The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - Firings, three words

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

More on the NFL HC firingsColin describes the week 18 NFL games in three wordsGuest: Albert Breer Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right, he's a senior NFL reporter, lead content strategist for Monday morning. Quarterback covered the NFL for over 15 years, and we got all sorts of stuff going on today. Albert Brears. All right, dolphins move off, Brian Flores, caught most people, myself included, off guard. I'm reading reports now about a power struggle. What do you hear? Yeah, I don't think it's so much a power struggle as there was sort of a disagreement in certain key areas between scouting and coaching. and Steve Ross felt like he needed to get the organization better aligned.

I also think, Colin, like, you know, when you dig into this, what you find is over the last couple of weeks, there was this feeling throughout the league that Chris Greer, the general manager and not Brian Flores might be the one in trouble. But I think as they sort of dug through more of what's gone wrong over the last couple of years, and they've won through it, but some of the things that have gone wrong in the last couple of years, you look at the fact that Flores has churned through three offensive coordinators,

three offensive line coaches. and even this year alone had gone through a couple different play college. Now, a lot of that's not out there, but I think ownership looked at it and said, is this stunning the development of our young quarterback in Tua Tungovaloa? And if we were to take a big swing on a quarterback like Deshaun Watson, would that cause a problem for someone like that too? And so I think, you know, it sort of became for the owner a little bit of an either-or scenario. And when he dug into the communication and the organization,

I think he saw more of an issue on the coaching staff than he saw in scouting, which ultimately was why I think Brian Flores wound up being the one that was gone when a couple of weeks ago, if you'd ask people around the organization, they probably would have said Greer was more likely to be out. Brandon Staley's coaching decisions, I gave him a pass on calling a timeout because it was to get personnel better to stop the run. Now, the Chargers all year can't stop the run, so it backfired. So I'll give him a pass on that.

Because I think his reasoning I get. They're going to run the ball. Let's put our best there. Stop that. You know, at some point, you know, on the road trailing, fourth and two on your 18, even if you got the first down, it doesn't mean anything. Yeah. I just thought it was kind of butchered.

Do you get any texts from coaches or people in the league on that? Yeah, yeah, I'm with you. And, you know, I think Brandon has sort of grown the reputation for doing this sort of thing. So I don't know that it was an enormous shock to anybody that he managed the game this way. Now, you know, going for it from your own 18, that to me was the one that really stuck out as egregious. If you really look at the timeout situation, Colin, take a look at the play clock there. Take a look at the formation the Raiders are in. The play clock had been bled all the way down to five.

There were five seconds left in the play clock. And the Raiders, if you look at them, they were in a shotgun run formation, which means whether you call the timeout there or not, they were probably running the ball. And so, you know, I look at that and I say to myself, well, you know, like, yeah, the Raiders were saying maybe we would have sat on it there. But if they pick up 10, 15 yards on that play, which, you know, I think Brandon Staley was concerned about, at least from texting him last night, that's the feeling I got. Well, then aren't they going to line up for the field goal anyway? So I'm with you. I didn't have a problem with the decision in overtime with the time out. I think it's totally reasonable, especially with the play clock being where it was, that you would want to get your best personnel on the field to stop.

the run. I think the one that was a little bit more perplexing was the decision, I think it was in the third quarter, right, where they went for it from their own 18-yard line. And that's the one that, you know, a course, caught the attention of other people throughout the week, even if, you know, Staley's had a little bit of a reputation for, for these sorts of gambles over the course of the year. Okay. So there's a lot of openings. The Jim Harbaugh stuff's not going away. Nope. You know, I mean, he hasn't put a wet blanket on it. He's acknowledging, you know, the transfer portal, the NIL. You know, some of these college coaches now are like,

there's a lot of movement here. There's not as much structure as they like, and Jim's had great success in the NFL. Your takeaway on, I mean, he's got things rolling at Michigan, but maybe this is as good as you can do, right? Beat Ohio State. You're not going to do that consistently. What do you hear?

You know, a couple of things that have sort of come across my desk over the last, you know, 72 hours. One, there are a couple staff openings at Michigan, And I know people in the industry are noticing that Jim Harbaugh seems like he's in no hurry to fill those. If you want to contrast those with, you know, what's happened with Ryan Day at Ohio State, they went and hired a $2 million defensive coordinator, a million dollar offensive line coach. And so, I think the fact that Jim is dragging his feet just a little bit on some of the staff hires has gotten people to think, like, okay, like, what's his intention here?

Here's the other thing. And I know a lot of people aren't talking about this, but last year when they made him take that pay cut and he sniffed around NFL jobs. It looked a little bit at the end like he was taking it in stride and okay, I understand. I heard that like behind the scenes, he was a little bit more upset about that than he let on. And I think you know as well as I do, the guy can hold a grudge, filed that one away. And so, you know, if part of this is making the people who made him take the pay cut feel a little uncomfortable. And if he squeezes a raise at him, fine. If he has to leave, fine. I think that certainly is a part of what we're looking at here. And so, you know, I think that there's, there's,

the conclusion here, it's hard to tell with Harbaugh ever, you know, what his, what his real intentions are until he pulls a trigger on something. But I do think he has some unfinished business in the NFL and he'd like to eventually go back, whether or not that's now, whether or not this is just a play to get a raise in Michigan, we'll have to see. All right. So you'll probably know the answer to this. My takeaway is Jimmy G. is the quarterback who's better with 215 left. There was an argument to be made for years that Eli Manning

was a better two-minute drill quarterback than he was in the second quarter. Eli, there was something about Eli's personality. You gave him 2.15, Super Bowls or not, Eli was great. Right? Like, at his best. Same thing with Jimmy G. You know a lot of people

in this league. What is the reasoning behind him being at his best in these really limited two minute drive, two 15 minute drive situations over the last year or two. Was it 127 left? No time out.

88 yards. I mean like and you look at it and the way he played for the rest of the game like if you're looking at the Niners is a shot in the dark that he's going to do it and he efficiently moves them down the field like it's no problem. I think the biggest thing to look at here, Colin, is where the Niners have had their issues with him over the last four years. I would tell you the big. The biggest problem the Niners have had with him since trading for him in 2017, without question,

is he doesn't play with his structure quite enough, that he freelances too much. Well, what does it require of a quarterback to play well in two-minute situations? You're out there on your own. You're not being overcoached. You've got to make adjustments on the fly. You've got to kind of play on instinct a little bit. That's what Jimmy does really well. And so you look at him in some of these situations and you see what the Patriots saw on him.

when they were weighing, should we let Tom Brady go and make this guy our quarterback? I think that that part of his game has always been there. And it doesn't mean he's perfect in two-minute situations. We've seen that go the wrong way, too. But, you know, I do think that there's that sort of fearless mentality when it comes to these sorts of situations because he's really good when he's playing on instinct. I think he struggles a little bit more when he plays within structure, which is why at certain times over the last few years, he's been a tougher fit for Kyle Shannon.

Okay, the best job available. and I'm not sure it is available would be the Raiders because in an offensive league they got Derek Carr, Hunter Renfro, Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, they've got tackles, Colton Miller they like. So, I mean, if you look around,

you've got to build the defense up, but you're pretty good offensively. There's some night, they've got to get a deep threat. Henry Rugg's now gone. But there's a lot to work with. So to me, it's a pretty good gig. Even if I have my misgivings about the front office and the ownership,

does that interim guy, what are your sources saying? I mean, come on, last four or five weeks, Albert, they've played well and they've won situationally close games off and on the road. Okay, so I'll tell you, like, Mark Davis wanted to give him a legitimate chance. You know, and I talked to Mark a couple times about this over the last couple of months, and like he really liked Rich. Like, he legitimately wanted to see, like, can this guy be the full-time head coach of the Raiders? It's got him in the playoffs for the first time in five years.

And if you talk to guys in that locker room, he's got a lot of support in that locker room. Like especially the guys who've come up the hard way, like you guys like Hunter Renfro who had to come up through special teams, those guys love him. And over the last couple of weeks, that's sort of become a rallying cry for them. Like, we want to give Rich Bessaccia a real shot at this job. Now, there are business elements to this and everything else. And if they get blown out by the Bengals on Saturday, maybe they decide to make our mark in Vegas, we've got to go big game hunting.

We've got to go maybe trade for a Mike Tomlin or land our Jim Harbaugh or do something like that. But I think internally, like if you ask Mike Mayock, if you ask people in that locker room, you even ask the owner. There's a lot of affection for Rich Basaccia. So I think the fact that they were able to handle the end of the game, the way they handled the end of the game last night, if they can at least have a representative showing on Saturday, I think he has a real shot at the job. Yeah, no, it's a really good point because I've watched the last two weeks and those were situational games. stuff I'm criticizing Brandon Staley for, the interim guy,

and Derek Carr have hit out of the park. And it's like, go ahead. And Colin, like, what is the strength of a special teams coach? The ability to see big picture, right? The special teams coach, like, that's John Harbaugh's strength, is being able to manage all 53 guys on the roster, understanding how one piece fits another, and understanding big picture game situations

because a special teams coach is involved in every facet of the game. They have to manage players that play on offense, players that play on defense, what two-minute situations look like. And so I don't think it's a surprise that a guy who's been in that sort of role, you know, for 20 years and Rich Pissaccia is really good situationally. In fact, like, no less an authority than Bill Belichick will tell you the best training that he got to become a head coach was as a special teams coach. Good stuff. Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback, keeping us update. Thanks, bud. All right. Thanks, Colin.

So basically Brian Flores kept running through coaches and Chris Greer didn't want him to run through coaches and in the end there's some conflict so it is at least with some clarity there Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1

and the IHeard Radio app. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Bats, 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-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 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 y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. So 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness, month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you here on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions bro. Absolutely. And that's two

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now. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Heard Line News. Well, the Buccaneers were in control of their game against the Panthers Sunday. I didn't watch that one. Well, it wasn't a great one. The team was ready to pull their starters in the fourth quarter.

Gronk had already gotten his $500,000 bonus for reaching $750 yards in the season, but he was still one reception away from a second $500,000 bonus. And Tom Brady refused to leave the game until he got the ball to Gronk one more time. So he got him his bonus. Oh, is that Trula? That's so nice. Very nice. It's a very expensive catch for Rob Gankowski.

Well, last season he did this with Antonio Brown. He hit his $250,000 bonus for receptions by throwing three straight passes to him at the end of their week 17 game. The Bucks were in a position in that game where they could have just kneeled to seal the win. So this is, you know, Brady does take care of his guys. Yeah. You know, he just can't do it all by himself, you know. He needs lots of help around him. Goats need help.

No, that's important. Tony O'Brown, I don't know if you heard that. Oh, rant last week. Oh, brother. I mean, that's what obviously the internet is pointing to because he was claiming he, you know, they were trying to mess with his money,

but obviously that's not what Brady was trying to do. The Bucs are eight and a half point favorites against the Eagles. Game is Sunday at one Eastern on Fox. I think I would take, I think I'm going to take the bucks in that game. But the Eagles have an incredible run game. Yeah, and it's just the kind of team

that can beat great quarterbacks. Philadelphia. You know, when Jalen Hurst didn't play, it's not the same offense. So it didn't even matter to me. It's like, and I think Gardner-Minshu is the second best backup in the league. Yeah. I think the kid for Baltimore. Tyler Huntley.

I think he's really an interesting player. He's the best backup. I would say MN-Shu's in an argument for the second best backup. But the minute they don't play, well, it's not the same offense. It's not they have a totally different offense. Impossible to evaluate completely. So the Seahawks weren't going to the playoffs, but they did have a chance to spoil the Cardinals' chances of the NFC West title.

And they, well, they rusted his thing. He did. He threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns. And Rashad Penny did his thing. He rushed for a career high at 190 yards and a touchdown. Generally going to win when you have one player running for 190 yards. Rashad Penny, I thought, was a bust. It took three years, but he had a great last month and a half of the season.

You know, the thing with the Seahawks, and they asked Pete Carroll after the game if he had any concerns about his. future and he said, no, I'm in great shape. They finished the season with the win, 3830 over the Cardinals. 7 and 10. Obviously a down year for them. But that's kind of what I think it is. I don't think anyone's Baltimore fans don't want to hear it.

Seattle fans probably don't want to hear it. But there shouldn't be any real panic. Now, there should be things you need to improve on, obviously. Don't be content with the situation. But I just feel like this was a down year for the Seahawks. Are you allowed to have a down year? It's a fair argument. I don't agree, but I think the argument's reasonable.

Well, you know, I try to be reasonable. Everything cannot be solved in some, you know. So I tell Ann, I don't have to agree with you all the time, just as long as your side's reasonable, because mine always is, as long as your side is reasonable. I mean, I think Seattle has some real changes they need to make, especially if they want to keep up in this division. And similarly, Baltimore has some places they need to improve. But I think both of them got struck by an insane amount of injuries, probably more so than other teams. and while some teams have dealt with a lot of injuries

and have been able to overcome it, it's really impressive that those teams have been able to overcome it. The Packers is really impressive what they've been able to do. So sometimes you just have a down year. It doesn't mean you need to clean house or restructure everything. That's right. So make some incremental improvements. You've had enough of a resume of success

that I don't think there's a massive need for panic. But you don't want to stay content with the situation. That's my take on the Seahawks season. This was a nice moment. Clay Thompson made his long-weighted return to the Warriors last night. Now, it's funny, a lot of guys returned from injuries, but I think he's liked. They're the best team arguably in the league. So like if he can be 22-point a game Clay, this team's already good without him.

Well, he's just, you know, he was a massive part of their success pre those injuries. And he's very respected. He's a very balanced player. Like when we think of the Warriors' defense isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind, but Clay Thompson is an elite defensive player on top of being a part of the Splash Brothers. So I think he's really respected around the league and obviously very well liked in the locker room. You could see how everyone reacted. Jamon Green came out even though he wasn't supposed to be playing just so he could be in the starting lineup.

And we know how devastating an injury like an ACL or Achilles can be. Right. And he recovered from an ACL injury and then immediately had an Achilles injury, which is just the process. of coming back from those two massive injuries had to be extensive and very draining. So it was in 941 days since he had played and he spoke afterwards about how great it was to be back on the court. It was a very special moment.

I'll never forget. I'll never forget that this night. I'll never forget the reception where your fans gave us, especially myself. And gosh, it was fun. And it was worth every single day of being away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle. shuttle board and all the conditioning days it was worth every single moment. I'm not going to say equivalent to winning championship, but man, it was pretty freaking close. He had 17 points three rebounds, one assists and one block in the game.

And it was. It was a very emotional night. It was hard to not feel something watching how happy all the fans were for him, his teammates. And, you know, if you've ever had to come back from something, you know how draining it can be. And especially if it's something physical, you know, you want. want to be ready, maybe mentally you're ready and your body's not cooperating with you, it can be a really frustrating process, especially if this is what you do for a living. So a really nice moment for Clay Thompson, and he's back.

That's great. They're good. They're really good. It's a little small, but really good. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line News.

Wolf and Shepherd, my favorite shoe brand, athletic feeling, but they're dress shoes. Crazy, right? Wolfenshepard.com. It's The Hurd. Be sure to catch live edition. of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.

This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book, and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre 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's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Cliverts Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here.

unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you 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 finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines. we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast,

learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. NFL Week 18 regular season is over. I thought it was going to be a snooze yesterday. I told my wife, I said, I got to watch some Rams Niners, and then I have to watch Chargers, but here, let's go make lunch. and this has some fun, chill out.

And then all of a sudden, Jacksonville's crushing the Colts, and I had to watch everything. And it turned out to be that week 17, week 18, was Crazy Town, was Looney Tunes. And I do think the Chargers and the Raiders is the best regular season game, arguably I've ever seen in my life. It was absolutely nuts. And the analytics stuff just adds more drama to it because you're screaming at the television. And I'm like, what are you doing? What are you doing? So here we go.

Every game starting Saturday, three-word game. Kansas City, Denver. No final victory. Vic Fangio's out. Five straight losing years for this franchise. By the way, since Peyton Manning retired, Denver's had 10, Denver's had 10 different starting quarterbacks.

What a mess. Great roster, too. Dallas Philly, don't overreact. Yes, 151.8 passer rating. Philadelphia had backups everywhere. Good news, 22 different players scored a touchdown for the Cowboys. It has been the thing we like about them. Both sides of the ball, they have big time playmakers. There's a lot of depth of talent, a lot of speed on this roster.

Green Bay, Detroit, packing for buy. Green Bay number one seed, only team undefeated at home this. year, get some rest for Aaron Rogers' toe, and they'll be ready to go. Indy Jacksonville, not quite right. 15 point loss against the Jags

and a win-and-in scenario. In fact, they lost win-in scenarios the last two weeks, and Carson Wentz through for only 200 yards or more, only two of the last eight games. So as much as I like Carson Wentz, he's reckless,

and you got to make big plays. Like Derek Carr at the end of the year made big plays, and Carson Wentz made big mistakes. And that's the difference why Derek Carr is better than Carson Wentz. Washington football team of the Giants, Judge faces jury. Joe Judge, we think is coming back, had back-to-back.

Quarterback sneaks from his own two to give the punter room. That did not play well on Twitter. I mean, unless they land Russell Wilson, this feels like the single most hopeless franchise in the NFL. Detroit plays their butt off. Jags have Trevor Lawrence. As Joy said earlier, Davis Mills for the Houston Texans, there's something there.

He's a rookie, not terrible. This place is hopeless. Chicago, Minnesota, change of command. Matt Nagy out, Mike Zimmer out. Should be noted, Matt Nacky's record is 34 and 31 with two playoff appearances. I think he deserves another job. Most guys don't get fired with a winning record. Most guys don't get fired getting a backup quarterback twice into the playoffs.

Tennessee Houston, awaiting King Henry, Derek Henry. Listen, it's hard to explain what the Titans did this year. They lost the soul of their team for two months. they played 35 different guys were on IR. They had 88 different players used this year, most in the NFL. And Ryan Tanna Hills, good, not great. And they're the number one seed in the AFC, which is why Mike Vrable wins by Coach of the Decade.

I mean, he really turned some tricks there, man. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, steel in it. Big Ben's fifth. 56th game winning drive way up there with Tom Brady. I mean, it's not pretty folks, but they're in it. They needed to beat the Ravens. They needed the Colts to lose to the Jags. And they needed the Raiders and Chargers to not tie.

And all three happen. I will say this. The next quarterback, they've got players. They got a great young tight end. They got a back. Their O-line's okay. They got Chase Claypool. They got players.

They are a quarterback away. hopefully a quarterback that can move a little, but their personnel, Kevin Colbert, their GM, I guess, is retiring. He's built a nice roster. This is a nice roster. Cincinnati, Cleveland, battle of backups. I mean, basically T. Higgins, Jemar Chase, Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Cincinnati said all of our really good young offensive players don't play at all or don't play much. San Francisco, L.A., give me more Jimmy. Do you know he is 6 and 0 in his career against the Rams? Isn't that crazy?

Six and O against the Rams? This, in my opinion, has become the best rivalry in the league because it's so layered. You got the coach aspect. You got the divisional rivals. You've got big stars, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ranzi, Debo Samuel. I think this is the best rivalry currently in the NFL. Carolina, Tampa. Gronky Kong returns.

Yes, gronk, seven catches, 137 yards. It triggered his million-dollar incentive bonus. And a gronk is one of the great tied ends in league history. Remarkable hands. Very good blocker. Big third down receiving target. Not many better than. gronk. He does it all. He can block, help you in the red zone. He's a matchup issue. I swear to God,

it was the Tampa weather. He looked so broken down in New England. He looked broken down. Came back to Tampa reborn. Seattle, Arizona fell off Cliff, as in Cliff Kingsbury. Arizona lost four or five. Now, the good news is they're eight and one on the road. They have been a better road team than they've been a home team this year. I can't explain it, but Seattle put it to him yesterday. Russell Wilson played really well. New England, Miami. Brian's Miami finale. Well, in the Brian Flores era, he went four and two against Bill Belichick. Pretty good. He'll be fine. That franchise not only has to get the quarterback to be more dynamic, they need a new offensive line because they have worn through O-O-O line coaches, and they just,

Austin Jackson wasn't as good as they thought. It is really hard to have a quarterback who's small and injury-prone and a bad O line. That's a lousy combination. New Orleans, Atlanta, NO, no way home. Saints missed the playoffs first time since 2016. Considering their quarterback situation, not a bad year. I mean, really, they used four quarterbacks. When James comes back or whoever they do, not a bad year.

Jets bills, Buffalo had wings, 14 unanswered points in the fourth. Jets led entering the fourth, but, I mean, if you watch the game, Josh Allen just does Josh Allen. They're trying to run the ball a little more. They end the season does Buffalo in a four-game winning streak, clinch the number three seed. I like, what's interesting is I like their running backs. Moss and Singletary, I like both of them. I like their backs. They just don't use them much.

But, you know, I watched the end of this game. This is just, there's no way to defend it. There's nothing you can do in the NFL. It doesn't matter who the coach is. When Josh Allen decides I'm going to roll out, especially if you're playing man-to-man coverage and your cornerbacks are downfield and your linebackers got somebody covered, this is just a nightmare to face.

They could lose in the first round or they could win the Super Bowl. It really depends. As long as weather doesn't take away their offense, I could see anything happening with the Buffalo Bills. Finally, Chargers, Raiders, Carr and overdrive. 30th career game-winning drive. Here's a number for you. Derek Carr's 30th career game-winning drive tied for the most of any quarterback since he entered the league. So like Garoppolo, and I think he's better than Jimmy, he's good when it matters.

most passing yards by any quarterback in Raiders history. And, you know, the other thing I think about when I watch Derek Carr is that we want every young person to be great right out of the shoot. And the example I always use is Nick Saban. He won 60% of his games at Michigan State and lost all three bowl games, fired in Miami. he only won 10 games or more at LSU once and then he gets the job at Alabama and it all cinches up and he's a legend. And I'm not saying Nick wasn't great.

We want everybody to be like Brian Flores. This stuff's hard. Your old lines bad. You're running through coordinators. We've got to be patient. If you look at the legends, Belichick was fired in Cleveland. Sabin fired in the NFL.

If you look at legends, it's hard. patience, give people time. It's going to take Lincoln and Riley at least two years to win the national title at USC. You people have got to be patient. And that's why you come to our show. For Joy and Ryan, speak for yourself, is around the corner in L.A. 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, 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'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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way

with your favorite therapist and host care games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armored? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, and 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 taun 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 blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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