The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Jerry Jones, less is more, Aaron Rodgers-Russell Wilson, & the Blazing 5

Episode Date: November 27, 2019

Colin discusses Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' latest comments and what might happen if they lose to the Bills, why he doesn't want more teams in the NCAAFB Playoff, why he thinks Russell Wilson is now better than Aaron Rodgers, and his new Blazing 5 picks for the week. Guests include Nick Wright, Greg Cosell, Joel Klatt, Bucky Brooks, and Jason McIntyre. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys

this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

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Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on an absolutely pack Wednesday. Our final show of the week, so we're moving everything up. This is The Herd live in L.A. However you may be listening, wherever you may be listening. We have Blazing 5 today in one hour. We have Greg Cosell today. We have Joel Platt today.

We have Get Nick Wright yelling at me today. We have Bucky Brooks today. Again, the Blazing 5 today. We're moving everything. up. Our final show of the week, and Joy Taylor is joining me. We get ready for not only eating tomorrow, but four days of amazing football, starting with the Cowboys' Bills. Tomorrow's a huge game to keep your eye on. Jerry's everywhere today. He is. So Jerry is still fuming. It's Wednesday.

Jerry gets mad after games. He'll go down and he fumes a little. If they lose a road game, they should win or they win. Lose a home game, they should win. It is Wednesday and Jerry Jones is still fuming. Here he is this morning on the NFL network. No one in this country has earned the right to say, I'm a Jason Garrett man more than me.

I am his man. The bottom line is we get graded. I'm in business. I don't have to win the Super Bowl in business every year. I can come in sixth and have a hell of a year. But in this business, you've got to come in first. You've got to come in first. And so fundamentally, you've asked for something

that's a very narrow wonder to begin with. He's still fuming. And he went on live TV today. knowing he would be asked questions about Jason Garrett. So he wants the message out. This is one of these things. If as an owner, you would just say, I can't do this interview.

You'd cancel, say I've got big business. We have people cancel all the time on our show when they don't want a message out or they know we're going to ask a tough question. Jerry knew the question was coming and he went on live TV to answer it and double and triple and quadruple down on it. they're looking for a new coach.

I want you to think about this. Is it worse than we think? Just some context here. So when I say Philadelphia Eagles this year, you think of two things. Massive injuries and Carson Wentz appears broken. Does everybody get that Philadelphia is one game back of Dallas? And Philadelphia hosts Dallas later. That Philadelphia's next three.

opponents. Miami, Washington, and the Giants, a mess. Dallas has 8 and 3 Buffalo, at Chicago in horrible weather, and then Sean McVeigh and the Rams. Folks, everything has gone wrong for Philadelphia this year. They started the year. They had cluster injuries in the secondary, I've never seen it. They didn't have none of cornerbacks on their roster. Then their offensive line loses their left tackle. Carson Wentz appears broken. Last Sunday, They were missing six offensive starters. And Philadelphia over the next three weeks is going to be heavily favored to win each game. And Dallas, very reasonably, could lose two.

When you step back, it is worse than we think. Philadelphia should be done. Philadelphia in Baltimore's division would be done. In New England's division would be done. In San Francisco, Seattle's division would be done. in the Minnesota Packer Division would be done. Philadelphia's got a quarterback that's broken, an offensive line and a secondary and a wide receiving core in major crisis all year.

And there are 10-point favorite are the Eagles to win this weekend. So there are those speculating. Remember, Dallas's quarterback has had a very good year. Carson Wentz has broken. Philadelphia has had massive physical crisis all year. Dallas outside of Vanderech mostly been healthy. So you start lining stuff up. There's a reason that Jerry, it's Wednesday, he goes on live TV,

he didn't deck the interview, he wants the message out. There are those speculating if they lose to Buffalo tomorrow, they could fire Jason Garrett in season. I don't see that happening. I do think they beat Buffalo. but it is remarkable when you juxtapose the Eagles who get Dallas at home before the end of the year in bad weather and Dallas, this race should be over. This should not be close. One quarterback's broken.

One's having his best year. One team's been decimated. One team's been mostly healthy. Very interesting in Dallas. All right. So every Thanksgiving, we eat a lot. We gorge tomorrow, right? My game plan with Thanksgiving's always been eat two small meals.

eat a light Thanksgiving dinner, and then I'll go back at about 9.30 after a nap, and I'll have another one. So I'll eat twice tomorrow. I'll go less is more on both. I tend to be a less is more person. I don't stay out that late. I don't party that hard. I like nice stuff, but I'm usually in bed early. I'm a less is more guy. I've been arguing this with TV executives forever. Less people on TV. Fewer voices. Don't put 13 people on a set. It gets lost. You ever watch CNN during their election coverage? They have like 42 people. Just give me, you know, just give me a real strong person and an analyst and maybe a third, and then I'm out.

And that's talk about the election. So last night, the playoff committee comes out. Ohio State 1, LSU 2, Clemson 3, Georgia 4, Alabama 5, Utah 6. My takeaway is, as I've been saying all year, the committee wants two SEC teams in. And they're going to get two SEC teams in. SEC teams are getting in. Two of them. That's what they want.

That's what they've been doing all year. Meaning if Alabama beats Auburn and looks ugly, they'll get in over Utah regardless of what the Utes do. But college football has always in my life, less has always worked for college football. Because college football is the one sport that has urgency. You have to watch the games. You can't lose two games.

Everybody this year, here's all I hear. We got to go to an eight-team playoff. Eight teams is the solution. More, more. I want you to think about this. Yesterday when they made this release of the playoff rankings, none of us even liked the number four team this year. Georgia at home got smoked by a bad South Carolina team.

The number five team, Alabama is using a backup quarterback. They've played one good team they lost. Utah lost a USC. and USC was on their third string quarterback. If you start looking at the teams ranked just below Alabama 5 and Utah, six, Penn State 9 and 2, could sneak in if we had an 18 playoff. Really, Penn State's played two really good teams. They lost it both.

Minnesota's 10 and 1. If we had an 18 playoff and they beat Wisconsin, they could get in. Minnesota started the year out of conference by struggling against South Dakota State, Fresno State, and Georgia Southern. They beat Georgia Southern 3532. Wisconsin beats Minnesota. They could get into an eight-team playoff. They lost to Illinois as a 25-point favorite.

You all want eight teams. You all want more. College football has always been better with less. College football, even more so than the, we got 162 Major League Baseball games. We got 82 hockey games. We got 82 NBA games. NFL wants to add to their schedule and give us now, is it, 17 or 18 games.

College football's always been, oh, you got to watch Saturday. You call your buddy. Clemson's down to Louisville. You all watch this game. If they lose this game, they're at, and you want to add more. Who would be in this year? A Minnesota team that struggled with Georgia Southern and lost to the best team they've played? I mean, what do you want?

I look at college football this year, and I see three exceptional teams. Ohio State's the best football team I've seen. Clemson's the second best football team I've seen, although it is hard to get your arms around Clemson because the conference they play in is just so awful. But I think they're great because they have a great coach, a great quarterback, and great playmakers. And then the third best team I've seen is LSU, which has a regrettable defense by SEC standards, a remarkably bad defense for a team that's going to win the SEC. But they're spectacular on offense, quarterback, running back, wide receivers. It's LSU, athletes everywhere. But we always want more.

Ask yourself in an 18th playoff this morning. Who would be the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8 teams? Really? People struggling. People losing to South Carolina at home. People losing the only two games. They've played against good teams, Penn State. Just a thought.

Nick Wright joins us before the end of the hour. Also at the top of next hour, our Blazing Five. We are moving our Blazing Five up today. We do it on Fridays. And, you know, I've never really done a Thanksgiving Blazing Five, but I love my picks this week. I've got my arms around the league right now. I feel very good. So I thought I've had nine winning weeks in 12 weeks of our Blazing Five.

Nine of 12 winning weeks on Fox Bet that pays you. So I thought, let's reward the audience this year. Let's do a Blazing Five. I love all my picks this week. That's coming up. But next, you know, I've said for years, I like Aaron Rogers. We went a little gaga over him. and I love Russell Wilson

and we've never quite understood his greatness. Interesting numbers this year with Aaron Rogers. You have guaranteed me. You have told me Mike McCarthy was the issue. Some startling numbers with Aaron Rogers as we head into the Thanksgiving weekend. That's coming up. Plus Nick Wright.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. 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

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions,

the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, Famis? Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball like,

after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Great news. Easy way to save money.

Switch the Geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. Geico.com. Geico.com. Great to have you in. 50 minutes from now, 45 actually, are blazing five. I'm moving it up this week. A 9 of 12 winning week.

So congrats to those on Fox Bet who have followed us and won money. I have Greg Kosell today. Nick Wright in 10 minutes. It's nice to have you back in. Joy Taylor joining me as always on Thanksgiving Eve. football games starting tomorrow. So I was assured, and you know, people think, and I've said this, I've always liked Russell Wilson more than the experts, and I've never liked Aaron Rogers quite as much as the expert. So let's be fair going in. Aaron's a little condescending.

I think he struggles in relationships with, I mean, I've seen his family call him out, sometimes on the sideline by himself. There's things about his leadership and arrogance, condescending I don't like, but I think Aaron's a first ballot hall of four. Famer, and I don't think he's a bad guy. Russell Wilson comes in on a defensive team with a legendary coach. He's a little shorter. He runs too much. Third round pick.

I think Russell Wilson is the most underrated player of my lifetime in the National Football League. And I'm dead serious when I say that. I think Russell Wilson over time is now better than Aaron Rogers. I don't even doubt that for a second. And so I was told this year two things. Firing Mike McCarthy would solve everything. Okay.

And I was also told you've got to give Aaron Rogers and Matt LaFleur time. Give them to Thanksgiving as was kind of the refrain from everybody. Okay, that's fair. So Mike McCarthy's a bum, won a Super Bowl, but a bum. And give Matt LaFleur eight weeks, nine weeks, ten weeks. Give him to Thanksgiving before you start judging. So here's the numbers this year without Mike McCarthy. Completion percentage, Aaron Rogers, 17th in the NFL, passer rating 12th, touchdowns tied for 10th.

with a star wide receiver, a star running back, and a very talented tight end. A running back better than Russell Wilson, a star receiver better than Russell's, and Russell doesn't throw much to the tight end. Okay. Colin, that's not fair. Let's start judging him last couple of weeks. Matt LaFleur was new. Okay, you're right.

My bad. Let's go to the last three weeks. Aaron's one and two in three weeks two. touchdown passes and an 82 passer rating. Whereas everybody works immediately with Russell Wilson, you want me to now give him 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 weeks to make all these young receivers work okay. Do you realize Aaron Rogers this year, his completion percentage of passes over 10 yards is 45%.

He didn't have one against San Francisco. Not one. Russell Wilson has the 31st rated pass-blocking offensive line went into the teeth of San Francisco with less weapons and beat them. Aaron Rogers off a bye game was over in eight minutes. Aaron Rogers, I keep hearing about his offensive line. Aaron Rogers, under pressure this year has a passer rating of 75.

Russell Wilson, with a lower rated offensive line, as a passer rating of 94. Russell wins more. Aaron Rogers has a career losing record on the road. Russell Wilson is 16 and 4 in his last 20 in the Eastern time zone. In geographically isolated Seattle, longer flight, longer trip. Russell Wilson wins more in a tougher division. He wins more close games in a tougher division.

He wins on the road more in a tougher division. Everybody works instantly with Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson doesn't need everything to be perfect. He's got a defensive coach who largely didn't acknowledge him for three years as part of the winning. It was Marshawn Lynch. It was the great defense. It was just recently Pete's really put his arms around him. So Mike McCarthy was going to solve everything, right?

And let's give Matt LaFleur time. I watched Russell Wilson against San Francisco single-handedly with a gadget-wide receiver, a rookie-wide receiver, brand-new Josh Gordon, a pass-blocking line that can't block, go to San Francisco and single-handedly keep Seattle afloat and win the game. Aaron Rogers off a bye. Week 11, you know, blown out eight minutes. That's all I'm saying, I don't think I'm a hater. I think Russell Wilson today's a better quarterback than Aaron Rogers, and I don't even think it's close. I'm watching it week after week after week. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Cherry's been a little critical of his coaches after the tough loss of the Patriots on Sunday. Not slowing down. No. Choi Aikman saw all of it firsthand from the broadcast booth, and he thinks the Cowboys' issues run much deeper than just coaching. He said it's easy to say as an owner or general manager as or as anyone else in the organization, oh, it's coaching.

It runs deeper than that. There have been a lot of coaches that have come through the organization, and there were a results have been pretty familiar from one season to the next. I think just saying we have this great roster and it's all about coaching, I think it's a little bit of a cop out. What's he saying there? Is he blaming Jerry? Who's he blaming? I don't know. But he basically said it's been consistent despite the changes that have been made internally.

So what is consistent? Now, I don't think that it's Jerry's fault. Jerry runs a very functional, very profitable, very well-run organization. Listen, they draft as well as anybody. They really do. They draft football players out of college about as well as anybody in the NFL. Here's the thing about the Dallas Cowboys. They are America's team, right?

And what I'm going to say is probably going to be infuriating to some people, but they don't have Super Bowl standards. They haven't been to the Super Bowl in a very long time. Decades, in fact. Well, they haven't been to the NFC championship since the mid-90s. Well, with the question. with standards is they want to get there. Well, everybody wants to get to a Super Bowl.

I want to be a supermodel, but I really don't. But like, I mean, everybody wants like incredible achievements, but what are you actually doing? Like, are you in that conversation? Like, the Cowboys literally haven't been in that conversation in a very long time. As of recent with DAC,

you feel like, and having the talent that they have, that they should be in that conversation. But the Steelers, the Patriots, those are organizations that have Super Bowl expectations. Now, if you look at the Steelers this year, obviously doesn't look that way. But every single year you go into a Steelers season, they are supposed to be competing for a Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys haven't been to Super Bowl in a long time. So, yes, there are those expectations.

But here's the issue with Jerry, who I think is a great owner and obviously runs a very well-run organization. Who are you going to get in there that's going to have? the power and control. You're not going to have a Bella check. That's not for the Cowboys. That's not for you. That, in summation, is a very good point. If you really have Super Bowl standards,

you have to give your organization to a coach who calls all the shots. That's never going to happen. I know. And you're not going to get a coach who has Super Bowl level talents and coaching who's going to just submit to being publicly humiliated. That's fair. I think those are fair points. So manage your expectations based off of who you are.

That's fair. I will never be a super model. I'm okay with that. Hey, I am just a nose, a couple of ears, and a fuller head of hair from being Clooney. I've got some obstacles, but I am just, I'm working my way to it. So we could be watching a Super Bowl preview in the 49ers and the Ravens play on Sunday in Baltimore. Lordy.

This is going to be a great game. But this is strange. Even though the 49ers are 10 and 1 this season, They are big underdogs in this game. And that lines moved. It was four and a half. I think it's now up to five and a half. They are six point favorite, Ravens.

Fox Bed has the Ravens is a six point favorite, which makes San Francisco the first 10 and one underdog in over a decade. So the last time it happened was in 2007 in the game between the Packers and the Cowboys who were both 10 and one. Now, the Ravens have outscored opponents, 202 to 62 in the last five games playing the Seahawks, Patriots, Bengals, Texans, and Rams. So that's pretty decent, especially considering the opponents that they've had. They're first in rushing 210.5 yards per game. And the 49ers have the 19th ranked rushing defense.

I like Baltimore here. Allowing 111.1 yards per game. So I do like Baltimore, but six points is a lot. Now, it is in Baltimore. You know, I just, Baltimore is one of those places. I just, when I think of Baltimore, I just think of tough and great at home. that's just the brand I have. They are tough.

When's the last finesse team, Baltimore had? And they are, that's why Lamar really fits their culture, which is, we're going to run right at you. We're going to be hyper-aggressive on defense, and you're not beating us at home. No, Baltimore has always been that team, and you're going to take whatever they get you. What's remarkable?

Cleveland went into Baltimore and kicked that you know what out of them. Remember that? It was like two months ago. Cleveland went in there and just crushed them. Any given Sunday. I don't think that's going to happen the second time. I agree. I agree.

Finally, Anthony Davis will return to New Orleans tonight for the first time since being traded to the Lakers. Yeah. He admits he does have some nerves about the environment he'll be walking into, but he's also very excited for this matchup. So when I go back, I'm going to have makes emotions. And it's all because a great six and a half years and then that last half, it was, you know, so it was just like, you know, I know, I know the fan's going to boo me. You know, I got booing when I was still playing there. It's going to be a fun game. I think that's a game of the year for me.

Yeah, that's great. Because I've never been to it. By the way, they booted me when I was there. So what's the big deal? He is going to get booed. That's for sure. LeBron said he's coaching AD on what to expect and how to prepare for his old team.

Obviously entered a hostile environment when the Cleveland and the heat played for the first time in 2010. I saw the San Antonio game. I watched the replay of it the other night was on, and I watched about an hour of it. The Lakers ball movement for a bunch of new guys is so good.

Yeah, that's why LeBron is averaging the most assist in the league right now. It looks like the Lakers offensively. We knew defensively their length, but, God, offensively, they just moved the ball really well. They have incredible chemistry. All questions about whether Anthony Davis was going to

work with LeBron James have been shut down. Now, this isn't really the matchup, the New Orleans matchup. We were kind of hoping for Lanzos, questionable. Obviously, they still don't have Zion. So it's from the New Orleans side. The Lakers are probably going to win big, but, you know, it's an emotional night for AD, so it'll be an interesting watch. Good stuff, Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly news. 30 minutes from now are Blazing Five. We move it up to Wednesday. Greg CoSell's being moved up. It's very interesting. I have had trouble evaluating Dak.

I didn't like him out of college. Then I was very reluctant. Then year two, I bought in. And I like his intangibles, although sometimes his tangibles, as Doug Gottlie once said, aren't great. It's very interesting because I'm going to bring in Nick Wright, my buddy, first things first, via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Now, Nick has been not anti-Dak, but his always questioned, his eyes are telling him he's not elite when you see the Lamar's and you see the Mahomes and you see the Russell Wilson's. I got to give Nick credit here. My staff dug this up this morning.

In the four games against winning teams, playoff teams this morning, DAC is five touchdown, six picks, 82 pass a rating in 61. percent completion percentage. So I have struggled with DAC because we call him on the staff. He's the trust fund quarterback. He inherited a great O line, great weapons, Zeke. So this morning, where are you on DAC, Nick, after that New England game where he was off and the offense loaded with weapons couldn't do anything? I'm not going to kill him for the New England game because that is, even if aside from Gilmore, it doesn't have all-time personnel. That is an all-time pass defense that has made everyone except for Lamar look bad, and Lamar did most of his damage with his legs.

And Dak, up until the New England game, was having the best year of his career. But my squeamishness with Dak has less to do with this season, his play, and more to do with the play of two of his classmates draft-wise. Carson Wentz had an MVP level season in 2017. They paid him. They paid him earlier than they had to. And he has been awful this year and his team is not any good. Jared Goff didn't have an MVP level 2018, but he had a very, very good 2018.

They paid him. They paid him earlier than he has. They had to. He is the 32nd ranked passer in the league this year and that team has no path forward. Dak Prescott this year matches up to Winston 17. golf in 18, unless you believe he can be this every year, then once you pay him, you are only going to be able to compete at a high level when he is this. This is the problem with paying anyone that isn't Russell or Rogers, who I know you're

low on, or Mahomes when he does get paid. You can still compete for Super Bowls. The years they're really good. Kurt Cousins is playing great this year. They will compete. Matt Ryan, the year he won the MVP. They made it to the Super Bowl. But the moment your quarterback play drops off even just a bit.

Cousins last year, Matt Ryan the last couple years, your team has no path forward. That's the bucket I would put DAC in. Cousins, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton when he was healthy, very good, but flawed. When you pay those guys, you really don't have as many paths to victory as you would like. Now, Tom Brady in that game, I thought in terms of throwing the football. And Tom's always been a very good lousy weather thrower of the football. He is. One of the best games I've ever seen him play was in a snowstorm in Chicago about four years ago, and they blew out the bears. He had six drops. He didn't have his number two

and number three receiver. The running game this year has been very spotty. I thought Tom actually played very well. The numbers don't indicate it, but the numbers don't tell you how great Russell Wilson is. And a lot of Sundays he wins and you're like, blah. You are not on that, you think Brady's a shot fighter. I don't see it. You do why? All right, real quick, I apologize. I don't mean to do this during this segment, but I got to pick, let me pick up all those excuses you to truck in the ground.

All right, I got them. There we go. So you mentioned Russell Wilson doesn't look great. Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, he looks good enough to have a top three pass rating in the NFL this year. Brady's outside the top 20. Russell Wilson looks good enough to have 20, I think, what is it, 24 touchdowns to five interceptions.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady in the last month has led three extended field touchdown drives. I, and listen, this is the goat quotient that you get when you're the greatest to ever do it. Even your failures are celebrated. I heard you say it right there. And our good friend Troy Aikman said it on the broadcast, Tom Brady gets applauded for incomplete passes. That's what makes him great, knowing when to throw the ball away. the great presence and things that otherwise for other quarterbacks are called, oh, he threw that late and behind him because it scrapes off his fingertips.

Those are called drops for one, Thomas Edward Brady the third, who I know is your adopted son. With that said, I'm not out on the pads because I have seen this movie before. In 2013, Peyton Manning was the league MVP. They went to the Super Bowl and lost. In 2014, he was very good, but not as. as good. In 2015, he was a shot fighter, and they won the Super Bowl thanks to a defense. In 2017, Tom Brady was a league MVP. They went to the Super Bowl and lost. In 2018, he was good, but not as good. In 2019, he's a shot fighter, but by the way, not as not, he's, listen,

he's not, he's not what Peyton was in 15. Payton and 15 was awful. Tom Brady's not awful right now. He's just below average. But the defense is sensational, and where I will give him credit is this. understands how good the defense is, and he does not make the killer mistake. Yes. He does not give the ball to the other team. He is a great game manager at this moment, but everyone is waiting for Tom Brady to activate the goat juice and all of a sudden drive. Everyone says to me, would you want to see him down four, two minutes left? Wouldn't you be afraid? And I say, well, last year he was down four with two minutes left in the AFC championship game and threw a pick to lose the game. Now they got bailed out and then he ends up driving the field.

He's not even that good anymore. So no, I'm not worried about Brady, but Belichick and that defense and home field advantage might be able to drag Brady across the finish line. You know, I talked about Aaron Rogers. The previous three weeks, I saw Kyler Murray, who's way better than anybody thinks, but nobody watches Arizona football games. I do because I like a social life on Sunday. and Russell Wilson. So I've seen Kyler twice and Russell in the last three weeks. Give San Francisco's defensive line problems.

And I think Lamar will do the same this weekend. Aaron Rogers off a buy was done in eight minutes. Well, the offensive line. Russell Wilson has the second worst offensive line pass blocking in the league. I know Aaron's talented. But Mike McCarthy was the root of all problems. Matt Lefleur wait until Thanksgiving. I'm at Thanksgiving, Nick.

and Aaron is just eh in a league full of dynamic, fascinating, gifted, talented young guys, he doesn't pop for me anymore. He's really talented. I'm over that part. I want more wins on the road. Isn't that at least fair? Listen, I think that we might have, Aaron might have missed his window to win his next Super Bowl. Now, I still think the Packers can make it to the Super Bowl this year, but they have to avoid the Niners. That matchup's not changing. They are going to need someone to beat up their bully for them. So they're going to need the bracket to fall to where the Niners have to play San Francisco or Seattle again or someone that can beat them because what we're seeing on tape right there, that would repeat itself. And your critique of Aaron, I think, is fair to a degree.

This matchup, he did not do well. He was not as escapable as Kyler. He didn't do his good of a job, taking care of the football as Russell Wilson, even though Russell threw the one bad pick in overtime against the Niners. I still believe that Aaron Rogers has one last, I don't want to say gasp,

but one last great run in him. But much like we're Carmelo Anthony, and I'm not comparing Aaron to Carmelo, but follow me here. LeBron has tricked us on what you're supposed to look like in year 17. Like, D. Wade is out. Bosch is out. CP3's on his way out in year 15. Dwight's on his way out in year 16. Mello's looking at his buddy LeBron and saying, why can't that be me? Breeze and Brady might have tricked us into thinking, oh, these quarterbacks into late 30s are going to continue

to be sensational. Well, Big Ben's elbow popped. Eli Manning's been benched. Philip Rivers does not look good to me. Aaron Rogers, that next group right. after those guys. So I don't know if we, Brady and Breeze might have, you know, the LeBron ageless gene while everyone else ages on a mere mortal rate, I worry that Aaron's one of those guys. And if that's the case, that puts even more importance on this season. And one last note, if I may, and this, this is to your point. You can take this from me after this. Let's just pretend you, you came up with it. Since Rogers has been the quarterback of the Packers, the Niners have gone through nearly a dozen coaches, GMs, quarterbacks, right? In that stretch, the Green Bay

Packers have three first round buys, the Niners, three first round buys. The Green Bay Packers, I'm sorry, two first round buys and two first round buys. The Green Bay Packers have been to three NFC championship games. The Niners, three NFC championship game appearances. They both win to one Super Bowl. Obviously, Aaron Run won and Cap didn't. I say that to say this. If you say he's underachieved in a decade there when the Niners have the same postseason resume with all their coaches, all their quarterbacks, all their front offices, it's hard to argue against it. Yeah. I'm out of time. It was a pleasure to see you. Thanksgiving with a fam, I imagine, in New York for you. You're going to get cold weather. You're doing very well. We're very happy for you

here, even though you don't, you know, these segments, I become a pinata for you. But you know what? That's what you do to friends. You allow friends to feel that they want an argument. friends and and and I will be as as some some FS1 employees I will be tirelessly working on Thanksgiving before I spend time my family you I assume will be skiing so if you have a wonderful time I'm not bitter at all enjoy it I'll be up at 3 30 in the morning tomorrow and Friday talking about the football but you enjoy the day Colin Nick Wright first things first thanks buddy love talking to you as always top of the hour are blazing five Joel Klats got thoughts on the college football playoff, Bucky Brooks, Greg CoSell,

Jason McIntyre, tomorrow's headlines today. Always have fun. Coming up next, the worst news in the world for the NFL except for one team. Just terrible news. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a day. decade of my own experience in the middle health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip 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. 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and no. Nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answers. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12

and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you.

to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, Famous, Isaiah Thomas? And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways. to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, one of the amazing things about the New England Patriots is that they've never, it's just kind of a fascinating thing. You've been to nine Super Bowls. They've never had a touchdown in the first quarter of any Super Bowl,

which is unbelievable. The best coach, the best preparation, the best game plans, the best quarterback. New England's never had a touchdown in the first quarter. They feel out teams. What New England does better than any team in my life, and I don't even think the people that hate New England could dispute this, they're the best adjustment team ever. They feel you out in many big games, all the Super Bowls.

It's just a feeling out, going at half, and in that 13 minutes, they're able to fundamentally change the way they're playing. Josh McDaniels is the offensive coordinator, and he talked about those 13 minutes, and the advantage of having a veteran quarterback and a 70-year-old offensive line coach and a running-back coach that's been there forever, and Belichick's been there forever, and he's been there forever, how much they can get done in 13 minutes at half. Into the tunnel, you usually walk with, you know, a couple of the guys on the field, and, you know, they have a few things that they want to make sure that we get across, right? When we get into the locker room, they sit, give us their attention, we discuss a couple things.

Anything that may be an issue that's come up repeatedly in the first half that we need to address, we try to do that right away, then anything that we need to adjust or anything we're going to change or put in at halftime, you discuss that, and then you want to try to make sure you let them know what we're going to try to. start with in the third quarter as we go back out there. So it happens quick, but we have a veteran staff. The guys do a great job. The assistant coach does do a great job of making sure that all the things that they want me to be aware of, that they have them charted, listed, and ready to discuss and quickly

jot them on the board and then give the message to the players and then go back out and play. First half is a dress rehearsal. We prepare watch it. 13 minutes. We change fundamentally how we play. Now, that sounds very simple. But again, nine Super Bowls, no touchdown.

in the first quarter, they always win the second half in Super Bowls. And again, you say, Colin, I mean, everybody does it their way. It is a, they do it. Stop blaming tripping. New England simply is better with the time they're given than your team is with the time you're given. Dallas made no adjustments at halftime in that 13 minutes. James Harrison, mostly with the Steelers, played with New England briefly.

He said the overall attention to detail during after games. before games is something he'd never even seen before. What I saw there as far as their attention to detail, that is the most detailed organization as far as their X's and O's planning that I have ever seen. They meet about meeting. You know what I'm saying? I'm dead serious.

When I first got there, obviously it was after Christmas or whatever, and I'm trying to learn the playbooks. I call my coach. I'm like, you know, I'm having some questions about this certain defense and what I'm supposed to do. And he's like, well, Just come on in. We can go over it and look at it on the film.

I'm like, come where? He's like, come down to the facility. I'm like, you're still at work? He's like, yeah, we're all here. This is 9, 30, 10 o'clock at night. They do a better job with their time than you do. Work harder. Nobody cares.

Another reference to Gucci, Maine, who I now just called Gucci. Work harder, nobody cares. This is, you know, it goes back to the Tom versus time. And by the way, this is a season. So the offence, the Rams have had an offensive line crisis and a running back crisis. six and five. Philadelphia has had a injury crisis, an offensive line crisis.

They're five and six. New England has had both and they're 10 and one. Their left tackle, they just got him back, Isaiah win. Their center pro bowler out for the year, kicker out for the year, pro bowler, full back, one of two teams in the NFL that uses one out for the year. Their first round pick now last week finally played. Last week they missed Mohamed Sanu, Philip Dorset. Their two and three receivers, biggest game of the year still won.

They had Josh Gordon let him go, had A, B, let him go. They've had a 42-year-old quarterback. They've had an offensive line crisis, a wide receiver weapons crisis, and they're 10 and 1. Only lost at Baltimore. They just do a better job with time. I don't want to hear about the victimhood of your left tackles hurt in Philadelphia or Rams.

We have a guard center, guard issue. New England lost their Pro Bowl center. Their fullback, which they use. wide receiver crisis all year left tackle crisis kicking crisis it's like remember the documentary tom versus time like i tell my kids all the time no victimhood here like just just you get time in life sleep a little less sleep a little less work a little harder here's tom versus time the documentary tom's off season i watch tape all day monday all day tuesday and saturday before the game i watch film and then sunny morning i watch film i don't know why i can't know why i can't do you

can sit here and watch it and, you know, process information quickly, but I can. Running and lifting has been much harder to develop than this. This has kind of been in me. I mean, I could literally, like, just watch film all day. I go back to, it's one of the craziest things about the Patriots. Best coach, best quarterback, no first quarter touchdowns in the Super Bowl. They get a field goal. That's about it.

They just feel you out. They go in 13 minutes. They change the way they're playing. Then they go out play a Seattle. They go out play in Atlanta. They go out play. And it's funny about the Super Bowl. They could be 9 and 0.

Like their losses have all been on, you know, the tip ball, the last play, the David Kyrie catch. It's really remarkable. I just have a lot of respect. Do better with your time, NFL. And I don't want to hear about your offensive line crisis. New England had one. I don't want to hear about your weapons crisis.

New England's had one all year. about your kicking crisis Chicago. They're on their third kicker. Be more prepared. Guys, stop using your girlfriend or your wife shampoo. Get your own. It's available at Walmart. Dove men plus care.

Design to give your hair the care it needs to stay strong and more resilient. All right. Hour two. We got Joel Clatt around the corner. Greg Co. Settle around the corner. And my blazing five, nine of 12 weeks. Fox Bet made you money. That's next.

Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kyr 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people

who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicleifel 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clifford Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, the Clivert show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave.

better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on the Army Stewart of the chip. I'm Todd Ramos.

I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers,

he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. Oh, here we go. It is a lively second hour of the herd. Joel Clatt in 15 minutes. We're live in L.A. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

Joy Taylor is joining me. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. We moved everything up. Thanksgiving tomorrow, we're off. And so we moved everything up to today. We got our blazing five in about two minutes. We have Greg Cosell next hour. Joel Klatz coming up always on Wednesday.

Bucky Brooks stops by Jason McIntyre. So we made it a star-studded show today. Nick Wright's already been on. It's great to have you in the Cowboys play tomorrow. We'll get to the Cowboys in about 5, 10 minutes about my thoughts. Jerry Jones talking this morning not only about the Cowboys and Jason Garrett, but he's talking about Dak Prescott. Very, very interesting stuff. Joy, how are you?

I'm great. Good morning to everyone. Safe travels today. Safe travels today, by the way, Vic Sinex Nasal Spray. Works up to 12 hours. Use it as directed. It's cold season. and so take that and don't, you know, sniffle all over the turkey. All right, here we go. We've had 12 weeks, all of our odds provided by Fox Bet.

We've had 12 weeks. We've had nine winning weeks of 12. So that's the bottom line with Fox Bet. If you play along, you win money when I have a winning week. So nine of 12 week, we've had a winning week, and here we go. That's a hot one. Let's blaze it up. Fire it up.

It's Collins, blazing five. 49ers at Ravens. Baltimore minus five and a half. That line keeps moving up. I'm going to take the Ravens at home. Listen, in their last three games against good teams, Lamar Jackson, the league is playing catch-up to this team offensively. This is a little bit cam a few years ago where the league didn't have an off-season to quite figure them out,

and they've gotten better. They're 5-0 against the spread. Forget winning. They're blowing good teams out. And San Francisco, as good as they are, has struggled. against mobile quarterbacks. Russell Wilson beat him. Kyler Murray twice gave him trouble.

Against the run, the Niners since week eight are only 27th. I think this could get ugly. I think San Francisco will keep it close. The score will be deceiving. I'll take the Ravens to win 31-24. Maybe a late touchdown by the Niners. I think Baltimore controls most of this game and covers the spread. Redskins at Panthers.

I hate laying big numbers, but I'm going to take Carolina minus nine and a half. Veteran head coach, a lot of good players, and they still have an outside shot at a wild card. They are playing for something. Washington's playing for nothing. This is the worst offense I think I've seen in five, six years. They won last week, and Dwayne Haskins completed 44% of his throws. They're a mess. They're last in everything offensively.

They've got nothing to play for. they allow a ton of sacks and the Panthers are second in the league in sacks. Basically, Carolina is a little bit of a less ferocious version of San Francisco up front defensively. They get after you. Washington's in big trouble. They don't have anything to play for. I'll lay the points. Panthers win easily 33 to 20. Eagles and Dolphins.

Again, I'll bet a number here. I really like the Miami story. I think they're doing the best job tanking you can do. They play very hard. Even against Cleveland last week, they got. down early, played their butts off. It was never really competitive, but there's no quit. I'm going to take Miami plus nine

and a half against a traveling Philadelphia team. Philadelphia can't win at road at home. They're not going to win on the road convincingly. So it's a number. I'll take Miami plus nine and a half. Philadelphia is a broken team decimated by injuries, the mechanics in the footwork. If you go since

week seven, they're near the bottom of everything offensively Philadelphia. They're giving the ball away. So it's not only they're struggling, they're The Pantileys, 20 giveaways this year. And the Dolphins, by the way, they got off to that horrific start. Baltimore was way better early. We should have noticed that.

But Miami's not the same team in week one. Against the spread. Miami's five and two in their last seven against the spread. They're back home. They're actually healthy. They've got a ton of fight. Philadelphia wins. But I'm going to take, I'm taking the nine and a half with Miami.

Rams at Cardinals. Arizona off a by at home. getting points of field goal. I think Arizona is going to win this game. I'm going to take them. Listen, Arizona had fairly low expectations this year. A quarterback, rookie played one year in college, really one full year, a rookie head coach. So their locker room, despite their record, is very positive right now.

Arizona's exceeding expectations. The Rams thought Super Bowl, and as of Monday night, they're done with that. That locker room is not good. So what are these teams playing for? Arizona, this is a good locker room off of getting healthy. After starting 3 and 0, the Rams are a 3 and 5 football team. And the Cardinals since week 5, this is what I like about them.

Since week 5, Kyler Murray is getting better every single week. Since week 5, he has 10 TDs, one pick, 100 passer rating, and their offensive line, which I hated coming into the season in Arizona, actually significantly now better than the Rams offensive line, which I liked coming into the season. The O line at Arizona is the different. I think they win. I think they're off a buy. I think it's a better locker room today. 27, 26, Cardinals.

Raiders at Chiefs. I'm going to take the nine and a half. You know, one of my rules, Joy, good teams with good players playing for something. After they get destroyed, it's my bounceback theory. Oakland still has a chance to make the playoffs a good chance. Oakland's still a very good offense, and they were humiliated against the Jets. they're going to button that puppy up. They're going to give Kansas City everything they can handle this weekend. The Chief's defense has struggled in the last few weeks.

And I get one of the better offensive lines. Give Gruden credit. They run the football, their offensive lines better. And I, listen, Kansas City is going to win this game. It's at home. But that Kansas City defense, I don't trust them. I just don't trust them. So I think the Raiders, button it up, go back to playing with

the kind of spirit and efficiency they had for most of the year. The Chiefs win. I'll take the nine and a half points, 3027 Kansas City. In an entertaining game, they'll bounce back. The Raiders are in the group. So here are my picks, folks. I like the favored Ravens, the favored Panthers. I like my dogs Miami, my dog, Arizona, and my dog, Oakland.

I tend to like underdogs. I like, give me a quarterback. Kyler Murray. Give me a quarterback like Kyler Murray and points. You give me Derek Carr and a lot of points. I kind of like that. So Jerry Jones was on this morning. He was on the NFL network.

He was talking about Jason Garrett. Jerry had stuff to say. He's still fuming. And he was talking about, you know, they've paid everybody, right? Like they're paying Jalen Smith early. They paid Zeke early, two years early. They're going to pay Amari Cooper early. And they haven't paid DAC, even though DAC a couple of weeks ago was in the MVP conversation.

And Jerry said, I'm not sure. here, but you are hearing increasingly the franchise tag stuff, meaning they'd pay DAC. Instead of a four-year contract, they would just pay them huge for one year. That's what Washington did for years and years with Kirk Cousins because they like Kirk, but they didn't want to get tied into a four-year contract with Kirk Cousins. And there's a lot of speculation. Jerry's going to franchise tag him, which is, okay, I'll pay a $28 million, I'll pay a $30 million for a year, but I still want to kick the tire some.

So Jerry was talking about, you know, the money, DAC and all that stuff this morning. Let me just say this. I think all of us, including the fans, want to win a damn football game. Okay? Now, I know we've got a lot of other things to think about who's coaching, who's playing, who's compared to another player someplace else. How about let's win some ball games, folks? We can take out other stuff.

I'm not known as a guy who gets hand cramps when I'm writing chess. I love that quote. Here's the thing. Dak is 0 and 4 against opponents with winning records. And in those four games, he's completing 61% of his throws, 5 TD 6 picks, and a passer rating of 82. I have always struggled evaluating Dak. I didn't like him out of college. And even his first year 13 and 3, I'm like, I don't like what I see.

Then I bought into him to his second year. I love his intangibles. Sometimes I don't love his tangibles. He is the trust fund kid of quarterbacks. He inherited a great O line. He inherits Zeke. Then they get Amari. They've got so many weapons.

It is tough. And so I think what Jerry's saying here is, I'll pay, and I'll pay early. And I'm not cheap, but you've got to win big games. And DAC this year is 0 for four against the best teams he's played, and he's not been good with all these great weapons. And that's why owners, I don't like the franchise tag for players, especially quarterbacks. You're trapped.

A team can just keep you. But for owners, it does protect you because it is very hard to evaluate the quarterback position. It's the hardest thing to evaluate in sports. You can tell how many quarterbacks, Russell Wilson, did we ever think he would be this good? Even after his first year. Did anybody guess Kyler Murray? Lamar Jackson. So when you have a position that's incredibly difficult to evaluate and is incredibly important to a franchise,

the owners are like, give us the option to franchise tag. We'll pay him. We just don't want to get tied in for four years. And I think Dallas, a team that drafts very well, the scouting department is excellent. I think it's better than New England's in terms of college scouting. They're struggling with the same thing I am, you are with DAC. Is it the line?

Is it Dak? Is it the line? And by the way, I think even the coaching staff in Dallas is having problems with identifying what they are. And the coaching staff watches film all the time. Is it Zeeke's team? Is it Dax team? It seems like they lose confidence in Dac when they shouldn't and then have confidence in him in New England when it should be Zique.

So this is why you create the franchise tag, which is getting more steam with Dac. It's hard. If you make a mistake at quarterback, you're buried. You know, golf in the Rams right now. Are they toast for four years? I don't think so, but Penny, people are speculating that. And it protects the owners. It protects the coaches.

It's not that you're not paying the kid. You're just not giving him $150 million. You're giving him $28 for one year. So interesting thoughts by Jerry, win some damn games. Coming up, Joel Clatt, his thoughts. It looks like two SEC teams are getting into the college football playoff. And all these guys like Joel Clatt, I think he wants an 18 playoff. I wake up this morning and I'm like, I don't even like the fourth team.

Alabama is the fourth team potentially? They're on backup quarterback. I don't even know if they could beat Auburn this weekend. Joel Clatt coming up next. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athlete's themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask

the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok. podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations

about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42.

Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming.

Ramos sending on to earn a score at the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boke. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney.

My only concern is what happens. in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here.

Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, wherever you get your podcast. This week, the best ride. Re and College football headlines the big noon Saturday game of the week as number one Ohio State battles number 13 Michigan starts Saturday strong at 10 Eastern with a special two-hour big noon kickoff pregame show live from the big house catch it all on Fox and the Fox Sports out. Jim Harbaugh's winning games America. A couple of guys right here. We saw it coming for years.

Jim Harbaugh, how about that? Tip of the cap to you and I. Well, I mean, listen, I think we've all, we have been accused of being Jim Harbaugh defenders at times. But they're playing better football. I got to tell you, over their last 18 quarters, they're outscoring their opponents like 180 to like 52. Thanks. They've been dominant.

They have been dominant. Rather than thanks, just say, you're welcome, America. You're welcome America. See, there you go. A couple of guys here aren't bandwagon guys. We stuck with Harbaugh. You and I, guys like Whitlock have been bailing on him forever. We kept saying Michigan's...

Well, Whitlock is like a hoke defender, and there's no defending that. Yeah, six and a half wins to nine. They're going to win 10 if they win a bowl game. All right. So last night, the playoff committee, Joel Clats, joining us the voice of college football, wearing a sweater. He likes almonds and sweaters. I kid you not boring. I do like sweaters.

But yet you're so dynamic on the air. So what did the playoff rankings came out last night? My theory on this whole thing from week one I've been saying. They just want two SEC teams in, which I don't have a problem with it is the best conference. So what do you make of that? Ohio State 1, LSU. That's interesting. I actually got a different

feeling. I got the feeling like it's not happening for Bama. Oh, that's what you saw. That's what I saw there. I think that they're waiting for that 13th data point for Utah. If they can get a championship game, I think that they're going to jump Utah over Alabama. And I think they're telling us that with Georgia's body of work, if they beat LSU, both of those teams will go. But if LSU beats Georgia, I think Utah would be the next team in there. So what, but basically you're saying, you're probably right on this. You're saying,

they're saying, this morning if they played, we take Bama. But we're going to punish Bama for not getting into their conference championship game. I think that that's, I think that's correct. And the resumes, by the way, the resumes between Bama and Utah are both very thin. Very thin. The resume that's going to look better on paper is OU if they were to win out. Oklahoma. If they beat Oklahoma State and Baylor. And Baylor in the Big 12 championship game.

But I think that they're setting things up with how Utah has played, the way that they look on defense in particular. You know, they've won seven straight games by 29 or more points. Utah is a real team. Yeah, it's a real team. And by the way, Utah now, Bama is a different program. Utah years ago went to the Sugar Bowl and knocked Bama out. They did. Remember that?

They did. Utah's always played great special teams. They run the football. They got NFL guys all over their defensive line. That's been their story when Urban was there 20 years ago. They've got five or six NFL guys on their defense. That's one of the best defenses in America. And no one sees them plays because they play at like, you know, midnight and everyone goes to bed.

But rest of sure, Utah is the real deal. And Tyler Huntley, their quarterback, is going to get a few Heisman trophy votes. I know that might surprise him people, but he's played well as well. Okay. So there's been a lot of talk about the eight-team playoff. And my thing is, everyone's clamoring. And I'm always like college football's always had one thing more than any sport. urgency.

Even in the NFL, you can stink in September. That's fine. That's right. In college football, you stink in September. I'm not going in October. If you had an eight-team playoff, I don't even like the number four team right now. We're arguing about Alabama and Georgia can't throw the ball over the top. Georgia got boat raced at home by a bad South Carolina team.

That's right. So, no, they got beat at home. So my takeaway is I'm not an 18-playoff guy. Most years. Okay, so let me tell you what will happen. Here's the sequence of events of what happens if they expand the playoff to eight. Here's what happens is that the power the conferences, in particular the power five conferences, who own the playoff, by the way.

The NCAA does not own the playoff. The conferences own the playoffs. They will demand an automatic bid. So five of eight are in. They're going to be in, which means that automatically nullifies any importance of a non-conference game. Zero. It means zero.

And yet this sport, I think, is the most unique because of it. its importance in the regular season. You call it an urgency. I agree 100% with you. I think that you reduce the urgency of the regular season, which is the most important factor for this sport. In large part, why it's number two in our country as far as popularity. Ratings, popularity. And I don't want to devalue the regular season in college football. The other thing that you have is you're arguing between more and more flawed resumes. By the eighth team, I'm arguing over two losses, like Penn State's nine and two. They played two really good teams, lost to them both.

Both. And Michigan, if they played another eight minutes, may have beaten them. So, I mean, another 30 seconds. You never know. So I'm completely with you on this. And you're going to get more teams that are arguing. You know, Florida is going to be like, well, what about us and Baylor? What about everybody's going to have their hand up?

And I think that you create more, you create more of an argument over teams that are more and more flawed. And what ends up having is, well, let's just do 12. Well, let's just do 14, 16. It's just going to continue to grow and grow and grow, and I don't think that that's good for the sport. Joel Klats joining us, the voice of college football. He does a terrific job. We disagree a lot.

We'll disagree on this. So a lot of talk about Ohio State's one of the best teams ever. I do think it's the best Ohio State team, potentially I've seen. I'm not sure if it's, I don't consider it a best team ever. The best team I've ever seen play, I saw him play live, was the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tommy Frazier, Lawrence Phillips.

Yep. they had some chemical stuff going on because they had guys running way too fast for their size and they destroyed Steve Perrier, Florida Gators. I mean, literally grabbed them and threw them in a trash can. Yeah, and the 95 festival. I was there live. It was embarrassing. It was bruised.

So that's the best team. They're good. Okay. So give me your, do you think Ohio State is one of the best teams ever? I don't think you can even come close to saying that until the end of the season. Now, potentially, could they get there? Yes. I think that this team specifically could potentially get to that level if they were to run the table and go 15 and 0 and win the national championship.

And whack LSU and whack Clemson. Because remember, it depends a lot. To be historically considered one of the best teams of all time, you got to have played great opponents. You can't just be like, well, we won a lot of games. It's like everyone wins a lot of games in college football. You got to beat really quality opponents. You've got to dominate in those games. It's going to matter how many guys are drafted off of that team, which is why a lot of people say 2001 Miami.

could be one of the best teams ever. They had 17 first round draft picks on that team alone. 38 drafted players on that roster, 17 of them in the first round. That's the most talented team I've ever seen. Nebraska mid-90s is the best team. I would also put up, if I was going to say, like, who are your top five? I would have 95 Nebraska in there. I would have 0-1 Miami in there. Here's my ranking. Number five would be 95 Nebraska. Last year's Clemson team was incredible, including knocking on. Alabama, which is a big deal. They were very good.

71 Nebraska, no one remembers them. They beat the number two, three, and four team in the country that year, which was Oklahoma, Colorado, and there was one other in the bull game. People didn't even wear shoes back then with football. Well, they were great. O-1, Miami. And then, guys, I might be a little bias on this. 2005, Texas?

2005, Texas. The Vince Young, Texas team, who beat USC. They ended USC's winning streak. I mean, that was a great. I think Vince Young was the best player I've ever seen on a football field. We had to play them twice. This is one of the reasons I have them number one. We had to play them twice.

They put me in the hospital. You know why I have them? Because things like this. Yeah, that's me throwing interception right there. I hated that throw by you. Oh, he was open. The corner was open. No, I had you as a top 10 draft pick.

This is right right here. And lights out. Oh, they knocked you out? Yeah, I'm unconscious there. Oh, why are we putting up this? This is just because we're not. talking about this Miami team. They're trying to give me on the John Beeson.

Have you ever seen Vince Young's high school tape? Oh, gosh. He's the great. I'm not kidding you. I like recruiting. Vince Young's high school tape. He's the greatest high school player of all time. It looks like a building playing against nine-year-olds.

He looks like a building. I love these types of discussions. But when you bring it back to this year, Ohio State's going to have a chance. Think about it. I mean, they have now beaten 10 of their 11 opponents by 24 or more points. They just took a top 10 team, turned the ball over three times, a 17 point swing and turnovers and still beat them by double digits. They're going to have a chance to win the Big 10 and 0 and Big 10 play, 9 in the regular

season 1 in the conference championship games. It'll be the first time ever if they're able to do it. Oh, that a team gets that done, 10 and 0 in conference play. They could play LSU. They could play Clemson. If this Ohio State team goes 15 and O and wins the national championship, they will be a top five all-time college football team. Think of the draft picks they have.

They're going to have what I think is potentially the Heisman trophy winner on defense, Chase Young. They're going to have a top 10 pick at Corner and Jeff Okuda. Great running back in J.K. Dobbins. He'll be a top two round pick. There's draft picks littered all over this roster. And by the most dominant and complete team in the country. Justin Fields will go number two next year, the following year, 21.

Chase Young's so good. Yeah, he's pretty good. Hey, did you hear me call? I said Superman and the Avengers. Did you catch that? Somebody said you got. Oh, they were upset. man, I tell you, the nerds and the nerdery were upset.

Because you made a, you made a super, but I did. You like almonds and sweaters, so. You made a superhero reference and you were wrong or something? I was wrong, and that's right. I said, oh, this is like Superman and the Avengers. And apparently they've never teamed up. Although I have. Well, Superman is D.C. and Avengers is Marvel.

Which I've learned since, yes. But there was like in the early 2000s, there was like one allegiance that they had where they actually showed up together. Not that I was referencing that, wouldn't have that frame of mind anyways. But you know, listen, I'm a stubborn guy. Joy, you and Colin, you guys know that. Yeah, I'm turning into this one like right into the headwind.

I will say it again in the first quarter. No doubt in my mind. Superman and the Avengers are coming out again. Eat it, nerds. You're going to say it again on the air? Of course I am, Joy, turn right into it. There's a headwind turn into. Own it.

Own your mistake. I want to make shirts. My son. I want to get a Superman and Avengers shirt and put it on Chase Young and take a picture with him. In your face, nerd. Yes. Yeah, my son loves the Avengers. Oh, I've seen them all with him.

Who doesn't love the Avengers? Thanos and Robert Downey. I saw a couple of them. I haven't seen all of them. Very good. Very, very good. I haven't seen all of them. There's a lot.

Right, there's got to be a lot, right? Because they have like the singular movie. Yeah, yeah, of course. All right, good luck on the big game this weekend. You bet. That'd be good for you. And then good luck to me on Twitter afterwards with all the comic nerds. By the way, Walmart, get your own shampoo.

Doveman Plus care. Stop barring your girlfriends. That's Joel Clatt. Joy Taylor with the news. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right.

Well, emotions will be high when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh Sunday for their second matchup with the Steelers. But Freddie Kitchens does not want his team to be a part of any more distractions. Oh, Lord. I want them to go in this game with one thing and one thing only

on their mind and that's to do their job. and anything that overshadows that anyway is not acceptable and it's not the best for the team. And I want guys that show up ready to do their job. All that other stuff is just fluff. It's just fluff just to give people things to talk about leading up to Sunday. And then at some point on Sunday, around 1 o'clock, we're going to kick the ball off. And then that's when it's going to be for real then at that point.

And that's when I want them to be at their best. I really like that he said that, though, because he's right. This is a game where you could very easily get into your emotions and get off your game and start doing things outside of your character, things that are overall, not in the best interest of the team, just because they're seeing each other again for the first time since the incident on Thursday night. Right. So I like that he said this because he's right.

I think Cleveland has figured out their identity on offense a little bit. Like I watched them last week is they're a running football team. they'd bake her on play action I think his accuracy he went through I mean let's be honest about Cleveland they weren't very good against the best teams

and the best coaches they looked very good at home against bad teams so that's this Cleveland season's very predictable I predicted 9 and 7 I think they're going to end up 8 and 8 not 9 and 7

I think they'll get smoked by Baltimore when they host them and I think Arizona's going to beat him as well but I will say this I think they found a little bit of an offensive identity now that's easier when you play crappy teams And against Baltimore, they may be trailing and have to abandon the run.

But I think they'll win in Pittsburgh this weekend. It's funny, the lines like two. Well, they're favored by two and a half, according to Fox Bet. And the wise guys in Vegas, I'm told, like the Steelers. So I stayed away from it. But the Vegas guys like Pittsburgh. I also like Pittsburgh. Rudolph will not be playing.

Oh, he stinks. Yeah, Hodges is starting. When Tomlin was asked why Hodges was starting over Rudolph, Tomlin responded, he's not killed us. That's funny. So it sounds like Tomlin is a bit off of Rudolph right now. Yeah. But yeah.

So they're home dogs, which is for the first time since the 80s, I think you said. Yeah. Eighty-nine. So it'll be an interesting game to watch because of the emotions of it. But I still like Pittsburgh at home. Wise guys in Vegas, the Sharps like Pittsburgh. I just stayed away. I don't like Pittsburgh.

Yeah. Well, Lamar Jackson is breaking all kinds of records this season. And he just got another one when Matt. adding updates their ratings tomorrow. Lamar will get a speed rating of 96, which is the highest for a quarterback in NFL history. Speed rating. It was previously held by Michael Vick,

who held the record at 95, and he gave a shout out to Lamar, as well as some custom cleats after the news. 96 speed overall. Congratulations to you. Lamar, the cleat looks good, courtesy of Nike. Look, man, it's an honor and privilege to be in this position. To be to hand something off to the next generation, man.

That means a lot. I know to myself. It means a lot to him. him. This will forever be legendary. This quote right here. Whoever said it to Lamar, now they're eating those words. Not bad for a running back. All records are made to be broken. The next generation I'm supposed to be better than us and got to get credit what credit is due. I say it's your turn now. I like that. That is very nice. And he's right. You know, you should be proud of the next generation coming up and, you know, he is breaking a lot of records

and having an incredible season. And he's constantly being compared to Michaelick. Yeah, it's really funny. There's a group of people out there in the media that keeps saying it's, why did he drop so far? Why did it? Lamar was drafted in the first round. And you have to remember, usually in the first round,

23 of the 32 teams don't need a quarterback. Folks, Dan Marino dropped, Aaron Rogers dropped. He's a different player. The league, frankly, can't figure him out. So what? Well, yeah, that's what I was saying yesterday. Like it's not a situation where he's necessarily an underdog. I mean, he's a Heisman trophy winner.

It just like you said, everybody doesn't need a quarterback. Well, he obviously should have gone higher. Now, I mean, we look back at a lot. Tom Brady went in the sixth round. Russell, third round. Right. So, but I think what Lamar is, and I think this is why the NFL ratings are up this year. And I really believe this.

He's a great story. And the NFL's always been the sport we watch. We watch the games. NBA, the number. numbers tell you don't watch a lot, but the stories are great. Lamar's a great story. Kyler Murray, nobody's watching. It's a great story. Patrick Mahomes last year was a great story. Dax's a controversial story. Lamar, beyond the quarterback, it's a fascinating plot twist. We're going to play quarterback. We're going to go back to the Michael Vick,

except the team, Atlanta didn't do this with Vic, is going to go all in on this style. And I think the league's struggling to figure out how the hell to stop it right in the middle of a season? Well, that's really what it comes down to. Michael Vic was a phenomenon. And we're seeing that, and as Michael admitted, on another level, and

he's in a situation where obviously he was a Heism trophy winner and didn't go in the first round, but he did fall. And, you know, you have the image of him and his mom at the draft just waiting to be called and nobody believed in him last year. And people were, you know, discussing whether he could even play the position. So he does have

that feeling of like not only is he proving everybody wrong who doubted him but he's taking the position in revolutionizing it he's going to get a lot of guy the original revolutionizer's records he only has 164 more yards to go to break Michael's record finally reports surfaced this week that the NBA was

considering significant changes to both the regular season and the postseason and one of those changes could be an in-season tournaments I don't know how that would work well basically the tournament would consist of a group stage before six division winners and two wildcards advanced to a bracket-style tournament format. It's supposed to be around Thanksgiving to counter college tournaments. It has no implications towards the postseason, only monetary awards as teams advance, and it's reportedly

an attempt to combat the ratings, but James Hardin is not a fan. There's been some talk in the about instituting an in-season tournament. What do you think about that? I don't know nothing about that. Do you think that would that mean anything to you playing a tournament, a single elimination tournament in December? We're in college? It's college. Yeah, PJ Tucker is also not a fan. He said you play for an NBA championship. I don't want to play for anything else, period. I don't like this idea either, especially

because it doesn't mean anything, like you're not, it has no implications towards the postseason. You know, the NBA has always been a special. where we really start watching it. Second round of the playoffs is when people kind of come in. You know, one of the things, Joy, I always thought you should start it the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Because by the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, about half the NFL cities are out. And like you go to a Philadelphia, the season starts. I'm into the Sixers.

The Eagles that they lose this weekend are out. I think when you start in October, you just get overwhelmed by NFL in college football. I think if you cut the games down, it creates more urgent. The load management goes away mostly, the optics. And by the way, you can do no back-to-backs. You move it into July. Well, that's what the, if they were going to shorten it, the tournament was supposed to make up for the loss in revenue.

But the tournament thing just doesn't work. But I'm with you. I think that now, and this is kind of probably the issue the NBA is running into, is that there's such a demands for attention and for viewers. There's streaming. There's the internet. Like, there's YouTube. there's so many different ways that people can, you know, consume content.

So you have to find ways to bring urgency to it. That's what it comes down to. That's right. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Law News. I saw this headline today.

The NFL Network is having their top 100 all-time team. NFL films has produced a six-part series. They're going to release the running backs and the quarterbacks later and all that stuff. And I'm not going to go into that. But so Bill Belichick was kind of. part of the panel. And Belichick said the process of selecting the 100 best coaches ever, quote, made me a better coach. Oh, God, that's what the league wants to hear. You know what? This offseason, I'm a better coach now than I was the previous 19 years when I dominated the NFL.

Bucky Brooks will be joining us next to former corner. The former scout helped build the Panthers and Seahawk rosters. Next hour, Greg Cosell and Jason McIntyre, Wednesday, just a little more than halfway home. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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, is we have real conversations about. about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like,

after you go through a training camp with that I said, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Bucky Brooks, defensive backs, scout, NFL network, love having him on on Thanksgiving Eve.

All right, I was saying earlier, Dax's a little bit like the trust fund kid of quarterbacks. He just inherited comfort. So the weapons and the old, and the running back. I've always found him to be a little bit with Eli Manning early in his career, a hard evaluation for me. I'm back and forth on Dak. Intangibles

A plus, tangible C minus. Am I unfair? You are. You are unfair because I think what has happened with Dak Prescott is like most quarterbacks. He's just each and every week. He's a franchise quarterback. He's not a franchise quarterback. He can do it. He can't do it.

Early in the season, everyone was coming in saying this is Ezekiel Elliott's team. Ezekiel Elliott is the guy that is the driving force of the offense. Right. This year, Dak Prescott has been that. He has merged,

has been a dominant player who's leading the league in passing yards. He has played well. By any metric, however we measure quarterbacks, he's a franchise quarterback. If it comes to wins,

he ranks only behind Tom Brady since he entered the league. If it comes to passing yards and individual stats, this year, he's the passing leader. I don't know what Dak can do to make people realize how good of a player he is.

Not go 0 for four against the best teams. Okay, so here's what happens. And when you're playing really good teams, that's when coaching matters. So when you're playing really, really good teams and the playing field is level, that's when you need your coach to give you the advantage. So we heard Jerry Jones very upset and angry after the game where he saw the Patriots knock off the Dallas Cowboys. Because in that game, it wasn't a Dak Prescott issue.

There was a coaching issue. The New England Patriots are on the details. They pay attention to details. They win games because they know how not. to lose games, meaning they don't turn the ball over. They don't give you silly penalties and extra yardage. They win the special teams in the kicking game. The Dallas Cowboys lost their game because in the kicking game, they didn't pay attention.

Block punt, gave up hidden yardage, had penalties, burned timeouts. That's not a Dak Prescott issue. That's a Jason Garrett issue. I've been critical of Aaron Rogers and I said, you know, all the issues were going to be solved with Mike McCarthy. Okay, he's gone. Let's wait until Thanksgiving for Matt LaFleur. and Rogers now in the last three games is one and two with two touchdown passes. His passer rating is very low.

I think he's regressing. I don't sense the it. Maybe it's the collarbone surgeries. He's got a star running back. He's got a star receiver. He's got a very talented tight end. He got the progressive smart coach. I saw Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson give San Francisco trouble off a buy.

That game was over in eight minutes. Some of it's on Aaron. It is on Aaron. And I think he has always gotten a pass, like because we've always made excuses. about what he doesn't have. He doesn't have playmakers. He doesn't have a running game. The coach doesn't call the right plays for him.

The defense doesn't get it done. I'm going to read you some stats. Since 2017, in November and December, Aaron Rogers is 4-9. He averages 226 passing yards per game, but his passer rating is below 90. It's 89.9. So when I'm saying that my franchise quarterback, a guy who I've heard hailed as the greatest passer of all time, if he can't deliver. when it matters, down the stretches when it matters.

November, December is money time. Aaron Rogers hasn't been money. He hasn't been in clutch the last three years when it's been time. By the way, I think an unbelievable number. I think Joey and I talked about this the other day. It's one of those, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what? He has a losing road record in his career. That is stunning to me.

He has a losing, the best road quarterback in the NFL. In the last 20 Eastern Time Zone games, Russell Wilson's 16 and 4. He has the 31st ranked pass blocking line offensive and he goes to San Francisco and beats the best defensive line in the sport. Russell, to me, is a better quarterback today than he's aging better than

Aaron Rogers. Absolutely. And I think this is what has happened. The narrative has been that we're beginning to expect quarterbacks to play 20 years because we've been spoiled by Drew Brees and Tom Brady. That's what Nick Wright says. That was never the case. The case was if you got a decade of strong quarterback play,

that's more than enough, which kind of speaks to argument when people are worried about the athletic quarterback and the mobile quarterback, 10 years is what you expect to get from a franchise quarterback. And Rogers, 35, 36, when you get older, the hits hurt a little more. You lose some of the steam on the ball. We've talked about the passing yards over 10 yards. The accuracy is down. I think you pointed out a stat that it's 45 percent. Completion percentage over 10 yards. He's not as accurate as he used to be. He's not as accurate as used to be he's a different player. So what has to happen?

A couple of things. One, when he gets older, the supporting cast has to do more, meaning Maddler floor has to lean on the running game more. The playmakers around him, they have to step up and be guys that can take short passes and make him into big games. As the quarterback gets older, he needs the rest of the pieces of the puzzle to do more. It's not a knock to Aaron Rogers. This is what every quarterback needs.

The supporting cast has to help him out. By the way, Drew Brees has his best defense in a long time. Breeze has a running game, a great possession receiver, and an offensive line that's underrated. Finally, Tom Brady, an NFL exec. They're always anonymous. You ever know that? The NFL exec says, Brady, quote, is still deadly when he needs to be. Buy it.

No, I don't buy it. You know who Tom Brady is because you're a boxing fan. Oh, I love boxing. Tom Brady's Mike Tyson. But he's not Mike Tyson at the beginning of his career. He's Mike Tyson before he played Lennox Lewis. And the reason why is because it's more mystic. than magic now. Tom Brady can still throw a haymaker occasionally, but the days of Tom Brady

carrying this team to the postseason carrying this team to the Super Bowl, they're over. So the first three games of the year, Tom Brady was outstanding, completed 67% of his passes, 7 to 0 touchdown to interception ratio, pass a rating of a 16th. In the last eight games, he's only completing 60% of his passes, 8 to 5 touchdown to interception ratio, and a passer rating under 80. Well, I me, he doesn't that much. No, no, no, no. He is a bottom third quarterback right now on the numbers. Hey, look, we can talk about a supporting cast.

We can talk about the running game and all of these things. Right now, at his best, Tom Brady's a game manager. They are winning because of their special teams and their defense. And as long as they stick to the recipe, they can win. But if this becomes a team that has to lean on number 12, he's not going to be able to get it done. Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. No, no, no, I'm right.

right. I'm right on this one. I'm right on this one. I think I'm right on the Aaron Rogers one. Well, you might be, two guys are right. That's great. By the way, I'll go back and say it again. Russell Wilson's, I said it to start the show. It's the most underrated player in the NFL in my lifetime. And I'm not, and I really believe that. I mean, he is underrated. And I think the reason why he has been underrated, because very early on, and I believe Russell Wilson's career mirrors Tom Brady in this aspect. early in the career Russell Wilson had the running game with Marshawn Lynch and a dominant defense

and a legendary coach. Great coach and Pete Carroll. Tom Brady had the same thing with Belichick. They ran the ball. They leaned on the defense. He grew from game manager to franchise player. What we have seen in the last three or four years, Russell Wilson is a franchise player.

Oh, my God. He has been able to do it. When Marshall Lynch went out, they had to do it differently, but he has been able to elevate and continue to keep the Seahawks. First eight seasons, they've never had a loose.

But just think about that. It's one thing to talk about winning the rings. It's another thing to always be in the tournament. No, this is a big thing. As great as Cam is, he's never had back-to-back winning seasons. Tough, consistency. Russell Wilson, high school one, NC State one, Wisconsin one, Seattle one. And the other thing about Russell, he's in every game.

Aaron Rogers got blown out again last week off a buy. Russell's traveling to a different time zone. He's in Yemen this week. Seattle's out by a lot. Alaska. It's a 12-hour plane ride, and he goes to Philly and wins hour 3. Greg Kosel next. 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. Kick your Thanksgiving morning off on Fox. Kalee Mack and the Bears take on the Lions in an NFC North Division battle. It all starts with a special

two-hour pregame show live from New York beginning at 10.30 a.m. Eastern, 7.30 Pacific, on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Now let's talk Super 6 Thanksgiving. One of the questions for tomorrow's Bears Lions game is, which team will win and by how many points? Colin, who you got?

I'd probably go Bears 24-20. You look at these two teams. What to either of them do well? Chicago's good defense. So I would take, when I get two teams I don't like, is there anything one of them does really, really well? By the way, Detroit's lousy, three, six, and one possession games.

So they're not good late in games. I'll take Chicago. By the way, Tommy John is having their best Black Friday sale ever for my listeners, 25% off-site. Tommyjohn.com code heard. And with that, we usually have them on Thursdays, but we don't have a Thursday show tomorrow. And I think if you bet football, if you're a fantasy football fan,

or just love football, I want kind of a meat sandwich, the little bits and pieces of film study of Greg CoSell 40 years at NFL films. Somebody I rely on for the draft. I rely on for a lot of my insight. And Greg Cocell is joining us. Greg, how are you pre- Thanksgiving? How are you? Colin, I'm doing great. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow. Thank you very much. So we watched Dallas in New England. One of my questions with Dallas all year has been, what is their offensive identity when you watch film? What do you think they think their offensive identity is? I think they're struggling right now.

to determining whether their offense still runs through Ezekiel Elliott or whether they believe that they can transition into a little bit more of a passing team, given the fact that their three receivers are among the top two, three receiving trios in the NFL. The other issue I think they're struggling with that plays into this is the fact that for the most part over the last three, four weeks, they've not run the ball as efficiently as they had earlier in the season. So I think they're struggling with exactly what their identity is. They had a really difficult time with New England.

When you play New England, Colin, you have to be able to defeat man coverage. You can do that with scheme or you can do that by finding your best individual matchups. They really couldn't do either. And Prescott had a bad game. In a game like that, you don't get a lot of throws. And when you do get those throws, you have to make them and he missed them. And therefore, they really struggle to move the football. Now, they'll play Buffalo.

We know that I've said this. The bills play defense. I like their staff. Do they have a low ceiling with Josh Allen? But I go back to his last six games. 11 TD's one pick. He was wild and erratic in college. He's certainly not as erratic as he was in college.

I imagine the tape's pretty complimentary to Josh Allen. Yes and no. I think that Allen still at times is scatter shot and can be very erratic with his ball placement. He had an interception this week in which that was the case. He's less prone to be reckless and make those undisciplined plays that we used to see. But we don't know how we'll be in a tough game like this on the road. Obviously, the toughest game he's had this year theoretically was against New England, and the erratic element to his play and the interception showed up in that game.

But the big thing that stood out from this past week, and it won't happen every week, but he had missed a ton of open deep balls this year. And that's been a problem with him, and he hit one this week. Now, you're not going to hit four or five of those a game, but you do get a couple of opportunities like that every week, and if he can hit those, that changes their offense. But he's still a little erratic, and he runs less, which is a good thing. But when he does run, he's very effective.

You know, I had watched Kyler Murray two times and Russell Wilson once gives San Francisco's defensive line a little pause. Aaron Rogers off a buy. That game was over in eight minutes. Aaron, I mean, Aaron did not complete a pass over 10 yards. Correct. He is completing 45% of his throws this year over 10 yards. Now, again, collarbone surgeries, maybe it's Matt LaFleur.

Obviously, the offensive line I think we've discussed isn't as good. But when you watch the San Francisco game, it was like one of those early Tyson fights. It's just over. What was it primarily that you saw on film? Well, I think the 49ers did some things a little bit differently in this. game. I thought they really featured disguise and late movement to get to their zone coverage concepts. And again, it's not a matter of fooling a quarterback. You know, you don't go into a game saying, hey, we're going to fool Aaron Rogers, and that's the foundation of our game plan.

But there's a couple of times in every game, depending on the down and distance, depending on the field position, where if you show one thing and then get to something else, you can, in a sense, fool the quarterback. That happened a couple of times in that game. Plus, I think their offense has not been consistent enough running the ball in recent weeks, even though I love their backs. And they have not used Jones in the past game over the last three, four weeks the way they were earlier in the year. And I think that's something they have to reassess. Aaron Jones is a very good receiver who can be detached from the formation,

and they've not been throwing him the football and using him that way over the last three, four games. And I think that has really hurt their offense. Yeah, they don't match up terribly well. against physical defensive fronts. Philadelphia gave them problems. So San Francisco gives them problems. You don't want to have an identity where people can say, okay, this is what they don't do well.

And it feels like with Green Bay, you attack them up front. They just don't, they fold a little bit. They don't feel like the same team. Is that fair? Well, what a lot of teams are doing now, and it's not just the Niners or the Eagles, but a lot of teams that's become part of the league, is they're lining up with fronts

that almost dictate one-on-one blocking and pass protection across the board. And if you have a weakness in your past protection, and the Packers, to me, based on film study, are not quite as good up front as I think a lot of people think they are. I think then individual players can be exploited, and I think that that's come to bite them at times. You know, I've always felt, I want to talk about the Saints,

because in the last couple of weeks, there's a little pause with the Saints and they lose to Atlanta, but I've always felt it is tough playing the same teams over and over in your division. And if you play Matt Ryan enough, he's going to beat you occasionally. And if you play Cam enough, he's going to beat you. And so when I watch a Carolina give the Saints real trouble, I'm like, well, Ron Rivera, knows Sean Payton about as well as anybody in the league. So I always look at divisional games a little differently.

Sometimes, you know, Arizona for years just gave the Legion of Doom, Russell Wilson, and Pete Carroll fits because they'd seen every trick in the book Pete Carroll had. So I still think the Saints are really good, as I have my doubts with Green Bay in Dallas. What's the film say on the Saints today? Well, I think the Saints are very good for a number of reasons. I think they're really well-schemed offensively because the reality is they don't have a ton of weapons on the perimeter, although they do have dimensions. And I think that's an important point.

You know, Ted Ginn's not an 80-catch guy, but Ted Kin can still run by people, and you see that every week. even if he's not catching a 50-yard touchdown every week, that's a dimension that they do have. And even Smith, he can run a little bit too. Now, Cook has been coming on in the last number of weeks, and they've been using him much more, and he's one of those tight ends who can line up all over the formation, and he can cause matchup problems. He beat Eric Reed the safety for the Panthers this week a couple of times, and Reed had a good year at safety. And they've got a very good run game. The numbers might not suggest it, but they can line up and run the ball,

and they play a lot with six offensive linemen, and that's something not a lot of teams do. They had two big runs this week out of six-all-line personnel. I want to shift to the Rams Monday night. I want to talk Rams, then I'll talk Ravens. Listen, New England's had an offensive line crisis this year. They're 10-1. Rams have an offensive line crisis.

They're unwatchable. Is it golf? You know, I hear everybody now golf can't play. He's terrible. And I watched them against Mahomes a couple years ago on Monday night, and I'm like, looks like you can play to me. primarily if I said one or two things, this is why Goff and the Rams are a mess offensively. What would those two things be?

Their offensive line has been a bit of a mess. And number two, their total inability to run the football with any kind of consistency. And that's made Goff, who to me is a good thrower but not necessarily a high-level talent. I think that's rendered him ineffective for the most part because I think Goff is, for one, of a better term, a system player who needs the pieces to work. I think when the run game's effective and the O-line is effective, and they can do what they ideally want to do, which is expand defenses horizontally and stretch them vertically and throw to open spaces in the middle of the field.

When they can do that, they're effective. But if they can't run the ball and their O-line struggles to protect, Goff is – got a very good, muddied, noisy pocket thrower. That's fair. Okay, so let's switch to Baltimore. It feels like the league is playing catch-up in the middle of a season. Like when they first introduced the Wildcat and for about six weeks, nobody could quite figure it out.

Baltimore, I mean, this again is they're against good teams, Lamar is completing 73% of his throws. That's against good defense. Right. Now, maybe that's muted a little bit this weekend against San Francisco. But it does feel like Greg Roman's done it again. He did it with Campernic. There's some guessing going on here. Eric Weddell said this week, I couldn't tell who had the ball.

Were you kind of blown away by Baltimore on Monday night? And right now, teams are having a difficult time figuring out the scheme and the explosiveness of Jackson as a movement player, I think probably catches teams by surprise. You can watch that on tape, Colin. And my guess is when you see it in person, it's a whole other animal. Yeah. I mean, he's just as explosive an athlete as we've ever seen at the position.

and the scheme presents very defined reads and very defined throws for Jackson, and he's making those throws. Yes. Now, he's dropping in a few really good ones as well, but you watch their tape and receivers are open. It's really schemed. It's a very difficult defense to defend, and hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not smart enough. I don't have the answer to this, so don't ask me what should you do. I'm not that smart, but it's so beautifully schemed. I think it might take an off-season for teams to get a money.

much better feel to how to defend this. Yeah, no, that, and that, generally, we do in the NFL, but it does feel like the league's playing catch up. Their receivers are often wide open. So let's go, you know, it's funny. I've said this for years.

I think Russell Wilson's one of the most underappreciated, not now, but was for years. Not anymore. Yeah, he's a great player. But I hear a lot of these, and I always lean on you with this, and I think it's important for our audience.

You come to me in the off season, a year before everybody else, and say, here's the receivers backs, quarterbacks I looked at, and you do this well in advance of the football season. You'll do it in the summer when we talk. I hear Tua, and I see, ah, Tua is Russell Wilson.

And give me your thoughts on this, because I see some components of it, but he does get hurt and Russell never gets hit. Your thoughts on Tua? Well, maybe you and I disagree on this, but I don't really see him as very much like Russell

Wilson at all. I think that Tua to me. And again, let's just watch the tape. And just so people understand this past off season, not counting what he's done up in this season, but last season, I watched 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, I watched 6 games, all of Jerry

Judy's past targets and all of Henry Rugg's past targets. So obviously, too, was throwing the ball. So I've probably watched 250 to 300 throws by Tua from his season before. I don't see him as Russell Wilson at all. In fact, if he were to become a great pro,

I see him ending up being more like a Drew Breeze. I think he's a rhythmic timing player. I think that's what his game is. Yes, he can move. And by the way, Breeze could move in his youth a lot more than people can remember. Yes, he did. But he's not Russell Wilson to me at all. I think that he's an executor of a well-schemed passing game with good timing plus ball placement.

Can make a second reaction play at times, but he's a very programmed player to me. and I think that he would end up being much more like a Drew Breeze than a Russell Wilson. I like that a lot. That's interesting stuff. So I think we're done 40 years. Can you believe that? 40 years. I started when I was five.

Can you believe it? That isn't a long time to work. I've lived in all four corners of the country. I've paid taxes in nine states. 40 years. You can close your eyes and drive to work. You know the exits. You don't even have to watch.

and you drive to work. Greg. And it's funny you say that. Sometimes that happens. I get to my office and I'm thinking like, how did I just get here? I wasn't even thinking about it. Craig,

have a great Thanksgiving. You too, Colin. I really appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Here is Joy Taylor with the news. No. No.

Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. Bill Belichick is a member of the panel selecting the NFL 100 all-time team. Yes. And he says researching and watching film of all these great players has made him an even better coach. Oh, good Lord. I learned a lot.

It was a great experience. I watched a lot of films of, you know, players in the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, and the 60s. I watched quite a bit of that over the summer and last spring, and it was very enlightening. And I think in a way, you know, it definitely made me a better coach from the things that I've learned. It's reinforced some things. And it's also opened my eyes with some, I would say, other areas of coaching. So we're all doomed. Yeah, no kidding.

Bell check got better. This is very interesting with the NFL is. doing. I like that they're doing it for the NFL's 100 season. Top 100 players of all time. I mean, it would be very discussable, obviously, once they release all of them. That's why they do it. It's a good way for us to argue on sports. I heard a show yesterday arguing about it for 10 minutes. I mean, it is. Well, we love lists. We love to argue over list. It's our favorite thing in this entire business to argue over list because it's really once you get into, really once you get past three or four, it's all kind of subjective. Brady's the most, what would you say? He's a

the most rewarded player with the most, you know, records. Right. Is he the best player? I mean, I could make an argument. The most dominating player I've ever seen was Lauren's Taylor. Right. Most people would say that. Or Jim Brown.

I think the most I would probably agree with that. Right, right. So it's, it's always hard ranking because are we going for trophies? I mean, like, Dan Marino, I'd make the argument. Dan Marino's probably the greatest thrower of the football. Right. I mean, the ball flew off Dan Marino's arm. But that's why these lists are so discussable.

because what is the actual criteria? Dan doesn't have a Super Bowl. But Belichick is one of the 10 coaches selected for that list. And they're announcing it. I like the panels too that they're doing, like the roundtables. Yeah, I love that stuff. I could watch Shannon's on it, Tony Gonzalez. So Jerry Jones was very critical of his coaches after the tough loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

He is not slowing down either. And Troy Aikman saw all of it firsthand from the broadcast booth, but he thinks that the Cowboys issues run a lot deeper than just coaching. It's easy to say as an owner or as a general manager or as anyone else within an organization, hey, it's coaching. It runs deeper than that. There's been a lot of coaches that have come through the Cowboys organization and the results have been pretty familiar from one season to the next overall. You have to take a hard look at everything. But I think to just simply say, hey, we've got this great roster and it's all about coaching.

I think that's a little bit of a cop-out. That's fair. I think it's fair. But it is something, though. It's very interesting that he said that because there's only one consistent thing that is remained with the Cowboys. Well, in general, when you are talking about organizations, anytime we have conversations about organizations that are not winning or are dysfunctional, and I certainly don't consider the Cowboys to be dysfunctional. They're the most profitable organization in all of sports.

They're not a dysfunctional organization by any means. But if your expectations are at Super Bowl, which, again, I don't know why that is the thing with the Cowboys, because I know everyone wants to win a Super Bowl, but... If it is... The Cowboys have gone 23 seasons without making a conference championship game. The only other two teams in the NFC

haven't done that are the Detroit Lions, who we definitely think are dysfunctional. Day Stink. It's 27 seasons. And the Washington Redskins, who are the most dysfunctional organization in the entire NFL, also with 27 seasons.

Well, when your owner's your general manager, many people would subscribe to the theory that you're settling. Well... Or meddling, one of the two words. Well, be it or, because he's not the most qualified football person to make those decisions. Now, it is his team and he can run it however he sees fit. And this is what I feel about the Dallas Cowboys. I do think that they are

capable of winning a Super Bowl. I pick them to go to the Super Bowl this year. They do have an incredible amount of talent and they should have Super Bowl expectations. But the issue that, if the issue is Garrett, then if you're going to bring in a Super Bowl level coach, you have to give that Super Bowl level coach, Super Bowl level flexibility to be the coach. Is that ever going to happen? I don't think so. I don't think so either. That's probably what Troy is saying, although I'm not going to put words in his mouth, but that's the one consistent thing. Finally, we could be watching a Super Bowl preview with the 49ers and Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

It's going to be a great game. But the 49ers, while being 10 and 1 this season, are huge underdogs in this game. Fox Vett has the Ravens as a six-point favorite, which makes San Francisco the first 10-1 underdog in over a decade. The last time it happened was in 2007, a game between the Packers and the Cowboys. The best games on a-1. Best game's on at 1 o'clock. That never happens. This is a great game.

Best game of the week is on at 1 o'clock on Fox. So I'm going to have to take the Niners to cover. Okay. But I do think the Ravens win. It is at home. The Ravens are on fire. But six is a lot. There's a lot of points.

There's a lot of points. Now, Ravens are first and rushing. And the 49ers at the 19th ranked rushing defense. And the rushing defense has been bad. Mobile quarterbacks, I've seen it with Kyler Murray twice. that defensive line's not quite as fierce. It's like Mike Tyson wasn't quite as good when he faced taller, longer fighters.

That Niners' defensive front's not quite as suffocating. It's a little bit of a match-up issue. Yeah, so I like Baltimore by a touchdown. Enjoy the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. Thanksgiving is tomorrow.

And we thought, best for last is around the corner, but we thought, what are teams most thankful for? Is it the star coach? Is it the star quarterback? We thought we'd play a game today, Joy. What are teams in the NFL, a little music, John, most thankful for this Thanksgiving? All right.

Let's start with the Patriots. The Patriots more thankful for Tom Brady or Bill Belichick. I think you'd have to deduct this year. Bill Belichick is what they're most thankful for. Third down defense is top in the league. Scoring defense is top in the league. Number one in takeaways, multiple special teams touchdowns. This has not been Tom's year.

It's really been Belichick's genius. And the ability to get the most out of a crisis situation, O-line, wide receiver. They're the most resourceful team in the league. That's Belichick. Yeah. The Ravens, Lamar Jackson, or John Harbaugh? I would say in this instance, Lamar Jackson. There are things John has done that deserve great credit as a coach.

You can't teach. four, three, five speed at quarterback. Some of the Lamar stuff is the kids just as dynamic as anybody I've ever seen do this. And again, I have given a ton of credit to John Harbaugh. But I think John would say there are plays in that game Monday night. He didn't coach. Lamar's doing some of this just because of his athleticism and his dynamic ability. He almost got sacked three different times in that game and made big plays out of it.

That's the most thankful for Lamar. Are the Raiders more thankful for Derek Carr or John Gruden? I'm wrong on this. And I like Derek Carr. I'd say John Gruden. John Gruden rolled the dice paying Trent Brown, offensive lines better. He rolled the dice on trading Khalil Mack. They got Josh Jacobs, the running back.

John took big swings, and he was right on all of his offensive big swings. Richie Incognito got heat. He's now the best guard in football. John Gruden, they're most thankful for. The Cowboys, more thankful for Dak Prescott or Ezekiel Elliott? I'll go with Dak here. I think it's Dak's team. I think they're struggling with their identity,

and I think it's fair to criticize Dak. He's over four in the biggest games, but he's having his best year. His intangibles are incredible. The issue with this team is their defense. It's not their offense. It is their defense. Until last week, that was my problem.

Last week, the offense didn't play well in crappy weather. It happens in Foxboro. The Saints, Drew Brees, or Sean Payton? I think this is one of Sean Payton's great coaching years. He's getting the credit here. 5 and 0 with a backup. Teams, teams unravel with backups. And it wasn't like their schedule was easy with Teddy Bridgewater.

They had multiple playoff teams. One of them, if I recall, was Seattle in Seattle. They faced the Cowboys. So Sean Payton's what the Saints are most thankful for. You love this team, the Cardinals, Kyler Murray or Cliff Kingsbury. Again, like Lamar, I'm going to go Kyler Murray. He's doing things you can't teach. This offensive line was terrible.

Like, this was considered an absolutely awful offensive line. Have you noticed how they have responded playing in front of Kyler Murray. The offensive line has had a very good year for Arizona. He is completing 66% of his throws with 100 passer rating in his last seven games. The kid is really special. You just don't watch their games. The 10 and 149ers, Jimmy Garapolo or Kyle Shanahan. I think it's Kyle Shanahan here because they're so good at so many things. This defensive backfield was atrocious a year ago. They've gotten better on the back end. They lost Kwan Alexander and their defense has been special. John Lynch deserves some credit

two for his pickup of Kwan Alexander though he's gone for the year. They're number two in rushing, number one in sacks. This is beyond just the quarterback. Kyle Shanahan has changed the culture. They're a power running team with a really good quarterback. Finally, the Seahawks, are they more thankful

for Russell Wilson or Pete Carroll? Give the front office credit for getting Quadra Diggs, Jadavian Clowny, and Josh Gordon. So Pete and John Snyder deserve credit for that. But Russell Wilson is now 16 and 4 in his last 20 Eastern Time Zone games. He's become the best road quarterback in the league. Russell Wilson is 24 passing touchdowns. That's tied for the lead. Look at his weapons. Doug Baldwin retired. Tell me how he's doing that. Career high passer rating, 112th. Tell me how he's doing that. This is the 31st rated pass blocking offensive line and he's going to be MVP potentially. It doesn't work that way in this league. They're most thankful for Russell Wilson. Coming up next, tomorrow's headlines today and a great Wednesday show.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Jason McIntyre used to work in the newspaper industry, bailed on it for a more lucrative career coming on our show. So we always use the headlines in newspapers. You predict with bizarre accuracy, I will admit they seem crazy, but with bizarre accuracy, you predict stories, NFL games. So here we go. We call it tomorrow's headlines today. today. Yes. What's going to be the headline after the Bill's Cowboys game?

Well, I don't love Dak Prescott as much as you do. I know you're big on Dak and the Cowboys. Colin, the headline will be unhappy Dax giving. I got the Buffalo Bills pulling a major upset tomorrow against the Cowboys. Here's the problem. You've seen Dax struggle against good secondaries. You know his numbers against, you know, teams with winning records, five touchdowns, six interceptions. And now the bills have the top five defensive pass unit in the league. I think this is a problem for DAC, and I don't like the Cowboys here at all in this game against Buffalo. By the way, last eight Thanksgiving games, Dallas Cowboys,

one and seven against the spread. It's a big number tomorrow, Colin. By the way, six and a half, I... Buffalo is really well coached, and Josh Allen no longer makes mistakes. That's the thing. Josh Allen, like you were preparing last week for Tom Brady in that passing attack. Now you're like, Josh Allen, what's he going to do?

run the ball a lot. Leighton Vanderey, again, probably going to miss the game for Dallas. I like the Buffalo Bills here. It's going to be an unhappy Daxgiving. Tomorrow's headlines today. What will the headline be after the Brown Steelers game? So I know you're going to have a big gathering with the family this week. Obviously, we do the same.

We play games with the little kids. One of my favorite games turns into a headline from Brown Steelers. Duck, Duck, Duck, Browns Luz. Duck, Hodges. You know, he's starting for Pittsburgh. Yes, I do. Duck, Duck, Goose, obviously, a fun game. I think this is my favorite game of the weekend.

I know wise guys love in Vegas. The wise guys love the Steelers. Oh my God. A revenge game. Mike Tomlin, now an underdog at home. He's never been swept by the Browns. And can you imagine what that locker room's like this week? Dude, they beat us up at the end of the game.

We got destroyed by them. We need to beat them to get to the playoffs. This is definitely a Steelers game. I love that defensive line. T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree coming off the edge. Baker Mayfield, this is going to be a tough one for him. I like the Steelers here. I do think Cleveland's found their offensive identity a little, but they've done it at home against bad teams.

I know. It's against bad teams. Okay, what will the headline be? Tomorrow's headline's 49ers Ravens game. I think you picked this one earlier. I like the Ravens. Well, it's tough not to like them. And the headline will be, Ravens run the table, the Thanksgiving table.

I mean, Lamar Jackson. Did you go to Rams Ravens, by the way? I heard it was amazing how popular before the game Lamar was. Gosh, I had friends at the game texting me, like, this looks like a real team against a college team. The Rams were not ready to play. The speed of the Ravens. Colin, we talk about how this is a passing league, the NFL. They lead the league in rushing by a mile.

They lead the league in yards per carry. Nobody can stop them. And the Niners, they're not a good run defense. I know this is an inflated line, right? The Ravens are favored by six, but 49ers coming east. Jimmy Garapolo against these cornerbacks, I'm telling you, the Ravens, since the Marcus Peters trade, number one offense, number one defense in the league. I think Baltimore could blow them out.

All right, Raiders Chiefs, good rivalry. Tomorrow's headlines today. Are you a big parade guy? Not really. You don't watch parades. Nah, not really. Oh, geez. Well, you know the Macy's Day parade is popular.

The headline from Raiders Chiefs, Casey's Thanksgiving parade. I mean, the Chiefs here. Andy Reid off a bye, Colin. 17 and 3. Isn't that incredible? He's unbelievable preparing. Now, Tyree Kill sounds like he's going to play. Oh, yeah.

Raiders fans have been killing me. I went on one of the shows back in August and said this franchise is a mess. They've played well. But this spot, off that Jets loss, now they've got to go to KC. I love Patrick Mahomes. He's getting healthier. Chiefs getting healthier. I think this is a blowout.

I think this is a total route. Chiefs embarrass the Raiders. By the way, Vegas people are telling you that the Chiefs could be the second best team in the league. When you look at yards per play and DVOA and some of those analytics, people are saying by the Chiefs now. Everybody's saying it's Patriots Ravens in the conference championship. People have forgotten. Patrick Mahomes nearly took down Brady and Belichick last year in the AFC championship game.

They've been riddled with injuries still number two in passing in the NFL. Okay, here we go. Tomorrow's headlines today, Viking Seahawks. I heard you work in a Russell Wilson reference earlier. You love that guy. What a year. Oh, boy. Well, the headline after Monday Night Football will be Delvin.

Cook's a Feast. I'm going. with the Vikings here, Colin. Now, I've been spot on with this team this year. Remember we had Vikings over the Cowboys. Russell Wilson's incredible. I think in their last 20 primetime games, Seattle's 18 and 2. Okay, Russell Wilson, 5-0 against the Vikings.

But we're underestimating this Vikings team when they're off by and Dalvin Cook, who I think is top three in the league in rushing right now, they're just going to keep the ball away from Russell Wilson because Seattle can't really stop the run. No, I think Minnesota's roster is the best, deepest roster in the national football. League. They had O-line issues previous two years. I think that that's become more settled. This is an interesting spot.

When you give a great team three points, the wise guys, I didn't bet this game in my Blazing 5, but I could see where wise guys would like the better overall roster. We just saw the Ravens go to Seattle, use a ground game to keep Russell off the field. I think the Vikings can

do the same Monday night. It's going to be a great game. Jason McIntyre, tomorrow's headlines today. Have a great Thanksgiving with you and your family. Joy to you as well. guys stop using your wife for your girlfriend shampoo get your own dove men plus care created a range designed to give your hair the care it needs to stay strong and resilient available only at walmart thanks so much have a great thanksgiving eat up watch football speak for yourself as next last night a blown call changed a game this morning the internet lost its mind and nobody's

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