The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Top 10 players in the AFC Championship game

Episode Date: January 26, 2024

Colin ranks the top 10 players in the AFC Championship game between the Ravens and the Chiefs 3-time Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck joins the show to give his assessment of 49ers QB Brock Purdy as he prepares to get San Francisco back into the Super BowlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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, unfilled 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Woke up at 3.45 this morning, J. Mack, staring at the future of the NFL. I went to bed early last night. Very early.

Watch some TV. Really. zoning in on these playoff games. No time to sleep. A lot of energy for the weekend. Not wasting any time tomorrow. It's going to be concentrating, preparing to watch the game. Did you check out Reacher like I recommended?

The series? Jack Reacher? No. There's a lot of good stuff. I know we're hurting because it's the end of the football season, but we're also like super excited. There's a lot of shows that are awesome that we've missed out on because of football. There's one called Bear that's supposed to be very good.

I don't have that. Not Chris Felica. He's good, too, but it's called... Yeah, I don't have the Hulu, so I can't... Yeah, I'm not really interested in a lot of that stuff. I told you, I got my black and white TV. And my old school with rabid ears, and that's what I got. Are you eating at 3.45 a.m. or no?

At 3.45, I get up every morning at 4 and read. But at 3... this morning, I got up early. Like, read the Bible, or what are we doing it? Do you think I read the Bible? I don't know. Is that what you've... You're religious, aren't you? Well, I'm spiritual.

Oh, okay. Let's work on that. Isn't that this default answer to all that stuff? All right. These are, I believe, the 10 best players. I did it yesterday in Lions, Niners, right down the middle, 5 and 5. 10 best players, 1 through 10. I do this before every big game.

I take out the yellow pad. I write down, and if there's an overwhelming majority to a team, that's when you have to get concerned. Detroit, to me, is the next San Francisco. I think they're stacked. Left tackle. weapons, pass rusher, tide end, top safety. I mean, I feel Detroit is

the next San Francisco. They just don't have the playoff experience. So here we go, our top ten, Ravens and Kansas City. Number one is the best player in the world, Patrick Mahomes, highest playoff win percentage, 81% in the Super Bowl era.

What do you want me to say? He's getting Andy Reid National TV commercials. His six years have been unbelievable. The highest-guided quarterback this year in both a divisional round and the postseason according to pf now i do think he has faced a worn down beat-up buffalo and miami defense and it will look different this weekend number two lamar jackson best quarterback this year but i will say he doesn't have the pocket numbers that would stack him up against mahomes he does have the highest winning percentage 73% of any quarterback without a Super Bowl appearance.

I think that will change this weekend in the Super Bowl era. One four straight starts by plus 14 points. He is a nightmare for defensive linemen and defensive coordinators. Number three, Roquan Smith, who has literally changed the defense. Most of these guys were here, and Roquan Smith showed up, and it's the number one scoring defense and the number one total defense. the best linebacker in football for an organization that has a pretty rich history in great linebackers. Pro-bowler, all-pro, tackle machine, culture changer defensively, Roquan Smith.

Number four is Travis Kelsey. He's older. May have been number three on this list a couple years ago, but Mahomes and Kelsey have the most touchdown 16 by any duo in NFL playoff history, although he doesn't feel like he runs quite like he did two to three years ago, he remains an incredibly difficult cover. Number five, Chris Jones. Chris Jones, highest-gritted defensive player on either team, 11 sacks this year, second most by an interior defensive lineman.

Not going to make the tackles of Roquan Smith, won't be as active, but a complete and utter disruptor almost to the level of Aaron Donald. Number six, a rookie Zay Flower. Lamar finally got his game breaker on the perimeter. I can't believe how good he is. Five touchdowns, last six games. You can use him a lot of different ways. This kid is a spectacular player.

And this was a year in which there was a lot, a lot of good rookie receivers. And they asked a lot of him because Mark Andrews wasn't around because of the injury. So for him to come into a winning culture that demands a lot with a lot of veterans, and to be that good, kind of blows because of the injury. kind of blows me away. Number seven, Lageria Sneed, Kansas City. That kid is led the Chiefs in picks

and passes defended this year. If you went after him, the quarterback rating was 59.3. He is a hyper-athletic corner for the Chiefs. Number eight, another one of their corners. Trent McDuffie, who also, by the way, led the NFL

with five forced fumbles. So the former Washington Husky, he was targeted 77 times this year. I don't think he's quite as athletic as Sneed, but you could flip these guys, the two chief corners, seven and eight. Number nine, sensational. Kyle Hamilton, the safety. Second highest-gritted Ravens Defender, only player with three plus sacks and four picks this season, over four.

he was good the first minute he arrived. Remember they went and drafted a center and a safety in the first round, and everybody went, a center and a safety, they have both been phenomenal. And number 10 hasn't played a ton, but I think he's second or third best tight end for several years. Mark Andrews. Again, seven games missed due to an ankle injury. I am a huge fan. He's also something like Travis, Kelsey, and Gronk.

He's really big on crucial downs. He's not doing stuff late in blowouts. Mark Andrews, first couple series, third down, fourth down, red zone, very gronk, Travis Kelsey. He is great when great is needed. So these are the 10 best players. By the way, I left some unbelievable players out. So, you know, you can argue here and there, I left a couple of, like, pro-bowl level offensive linemen. There's elite defensive linemen.

I did this yesterday where I left Fred Warner out of the top 10. these teams are stacked. I think we have the right four teams. We have three star quarterbacks and one great story, but I think we have four stacked roster. In fact, I would argue Kansas City's got the weakest roster because they actually have some holes. I don't think their tackle, play O.T. Play has been great. At receiver, it's Rishie Rice, and then you kind of crossing your fingers with young guys. But I think we have the right teams. Any knocks on this? I think you're missing Isaiah Pacheco, who I think is incredible and should be in the top ten.

And I do think you're a little high on Zay Flowers. I love him as a receiver, but six best player in the game, I would say no. His prop numbers are going down because he's got to go against Sneed. And if he's in the slot, McDuffie, not a great matchup for the rookie. A guy I haven't talked to in a long time. 18 years, three Pro Bowls, 10 was Seattle, six playoff appearances with the Seahawks. And he was fantastic. Matt Hasselbeck.

Wow. We don't get Matt Hasselbeck on this show very much. We do. Look at behind you. Look at that, and is that Boston College, Seattle, Colts Packers? What am I looking at behind you? Junk. You're looking probably mostly at my kids' stuff these days. They're wrecking up the accolades more than me.

I see a national championship trophy in there. That's not mine. I see two runner-up trophies. Those aren't mine. No, it's funny. Like, I grew up. My dad played a long time in the NFL. And he had all these game balls.

And we just, we played with them in the driveway. It just was like, my dad was like, yeah, I'm not going to go buy a new ball. Play with this. We'd be like, oh, game ball, New York Giants. You know, and so I think we're kind of the same way. In fact, the Marshawn Lynch, Beast Quake ball. I just saw Marshawn in Seattle recently. He's like, hey, man, where's that ball that I scored the best run in NFL history on?

Where's that ball? And I'm like, I didn't know that was the ball. Like, my daughter took that ball home. I think my dog was playing with that ball. at one point, like in his mouth. So it's just, oops, my bad. Yeah. I have defended

righteously, Jared Goff, and I said, NFL fans love spectacular. I do, too. And it's why I fell for Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, you see spectacular. And Kyler Murray, Goff isn't, I said, I like wheat fins and Cheerios

and the Postal Service. I know they're not spectacular, but God, I like all of them and they're really reliable. I just think he's, I think because he is an old school quarterback, and he's the last number one pick who's a pure pocket guy. What do you see with golf? Yeah, he's a pure pocket guy, but when he's at his best, you know, back when in the McVeigh days, he was under center. Looks like dropback passing, but the launch point was not usually right behind the center. You know, it was that fake outside zone. You know, I'm setting up in the B or C gap, the play action game. I, I

I think he's a very good play action passer. I think he's a very good play action passer. And then deep passer, play action passer, and then even empty. So I just think this is a great fit in terms of like how patient and creative they are in the run game, married up with his skill set. I think his number one quality, though, is probably just his resiliency. And the team just believes in him. He's steady. And pretty cool.

Like if he were to take two different teams to the Super Bowl, there's not a lot of quarter. that can say they've done that. So we talked about this yesterday, that we all know quarterbacks the most valuable position in the sport. Debo Samuel is very much kind of a chess piece that if the weather's bad or the pass rush is intense, it's just get it to Debo and, you know,

he's just a train going downhill. In your career, did you have something relatively close, something like a Debo? Because I think all quarterbacks are best served when they have the security blanket. I mean, Gronk was great, but he really became a security blanket

for Tom on 3rd and 4. What do you make of Debo, how you could use him and his value to the Niners? Yeah, I mean, the Niners have so many weapons. Debo, Kittle, Iuke, CMC, like you start taking some of those pieces away. They're not as scary as they are otherwise. But I really don't know if there has been anybody like Debo.

I mean, he's a wide receiver. they're putting him at running back. The guy when I played that reminds me of Debo, someone who could have done that is Steve Smith. Like Steve Smith could have been that kind of a guy. There's probably a couple other guys that way, but I don't think we ever saw wide receivers willing to be used the way that Kyle Shanahan is using Debo.

Like, yeah, coach, I'll run power. I'll play running back. I'll be outside. I'll be inside. I'll block. We haven't really seen that. So I think that's a big question. You know, that's a big question.

And I think if you're Detroit, you know, the way you stop it is you just got to get your hands up. It's that like quick little baseball turn. Purdy's got a baseball background. He's turning the double play. He's catching it. He's getting them out. And then all of a sudden, Debo's creasing them. And, you know, when we would play against teams like that, guys that could gash us like that.

T.O. was that way with the Niners for a while and get them on a little inside slant and take it for 80 yards. You just got to get your hands up. If you can sense that the offensive line is, short setting or something like that, get your hands up. When I was in Seattle, there was a saying our defensive guys used to say all the time, tips and overthrows, got to get those. If you can get a batted ball at the line of scrimmage, you can gift your secondary guys free interceptions. And I think that's part of the plan. So I didn't know how good Lamar Jackson would be out of college. I said, you know, I saw him at Louisville. He ran a lot. And then by his second year,

I'm like, yeah, this works. This is going to work. He made me, he made. He made. He made. He made. He made Michael Vic look pedestrian with his twitchiness. It's like, I don't even know what this is. But one of the things I like about Lamar, he was thin, and then he came back the next year with traps, and then he couldn't slide, and then the next year he could. And he clearly got better in the pocket, but he got more patient. And I don't think fans sometimes understand. I've never had a gift like that.

When you are gifted, Chris Carter used to say, if you're gifted a great voice, You're going to sing in the car. You're going to sing in the shower. It's just in you. You can't stop. People understand how hard it is when you can run and succeed. And yet, Lamar has just added layer and layer and layer to pocket passing. There's a certain discipline that I just don't, it's, I mean, Matt, you could move.

But you watch Lamar and it's like, I don't need, it doesn't even look like anybody I've ever seen. Just go to the beginning and now where we are with Lamar. are you surprised by how good he's gotten overall? I don't know if he's surprised is the word, I think, impressed, because I did cover him in college, and he was a great passer, but like he said, sometimes it would have just been easier to just take it himself.

I would say this about Lamar this year. This is the healthiest that he has been this late in the season. That's usually been the question. Like, he's hanging on. He's hanging on by a thread health-wise, and I'm sure the coaching staff in Baltimore sort of like opened his eyes. up to that a little bit like hey you can use your creativity with your legs

and all that stuff but we want what what can we do to make sure you're feeling your best in January when we need you to feel your best and on top of that this is the best group of past catcher catchers that he's had in his career yes yeah up to date you know and then the big question for me is Mark Andrews because even going back like so there's some quarterback you just have a feeling with a guy like that is your guy and for whatever reason Lamar Jackson's go-to guy has really been Mark Andrews. It's not a wide receiver. It's a tight end. And even going back to when he was at Louisville, his go-to guy there, he felt more chemistry with tight ends than

wide receivers, in my opinion. And I see that now with the Baltimore Ravens. So if Mark Andrews can't go, I think that's a huge thing or how much he can go. I would say on the, you know, on the positive, Isaiah likely has stepped up and been for them. So just, I really think this could be Baltimore's year. I'm a huge fan of the Niners. I really thought they were a runaway train in the NFC. It's easy to root for Detroit. But Baltimore, man, if ever there was a year where it just feels like this is the year, I got to believe it feels like this is the year for Baltimore. You know, one of the things that I think defined you and why the Seahawks were willing to build around you was your maturity. And you're obviously talented, you're smart. But when I

watch like the Netflix special with Mahomes. It's like he got so many people and so much noise and his brother and his wife's funny and now there's Taylor Swift and Andy Reid and he's the star of the league and I'm just, I don't have this ability. He is just, it just flies past him. He just, it just, he just doesn't matter. And then he shows up on the games and he is brilliant. It's a pretty remarkable trait to be the face of a league. Now Tom, was different, Tommy. Tommy wasn't this good, this early, or this gifted. And they didn't have this much moving around him. I'm blown away by Patrick off field as much as on. He's still a kid. I mean, you were a star quarterback, but you were tucked up in the Pacific Northwest or in

Green Bay. Kansas City smack dab in the middle. Am I overstating that, or are we, is there a value to being able to handle intensity, pressure, fame, money, stuff. I mean, this is what I think is true. He's the face of the NFL. He has been for a while now. He's the face of the NFL. I think that hardens you. I think that toughens your skin.

There's a saying in quarterback rooms, you need to have skin like an armadillo. Things got to be water off a duck's back. Like, that's just how it's got to be. I think Mahomes has that, without a doubt. He's going to get, naturally going to get all the attention. Like, in a matchup like this, He's going to get all the attention because of who he is, how great he has been,

and who the other quarterback is, how great he has been. Like, that's natural. But I don't know that that's really what it's going to come down to. Like, you know Andy Reed and Spags, they're going to coach your butts off. Spags is underrated as all get out, played against him when he was with the Rams, with the Giants, when he was their de-coordinator. He's a beast, okay? The game will be close no matter what.

To me, though, the unsung hero that everyone wants to talk, about Mahalmah, like, this is still tackle football. The difference, and I think the thing that Baltimore really needs to worry about, is the run game has finally showed up in a powerful, powerful, powerful, meaningful way in Kansas City. Like, Isaiah Pacheco is not getting, and he probably never will get the respect that he deserves, that that offensive line deserves, like, they're running the football. They're running the football in Kansas City. And that's not something that I I think we felt like, we always felt like, oh, the running backs are involved in the screen game, the passing game. But it's like, hey, Patrick Moms, you go do you and play recess, and that's how we'll win.

I don't know that that's how they can beat Baltimore. So to answer your question, I think Andy Reid does a great job of, like, of, you know, keeping or helping keep Patrick level-headed and stuff like that. But, no, I mean, I don't think any quarterback in a long time has had to deal with what Patrick has had to deal with at such a young age. Andy Reid. He was a Packers quarterback coach. Did you think to yourself at any point, man, this guy, this, he's operating different. What was the first thing that you thought about Andy he's funny? He loves his steak tips, his try tips. I mean, that stuff. But I mean, what was the first thing coach and you went, wow, it was different?

All of it. All of it. I mean, I could write a book about it. Maybe I will. But like even going back, like the comparisons to what Patrick is dealing with now. Like when Andy Reid was my quarterback coach, Brett Farrve was the starting quarterback. You know, he had come off with two consecutive Super Bowls, three consecutive MVPs. I wasn't allowed to talk in the meeting. I was just like sit there in the meeting and listen to Mike Holmgren and Andy Reed coach Brett Farv. And the backups, myself, Doug Peterson, Rick Meyer, we were just sort of like allowed to be in the room.

That's kind of how I viewed it. And I literally would like write down all the questions that are great things that I would hear Andy Reid say to Brett Fav. And on the walk from the quarterback room to the locker room, I would ask Doug Peterson all the questions I would have wanted to ask if I was allowed to talk in the meeting. But like I think I think the best one of the best things that Andy did for Brett is he protected him from all the outside stuff. And I think people think with a star franchise quarterback, the outside stuff is outside the building. it's very much inside the building as well. It's the defensive coordinator, the linebackers coach. Seven of your teammates won an autograph for their friends, cousins, mom's sister.

And it's like all that stuff had to go through the quarterback coach, Andy Reed. All of it. I don't care if you were the, literally, if you were the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers at the time, and you wanted a Brett Far of autograph, you had to ask Andy Reed, the quarterback coach, and he was the gatekeeper. He would say, no. Like there's no autographs after Thanksgiving. or whatever he would say.

He would be the bad guy. So Brett could be the leader and the good guy and the guy that everybody loved. It's things like that, setting up things like that, even inside the building, that give you downtime as a franchise quarterback, somewhat of Mahomes' status to kind of like have a breather so that you can just go do what you've got to do to help carry the team the weight that you have been. Matt Hasselbeck. You know, his brother Tim used to yell at me.

every week on the I used to be at the other place and I miss him as well it's a great great family now now today for you what do what do what does Matt Hasselbeck do today other than waste 15 minutes your life talking to me what are you doing you're going to lacrosse games with your kids hey today's a big day so I'm coaching high school football now I got to coach my son who was a senior in high school this year at my alma mater I'm not the head coach the head coach was actually coaching there when I was there as a player and we're hosting our our banner tonight at the halftime of the basketball game. We won the state championship here this

year. So we're fired up. It should be fun. There'll be some pregame festivities and some post game festivities as well. So that's that's Friday night for me here tonight. Well, you've got a remarkable family and you didn't have to do this, Matt, and I appreciate it. We speak highly of you often when you're not in attendance here about one of the people that we'd love to see in a more regular basis. And I want to say thanks for stopping by today. Anytime. Good to talk to you. All right, Matt Hasselbeck, who was a great Seahawk quarterback for a decade, and they built around him, and they went to that Super Bowl, and I think even Steeler fans would acknowledge the officiating was not ideal. Pittsburgh won, very good team, but he had a really good career.

He's the one who said, we want the ball, we're going to score. By the way, I love that. That was awesome. I love that. I love a little trash talk. No, he's, he and it's an unbelievable family. You know, his dad played in the league. That does a football family.

That is the classic American football family. You know, we know the Clay Matthews family, you know, the Matthews family, the Manning family. We know a lot of these families. Hasselbecks just have a rich history of being around the game, the dads, the kids, the dad's kids. It's pretty cool. This year resolved to keep your family safer than ever with Simply Safe. Trust them in your home. I do mine, 20% off today on your new system with a fast protect plan.

Go to SimplySafe.com. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King's Sportsbook. New users, just use the code herd, H-E-R-D when you download the app. All right, here's my parlay picks of the week via Draft King's Sportsbook. I like the Ravens at home minus three and a half to win in cover. Feels like 2720 to me. They've blown out 7-8-9 teams.

Chiefs look better than they are due to Buffalo's defensive injuries. I think the over 44 and a half in that game feels right. And I'm going to take Jared Gough over one and a half passing touchdowns in San Francisco. You got to score to beat San Francisco. They're not getting a great pass rush. And I love Detroit's weapons. I think it's a good game. You want to take the herd parlay.

Check out Draft King's sportsbook. New users. The code is heard. H-E-R-D when you download the app, which doesn't take more than 90 seconds. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler.

In New York, call 8778-8 Hope-N-Wire, text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. See show notes for full details. 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 you're 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 Clivert 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 Cliverts Show on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I will make my picks for the AFC and NFC Championship Games. All waiting with bainted breath, I'm sure. Here, though, is JMAQ with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. You open the show talking about Bill Belichick Not getting the Falcons job Remember we sat here for a while

And we're like, that just feels like a clunky fit Sounds like Arthur Blank really wanted him And the rest of the front office was like Yeah, I don't know Arthur And Rahim Morris will be the next Falcons head coach Belichick, it doesn't sound like he's going to get the Seattle job And it doesn't sound like he's going to get the commander's job

A lot of people seem to think Ben Johnson's going to the commanders If he is going to have any say in personnel, I am absolutely not interested. And I was a Bill Belichick greatest coach ever guy for 15 years. I don't want him near personnel. You pointed out yesterday, and everybody makes mistakes in the draft. The best G. Howie Roseman has had huge whiffs. So nobody cares.

You think you know the draft. It's difficult. But when you draft Pooka Nakua, like two rounds behind a kicker, and you need wide receiver. help. Three interior alignment. Like he has struggled to identify what works. Nikiel Harry was a just didn't work first round receiver. You look at players draft that. He has a real hole in his game and it's okay if you do in any industry. You have to acknowledge that. Hey, I don't do this well. We all have that. He will not acknowledge he can't draft

offensive players. He will not acknowledge it. He's stubborn. The one thing if he just said, hey man, I'm bad at that. You do it. But he wants some. Now, Harbaugh wants more control. Absolutely. Pete Carroll right out of college. There are, I think John Harbaugh has through the years been pretty smart when you asked John

about what he likes about personnel. And some of the times John has leaned on Jim. He's called Jim. Jim. Jim, is this kid to this kid play. So there's the Harbaugh's between each other. Jim is leaned on John for some NFL assistance. And John has leaned on Jim for some of his college.

expertise, but most coaches should coach. Yeah. And all the reports were like, Belichick's meeting with Arthur Blank, not with the Falcons, but with the owner, because it sounds like that's the structure Bill wanted. Hey, I answer to Kraft, I'll answer to you.

I'm not going to meet with the CEO, the president, the G, I'm not doing that. Which, I mean, you can kind of understand that. Like, you're Billichick. Who's this guy who's going to, like, trying to control my roster, right? I can understand. understand why Belichick's like that, but at the same time, I don't have to get into job.

I don't know what this is about guys. It's okay to up front be like, listen, I don't do this particularly well. Can we hire somebody this can do this for me? Like, that's not. That's the thing. He does football. It's not like this is like a car and he's trying to fix it himself. He's like, I've won a million Super Bowls.

I've built Super Bowl winners. I'm going to handle the roster and everything. I don't want. Have you noticed the? The deterioration of drafting as Ernie Adams got over. The deterioration of the offense since Brady left. The deterioration of his O-line since Dante Scarnacchio left retired. You cannot acknowledge that other people probably played a bigger role.

And I don't think Jim's selfish, Bill's selfish in those terms. But you have to be able to at some point admit I'm older. I mean, my wife's a great example of this. She's like, listen, we've got to get better with tech to watch our kids and to monitor stuff. she's much better at it than I am. I'm not a tech guy, so I have to lean on younger people, and so it's like it's okay to admit, yeah, maybe I'm not great. Bill's reluctance to just go, I struggle on April, late April, I struggle.

I don't know how good this comparison is, but let's say you took the herd to X network and some guy tried to say, hey, Colin, here's what we're going to do. You'd be allowed to. I'd say, I've been. I'm not a good salesman, sell it. Yeah. I got the show. I got the content, right?

Well, everybody's got their thing and everybody's got a weakness. You can't have Bill doing draft day. Can't. Sorry, not interested. At all. Off the table. Off the table. Next up, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have faced off four times in their careers. Never in the playoffs Sunday, they'll have the first playoff matchup.

Mahomes says he knows it's going to be a big challenge. Just looking at what he did in college and then the Ravens organization and how much success they've had my entire life. I knew that he was going to put him in the right position to win. And we were going to be playing a lot of big games, a FC championship, playoff games, whatever that was. And so it's cool to see that we're finally here. We're finally planning our first playoff game, gets each other. And it's going to be a great challenge.

God, do I have a great nugget for you before the end of the hour? Oh, my God, you're not going to like this. Bated breath. It isn't really Mahomes versus Lamar. It's the Ravens defense. versus Patrick. I think the game comes down to this. Can the Ravens stop or slow down significantly the Chiefs run game?

And if the answer is yes, it could be a blowout. Well, they play with a lot of light boxes. They want to invite, hey, go ahead, you can run the football. Everybody knows you pass to win in the NFL. I told you the stat. It's like 67%. If you have more passing yards, you will win the game. That's this season.

That's how skewed it is. So that's why, hey, go ahead, Pacheco, you can have 25 carries. I'm starting to wonder, this Chief's defense, Colin, it's been really, really good. How much success does Lamar have in this game? First of all, the Chief's defense is good. It's good. But Tua minus 27 isn't Lamar at home. Yeah, you toss that one out, right?

And if Buffalo's field goal kicker, Baltimore's got the best kicker in the world, if Buffalo's field goal kicker could hit kicks, that game goes into overtime and Kansas City's maybe not. not here. This Baltimore team is not Miami and not Buffalo. They have the best special teams. They don't have to worry about wide right.

They have a better defense that's healthy. So I mean, like Kansas City, let's be honest, has faced a quarterback from Miami in minus 27 degrees at home. Makes your defense look pretty good. And a Buffalo team that abandoned the

deep ball against Kansas City because they had linebacker issues and wanted to keep their defense off the field. So that Buffalo team played a very safe game, and Miami played a very inept game with the weather. This Baltimore offense is a whole different ballgame. It is, but just those two cornerbacks, McDuffie in the slot, can X somebody out of the game.

All right. Sneed on the outside is a lockdown guy. We saw him dominate Tyree Kill and others. Where's the passing attack? Is it likely the guy? Is it Bateman? We saw OBJ not play that much last week. OBJ is a non-fif.

factor. So who is it Bateman? Is it Nelson Aguilar? Like, I start... Andrews, Zay Flowers, Lamar, Edwards, dominant defense, turn over here, best kicker in the game. That's a lot of weapons to me. Justin Tucker, baby.

Final story, NBA All-Stars were announced. The starters yesterday. LeBron, amazingly, is an All-Star starter for the 20th straight time. He should be. That's insane. 20 straight years is an All-Star. 20.

set the record for most All-Star appearances passing Jabbar, who was at 19. Do we have the entire All-Star teams? We have the starters, yes. And in a bit of a shocker, Steph Curry is not a starter in the West. At some point, after football ends, you'll get to how the Warriors are struggling badly.

Well, I mean, it's not like, it's hard to start in the West for an All-Star team. Well, SGA is starting over Curry? like SGA is really, really good. I'm not poo-pooing him. Well, this year. Steve Curry, guys. Come on. We want to see

Steph Curry in the Elstar game. Well, he'll be the first off the bench. Rauluka, Yokic, KD, LeBron. I don't have any complaints about any of them. I just get, I mean, I like SGA's really good. And who was it? M.B. Tatum, who out east? Dane Lillard was a bit of a somewhat minor upset. Yannis. A lot of Jalen Brunson has

earned it over Dain Lillard. Yeah, I was going to say that's your argument. Dames actually, statistical. I looked at some numbers the other day, had a really good year. Like really, really good, like, analytic numbers. Technically, Jaylen Brunson's been better. Now, he is the number one is the guy, I like Jailen. We like Jalen Brunson a lot.

I can't take all the guys. I know you're a big sense. No, I think Jalen's excellent. He's the first time that I can remember the Knicks best player being somebody I would absolutely trust in a game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. Like, I think he's a grown-up, he plays defense, he's collaborative, he's a clutch player. Like, when's the last? They've had a lot of talent. Starberry,

mellow. I mean, you got to go way back and it's like, I didn't trust John Stark to hit a big jumper. Well, John Stark's... But I'm saying, I mean... Patrick Ewing? Mostly, I trust it. I like viewing a lot. But I mean, Brunson is mature, distributes, defends, clutch,

scores. It's about as good as you're going to get. It doesn't appear to have classic Villanova guy. I get no ego. By the way, gentlemen Brunson or Tray Young? Both great. depends on the team. Tray is a more natural score. I think Jalen is a sturdier player.

They're both great. They're both great. I mean, one of them tries to play defense. Well, Trey's not known as a defense. I'm so disappointed in the Hawks, but you know, that's a February story. All right. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lye News. Who would you take, Tray Younger, Jalen Brunson? Did I start something there? Well, no, I think Brunson, there's a sturdiness to him It's not real flashy, but I just, and maybe I'm over, you know, I'm giving him credit because New York has been so fundamentally flawed from ownership down that they finally have a guy. And I like the NBA. I would like to see the Knicks be relevant in late May and June. I think they're great for the league and I think New York basketball is great.

But Brunson, Mello had more talent and Ewing had more size and Amarberry was more sometimes gifted. Brunson's just so adult. Like these Villanova players, you get somebody who defy, you get somebody who defyce, and he's, who fends, who passes, who travels well, like you can just put him in control of your operation. I don't mind taking occasional rare Ls. Remember I was a Ben Simmons guy forever? I lost that one. I've been a Trey Simmons, a Trey Young guy for a long time. I'm sorry, I would take him over. To start my team, I would take great jail. I would think, I think Trey Young is more naturally offensively gifted, but I could argue that foundationally, Brunson's better to build around.

By the way, Brunson has beaten Spider-Mitchell, Donovan Mitchell, twice in a row. pro head to head in the playoffs in Dallas and then in New York. I mean, listen, I know I like Donovan Mitchell. Jalen Bruns is really good, clutch, everything about him. Yeah, he is really clutch. He's a pro. When your business reaches a certain scale, challenges surface. You deserve a tailored solution.

That's NetSuite. Learn more. Download their popular KPI checklist. NetSuite.com slash Herod, H-E-R-D. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays, and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you.

join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app,

Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, Clifford Taylor the fourth.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. podcast. Sunday on Fox, Jared Goff aims to lead the Lions to their first ever Super Bowl while Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and the top-seated Niners away. The NFC championship game Sunday at 6 Eastern on Fox. Very exciting. All right.

Now, last week I said, went three and one, but I said, Blazing Five is kind of regular season in first round of the playoffs. And I said, after that, there's just not many games. I didn't love the lines last week. I thought they were mostly right. I didn't think Baltimore would beat Houston by over the spread. I didn't think Green Bay would give San Francisco trouble. I actually think both of these are very bettable.

I think the Chiefs Ravens line is one of the best lines in the playoffs so far. So here we go. I'm going to take the Ravens minus three and a half. I would take them over Kansas City. And there are certain factors here. First of all, the Ravens have the number one rushing offense, won't be totally reliant on Lamar and the number one scoring defense. They are the first team in league history to be number one in scoring defense, lead in takeaways and sacks in the same season. NFL history.

At home, they average 35 a game and eight games and against many playoff-level teams. This is also key. The Ravens defense only allowed 49 snaps against the Texans, fewest by the game. any team in the round. They are well rested. The Chiefs played 78 snaps against the bills. Kansas City's defense, most snaps they had to play in the divisional round. And Lamar Jackson this year, believe it or not, had a higher completion percentage than Mahomes,

had a higher passer rating than Mahomes, more total touchdowns than Mahomes. had a better O-line. He had a better receiving core. Baltimore is no mirage. Kansas City's offense due to the depleted rosters of the Dolphins defense and the Bill's defense is overvalued here. The value is on Baltimore's side. I feel strongly about it, 28 to 20. The Ravens win and are clearly the better team. Now we go to the Lions plus 7 and a half at the Niners. I like Detroit. Not as much as Baltimore, but I like the line here.

The hook, seven and a half. First of all, this team is 22 and 7 in the last 29 games under Dan Campbell. And they've played a lot of good teams. It's the number one total offense under Ben Johnson, 390 yards a game. In fact, over the last two seasons, no quarterback, has had a better touchdown to interception ratio in the league. league than Jared Goff 59 and 19 why weapons strong run game brilliant OC top O line none of that is a mirage their defense though is getting to the quarterback multiple at sacks in eight straight

games and the Niners O line on the right side is vulnerable debo Samuel if he plays and I think he will I'm going to take the Niners, but I want you to hear this. Remember, players always tell us there's the preseason intensity, the regular season intensity, and then playoff intensity. Brock Purdy's not playing well. His last three games? 79 passer rating, three TDs and four picks. He is the least talented quarterback by a long shot.

and the Niners roster. Again, if Debole plays at home, San Francisco has proven to be able to put up big numbers. But I think the side is Detroit. 34 to 27 or 28. I'm going to take Detroit to cover. I think Detroit also tends to be pretty good, scripted early, staying in games, brought pretty trailing or in close games not the same quarterback. So I think the Raven's side is a very strong play.

The lion's side is not as strong a side. But when they give you the hook, take it. Seven and a half, I'll take the Lions to lose but covered. Now the question is, will Debo play eight plays, 18, 38 or 58? The last two numbers takes one or two plays for Debo. He's a complete game breaker. He plays 25, 35, 45, 45 plays. I like San Francisco.

But you saw something last week. Jordan Love is much better than Brock Pretty. We have a habit now. You put Brock on the road against good competition, a little bit of a pass rush, comes right back down. So, J-Mack, you have your picks coming up next hour. Feel very strongly about Baltimore.

I think what the line shows you is the fear of Mahalaj. Holmes because the data points to a very clear Baltimore scoring 28 to 30 points in this game, and the Chiefs are not averaging that. And we all know the Chiefs, Miami fell apart defensively, missing six starters, Bill's missing five starters. Everybody knows that. All the data is in. That number should be closer to five and a half to six Baltimore, but it's just the Mahomes factor.

And the fear, you know, they say Wall Street's run by fear and greed in gambling, There's a lot of fear of getting burned because Mahomes does what Mahomes does. Baltimore has been all year long a significantly better team, better special teams in Kansas City, better defense than Kansas City, better O-line than Kansas City, better weapons than Kansas City, better at home than Kansas City. So, you know, I do a lot of gambling on my podcast. I talked to a bookmaker and I said, what would the line have been Ravens Chiefs before the playoffs started? Ravens minus six.

So why are we down to three and a half, four? because of the respect, like you said, for Mahomes. And he's earned that. Of course, he's dominant in the playoffs. I just want to add one thing. You know, I'm looking out some of these defensive stats. The Detroit Lions have the fifth most mistackles in the NFL. Do you know who dominates yards after catch?

Debo. Yakum. 49ers. In space, Ayuk, Kittle, C-Mack. Lions don't tackle well. If Debo plays in the 20 to 30s, he's going to break a couple. It's just the way it is with this defense. That's the key in this thing.

Debo plays. He's going to make plays. Yeah. The bad tackling defense. 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. to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I Heart 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 Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.