The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Where Colin Was Right & Wrong, Greg Olsen

Episode Date: December 4, 2023

Another edition of Where Colin Was Right and Wrong. And Colin talks about the New York Jets wanting to bring Zach Wilson back as the starter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRedio.com Or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two. Just starting out live in Los Angeles.

It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making that part of your day. Greg Olson, five minutes. He was on the broadcast yesterday. Niners. He and Kevin Burkard do a great job. Even though it was a blowout, it was a wildly fun exercise for me to sit down and watch two great teams. A lot of good players on Fox.

J-Mack, you called it. I kind of called it. We liked the Niners. You liked them big. extra rest. When you get to the end of a season, every day counts. San Francisco looked much fresher in the second half. These are long seasons. The weather's cold. You've been in the week before you're playing Buffalo down to the wire.

You get into overtime, extra snaps. Philadelphia looked a little gas. I'm surprised you didn't go in on the meatball on the Eagles sideline who put his hands on Greenlaw. What are you doing touching a Niners player? What do you think is going to happen? And all these Eagles fans defending the guys? guy like, dude, head of security doesn't touch an opposing player. That's way out of bounds. There's chalk that he might get suspended, which I would totally agree with.

Yeah, I didn't love it either. All right, it's a Monday. It's the second hour. Colin Wright, Colin wrong, plenty of both. Here we go. Where Colin was right. We had a good Blazing five. We took the Rams, Lions, and Niners. I do apologize. The Tim Boyle experiment did not pan out for me or the New York Jets. It was without question, the silliest pick I've ever made in the history of Blazing. five. What was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn't. We also have the Jags tonight, but we had a winning week, three and one with one to go. Where Colin was raw. I said six weeks ago, I said Jordan loves inaccurate, apprehensive. I don't see it. Like, he just doesn't have any confidence. I don't

know what happened, but his last five games, 11 touchdowns, two picks, he's letting it rip. He can be a little erratic. He's a little more far than Rogers. He's not a precise thrower, but he's got these terrific young, twitchy athletes, boy, does Green Bay draft and develop wide receiver talent? He's fun to watch. I said Friday, I didn't care if he won or lost. Just go toe to toe and see if you can play. I'm

wrong. He did. It was awesome. Where Colin was right? Well, I made a prediction. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys would roll over Washington, Carolina of the Giants, and probably beat Seattle. And then all of a sudden during the season, you'd hear about contract talk for Dak. Well, what do you know? It's been

leaked. Ian Rappaport reports the Cowboys, Dack are working on a deal. It's as we predicted. Dak beats bad teams. Jerry falls in love. And suddenly you're talking contracts in the middle of a season. Highly Cowboy predictable. Where Colin was wrong.

You know, I gave Russell Wilson a tad too much credit. A bad day yesterday. Now, some of it is Houston's defense in D'Amico Ryans. What a great rookie coach he is. But he had three picks. C.J. Stroud clearly looked like the better quarterback. and now Russell had to play at the end of the game to pick up a first down as the pocket collapse that was classic Russell Wilson. But this was an ugly one.

I was probably too much on the hype train. He came back down to Earth. Where Colin was right? I never bought this idea the Rams were going to be awful. Vegas had their over under like five and a half. And I kept saying the J-Mack, it's a quarterback coach league and I get McVan Stafford. As long as he's healthy with Cooper Cup, they're going to win some games. Well, right now they're a playoff team.

And I'll say this. I think McVeigh's having his best season. I think they're doing an unbelievable job to make this average offensive line work. Pooka Naku is but an unbelievable rookie. But if it's a quarterback coach league, McVeigh and Stafford, if Matt's healthy with decent protection, are never going to be terrible. I thought they were an eight-win team. They could buy. I didn't necessarily think they were a playoff team, but could vie for it, and they have.

Where Colin was wrong. I'm glad Bama made the playoffs. They were 9-0 against the SEC, and I believe Bama deserves to make the playoffs. But I'm surprised. I didn't think they beat Georgia. The quarterback play was inconsistent. They got housed by Texas at home, not only beat, beat by double digits, and dominated at home in the fourth quarter. But Sabin's a great coach.

They got better. I did not think they'd beat Georgia. I didn't think they were consistent enough at quarterback. But it's what Sabin does. It didn't help for Georgia a couple of plays. players banged up. But you know what? Alabama lost one of their corners, I think, during the game. So congrats, I was wrong, and I think they'll make the playoff great. Where Colin was right?

I've been a Sark guy forever. I know he's got a lot of critics. But Steve Sarkis and I believe can coach. The Longhorns are 12 and 1. I think they're offensively deep and creative. They've got a great deal of dexterity. They can win a lot of different ways. I don't know if they could beat back-to-back a Washington in Bama or a Washington in Michigan. think Michigan feels like the best team this year and I'm going to make them my pick to win it. But Sark can coach. I mean, let's be honest.

Texas is a great program, but how many times if they fired a coach and couldn't win at this level? A lot. Mack Brown won. Sark has won. They deserve credit. Where Colin was wrong. Oregon. What happened to the ducks?

I thought they were the best team along with Michigan and Georgia I saw this year. And let me tell you something. It wasn't that close. what the score is. Washington had 10 more first down. Washington was 10 for 15 on third down. Washington jumped out to a lead. Washington was more focused. I think Kalin DeBore schematically is as good as any college football coach. This thing, Oregon got out-schemed, out-played, out-physicaled. Washington won that game, sort of like the Packers last night. I know it was close, but in the end you felt like Green Bay was the better team. The Huskies were

absolutely the better team. Where Colin was right? I never bought. these stories about Aaron Rogers coming back to play. First of all, he shouldn't. He's 40. It's a bad offensive line. Who wants to see Aaron Rogers get hurt? But it kept Aaron in the news cycle. It kept the locker room optimistic.

I kind of see why Aaron did it. It's an impulsive owner. You wanted to help Sala keep everybody in the right frame of mind. But this is not a place where Aaron could come back. If you had the Lions offensive line or the Cowboys offensive line, or if you had the Niners weapons where you could go back, three-step drop, letter rip. That's not what we have here.

I didn't buy that Aaron would play. I understood why he talked about it and discussed it, but the story is today. He's unlikely to play. Where Colin was right. Diana Rusini, great reporter, says Roger Goodell wants to get rid of the tush push. Now, the competition committee may push back, but this has been my contention that it's bad television. This is a TV product. I don't like the idea of quarterbacks getting smushed with 3003.

30-pound offensive lineman. I think it's dangerous. Now it is something that Philadelphia does better than everybody in football, and they deserve a ton of credit for that. I respect that heck out of Philadelphia. But I don't like the way it looks. I think it can be dangerous. I think you want to keep quarterbacks healthy.

And the story is Roger Goodell does not like it either. It will go to a vote in the committee. And it'll probably be a close. I can tell you where Philadelphia is going to vote. That part I can tell you. And with that, he and Kevin Burkart, I thought it was an entertaining game and most blowouts aren't. 14 years, three pro bowlers, Fox Sports Analyst.

So we instead coming into it, when seasons, when you get to this point in the season, Greg, you know this. Every day counts. Every day you can be in the tub, in the ice room, you can get therapy. I kind of felt like a rested Niner team really did have a situational advantage on a team that came out of an overtime game. Did you feel like that going in? We did. You know, I think when we started kind of breaking down the game, you know, the night before and all week, I think when we set it at the top of the broadcast, it's not an excuse and no coach is ever going to address it. No coach is ever going to use it leading up to the game when we talked to Nick Siriani. He said, listen, you know, we know this is hard. We knew all year. This was going to be the stretch of games that was going to challenge us. But I think the reality is it did matter. I do think now, do I think if they came in on 10 days rest like San Francisco, they would have beat San Francisco? I don't think anyone's beating. San Francisco when they play like that. So I think that's first and foremost.

I think San Fran was just the better team yesterday. But with that being said, they go two back-to-back thrillers, one going into overtime. Their defense played 92 snaps last week against Buffalo, end up winning from behind. I think the physical toll, but even when we talked about, the emotional toll, just continuing to get up week after week and play the biggest game of the season every single week. You get everyone's best shot. I don't think it's an excuse, but there's no question. It was definitely a factor.

There's also, as you know, Greg, having played 14 years, there are teams that you matched up better against. The reality is Philly lost their best linebackers. They got new coordinators. And the skill people for the Niners, Greg, their Hall of Fame level talent, Debo, Kittle, McCaffrey. And the guys in the back end for Philly, they're older, or they're good players.

They're not Hall of Fame level. I watch this matchup, and I think, as long as Kyle can get the ball out, three-step, shotgun, out, it's a matchup problem for Philadelphia with this. I mean, even if they met again, it's not like Debo, Christian, and George are going to be less talented. Yeah, and that was something we tried to kind of set this stage early in the game. The strength of Philly's defense is, of course, the front. It's their five-man, the rotation, the D-line, the depth, the edge, their ability to not only be strong interior against a run, but the edge pressure, being able to rush the passer.

So the question for Kyle Shanahan was, okay, how do I take advantage of some pass opportunities on the second and third level? They got two backups playing linebacker, a secondary that's, you know, one of the bottom five in the league. How do we take advantage of the back end and the space in the passing game without letting one of the best fronts in the league take over? So, like, that was the equation. What's great about Shanahan's system is it's built to protect the protectors, right?

aside from Trent Williams, they can then kind of scheme their way, play action pass, quick game, half boots, get the ball out of Purdy's hand, not stress the protection, and then allow Debo Samuel and McCaffrey and Kittle and Iuk and all those guys you just mentioned to then take advantage. And that's the chess match, but that's the advantage of this Shanahan system. There's no system in the league that does a better job protecting the guys up front, which then passes that protection along to the quarterback. And then when you have the skill players that he has and the ability to scheme up open space,

run after catch, it's a nightmare. And when they're healthy, and again, that three games skid, they lost Debo. We saw McCaffrey get knocked out of the Cleveland game. They lost Debo, Trent Williams, and McCaffrey, all in the same game. The other two didn't come back. McCaffrey played. Now that they're healthy, I think a healthy 49ers team, I just, I think it's hard to make an argument that they're not the best team in the league right now.

So you know this. So you were a, you know, a high draft pick, but you walked into your camps and you'd see fifth, six guys, fifth, six round guys, undrafted guys. And you knew it three or four practices in, whoa, this guy can really play. So we have Kurt Warner undrafted, Tony Romo undrafted, the goat, Tom Brady, blah, blah, blah, six round. I look at Brock Purdy, and I'm like, doesn't have a huge arm. He's not, you know, he's not Jalen Hertz Mobile. But when you are in that stadium and you see the play develop, what does he do where you go, okay, this is not just players in coaching?

Like, what do you see where you're like, okay, that's, you've been in the, you're in this league for a long time. You've seen guys who can spin it. He makes some throws, right? Yeah, I think, obviously, we know the things that work against them, everything you just mentioned, his draft status being Mr. Irrelevant, he's not the tallest guy, he's not going to win the combine. He's not going to win the, you know, he's not going to be the most impressive looking, quarterback on the field. But there's two things that separate him. He is a highly elite processor. When you talk to Kyle Shanahan, I had a minute to talk with Sam Darnold before the game, who I've

gotten to know from his time here in Carolina. And he said, listen, I've been around a lot of guys. And this was unsolicited. We were just kind of BSing on the field, just kind of catching up. And he goes, he processes and can go through reads. He can check off, okay, that's a bad look. Get out of that faster than any quarterback or any guy that I've ever played with. any level. I mean, that's a pretty unique conversation for a guy that's only in his second year as a starter. First year is a full season starter. So he does

that, he does that highly at a high level and he does a great job operating in muddy environments. There's times where there's leakage, there's time where he has to move in the pocket, there's time the protection's not perfect, there's bodies around him and he is highly accurate. So I think those two things, being highly accurate

and being a fast processor, you can make up for not being 6'3, you can make up for not running 4 or 5. I mean, there's a lot of things that you can do to make up for maybe physical limitations. But the notion that he's just the feel good story, that has to be put to rest. Like this guy is a full-blown NFL starter. That conversation in my mind should be put to rest. Will he win the MVP? I don't know. Is he in the five-man race? Absolutely. So you had Green Law and the Eagles kind of security guard on the sideline. Everybody's got a strong opinion on it. I, you know, I always kind of feel like,

players have to, and it's really hard to ask a player. You guys are all going 1,000 miles an hour and to say, hey, be calm, be collected. Well, it's easy for a guy like me to say that. You guys are going to, your hair's on fire and your breathing. What did you make of this? I'll be honest. In the moment, and watching it again is kind of surreal, in the moment, it brought some life to our game. You know, he was getting out of hand there for a minute, and San Fran was kind of running away.

We thought coming out of the second half that Philly need a little spree. They needed a little juice. This was it for a brief period of time. And again, Big Dom, who's kind of become a local legend before this and obviously now after it, he can't put his hands on Greenlaw. That's no question. Me personally, I don't think any of it really warranted either one of them getting ejected. Greenlaw got the penalty.

He kind of suplexed Smith. That was clearly a penalty. The sidelines kind of put their hands. I don't necessarily think either one of them did anything that egregious. I mean, I don't think Greenlaw. I mean, I think a lot of it was kind of overblown. At the end of the day, yes, Dom cannot put his hands on players. I'm sure, Siriani, you heard him apologize to Shanahan after the game.

I think that's for sure. I don't think Greenlaw should have been thrown out. I don't think he should have been removed from the sidelines. The penalty was enforced on the field. Everything else was just emotions running hot. But it did bring some energy and some fun life to the game. a good time with it. Yeah, I mean, it's, I kind of feel like you did. In the media, sometimes we want this immediate reaction after a win or a loss, and it's like,

can we let these players, their hairs on fire? You've been in these, you're a smart, conscientious guy. You've probably lost yourself for a moment in the game. Have you not? Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, and that's why I think, again, when you look back on it, I really didn't think, even in the moment, and we kind of had made light. of it to a degree. And I think people are overreacting. I'm reading articles today that the Philadelphia head of security Dom, like he needs to be banned from NFL sidelines forever.

I just feel like people just take everything to the complete extreme. I don't think there's any possibility of suspension for Green Law. I don't think him kind of, to me, it looked like he was like pointing in his face less than trying to strike him. Yeah. So the refs were trying to get a hold of it. I thought it actually brought some fun excitement. and Philly ended up finishing the drive with two quarterback sneaks.

At some point, they're going to run a quarterback sneak from first and goal on the five at this point. It just keeps getting further and further away. But that was a big moment. And then San Fran converts on third down the ensuing drive, and then Debo breaks five tackles and busted the game back home. But for a minute there, that five, six minutes of that quarter, that was when the game kind of came to life a little bit. Okay, so we were saying this.

I know you were flying home and Jordan Love played Mahomes. and I said that it didn't matter if Jordan Love won. He would get a huge buy-in in the building if he could look like when Goff beat Mahomes in L.A. Had he not won, you were like, oh, Goff can go toe-to-to-to-to with Mahomes. We got ourselves a franchise guy. This guy can take us places.

Because personnel departments every year are looking, you know, they're looking over your shoulder. And I thought with Jordan Love last night, win or lose the play calling. They're clearly saying, kid, let me. it rip. And you know this. Not every coordinator does it with his players. Do we lose Greg or we still have Greg? Can you still see us, Greg? No, we just lost him. Greg Olson. We lost him. I do think, you know, and I said five, six weeks ago, I just did not at all

see it with Jordan Love. But Matt Lefleur after the game came out and just said, hey, we just told him sometimes you got to let it rip. And it's just the maturation and the growth. He'd been on the bench for three years. I figured he'd have it right out of the shoot. He didn't. Now he's got it and it looks special. And I'll tell you this. In the NFC, in the AFC, a lot of these teams have drafted quarterbacks and hit on him.

Herbert, Trevor Lawrence. Okay, let's go back to Greg Olson. So Greg, we were talking about Jordan Love. I didn't think he had to win. But he had to show that he could go toe to toe and make plays. And my takeaway after that game is, if you're a Packer

fan, executive, The guy's upstairs, the coach, the coordinator. The dude looks like he can play. He can go toe to toe. He's a little erratic, but there's a lot there, right? Yeah, I think it's exciting, right? I think this young, you know, this athletic, young, wide receiver group that had some struggles early in the season just took a little time.

I think Jordan Love kind of rode that up and down roller coaster along with them. We saw him on Thanksgiving up in Detroit. Detroit was kind of the toast of the league. And I didn't think that was a fluke. The games coming into Detroit, Jordan Love was playing his best football, week in, week out. Detroit was his best game of his career, and the game before was the best game of his career. And now you could argue the Kansas City game was his best moment of his career,

you know, winning at home against the defending Super Bowl champ. So I don't think there's any question. I think this last five week kind of sample size of Jordan Love, I don't think he's just playing good relative to a young player making his first, you know, full season as a starter. I think he's playing playoff football. I mean, if they continue to play like this and go toe to toe with some of the playoff contenders in this league, I think they got a shot to grab that last playoff wildcard spot.

And I don't know if I'm thrilled playing them, even though I get to play them at home. Yeah, no, I actually looked at their schedule last night. I think Green Bay, I would vote today that Green Bay gets in. Now, Kansas City, they've had close losses. I kind of feel like, I used the example earlier. It's like Apple stock. I know it's good long term, but they may occasionally have an iPhone I don't like. it feels like, I know they're going to be final eventually,

but this just feels like a bunch of kid receivers, and Mahomes is trying to pull them along, and they're not there. They don't feel as special this year. Is that fair? I think that's fair, and I think the results and the scores and the metrics and some of the more, you know, the things that we're accustomed. And we said this a little bit about Philly yesterday, and oftentimes in the NFL, you fall victim to your own success. The expectations of what we've seen,

for years becomes the expectation that if we don't see it on a week by week basis, all of a sudden you've completely fallen off the map. I think that's happened with Philly, you know, after yesterday's people say, oh my God, they're not as good. The defense is not as dominant as it was last year. I think the same thing can be said about, you know, Mahomes and the chiefs. The reality is Kansas City is still amongst this top tier because of how good this young defense has gotten.

I mean, they kind of went through a little bit of a young rebuild last year on defense, invested a lot of young picks, a lot of young secondary players and upfront playing, and they ended up winning the Super Bowl. They're able to weather turnover because if you have a quarterback and you have a coach, which obviously they have two of the best ever, you can weather turnover at everywhere else. Now, the question is they were able to bring some of those new pass catchers, Ju-Ju and Tony and these guys last year and win a Super Bowl. Can they bring this new crop of guys?

They have Kelsey, they have Pacheco, they have Mahomes. can they get the rest of this cast on offense to just be dynamic enough that they don't have to win every game on the back of their defense? Because let's be honest, their defense as a whole across the whole season has been better than their offense has been. It's just their offense has lightning in a bottle because they have the best player in the world, one of the best tight ends of all time, and a couple pieces and one of the best play callers head coaches. So they have the pieces on offense to do it at the right spots, but do they have enough guys around them to work? win a Super Bowl. I think that's the question that remains. All right. Say hi to Kev. Greg Olson. Great broadcast. Good seeing you again, my friend

on a Monday. I appreciate it. You got it. Thanks, Tom. We know we were saying this about Jordan Love, J. Mack, is that the AFC, so many of these teams have hit on quarterbacks. You know, Josh Allen is obviously a big hit, and Herbert and Trevor Lawrence and Lamar Jackson, and Mahomes now has been a year. Burrow. Like, they've hit on these. And it's why the AFC, which I felt was inferior outside of maybe like Peyton's team and Tom's team, inferior to the NFC for years. The NFC teams need to hit on some of these guys. By the way, CJ Stroud looks like a hit in the AFC. Well, Jordan Love at this level, it's like, okay, this is what you need.

You need Jordan Love because you got Aaron Rogers now leaving, and then you have Russell Wilson leaving, and then you got Matt Stafford. He stayed, he went to a better coach, so that's good. But the NFC needs some of these young quarterbacks to hit. So Jordan Love, that game last night. And that game against Detroit, you're like, okay, Green Bay is going to be, it looks like, fine. Oh, we're sure of that. This is a three-game sample size.

I know. Two of them are island games. I know. One was where Detroit handed them the game. I know. Early. I'm not poo-pooing, Jordan Love. I'm just saying, like, I need to see a little more.

Well, he's looked great the last few weeks. I thought that game last night was more about the Chiefs, though, Colin. They're not scaring anybody these days. Like, it used to be like, oh, Patrick Mahodden gets the ball late. That's a touchdown. Ring it up. Chiefs are going to win. I don't have.

And they're not. They're not delivering. I would say this. My takeaway on that game was that the Chiefs, I think, I don't have the data in front of me, have felt like a very good third down defense. And I thought Jordan Love on multiple third downs just made a play. And I'm like, I haven't seen anybody on third down do what Jordan Love did. Like he made a couple of throws.

And it's just, again, it's got a little backyard feel to it. It's a little Josh Allen where you're like, I wish he was set. But that's not undervalue. Green Bay's wide receiver talent may be young. It's good. They got some dudes. They got multiple guys that can really run and get open. I didn't factor this in to the handicap of Chiefs Packers because I like the Chiefs in that one.

Next week, do you know who the Chiefs play? You want to take a guess? Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. That's like a rivalry. That's a big game. This was a non-conference game Packers. I mean, Mahomes is first time to live. There just wasn't a lot of juice for them.

the Chiefs in that game. It mattered to the Packers a lot. But his look-ahead games in December, they matter. That's a thing. This felt like the biggest game in Jordan Love's career. Huge game. In fact, he's got that. They're in the playoffs. Well, and also, the kid can measure up against an all-timer. It was a big game for him. This was just another game for the Chiefs. Next week is their big one against the bills who are off a bye.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the 5th hour with Ben Mallor 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 overnight's on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where 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, 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 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-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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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 Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. There was a moment yesterday. I know many of you did not watch the Rams Browns game, but there was a moment in that game that Tom Brady had talked about recently, chess against checkers. Matt Stafford had a moment in that game.

It was a chess moment where he walked to the line. He looked at Cleveland's defense, which is excellent. In fact, the Browns have one of the best passing defenses in the league, and Stafford came back, audible, moved the pieces, took a snap, quick throw, Pooka Nakua, longest touchdown pass of the year. That was not the design play. That was a veteran quarterback at the line.

It was absolutely a chess over checkers move. He audibled out of something he didn't like. He audibled into something he saw. And you rarely see a quarterback do that so deliberately. And it delivers a touchdown on a slant to Pooka and Akua. So it was the example of what Tom Brady talks about is the kids are playing checkers. The older guys are playing chess. And Stafford, you could YouTube it, had that play yesterday.

I think it was first half, if I recall, to Pukunaku. It was a real moment. It all crystallized into one moment. Goes up, steps back, looks around, directs traffic, snap, boom, home run, touchdown. All audible. J-Mack with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. All right, let's go to one of my favorite stories. This Niners Eagles, dust up, her fuffle, whatever word you want to use. Let's be clear. This is a clean tackle. I know that people are complaining about a suplex. That's in balance. That's a legit tackle.

And instantly, you see the guy on the Eagle's security. I don't like that. He reaches in, and Greg Olson said it, just so people don't think I'm a hater. He touches Greenlaw first. So then Green Law is like, get the hell off me, dude. And afterward, what's his name? The coach of the Eagles apologized. There's a clean tackle in the field of play.

And watch this guy. He's like complaining. Where's a flag? And then he touches him. Just, dude, hands off. You can't. that security guard has no right to touch that player. Yeah, Greenlaw has a right to be fired up.

Anyways. I don't know. I just, I like this video. I like that his name is Dom. He's a tough guy. Yeah, I didn't know who he was. I was just like, who's this random dude on the sideline? They're like, that's Dom.

In Philadelphia, everybody should have a Dom. Yeah, what does this guy own like a Philly cheese steak? Whatever. I don't know. 25 years or how am I supposed to know that? I like him. And the crowd loved him, but I don't like, there's no reason to be touched in the player.

Yeah. Especially not the Niners. We're like the biggest, baddest team in the league. I'm just, it's weird how the Niners are just, listen, if Shanahan gets to a Super Bowl

with Jimmy Garoppolo and now Brock Purdy within what a four or five years span, dude, it's got to be one of the best offensive minds the game has ever seen. Like what they're doing,

he's good. They hung 42 on Dallas and 42 on the Eagles. Two of the top five teams in the league. I love it. Anyways. Next up, Jordan Love. Okay.

267 yards, three touchdowns after the game. This is pretty special. That is a great throw. That is an all-time back foot, 30 yards in the air. Hold on. No, about 20. No, not that one. McDuffie got caught in traffic there.

Dude, look at that throw. Back foot. That is, that is Rogers Far. You know who tried to make that throw yesterday? Russell Wilson at the end of the game. And it was intercepted in the end zone. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, here's Jordan Love talking about how much this game meant to him.

For me personally, it's just, obviously, I've had this game, you know, circle for a long time. This is my first start. Obviously, didn't play how I wanted to the first game. So you know, see these guys again and get the victory is huge. You know, it's just a great team win tonight. You know, everybody just bawled out. So, but it was awesome win. That was fun.

That was a fun telecast. Is the excitement a little bit too much over Jordan Love? It's three games. Well, I think it is, but it's three games in a row playing at a high level of something. I think we, my takeaway is, and this is not a shot at Jordan, we have to give the Packers credit. They do this quarterback thing well and this wider thing, receiver thing well.

They never draft. I mean, Jordan Love was a first round pick. They take defense first round forever. They always have good offensive lines. Always have receivers. At the same time, it's not like they gave him the extension. Remember the offseason? Oh, I know.

They're like, hey, take a little bit of a haircut. Oh, I know. Everybody's like, Colin, you said the Packers gave him a deal that was like, Yeah, you're mid. They gave them a total mid-cock. They didn't know. The Packers fans are out of control. Now, that being said, they got the Giants this week.

That's a W. So they'll be 7 and 6. Then they got Tampa Bay, which is so banged up. Green Bay should win that game. Then it's Carolina. W. Minnesota. We don't know who their quarterback's going to be.

Well, I think, yeah. It might not be dogs. Green Bay is getting in. I'll make my... I think they're in. And then the Bears. Like, Green Bay should be a playoff team. I don't know how live they are.

But time out. I think, what these, These weapons? Now, young teams generally as wild cards don't go in and win at Philly, at Sanford, at Dallas. I don't think they'd win. But they're a live team with this. They're receiving in tight-end core dude is ballers.

I'm not so sure the Lions would want to see them in the first. No, no, no. Lions can't protect them in the back end. They crushed them in the first game and then the Packers got a lot better. And now you- I don't think this is a fluke. I think they create, I think they're really quick and twitchy and the Packers have hit several, at least strong doubles at wide receiver. Where are you in a Lafleur Campbell coaching matchup in the playoffs?

LeFluor. Yeah, not great for the Lions. Detroit, you want to avoid them. All right, let's get to the final story. And Florida State, that undefeated run this season, capturing the ACCC title in a slog over Louisville, but they got denied in the college football playoff. Injured quarterback Jordan Travis,

listen, you've got to feel for him. He posted this after the final rankings were announced. Devastated, heartbroken, in so much disbelief right now. I wish my leg broke earlier so y'all could see this team is much more than the QB. I thought results matter 13 and 0, and this roster matches up across any team in those top four.

I'm so sorry, go Nolz. I feel bad for him. I can think two things. He's a great kid and I feel bad for him, and Alabama should be in. I don't have to mush everything together. I can think two things. He's got unlucky.

And you know what? I think, are they playing Georgia in a bowl game or no? Yeah. Okay. Georgia is not going to care. at all about that game. Okay? They'd won 29 straight. They'd only been to the playoff with the last two years. Georgia's going to beat them.

You're not going to send a third string quarterback. Incentive matters. I don't know. Good luck with the third string quarterback beating Georgia. And by the way, Kirby's smart. It's not going to roll over and not care. He's going to be Georgia new once they lost. Do we've seen this common? George is favored by two touchdowns.

They are 14 and a half. I'm taking Georgia. Be careful. Motivation is everything for these bowl games. Do the kids care? they want to be there. Florida State is super angry and motivated and ticked off. They got like four or five defensive players who are going to be

pros. I'm going to see if they're going to play and then I would probably benefit. I could argue that Florida State so dejected they don't give a rip and the guys are already going to go work out for the combine. Let me give you, it's something about this funny. So the college football playoff has a problem. It's not

a lack of fairness. It's a lack of good games in the semifinal. So only five of the 18 semifinal games have been close. Last year, we got our best semi-final game, arguably ever. Ohio State and Georgia. Classic, yeah.

And Ohio State didn't even win their conference. But the eyeball test was, Ohio State's really good, getting it against Georgia. And it was the best game of the year. Two years earlier, it was like Cincinnati Bearcats, what a story. Dog, 26-7. This playoff, this is why it was so great,

because this was the last 14 playoffs of the committee said, screw it. We're just going to put the best teams in. And it was like, that's how you should always think. So you like Washington against Texas, huh? Plus four and a half, yes. The longer, I think Texas should be favored. But they met last year on the Alamo boat. The longer Kailin DeVore gets to prepare.

He's good. I wouldn't want to face him. I mean, if I'm sart, I don't want to face him. I faced him in a bowl game last year, and I had way better players and I couldn't beat him. So I took Texas. I took Texas at four. Juiced four, now four and a half.

All right. I don't think you're wrong, but I just, I would not want to face. And by the way, Washington has been in so many close games. They are magic in close games. I would not want that puppy to be tied with seven to go. Yike. Because Texas rolled over a lot of people, including Bama. I think Michigan wins by a field goal for Bama, and I think Texas, Washington is down to the wire.

I think Texas is more talented, clearly. And if they get a lead and can lean on them and run the ball, it can be trouble. Yeah. J-Mac with the news. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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. 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, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. So I want to read you this tweet from Diana Rusini Athletic. She's a terrific reporter. What a circus that jett.

I've never even heard of this. this. Quote, the Jets want to make a switch at quarterback. The team is leaning towards Zach Wilson to take over, but he's reluctant to stepping back in. Sources tell Zach Blatt and me. The team is discussing next steps, more on the athletic shortly. Hey, you want to play quarterback this week?

No, thank you. I have no interest playing. So this is what's interesting. I do believe Aaron Rogers when he initially got to Greenfield. Bay. Not only respected the organization, but knew how lucky he was to be a packer, the amazing fans, the history. And I feel far felt the same way.

But there's nobody to hold you accountable in Green Bay. There's no owner. It's the smallest town in the country. You're the biggest star by a mile. Free agent stars don't go there. You're kind of it. I call it the Green Bay Packer quarterback. syndrome. There's nobody to call you on your stuff.

And so Aaron Rogers sort of bailed on McCarthy and Matt LaFleur came in and let's be honest, it was still Aaron Rogers team. I think at the end, Farr never appreciated how good he had it in Green Bay. He did early and middle, but not late. And I don't think Aaron realized quite how good he had it. People in life are either glass half full or glass half empty.

When he left to New York, J. Mack, you remember me saying this. He had never had a bad O-line in Green Bay, ever. Never had a bad O-line. Brady in New England with Dante Scarnikia had never had a bad O line. Brady was smart enough when he went to Tampa. He said, let me bring in Gronk a great blocking tight end, and they drafted Tristan Wirfs at right tackle.

The better the O-line in Tampa, the better Brady was. older quarterbacks need better O-lines. And that's the one thing I think Aaron didn't consider. And maybe he did privately. He didn't say it. The Jets have a bad O-line. You can argue they need five new offensive linemen. You can't do that in one cycle.

You can't because they don't have the cap space to just go buy this, this, this, this on the O-line. They've got to go get a second receiver. You know, they have to, they have some needs, and they'll probably have to trade a defensive player to get more draft capital. So I think Aaron respected Green Bay, and I think he understood the value of Green Bay. But when you're an older quarterback, you need a B to a B plus to an A offensive line. And the Jets are a circus. And think about this this morning.

Mike McCarthy without Aaron is crushing it. Jordan Love now. The Packers now without Aaron crushing it. who's not crushing it. Aaron is part of now the biggest circus in the NFL. Is that I always saw it as a negative that the Packers didn't have an owner. But as ownership groups and people have gotten richer, they've also gotten more impulsive and more meddling and weirder.

I mean, David Tepper, like, Thanksgiving, that's all you're giving your staff? What are you doing? Jim, Hersey, throwing people out. I mean, you got stuff now, these owners are richer. Firing an entire staff is just a rounding hair. It wasn't 10, 15 years ago, but a lot of these guys, tech money, real estate money, equities money, they just, it's a rounding air. They don't even care.

So there's something about Green Bay. I used to always think not having an owner was a disadvantage. The owners are getting crazier. I'm not so sure Green Bay situation isn't. an advantage. They don't have a crazy guy up top making impulsive decisions. But Green Bay may be boring, and Green Bay may not get free agents. Always have good O lines.

Always been an offensive culture, as long as I can remember, from Homegren to McCarthy to LaFleur, they've always drafted and developed O lines particularly well. They've hit on multiple receivers now in tight ends. the Jets, a total circus where according to Diana Rusini, the team's leaning towards Zach Wilson to take over, he doesn't have any interest. That is bad.

And I'm watching McCarthy. He's living his best life. And I'm watching Jordan Love last night. Look at that Green Bay schedule. They're going to make the playoffs. Appreciate what you have. I know it's not the rock and roll capital of North America. I know it's not the.

coolest organization. And a lot of people wear dockers. Nonetheless, Packer quarterbacks, always protected, always draft and develop. The media is friendly. The people are wonderful. The stadium sold out. And the division is often wonky. Appreciate in life what you have. Jordan loves sitting back there with time to throw. Christian Watson. Reed, Romeo, Dobbs, tight end, good living in Green Bay. Went out and had a brought after that thing. That's good living, baby. Hour three on a Monday 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs band. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight with your favorite therapist and host Care Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.