The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Some QBs don't understand

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

The latest news in the NFL and thoughts on the Ravens horrible offense in their loss to the Chiefs Colin discusses why being a QB in the NFL means you need to focus less on how you look in the mirror   Guest: Greg CosellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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If you bet football, fantasy football, want to hear about the Super Bowl, some thoughts about the games this past weekend. Greg CoSell is great. So, J-Mack, this is a really great quarterback draft, they say. And as a sports talk show host, we like to pick size. fun. I was like Baker's overdrafted. I think I was right, although I've always thought he's a NFL franchise. I think he's a franchise quarterback. I thought he was overdrafted.

I was right on the kid in New York, Zach Wilson. I didn't like Daniel Jones. I did like Sam Darnold, whiff there. But it's fun. I like to take a side. You knew too. Nobody wants, shows up to watch Colin Cowards sit on the fence and not pick aside.

They want you to dig in. Yeah, yeah. And so, Alex Smith was in Kansas City. with Andy Reed, and Brett Veach, the GM, brought in a tape of Patrick Mahomes. Here's the story. I think Patrick had just finished his freshman year at Texas Tech, and I can remember Veach coming in,

and he was, Brett Veach, who is now, for everybody out there, he is the GM of the Chiefs. He's a huge responsibility for taking Patrick and moving up. He was in love with Patrick after his freshman year. I remember him coming in. He was a great relationship there. He came in the QB room. he's like, you guys got to see this guy like that.

Because we would always talk ball, you know, talk college football and different stuff. And he had his eyes on him for a long time. I'll say that. And so did Andy. So to me, it's very interesting. I'm going to give you who I believe are the four most physically gifted quarterbacks in the league. So they've got the size. They're all over six feet tall.

They can all move. Some move better than others. They can all move. Most of these guys have power arms. I think it's Mahomes, Alan, Lamar, Jackson, and Herbert. And you're pushing back a little on Herbert. I'll get to that in a second. But all four of those were doubted.

None were number one picks. And all four had an issue out of college. Lamar ran too much. Josh Allen was inaccurate and wild. Mahombs, similarly, wild, out of control. Herbert was mechanical. What it tells you is none of them were finished products. In fact, I would say Alan and Lamar were considered even

Mahomes to a degree were considered very raw. Herbert wasn't. He had a lot of starts, but he was considered again mechanical. Of those four I listed, the one you're really pushing back on is Herbert. Why? Because he's the only one who's never had a B plus to an A coach. And I've learned doing this for a living where they land will eventually decide their success. even Patrick Mahomes had he gone number one to Cleveland and his first coach was Hugh Jackson

his next with Greg Williams you think he's winning Super Bowls I don't I think he's winning games I don't think he's winning Super Bowls so when we talk about Caleb Williams and Jane Daniels and Drake May and Michael Panics and J.J. McCarthy

and Bo Nicks I want to see where they land and I want to see who their first head coaches. Andrew Luck is one of the few that I think was talented enough to overcome. Bad roster, not the right GM, miss on a coach. Elway may have been as the second one, the first and then luck's the second one in that order. But, you know, as we speculate, as we speculate how these guys are going to do, I said earlier, Jay Mack and I, agreed if Drake May goes to Washington I think it does feel a little like Houston a sharp

defensive coach cap space some wide receiver talent and a winnable division let's be honest Dallas loses Quinn lame duck Mike McCarthy year they're getting older in key spots so is Philadelphia is Nick Sariani the right guy so I think Caleb Williams for the Bears has the talent but can he overcome Matt Eberflips some of the poorest owners, a shaky front office, an inability by a franchise for 75 years to develop a star quarterback. Drake May may not be as naturally gifted, but the Washington thing feels like cap space, good receivers, San Francisco Connection GM, experienced Super Bowl game head coach, good weapons on

the outside, winnable division, that sounds like it could work. Where they land, I think it's about 90% of the game. Let's bring in Greg Kossel, 44 years NFL films. So I said this, watching Baltimore's offense to me was staggeringly disappointing. It would be like the small ball warriors going to the playoffs with Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and saying, you know what, we're going to slow it down, and we're going to post it up. We're going to post it up for the next series. What do you, I mean, Gus Bradley's first carry was 15 yards.

get another one until the second half. Gus Edwards. What did you make of it? Yeah, I mean, a couple of things surprise me. Number one, they decided, and again, this is why I wish I could be involved in understanding the process,

because this is what these guys do, 16 hours a day. So clearly, Todd Monkin and staff decided that they were going to go into this game and play a much higher percentage of what we call 11 personnel, three wide receivers on the field. That's not what they had done pretty much all season.

Right. They had been one of the lowest percentage teams playing three wide receiver personnel. They'd been built on playing a lot with Patrick Ricard, a lot with two tight ends. Now, maybe Mark Andrews, who did play, but maybe they put a snap count on him. They didn't feel he could play a lot of snaps. But they played 63% of their snaps out of 11 personnel. And that was interesting. Now, the other factor, and again, people will say, well, that doesn't matter.

but the chiefs clearly aligned defensively to sort of take away the run to some extent. They played a lot of five-man fronts early, a lot of what we call reduced fronts where you had three defensive linemen all in tight. So they were trying to force them not to run the ball. Now, again, people can say they should have run it. Maybe they should have. But I think that they clearly felt that in this particular matchup, that was not the best way to play.

because they lost, it's easy to say that was wrong. Patrick Mahomes' first couple of drives moved it up and down the field. Teams have struggled. Quarterbacks who are good struggled all year with this Ravens defense. What did Mahomes do in the first couple drives? It was all quick game stuff. They didn't push the ball down the field at all. In fact, for most of the game, they didn't do that at all.

It was all quick game, get the ball out, not allow the pass rush of the Ravens to be a factor, not expose their offensive tackles at all. So they just got the ball out quick, combined that with some Pacheco runs, and they were able to get the ball down the field and score. Obviously, after that, they really had a hard time because they could not protect, and the run game became less of a factor.

You know, they only had, up until that Valdez-Scaling 32-yarder, Colin, that, you know, wrapped up the game, they only had 66 yards of total offense in the second half. They could not protect at all. And Mahomes was running for his life quite a bit in the second half. And when you combine that with the fact that the run game totally dried up, they just had no offense in the second half whatsoever.

Travis Kelsey, considering his age, the surgeries, I thought was special. How valuable is he? What can the Niners do anything? How valuable is he to the offense? Well, he's obviously extremely valuable. He's obviously valuable both within the structure of what they do because they run certain route concepts and combinations where it's clear that he understands zone coverage extremely well. He understands how to settle into voids, and they're going to get a lot of zone, by the way, from the 49ers.

But the other thing, too, as we know, is his ability to react to Mahomes when he moves is absolutely critical. But that first touchdown that he caught to end the first drive, I mean, that was about as good as it gets. I mean, we're looking at it right now. That was just silly execution on both sides. I mean, Kyle Hamilton had great coverage. It was just beautiful. But he's obviously a key piece of what they do. And, you know, I think the thing I think with Kelsey, when you're defending him, particularly when Mahomes moves, you need to keep your eyes on Kelsey.

I know it's easier said than done, but you just need eyes on Kelsey. You can't take your eyes off him. Somebody has to get eyes on Kelsey to mirror him when he moves. So Mike McDaniel just got the Seattle Seahawks job. He's the defensive coordinator was McDonald. He's going to go to the Seahawks. He's one of these very, very good young coordinators on the defensive side. So my question here with McDonald is, what did he do?

So the Chiefs only got, let me look this up, three total points over the last nine possessions. So San Francisco could be looking at that defensive game plan and scheme, and the Niners could be looking at it going, listen, they couldn't move the ball in the end. So what did that coordinator do with that talent to basically shut down the chiefs in their final nine possessions? Yeah, well, there was a lot of physical element to it as well where they just dominated up front. I mean, it was a game, for instance, where Trey Smith, the right guard for the chiefs, who's a very good player, had a poor game. He did not block very well. And Justin Madibouquet had numerous snaps in which he controlled him.

And then the other factor in that game with the run game in particular was they just could not. get an offensive lineman to the second level with the proper timing to block Queen and to block Smith because you probably saw Smith and Queen seemed like they were filling gaps right at the line of scrimmage and nobody was getting a body on them. So, you know, it wasn't necessarily tactical in that sense, but they were able to control physically the line of scrimmage. So let's go San Francisco, Detroit. So again, Kansas City is going to be looking at that first half with the Lions, and they're saying, wow, they mauled that Niner defensive front seven. So what did the Lions do?

And again, could this just be personnel? Panais Seul. I mean, they have a very good old line. Was it more personnel? Were there schemes that Detroit used to effectively dominate the line of scrimmage in the first half against the Niners? Well, normally, when you run the ball well, it's not necessarily sexy, Colin. I mean, I remember looking earlier this week at those first two, three possessions by the Lions,

and they were just moving the interior of the 49ers defensive line versus players we consider to be good players. Hargrave, Arnestead, Kinlaw, they were moving them off the ball, particularly with double-deak teams. A lot of what we call duo concepts, two inside double teams, and they were pushing them back into the lap of the linebackers. and no matter how good Warner, he's the best backer in the game, but no matter how good Warner and Greenlaw are, when you have your own defensive tackle sitting in your lap, it is hard to play. So they physically handle them.

The other thing, they couldn't generate any pass rush at all, the Niners. They did in the second half, and they made an adjustment, but in the first half, they generated no pass rush whatsoever, and that allowed the rhythm and timing pass game of the Lions to be really effective. One of the reasons the young offensive guys, coordinator for the lion stays in Detroit and doesn't take like the Washington job, I think, is because he knows your success in this league is largely connected to your O-line and your quarterback.

And Jared Goff is very, very good. You can have all those other weapons. If you don't have the quarterback, it doesn't work. When you watched him against the Niners, I think mostly, Greg, we know who the great quarterbacks in this league are, and we know who the backups are. But there's always been this pushback on Goff because I think he got a lot of blind. in L.A. and Stafford wins a Super Bowl. But I, my eyes tell me he throws one of the better balls in the league. What did this NFC championship matchup show you about golf?

I thought Goff played pretty well. I think, Colin, the reason Goff has not talked about very much is we're in an era where people rightly or wrongly, and this is a worthy debate, is Goff is not a secondary action movement player. He's a pocket quarterback. He's not going to make those special plays outside the structure of your offense, as so many of the so-called great quarterbacks now in the league do. He's not that guy. So he needs the good offensive line. He needs the system, but he throws as pretty a ball as there is.

And by the way, as you know, he did not play poorly in this game. I mean, there were drops in this game that were really poor. Yeah. That may have changed the game. So, you know, but Goff is not, you know, Goff is kind of the old school pocket quarterback, and not a lot of people talk about those kinds of guys in glowing terms these days. Yeah, that's right. So, you know, it's interesting.

Jemak and I have gone back and forth on Purdy, and I think I have undervalued his playmaking ability, but in five of the eight playoff quarters I have watched him, he's been outplayed by Jordan Love and Goff, whereas Mahomes doesn't get outplayed by anybody for 12 quarters, so I look at Purdy and I think to myself, I like him, but I watched Jordan Love out playing for three quarters, and golf out playing for two.

What is the tape say? How much of this is his talent and how much of it scheme and players? Well, first of all, I think every team is scheming players to a larger extent that people want to talk about. But to be fair, based on tape study, I don't think Purdy has played really well

on the two playoff games. I think that he's missed a lot of clean, defined throws by not turning it loose. And I couldn't tell you why that is, only he could tell you that. And I think that's going to have to change in two weeks. But he obviously made some plays with his legs, which were unexpected. He's not a bad athlete.

He's not an explosive athlete, but he's not a bad athlete. And he got out of the pocket and made some plays. But their offense is built on sustaining efficiency. Their big plays in the past game don't come from him driving the ball down the field. They come more from yards after catch, quick game throws, rhythm timing throws. And if he's not making those throws, which he has. not done with the same regularity that he did through this regular season and even going back to last year, then their offense just doesn't look quite the same. He's going to have to make those throws.

All right. Your big play of the week includes Purdy and the Niners tied in. Yeah, and this was actually an important play. This was a 28-yarder to George Kittle. We can take a look at it, and it was a second and nine play. And the Lions played man coverage here. And actually, This was a play that gave Purdy answers versus both man and zone. It was that kind of concept. So we're going to take a look at it here. As I said, it is second and nine. So what you're going to see here is Brock Purdy.

He is in the gun. And what are the Niners line up in a high percentage of the time? 21 personnel. Two backs, a tight end. And that's used check in a tight end position and Kittle in a stacked position. Now here's the route concept. It's basically flood. It's a three-level stretch.

It gives you answers versus. man and zone. Now here the lions chose to match up in man coverage. And remember, Kittle is stacked, so he's going to be able to release freely into his route. He's running the intermediate route. But the outside receiver, Samuel, he's going to run vertically and lift the corner. And there's the underneath route by Yuzcheck. He's going to go into the flat. And that leaves Kittle one-on-one with the safety Melanfanwu, and he runs a great route. And this is one of those cases where, The throw was presented and it was clearly defined and Purdy made it, got the ball to kiddo, and he had room to run after catch.

It was a big play for 28 yards. Yes, it was. Greg Coasell, we'll talk to him in a week as always. Greg, appreciate you stopping by the show and giving us some clarity on stuff. Thank you. All right, Colin, appreciate it. I look forward to next week. It's interesting.

You and I talked about this. If Mahomes loses the Super Bowl, he's got an out. He literally has one receiver. San Francisco has better players, and he's already proven he's the best quarterback in the league. It is interesting in terms of interesting. It's more interesting, big picture, if San Francisco loses with a perception of a better roster and Purdy doesn't play particularly well, which, by the way, the Chief's defense is much better than Green Bay's and better than Detroit's.

So Green Bay's defense in Detroit, statistically, this is not a hot take. Kansas City's defense is much better than Detroit's and Green Bay's. And they have given Purdy problems in five of the eight quarters. So if Purdy loses and they shut him down like they did with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen and Tua, what does San Francisco do? Colin, I'll be honest. I really like you, man, as a person. Blow out coming.

When you say this stuff, it gets me. excited because I know we're going to have another fun discussion on Purdy. And I like how you are just digging in and Brock Purdy. Hey, if they lose, questions about Purdy. What about if they win? What then? If Brock Purdy takes down

Patrick Mahomes, does it mean anything? Or is it? Well, they have McCaffrey and Shanahan and Debo and Ayuk and Warner and Oh. So like there's zero. How does Brock Purdy get any credit in the Super Bowl if the 49ers win? If he plays great for four

Okay, define great. Oh, whoa, hold on, hold on. 23 of 28, two touchdowns, no picks, and a couple scrambles. By the way, otherwise known as every Mahalms game ever. Yeah. What if he's 20 of 40, 197, two picks and a touchdown, but he has the game-winning drive and the 49ers win 17-13. Then what? Then you clearly have a quarterback who is being elevated by the players who are aging and you can't keep them.

McCaffrey, three straight fourth quarter comebacks. and it doesn't matter. It's everybody but the quarterback. The question is, why are you always having to come back from less talented teams? Why are you always? Because the Chief's defense just locked up Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. The MVP couldn't do jack squat until garbage time. This is just so fun because you know who's watching?

Cam Newton's watching. And he's thinking, oh, Cowherds got him. Cowherds got him. Boxed into a quarter. We got Macintar. You don't ever have me. Trust me. The numbers don't lie.

Brock Purdy has been excellent this season. Now, Patrick Mahones had the worst season of his career. We would agree. The numbers show that. But he's been nails in the playoffs. That's why the Super Bowl is so freaking fantastic. It is. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Pauli Fusco here with Tony Fusco. You know, as the host of the number one rated Polly and Tony Fusco show, we get tons and tons of fan mail every day. Piles of it. In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of those letters? as right now and read what's inside. Yeah, listen to this. Dear Pauli and Tony, your sports takes are the dumbest and most terrible.

Wait, not that one. Open this other one. Dear Paulie and Tony, you suck more than anyone. Not that one. Try this one. Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best. There you go. At coming up with the stupidest takes possible.

You know what those clowns say. Just listen to the Pauli and Tony Fusco show on the IHot Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Yeah. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 Jek. 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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Julian Edelman, who has been money for this show, will be joining us in the final hour of the show. J. Mack just told me during the break,

a very tasty NBA topic. May have to do it for tomorrow. I think Jim Harbaugh is on the show tomorrow. New Chargers coach. Is Harbaugh in studio? Because that's big. Well, he's busy. He's just not, can't be in every studio.

Yeah, but he's. He's moving out here. We could help him find some real estate in the South Bay, no? Well, I think he can do that. He's got a realtor. He's got thief. Yeah, J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News.

The Dan Quinn News was big to start the show. Commanders are making him their head coach. He's been with Dallas the last three years. Before that, he was in Atlanta for almost six years before getting canned. They did go to the Super Bowl in 2016. A lot of people in Washington, seem kind of down on this. I'll just remind them. His familiarity in the division

is massive. I think this is a big win. This is a very potentially chaotic division. McCarthy and Siriani and Brian Daibald could be in trouble next year if they're struggling before Thanksgiving. So you could be the coach with the best staff and the most continuity

and Drake May. Quarterback on the rookie deal. Yeah, I think it's actually, five of the eight coaches are defensive coaches. That's not where I would have gone, but I think Dan knows what he's doing. He's a smart guy. They got that draft pick from Montez-Swett, so they have an early second as well. Very interesting to see who his offensive coordinator is.

Keep your eye on some West Coast names, potentially. So the Chip Kelly one is super spicy. Somebody else floated to me, this 49ers passing game specialist, Cuviac, his youngest son, he's currently in San Francisco if he's coaching Brock Purdy to glory with that passing game like listen is this an attractive job good market

right? Listen one of the things that's fun about our job is we thought Houston was just going to be a mess forever and I didn't think CJ Stroud could overcome just the nonsense of Houston well it ended up DeMico Ryan's was unbelievable as a coach CJ Stroud's better than we thought and they nailed

some free agent pickup in the draft. This similarly is one of those hires that, eh, yeah, whatever. It's potentially, if Drake may can play, it's a real job. In a division that's going to seem very winnable, very quickly with some impending chaos at the coaching spots.

And just remember, we do this all the time. Every year, somebody goes worst to first in the division. Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield were an afterthought last year coming into the season. They were supposed to be selling part. at the deadline. They made the playoffs. These things happen. I like the, I think this is a good hire for watch. All right. Next up, Caleb Williams expected to be the number one pick in the draft. He's had some incredible highlights throughout his college career, very confident in his abilities at the next level. He even compared himself to, oh boy, one of the best quarterbacks

in the NFL right now. Everybody watches as far as you can see, it's all the cool things he can do. I always said even in high school, I don't think there's anything, obviously, it's special, but I don't think there's anything that I can't do that he's going out there. So, you know, I think it's really cool, like I said. I had a comparison to a bunch of other people. So to have, Patrick is pretty cool. Yeah, I don't, I think this is what NFL general managers are saying. People may not like that he says it, but that's what everybody I'm talking to is saying.

that he is, in fact, they say he's a sturdier, at this point, a little sturdier and more refined Patrick Mahomes. But he's ahead of Patrick Mahomes in term of coaching and being ready to play right out of the shoot. So I don't think that is wacky. Now, that doesn't mean he's going to be as productive and get an Andy Reid. I get Matt Eberflue, so you get Andy Reid. That's a big part of Patrick's success. Listen, he's a college kid.

I'm not coming off the top rope here. but what's that line you always say you want your quarterbacks to be senatorial? Quarterback eel. Quarterback eel. There are some, I will say this, because I'm kind of connected to this whole Caleb thing. I know you're sitting on some stuff. I am sitting on some stuff. I think there are some concerns in NFL circles that Dad has a little too much say in power.

There's worried that they're not going to hire an agent. Now, Lamar Jackson didn't, and it was fine. Oh, was it? Well, it wasn't perfect. But it worked. He got his paycheck. It's not ideal. You'd like to have a real agent. There's some concerns here that Dad's a little too involved. Now, dads are very, very involved in high school and college quarterbacking.

So that's just part of the new world we live in. But I still contend you're going to think I'm nuts here. I do think it's possible that Washington trades up and Chicago allows Washington to trade up. because Caleb and his group do not want to go to Chicago. He's from the D.C. area. I think Dan Quinn is considered the big concern for Caleb Williams, and you have to admit this. Where you land matters.

Chicago has never developed a star quarterback. And your first coach matters. You think Iberluse is going to be there five years? No. Okay, what if Washington hires Cliff Kingsbury? Is that attractive for Caleb Williams? I don't know. But I'm telling you.

So Caleb, if Caleb went to Washington, he knows for four years he's got the same staff overwhelmingly. Same head coach. Same system, mostly. Kingsbury, if he went there, keep your eye on that, would get paid a lot. He wouldn't go anywhere. Plus, Kingsbury would not leave Caleb Williams.

If you go to Chicago, it's almost guaranteed that by the second year, you have a whole new system, whole new playbook, whole new staff. I think there's a power play potentially going to be made that Caleb's like, I'm not going there. And Washington moves up. By the way, they could give Chicago draft capital and some players. They've got an interior D-Lyman, a receiver.

Maybe they can move, and some draft capital. You just move it up one spot. So I just think there's a lot of things people around Caleb are sitting on. I think he's going to be phenomenal. I like him a lot. I've met his dad. But there are people that are concerned. Now, sometimes these teams are concerned.

concerned about stuff because it's not going their way. Yeah. You know what I know this. Like corporations, they want to control stuff. Yes. And with Caleb, you're not going to control everything. John Elway, Eli Manning. Their dad's paid a big factor in it. John's like, I'm not going there. And Eli's like, Archie's like, nope, we're not going to the Chargers. What if I told you that, say, hypothetically,

a streaming network was going to Caleb Williams saying, hey, we'd love to chronicle your draft process and make it a 10-part series for Apple or Amazon. And he said, yeah, let's do that and signed off. Is that the kind of thing you would, like, how would you feel about that? I don't love that. I always would rather have my quarterbacks be stars before they're treated like them. I thought Baker did too many commercials. I will say, Bill Parcells used to have a rule.

Don't draft celebrity quarterbacks. It's too late. The world's changed. Social media. All these guys are celebrities. I mean, let me tell you something. J.J. McCarthy, you know, like he's getting talked about. Michael Panics, Caleb.

They're all, I mean, Jaden Daniels, they're all social media stars. Here's the thing. Remember when McVeigh came out and said, I'm playing none of my starters in the preseason? And everybody in the league, uncomfortable with this new brash kid, said, you're wrong. Then he goes eight and no to start the season, and now everybody copies them. People in power are uncomfortable with new things if they don't agree with them or they're not used to them. So Caleb Williams is doing nothing in nothing that different than what John Elway and Eli Manning. Eli Manning, yeah.

He tried to call his show. It's been done twice. And by the way, it worked for Elway and it worked for Eli. I think Caleb Williams, rightly so, is saying, I don't trust this coach, this front office, this ownership. You've never developed a quarterback. Washington has. Washington got to a Super Bowl with Billy Kilmer. They've had Sonny Juergens.

They've had Joe Fisman. They've had Doug Williams. They've had Mark Riffin. They've had many successful quarterback. If I was Caleb Williams, I think this is something that I would want to discuss with my agent and my parents. I want to go to Washington. I don't trust Chicago. That's why Elway and Eli Manning, they didn't trust the operations that had the pick.

And they were right in both instances. The young quarterback was right. Interesting months ahead. Final story, Kurt Cousins rehabbing the Achilles injury. He wants to continue playing, but is a free agent this year, spoke about what he's looking for in the next phase of his career. I certainly want to play a few more years of football. I'm hoping that the remaining years left before me. I won't be sitting around watching playoff football,

but that I'll be playing playoff football. Certainly winning is a huge priority. Let me throw one at you. Defensive coaches like quarterbacks that keep it in the fairway, don't make mistakes, don't add lib too much. Atlanta's not paying anybody on offense. Rahim Morris, Kurt comes in, easy to coach, doesn't add lib,

plays the system, a lot of good offensive pieces. Kirk Cousins in Atlanta is very interesting. Okay, can I fire back? Please. No, Sean Payton did well with an old Drew Brees. Remember, really managed him well,

middle-to-field, quick passes. So I've got to pay Kirk and Russell's contract? No, no, no, no. Russ is gone. Who was it sitting here? Was it Jordan Shultz said Russ is gone or Breer? Move on from Russ in some capacity, and you somehow figure out a way to get. Kurt Cousson. Now, never forget this. Rahim Morris

was in D.C. When they drafted Kirk Cousins. So Kirk's not going to add lib. Defensive coaches don't want quarterbacks running around too much. Right? They tend to like run the football, play good defense. He'd be the best quarterback in that division. He doesn't have a huge market. You'd probably get a decent price.

You're not paying Bejohn. You're not paying Drake. You're not paying Kyle Pitts. O-line's very good. So Kirk needs a good old line like golf. He's not a runaround guy. He needs a solid front. He has it. Ray Morris knows him. You taking Kirk Cousins off the Achilles or Justin Fields in Atlanta? Well, Kirk Cousins has been much more successful quarters. He's coming off in Achilles.

He's older. He's probably going to want like $38 to $40,000 million. I'd give him $34. Take it or leave it. There's no, what's the, there's a market, but it's not a big one. Fields or Cousins is going to be interesting. Because Fields is still cheap. What would you do?

I don't know what he's going to look like. A guy who was never mobile in the first place coming off in Achilles. That's fair. No, that's fair. I would lean fields. But I'm a little higher on fields than you. Remember, he's got a robust market of 10 teams. No, you had 70% of the league lining up for him.

Bidding for him. Bidding for him. I said a couple teams will want him. You had a couple dozen teams will want him, if I recall. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Pauli Fusco here with Tony Fusco. You know, as the host of the number one rated Pauley and Tony Fusco show, we get tons and tons of fan mail every day. Piles of it. In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of those letters right now and read what's inside?

Yeah, listen to this. Dear Pauly and Tony, your sports takes are the dumbest and most terrible... Wait, not that one. Open this other one. Dear Polly and Tony, you suck more than anyone... Not that one. Try this one. Dear Polly and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.

There you go. Coming up with the stupidest takes possible. You know what those clowns say. Just listen to the Foley and Tony Fuscoe show on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Yeah. 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. Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

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

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

I'm Sam J. Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. 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. The NASCAR season starts Sunday at 8 Eastern with the clash at the Coliseum. And on February 18th, it's the most iconic day in all of motorsports. The Daytona 500 with Dwayne the Rock.

Johnson serving as Grand Marshal only on Fox. So apparently this is a trending or a big deal on the inner web today that there's a picture of Patrick Mahomes with his shirt off and he's got what they call a dad bod. Well, he is married with kids, so he is a dad officially. And he's getting a lot of crap for his body, which is, looks like, you know, he's got a little bit of a gut there. And he said, Mahomes. answered the critic, he goes, like, I got kids.

There's also, you know, Brady famously, you know, Tom's body now, he's pretty chiseled up. And for the record, a lot of guys as they age, eat better and work out a lot. So you're seeing increased, I see it a lot at the gym now. There's more and more guys in their 50s are like working out in great shape. So Brady's body was sort of legendary at the combine. He just looks very sad. He looks like he just wants somebody to draft him. And then there's a recent picture of Josh Allen, and he's certainly not out of shape, but it looks like a big guy to me.

Remember, he's 6.6.250. But people are like, you know, he doesn't look. Folks, I don't want my quarterback doing a lot of reps on the bench press. I want him doing reps in the film room. I don't want Will Levis's body. In fact, I had multiple general managers push back saying he's more, in fact, with his gun show than film. I don't like ripped

quarterbacks. I want fluidity, pliability. I want you to be smart, coachable. Of the traits I'm looking for, abs is not in the top 20. In fact, I would be concerned, and I was with Will Levis when I thought he was too body-obsessed.

I had a general manager, one of the best in the league, that could not stand. The sleeveless shirt that he wore at one of the workouts. He's like he's shown off his body. Show off your movement. Show off your judgment. Don't show off your guns.

The biggest best quarterbacks in league history. Tell me one that's ripped. There isn't one. Tell me one great quarterback league history that's ripped. What about Cam Newton? He's very ripped all over the internet. He's not an all-time great quarterback. He never had back-to-back winning seat.

I mean, he was a great talent. Tell me a great all-time quarterback. Bradshaw, let's go way back to the 70s. Stabler, Bradshaw, Fouts, Montana, Young, Farrv, Rogers, Marino, Elway, Aikman. I mean, now what's interesting, and Troy would probably, Troy's more ripped now than he was. Troy's in great shape. So he's taken care of himself. Every time I see Troy, he's got a big water bottle, or I mean, he's in order good shape.

But it's like, the truth is, most of the old ones weren't because we didn't have that sort of nutritional standard. We're eating fast food half the time. But guys aren't ripped today. Okay, but be honest. When you think of Patrick Mahomes, eluding all these defenders, making all these amazing plays, you didn't think he'd look like that

with his shirt off, did you? Close to it. I mean, I know he's a quarterback, but that doesn't mean he should eat five quarter-pounders a week. Trent, I never forget this. When I covered the Buccaneers years ago, years ago, I went into the locker room,

and Dilfer was the quarterback, and it was a practice. So he played on Sunday, and it was the Wednesday, it was Tuesday or Wednesday was the day the media got to talk to the players. Trent had scar, rips all over his body. Fingernail, clash. And I was like, bro. Because he usually, Trent usually had a shirt on.

So Trent had just kind of gotten out of the shower. He was all kind of toweled up and he had a shirt off. Trent had scratches all over his body. And I reminded him of that. It was like his first or second year in the league. And years later, I reminded him of that. He said, Colin, the first thing I tell quarterbacks, get some pudding. Eat.

You do not want abs. You're going to get banged up, and you're going to be land that. You don't want to be bony. You don't. I mean, that's one of the things that worried me. I love Teddy Bridgewater, but I'm like, he's too thin. Bryce Young looks small. Too wide.

By the way, what did Lamar Jackson do his second year in this league? Bulge up, yeah. Dude, he got traps. Jalen hurts. Oh, my God. Yoked. Tyler Murray. Russell Wilson, people think now is too heavy.

These guys get, they yoke up. Trent said it. He goes, you want pudding. Have a second burger. Well, I mean, but that doesn't mean Mahom should eat a fifth burger. Like, honestly, he does look, Colin, he's got a little belly there. Like, that's shocking to me. You're not that surprised by that?

I mean, every key play he's outrunning Ravens linebackers, Roquan Smith is jacked. First of all, does he look overweight to you? He looks incredibly fluid. fluid to me. By the way, I don't even like my quarterbacks to be too fast. Like Lamar sometimes, I think it's a disadvantage. Too fast? Well, yeah, because if you're gifted in life speed as a quarterback, you're going to almost naturally want to run. Like, I think Josh Allen sometimes like, why go to a third progression? I'm going to go run. I don't want my quarterback running

like three times a game. Josh will run eight. So I think sometimes if you're given a gift in life, we're all human, you'll use it. It's the old, if you're born with a great singing voice, you'll sing in the car, you'll sing in the shower, you'll sing at work, because God gave you a great voice. And so if you're, one of the things that worried me about Lamar was, well, God, in high school and college, anytime he got into trouble, he just ran. And I'm like, that's not going to last in the NFL. So Lamar's second year in the NFL, dude got yoked.

And every year he looks a little bigger. So I just show the body again. It doesn't bother me at all. I also think, I've gone to the gym my whole life. I went yesterday. I go to the gym five days a week. And whenever you go to the gym, most people have normal bodies, but you always see these guys that are like really jacked.

And I don't go to what you call the classic lift gym. It's sort of an affluent area. It's like dads, tennis. You go to the gym. You're not going to Gold's Gym in tennis beach. But when I would go to Gold's Gym years and years ago, and like 75% of the guys were yoked. Yeah, they're on stuff.

Come on. Well, whatever they're on, they're not athletes. No. They're just yoked. I'll never forget working at ESPN. The first time I worked with Teddy Bruske. He doesn't have a neck, does he? So Teddy Bruskey is one of the great college plays.

players have ever seen in the Pact 12. Unblockable Desert Storm. He goes to New England. Tough, rock. He goes to work at ESPN, and Teddy's a great guy. Really, really great guy. He looked like an accountant. He had a briefcase.

I mean, he looked like an accountant that worked out. And I'm like, that's the unblockable Teddy Bruske. And if you talk to players who face Bruske, they're like, dude, instinctive, knew where the play was going, great leverage, trunky, really good in the hips. You start talking to people what made him great. And what made him great was brain, leverage,

hands, twitchy, quickness, reading the play. So much of this stuff. There's so few guys his gifted as Ed Reed or Ronnie Lott. A lot of these guys, the film junkies win. They know where you're, like Fred Warner's legendary. Fred Warner of the Niners is legendary for like knowing where you're going. Now, Fred's super talented. But a lot of this stuff is not just, I can bench 400.

It's I can bench 300, but I know where the play is going. I wonder if Mahomes, remember when he got ragdolled in the Super Bowl by the bucks, like 50 times? He got thrown around. Maybe he decided I got to gain some weight if I'm going to get thrown around and toss. Like, Bosa's coming after him. By the way, how old are you? I'm not going to reveal that, but I guarantee you, you and I shirtless look better than Patrick Mahomes. It looks fine.

It doesn't look bad, but I think we look better. He can make all the throws. That's, I don't, we cannot make all the thrust. Well, you could in high school. I can't throw this cup of coffee to you. Julian Edelman, hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, 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 it.

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 was big to me. 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. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild... 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.