The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - Analytics

Episode Date: January 19, 2022

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Fox Sports Radio, IHeart Radio, FS1. So Joy Taylor and I were talking about analytics. And about, I agree with analytics. I call them analytics. I like analytics, 70, 30 percent, but I don't think you ever want to reduce athletes to code or numbers. that sometimes like if LeBron's like give me the ball or Debo Sanger, give me the ball. I don't care what the analytics say.

Chris Paul, close game, better than three points over time. I want Chris Paul with the ball in his hands because he's smart and he's a great two point mid-range jumper. I'll give an example. There's a lot of things, Joy, that they're the dirty little secrets of stuff and nobody wants, nobody bakes these in. So if you own a bar, nobody bakes this in to their. budget, but you will have 12% theft from your bartenders. They'll put money in their pocket. Now, you don't bake that in, but that's what happens with bars.

It's Friday night. Somebody didn't show up. Bartenders pissed. Pull a couple 20s in my pocket. Not going to charge that guy for a beer. That's why bars increasingly have cameras and surveillance. Weighted systems. Yep.

For their bartenders. So they don't give free drinks. You lose about 12% of theft. Here's the other thing. People lie on phone surveys. When I was 30 years old, I got called by a sultry-sounding woman, and she was doing a survey on intimacy. And she sounded beautiful. And she said, the length of all night long, I am the king of I am Mr. Intimacy.

I am the great American lover. I would lie. right because we lie people we know now in political surveys conservatives don't trust the media and they lie and that's that's what's happening so nobody wants to bake that in that half of the conservatives will lie to the phone person not saying it's good and bad it's the truth nobody considers this with analytics the reason I reward my kids when they get good grades

because rewards matter it's something to look forward to So, hey, if you get good grades, there'll be a reward somewhere in there. How about we'll go weekend skiing or something like that, right, right? So with analytics, football is really hard. I remember talking to Joy's brother one time. Jason Taylor, the Hall of Fame. I was at ESPN. I was sitting down with him.

And he had a bad foot. He had an injury. And he had played. His career was near. I think he still played at that time or it was near over. And he's like, he was telling him about an injury. And he's like, oh, at halftime, I shot up my foot. And I'm like, how bad was it?

He goes, oh, yeah, I couldn't walk without it. I couldn't even walk. And that was the dirty little secret of the NFL is sometimes you had to take a little shot at half time, right? Like, you just don't want to talk about that. And here's the thing about analytics people don't want to talk about. These are men. Football's hard. If you look at men's hands like Mark Slareth, who have played in the trenches for years, their fingers point in different directions.

They have deformities all over their hands. So think about any other job that would happen. It doesn't happen in any of our jobs. It is hard. So you do a 12-play drive. Going to go for it and forth down. No points. Who doesn't get hit in football increasingly?

The quarterback. So the quarterback lets you down, misses a wide-open receiver after a 12-play drive that you busted your hump to create holes. You get it again. 12-play drive. offensive lineman. It is war on every play, burrowing through the 300-pound man's soul every play.

Deformed fingers. And your coach goes for it and fourth and two, and the quarterback again, those warriors walk back to the sidelines. 24 plays of doing their job. And the pampered quarterback who makes four times as much and we can't hit at practice didn't do his. Get points. people want rewards, the psychology of a game. There are studies that have been done that when you have a great quarterback,

defensive players play better. In Green Bay, just get Aaron the ball, just get Aaron Rogers the ball, just get Brady the ball. If you have Mitch Trubisky at the end in Chicago, Khalil Mack had a bad year, like his second, I think it was a second year. And a lot of it was, what the hell if I get the ball back to Mitch Trubisky anyway? What is it? Our offense can't score. When Michael Vick was in Atlanta, Jim Morrow once told me,

Michael helped our defense because Michael could make plays out of nothing. Our defense was just like two minutes left. Just get Michael the ball in Green Bay. Michael will do something that nobody's ever seen. Baltimore, Lamar Jackson, to get him the ball. And it doesn't matter if he's had a bad day. He can still burst an 80-yard run. There's a psychology to all this stuff in football.

If you are asking these linemen to bang, bang, bang, and you keep having nine-play drives and they get no reward for it, that that sideline's not the same that's not the same sideline you got to give and i'm not saying you don't go for it but when i outplay my man in the trenches for three and a half hours and four times we go for it on fourth three we don't get it one we get a first down and don't get points i'm bitter that flight home i resent my quarterback i resent my coordinator and there are times to go for it. But Kyle Shanahan, who by the way, the Niners play as physical of football as anybody in this league, and Kyle knows it. He likes points because he asks so much of his offensive

and defensive linemen. He asks a lot in practice. He asks a lot in games. He rewards them. Let's just get the field goal. Is it because Kyle's dumb? Like, nobody talks about this stuff in football. It is football practice. I hated. I love baseball practice. I love baseball practice. I basketball practice. I hated football practice. It's hard. You're getting hit. It's blocking sleds. It's getting draining. The gear stinks. It's like hockey practice. There is no easy hockey practice. It's all hard. And so I think in the analytic world is sometimes there's value. You know what, guys? We got three. Now, now, this weekend with Mahomes versus Josh Allen, those are the moments where I'm like, my quarterback's great and so is theirs.

That's a game in which if I was Sean McDermott or Reed, I would go for it a lot. Because I know field goals aren't going to beat Mahomes and Arrowhead, and I trust Josh Allen. So if I'm Mahomes or Josh Allen this weekend, that game should be go-for-it game. If it's fourth and four anywhere near midfield, I'm just going for it. But Josh Allen and Mahomes are the two most talented quarterbacks in the world. That's not the average. And so when the Niners are, you didn't hear a lot about all the analytic mavens were crushing Shanahan during the game. But they won and nobody talked about it, right?

Because there's no courage on Twitter. Once the analytic guy loses, it all gets very quiet around the analytic mavens. But Shanahan went against the analytic thing the whole game. And my takeaway is he asked too much of his team. They're very physical. He doesn't trust Garapolo. I'm on the road. Just get me points.

So when the players come back to the sideline, it's like, nice job. Did your job, boom. It's a win. It's a victory. You take the helmet off on the sidelines, the Gatorade. It's like, we kick their butt. We got it.

You can only ask your team so many times to come over after a nine-play drive with nothing, with a bagel. There's a psychology to all this stuff that I don't think we bake in. Well, analytics only tell a part of the story, and they don't account for everything that's happening during a game. They don't account for fatigue. They don't account for momentum. They don't account for how many penalties you guys have had throughout the game. They don't account for crowd.

They don't account for an injury to the other team. They only tell one part of the picture. You can look at certain analytics and know this applies. The Cowboys don't win if they can't run the ball more than 100 yards. There's something to that. Now, that's an analytic, but there's a story around it as well. How is the offensive line playing? How much are you running the ball early in the game?

It's only one part of the story. So if you rely solely on analytics, you're ignoring other factors. We have talked about this too with analytics in the NBA, because I do think you should shoot more threes than twos. But do you bake in the fact that the game is officiated differently in the NBA playoffs? The further you go, the fewer calls. Like, James Hardin doesn't get the whistle that he does. Now, the rules have changed with James Hardin in his kind of lean-in style or step-back style.

But nobody's ever considered James gets the whistle in the regular season. They don't, now he'll get it sometimes, but the refs ref differently. in the playoffs. How do you bake that in? So all those analytic numbers in baseball. Do you really go to the bullpen all the time in the fifth inning? In baseball, do you ask a Max Scherzer to come out of the pen in June? No, but you do in October.

So the sport changes. There's more urgency. You're going to ask Clayton Kershaw or Scherzerger. Guys, I need an inning. I don't care that you pitched last night. I need an inning. And they would, of course, for a world. series of Max Scherzer's like, give me the ball.

But he's not at his best. He doesn't have his best stuff. He can only give you about maybe five of his best fastballs. Like he's not going to throw 98. Like all of this stuff's playoffs are all, like if you watch football now, think about how bad Jalen Hertz was. How bad Kyler Murray was. You don't think

the pressure of football had anything to do with that. You don't think the analytics that all worked in their favor. Suddenly Jalen Hertz was so nervous he couldn't complete like dig routes. Kyler Murray was like making mistakes he hadn't made all year. Well, the game speeds up. And the pressure and the, I mean,

just, again, I don't want to be anti-analytic guy like Charles Barkley years ago makes fun of them. There are stats and data that I absolutely believe in. You always want more information. Smart people always want more information. More stuff. But you have to put it into the, put it into the pot. At the end of the day, this is

a talent business. It's about talent. The NBA is about talent. The The NFL is about talent. There's 1% of 1% that are playing in these leagues. And then the biggest moment is going to come down to who makes the big play in the moment. And analytics cannot account for that. So if you're relying solely on that, you're just ignoring the soul of sport. Well, and also in basketball, I played basketball, you played basketball.

Players get hot. Right. Like there's no question. Because I'm saying like analytics don't account for momentum. They don't account for what's happening in the game. They don't account for if it's a chippy game. If someone has gotten kicked out, if someone has one technical or not, they have to play a different way.

Like, analytics can't tell that story. You have to make human decisions in the moments. Ask yourself this. Have you ever watched the golfer, a basketball player, Nick Anderson at the free throw line, Greg Norman at the Masters? Have you ever seen a basketball player or a golfer choke? Analytics doesn't measure any of that. Of course people aren't.

There's no question. athletes, we all get tight. I used to play a game when I golfed a lot. I always kept a $100 bill with me. And I used to be a game. Whenever somebody had like an 8-foot put, $100 bill. Yours if you hit it. It's amazing how people overthink and good golfers are like,

it just changes a $100 bill. Hit the pot. It is amazing how the psychology of stuff. So it is just this automatic go-for-it stuff. Well, Kyle Shanahan knows more football and his dad than all of us. us and Kyle was, Kyle didn't even go for it on at the 50 yard line. And I'm, I'm not always go for it guy. And I was like, uh, bo's out, Warner's out.

I don't trust my defense. Go for it. He still punted it. Well, if you could only rely on analytics, anyone could do the job. You just do what the analytics say to do. What are the analytics say to do here? Okay, go do that. It's not, it's obviously not that simple.

And there's a reason for that. And this all started about Troy Aikman talked about. during the cowboy game with Niners, he's like, C.D. Lambs got single coverage. I don't care what the scheme say. Throwing the ball. Here was Aikman. I was playing, and I hate going back to that point because nobody cares. But what I see around the leagues, not just Dallas, it was in Philadelphia. I've seen it with a lot of teams. That a lot of these offenses, they want to scheme things. Rather than this corner is playing soft, he's scared to death, just run the route tree, just run. just run a comeback, run a dig route, run a curl, run anything.

And you're going to complete the pass whenever you want. Irvin would have had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way that they played CD Lamb. The game's not that difficult. If I've got a great player at wide receiver and a corner is playing him single coverage, throw him the ball. Over and over and over. It's what I'll say this about McBay.

Like they'll go to Cooper Cup on six straight routes. And by the way, Arizona doubled him. They're like, all right, all right. We don't care what our game plan was. We're going the other way. Like, it's not that complicated. If you have good players in single coverage, get them the ball. Just get them the ball.

All right, Jeff Schwartz around the corner of the herd. 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. 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'll say.

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So, you know, last week it was pretty obvious. The pressure was on Matt Stafford and Mike McCarthy. One passed it, one failed. I feel like the pressure is on Aaron this week. You don't. You feel like it's on somebody else. I think it's on his coach. I think it's on Matt LaFleurre, right?

Because I don't know if Aaron, and Aaron does care how he plays and does care how he's perceived obviously, right? But he's going to play well in this game. I don't think he's going to play poorly. He's had time to now rest. He gets his left tackle back this week, right? The Niners past defensive times can be suspect.

But this is up to Matt LaFleur, right? Because Aaron Rogers has a decision whether or not he wants to come back. I think he'll come back next season. I don't think we're going to have the same office season. that Packers provide him the best opportunity to win, right? He wants to win. If Matt Lafleur makes a coaching decision that helps them lose the game or doesn't help them win the game, then that's going to fall on him.

If they lose this game, most likely it's on Matt LaFleur. And that's less likely Aaron Rogers comes back. So to me, it's on the floor. He's won a lot of regular season games, one a ton of them. Can you now get yourself and get your team into the Super Bowl? To me, it's on his coach. Yeah, it is interesting. we have a history of some really good coaches like Marty Schottenheimer

who got very very Chuck Knox was a legendary coach who got into the playoffs and got really conservative and Matt LaFleur last year people complained he got like conservative so to your point you know you got to keep Aaron happy so it's interesting about Kansas City I like the Chiefs this weekend I just don't trust Josh Allen to be consistently great although I think he's on his best days he's the best player in the league but your your takeaway I know your brother played there, no longer does, but your takeaway in Kansas City, Buffalo? Well, yeah, it comes down to this, right? I think we know what we have with Kansas City. There's going to be a lot of good and there's going to be some bad, right?

I mean, it's hard to now break 19 weeks of the same pattern, right, where the offense can score five touchdowns in 11 minutes and then really do nothing maybe otherwise, right? We know we're getting with them defensively, obviously. There are some good moments, they're bad moments. I think some of its personnel, some of its schemes sometimes. But with Buffalo, we don't know we're getting each week, right? There's 30 seconds. the NFL and variance. Go look at their box scores. Yeah. Just even any advanced stats of the offense of Josh Allen.

If week 18 Josh Allen shows up or week 17 Josh Allen shows up, the bills lose by three touchdowns. But if week 19 of wild car Josh Allen shows up, don't beat the two by three touchdowns, right? So are we going with the pattern of up down, up, down for Buffalo? So I know what I'm getting with Kansas City. And their best will beat Buffalo. And obviously if Buffalo scores an offer to touchdown every single drive, Kansas City will lose.

I feel very comfortable in saying that. But to me, I know what I'm getting with Kansas City. And they remind me a little bit of Tom Brady's teams where they play the regular season to get to the playoffs. Like what they did the first 17 weeks is unimportant to them because this is what matters most of them. They have been here before. They're seasoned. They're under a field goal, I believe under favorites, which Pat Mahomes is fantastic in that role. So I like the Chiefs to win this game.

I think Bucks and Rams is going to be lower score. than people think, and here's why. I think Jalen Ramsey for the Rams, you put him on Mike Evans, Chris Godwin's out, A, B's out. So you don't fear you're going to get beat down the field much. Gronk's not going to beat you down the field. I think you can just say,

Jalen, take Mike out, and Mike Evans, as good as he is, has not always performed great against the league's best corners. And then it just comes down to run the football on the Rams. Well, their old lines beat up. Now, similarly, I don't think the Rams are going to be able to run the ball

on Tampa, and I do think they'll miss Robert Woods. You know, I think this Tampa defense is going to force Matt Stafford to throw 40 times. That's not my favorite Rams team. So I think it's kind of an ugly, low score. It feels like that to me. Do you have a strong vibe on that game? Yeah, don't bet against Tom Brady. Stop doing this, guys, right?

I think he's won nine of his last 10 home playoff games, the one that he lost with the 2018 when the team really wasn't very good, and he was kind of carrying that team, right? You mentioned it. It's Matt Stafford. who nobody really trust in this spot. He threw the ball 17 times. I promise you, he would not throw the ball 17 times against Tampa Bay, right?

What they do really well on defense for Tampa Bay, stop the run. He's not have to pass the football, right? If you have to pass the football in this game, they're not going to win this game. He's throwing an interception now in 12 of 18 games. He played a very clean game against Arizona, that moment looked way too big for them.

Did you notice, I know Philly's not really a great playoff team, but did you notice how fast Tampa Bay playing? Oh, God. They were so a great. aggressive. Like, this is their moment, right? They wait all year to play in these playoff games. Tom Brady's been great at home this season.

He's been great at home with the playoffs. I think the Rams season ends this weekend. I think they lose this game by about a touchdown. So I kind of, I have this thing called the face bracket, and I just pick teams based on the better quarterback. Well, Burroughs better than Ryan Tannahill. And, you know, part of me thinks Cincinnati's a hard team to bet against because like Kansas City, they can just, they can have, they can score on the play a lot quickly, fast.

But man, it feels like they have the weakest roster left in the playoffs. I still contend they're kind of in a, there's some units on that team that are still in a rebuild mode. What do you make of the Bengals' chances? Well, to your point, they have a chance with Joe Burrow each week. I mean, he has played so well. If you look at his career in big moments, whether it was LSU or those with the Bengals so far, He's played well in those games. But your point about the roster is very important here, right?

Because their offensive line is not very good. They're playing a Tennessee defensive line that rush the passer very well. Yes. And now one of their defensive tackles is out of this game. He's out for the season. Hearder's foot, I believe, last weekend. Their best pass rusher is concussed. I think he will play this weekend, but we never know with concussions.

And they get a Tennessee team that's very well rested. AJ Brown is healthy. That's a huge deal for this team. They're 11 and 2 this season when he's on the field. The offense and the air yard passes, past 10 yards. improve so much when he's in this game. Ryan Tano is a better player when Brown is healthy. So I think Tennessee has it going kind of right now, obviously.

Now, look, analytically, they're not great, right? They're kind of, their inefficient numbers aren't that well. But they win a lot of games. Like, they're well coached. They're physical. They know what they're doing. They obviously get Henry back. I think Tennessee wins this game.

But if there is one upset this weekend, it's the Bengals being Tennessee, which is a Chiefs fan, I would absolutely love. Yeah. Yeah, I wouldn't want to play them if I was Kansas City. By the way, where do you stay? I say this about, so I just, I'm going to give you. a theory. I just threw this on the air and people, I don't know what the internet's going to say, but here's my theory on why Kyle Shanahan didn't do the analytics game against Al's. He just

field goal, field goal, field goal, punt. I have a theory on this. Kyle demands a lot physically from his team. They pound, he asks his tight end to block, he wants his receivers to block. And I think there's a psychology, and I'm an analytics fan. But if you're asking your team to play the physical nature of Shanahan's, specifically to offensive linemen. And you do a 12-play drive and dominate Dallas. And you come back to the sideline because Jimmy couldn't get you a first down on fourth down. And you get the ball again.

And you dominate as an offensive lineman for 12 plays. And Jimmy couldn't get you play on fourth down. The psychology of, he asks his team to everybody has to block. It's totally octagon, UFC football physical. When I'm doing that and I don't love my quarterback, I want to reward my offensive linemen when they come back to the sidelines with points. And analytic people say I'm out of my gourd, and you're an analytics guy. But I do think if I have a physical football team and I ask you to block in practice,

nine or practices are legendarily, they're physical. The way they play is physical. I feel like I should get points more than just going for it. Tell me how stupid that sounds, do you? Well, I think it just is what you said. He doesn't trust his quarterback, right? Think about this, fourth and one to end that game, right? 40 seconds left.

All Jimmy has to do is wait for Trent Williams to stop moving, right? They took their left tackle, moved him from the left to the right to kind of throw off the center of a QB sneak, right? Maybe they're running the ball to the right. All I do is wait a half second. Couldn't do that snap the ball penalty. He doesn't trust Jimmy Garoppolo. So to your point, I think he would rather get points in that situation to reward his office. offense for moving the ball down the field of feeling good about scoring points, rather than come

with zeros. But it's 100% of diamond on Jimmy Groplo. I think if he had a different quarterback in there, he'd feel more comfortable going for the points in those moments. Instead, to your point, they get three points they feel good about. But to me, this is always about Jim McGrathom. And again, there are certain plays in this game. It's why they draft a Tray Lance.

It's why they're going to move off Jimmy Groplo. He just has those two or three plays a game that you expect someone who makes that much money who's your franchise quarterback to not miss him. The rest of the game is fine. It says two or three plays. We saw him in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. We saw him this past weekend again. He's just not good enough for how much money you pay him.

Yeah. All right, Jeff Schwartz. I think I don't like betting favorites. I'm betting three favorites this week. I think I'm going to take Cincinnati in the points. I don't know if they win, but if it's three and a half, I'm taking the Bengals. I'm not going to, I'm taking the hook. They may lose 28, 27, but that's, you bet a lot of football.

Do you like favorites mostly this weekend? I do. I would tease the Packers down just to be safe. I know it's at 6 because Garoppel might not play. But yeah, the Bengals at 3.5. I'm not taking, I don't take teams minus 3 and a half anymore as favorites. I've been eaten by the hook so many times. So I've been being bangles plus 3.5.

100%. I'm not taking the Titans here. All right. Good seeing you, bud. Same here. Take care. All right. Thomas Dimitrov.

Jeff Schwartz. Nick Wright today. Good stuff. Joy Taylor with the news. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the her.

Line news. Well, Michigan has reportedly had productive conversations with Jim Harbaugh regarding a new contract. We talked about this two days ago. Yes. However, there is some concern amongst some high-ranking university officials that Harbaugh is torn still between saying at Michigan and potentially return to the NFL if the opportunity were to present itself. I think he'd take the Raiders job if offered. But it has not been offered. I think he'll stay at Michigan.

What if the Cowboys job was open? It doesn't look like it will be, but what if it was? you'd take that job. Because the division's terrible. It's not like he's going in. The last time he was in the league, he was in the NFC West. I think if you're Harbaugh, you take the Cowboys job. I don't think the Cowboys want somebody like Harbaugh.

I think they want somebody that they are bigger then. They can control. Yeah. No, no. I think this is what I was told two days ago. I said it on the air. I heard from a source I trust, one source. He was leaning on staying at Michigan.

And so this story surfaces, interestingly, that Michigan and Harbaugh are working on a new deal. I do believe their concern is if I was Harbaugh and I got Derek Carr, Hunter Renfro, Josh Jacobs, Colton Miller, Darren Waller, I would take that job. The Raiders job in an offense, I know the division's great, but Denver has a new owner and no quarterback. It also feels like a place where they would probably keep him for a long time. After the Gruden situation. Yeah. No, and he's also, he'll have leverage. Like he is, like him or not, he is the best candidate on the market.

He's won 67% of his NFL games. Right, right. But he would also be silly not to use this season at Michigan as leverage to get a better contract. Of course. So why wouldn't he put his name out there? We had good ratings on the show yesterday. I went up and demanded more for both of us.

That's the game you've got to play. I appreciate that. Every day. Well, he did sign a five-year deal in January of 2021, but the contract talks have included an incentive-based deal, so it would get his future annual salary higher than the $8 million he originally had. By the way, he does. serves it. I mean, everyone was banging on him at Michigan for how many years. All right.

Well, you were trying to get rid of him. And now he's, he did what he did. Now you got to pay him. This is what's crazy. This part of, I've heard stories before that the government should for like certain times of chaos in America shut down the internet. I'm not a big fan of that. But this is the one thing that the internet and social media has done in sports that I can't stand. literally Harbaugh was a bum and then three hours later after beating the Buckeyes, he's the number one candidate for NFL jobs. There's no context on this. There's this avalanche of stuff.

Now, sometimes it works in your favor. Harbaugh went from bum to greatest coach ever. But it's insane how every singular moments now are framed as everything and your resume doesn't matter. Harbaugh's been great. He's been at least very good. different jobs. He's a really good coach. That's why when you're a decision maker,

you have to have the ability to shut out the noise. Yes. Because while it's great that people have, everyone has a voice, it's also not great that everyone has a voice because everyone doesn't have the requirement to do the research and to put their name, face,

image, likeness, job, whatever, behind what it is they're saying. Like, the internet has a level of anonymity. So you can say whatever, you want. You have no responsibility for what it is you said. If I say something, if you say something, this is my face, this is my mouth, this is the microphone with the sound is coming from here. You know I said it. I am here saying it. We have a responsibility to do what? Research. We prep for hours before this show. Now, sometimes we get things wrong, but we still have a certain level of

responsibility to not come up here and just say nonsense. The internet does not bear that responsibility. So it's on decision makers to be able to pay attention to the pulse of the fans, pay attention to the pulse of the media, see what it is people are saying, and then also use deductive reasoning to look at the resume and what is actually happening within your organization or program. Yeah. Like you have a responsibility to do that. Hopefully the people in power, I don't think they always have the courage to do that. I think they waffled in the wind.

We've definitely seen that some don't. Yeah. But in the end, perspective is still very important. And it can cause you to make really rash decisions that end up, you know, being to your detriment in the long term. So the Cardinal started the season with seven straight wins. They looked great, but they finished the season four and seven in the last 11 games. And Cliff Kingsbury said he needs to figure out why this keeps happening to this team.

You know, the last couple for the reasons, we haven't been as sharp. And that's something I've got to continue to evaluate and figure out what we need to do, whether it's practice structure or different things of that nature, because we've got to be better. This league is about closing strong and building momentum into the playoffs. And unfortunately, we didn't do that. Yeah, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Let me defend him here. So was it Texas Tech?

Well, they did not close the season strong, but they started very well. So let me throw this in. The weather is better early in season. He's an offensive coach. Texas Tech is not a football power. They don't have great depth. Wouldn't you argue an offensive coach who schemes all offseason, they come out, balls of blazing on fire.

But Texas Tech doesn't have. of Oklahoma, Texas, or TCU depth. After injuries, his teams do not finish this strong. That happens to a lot of second-tier programs where they start great. At the end of the year, who's good at the end of the year? Georgia and Bama, they have depth. In the NFL, same thing. He took this job over.

They had the fourth best roster, his first two years in this league. Now, I do believe they have a better roster. But what happened to it? They got injury. They had key injuries. So the Rams got healthy. The Niners now are healthier. Arizona last month.

So I'm just saying it's easy to, the internet now is on fire with he can't coach after blankety blank time. But at Texas Tech, you're talking about Texas Tech has very few playmakers. They get banged up. Yeah, you don't have the depth of Oklahoma, Texas, TCU, or even a bailer, right? He took over a mess of a franchise. He had to rebuild it. So the first couple years, by the way, Gruden was facing this this first couple years.

Why? Because the Raiders had no depth. Yeah, but this has been the scout on Kingsbury consistently. So like at some point, you got to change that. In six seasons, he lost 30 of 39 games to end the season. This has been the story of him for the three years with the team. They've gone 15, 8 and 1 through the first eight weeks of their three seasons. They're 9 and 17 on the back part of their schedule.

So this is what Cliff Kingsbury does. And that doesn't work in the NFL because you don't have those Texas Tech excuses in the NFL. I do think there's something that he has to figure out as a coach. There's enough evidence here in three seasons. You don't finish the season strong. So maybe that coming out blazing thing is not actually what you want to do. Maybe you need a little more balance, whether it's practice, whether it's how you're scheming. I don't know.

But clearly this is what you do. You don't finish season strong. So there's a mountain of evidence that this is what Cliff King is. I am his defense attorney. I don't think they should move off of Cliff Kingsbury. No, I don't either. I think he's done a nice job. I do too.

He clearly has a relationship with Kyler Murray, his young quarterback. I think they'll be back next season. They made the playoffs in the toughest division. They're fine. Yeah. I don't like how they finish the season. They have to figure out how does he specifically.

He has to figure out whatever he needs to do to adjust that so that doesn't continue happening. It is a long season. You're going to have injuries. Everybody does. That can't be an excuse to fizzle out year after year after year. So Steph Curry. one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, yet critics continue to say that his dependence on three-point shot isn't good for the game of basketball.

In an interview with the athletic, Steph addressed this. He said, I'll get tagged on something on social media like you ruined the game. Anyone who knows basketball knows where I stand on that. It's an amazing way to play the game. Everybody loves to shoot the ball. It's a fun way to play. And it's dope to know that everybody feels an attachment to it. People are going to talk bleep, hate and love and criticism and celebration. him. I don't hear this a lot that he ruined the game of basketball. I mean, I think sports evolve. I don't really like the mouth free of it's better 30 years ago. It wasn't. You can enjoy things for what they are. Everything doesn't have to be this or that. Can you enjoy the 1980s, 1970s, early 90s version of basketball and enjoy what basketball is now?

By the way, he didn't ruin it because he's a great shooter. People that are ruining it are taking non-shooters and saying Westbrook shoot threes. Right. I never have... Anthony Davis will be a three-point shooter. Yeah, like I still contend there's a handful of players that have the green light always. This league wants...

You should earn that. You should, if you're Steph Curry, you should have the green light. All the time. Clay Thompson. Kevin Durant. Devin Booker. James Harden. Right.

There's a handful of guys. You owe Damian Lillard. There's a handful of guys. I think what's ruined the game is trying to turn power forwards. Right. In the three points. Trying to make everybody into LeBron James. It's not,

like that's what's unfair to it. I don't think that Steph Curry ruin the game. I think sports evolve. And I know it's terrifying. We talked about this a lot of the past couple years. It changes like, I think change is the scariest thing to people. People always say like the scariest thing is speaking in public,

like public speaking is the worst fear. No. People are afraid of change. They're terrified of it. Inso much that they turn into complete lunatics whenever you try and present them with any kind of change. It's all right. Sports evolve.

The NFL is not. not what it was when it began. Does it even look like the same? The players don't even look the same. Are you telling me it was better when it first began? No, of course not. Let me throw this at you. So if you were a great journalist,

so the way to make the most money on cable TV as opinion. Right. You know, Hannity and Rachel Maddow and, you know, that's where the money's at, right? Right. And not in reporting. But if you had a great reporter, because there's more money, revenue, and ratings in opinion,

would you take a great reporter and go, you to do more opinion. Yeah, we see it all the time. And the reporter's like, well, I'm a reporter and I'm the best in the world at it. That's my, that's my, always my thing about Kauai Leonard. Kauai Leonard is the best, get a bucket, that's a two, and get a stop player in the league when he was healthy, about three years ago. Would I want to take him and say, I want you to now add three to the game, is there, could I make the, and he's not a bad three-point shooter. But if somebody is the greatest at something, can't I be, doesn't that have value in a roster? Like, I'll go get other three-point shooters.

I don't want Chris Paul shooting three. Knowing your personnel and leaning into what they do is the story of every championship team ever. You talk to any guy or any woman on a championship team, they will tell you the exact same thing. We all did our job. We knew what we were supposed to do. We all communicated with each other. That's why we want. Everybody knows what they're supposed to do and does what they do to the highest level.

The stars are the stars, role players are the role players. and everyone is content and happy in their role because they know when they do it right, it works. I like Anthony Davis and Janus to have the ball within eight feet of the basket. I'm sorry. Well, now, the players have to want to do that. That's right.

Like Anthony Davis has to want to do what he does best and not try and do something else. It's this idea I have to turn everybody. Like, if you give me a player and I just say, he's the best on-ball defender in the league. The fact that I would have in the entire world, the best on-ball defender, I won.

Not everybody has to be everything. Some people are reporters. Some people are opinionists. Just give me the best people in their space. I don't want to make everybody a three-ball shooter. Am I crazy? I know. Analytically, I'm a loser.

I get it. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie new. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. My check. My check.

Check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. And let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things whoops culture.

that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, 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 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do 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 on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

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. All right, eight of the 32 NFL teams still alive and competing for the Super Bowl. Teams now are evaluating their coaches, their GMs, their quarterbacks.

Many have been fired. There are plenty of overreactions by the media, so let's play buy-sell hold. Time to buy-sell. Colin will decide if he'll buy it. Sell. Or hold. The Cowboys advance beyond the wild card round next year. That is a sell.

Sell, sell. 11 straight playoff appearances without reaching the conference championships. They're one-and-done in seven. of their last 10 playoff appearances. Playoffs is the best coaching and quarterbacking. I think they're a B at both. Tua starts 10 plus games next season. That is a buy.

Brian Flores didn't like him, but the GM and the owner appeared to. He started 12 last year, and let's be fair, he increased his wins, his completion percentage, and his passer rating. When supported, he was better. Tom Brady wins the Super Bowl. Hold, please. Now, here's the thing. In the last two years, he's been great in the playoffs.

5-0, 102-passer rating, 13 TDs, three picks. But going to Lambo, it feels like Aaron's year. And I also think the champion may very well come out of the AFC this year. The Chiefs win their third straight AFC title. I'm going to go with a buy on that. I think they beat Buffalo this week. weekend Mahomes in seven career home playoff games is 6 and 1. They've won

10 of 11 games. Their defense situationally has been superb post- Thanksgiving. So, yeah, I think they end up in the Super Bowl. Aaron Rogers and Devante Adams return to Green Bay next season. By Sell Hold. Okay. Hold, please. With a lean toward buy. First of all, when Aaron

targets Devante Adams, he completes 73% of his throws. And outside of Cooper Cup, Devante Adams averages more yards per game than any receiver in the league. So they're really good for each other. And I think if I'm the GM in 2022 of the Packers, my two most important players are Aaron

Rogers, one, and Devante Adams, two, this isn't the 70s or 80s when you could, you know, these two players are the foundation of the franchise. I still think both are in their prime. Aaron's just later in his prime. Mike McCarthy will be the Cowboys head coach beyond 2022. Bye. Jerry gave Chan Galey a couple years and Mike McCarthy's won a Super Bowl. The Cowboys offense was statistically number one. The division's bad, so he's going to win games next year with that personnel and DAC. So like it or not, the aesthetics are bad. But in that division,

who would you pick to win it next year? I would pick the Dallas Cowboys. Carson Wentz will be the Colts starting quarterback next season. Hold. Jim Ursay is reportedly furious. how it ended. He lost win and in games in the last two weeks to interim coaches, and he only threw for

over 200 yards two of his last eight games. I think they would upgrade if they could find, and I think Wents has a market. I think they would upgrade if they could. The Browns select a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft. Buy, but not early. They're going to go get a wide receiver with their first pick,

and I think they're going to go to the defensive line with their second pick. But third, fourth, fifth round I absolutely think they will. Yeah, why not? Yeah, I think, listen, they have the 13th overall pick. They're going to go wide receiver. They may go wide receiver for their first two picks because I don't think Jarvis Landry's coming back.

Odell resigns with the Rams. Odell with the Rams is a hold. Oh, please. I think they'd like him, but next year under contract, they have Woods, Cooper Cup, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, and the rookie from Notre Dame. They have like five receivers under contract. A couple of them making big boy money.

So he's going to have to make a decision, in Odell, what matters to him? Winning or money, because he will have a market. He now has a market to go somewhere and make more money. The Patriots draft a quarterback to compete with Mack Jones next season. Sell, sell, sell. I think if they get a quarterback, Belichick 70, it would be a win now quarterback. I don't think they're going to draft another one.

But if Derek Carr was available, Deshaun Watson was available with Josh Allen in the division, you'd have to consider it. All right, buy sell and hold. There you go. You've got to overreact to this stuff. Just fan the flames. That's what we do, right?

All right, speak for yourself as around the corner on a Wednesday. It's the herd. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to be. to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

Guaranteed human.