the road this week. Then the defense, by the way, now the offense can run or pass. They're facing offenses that have to throw, and they do have a couple of decent pass rushers. I will say they've played a tougher schedule than Oklahoma, and this Oregon State game is very sneaky. I know people love laying the lumber with USC. We'll find the number on this. Be careful. We'll find that. Yeah. No. Oklahoma's the second best team I've seen. This show is all about journalism and fairness.

I think that's very obvious. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Line News. The other team, I think, will figure its way out as Cincinnati. But it is interesting. I watch the Cowboys.

I watched the second half, all the second half, Cowboys, and the Bengals. And the Super Bowl hangover appears to be real. Historically, the team that loses the Super Bowl goes into the tank. Now, I said, I don't think that's going to happen with Cincinnati. I think they have a great quarterback, great weapons, and that's the league in 2020. too. But why are they struggling? Number one, they spent a lot of money in a bad O line, and the O line's still bad because Joe Burrow didn't practice or play with it. So they're trying to figure themselves out. I do think they figured out a lot of what they need to do in the

second half. But is it possible the bingles are just this fun, young, lightning in a bottle, let it rip, Spunky Team for one year. That's what the Carolina Panthers were with Cam. They were great for one year and lost in the Super Bowl. That's what the dirty birds were in Atlanta in the late 90s, and they got to a Super Bowl and lost. And Carolina was never the same, and Atlanta was never the same. We have to be honest about the Bengals. They were seven and six last year and turnover prone before Joe Burrow became the hottest player in the league.

The second thing is when they got to the playoffs, they got a break. They got to face the Raiders who had been in multiple emotional games. And the other thing is they got to face Kansas City after that Buffalo game, which was the game of the decade in the NFL. NFL. So Kansas City comes out of the craziest game in all those players' lives. They come down a little bit and they were vulnerable and the homes had a really bad half of football. That doesn't happen much. So is Cincinnati just a one-year phenomenon? I do not believe so. I think it's all tied to Burrow not playing in the preseason, all new offensive line. He hasn't practiced with him. I thought the second half yesterday you saw glimpses of what I think they are. But you can't, It's very hard in this league to win consistently. If you're in a good division, in a better conference, the AFC, with a bad old line,

and you're playing from behind all the time. That is hard. Kansas City, as good as they are. They got one Super Bowl win. You know, it's hard to play from behind. That's with Andy Reid, a good old line in Mahomes. It is hard. And so Cincinnati doesn't have Andy Reid.

They don't have Mahomes. They don't have that offensive line yet. So I think Cincinnati figures it out. I don't think, here's Joe Burrow after the game. You'd like to start faster. Obviously, no touchdowns in the either first half. It's not up to our standard. And so we'd like to start faster,

but the defenses that we're getting earlier are always different than the ones that are on film. And so I think that that probably plays a part in it, but we've got to do a better job of adjusting faster. By the way, time of possession, Cincinnati dominated. First downs, got almost 20. Third down efficiency? Not terrible.

They were one for one in the red zone. They didn't have that many penalties. They had seven, that's okay. You know, it's, again, there's a lot of things in the box score you're look at. Red zone, they were one for one. Dominate time of possession. Move the football. Didn't turn it over.

I think this is tied to Burroughs inactivity and the O-line brand new. I think they figured out. But it is, this league is unforgiving, man. You can have great players everywhere. It is totally unforgiving. Colin, can I ask you about Zach Taylor in these holes? If he is such a good coach, why are they down double digits in the first half in their last four games

dating back to the playoffs last year? They just come out with bad game plans. They're not ready. They're ill-equipped. And Joe Burroughs being asked to save the day every time out. I don't have an answer for that. Listen, this is on Zach Taylor. I know Burroughs getting crushed.

And the Cincinnati media is coming after the time. tackles who have been inept, Lylel Collins is a turnstile. No, the right tackle situation yesterday with Micah was like unbelievable on TV. It was a complete mismatch. T.J. Watt killed him in week one and now Micah Parsons week two. So the Jets are lighting up to obliterate him in week three. I don't have an answer for that. That may be a thing.

Hey, listen, Andy reads a great coach. Andy and Mahomes have had to dig themselves out of holes a dozen times in the last three years. So some coaches experiment early. Some coaches put everything, you know, they come out with, Bill Walsh came out with 12 scripted plays for Montana. It felt like they, for about a decade, were always playing with the lead. I don't have an answer for it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. He's by Carmen, I'm Dan Byrd.

We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world. That's right, Dan. Every week, we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup sits, starts, fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

at wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal. but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you'll say. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of 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 podcast. podcast. 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 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. Think about your happy place. Sofa fishing boat, first tea and a crisp Saturday morning, wherever it is, go to driveway.com to buy or sell a car from there, browse, finance, purchase, whatever you want to do. So, you know, there's a lot of discussion. Like yesterday, Lamar played Tua and everybody's freaking out about Tua. And my takeaway is, do you guys see Lamar's numbers? Lamar is great at something. And he's also a better thrower than you can. give him credit for it, but he's great at something.

Tuah is good at a couple things. So even though Tua gets the love this morning, I think Lamar's the better player. And I understand that. When somebody has a big comeback, it's the NFL. Two is easy to root for, but I think Lamar is easy to root for. I'd pay him if I was Baltimore. But it's interesting who we defend and who we

criticize. And I've said this about Aaron Rogers. He's great. But fanboys in Green Bay defend but every turn. And so I'm going to throw up some habits or some realities. name the quarterback here. So here's what we know about this quarterback. He was really bad in week one. He rebounded in week two. He had a very noisy offseason, taken on his management, unbelievably talented. Bad body language can be really passive aggressive, but good God,

does he throw a beautiful ball? Who is that? How can we defend one and criticize the other? Put him up. It's Kyler and Aaron. Same damn guy. A lot of drama, contrarian, strong opinions. I'm going to do it my way. I'm not going to change guy. Aaron said after week one, I'm not going to change. Kyler's like, hey, I don't have to sit and cognitively.

I don't need to be as good as everybody else. They're kind of like, this is what I do. I'm different. I'm talented. By the way, they've both won at every level. Aaron won in high school. Aaron won in junior college. Aaron won at Cal.

Aaron one's in the NFL. Kyler won in high school. Tyler won in college. Kyler's getting to the playoffs in the NFL. And that's my thing about Kyler Murray. I don't like that he goes public. But Aaron does and I criticize him, so I had to criticize Kyler and his agent. I hate that public stuff.

But when I watched Kyler do this yesterday, you've got to be kidding me. This stuff was insane. I was just, I was by myself eating chicken par and watching this and going, the hell is it? I was like high school football. And nobody in the league can do that. Maybe Lamar can. Maybe.

But that's why. When I hear all these, you can't tolerate Kyler Murray. Why not? Nobody in the league can do that. It's the most important position. He pulled the you know what out of his hat. Anybody else knows that Russell Wilson used to do that. He didn't do that anymore.

So why are we all crushing this guy? Well, I don't like what he does in the offseason. You know, he's not a great practice player. Do we know if Aaron is? Well, he's stubborn. Aaron's not. He won't throw. He ghosts teammates.

So go back to those tendencies. again that we clobber Kyler Murray for. Go back to those tendencies. Passive aggressive, bad body language, noisy off-season, kind of rigid. All these things we crush Kyler for. But every time we defend, and by the way, Kyler's in a much better division than Aaron Rogers. He doesn't get the Bears next week.

Here's Kyler after yesterday's win. I had two people rushing. I knew they weren't going to be able to tackle me. It was just about, you know, hopefully backyard football at that point. trying to find somebody, move, get open, make a play. You got to tell the guys in the huddle, we got to get this. At that point, we were down 16, I believe. If we don't get the two-point conversion,

the game is pretty much, you know, it's tough. It's looking tough for us. So there was no other option for me but to convert those two-point conversions. Let me make it clear. All I'm saying is I have defended Kyler Murray this entire off season. And I think there are not a lot of Kyler-Marie defenders. And I hear he's not good in the room. He doesn't put in the time.

we give an Aaron a pass for all this stuff. And Aaron gets the Bears twice a year. And he gets the Lions twice a year. Kyler Murray gets McVeigh twice a year. Stafford twice a year. Pete Carroll's defense twice a year. There's no layups in that division. Kyle Shanahan twice a year.

That guy's in gunfights every week. That guy's got to go OK Corral every week. He got to be a hero. Aaron gets like two Bears games a year, two Lions games a year. I mean, how's Aaron against Minnesota in his career? last 10 times he's played Kirk Cousins was like 5, 4 and 1 or something. I mean, Kyler has to play that every week in division. He gets in Minnesota every weekend division.

So it's easy when you get the layup on Sunday night at Lambo. Kyler, go look at his schedule. He doesn't get the Bears twice a year as a layup. He didn't get the Lions twice a year as a layup. And that's what really helps Aaron. After Aaron stinks and goes bad body language, he gets a national TV game against Chicago. And this morning, Aaron's the best player.

Well, what if what if Kyler got to play the Bears at home next week? You know, what if he got to open with a stinker? He doesn't get that. Kiner doesn't get the layups that Aaron gets. So Aaron, he, you know, he does these games. He drives us crazy. He loses to Brady. He loses to the Niners.

He loses to the Vikings. And then it's a layup the following week in that division. Kyler doesn't get any of that. So I'm going to defend. Also, Kyler's a kid. I mean, you have a right to make mistakes as a kid. I mean, 20 years from now, Mar may look at his situation and go, you know, I probably wouldn't use my mom as an agent.

Now, maybe he won't. Maybe you will. But when you're young, you do things that you may not do. I mean, I did stuff in my 20s. I would never think about doing now. These are all young athletes. They're all 22, 23. They would probably do things differently. I'm much tougher on a 38-year-old quarterback who's been in the league forever and knows the game and knows the soft spots and knows who to protect and understands what the press can be. Sometimes has like agendas and things you have, you know, landmines you should watch out for. I'm going to defend young quarterbacks mostly. I know I know what you're saying.

What about two? I'm not crushing him. I don't buy into two like the rest of you do, but I'm not crushing him. Okay. All right. That's a good. Sean Payton's around the corner. We get him again in studio on a Monday.

How good was it last week? I mean, come on. It was pretty good. The other thing is, it just crack me up. Does everybody understand coaches want to win games? So a coach is at practice all week looking at film, Kyle Shanahan. And everybody's like, I can't believe he's running Trey Lance. He's at practice all week.

He's running the plays he thinks will get first downs. It's not his job to protect quarterbacks. It's his job to win games. And so he went to John Lynch and said, don't let Jimmy Garoppolo go. Because in order to move the sticks, we're going to have to run Trey Lance a lot. And that's hard. and so by week two early, they got to use Garoppolo. But this idea that he was trying to sabotage his young quarterback, folks, he wants to win games.

They all want to win games. And you call the plays you think can move the sticks. And if your quarterback's hitting 50% of his completions, you run the ball with him. That's what you do to win games and get first downs. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite unhumored 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,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode, we pick a year unpack what went down

And try to make sense of how we survived it With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s 80s It was a wild year I don't think there's a more important year For black people

Listen to look back at it On the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcasts Hey, what's good y'all You're listening to learn the hard way 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, 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're 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 IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.