The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Right & wrong, rebuilding, Notre Dame

Episode Date: December 6, 2021

Where Colin was right and wrongThe Lions finally got their first win of the seasonTeams in the NFL that are rebuildingMarcus Freeman isn't being asked to rebuild Notre DameGuest: Marcus Freeman Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and

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

It is a Monday. Oh, it's not any Monday, baby. It's a Monday with the Miami Hurricanes with a new coach, Notre Dame new coach, USC new coach. The herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Notre Dame's new coach, Marcus Freeman, in 10 minutes. Joy Taylor, how are you today, Joy?

I'm fabulous. I'm just telling you guys in the break. My personality is like I don't go out promises. Like I don't, until the paperwork is signed, I am not getting excited about anything. Not a new deal, not new money, not a new coach, nothing. I got a seat on the paperwork and then I begin the process of getting excited. Because look, they just let Minnie Diaz go. I'd wait until it fully came to fruition.

So interesting, they, we'll talk about this later, but Carolina just parted ways with Joe Brady. Interesting move. Miami guy. If Joe Brady becomes the Kane's offensive coordinator, oh my God. You could not do better than that. He's from Miami.

Everybody's from Miami. Everybody's got a little tie to Miami. All right. Here we go. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. Brought to you by Jersey Mike's sub. This holiday season, give the gift they'll love a gift card. Just a few clicks of a button. Jersey mics be a sub.

Bob, here we go. Where Colin was right? Well, the Blazing 5 almost went 4-0 yesterday. We have the bills tonight, but we called the upset by the Chargers over the Bengals. We called the Steelers upset over the Ravens, and we called the Eagles blowing out the Jets. Denver, until that pick six, had them covered, and I will tell you again, I have the bills minus two and a half tonight, winning, not comfortably, but winning. Where Colin was wrong. I got to give to a credit.

I was a doubter. I didn't think he was athletic enough, but he is Mac Jones, left-handed Mac Jones. He's accurate. And he doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and he knows what he is, and he knows what he isn't. And Miami is sort of a poor man's New England. They play good defense. They play the field position game. And I should say, Miami's got Gaseki's a great tight end, and now they've got some speed on the perimeter.

But he's very much Mac Jones. Last four games, he's completing 78% of his throws. That is literally like scrimmage numbers. That's like seven-on-seven summer camp numbers with 109 passer rating since returning from the injury. So he deserves credit. He knows what he is and he knows what he isn't. And what he is is wildly accurate. Where Colin was right?

I had my doubts on Robert Sala with the Jets. I said he's a great story. Good looking guy. Good energy. I don't know if he can coach. their defense is regressing. They're the only defense, their last in total defense, the only team that surrenders 30 a game. They just gave up to a backup quarterback 33 points.

Zach Wilson had a pretty good game, but he still has too many turnovers. Listen, the Eagles scored on their first seven possessions. That is not good. Philadelphia with a backup quarterback scrambling to get a quarterback, scores in your first seven possessions. Don't confuse a great story and a great guy with a great coach. I had my doubts. I said he would be the fourth best coach in the division for some time, and that looks the case.

Where Colin was raw. I said all season. I watched Georgia play a half dozen times. I thought that was the best college defense I'd seen in a decade, and Bryce Young ate it alive. 421 yards passing, three touchdowns, a running touchdown. Georgia got pressure against every quarterback, and Alabama's off. Look at that offensive line. Look at that protection.

Bryce Young, 536 total yards from Alabama. Listen, I thought this game could go a lot of ways. I didn't think it would look like this. Alabama marching up and down the field, Bryce Young, with more than ample time to throw and picking apart the Bulldog secondary. Where Colin was right? I really liked the Chicago Bulls moves in the offseason. they went and got a bunch of guys with a chip on their shoulder.

They went and got the always underrated Alex Caruso, the forgotten DeMarrozen, who doesn't shoot threes, the improving Lonzo ball, who because he struggled in L.A., everybody gave up on him. He's a really good player the last year and a half. And Billy Donovan, the coach, I know he got fired. He's a great college coach. I think Billy Donovan's an excellent coach, especially with young players.

And right now, the Bulls playing with a ton of energy. are second in the east. I don't know what their ceiling is, but they got a bunch of guys who everybody's doubted and nobody appreciated, and when you play hard in the regular season, the Nick showed us this last year, there may be a ceiling on this team,

they're fun to watch, and they've got a bunch of B guys playing with incredible passion, fun to see. Where Colin was raw. A few weeks ago, I said the Minnesota Vikings feel like a playoff team to me, and the minute I said that, they lost two straight, including losing to the Lions. Mike Zimmer's a really good coach, but they have too good of personnel to struggle this often.

And I don't know if it's a disconnect with Zimmer and Kirk Cousins. I'm happy for the Lions, I really am. But that final drive, Jared Goff moved right down the field. And Zimmer's kind of a, he's a tough guy, a little crusty. You know, he may not have a locker room fight for him if it gets down to a vote of the players. I do think he's an excellent coach and can stay in this league, but it may be time in Minnesota to move on. Where Colin was right?

Lincoln Riley's coming to California. If I have to say this another time, nobody likes California, the taxes, the politics. It's funny, but great executives and great coaches and great athletes, despite our tax rate in politics, keep moving to California. Why? Because great people in any field like to be challenged. They want to be challenged.

They're not sitting there looking at the tax code or they're worrying about liberal politics. Lincoln Riley is aspirational and willful and he wants to be challenged. And USC football, it needs about 25 more great players to compete with Alabama. So stop with this constant sort of Republican narrative that nobody wants to live in California. Lots of great people do. Great people live all over this country. Most people who are great are not consumed with a tax rate. They don't love it.

They're not consumed by it. Where Colin was wrong. I got to give it up to the Philadelphia Eagles. They're in the playoff picture. I thought Nick Seriani wasn't ready to be a head coach. I had my doubt about Jalen Hertz. Good God, they can even win with a backup quarterback. They are the number one running team in football.

They're a great example of they have a core identity. They run the football. They throw to their tight ends. They're not fancy. The Eagles know exactly what they are. And this is what we talk about all the time. So much of this sport, that's why you got to be careful about bringing in superstars and outsiders. What are you?

The Eagles are the number one rushing team. They may not be the fanciest passing team, but to go to a backup quarterback and drop over 30 points and they just pound the football, very impressive. I had them as a dead last team, three or four wins. they've blown. I want to see them in the playoffs now. I think they're a nightmare to face. If you're not ready for their physicality, you're in big trouble. They're going to go in with house money, be a total underdog. I love what I see. And finally, where Colin was right? My NFL predictions, six of the seven NFC playoff teams that we be in today, we picked, and five of

the seven AFC playoff teams that we picked would be in. By the way, the Colts still and the Browns, still have a chance to get in. Still have a chance. So we've been good so far. Well, the college football is one of my, and I have loved it forever. And I thought it was really fascinating all these new coaching hires. So some programs like USC went and got an established head coach. And some programs like Oklahoma went and got a legendary coordinator from another school. And then LSU said, hey, that guy rebuilt Notre Dame. We're going to take him. And then Notre Dame said, you know what we like our guy and we're just going to we're going to give our guy a cooler office and marcus freeman a very young man is now the coach of one of the great brands in america he's

joining us live the new notre dame football coach man i'm going to taste up marcus i look at you and your family and how young you are and i think to myself i thought i was driven you make me look like a a failure you're a 35 year old guy you're a young guy you're the coach of notre dame when you wake up in the morning, is there a little bit of my dream came true? Oh, my word, my dream came true. I have those moments for sure. You know, there's times I'm in my office or times I'm doing something. I'm like, man, I'm the head coach of the University of Notre Dame. But they keep me pretty busy here. So I don't have much time to think about that, but I do have those moments. Now, Mark, I said, Marcus, I think I've heard your great energy, real focus. We've seen the videos, the players love you. Notre Dame is not typical, Marcus.

They ask a lot of coaches. Brian Kelly once told me, he said it's not a 20-year job. You have to have the right personality. This is a harder job than other places. Any concern about this is maybe the toughest first job place in the country? Yeah. You know, I love challenges. That's something I've always embraced maybe a little bit of my upbringing.

But, you know, what a great challenge. What a great opportunity. You're the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. You get a chance to live a lifelong dream. This is a destination for a lot of people. And so I'm just going to take it day by day. And when you think about the challenge in terms of how big it is, I think it can get overwhelming. But when you think about it, taking it task by task day by day, I'm excited to get after it.

It's great. So you were a player. You got drafted years ago by Chicago Bears. And then you went to work. You went to Kent State and Purdue, and nobody knew who, where did Marcus Freeman go? What happened to Marcus Freeman? And you're sitting there grinding every day. Was your goal always head coach college?

Did you think about coaching pro? Go back six, seven years. Was this the goal, a head college coach at a big brand? I think at some point, at some point you sit there and say, hey, man, I want to be at the highest level of my occupation. And if I could have said, I would be the head coach at Notre Dame at 35, you know, it would have been, there's no way. But, you know, I think the ability to just attack every day and attack each task one by one, you never know what's going to happen. And that's the same way I'm going to lead is I'm going to lead these guys. Hey, let's not worry about national championships.

Let's not worry about the bowl game. Let's worry about attacking every day with a fierce intensity and we'll see what comes of it. You know, Brian Kelly said about a month ago, somebody asked him about something, and he brought you up. And he said, the way he inferred, it was like, listen, Marcus is going to be the coach here. You guys got to figure this out. And I defended Brian. I said, listen, he's 60 years old.

He's rebuilt a program. He's looking at it thinking, hey, next time I play Alabama, I want to be right in Nick's backyard. I want to have 25 NFL guys. So I got it. I understand it. I've been a mobile guy, too. Were you shocked when you heard Brian was leaving? Were you shocked?

Yeah. When he called me and told me, hey, I'm going to take the job as a head coach at LSU, I was in complete shock. I did not see this comment at all. And my mind started racing, and he said, hey, I want you to be my defensive coordinator. And I said, okay. I said, but I need to ask my wife. And so from that point, that drive from where I was at recruiting to home and it all became crazy.

But to say I'm not surprised, he decided to go to LSU. That would be a lie. By the way, when Notre Dame contacted you, Marcus, for the first time, when was the first moment you thought, okay, I'm going to be considered for this job? Probably when the athletic director called me and said, hey, are you really interested in being a next head coach at Notre Dame? And I said, absolutely. And he said, okay, we'll meet tomorrow.

And it kind of was like, oh, man, this might really happen, you know? And it never was definite until I got the call that, hey, we're offering you. this job, but you saw it slowly starting to happen. You know, you saw it with the people that were calling you and the phone calls that you had to take from certain people that are, you know, connected with this university. And so, but until you finally got that call from Jack Schwerber saying, hey, we want you to be our next head coach. I think there was always a little bit of doubt, like, hey, hold on. Are they really going to do this? Yeah. 35 years old. I think I told Joy this the other day, I said, listen, Sean McVeigh was coaching at 32.

Kiffin was a kid. My kids were way smarter than I was at 15, 16 years old. The world is your guy's oyster, man. The idea that you can go to Google Maps, and I can literally go to your neighborhood, I'm like, there's so many tools out there for curious minds. So I don't even think about your age as an issue. It's like, you've got experience. You bounced around the country like everybody else.

For those that would say, boy, Marcus, 35 years old. boy, that's really young. How would you counter that? I've been in leadership roles for the last probably five, really you can say your entire coaching career. When you start coaching a position, you have to take a leadership role and understand that, hey, there's certain attributes that it takes to have success. And then all of a sudden you go to Cincinnati, you're a defense coordinator. Well, you're the leader of the defense. And, you know, for me, I had a little bit of a comfort with our head coach being that he was my position coach

in college. And then all of that. sudden I get to Notre Dame and Coach Kelly is you, you are the head coach of the defense. You run it. And I'm going to do the same thing as a 35 year old head coach of this entire football program. I lead with my heart and I lead as a teammate. You know, I have to lean on our staff. I'm going to have to lean on our leaderships. I'm going to have to be able to admit there's things I don't know about running the University of Notre Dame football program. But if you go every day and you go work tirelessly and you understand that, hey, you're going to need help doing this. I think you can have success because that's what I've done. Well, you know, I didn't see any of your players decommitting.

Notre Dame's a really, really special place. And I don't know when you were told you were the coach. I don't know if it was a phone call or whatever. What a glorious moment for you and your family. Did you get emotional when they said, it's yours, buddy? Yeah, yeah. It was a shock to realize that this is really happening. And I was actually in my kids' room, my two daughters, I was in their room and I was on the phone and I'm in shorts and a t-shirt and I'm like if they could only see me right now like I'm just walking back and forth and disbelief but you know what quickly I said oh shoot it's time to get to work you know let's celebrate tonight with my wife and kids we couldn't tell anybody which is great so but so we just had to keep it to ourselves and then my mind started racing

about what do I have to do to make sure that I'm prepared that we're prepared as a team and and that's what I did well I hear great things I've followed of this sport forever, and my people say two things. Eagoless, focused, great energy. Everybody thinks you're a home run, and I could not be happier for you. I've always loved the brand. Congratulations to your beautiful family. You should go look at Marcus Freeman's family on the internet. It's everywhere. That's the downside, I guess, to be a football coach at Notre Dame. Everybody knows your family, but genuinely happy for you, man. Kick butt, take names, and congrats. Thanks, Colin. Man, it's been a pleasure. Thank you very much. Marcus Freeman.

35 years old and next coach at Notre Dame. And by the way, I like all the head coaching hires. I liked all of them. I like Oklahoma's. I like Notre Dame's. Yeah, everybody should feel good. It's how these things shake out. It's a shock at first.

Everyone panics. And then, like most things in life, everything works out. It's funny, though. You see what he said? What? You know, he's a Capricorn. I've got to wait. We've got to wait until we get the paperwork before we start getting excited.

I got to see it. I got to get the call from the AD before I start celebrating. It's like, then we, we can start building up into the excitement. This is how it goes. Yeah, it's just, I think, I think, I mean, listen, somebody's not going to work. You know, one of these young men won't work.

But I think, if you're asking me, because I think Notre Dame's a very unique brand. And they're not asking him to rebuild Notre Dame. That's different. Right. Okay, Brian Kelly was asked to rebuild a dying great brand. Now, they're handing him the keys to the best Notre Dame's been in 50 years, and they're saying, hey, bring the energy up.

Let's young, enthusiasm, energy. Well, he's also known for being a recruiter. Yeah, he's, and he's known as a pretty eagulless guy, like a really good guy, gets the room. And, you know, Notre Dame will go, Brian Kelly's not always the most likable guys. You know, didn't help when he turned into, you know, Hillary Clinton in the south there with the accent. But. Tigers.

Tigers. Y'all tigers, ma'am. Whatever. Whatevs. But I think Freeman's, they're not asking him. This is not the USC job. USC's in a rebuild. Miami's in a rebuild.

Notre Dame's not. That's why it's a much better fit. Hey, we got people in here. We don't need to rebuild it. We got to keep this thing going because right now, I think they've won 10 plus games, like four straight years in the more or five. So every situation's different here. Oklahoma's not a rebuild.

Oklahoma's not a rebuild. USC's O-line is a total rebuild. So couldn't be happier. You can tell I like college football. I don't get to talk it much. So when I do... Well, it's, I mean, it's bad. And it's been huge news nonstop.

And that's why mobility is a good thing. We say this all the time. It just, it sprinkles a little bit of anxiety, a little bit of accountability, a little bit of pressure. And then it makes news. There was a study done years ago, University of Chicago, where they took people and they had to flip a coin. And if the coin landed heads that you had to make a change in your life, a bit of one, like shaving your beard off, quitting a job. You know, they gave you a series of options.

They were big changes. Now, some people embrace change, some don't. Yeah. So they did this study. You flipped a coin. Tails, you didn't have to make a move. Heds, you did. And about half the people who got heads didn't want to change.

But they had to because that was the study. And they have found six months later, almost all of the people, overwhelmingly, the people that were forced to make a change who fought it were happier. Some of you just don't like change, but it's usually good. Life's changing. Change with it. Jump on the wave. Let it take you home. Change is okay. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only. legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports. 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. 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 Jett. 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 there's a through line We also have AIDS

on the table right now so 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 This week on Thursday night football, it's a clash of playoff hopefuls. Big Ben and the Steelers heads in Minnesota to face Kirk Cousins and the Vikings.

Thursday night football. 7.30 Eastern 430 Pacific on Fox NFL Network and streaming on Prime Video. Hey, Big Ben played great yesterday. Deontay Johnson was fantastic. I mean, there are some things here that make, I think it's time to move off, Ben, but I will say this. They have two offensive linemen who are playing well. They have a star-tied end. They have young receivers.

They have a young back. This offense needs the quarterback. Now, yesterday, when Ben played well, you're like, oh, but there was a story this weekend, he's moving on. But it's interesting with Pittsburgh. Historically, they draft well. They draft well. So they have a lot of this. This is a little like Tampa.

You're not that far off from winning the Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. You just have to get more dynamic at quarterback. I've said that about Denver. Yeah. Everybody would have laughed if I would have told you, if you and I would have gone on the air and said, you know, Tom's going to go there. and they're going to win the Super Bowl, and they're going to look like the best team in the league,

like beyond Tom. But I think Denver and Pittsburgh, to me, look like if you had the right quarterback, Denver outplayed Kansas City for big chunks of it in Kansas City. Well, that's what you get with the older quarterback. You're not going to get a consistent performance every single week, but you'll see glimpses of what they once were and why they're, you know, Hall of Famers. And that's what you got from Ben yesterday.

They're going to get that for a couple weeks straight. Who knows? But that's what we need. Joy with the. The news. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

A lot of movement. A lot of movements. Oh, I like movement. The Panthers have fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Weird. Okay, I don't understand it. Weird move. I don't get it either.

They started 3 and O. And the Panthers have won two of their last nine games. The offense has struggled this season. They rank 24th in points per game and 29th in yards per game. This is only his second season in Carolina. He joined the team after leaving LSU. he was on the offensive coaching staff that went undefeated in 2019. But, like, Carolina's had some issues this year.

Like, you lost Christian McCaffrey, who we all know is how that offense goes. You had to replace Sam Darnold. You have Cammon now. He won't. Like, I don't know. How is this the offensive coordinator's fault? What the insiders are saying is Matt Ruhl wanted to run the ball and Joe Brady wanted to throw it.

and that was the big difference. But I'll tell you what. Well, the head coach is going to win out there. I'll tell you what, if I'm Miami, the Hurricanes. Yeah. Or, by the way, or Brian Kelly at LSU, I would go to Joe Brady in one second. Well, he was the passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach at LSU during that season

and won the Breils Award that year for the best assistant coach in college football. So perhaps maybe he's a college coordinator at this point. He is still very young. Yeah. So maybe that's the right move. if he's a Miami guy. I would love to see Joe Brady as the offensive coordinator of Miami. I think it would be a great fit.

He clearly has had some success. So it's not like this is a complete disaster. If it's between Matt Ruhl and Joe Brady and Matt Ruhl's the head coach, Matt Ruhl's going to win out there. That's how the hierarchy goes. Like that's the boss. Also, here's something else to throw out there. David Teper's the owner, like Steve Balmer,

billionaire and impatient. Matt Ruhl may have been getting heat from upstairs and felt like this is my first, this is the first deck chair I'm throwing off. I got to throw a couple deck chairs off for I'm going to get thrown off the ship. So I got to start. This is what happens. When a coach is about to get fired, they get one or two moves on the staff. Right.

To the GM or the owner. So, hey, I got to get a new O.C. Once I get a new O.C. And by the way, when we told you this, everybody talks Urban Meyer. Don't be shocked. If Matt Rule in the next year and a half, he doesn't go back to college. because I think this is very Steve Balmer. These guys that make their money that are 40, 50, 60.

They're super aggressive. And they'll give you a coordinator move. They won't give you two. So like Matt Rule, start slow next year. You colleges, be alert. I mean, I don't have a problem with aggressive ownership or aggressive moves. I think the Rams are aggressive. There's seeing teams be aggressive and it paying off.

but I don't like being aggressive to the point where you're just cycling through coaches. So that's not positive. Like the Arizona Cardinals were aggressive in that they clearly felt that this wasn't the right situation and swiftly made a pivot and it's paid off. But if you're just doing, you're just the Browns and you're hiring a new coach every two years, like you're not being aggressive. You're not putting enough effort into finding the right guy.

Like that's the difference. So not that that's where Carolina is headed, but I'm with you. It feels like a pressure move and like, okay, let's make a change here. we're clearly struggling in this space. But I think Joe Brady's going to land somewhere and have success as he's already shown he's capable of. Oh, the Seahawks.

Can you explain the Seahawks to me? The Seahawks are just agents of chaos. They keep their season alive with a big win over the Niners. Russell Wilson had his best game since returning from the finger injury. 30 of 37, 231 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Interception was not his fault, by the way. It was a touchdown pass that got bubbled. So he should have had three TDs and no picks.

That was not his fault. Defense also came up big win and counted, stopped the Niners, attempted a potential game tying touchdown with a goal line stand. And the win snapped a three-game losing streak and kept them in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs. So if we take a look at the NFC playoff picture now, obviously the Cardinals are at top of the NFC at 10 and 2. Packers, Bucks, and Cowboys are the division leaders. We have the Rams.

Finally got a win over Jacksonville yesterday. Washington, another nice one in the Niners. and then the Eagles, Vikings, Panthers, Falcons, Saints, Giants, Bears, and Seahawks are all still in the hunts at this point. But the Seahawks are at 4 and 8 in our live, and that was a really impressive win over the Niners. Well, I think we're the key for Seattle because I don't think they'll get back into the playoffs. But the key is, can you end the season with six out of seven wins and there's harmony in the building? I will say this, that their young receiver, they only had three draft picks last year. Their young corner, a young receiver, and a O tackle.

their young receiver, Erskine's actually playing now, looks like a baller. So I think with Seattle, do you want to blow it all up or do you want to end the season playing well? It's like, okay, let's move Bobby Wagner. Let's rebuild the defense a little. Because I think harmony here is almost as important as personnel, Joy, because it's a little noisy up there for the last year and a half. It has been noisy, and I completely agree with you, how the rest of the season goes for Seattle could determine the next 10 years. because if it ends on a skid and Russell Wilson's not going to waste years in his mind of his career in a place that's not in a position to win anytime soon, it could get really, could fall apart pretty quickly. Yeah.

So, but this is what they are. Now they're back and they're beating the Niners who are in a wildcard team at this point. So the college football playoff is set after Alabama's big win over Georgia and the SEC championship game. Boy, boy, Alabama. don't make Alabama underdogs. I'll tell you what. How good was Bryce Young? I believe it.

Oh, my God. He was unbelievable. He's really impressive. So they jump to the number one spot. Michigan stays at two after securing the Big Ten title. Michigan can play with Georgia. What's Georgia going to do at quarterback? So you've got a month for this game.

Are they going to go to J.T. Daniels and say, is George is saying, listen, we're going to beat Michigan, but we're going to play Bama again. We can't beat Bama with our current quarterback. So should we go to the kid that got hurt? a highly touted kid. I think Michigan can give Georgia a real game. Oh, I think so, too. And I watched this game with a bunch of my friends who are Michigan alum.

Oh. And they are not happy. They're not number one. I'll tell you that much. Like, we deserve to be number one. Well, Georgia's still in the top four, despite the Los Alibama, obviously. And Cincinnati at four, becoming the first group of five team to make the playoff. And congrats to Cincinnati.

We didn't have to kick and scream about getting them in there. So the other New Year's six games. Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Rose Bowl, Ohio State, Utah, Sugar Bowl, Baylor, Ole Miss, and the Peach Bowl will be Michigan State against Pittsburgh. And those are all going to be really exciting games. Really good games. Michigan State against Pittsburgh. We get Pickett, the young quarterback who, you know, I was talking to Dave Wanstatt yesterday?

He had a great point. I never knew this. Is that the Steelers, because I asked him, I said, are they going to go with Haskins? Are they going to get the kid from the University of Pittsburgh? they train in the same building. Yeah. Like the Steelers and Pitt Panthers train in the same area.

And he's like, historically, the Roonies have been reluctant to draft Pittsburgh players because if it doesn't work, there will be ill feelings in the community. And I was like, I never knew that. Because Wanstatt knows he coached Pitt.

Yeah, no, yes. He's a big time time. And he's just said there's always been a little bit of a, you know, Marino goes to, He fell in the draft. He goes to Miami. Tony Dorset. That's, you know, there's definitely evidence of it.

It's not really like a, I don't know how much that matters anymore. I don't know that the loyalty to the University of Pittsburgh is that deep in Pittsburgh. You know, like, I mean, there's like, Pittsburgh's also a big Penn State town. It's a big West Virginia University town. Like, there's, there's not, it's not so just, it's not like Miami or. Well, it's not a good. quarterback class out of college. Pickett's interesting because he's started for three years and they're good. So he's like the obvious, okay, well, he's winning. He's not a, he's not a big

arm, but he can move. Everybody saw the move this weekend when he fakes a slide and runs for a touchdown. But if you are the Steelers, you see him a lot. So you know, you know all the, you should know what he is. Right. Yeah. I mean, you know, you know the odometer on the car. You know all the miles. So that's just a fascinating. I didn't. No, I agree with I believe that entirely. I don't know that that's, I don't know that that mentality plays out the same way now, like in the current, you know, society and, like,

loyalties amongst college football. Like, you'd rather have the guy, if you think he's the guy, get him. That's even better. Like, that means there'll be even more loyalty in the city to a team that everybody is loyal to with the Steelers. Good stuff, Joy with the News. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie New. 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. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVarrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game.

We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Batsy,

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. 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-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 kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Congratulations to six winners who split Terry Bradshaw's $100,000 yesterday playing Fox Betts Super Six. Scan the QR code now and make your picks for next Sunday's contests. There are winners every week and you could be next. Don't miss out.

It's free to play. So I found myself, there's five rebuilding teams in the NFL. The Giants, the Jets, Houston, Jacksonville, and Detroit. But the Lions feel different. I mean, the Giants may need to clean house totally, although I would keep Joe Judge. The Jets, I don't know if they have the right coach. Jacksonville needs everything except maybe. a quarterback and some defensive linemen, and Houston needs everything.

The lions are different. They've got a quarterback who got to the Super Bowl, and when he has time to throw, he throws a beautiful ball, Jared Goff. Five of their 10 losses are one possession games. They outplayed the Raven should have won. They outplay the Steelers should have won. And this team likes their head coach. Many of their young players from this draft and last year's draft are playing.

They're good players. Again, Jared Goff is capable of winning games if you give him time to throw. And the other thing is they play hard. They love their coach. They play really hard. There's never been quit. Now, there have been matchups that don't play well. But yesterday, final drive

against Minnesota came down to this play and here it is. First victory of the year on the line. Golf's got it. Back, looks, throws. Ends up. Yes. Touchdown to Troy Glegg. Rossi. Oh, they're rushing. The feet. Three zero's on the clock.

This game is over. It's over. So they have two first round picks, including potentially the number one pick. So the Michigan kid, the pass rusher, could be the number one pick. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan pass rusher, little JJ Watt. They need a pass rusher. Everybody in the league does. That could be your first pick.

Now, I generally am in a believer, trade down if you can, because I don't think there's any guarantees. The only guarantee in this draft to me is the center for Iowa. That's it. That kid is going to be a pro bowler for a long time. Outside of that, 30% of the first round busts. But you have a local kid. He's a pass rusher. Everybody needs him.

It's a valuable position. Michigan kid for the Lions. Your later pick is deep in the first round. About 24th. And by the way, you've got some receivers that are okay. There's probably, it's a very good year for, some interior offensive linemen. It's a pretty interesting year for cornerbacks.

You could use one of those. So I don't think they're lost. I think they've got to coach the team believes in. The young players the last two years. Penae Sewell's the second highest-graded rookie tackling football. He's been good. They moved him around. He's good.

Brown, the receiver from USC, the fourth round pick, had like 14 targets yesterday, the winning catch, 10 catches. So I think quarterback coach, you're good for a couple years. but I find them different. I find that they're a unified bad team. There's questions about Houston's leadership. There's questions about the Giants and the Jets. I just think this team needs more good players.

That's what I think with Detroit. They just need more good players. They need to sustain pass rush. They've got to keep upgrading the interior of their own line, and they'll be fine. The other thing is, college football has got a lot of programs, but there's three, what I would call, glamour programs. USC and downtown LA, Miami and Coral Gables, and Texas.

They've often been exceptional, and all of them over the last couple years feel like they're on the precipice of being terrible forever. USC went and spent over $100 million and got a great young progressive coach Lincoln Riley. Texas went and got an offensive coach, Steve Sarkesian. and Miami capped it off. I'm in a very good mood today by getting Mario Cristobal. Every coach except Nick Saban has a hole. Cristobal's knock, he doesn't develop quarterbacks particularly well, but he's got a presence.

He can recruit. He's an alpha. He walks into a room. He sleeps about four and a half hours a night. He's from Miami. He's the perfect fit culturally, emotionally. he's a perfect fit. This is not a knock at Oregon, but they always find the right coach.

They've got Phil Knight's money. They got a good basketball coach. They've had multiple good football coaches. There's a rumor Chip Kelly. UCLA boosters are nuts if they think Chip Kelly is not doing a good job. He just doesn't like to recruit and talk to boosters. But Christobal is a very, very good fit. And, you know, I know there's this thing in America, eat the rich, tax the rich.

But what you've really seen with college football is there's a very good fit. is there's a very tiny pool in every profession in America of great. There's a very, very tiny, tiny, tiny pool. It doesn't matter if it's finance, if it's education, it's college football. And Mario Cristobol's in that class. He won a Rose Bowl. He won two titles in five years. The program was a bit of a wobbly mess.

He took it over. He's got a presence. He reminds me a little at Dana White. Like, you just don't get in his way. He's just going to forge. his way, big personality, all-man, alpha, recruit, territorial, this is my team. And, you know, is he a great developer of quarterbacks? Everybody's got a hole.

Everybody. So, but I've said this before. College football, we always complain about college football and parity. Can I ask you a question? Where do we have parity? Do we have it in European soccer? No, no, the English Premier League. The same three, four clubs.

Do we have it in Spain, Real Madrid, Barcelona? No, do we have it in women's tennis? No, Serena dominated for 20 years. Do we have it in men's tennis? No, it's been Fidel and Roger. And it's been Joakovich. It's been Roger Federer and Nadal. Do we have it in college football?

No. For 15, 20 years, that we have it, women's basketball, Yukon, no. Do we have it in the NFL? No, Brady's good again, the Patriots are good again, the Packers are still good. You've got to get over it. You got to get over it. There's a tiny, tiny group of people, men and women in all of sports.

All these leagues, NCAA has been trying forever to make it even. It doesn't exist. The South has more great high school football players than the West. And if you get the right coach in the South, you're going to win a bunch of games. George's got the right coach and Alabama's got the right coach. And LSU now thinks they have the right coach. You can win a national title at LSU with the wrong coach. They've done it twice in five, six years.

Can't do that in any other conference. If Michigan's got the wrong coach, Brady Hoke, you don't win games. So we're all trying to legislate even constantly. And there are just programs in college football that matter more. USC matters more, Texas matters more, and Miami matters more. They're big, they're glamorous, television networks are down. for Texas, Miami, and USC to be good. They got all they can do with rural programs.

They want big cities. They want Dallas watching the horns. Miami and Fort Lauderdale watching the Cains. And L.A. and California watching the Trojans. We got a million small city programs. That's great. It's okay to, as Joy said, it's okay to bring caviar out. You don't have caviar for dinner.

If the whole sport was New York or L.A., that's not good. But having 5 to 10% of the big city programs, they bring big audiences with big audiences, the networks fight over them. It's good for everybody. We all get more games. So, way to go, Miami. I was a cynic, too, by the way. I didn't think they'd pull it off.

I didn't. I've been saying this for years. I think they've fallen into a tier two program. But you get the alpha. Boom. Back to a tier one. All about the U. Hour 3.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smygle and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford 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 IHeard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 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. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.