The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Young QBs, Greg Olsen

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

Greg Olsen stops by the show to discuss the collapse of the Dolphins and the Cowboys in the NFL playoffs. He thinks it's the best Dak has played but it still falls short. Colin talks about Jordan Love and CJ Stroud and wants more young quarterbacks to succeed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Greg Olson was money yesterday. I thought it was as good a broadcast as he has had, and he's had a lot of great ones. We'll bring him in in about five minutes. You can tell when a broadcaster does his homework, and the game's a blowout, and it's fascinating, and they're bringing up stuff. And I'm not just saying that because we have Greg on.

I've known Greg for a long time, but you really separate these ugly, games and there was all sorts of good nuggets in that thing. I watched that Rams Lions thing last night. Simultaneously, I was so happy for Detroit. And good God was Matt Stafford filthy and did McVeigh coach his butt off because Detroit has got a stacked roster. Rams still need six starters.

Yeah, Detroit GM, Holmes, who used to be in L.A. I mean, they have a great roster. But McVeigh, are you sure he did a great job? I had to burn two timeouts early in the game? kind of killed him later. I don't know. The red zone play calling. I think it's hard to score in the plate.

When you have an average O line, it's hard to score in the red zone. Yeah, it looked like he had the laser focused on Cooper Cup, Stafford. And Cup, I mean, I think he had nine targets and had a total of like 27 yards. It was a puka show. All right, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, and Monday. Here we go. Where Colin was right. Blazing five, another winning week, three and one.

We were on the Rams, Packers, and Texans to beat Cleveland. Our last losing week was week nine. Again, we have Philly tonight. Been a heck of a year for us. Where Colin was wrong. I defended Mike McCarthy all season long, but I didn't see any creative flair offensively. The defense was poorly aligned in gash.

They even had a silly special team's penalty early. Listen, Matt LaFleur deserves credit. We can't just sit up here and criticize. Green Bay did a terrific job, but I thought it was an uneven game plan. Come on. Bay is the youngest playoff team since like the 74 bills. You can't fall behind 27-0-0 at home with a veteran quarterback.

You just can't. Where Colin was right? Well, you can say I bailed on Jordan Love in October, but I've been saying for five weeks, he's actually a better fit than Aaron Rogers in Green Bay because he's cheaper. There's no drama. He's more athletic. They have upgraded at quarterback. You have to consider everything.

Salary. Are you in the prime? Are you coachable? Do you create tension in the building? We've been saying this. We didn't think he could play in October. But if you've watched for the last eight to nine weeks, they have upgraded at quarterback all things considered.

Where Colin was wrong. Listen, I thought Dan Quinn would be a top head coaching candidate. They got gashed by Buffalo, San Francisco, and Green Bay. You have to question if you could sell him. to your fan base right now. Green Bay's tight ends and wide receivers were wide open. Greg Olson will touch

on this in a second. I didn't get some of the alignment structurally. I thought there were some weird decisions going on. I was really high on Dan Quinn, but you put that tape on your resume, that is a hard sell to Seahawk fans if in fact he is a candidate

for that gig. Where Colin was right? Two and the Dolphins. I called him the Spray tan of the NFL. Look good, no real depth or substance. I just thought they waved the white flag. Tuoh was 20 or 39. It felt like they were protecting him in the cold weather. He had one big completion, and that was massively underthrown. And Tyreek Hill, who's a tremendous playmaker, came back to get it, his only touchdown underthrown. Listen, you're not going to bail on Tua. There's a lot I like about him. And I think Miami, there's a lot of things I like. But we kept saying all year,

want to win in the AFC, better be able to go on the road and plan 9 degrees, because that's what the AFC playoffs look like for the last 20 years. Where Colin was wrong. Kansas City's offense, I thought they would sputter. I thought this was going to be a 16-13 game. In minus 27 degrees, I thought their offense was pretty slick. That 25 first downs. It's 400 yards offense.

I didn't see a lot of drop passes. Maybe they should play on this weather more often. The receiving core, which has been outside of Rishi Rice, a little dubious. I thought they were pretty good. They looked highly functional. It was one of the bigger surprises of the year. The Kansas City had one of their better offensive performances, soup to nuts. In minus 27 degrees, I was wrong.

Where Colin was right? I called Kalin DeBoard of Bama on Wednesday late afternoon. He was not the third or fourth choice. I was told he was a top two choice. They tried to hire his offensive quarter. coordinator last year. Nick Saban couldn't get him and that Greg Byrne, the athletic director, very, very early in the process, said that's who we want. He's not a great recruiter and Bama sort of recruits itself. So I think he'll be a really good fit. Nobody's ever going to be Sabin.

But Kalin DeBore to Bama is something we sought and a voice our opinion early on. Where Colin was wrong. The Clippers are eight and two in their last 10. I didn't love bringing in James Harden, but I will say this. He's a real point guard. In this franchise, the last couple of years, has asked Kauai Leonard and Paul George to kickstart their offense. Since December, Hardin's

averaging 10 assists a game almost. So the bottom line is James is a real point guard. We saw this, by the way, in Brooklyn. He's more than willing to be a distributor. I watched them over the last week offensively. When Kauai

Paul and James are on the floor, it's pretty slick. It's a fast-moving, willing to pass, highly functional offense, and Hardin deserves credit. Where Colin was right? I picked Michigan to win the Natty. I thought they'd beat Bama and Washington, and I said this cheating scandal was overrated and it proved to be. Once it was uncovered, they went on to beat Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Bama, and Washington. This was about the physicality and the cultural strength that Harbaugh created, not Connor Stallions. Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both on a Monday. And with that Greg Olson, 14 years, three Pro Bowls, he called the Packer Route very early in the game.

You, things bothered you. And you said, I don't like the way the defense is lined up. So I want to start with that before we get to Dak, that you had seen the first drawing. arrive. Aaron was running downhill. What did you see that bothered you? Yeah, so all year, it was pretty clear. They're a man preference defense. Dan Quinn wants to rush the passer. He's got a lot of nickel and dime type people. They only play with really one traditional linebacker. So it's a lot of defensive backs. They've been great against man coverage, Gilmore, Duran Bland. That's been their calling card, and they were a top five defense in pretty much every single significant category. I think when

you play against a Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan, McVeigh, that style offense with all the motions and the shifts and the movement, it's very hard to play that exclusively man. And I think going into the game, we made that point early on where he was going to have to pick and choose, 12 personnel, multiple tight ends. Okay, you can man that up. But when they have all those young receivers out there and they're going in fast motion and short motions, it's very hard to match it because LaFleur does a great job putting the defense in bad situation. So I think early in the game, some of those third downs, we saw a lot of zones. Romeo Dobbs just kind of wide open in the middle of the field, a lot of uncontested catches in big voids. Those were a lot of zone coverages

they tried to mix in. And then as the game went on, they started transitioning back to more of, all right, we got to go back to what we're good at. Go back to our man stuff. And that's where you saw the big one to Musgrave. You saw another big kind of sail route to Romeo Dobbs against Gilmore. So really, whether it was zone or man, frankly, they just didn't have a lot of answer. and when they can't play with the lead and they can't force you to be a pass-first team. That is how that roster is built. I think it's important to point out in the NFL,

you build your defense to complement the play style of your offense. So rightfully so, they built a defense that rushes the passer and defends the pass. But what they don't want to defend is rundowns, under center, play action. It could be a handoff to Aaron Jones or a play action shot over my head. What they call 50-50 downs, you could do either. That is very hard. to defend and that's what Green Bay wants to do.

And that was kind of our message early in the game is the better Green Bay's defense played, which they obviously played great, the more it would allow Green Bay's offense to do what they've done the last eight games. And it lined up perfectly. And frankly, they just flat out beat Dallas in pretty much all phases. The two offenses to me that were the most improved this year, Rams from week six on and Green Bay, week seven on. and both offensive coaches, young, smart, a lot of motion.

I mean, the Rams are just moving people nonstop. And so my question is watching Dallas. They don't do a lot of that. And I watch the Packers. They put such conflict on the defense. The Rams put such conflict. And I look at Mike McCarthy and I think, I know he's an offensive guy, but he's old school. Do the cowboys need to restructure this?

They feel like even Miami, they struggle with the weather. right but at home i watch dallas's offense and i can blame dac but when you watch it it's not clever it doesn't put a lot of pressure on a defense do they need to revaluate what they present dallas offensively so twofold to your first point about like the shanahan mcvay if i if i was a head coach in the national football league and you didn't tell me what my roster was you didn't tell me who my quarterback was there's not even a question the best of the best system to run, especially for a young quarterback. I mean, look what Bobby Sloics doing out in Houston with C.J. Stroud. That's the Shanahan tree. He came from San Francisco. So many of these guys,

what they do to protect the quarterback we saw yesterday with Jordan Love, under center, play action, throw on early downs, balance, run game. But everything starts with the fact that I don't put my quarterback in shotgun, five wide, stationary receivers, and say, okay, quarterback, carry the game. right? We see Mahomes is asked to do that every single week, but he's the best player in the world. We see Josh Allen is asked to do that a lot, a little less after the coordinator changed, a little more under center. My point is, it is very hard to play that style of quarterback. The fact that anybody really does it, I don't quite understand week in and week out. There's a reason certain offenses can weather the storm.

They can play with young quarterbacks, play with young pieces yesterday being a great example. So I'll start with that. I don't know why anyone runs any other system than that tree, but that's a separate conversation. As far as Dallas, it's hard for me to sit here and say they need to revamp their offense when they just led the league and scoring. Yeah. Right. They led the league and scoring two of the last three years. Mike McCarthy, this is the best Dak Prescott has ever played.

He took over play calling. We all kind of rolled our eyes when he got rid of Kellyn Moore. I was at the top of the list. I said, man, all the guy did was average 30 points a game on offense and you send him out the door. but Mike McCarthy was right. I mean, that's the best Dak Prescott has ever played. They averaged, they were 8-0 at home, and they scored 37 points a game at home. Now, I know everyone out there saying, it doesn't matter.

All that matters is in the playoffs. And that's fair. And I think at a place like Dallas, that comes with the territory. But I just have a hard time saying they need to rethink their offense, revamp their offense, when they scored more points this year than any team in the league. And at the end of the day, the NFL is about scoring. It's about offense. It's an offensive-driven, quarterback-driven league.

And Dak Prescott played as well as any quarterback in the league from an entire season standpoint. And nobody scored more points. So it's hard for me to sit here. And, oh, yeah, C.D. Lamb was the best wide receiver. So I don't know. I think it's kind of hard to, I think it's an overreaction to yesterday to say, oh, what they do doesn't work.

Well, what they do for the last three years has worked. Yeah. I want to ask you, Matt Lefleur's reaction. the last couple of games for Jordan Love has almost been like surprise. Like he said yesterday, it's like, that's a dude, like, wow. And I said, I don't remember ever.

I said it's like being a golfer that can't make the cut at the Valero open to leading the Masters by a dozen strokes three weeks later. It's like, what are we watching? This is all in season. I mean, I watched them at home against Minnesota in like week eight, and I'm like, I don't know if you can play.

What do you attribute this? I mean, maybe, I don't even know what to compare it to. What do you make of what we're watching? Yeah, no, I think it's fair. And we had them week one. We prepared it all preseason. Obviously, it was the big storyline, him replacing Aaron Rogers.

And, you know, we're going to get to see what this Matt Lafour system really wants to be. And again, we can't say enough. I can't give enough credit to Matt LaFour. The coaching job he did this year, not just offensively, but just taking this whole young group, both sides of the ball, weathering some bad storms and just to make the playoffs felt like an accomplishment, let alone to do what they did yesterday. But with that being said, we had him week one in Chicago. He looked like a legit dude in week one. Then he kind of, we didn't see him again until Thanksgiving. Coming into Thanksgiving, there was some signs of improvement, starting to complete

more passes downfield, starting to kind of put this whole thing together with his young group of skill players he had around him. We left that Thanksgiving, that Thanksgiving day game. We said, I don't know if they're going to make the playoffs. I don't know how far. they're going to make this. But that guy can flat out play. He was incredible in Detroit. They ended up winning that game. Pretty, in a pretty dominating.

It felt a little bit like yesterday. And all week, we kind of, we went into yesterday's game as a crew saying, this just feels like Thanksgiving all over again. The home team was the story of the league. Here comes Green Bay. They're young. They're inexperienced. They're not ready for this moment.

And then they win handily. So it had a lot of those vibes. I think part of it is, the coaching part of it's this game and I think the kids a flat out stud I mean he's a great player the young kids around him have just continued to improve it's all first and second year guys it's it's a pretty remarkable story what they've been able to do in green bay filling the shoes that he did of a first ballot hall of famer um I don't think we can stress enough just what a job he's done individually and then collectively as a team is really impressive you're a miami

hurricane uh you play down in miami you go up and do a road trip to boston Baltimore. It's a different vibe. And I said this about Tua. Listen, they can win playoff games. They just have to win their division and do a home playoff game because the AFC, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland,

Pittsburgh, it's just cold weather. NFC doesn't have as many. But I do worry about this, is that when you have a quarterback that needs certain conditions, as long as I know, but it did feel like

they were kind of protecting him. And I thought, boy, I'd struggle to give an extension to a guy that has to play in certain conditions. Where do we go with Tua? Because I like him. He's a heck of a player at home. He's smart. He's got some, I mean, accuracy-wise, when he can stand and throw it, Greg, it's Drew Breeze. What do you do if you're Miami at quarterback?

I think, again, I think it goes back to you. I don't think you can overreact to really an unprecedented game. was a historically poor weather game, the conditions. To your point, though, in the AFC, you're going to have to, you know, for the foreseeable future with the boroughs of the world and Lamar and Mahomes. I mean, the AFC is going to run through those cold weather cities. So to your point, I think you're exactly right. But they were a game away from that game being a home game.

So just think the last couple weeks of the season, Buffalo doesn't lose. They kind of falter a little bit and fall off. and all of a sudden it comes down to week 18 or else they're hosting a game in 75 degrees. And those northern teams are coming down and they're breathing. You know, they can't catch their breath. They're dying on the sideline. So it works both ways at the end of the season going to hot weather too. But listen, that was a crazy situation.

And I think to overreact that all of a sudden isn't the answer. Again, the question at quarterback and head coach. And I know that's the conversation. Every team that loses, the immediate emotional reaction is, we need a new quarterback and we need a new head coach because I didn't like the results and the only way to get better is to change. Okay, fine. The question is for who?

Who are you getting? How are you getting them? How are you paying them? There's so many more layers to the quarterback and the head coach position that change for the sake of change sounds great. It's fun to talk about. But when you boil it down, who are you getting and how are you getting them? Because if it was that easy, all these teams around the league,

every year there's eight head coaching hires and the coaching carousel that happens every single year, there wouldn't be so many coaches fired if it was easy to find the long-term stability. There wouldn't be so many teams searching for quarterbacks if it was easy to get stability at the quarterback position. It's the two hardest positions to find in your organization, and the teams that have them and win, I think, are crazy to replace them. Finally, Eagles have just gotten worse over the course of the season. They lost Shane Steichen.

the offense is kind of a turnover-plagged mess. I'm not sure they have an identity. Can you turn it around in the playoffs? Go to your career. If you're struggling late, can you turn it around? I do think Philadelphia is better than Tampa. I think they're going to go run. Without A.J. Brown, I think they're going to go run heavy tonight.

They may not throw 12, 15 times, just lean on them. Can they? Can you be awful in three weeks and then effective? You tell me. I think Philly is a great example of our earlier conversation about playstyle. And when you watch Philly, and again, last year we called a million of their games, and they were the best story in football. I mean, they were a blast.

They stand in shotgun. They're in spread. They got one tight end. They're wildly talented when all their pieces are out there, A.J. Brown, Devante Smith, Dallas Goddard, best offensive line in football. Jalen Hertz was the runner up to Mahomes and their MVP. When all the pieces were there together, Shane Stike can run in the system, it was one of the best offenses in football.

But week in, week out, year and year out, that is a hard model to play consistently at a high level in the NFL. You put a ton of burden on your protection. You put a ton of burden on your quarterback that he has to play perfect from the pocket because he's just standing there. There's no play action. He doesn't turn his back to the defense. There's no gimmies.

And then you put a ton of pressure and say, okay, yes, we are wildly talented. at our skill positions, you guys have to just go win, right? We're not going to scheme Luke Musgrave open on a wheel route on a half boot and throw back and he's wide open by 40 yards. Like you don't get a lot of the gimmies when you're just standing in shotgun spread and no one's moving and everyone. So last year they were able to do it. Their personnel is as good as anyone.

This year, it's just a little bit harder to sustain. You have to be perfect. Your protection has to be perfect. Your quarterback has to be perfect. Your skill has to be healthy. It has to be perfect. So I think a big, big issue there in Philly is I think their players are good. I think they've had some ups and downs, weathered some injuries.

I just think they're playing a very hard brand of football. Really what saved them is that they have two yards in their back pocket with a quarterback sneak that they're really at first and eight every possession once they cross their own 40 yard line because if it's anything fourth and less than two, they get a quarterback sneak. That's really what has made their offense so hard to stop. When you look at the first three downs this year, it's been missing. I think they're better than Tampa. I think even though it's on the road, I don't think it matters.

They're better than Tampa. They just got to go play. And I think for a team of veterans and for a team of really high character, guys, I'm a little surprised. It's taken them this long towards the end of the regular season to get back on track. Greg Olson, great job. 14 years in the league, Fox Sports NFL analyst. Packers, Niners, next week, that is going to look different.

well-rested. A lot of snaps for Green Bay, and here comes well-rested physical San Francisco. Just your gut feeling. I kind of looked at that game, and I'm like, that's not a team I'd want to face. Well-rested. That could be, that's a tough matchup for Green Bay.

Is that fair? Yeah, I think that's completely fair. I thought Dallas was a better matchup for them, a little more, you know, not quite as physical, not so much kind of down your throat. right in your face like San Francisco can be. The two best teams in a league are Baltimore on the AFC side and San Francisco on the NFC side.

I think if the favorites continue to win, those two teams got to be the Super Bowl matchup favorites. But I don't think at this point you can count Green Bay out of anything. That's right. I mean, it seems like they struggle against the teams. Remember, a couple weeks ago, they gave up 30 points to the Panthers. It almost lost.

Carolina didn't score a point. The Carolina didn't score a point the rest of the season. Zero points the rest of the season after that game. But then they beat Detroit. They beat Kansas City earlier in the year. Yesterday they boat race Dallas. So I don't think you can count this team out. I think Matt LaFleur has them playing free.

They're playing with House's money. They got nothing to lose. First seven seed ever even playing a divisional round in the new format. I wouldn't count them out of anything, but I still think San Fran's the best team. To me, they're the favorite no matter how far this thing goes. I think it's the matchup of the weekend. I think it's going to be awesome. Great.

That's a great point. Carolina, I watched that game. And I was like, what is good? It's a, you know what? You know this.

Young kids and young players have mood swings that are a little uneven. These young guys, they get into their fields when they play as a big favorite. And then when they're backed into the corner, they play with incredible urgency. Some of this is their youth.

You don't quite know what you get. Think about Green Bay's journey now to playing the number one seat, San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. Weeks 14 through 16, they lost to DeVito and the Giants. They lost to the Bucs, albeit a playoff team. And they were a – the Panthers clocked the ball as time expired to attempt to field goal to force overtime. They won in a shootout, both teams scoring over 30. Then they rebound and beat Minnesota and beat Chicago and hold them combined to 19 total points. So, I mean, you couldn't have two polar opposites going in, but they play well when it matters.

We've seen it throughout the course of the season, especially on defense. And if that offense and Jordan Love continues to do what they've done, they're really good. Yeah, they are. Greg, so are you. Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it. Appreciate it. Thanks.

All right. It is crazy. We watch that Carolina game. We're like, just up and down the field on the Packers defense. But again, they're a young team. I will say this. All the pressures on the 9-11. I mean, it's nine and a half points.

I'm taking Green Bay in the points. The San Francisco is a really tough physical matchup. But, man, when you go in and you got all those receivers, how's the second best corner for the Niners matching up with Jaden Reed? I think Green Bay's just got matchup advantages. Brock Purdy against Jordan Love? We'll see. You think there's a game.

Interesting. Well, no, I just think nine and a half. Nine and a half is disrespectful. That offense... Dallas was seven and a half. This is Green Bay's fourth road game in five weeks. I know. I know they're a young team and all that fun stuff.

I just... I watched... They are... They just won their Super Bowl, okay? These guys... All right. You hear... What's his name?

The quarterback, Jordan Love, taking a little jab at Dak on the final snap. You know, when they took a knee. Dak wore a hat that said, like, here we go. Jordan Snap. Jordan Love on the final step. Here we go! Little big...

Big. week. I like it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show.

show with that type of talent on it. Up on game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexicoe Burris on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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, personal health, personal health, purpose, and even music.

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Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're just so you. y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. So, you're finishing that sentence. And yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, so many things to discuss the Eagles are playing tonight.

The Steelers bills an hour and a half after our show ends in what will be very much a weather challenge in Buffalo. J-Mack with the News. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. We were just talking during the break about the cold weather in Chicago right now, well, Kansas City was downright brutal on Saturday night. Negative 4 degrees wind chill negative 27. Andy Reid, you could see his mustache, kind of icicles forming.

That made it the fourth coldest game in NFL history. Chiefs Juan and Patrick Mahomes gave credit to his teammates for fighting through the cold weather. I thought the guys accepted the challenge. We were able to throw the ball. We were able to run the ball against some of those pressures. I thought the O-Line did a great job. And we had that mentality all week is we're going to go out there and play football. We know it's cold, but we're going to go out there and play football and see what happens. I dug this one up for you, Calhurt. In games where the temperatures are 40 degrees or colder,

Patrick Mahomes is 21 and 6. So he thrives in cold weather. McDaniel, Mike McDaniel, now four and 10 the last two seasons in December and June. Well, I mean, even Mahomes 21 and 6, that's, you know, you can beat him. In cold weather,

generally I always think, bad weather hurts the better team. Like a blizzard hurts the bills more than the Steelers because Pittsburgh wouldn't move the ball anyway. Now Buffalo may not be able to. But I did think as cold as it was in Kansas City, it didn't seem to disrupt. Now, obviously, both two and Mahomes,

there were a couple of balls that just hung in the air. But on a lot of the stuff, 12 yards and in, I thought Kansas City was incredibly functional. There weren't a lot of drops, and they led the NFL in drops. People seem to love this cold weather football. football weather or not. Let's be real. The game was not a great watch.

When, like, guys don't want to run. You can't, there's no vertical passing game. I've never subscribed to the theory of, I like cold weather football. There's a reason we play the national championship in bowl games and warm weather. It doesn't get in the way of the art of the sport. The Super Bowls. Yeah, I don't like watching it as a fan.

I don't think players like playing in it. If you want to see the best people perform in the best conditions, that would be ideal. You wouldn't ask basketball players to play in the rain. I mean, so it's like to me the idea, oh, I love crappy weather football. I don't. I don't like it. I would rather watch Jordan Love in temperature-controlled Dallas put on a clinic.

That's more entertaining to me. Yeah. So, I mean, Miami, you don't want to make sweeping generalizations, but a lot of Dolphins fans, a few who I know are like, hey, the owner, Stephen Ross is close with Harbaugh. They're Michigan guys. Can we get McDaniel out of here and get Harbaugh in? And I'm like, I don't, that's just a silly overreaction. No, I mean, listen, I thought Tua was completely limited. I wouldn't bail on Tua.

Miami just has to host playoff games going forward. They're not going to be able to go up north and win. Tua doesn't have a strong enough arm. We know that. Negotiating time is coming soon for Tua. You're going to take a very team-friendly deal, or we're going to draft a quarterback. Okay, so tell me team-friendly. What does team put a number on it?

20. Oh, stop it. Daniel Jones got 40-mill. And Tua's getting 20? Not happening. Go to the market, see what you can get. Well, he can get something. He'll get more than that.

You go to Atlanta. You got Tua and Atlanta will cook. All right. In the dome and a bad division. Then we'll draft a quarterback. Huh? Then we'll draft a quarterback. We'll give you Jalen Waddle in our first round pick and we'll flop.

I mean, I just, I mean. Come on. You cannot go to Tua and say 20 million. I said 24. I upgraded. That's still laughable, bro. I mean, well, Gino Smith's got like 28 for one, I think.

A 1 plus 1 plus 1 or whatever is. Gino Smith doesn't have that injury history. Tool was one of the 12 best quarterbacks in the league this year. Come on, Colin. Let's not overreact to one playoff loss. Where's Dak this morning? Where's Dak is one of the best quarterbacks? He is.

Okay. Let's go to the games against good teams. One of the 12 best. I'm not saying it's like elite. Buffalo blown out. San Francisco blown out. Green Bay blown out. Detroit, 10 completions, two picks. Miami couldn't win.

Give me all the wins. I mean, again, I have to contextualize this stuff. You're going to pay DAC 59.5 million? No, no, no, I'm not. But here, that's why you renegotiate his deal. You have to renegotiate. We're going to give you a new deal. Now, where's that number in the 40 to 50 range?

Oh, there's no way. Again, you got no game plan. You're Dallas. You're drafting in the 20s. My game plan's called the draft. Oh, that's a real attractive job for Bill Belich. Oh, let me just find a quarterback since I haven't been able to find since Brady left. Well, Atlanta is a top 10 pick.

So Atlanta can move up to Chargers. You have the five, we have the nine, we'll move up, we'll give you blank. Chargers could use a tight end. Give us Kyle Pitts and a number one pick next year and we'll flip. And then the Chargers go, instead of drafting Brock Bowers,

we get Kyle Pitts, we need a number one tight end, and we'll give you our five, you get our nine, and they go get Michael Pennix. I got this thing figured out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely, right? All right, let's go back to your boy, Jordan Love. Oh, my gosh, he was so good. 272 yards, three touchdowns.

He had a perfect passer rating until the very end, and it kind of fell out there. But Love spoke with Aaron Andrews about the team's mindset after the dub. We came in here with the mindset that we were going to dominate. You know, a lot of people counted us out. And, you know, we didn't care about that. We knew what opportunity we had in front of us and made the most of it tonight.

Good for him. Since that Thanksgiving gave that Olson referenced, you have been pro-jordan love. Oh, absolutely. And I have been like, I need to see more. Yeah, you've been. I got to see more. Dude, he throws, even that little end zone sidearm thing,

that was a tough throw. It was nice. Watch this, watch this. Stafford-ish, right? Yeah, I mean, not quite no look, but. Listen, I have no problem acknowledging. Matt Lafleur was ticked off. He was garbage in October.

He was bad. Yeah, no, no. He was like Tibeau. 55%. But when I watched the Detroit game, I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, he was better than golf. Well, he got handed a bunch of short fields. Well, whatever. I mean, I don't know.

He just plays with a lot of confidence. I don't know. It's just fun to watch. The other thing, Colin, and I'm just going to repeat this, when you see the highlight reel that our producers put together, the guys are all wide open. Everybody's open. It's not like he's making tons of tight-ploid dogs yesterday. With those receivers and- I'm not criticizing.

With that coach, those receivers in tight ends, they're going to be open. Nobody has a good third corner in the league. Again, I'm not pumping up Stafford, but you watch some of the throws. Stafford made against the Lions. Oh, he was insane. He was impossible throws. Oh, he was great. This guy.

Stafford was a performance. Otherworldly. Jordan Love, again, sorry Packard's fans. I was a little bit wrong. I'll take a half an L, a lowercase L, not a capital L on this one. I think the 49ers smother them and choke him out there. Next final story, Antonio Pierce, the. Raiders interim coach is reportedly the leading candidate to land the full-time job,

but other teams are kicking the tires. As they do that, Star Defensive Ed, Max Crosby said he would consider asking for a trade, saying on his podcast, nothing's off the table if Pierce is not retained. If he gets the job, keep your eye on Cliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator. There's a name we haven't heard. Isn't he at USC or something? Cliff Kingsbury. Oh, that's right, Calherd's Mr. USC now.

No, I'm just saying I have a source that told me Cliff Kingsbury is his likely OC if he gets the job. Who's his quarterback? Well, got a draft one. Jay Mack with the news. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at 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 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 I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. 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 a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Now you're finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. After his incredible playoff debut, Jordan Love, and the upstart Packers, take on Brock Purdy and the top-seated four. 49ers in the NFC divisional round. It all starts at 7.30 Eastern Saturday on 5.

You know, one of the reasons young quarterbacks do succeed is because of their coach and how they're used. A prime example lost in C.J. Stroud's performance. Flacco attempted 46 passes and completed 34. C.J. Stroud only attempted 21 and completed 6. They didn't ask him to carry the franchise. And that's part of his success. Now, he was compared to Jared Goff out of college, and I thought that was fair.

Neither one athletically. There's not a lot of juice, but they're great pocket throwers. But nobody thought he would be this good. And predicting quarterback success is probably the hardest thing in the league. I mean, Brock Purdy was the last guy drafted. Everybody, including the Niners, passed on him at least six times, and most team seven. So C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love, we have two new franchise quarterbacks. And I watched a lot of crappy quarterback play this year, college and pro.

So that's what I'm rooting for. More young quarterbacks to hit. What my eyes tell me with C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love is kind of effortless accuracy and a self-belief. They play loose. They believe in themselves. They let it rip. They don't overthink it. But it's interesting.

It's really hard to guess who's going to work in. Who's not? And even the people that liked Jordan Love. Matt Lefleur liked him. He can't even explain this. Like, after the game, Matt LeFruhrer was like, that's a dude. And I think the people that liked C.J. Stroud didn't envision this. But again, 16 of 21, put him in positions to succeed.

He's got a great left tackle, excellent defensive coach. But here's what's interesting. If you get the quarterback in the head coach right, everything falls into place. Green Bay, pre-season PFF, a group we like, had Green Bay's receiving group ranked 27th. Houston's was ranked dead last 32nd. You get the quarterback right, you get the coach right.

Seattle's got everything right, except the quarterback. Right? Like you get the quarterback. This receiving group was considered the worst in the league. I don't know. C.J. Stroud makes them look really good. So here was D'Amico Ryan's after the playoff win. C.J. is the reason why we're in this position.

He's special, special young man, special player, continues to shine. No matter how big the moment is, like our whole team is leaning on him. And he has the shoulders to carry their weight. And he shows up week after week. He continues to improve week at the week. No moment is too big for him. and when you have a young player who can shoulder the load of your team and the way the team is behind him,

the confidence that he gives our entire team, it's so cool to watch. Now, for the young guys, now the road gets really tough. Jordan Love, all those snaps, goes to San Francisco, to face San Francisco, a brilliant coach, and a great pass rush. Houston, now they wait, they'll figure out their, next journey. We'll get some stuff, some clarity today.

But it's going to get tougher. The coaching's better. The defense is better. The players are better. I had said going into the game, I thought Houston would win. Not like that. Joe Flacco was a great story. I didn't think he was a great quarterback.

He had eight picks in five games this year. Now he's got, I think, 10 in six. So I think the Flacco story sort of overwhelmed the truth that January Joe, you know, he's older. He lets that ball loose sometimes into places that aren't ideal. The road will get tougher. But when I watch Jordan Love and C.J. Stroud, what I see is kind of self-belief, they kind of let it rip, they believe in themselves, kind of effortlessly accurate kind of play comes easy to them. But it is amazing. To look at these receiving groups, PFF were like awful. The quarterback plays well.

everybody. I mean, Green Bayes look sensational. I can't wait to see the off-season quarterback rankings, Colin. Where does Stroud and Jordan Love come into next season? Are they both, based on what we've seen, small sample size, are they top 10 quarterbacks going into next season? Like, it's a very, because like, listen, you know my guy, Brock Purdy's got to be in there. No, not, no. You think Brock Purdy's more talented than CJ Stride? No, no, that's not what I said.

I said top 10 quarterbacks heading into next season. Well, that's different than talent. Joe Burrow comes back. Trevor Lawrence. Lamar, Josh, Mahomes, Herbert with a real coach. I mean, it's not like everybody's dropping out of it. Trevor Lawrence or C.J. Stroud going into the next season. Well, C.J. Stroud.

Yeah, exactly. It's really good. 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 headwriter, 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 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Relating. 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.