The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Mike McCarthy, Patriots, Russell Wilson, and Where Colin was right & wrong

Episode Date: January 6, 2020

Colin explains why he doesn't believe Mike McCarthy is the right fit for the Dallas Cowboys, why the New England Patriots were eliminated, where Tom Brady may end up, how Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is disrespected, and where he was right and wrong over the weekend. Guests include Jay Glazer, James Harrison, Trent Dilfer, Orlando Scandrick, and Tony Gonzalez. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Monday. We are loaded. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1 live in Los Angeles, one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both.

A wild card weekend with all sorts of surprises. And Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you today? I'm great. Those games lived up to the hype. It was a great first weekend. It was. Colin right, calling wrong in one hour.

Let me start with this. Mike McCarthy is the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Jay Glazer joins us in about 12 minutes. He broke the story. What's new? He breaks big stories. So Mike McCarthy, who would not have been my first choice, this was a year when there was an amazing candidate.

Urban Meyer, the Wiz Kids, Lincoln Riley, and Matt Rule, Josh McDaniels, Ron Rivera, had been to a super-bril, Bull, and this feels like sort of Mike McCarthy a really safe hire. Mike McCarthy fits Cleveland because they need his maturity and they need his stability and they need his guidance. That's not what Dallas needs. Dallas needs McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan, Matt Nagy. They need clever.

They've got talent. They don't need stability. They're plenty stable. Dak provides the stability. they don't need necessarily guidance. They've won two divisions last four years. They don't need necessarily a grown-up in the room. Jason Garrett is a grown-up, sometimes too much of a grown-up.

You know, he's clapping like the Little League dad after every strikeout. That's not what Dallas needs. Dallas needs some pal, some progressive, some clever, some really smart, some new, some fresh. That's not 56-year-old Mike McCarthy. You know, it's funny. Jerry Jones, one of his famous sayings is he's never happy when he settles. Overpay, take a risk. Jerry Jones says, I'm never satisfied when I try to save money or when I settle.

I always end up with a product I don't love. When I go for it, when I take a risk, when I overpay, that's when I have something that everybody else wants. Is Mike McCarthy really something everybody else wants? This feels like settling for a head coach. That's what it feels like. When I said Mike McCarthy, first thing you thought was that's safe. And by the way, you can be a good coach and not a great fit.

I don't think he's a great fit. Let me throw this. Mike McCarthy is never in 13 years as a head coach. Been top 10 in rushing attempts. What are the Cowboys? A run blocking O-line and Zeke. That's not in his DNA. Every coach has a DNA.

Gruden loves power running. Kyle Shanahan and his dad, Mike, Shanahan, love to run the football. Pete Carroll, USC and Seattle, build a running game. It doesn't matter. Pete Carroll teams are physical. That's his DNA. Sean Payton tends to be clever. Spread it out. Andy Reid develops quarterbacks and wide receivers. Every coach has a DNA. Mike McCarthy's DNA isn't developing a great running game. In the last three years, I'm going to read you this stat. In the last three years in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy was 29th, 25th, and last last and rushing percentage.

That was with above average offensive lines and Aaron Rogers being injured. It's not in his DNA. He doesn't build running games. 13 years in Green Bay. He didn't do it. And I think he's a good coach, but Jerry Jones has made a empire on taking risk. When he bought the Dallas Cowboys, he didn't have the cash for it. He put that thing on a credit card and had a scramble for four years.

when he built the stadium. I mean, when he built his practice facility, when he hired Jimmy Johnson and fired Tom Landry, he's an oil maverick. If you look at Jerry Jones' entire career, it is taking big risks. All these young progressive candidates, he interviewed two guys,

Marvin Lewis and Mike McCarthy. And McCarthy stayed the night at his house. Jerry made pancakes in the morning or something. I mean, I don't, it just doesn't feel like, it just doesn't feel like in a, year with a bunch of very clever candidates. There's a lot of really clever candidates out there. You're Urban Meyer, you're Lincoln Riley, you're Matt Ruhle, you're Josh McDaniels.

I just don't think the DNA matches here. I don't think it matches. Again, he's safe. He's an adult. But that was Jason Garrett. Wasn't that the knock on Jason Garrett? He's safe. He's an adult.

There's never chaos with Jason Garrett. he's say, you know, you know that you have a grownup in the room. You know, the players like him. Not a lot of controversy. Between Dak and Jason Garrett, I got all the maturity I need. What I need is some sizzle, some risks, some push the envelope, Josh McDaniels, Urban Meyer, give me a little swag, give me a little attitude, give me a little. I don't know.

I don't see it. Don't like it. I don't think it's a disaster. I just think it's more of what I've seen. And if you're going to pay Dak Prescott, $35 million, you got to stretch that quarterback dollar. Like Matt Nagy is with Trubisky. You know, you got to stretch that dollar.

You got to get every penny out of $35 million because Dak's not really a $35 million quarterback talent. Not Russell Wilson. He's not Carson Went. He's not Patrick Mahomes. He's not Lamar Jackson. You know, is he, Jimmy Garoppolo.

They paid Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, $28 million, which is way less than DAC will get. What was the first thing they did? They got a right tackle. Then they got a tight end. Then they get Emmanuel Sanders. They know that if you pay the quarterback, that kind of money, you got to get him assistance. Well, Dallas doesn't have a lot of room once they pay DAC. They're not going to be able to afford much.

So you have to get that assistance from the coaching. Because you can't afford with their offensive line in Amari and Zeke, there's no money left. to elevate DAC. Like your money, you are at the cap. So now you've got to get the clever and the elevation from the coach. And I don't think Mike McCarthy's a bad coach. I think he's a fine coach. But for the record, Green Bay now is 13 and 3 without him.

You know, I always say, don't judge a coach just by what he does when he arrives. What happens to the place when he leaves? When Harbaugh left San Francisco, man overboard. You know, I mean, you go look at places. nothing against Mike McCarthy, but he left Green Bay. They look happier and they're hosting playoff games. Just saying. All right, let me shift to this.

I'll have more on Mike McCarthy with Jay Glazer coming up. Major scoopsage today. Mike McCarthy coach, Glazer broke the story. So I watched New England all year. And we kept saying is, listen, just that nobody can get open. I watch Minnesota, Adam Thieland's open. I watch Seattle, D.K. Metcalfe open. I watch The Saints and Michael Thomas can be open.

And I watch Kansas City and Tybalt. I watch Baltimore and all their receivers are open. And I watch Houston and D. Hop is open. And I watch the New England Patriots and nobody's open. There's nobody open. They don't have a tight end. You know, it's rookie wide receivers and Julian Edelman, who's a bag of wrenches right now. The guy's all banged up.

But let me just say this. Look around the NFL right now. You know I love Brady. Look around the NFL right now. Tom Brady is 42, not very athletic. They are playing in New England at a quarterback athletic deficit, and Bill Belichick has made a career on being proactive, not reactive. Everybody keeps telling me Brady's going to leave,

and everybody keeps telling me Josh McDaniels is going to leave. Are we sure Belichick wants to stick around? Belichick wanted to move off Brady two years ago and was told by the owner he couldn't, and I saw a story today where Robert Kraft says he's praying that Tom Brady resigns. What do we know about Belichick? Belichick is always ahead of the curve, and he watches Mahomes, and he watches Josh Allen, and he watches Lamar, and he watches Deshaun Watson, and he watches Garapolo, and he watches all these guys do cool things.

And he's got Brady, who I love. But he's 42 and doesn't make plays once it breaks down, and he looks a little older. We all got Josh McDaniels leaving, and we all have Brady. leaving. Has anybody thought about Bill Belichick saying, maybe it's my time? Giants don't have a coach yet. He's got history there. He didn't want to coach for the Jets. I think he coached for the Giants and the Mara family. Great respect there. But, you know, it's funny. We know that if Tom Brady was on the market, you know, 75% of the teams wouldn't go after him. And we know if Josh McDaniels was on the market, 70% of the teams wouldn't go after him. If Bill Belichick's on the market, how many teams wouldn't

go after him? Four? I mean, maybe. So, you know, I, I, I, I, look at this situation, and I don't think Belichick, the GM, has always helped Brady the quarterback, right? Belichick's a great coach. I don't think it's a general manager. They've drafted particularly well. One pro bowler at tight end wide receiver and running back in his reign. Gronk, that's it. So I'm not saying Belichick's not without blame here, but you look around at the trend of the NFL. And it's between the collective bargaining, which means offensive linemen don't practice as much and the college game going to spread offenses. Offensive lines aren't very good in this league.

It is not an either or. You've got to have a quarterback that moves. Brady doesn't. And Belichick's always been at the head of the curve, his entire career. Now he's kind of reacting to everybody else. So I just, I keep hearing about everybody leaving New England. If Bob Kraft forces him to resign a 42-year-old, about to be 43-year-old Tom Brady, are we sure Belichick's sticking around?

I mean, we know Belichie. has left before. He was a Jets coach for an hour and said, no, thank you. I think Belichick may have a little bit more leverage than everybody thinks here. Tom Brady, for the record, was asked about his future after the game. I love the Patriots. I mean, they obviously, you know, they got a greatest organization and, you know, playing for Mr. Kraft all these years.

And for Coach Belichick, I mean, there's, you know, You know, there's nobody who's had a better career, I would say, to me. Is there any possibility that you would retire after this last season? I, you know, I would say it's pretty unlikely, but, yeah, hopefully unlikely. For the record, Giselle will have a say in where they go. She has sacrificed for the family. Chargers, Miami would be the first place as Indianapolis. She's probably as a supermodel, not willing to move the family there.

That's just speculation, but from somebody I trust, I got that over the weekend. Coming up next. Tua makes his announcement, NFL or college. Joy will have that plus Jay Glazer. All that coming up 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 I-Hard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

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them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kier 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. 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.

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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 walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42.

Hey, rec, 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me.

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Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. VicSynix nasal spray works up to 12 hours. Joy will have all the updates on Tua. That Story. coming up. He made an announcement about 30 minutes ago, so she'll have that. But first,

let's go to Jay Glazer, who broke the story, Fox Sports NFL Insider via the Coward Global Satellite Network, Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys. He was the first to have it. What's new? All right, so let me just ask this. From the very beginning, Jay, is this the guy they targeted, you know, a week or two ago? Yeah, they wanted NFL head coaching experience. And I know a lot of people out there, they thought they'd go after like a Lincoln, Riley. And that wasn't the case. They didn't want somebody with college experience. They wanted somebody who was an NFL head coach. And at first they wanted defense.

But more they did research on Mike McCarthy, the more they really started to fall in love with the grunt, that is Mike McCarthy. He is a football guy. And when they met with him and interviewed him, and then they looked at it and said there's such a difference between him and Jason Garrett. Jason Garrett, obviously, Princeton kind of guy.

And Mike McCarthy is just a Pittsburgh guy, worked in the toll booth. he's a grunt and, you know, his, the way he went in there and explained how he would run their offense, run their team, and the team needs a lot of discipline also. They just fell in love with them throughout the night. And again, I reported yesterday on our Fox NFL Sunday playoff show that he was still in Dallas. The interview was only supposed to last the first day, but it went so well. They ended up keeping them overnight.

Jay, are there any concessions he had to make with the current staff? Does he have to? None. So he didn't have, did it? Okay. Zero. And first, the Cowboys, I think we're looking at it like we love our offensive coaches. We'd love to do that.

But at the end, there, when they talk to Mike and they all talk through it, I think they realized, you know what, we've done this in the past. We've tried to push certain coaches on others. We can't do this time, and they pulled up. I do think he likes Kellen Moore. I think Kellen Moore will be there. Mike Nolan, who's the lineback coach for the Saints. Mike hired Mike Nolan hired Mike McCarthy.

As his offensive coordinator, or Mike Nolan was the head coach of the 49ers, and I think you'll see Mike McCarthy here return the favor and bring Mike Nolan in to help run that defense. Look, all the pieces are in place. They just, you know, they need some ball coaches who can kind of ratchet up the discipline there and use those pieces a little bit better.

Let me push back on this. He never in 13 years had a top 10 rushing attempts offense, and I do think Zeke is a wildly talented, important, person. I think, Jay, you and I've talked about this. Coaches have DNA. Pete Carroll's defense and pound the ball. The Shanahan family, Zone Reed offense. Andy Reed

loves clever, loves developing quarterbacks and wide receivers. Mike doesn't. Even when Aaron was hurt, he's not been great at developing rushing games. He gets out of rushing very quickly. Is that a concern? No. One of the things you

walked in there, he's like, he hasn't really had a guy like Zeke Elliott before. So, You know, Mike, look, when you were Brett Favre, we have Joe Montana, Brett Favreve and Aaron Rogers, your quarterbacks, you're going to kind of go pass happy. But he's never really had a guy like Zeeke, so I, no, that's one of the things that they discussed also. He loves debt.

He's trying to work with Dak, but he hasn't had a Zique Elliott type guy, though, they're going to feed him like crazy. Okay, I don't mean to get greedy and you break all the stories, but since you broke this one, let me ask you about two other ones. McCarthy was obviously the apple of Cleveland's eye, and I think he would have been a perfect fit for Cleveland. Okay, so now Browns, is there a...

I think the Giants were actually more... We're going to make a stronger push than Cleveland. I think Cleveland, yeah, and he went in there, and they talked about head coaching candidates also, but the Giants even called back to get a second interview with Mike, and obviously he couldn't do that. Okay. So do you have any...

give me your gut feeling on the Giants, which I think, by the way, is an excellent job. I think Daniel Jones on a rookie quarterback deal for three years. I think they have some nice pieces. They have two great defensive linemen under 25, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams. Giants in your, where are they going? So all along, I think they've wanted Matt Rueh. Matt Ruhle's kind of dreamed about going to the Giants. Matt Ruehler already is making, you know, 80 million over 10 years or something, you know, ridiculous like that.

And good for him, by the way. So it's going to take an awful lot to get Matt Rule up there. Matt Rule was there for a year, and I think the Giants are usually comfortable with somebody who they've already known. But they're in a different situation also than Browns. Browns, when you go in an interview, they have a list about 10 general managers that they could hire with the head coach. With the Giants, that's not the case.

It's Dave Gettlement. And Dave Gettelman's got to kind of come up with the time. So you've got to have a head coach who's saying, okay, this guy needs to come up at times with, I mean, Dave Gellman is a very old school guy that needs to kind of get a little bit more neutral. All right. Jay Glazer, great stuff. Broke the story on Mike McCarthy.

He's the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys. We'll get ready for that. Jay, thank you so much for stopping by. Absolutely. Thank you, brother. All right. So that's good stuff. So, yeah, I mean, I feel there's some settling and sameness to the hire, but we'll see how it plays

out more on that coming up. Also, top of next hour. right, Colin right, Colin wrong, Trent Dillfer, thoughts on what does McCarthy actually do? If you go back and look at his offenses, what does he do that would work for the Cowboys? Because I always saw a guy that really leans on the quarterback and is not super creative and progressive offensively like an Andy Reader of Sean Peyton. Here's Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, Tua Tua has finally made his decision about the 2020 season. here was his announcement. And without further ado, with lots of prayers, thoughts, and guidance, I have decided that I will be declaring and entering the 2020 NFL draft. My three years at the University of Alabama have been the epitome of a roller coaster. I've had a fair share of ups, of many ups and a handful of downs. And I couldn't be happier to know that with all the success and failures I've had here at the university, it has prepared me for life in general.

So he's going to the NFL. That's the right call. That is the right call. I don't know if this was, I mean, I think he was genuinely thinking about it. I don't want to say it. I don't know if it was dramatics, but it just, there was nothing but risk involved with him going back to Alabama. There's no way I want him getting hit again by Georgia, Auburn, LSU, and Florida. This is the most physical conference by a mile in college football.

Well, there's just no, there's no upside to the money. There's no upside to the physical beating that you're going to take. going back to college for another year, and it's not going to change really where you're going to go in the draft, because as we've discussed many times, there's a lot of teams that need quarterbacks. There's a lot of teams in the first 10 picks that need quarterbacks. Four in the first seven picks, I could argue.

The order now is Bengals, Redskins, Lions, Giants, Dolphins, picking top five, and the Chargers, Panthers, Cardinals, Jags, and Browns. Basically, the way I look at it, there's six teams that most likely will take a goal. At least that they very much need a quarterback. Well, and four of them, absolutely. Cincinnati, Miami, Chargers, Carolina.

Those four, I mean, the rest of them, we can argue. I mean, Matt Stafford before he got hurt was pretty good. But, I mean, there's four of them that are getting them. And two is, in my opinion, two is the most naturally gifted of all of them. And because of the movement that's going to happen with a lot of the veteran quarterbacks, like Philip Rivers, possibly Teddy Bridgewater, like there are some possibly Cam Newton. Like there are some veteran quarterbacks out there that maybe Tom Brady that can be mobile this year more than than ever. Eli Manning also, if he doesn't retire, they could take Tua and sign a veteran, one of these teams could take to a sign a veteran quarterback until Tua is 100%.

Do an Alex Smith kind of situation or more, you know, two years. Who knows? He's going to go to a great situation more than likely. It's going to end up being a blessing in disguise for him. His medical will probably scare Cincinnati away from him, and that's good for Tua. Well, you know, I don't necessarily think Cincinnati is in a position to take Tua, because I don't know that Tua is going to, I mean, I'm not a doctor, obviously, but we're assuming that he's not going to be 100% come season start because he's not going to be able to be 100% for his medical.

He's not going to be fully recovered from rehab by the time the medicals come through anyway. So good decision by Tua. I'm excited to see where he goes and, you know, what teams take him in development. So Kirk Cousin's been criticized for not stepping up in big games during his career, but he had a great performance in the overtime win against the Saints on Sunday. And he was asked if it's finally ended the narrative that he can't win in big spots, Cousins spread the love around to the rest of his team. I appreciate the question, but, you know, I'm just thrilled we won a playoff game.

You know, I just do my part. We won the game today because we played great defense. We got a turnover. We had good special teams. We had great play calling. We had a great play calling. We had a great plan. We protected. We ran the football.

We probably had 35, 40 rushing attempts. There's a whole lot of reasons we won the game. Does the quarterback play a role in that? Yes, but it was a team win. You know, I did an event with him once. He's a great kid. And by the way, again, when we criticize Kirk, it's because Minnesota's roster is loaded,

and he's disappointed us so many times in big spots where it's looked like optically, he's nervous. So it's not like we're all being critical of him to be jerks. None of this is ever personal. I don't even like saying he's a good guy or he's a bad guy. Because he's like that's not playing a role in this unless your bad guyness is literally, obviously, the problem. But nobody's talking about him personally. Of course it's because he's not been clutched when he needed to be.

And he gets crazy contract that he needed to live up to. But I feel good for him. This is a great win for them. I certainly didn't give them a chance to go into New Orleans. and beat the Saints the way that Drew Breeze and that offense was playing. And that's a huge disappointment for the Saints. The offense did not deliver yesterday. Their defense did everything they could.

All year on this show, we've been saying, I think Minnesota's got the best roster in the league. I said that last year about the Chargers. And they won a playoff game. Remember? Then they went to New England and got smoked. And I feel it the same way. Is that I think Minnesota's got the best roster in the NFL.

They win a playoff game. They're going to go to San Francisco and get smoked. That's how I feel this morning. Well, yeah. Because on paper that they should be one of the best team. Yes. They're really got like, they got like nine. They are great. They are great. Like they deserve credit for what happened yesterday. Dalvin Cook was incredible and Kirk Cousins got his big win.

And to me, once you get that big win, you can stop with the whole like he can't win in big spots. It's just there's other factors to it. But, you know, he's always, he's always classy. Finally, the Texans were down 16 nothing in the third quarter against the bill Saturday. Before Deshaun Watson let his team back to force overtime. It was one unbelievable move by Watson. and spinning out of what looked like for sure sack and set up the game winning field goal.

After the game, he was asked how he made that play to keep his team alive. It's do and die right now. And all the work I've been putting in in all season, I just had to make a play. And I told the guys before the game, I said, a pit a card in there in the locker. I said, let's be great today.

So somebody had to be great. Why not me? Oh, what, that was, I think that was the best game of the weekend. It was fun. It was so fun to watch. And I honestly, watching it, I was like, what is happening right now? Like, how are they down 16-0?

This is, it was looking bleak. It was your classic Houston Texans game. The offensive line let him down. The coaching's crazy. They don't play very well. You wake up and then Deshawn Watson makes a flag football play and they win and you're like, I mean, honestly, this, every Texans game feels the same to me. Yeah, Andy Andre Hopkins starts slow.

And then they make two huge catches later. They're a hard team to get your arms around. They got, they trailed at home. home to Denver this year, 35 to 3. Like, I can, Houston, I can never get my arms around him. I know that Bill O'Brien's not a terrible coach because he keeps winning the division, but they were out gained this year. Like, how do you win a division and get out gained?

Because of stuff like that. You just make a huge play. But I do have to say, Bill's had a great season. And aside from whatever happened at the end of that game, which I don't think anybody can explain, I was impressed with Josh Allen. For his first, for his playoff debut, I thought he was very calm and cool and collected. Great first half. Yes.

I mean, look, like, that's the better team is going to finish how they finish. And that's what happened with the Texans. But I thought that the bills, I thought they played well. It just fell apart. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly. More on the Cowboys hiring Mike McCarthy, top of the hour and coming up with James Harrison. Sometimes we disrespect somebody so much. We don't even know we're doing it. This is Russell Wilson. So just give me a minute here. So all weekend long, because D.K. Metcalf, the rookie who dropped in the draft made a couple of big catches. And you don't even realize how disrespectful to Russell Wilson you're being if you're in the American media.

One show puts our arms around Russell Wilson, ours. Everybody else, they just think about this. All weekend long, this is what I heard about the Seahawks win and D.K. Metcalf. Look at all those general managers that whiffed on D.K. Metcalfe. Those dumb general managers. No, they whiffed on him, though many of those GMs are elite, and he works because he has Russell Wilson. And because everybody works with Russell Wilson.

Russell Wilson's now 8 and 1 on the road this year. Aaron Rogers is 500 in his career on the road. Russell Wilson's won 17 of his 21 last road games in the Eastern Time Zone. This year on the road, 13 TDs, 70% completion, 170 passer rating. Everybody works with him. This is not about general managers whiffing on D.K. Metcalfe. He dropped in the draft because he's a bodybuilder who runs terrible routes.

That's why he dropped in the draft. But Pete Carroll and John Snyder figured out, hell, everybody works with Russell. Doug Baldwin was undrafted, became a pro bowler. Lockett was a gadget guy. Nobody wanted out of Kansas State. He looks like a pro bowler. I mean, the Patriots are dying. dying for tight end production.

They let go of Jacob Hollister. Seattle pick him up. He works with Russell Wilson. I told you this. Will Disley was a defensive lineman at the University of Washington. He moved over to tight end. He had four catches his junior year in college. He goes to Seattle and the Seahawks and suddenly,

Will Disley is outstanding. Not really. It's Russell Wilson. You just don't understand. He was missing two hours. offensive lineman this weekend. A pro bowl left tackle. He's missing three running backs. They pull Marshawn Lynch off the street. They got some kid from Miami, Homer, who's like a six-round guy. They go to Philadelphia. Their offensive lines getting worked by the defensive line of the Eagles,

and Russell Wilson wins, and averages 10 yards of pass and is 8 for 15 on third down. Do you get it? This DK Metcalf story is not about him. It's about Russell. Tom Brady can't work with anybody. I mean, all these rookies come in. He's yelling at him. He's screaming at him. And Russell Wilson, Will Disley, Jacob Hollister, D.K. Metcalfe, Doug Baldwin, Lockett. These guys weren't elite.

They're either undrafted, not used, traded by somebody else for a six-round pick, and they all work. There's a common thread with all of Seattle's receivers, tight ends, and backs. They're all great with Russell Wilson. He had no running game this weekend. 17 carries for 19 yards.

On the road. That was his running game. A yard a carry. And yet they win. The top GMs didn't whiff on D.K. Metcalfe. He runs bad routes. But the best prettiest deep ball that's ever been thrown in this league is thrown by Russell Wilson. I mean, the guy is just incredible.

Coming up next, James Harrison, two Super Bowl rings with a Pittsburgh Steelers. His thoughts on Mike McCarthy is the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys. You heard a Jeff Fisher rumor. You heard a Marvin Lewis rumor. And then Mike McCarthy stays the night with Jerry Jones. Wake up. They give him the job. It feels a little bit like settling to me. James Harrison's thoughts. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the 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.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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? Are you a good person because you're 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 hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. 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.

This 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 of 42. Hey, rep, 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. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity,

peace and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get to.

your podcast. Great news. You could save 15% and 15 minutes. Call it Geico, Geico.com. He's a 15-year NFL guy, the all-time sack leader, two-time pro bowler, and three, two Super Bowl rings as well, James Harrison on a Monday. So let's start the Cowboys hire Mike McCarthy. He's a veteran guy.

To me, it feels a little bit like Jason Garrett with a slightly better resume. No way. Jason Garrett, come on now. You like this? You like this? You think McCarthy's way better. I think he's way better, yes. Why?

He's had nine playoff appearances in his 13 years as a head coach. How many did Jason Garrett have? I mean, he has a Super Bowl. I know that. We lost to him, so, yeah. Only thing I'm worried about where I would have concern with is, you know, the ability of Jerry Jones to not try and micromanaging, you know, considering that, you know, he is a little stubborn.

He bumped heads with, you know, Aaron. So I think that's the only issue that may come into, play. But other than that, I like it. So when you faced him in the Super Bowl, you felt they were well prepared. It wasn't just Aaron Rogers. No, it wasn't just Aaron Rogers. You know, the defense made some plays. You know, defense played well. You know, the offense, of course, did what was necessary to win the game. But the big thing for us is like, you know, we had a pick six that, you know, they got went to the house, obviously that lowers your chances. And we had a turnover, a fumble turnover that, you know, was where we were going into our own.

So you think he's strong enough to butt heads with Jerry? I believe that from what I've seen of him, I believe that, yeah, it's not, I don't think he'll just sit there and let him, you know, do and say whatever it is that he wants to do. I think it may have come to an understanding that it's, you know what, maybe Jerry said, hey, I'm going to back off. I'm going to let you do what it is you do. As long as everything is running great, then there's no issues and everything will work out fine. But I think if it gets to a point to where, you know, they're midway through the season

and it's not going the way that he wants to go, Jerry's going to be Jerry. And I think that may cause some conflict. You know, it's interesting. Mike Tomlin's a veteran coach. He's a mid-50-year-old guy, 56-year-old coach. You know, people generally don't change once they got a little money in a Super Bowl. Coaches are what they are. Mike Tomlin, similarly.

He is what he is. I was hoping for a little more progressive thinker, a little more analytics, a little more progressive. Do you think he can tweak his coaching style? I don't think it's so much about tweaking your coaching style. I think it's about coaching to the ability of the players you have. He has to go in there and see the ability of the players he has and coach to whatever it is that they're doing better and stay away from what it is that they're not doing great at. And right now, Jerry Jones feels as if he has a,

caliber a team that can go to the Super Bowl. So in his mind, I have a coach that's proven that has done it, that has went and done it. All I need him to do is do what he did there and bring it here. I want to talk. You played briefly for New England. You know, I said to start the show, everybody tells me Brady's leaving and everybody tells me Josh McDaniel's leaving. And my takeaway is if Belichick is forced to bring back 43-year-old Tom Brady with Lamar, Mahomes, Watson, Wilson, He can see all these young quarterbacks that can move around. His can't. How do we know Belichick wouldn't go?

Do you believe Kraft would force Belichick again to sign Brady even if he didn't? Because I don't – Belichick is proactive, not reactive. He's usually ahead of the curve. I mean, James, you look around the league. I love Brady. But you look around the league. All these guys are making plays. Tom doesn't.

Well, this is the thing. Tom has, what, maybe a year or two left. You know, let's be honest. Let's say a year. Okay. and this is the thing, the relationship that he has with Kraft, if Tom wants to be there, he's going to be there because of that relationship. You've seen it.

Oh, yeah, I've seen it up close. I've seen it personally. That's no if, answer, buts about it. He's going to be there. And if that causes conflict with Bill, it's not like Bill can't go anywhere else. You know, Bill can get a lot more time. out of his job of coaching, then Tom is going to get out of plane.

So I think it's a greater opportunity for Bill than it is for Tom. You think Belichick would leave. Josh McDaniels there? Listen, what if Brady's like, I want to play one more year? To you, Kraft says, no, I'm not getting rid of him. If they've got Josh, if Belichick says I'm out, and I think Bill would leave,

they have Josh McDaniels, he'd get the job. You say that, but I don't see Bill leaving. I just don't see Bill leaving if that happens. I think they all have a good situation there. They just need to do some things a little different. I think they need to get their error parent that's going to be the person to take over for time. They need to get that person this year, wherever that may be, rather it's in a draft, free agency, whatever it may be.

But I don't see you breaking up the band just yet. Okay, fair enough. All right. So Kirk Cousins had a reputation. he did not play well in big games. That's statistics. It's not just opinion. Yesterday he made two huge throws.

Okay. Has it changed your opinion on him? No. That happened one time. He had no pressure on him. He wasn't expected to win the game. Hell, he probably didn't even expect to win the game. You see how excited he was after that game?

Like, I'm dead serious. Like, somebody that expects to win, you're not that excited. You'd have thought that he won the Super Bowl to where he reacted after that. Like my dad says, the sun shines on every dog's ass once in a while. That was the day that it just shined on him. I want you to go out there and do it consistently year in, year out, game in, and game out. And then I'll jump on the bandwagon. But until I see that, you went out there, you got lucky.

Let me see what it do from here on out. Even if he was to possibly figure out some way to beat San Francisco, I still wouldn't be impressed because it's only two times and how many. If I keep betting on the same team over and over at some point in time, I'm going to win. I felt Minnesota was the better team yesterday than New Orleans. Also, New Orleans had a couple of injuries that didn't help him. Right. That's what I felt.

I think the defense played extremely well. They did what they did what they had to do to get Breeze off of his spot. And that's what you get. He's not a very tall quarterback. So once you start clogging up those windows, making him move, then you get what you get. So Mike McCarthy, you know the AFC Northwell, Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals. Mike McCarthy was perceived to be the grown-up that would solve Cleveland's mess. He's out of that now. The people interviewing for the Brown's job appear to be first-time

head coaches. That never works there. College guys who really don't appear to want the job. Urban. Matt Rule said no thanks. Lincoln Riley's not taking Cleveland over Oklahoma. What do you think McCarthy going to the Cowboys? What does it mean for? Baker-Mayfield and Cleveland going forward. To be honest with you, I don't think it means anything because he's not there. It just means I believe you're going to have a little bit longer time or more dysfunction in Cleveland with whoever it is that ends up getting that job. I mean, they're firing coaches faster than minutes go by on the clock, you know, in and out.

So to actually get a coach there that is going to be able to. to change everything that is wrong there, he's going to have to be there for a while. That means they're going to have to give a coach a long-term contract. Five years. Right, with a lot of money guaranteed. That way they can't cut ties. They have to stick with him. I mean, something like would Gruden got in Oakland.

Or Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco got a six-year deal. So it's like, in San Francisco, it run through Tom Sula, Chip Kelly. And then Kyle Shanahan said, okay, I'll come there. but I got options. I want six years. And by the way, Kyle Shanahan lost a bunch of games when Garoppolo got hurt. And now, so I think to your point, they have to really overpay for somebody and give him, like Kevin Stefansky, we're giving you six years and we're all in. Because I don't think this is an attractive job at all if you get a four-year deal.

No question. I'm with you. They're going to have to overpay probably for somebody that is average at best right now. and end up giving them the time they need to try and turn it around. And like you said, you know, five, six years, something like that, and a lot of money because that's the only way they're going to have to stick with this person and keep it going. By the way, Brady and Breeze are out of the playoffs.

One's going to be 43. One's going to be, I think, 41. Do you have, you know, I mean, as a veteran player, you played with Tom. Does it feel like for both the end is really close? Could you see either retiring? This year, no. Okay, so you see them both back? Yeah.

All right. Yeah, yeah, I see them both back. But Breeze did look. I see, like I said, somewhere in the next year or two, I see both of them being done and, you know, over the game. And to be honest with you, you know, sitting back and looking at Tom's situation and him being a free agent and, you know, him, you know, looking over and Mr. Kraft actually giving him, you know,

not trying to put a contract on him and giving him the option to sit back and see what it is that he really wants to do. Now, I think about it may be a possibility of him retiring, but for me personally, I don't know if I would want my last throw to be a pick six. That's not interesting. That's not, yeah, I don't know if I would want my last throw to be that. So, yeah. He got kids.

They're getting older. You know, he's been playing the whole time they've been there. So, you know, it's something that you got to add into the equation. Yeah. James Harrison, great stuff. Colin right, calling wrong. Hour two. Next.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHard radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed the 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 answer. 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 Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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. 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, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast,

learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. 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, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama wants 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm conky. his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner,

we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here we go. Monday hour two. This is The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Mike McCarthy coach, the Dallas Cowboys is the breaking news. Joy Taylor had the Tua story. He is going to the NFL, not Alabama. They're losing their receiving core. Their best running back, Tua, their best offensive linemen. Alabama doesn't quite feel next year like they're going to be nearly as good as Clemson. It feels like that they're still great. They'll crush USC in their opener, but Tua's going to go pro, which we think's the right move.

And Mike McCarthy is the new coach of the Dallas Cowboys. So let's, without joy, without further ado, we make a lot of predictions on the show. We've got, you know, you've got to have predictions. You've got to tell people what you think. Sometimes I get them right. Sometimes I get them wrong. So on Mondays, it's Colin right, Colin wrong, and here we go. Where Colin was right.

Deshawn Watson once again. saves the Texans, sacked seven times, 20 to 25, with an offensive line that bailed on him and a 121 quarterback rating. The offensive line wasn't there for him. Once again, Bill O'Brien's game plan was awful in the first half. But he makes the play of the year from a quarterback perspective, keeps him alive. I said this when he got drafted below Mitch Trubisky. I don't think he's a beautiful, natural thrower of the football like Mahomes are winning.

I don't. But I don't understand what everybody doesn't see. In the biggest games against Alabama, he was money. In some of his biggest games, he really is overcome what appears to be an organization in Houston, which doesn't practice at times. Why are they so bad in the first half? It's just, it always feels like he's playing from behind and not like 3-0, like 16-0. But he does it again. Colin was wrong.

One of the reasons the NFL so mesmerizing, I went 0 for four. I like Philadelphia. I like Buffalo. I like the Patriots and I like the Saints. I was wrong on all of them. Thank God I didn't bet them. This is why the NFL is mesmerizing. You always kind of feel like you know who the better team is

in a lot of other sports, but this is not the NBA or hockey where it's a seven-game series. You have a good half. You can walk into the Superdome and pick off an upset over New Orleans. where Colin was right? How did the Eagles look once Carson Wins got hurt? Oh, that's funny. Not very good on third down.

And Josh McCown, by the way, is a legit backup. He's a big boy athlete. He really is, and he's a smart guy. I thought this was a cheap shot by Clowny. I thought it should have been a penalty. I thought in college you get ejected for that. So don't blame Carson Wendz. You know, I don't want to hear about that he gets hurt.

That's just a, that was a cheap shot. And it should have been a penalty, and he should have been, you know, that's the kind of stuff in college. You're out of the game. But what did this team do when Carson Wentz got hurt? He carried him four straight games over 400 yards. The minute he got hurt, they couldn't make a play. And that game was there for the taken.

Seattle's running game was nondescript, and Seattle's offensive line was missing two really good starters. But Wentz, for the record, got this team to the playoffs, and Nick Foles didn't win a game, a game. a game this year. Where Colin was wrong. Cowboys hired Mike McCarthy. That's not who I would have hired.

I thought their whole search was confounding. Jeff Fisher rumors, Marvin Lewis, Mike McCarthy. Isn't this whole thing about elevating DAC? Isn't that like why the Packers moved to Matt LaFleur? And I mean, it wasn't that why Sean McVeigh got hired by the Rams to save the Jared Doff signing? Like, to me, the whole thing. situation here is you got to, you're going to pay DAC 35 million. It's a quarterback league.

I also don't think he's ever developed running games. In 13 years, he's never had a top 10 rushing attempt offense. I think he's an odd fit. I don't think he's a bad coach, but I, I mean, you didn't even interview Ron Rivera. He got to a Super Bowl too. Ron Rivera likes running games and is a great defensive coach. What are the Cowboys need to be more focused on running the football and to coach up their defense. Ron Rivera didn't even get an interview. He got hired in your own division. It's a confounding move to me.

Where Colin was right. John Dorsey, Cleveland Brown general manager, fired. We said it would never last. You all worshipped him in Cleveland. Oh, my God, he's got a great eye for personnel. Okay, that's like one part of the job. You also have to be able to hire coaches and be conciliatory and get along with people and make sure your scouting department works with your country.

works with your coaching staff. You know, he hired Freddie Kitchens because he could control him. He got very controlling in Kansas City and they moved on from him. We all year long, we kept saying it's easy to blame Kitchens and it's easy to blame Baker Mayfield. But the guy who made the hire with both, Baker was a reach and so was Freddie, was John Dorsey. He's not a bad guy. But this was Cleveland fan boys. The media, oh, it just did brilliant.

And I'm like, I kept saying over and over, his personality with this ownership is not going to last, and he's gone. Where Colin was wrong. Listen, Kirk Cousins is still only 7 and 30 in games against teams that have winning records by the end of the year. But he made two huge plays. The throw to Adam Thielen, unbelievable, very good late, very good in overall. overtime. The Thielen throws, probably the throw of his career. I mean, that's a pillow right there. And then Kyle Rudolph in the corner. I mean, this is a perfect throw. That's not pass interference,

by the way. It's called trying to get a rebound in the NBA. You could call a foul on it every time. I've been harsh on Kurt Cousins, and he shrinks in big spots. But you know what? Against Dallas, big national TV game, he was good. And he was good here. And he was good in overtime against Breeze in the Superdome. that's about as big a spot as you can have as a visiting quarterback in the NFL, and he deserves credit. Where Colin was right? We've been preaching this all year. Mobility as a quarterback is not an either-or.

You've got to have it. College football's gone to the spread, so you're not getting road greater offensive linemen and the offensive line due to the new CBA O-lines in the NFL. There's never been more lousy ones. You saw this weekend, Josh Allen led his team in rushing, Russell Wilson let us team in rushing. Tason Hill let us team in rushing.

Deshawn Watson led his team in rushing. What are the Seahawks, to be honest, without Russell Wilson's mobility? I mean, what is the offense? This is the new NFL. And the bottom level running is Daniel Jones of the Giants. You've got to be able to move offensive line plays deteriorating. You don't have to be as good a runner as Lamar or even Josh Allen. But the old pocket guy, it's a liability unless you have a great young offensive line

like the Colts, you under contract for years, you got to find a guy who can move. Where Colin was wrong. I always thought JJ Walt was a nice guy and a good player, but I never really bought into his effect. I would never play him $20 million. Many of his great games as a pro, the Texans lost, but I thought he was huge in this game. I thought he had a huge sack in the second half that created momentum. I also thought he had a ball that he kind of batted down there and forced Josh Allen

and the bills into a rushing, punting situation. I thought J.J. Watt really, and it's kind of remarkably played. When you hear his injuries, the fact that this guy got out there and played, tip of the cap, but I thought he played a huge role in this game. This is a very inconsistent Texans defense, and it's not a very good secondary at times, but J.J. Watt, his presence, you know, we use that word a lot on the show. You've got to have a presence as a coach. He also had a presence in that football game.

and I've never given him kind of the credit for that in big games. Where Colin was right. Kyrie Irving, surgery. Folks, if you take out the three LeBron years, he's a bust. The Boston Celtics are now a number two seed without him, and the Nets have a better winning record when he doesn't play. Before LeBron, he was a head case who couldn't get along with anybody or stay healthy. And after LeBron, he's a head case who can't stay healthy.

get along with anybody. And KD. chose this instead of Steph Curry, the most stable, genuine, authentic guy in the league. Kyrie Irving, they've already got doubts in Brooklyn. He has missed 23 of 34 games. He is brittle. He's obviously a gifted offensive player, but you got to play with people. I mean, that's, I mean, it's like Oklahoma City in Westbrook. He left. They got all these kids. Oklahoma City's got the same basic record. I've never bought into Kyrie Irving. I think he's a talent. I don't I think he makes teammates better. I think he's hard to coach. And I think he's a little bit of a headcase in the bust.

Where Colin was right. We always say don't overreact to September football. Defenses will win the day. Did you notice this weekend? No team scored more than 20 points in regulation. That if you look at the wild card round, more than a touchdown off the board, 25 yards, passer ratings go down.

You got to have defenses. That's why Seattle and Minnesota are playing in the next round. It's JJ Watt. The defense finally arrived for Houston and they won the game. Think about this. Minnesota shut down the Saints. New England, Tennessee, had three and a half hours of arm wrestling. Texans didn't score until the third quarter.

Seattle couldn't score forever. They all win. September's fun. The weather's perfect. You're experimenting. Get to December and January. running games and defense. This is why the league keeps tweaking the rules to help the offense

because at the end of every football season, who's left? Baltimore's defense, Kansas City's defense has gotten better, San Francisco, Minnesota, Seattle, and an upgraded Green Bay defense. That's who's left. Colin right, Colin wrong. You know, it is, I was thinking,

Trent Dilfer is around the corner. It's really interesting. We talk about Brady and his age. And, you know, he's going to be like 43. I mean, it's, it's, I love him, but we all have, you know, when I'm 73, they're yanking me off the air here. But likeability matters. I think it's easy not to like Brady, deflategate. He's won so much. Giselle, the supermodel wife. You know, there's the evil empire, the Darth Vader of the Patriots, right? The owner's been in trouble, the coach. I get it. Meanwhile, Drew Breeze is the most likable guy in the world. He could have

bolted after Katrina. He kind of saved the franchise. The Saints were a losing team. Nobody has seen more heartbreak than the Saints. So Breeze is an incredibly likable figure, but I just want to remind you of something. If Tom Brady would have missed five games this year and the Patriots went five and O, you'd be reminding me every 15 minutes. Drew Breeze missed five games. They went five and oh without him. If there was a quarterback behind Brady named Tason Hill who came into the game. and actually added juice to the offense, I'd be getting tweets all day long. There was a quarterback named Tason Hill that played for the St.

yesterday and clearly added juice to the offense when he was in, and I don't get a tweet. Brady's not as likable because of his dominance and deflategate and SpyGate and the evil empire and all their dominance and winning, and New Orleans and Breeze are infinitely likable, and I love both, and Drew is exceptional. But let's be fair about this. if Tom Brady had Jared Cook, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Sean Peyton, and that offensive line, you think they'd struggle to move the ball yesterday? I don't.

And I love Breeze, and I'm not criticized, and I'm saying, we need to be fair. All I ever hear about is Brady's age. Okay, Breeze is 18 months younger, and yesterday, he didn't look real dynamic. And by the way, last year at this time, when he didn't get five games off of injury. He looked tired last year and Jared Gough beat him at home. And now Kirk cousins beat him at home. So I'm just saying, let's be fair about this. I still think Breeze is terrific. But third down, they were awful. Time of possession, they got worked. Yards per pass, Kirk was better. And it's not like he didn't have weapons. He's got the smartest offensive coach. He's got a good old line. He's got

a good old line. He's got a great tight end. He's got a great receiver. Let's just be fair about this. If Brady missed five games in New England went five and no, you would be Wacking Brady forever. New Orleans didn't really statistically miss much of a beat when Teddy Bridgewater stepped in. I don't see all you signing up

for Teddy Bridgewater on your fantasy teams. Don't tell me you love Teddy Bridgewater. That's all I'm saying. Fair. Just be fair about it. All right. Trent Dilfer's around the corner. More on Mike McCarthy taking over. I've said about Mike McCarthy.

He never developed, and I liked him, but he never developed great running games in 13 years. And people say, well, he has great quarterbacks. Okay, but Troy Aikman's a great quarterback. And his coach, Jimmy Johnson, developed a running game. Let's not say just because your quarterback's great. All quarterbacks benefit from running games. Brett Farr benefited Peyton Manning. There's a lot of great quarterbacks that played in this league.

And their coaches also, John Elway. was a great quarterback. Mike Shannon developed a running game for him. Slow down on, you know, I mean, Dan Marino had some interesting running games. Okay, let's slow down. McCarthy never did that. Is that a concern? I think it's something that's on my radar.

Trent Dofer will join me next to talk about that. Coming up on the Cowboys new head coach. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. 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 SportsSlice 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. 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 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth.

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, 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? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown

and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher content. consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole,

this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast. network on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Sunday, Russell Wilson leads the Seahawks into Lambo for a showdown against Aaron Rogers and the Packers and the NFC divisional round. It all starts at 6 Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app. They have a little competition behind the scenes nobody knows about. Green Bay is favored by four. Fox bet four. Seattle getting four, Green Bay minus four. That's going to be fantastic. Seattle's a great, Not a good.

That's a lot of points. Seattle's a great road team. Russell, on the road, you have to make the play. Kirk Cousins yesterday made the play. But the Packers are a great home team. I know. I like the points with Seattle there. Yeah.

I would save it for. That's just going to be incredible. Lambo games are so much fun anyway in the playoffs. Let's go. 14 years in the NFL, Super Bowl champ, Pro Bowl, and my friend, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz the best or nothing, the coward global satellite. Trent Delfer.

All right. I kind of feel Mike McCarthy, I got questions. He doesn't develop great running games. They have Zeke. You know, Jerry Jones always says, whenever I go safe, I'm disappointed. It feels kind of safe to me. I liked Ron Rivera, who would elevate this defense and does running games well. What do you make of the Mike McCarthy hire?

I think it's safe. I think you nailed it. It's a very safe, seasoned, wise head coaching hire. My concerns are similar to yours. It's the running development of a modern day running game, which is very unique. It's changed a lot with the Saturday influences. But they have spent this year as a staff kind of studying trends and doing analytics and doing a lot of deep dives into new schemes.

So I'm sure they'll be caught to speed there. But the one that nobody's talking about is who is he going to hire as his defensive coordinator. And this is the key to Mike McCarthy's success. in Dallas because if you look at the Cowboys defensive roster, it's young, it's athletic, but it's a little light in the shorts, and it's very scheme specific to Chris Richard and Rod Marinelli's scheme. They are one gap penetrating defense with certain coverage profiles behind it. They're not plug and play with any defensive system. So this defensive hire has to be somebody that could maximize this talent that's on the defensive side of the ball existing for the Dallas

Cowboys. If they mess this one up, if they hire a two-gap guy, if they hire somebody that doesn't, his system, his philosophy doesn't fit the personnel they have, this can be a disaster. By the way, it's not good news for Baker Mayfield because I think what McCarthy brought to Cleveland maturity and stability, Dallas doesn't need that. Dax's plenty mature and stable. I I don't worry about maturity there. In Cleveland, this is a young, outspoken verbal roster in Joku, Jarvis Landry, Baker. They've all got opinions. What do you do with Baker now?

What's up with this Mike McCarthy move to Dallas doesn't help him any? Well, it helps them if they're wise and they get Jason Garrett in the door today. Think about how DAC developed that wisdom, that discernment, that maturity beyond his years. Think about Zeke Elliott, who had some baggage coming in. but has become a season pro. I mean, Jason Garrett takes a lot of heat for what happened to the Cowboys, and it is probably time for that separation to happen. But Jason Garrett's a heck of a football coach,

and he's a heck of a team builder. And that's what Cleveland needs. They need that wise, stable team building man to come in and run that organization. I think Jason Garrett is a plug-and-play head coaching hire in Cleveland if he wants to take on that type of challenge, because that will be a massive challenge. I have not bought into the Vikings all year.

I love their roster, but I think there's limitations in a ceiling. I was shot. Kirk Cousins, I thought, made the throw of his life. You were more into the Vikings. You've seen something. Can they win in San Francisco? What did you make of the win in the Superdome? They can.

I don't want it to be, listen, I agree with you. I don't think their ceiling is massively high. I believe in how they built the team for this time. this time of year. I remember Tom Jackson saying it for years on prime time, you know, the teams that are built the right way for playoff football. And it changed a little bit with the modern day quarterback and the spread offenses and the rule changes. But still, you have to have a certain profile to go on the road in the playoffs and win. And that's what Zimmer has always built there. And you could see it early in the season. They play really good defense. It's not elite,

but it's really good. But what they do is they cut the head off the snake defensively. They always take away what you do best, especially its quarterback play. He's one of the hardest guys to play against as a quarterback. He makes you eat your soup left-handed. It's just very, very difficult to do. The other thing they do is they run the ball and they run action.

That's what travels well. You're not drop back passing reading boundary to boundary the entire playoffs. A lot of it's run, run action, turn your back, get chunk throws. that's how they've built this offense. So I just like how they're built. I like that they exercise some of their demons this season. And I was not surprised by the one in New Orleans, nor would I be surprised if they can go to San Francisco

and do a similar thing, even though I think the 49ers have a much higher ceiling and are probably a better football team overall. Let's talk about New England because I remember you telling me one time when you retired, you said, you know, you just got tired awake. up on Monday and stuff hurt. You know, and you can deal with that if you've got a good offensive line, but you start

looking at Brady and McDaniels could leave. The young receivers haven't worked. They haven't addressed the tight end. They've got several offensive needs. You can't solve them all in a draft because nobody's giving up their good offensive linemen in this league anymore. They're keeping them and resigning them. Give me your gut feeling on this, this Josh McDaniels.

Brady, even Belichick, what happens in the next several months? I've been wrestling with this one, Colin. I think I'm too emotionally attached to having a good opinion because I will be devastated if it's not Tom Brady and the Patriots together. Like it just doesn't work for my brain to see Tom Brady play somewhere else, to see this thing break up. Now, the realist in me says, if Tom Brady stays in New England, that it's the two of them, Bill, well, three of them, Bill, Kraft, and Tom sit in the room and say,

okay, let's take one final ride together. Because if Bill wants to do this for another 10 years, I could see why you would move on without Tom Brady and get the next guy and go young and redo this thing. If he only has a couple more years in him, then why not ride into the sunset with your guy, Tom Brady? That's how I hope it unfolds. I know that's not great analysis. That's why he prefaced it with, I think I'm too emotionally attached.

I just can't see an NFL right now without Tom Brady and Bill Belichick being together. Whether you love them or hate them, they are the NFL at its essence for the last, what is it, 18 years? I mean, it's just I can't see it any other way. By the way, yesterday I was banging on, you know, everybody on Twitter's like, how could all these dumb GMs pass on D.K. Metcalf? And my takeaway is, listen, he's a bodybuilder that runs bad routes. those GMs aren't dumb. Russell Wilson just makes it work

because he makes everything work. Break down, Metcalf had a game yesterday and suddenly everybody's like he's a superstar and I watch him and I say, no, he just, he's a freak and Russell Wilson delivers pillows down the field. I mean, what do you see with him?

100% agree with you. First of all, the evaluators are not dumb. They had him right where he needed to be. He's a run. He's a big, strong, run fast jump high guy. Now, this part of his career, now he can develop and become a great route runner and a great receiver, and I wouldn't put it past him to do so. But what you evaluated was a physical freak that was a linear speed guy that was going to run down and win 50, 50 balls, but not be a craftsman.

But I think what you're saying is so true that the ultimate gift that the great quarterbacks have. Like, let's just the NFL is doing this top 100 thing. Let's take the 10 greatest of all time. more than their talent is their ability to make everybody better. That is the job of the great quarterback is you make the building better, you make the linemen better, you make the receivers better, you make the coaches better, you make the secretaries better, you make the equipment guys better.

The whole organization is better because of your greatness and how you approach your job. That's what Russell Wilson does. We see it happen with D.K. Metcalfe yesterday, but we see it with running backs. We see it with offensive linemen. We see it with defensive personnel turnover. We see it with coaching staff turnover.

Like Russell Wilson has that magic touch that whatever he touches is going to be better. And that's the essence of his greatness. Saying D.K. Metcalf is going to be the reason they go to the Super Bowl. Yeah, he's a big play threat. But the best player, in my opinion, in the entire league, is Russell Wilson. Yeah. How about that? How about that, Joy? That's my MVP.

Trent Dilfer, Lipscomb Academy head football coach, got him to a couple of playoff wins this year in Nashville, Tennessee. He's got to all. A, you kids out there in Nashville, you're hanging around, you can play for anybody. See that little emblem right there? That's the next New England Patriots in Nashville, Tennessee. Let's go.

Let's go. Good seeing you, buddy. Happy birthday, buddy. I know you turned 29 again. Congratulations. Yeah, I'm stuck on 29. My odometer is stuck on 29. Trent Dilfer, great stuff.

15 years in the NFL. Here's Joy with the News. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, as we know, Mike McCarthy is the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He is. And someone who seems to be particularly excited about that change is Des Bryant.

He tweeted, I don't have no sympathy for Coach Garrett losing his job. The Cowboys just became real contenders. That seems personal. Well, he actually, he's tweeted a lot about the Cowboys over the past year. And he said he's actually being very nice. He could say a lot more. I remember a couple weeks ago he said he was responding to a tweet that said that Jerry Jones allowed Jason Garrett to waste the primes of a lot of players.

He responded, I'm keeping it all the way with 100,000 right now. You knew this very early in my career. I'm just stating facts. And so he's not a fan of Jason Garrett and what he's been doing there in Dallas. But look, he was in the locker room and he has clearly an inside experience. to what happened there. And Jerry Jones loves Des Bryant, as we know. That was a big factor with Dak early in Dak's career,

forcing it to Des Bryant when it didn't really seem like that was the right situation for the Cowboys. And I don't know. I think that there's a little something to it that maybe Garrett didn't have the whole locker room the way he needed to. Now, is that really Garrett's fault or is that Jerry Jones fault for taking away the power that he had there?

and is that what's going to happen with Mike McCarthy? Now, I don't think Mike McCarthy is anything like Jason Garrett. First of all, Mike McCarthy is a Super Bowl winning coach. And you can give all the credit that you want to to Aaron Rogers. Obviously, Aaron Rogers does deserve a lot of that credit. He's one of the greatest to ever play. But he doesn't play both sides of the ball. So you do have to give credit to the coach at one point or another when you win a Super Bowl.

As we know, Aaron Rogers has not been able to get back there because they haven't had a defense for that long. Like Mike McCarthy played a role in that. I mean, he's, it's four NFC championship games. Yes. Won a Super Bowl. I mean, he's not a failure just because, just because a relationship deteriorated with a superstar after a while there. That happens.

So I think this is a great hire for Dallas. I didn't see it coming. I'm with you. I was kind of surprised by it because it didn't seem like a fit. But who else out there could come in with a resume like Mike McCarthy? I'm a Ron Rivera fan. But, you know, everybody. No, I like Ron Rivera too.

But Mike McCarthy has won the Super Bowl. Yeah, I know. But, I mean, I think a lot of Mike's wins. He did have profound quarterback edges. I mean, he was in a division for a while with, you know, I mean, Chicago couldn't get a quarterback right, Minnesota couldn't get a quarterback right, and he had Aaron Rogers and Farr. Well, he has the second best quarterback in the division right now.

You hope so. You hope so. Right now, 100%. Yeah, I don't know. Haskins is not better than Dak Prescott. No. Daniel Jones is not better than Dak Prescott. I hope not if you're a Dallas fan because he looked really good at the end of the year.

So we'll see. I mean, no, we're going to see. I just think I think it's better than everyone is thinking. It just was an unexpected move, I think, because no one was really talking about it. But I think it's going to be better than people think. So the Patriots suffered a shocking 2013 lost of the Titan Saturday. I guess it's only shocking

if you were like me, waiting to see if it really happens. Bill Belich was asked after the game, what he would say to the loyal fans who have stuck by the team through the highs and lows of this dynasty. Pat's Nation, your fans have stuck with you through thick and thin. They still love you. Do you have any message for the fans who are so supportive of you and the team? Yeah, we appreciate our fans. I wouldn't say it's been all that thin around here personally. Maybe you feel differently, but I haven't heard too many fans say that. It's mostly been thick, yeah. I mean, Belichick's got to keep

real there. Yeah, I don't, there's been no thick and thin through the dynasty. I thought it was going to end like this last, I've got to be honest with you. Gronk is the only reason I felt it didn't end like this last year, which was, Gronk had a great Super Bowl and a great AFC championship game. By great, I mean,

he made huge plays late. But if you take Gronk out of last year's team, Joy, it looked a lot like this. I'm not, I mean, obviously JJ Watt still has some football to play. But that moment with J.J. Watt in that game, showed why that stuff matters.

Of course, Gronk being there would matter. Big time players make big time plays. Brank is a Hall of Fame tight end. Him not being there next year and them having nothing close to replace him is going to matter. Like, it matters. If he's out there playing, however far into the end of his career he is or however injured he was,

sometimes you only need that one big play to change the game. I thought, I thought JJ Watts shifted the course of that game. Obviously, Sean Watson was huge. but that moment mattered. So, Jadavian Clowny landed a huge hit on Carson Wenz that knocked him out in the first quarter. He said after the game that he was just trying to get Wentz down.

He didn't mean to hurt him and he hopes he was okay. Yeah, that's a bad. That's a really bad way to, you mean, that's, again, that gets you thrown out of a college game. You can't do that. That's a cheap shot. I don't know. I don't know if, look, the outcome of these hits is really what determines

whether, how we feel about it. Like, if he doesn't, if he pops right up, we're like, yeah, okay, that's a rough hit, but it's not as bad as it looked. But look, he leads with his head. I don't know. I just don't think Dejavian Clowny is that player. I think sometimes in those moments, defenders just, look, I don't think it was a dirty play. I don't think it was, I don't, it didn't end well. I don't know.

I know I'm sounding like I'm making excuses for it, but. That looks dirty to me. I just don't think he's a dirty player. He does have history with Eagles fans, though, because he had a big hit on Nick Foles. Oh, yes. last year, and it only took Qualls out for a play, but he said he expects very hostile reactions. He said he might even get death threats because Eagles fans are, quote, the worst fans in the world. Oh, that was his quote?

Yes. I don't think that Eagles fans are going to think very highly of that. I don't think he meant to hurt him. It could have been a dirty play, but he didn't necessarily mean to take him out of the game. Is that fair? Yeah, I don't think you're necessarily a dirty player, but you could have a dirty hit. Yes. Yeah, I mean, I think Conrad.

I think that was a dirty hit. that is like his character. No, no, no. I don't think of Jadavian Clowny as a dirty player, but I thought it was a bad hit. Yeah, it was. It just, it's, slow-mo makes it look. And it's, it really hurt because you wanted to

see Wenz play that game. Like, you wanted to see Oh God, the minute he's hurt, you're like, I like Josh McCamp, but the second he's hurt, you're like, I mean, it's over, but also just like, everything that Wence has gone through, like, you wanted to see him have that moment and, you know, be able to battle it out and, you know, either way it goes at that point is fine, but

It sucks to not have them out there. Joy Taylor with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line news. By the way, the final eight in the NFL this morning, seven are new from last year. I mean, the NFL,

it's just the League of Hope. I mean, seriously, it's the League of Hope. Former Cowboy and Eagle Orlando Scandrick next, The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the 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 content.

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 SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

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 the same. that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. 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 of 42. Hey, ref, 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021.

And I'm Konki, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

All right, Orlando Scandrick, over a decade in the end. NFL 9 with the Cowboys, one with the Chiefs, and one with the Eagles. Let's start with Mike McCarthy. It's an interesting fit to me. I don't think it would be the first coach that I would have thought about. What do you make of McCarthy? Do you think he's a good coach? I do. I think he's a good football coach. I don't know about the fit. Dallas is a very, very unique situation with the way that the leadership structure is, I think McCarthy, where he struggled later in his career with Green Bay was he lacked creativity. I don't know how much of a people's person he is.

I mean, I've always gotten along with Aaron fine. I think Aaron's great. I think that the way the NFL is and the way football is right now, you need to be able to adapt to the players. Life is about adapting and adjusting. It's consistently changing. Social media, the way the players view themselves, the way that they take criticism,

the way that they handle adversity. It's going to be very interesting to see his staff. I want to see what staff he puts together, how many holdovers there's going to be from Jason Garrett's staff, how many hand-picked Jerry guys there's going to be. Because you, and it is interesting, McCarthy and Aaron, they struggled. I mean, Aaron was worn out from him, and you like Aaron. You don't think Aaron's hard to get along with?

I think he's great. I mean, I think Aaron's smart. I think he's coachable. I mean, as you see, one year removed from Mike McCarthy, the Packers are two seed at 13 and 3. Yeah. McCarthy, you've had enough coaches in your career. He's mid-50s.

doesn't really develop run games. Orlando, can he change? I think that was Aaron's complaint. You know, it was all on his shoulders. Yeah. I think they were having a tough time protecting him because people were just turning it loose and just getting after him.

I think what he's going to be faced with is this Cowboys team is built up front. It's built on their offensive. Their offensive lines, composed of all first round picks. They have the highest paid running back in the league who they also selected in the top. five of the draft. So it's going to be very, very interesting to see what type of team they are next

season. What do you think happens with Jason Garrett? Does he retire? I think Jason lands on his feet. I think he's a great leader of men. You loved him. I think he's a great leader of men. And I think that his next destination, someone's going to get a great coach. And hopefully he takes a step back and looks at his self in the mirror, which I know he will. You know, and he kind of just reflects on where he went wrong on what he can build on and hopefully he has a successful tenure wherever he ends up where do you think he could go and fit he's a grown up i think he would be a good fit for cleveland i think after everything they've been through i think that'll provide them some stability some simplistic like way to run the organization i think he comes out and he approaches

things day by day i think they went at this thing this year and they tried to attack it and say we're super bowl contenders this is what we're going to do instead of taking it day by day and i think that he possibly can be great for Baker Mayfield at just a different perspective and someone that comes from being a quarterback in the NFL, being a backup in the NFL, being on the top by being the coach of the Dallas Cowboys for over 10 years, I think it would just help him.

You really connected with Jason Garrett. Why do you think that is? There's just conversations that me and J.G. had that I'll never forget. There's things that he said to me that I'll never forget. I will say that the Dallas Cowboys as a football team are in a better position 10 years, 10 years, like, how can I word this? They're in a better position than they were 10 years ago before he took over the team. Yeah, that's fair to say.

They truly are. I think he's instilled a lot of things and a lot of people there. And as you start to see comments from his previous players and players that he drafted, you know, these are sides of him that none of us are nobody in another world outside of the Cowboys locker room, whatever, have gotten to see. Yeah. So Mike McCarthy's the new coach, Jason Garrett. It was kind of a weird, sloppy ending where he was in the building,

even though he wasn't the coach. You know, Philadelphia Eagles is your former team. I watched Wentz get hurt, and I thought game over. You're not as high on Wentz as I am. That's okay. I'm not down on him, and I'm not down on Philadelphia. I know it came off, like, you know, as there was hatred, but there is no hatred.

I truly was calling it how I seen it. I thought that they just didn't have it. Like, you know, they weren't as good as they were projected. to be. I think that Super Bowl does a lot for everyone. You know, still, when you introduce McCarthy, he's Super Bowl winning coach. You'll never be able to take the Eagles Super Bowl away from them. It's a great accomplishment, but I really think that they caught lightning in a bottle. And, you know, if you look at the Belichick teams, you know, when they win Super Bowls, they just continue to improve and they're really good at putting things behind them and looking

forward. I think that it's really hard to deal with success in the NFL. And Philadelphia struggled? I think they did. I think a lot of teams are struggling. with dealing with success. I think, you know, the Rams had a great year last year, and I think they kind of struggled to get back on track and to repeat it. The NFL is not one of those things where you kind of pick up where you left off. Seven of the eight playoff teams are new this year. Yeah, you tear down the house and you just rebuild it. What do you make of Russell Wilson? Trent Dilford just said he goes,

I think he's the best football player in the league. He's got intangibles that don't show up on paper. Did you ever face him? I did. He's just a leader. He's composed. He's poised. He has poised under pressure. And he had a tough, tough, tough time. You know, if you just go back, they took it really hard. And everybody thought their dynasty was over when he threw that interception against New England

and just what he has done moving forward. Winning, winning, winning, winning. Yeah, and that doesn't show up on paper. And it's priceless. Three running backs out, two offensive linemen out. And yesterday, rookie wide receiver, D.K. Metcalfe. For the record, you have gone up against Kirk Cousins a few times. I have. And you thought he was good.

I did. I think that yesterday, if you watch him in the game, their offense played well, their defense played well, their special teams. He took care of the ball, and he just made the plays that he needed to make at the appropriate times. There are times, though, in big games. He feels like he shrinks. That's fair, is it not? I mean, once again, you have to put those things behind you, and you can't really live in the past, and you got to just move forward. My whole thing when I played in the league was I'm going to learn from my mistakes,

and I'm going to build on the good things. I think Kirk is way harder on himself than any of us is on him. This is a great throw. It is. He stands in there and he makes it. And then you look at this one right here. He trusts him. It's either my guy or no guy.

Yeah. No, I mean, listen, this is a brutal league. It humbles you fast. It does. And life is brutal. Life will humble you really fast. That's why once you start to think that you're on top, you know, you need to realize that the bottom is not far away.

Yeah. Can you ever imagine when you look, you at some point made a decision. Okay, I'm out. Like, I'm, I wake up in the morning. I'm sore or I got my money or I'm tired of the work. But if you're Brady and you've got all this stuff, it feels like they're a little bit of a rebuild on offense. At 43, what do you?

I think Tom's going to have a very, very, very big decision to make. Where does he want to go at this stage? Does he still want to chase a Super Bowl? does he want to give his loyalty to the team that, you know, entrusted in him in their billion-dollar organization. And I don't really have an answer for this. And I wouldn't be mad at him if he chose to finish his career in L.A. with the Chargers moving into it.

That wouldn't bother you. Not at all. I wouldn't be mad at him if he chose to go back to New England and, you know, kind of help with the next guy, help groom the next guy, whoever that may be. It's going to be very, very interesting to see, and I'm going to be watching. Yeah, they've got a lot of questions offensive. They got to get a tight end. They need more depth on their offensive line.

They need a special perimeter player. This is an offense that does not have a lot of... And once again, their defense took a huge step this year, but we can't just expect that next year they're going to be the same team that just lines up and dominates everybody and gets turnover after turnover after turnover. Yeah. Hour three coming up, Orlando Scandrick. It's the Hurt.

Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Casper's the perfect place to treat yourself to better night sleep. Casper.com. Code rise. Code rise to save 10% on every mattress order here in the new year. Do you have any New Year's resolutions, Tony? You're very much a self-improvement guy. I know, I am, but you know, you're the first person I asked me that question.

New Year's resolution. I don't know. Learn more. That's not much of a resolution. I want to travel more, but I've been... You travel all over the world. I know. No, I don't. Ski less.

Ski less. All you skiers out there, I don't get you. I don't understand it. It's the weirdest thing ever. White open with Tony Gonzalez is his podcast. Now, I want to talk about this because you had an amazing career. Not a lot of playoff appearances, but you talked about this yesterday on NFL kickoff. It's very emotional.

Kirk Cousins, the emotion he showed yesterday. It's not like Brady when you expect to win. So Kirk Cousins, a lot of doubters. You've been a fan of his. Tell the audience your first playoff win, how you reacted. Well, it was year 16 for me. I had played in four playoff games only in those 16 years, previous years, and I lost them all. And so we had the first round by playing us in Seattle Seahawks.

We're crushing them the whole game. They come back and take the lead with 31 seconds. I thought we were going to win. We were up by 20 points at one point. And they came all the way back. And I was like, here we go again with 31 seconds. They kicked off the ball. We only have one timeout.

we're down by two points or whatever it is. And so basically you have to be flawless. You can't make mistakes. We made two plays, one through it to me. We run the field goal unit on there. We kick a 53 yarder, and you don't know if you're going to make that. It was an emotional roller coaster. And then when that ball went through the uprights,

it was just like the floodgates. I'd said I'd never cried after a win before. That's the only time I've ever cried after a win. And it was just an emotional, like, finally get that monkey off my back. That's what Kurt Cousins was feeling yesterday. He did good in the interview, right on the field, where he was very humble about it. And he's like, hey, that's just football. And he loved him for that.

But when he got to the locker room, that's when it was like, okay, this monkey is off my back now. This gorilla is off my back. Finally showed up big in that big game. I'm so happy for him, honestly. Even though I thought the Saints were going to win, I love Drew Brees. But Kurt Cousins couldn't happen to a better guy as far as I'm concerned. You know, it is interesting. only one of the top 10 passing teams are left.

Five of the six best running teams are left. And there is something to be made about December, January football. It's cold. I mean, this weekend you're going to have a game in Baltimore, Kansas City, in Green Bay. The dome team is out, New Orleans. You know, it's, this is different football. Isn't that crazy?

I remember last year, all the offenses and the passing, and it was just unbelievable. it shows you how good the NFL is too and how coaches and players will adjust and take away your strength. So that's why the strengths will constantly evolve. People are going to say, well, it's a running game. I always told you it was a running game.

And then next year or a year after that, once we start, you know, the coordinators will adjust and start stopping the run and then the passing game will open back up again. It's all cyclical and you'll see it come in and out. It's like styles. They'll come and go. Yeah, I mean, if you think last year,

the Rams and Chiefs were in this firework show on Monday night football. And then at the end of the year, the Rams were in the Super Bowl and can't move the football against the Patriots. This league figures you out. And it's not, you know what I love about football? It's not, it's one game. So like in the NBA, you can stink it up for the first three, two games of a series. And then you go home and you clean your act up. You have a bad possession.

I mean, Drew Brees had a bad possession in this game. And it's over. Over. Cost them. It's the beauty of sports. It is the beauty of sports. So let me just ask you. So go back to your last year.

So Brady probably has a year left. He was asked about his retirement. But you could have still played. You had, you like Brady, had a lot of money, and you had your health, and you had everything in your life. Smoking hot wife. Yeah. Keep going.

Please. And then, but there was a moment driving home someday. Or there's a moment that you wake up, and you made a decision, you could have still played. I'm done. What was it? Because I think Brady's going to have these little what if McDaniels leaves and two of our coaches leave and

the free agents leave. What was the trigger, the tipping point for you? I think it was I wasn't who I used to be and I knew it as far as an athlete on that field. What made me great, I was

close to it, but I wasn't that guy anymore. my last year I didn't I made the Pro Bowl it was the first time my career I never made the Pro Bowl even though I went to the Pro Bowl

but I didn't make the Pro Bowl I was an alternate and that was the only time ever in my career out of the 14 Pro Bowels I went to 13 times I was a starter or whatever and that just let me know like I'm starting

and I could feel it my body was taking a lot longer to recover and I was at peace with hey you know I could chase a ring here and because you take so much work that goes into what we do for a living in New York football player. It is a tremendous amount of work.

I remember talking to you when I went to lunch with you. And I said, yeah, I go work out every day. And you're like, oh, I'm so glad to never lift weights. Never again. People ask me all the time. They're like, do you still live? I haven't touched a weight since I left the NFL. I'm talking like an hour and a half weight room session.

You lost 15 pounds the minute you left the sport. Gone. It was all like the muscle. And that's what it is. Like what Tom does. his routine, I'm sure it's not, you have to be at 42 years old, you have to do so much extra to get to the same place that you were when you were 34 years old or 22 years old. It's just not the same thing.

This is why in my mind, I don't understand why Tom wants to keep playing, but if he still has that burning desire to prove something, I mean, look at the video before the game. He is really in the video with the tiger and the jackals and the hyenas and all that stuff. I think he's just, he just has this insatiable appetite. And I hope we can come to peace with that eventually by the time his career is over. Because that's tough. That's where players run in the trouble after you get done playing. Well, what you said is you didn't feel you were living up to your standard.

Yeah. And I don't want to be, I told you how, I've told you this before, how Jerry Rice, I was talking to him while I was still in the high, you know, feeling really good. And I said, when did you know that you wanted to retire? And he said, I'm going to give you some advice. Play to the wheels fall off. And that was Jerry Rice. And that's what Jerry Rice did. What was it?

21 years in the NFL playing for the Denver Broncos and got cut. But you didn't want that? I did not want that. I didn't want that father that was taking his son or daughter to the game and saying, you should have seen that guy back in the day. He was good. That's not who he is anymore. But some guys are okay with that.

Peyton Manning was okay with that and won a Super Bowl. I couldn't do that. Maybe my ego, I talk about ego has no amigo, but my ego just couldn't take that. No, I mean, it's not necessarily ego. It's a vulnerability. You took so much pride in your game. I don't think it's ego at all. You take so much pride in your game that you didn't want to disappoint yourself.

It's not about others. It's about you. You have a standard and you felt you weren't living up to your standard. I don't think it's ego at all. I think it takes incredible self-awareness to say, I like this package, I like this present. I'm going to wrap it and I'm going to put it on the tree. but I don't want the wheels to come off. I'm very proud of what you did,

you compartmentalize your career. The minute you sense that dipping, you're like, no, no, this is still good a product. I'm going to wrap the product, put it under the tree, and I'm done with it. I've said this before. Johnny Carson, it was time. He could have done it for four more years.

And Johnny's like, I'm going to make my last show great. Same with Letterman. And it's like, Litterman saw all these young guys. He saw Colbert and he saw Fallon and Kimmel, and they were all doing like social media stuff. And he's like, Twitter. And Dave's like, you know what? I'm going to wrap this present.

Yeah. I'm good with it. Yeah. I think that takes self-awareness. Yeah, but I don't know who's to say was right or wrong with Tom. It's Fonzie, jumping the shark in happy days. You know, that's where it comes from. Right.

I didn't want to jump the shark. I didn't want to keep going out there and being a shell of myself. And I fear that that could happen to Tom. I think it would be hard for Drew Brees to walk away because they got a lot of good players. Yeah. If I'm Tom and I look at my roster and I look at my homes and I don't think it's that hard to walk away. I don't, and I've been thinking about this all morning because I said it yesterday on the show that first of all, I think the Patriots, they were 12 and 4 this year. Don't act like they had a bad year.

They have cap room. They can go get players. Gronk could come back, you know, just stay or retire, kind of like what Mr. Kraft wants him to do. Right. But then maybe he has that. He can go somewhere else and they can, but he needs guys around him now. Yeah, Tom does. It's not that elite quarterback anymore where he can make the players around him better.

He needs a supporting cast now. By the way, you could make the argument for Brady. Let's see, he goes to the Chargers. They got a lot. They got a great running back. They have great tight ends. Could I say Brady goes for two years to the Chargers and it rejuvenates his spirit? So when you went to Atlanta, did it literally emotionally rejuvenate you?

Yeah, it did because it's a change of scenery. And this is what I'm saying. I'm changing that opinion now. If Tom wants to go because Josh McDaniels is going to get a job somewhere if he wants to or whatever. And Bill Belichick's probably like, hey, you're not the guy. And you know how Bill is? I don't think he cares. He just wants to win.

That's his most important goal with the team. Go out there and go do it again. Get rejuvenated. Come to L.A. He loves L.A. I'm sure. He works out here all the time. He would love L.A.

Yeah. The family would love L.A. try to do it again. Why not? I had fun. And he still got it. I don't think he's a bad quarterback by any of us. Tom can win.

They just have no weapons. It's just, challenge yourself. Why not? Go get it with the charges. They have weapons there. I think that would probably be the best situation for him. And I think what, you know, I don't believe in the goat. I know people keep, I don't believe in the goat.

Yeah. I do believe he's one of the goats. But for him to go out there and maybe get to a Super Bowl in L.A., I think that's kind of like, wow, how cool would that be? And he'll take less money. That's the thing about Tom. He doesn't need the money. And he's shown that over his whole career.

He's left over $100 million on the table by not being the highest paid quarterback in the league ever. I think maybe one time in his career, he was that. Otherwise, even this year, he made $20 million or something like that. Yeah. Compared to 35 that Matt Ryan's making and Aaron Rogers, he will take a cap-friendly deal to come out to the, to the Chargers. and go win another championship and say, I'll play for $15 million. You guys go get me players, give me an offensive line

so I can sit back there and shred people apart. It could be a good thing. Good seeing you, man. The podcast is called Wide Open with Tony Gonzalez. Only missed two games in his entire career, a Hall of Famer, and you are third-most receptions in NFL history, right? Yep, yep. Number one is Jerry.

Jerry and Larry passed me this year. The great-Lary Fitzgerald. Yep. Good for him. They should have good dudes. Good company. Yeah. Yeah, I love you. Good seeing you. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, we were waiting for the Tua announcement. He made his decision and announcement this morning about the 2020 season. Here it is. And without further ado, with lots of prayers, thoughts, and guidance, I have decided that I will be declaring and entering the 2020 NFL draft. My three years at the University of Alabama have been the epitome of a row. roller coaster. I've had a fair share of ups, of many ups and a handful of downs. And I couldn't be happier to know that with all the success and failures I've had here at the university, it has prepared me for life in general. This was obviously the right decision. I think you feel that way as

well. Neither one of us are doctors, nor are we to his family. But it seems like if you want to be an NFL quarterback, you should probably get to the NFL as soon as possible. Yeah, especially with injuries. I think it matters. It absolutely matters. I don't, I think he's going to end up going to a situation where they either have a quarterback that is in place for another year. Like, obviously, there's a lot of talk about him going to the Dolphins, right? I said recently, I think they're going to stick with Fitzpatrick for another year. For a year. So if they do take Tua and they have Fitzpatrick in place, he is the absolute epitome of a veteran

and has experienced with so many teams, obviously, he's been all over the NFL. I don't hate that situation for the Dolphins. Now, I would prefer that they, you know, use a couple of their first round picks and trade up and get Joe Burrow. But there's a lot of places that he can go and a lot of veteran quarterbacks that are going to move in this off season that he doesn't have to come in right away with huge expectations. So when Baker Mayfield came out, people said, oh, he's Drew Brees.

And I said, no, he's not. Tua is a combination to me of Russell Wilson. He's not that athletic, but he's athletic. And Drew Brees. I think he throws the most accurate football that I've seen a college football player throw. I can't even compare him. I mean, I loved Andrew Luck.

He's not that accurate. I like Trevor Lawrence. He's not that accurate. Tua's accuracy, and he's just athletic enough in today's modern game, that he doesn't want to run for yards. That's not who he is. He's not Lamar. He's got a little Steve Young.

There's a little Steve Young, a little Russell Wilson, a little Drew Breeze. I think of all these quarterbacks. I think Tua and Trevor Lawrence next year do things that are generationally. His accuracy is generationally. accurate. People love Tua. He has the intangibles. God, he throws a beautiful ball. He can throw it. He's accurate.

My reservation about Tua is just the injuries. Yeah. I think everybody's, yeah. That's fair. And that's fair. And like that's a very important thing because availability is his skill and it matters, especially at that position. So that's my only concern about him. If he doesn't have an issue within the NFL, I think he's going to have a tremendous career.

So the Texans were down 16-0 in the third quarter against the bills Saturday. before Deshawn Watson led the comeback to force overtime. It was one unbelievable move from Watson. He spun out of what looked like a for sure sack, set up the game-winning field goal, and after the game, he was asked how he made that play to keep his team alive.

It's do and die right now. And all the work I've been putting in in all season, I just had to make a play. And I told the guys before the game, I said, a put a card in there in the locker. I said, let's be great today. So somebody had to be great. Why not me?

Love watching him play. What the hell's wrong with him? Houston's first half coaching. Oh, okay. Too-E, I don't. What is wrong with your dumb organization? Do they practice? Every week they're down.

This kid plays from behind his whole career. Bill O'Brien's a terrible scriptor of plays. Lamar Jackson's been ahead in virtually every game. Deshawn Watson trails constantly. You know how hard it is to play from behind in this league? How about getting sacked seven times? God, the right side of their offensive line. Who's number 73, Tui?

A Zach Fulton. He stinks. Yeah. Seven times. And he was still able to do that. Have you been sacked seven times in the game, how do you even have the emotional energy to pull something like that off? They are very strange. They are the strangest team in the league.

The Chiefs are nine and a half point favorites. I think I'd take the Chiefs. What? I know I would. I think Kansas City is just on fire. You know, and I like dogs. I took Buffalo. I love the Chiefs.

I picked them to win the Super Bowl this year. But that's nine and a half points. I know. No, I take Kansas City. I think they're going to roll them. I think, and remember, Andy Reid off a bye. You know how good he is. So Andy gets two weeks.

And also that Kansas City defense. No, they're playing better. By the way, Houston's a terrible first half team. Andy Reid off a bye. Is that game 17, nothing about seven minutes in? Doesn't it feel like what? It doesn't matter for Deshawn Watson, apparently. Although it is the bills and they, I mean, that was something at the end of the game.

They imploded, but listen, all you Bill fans that are banging on Josh McDermin. Time out. He's made the playoffs twice in three years. Oh, no. Don't over react to this. Yeah, like he had a bad second half as a coach. Get over it. He's been great. They had a great season. They melted down. They melted down for about seven minutes.

It was an absolute meltdown. No question about it. But they got a great future. Yes. Finally, as we know, today's a very special day here at Fox. It's the birthday of someone very important to the Fox family. Who is that? So I'd like to take a moment to say happy birthday to Howie Long.

Wow. Yeah, yeah. I'm really happy for him. Thank you very much, Joy. Now, look, I've been told it's also Colin's birthday today. I suppose we can share the day. Colin, but you've got to do me a favor this year.

Take it a little bit easy on Baker Mayfield, would you? Happy birthday, my friend. Have a great one. All the great ones were born on January 6th. Thank you. Happy birthday, Colin. Oh, look at this. Happy birthday.

Well, see, I thought they said I was coming out of the cake. That's why I wore this. I said I'm bringing out the cake. So there we go. Happy birthday. And he's not wearing the nobody cares work harder. It's like Ebo shirt. It looks good.

So I'm going to check it out. Look at that. Are you going to eat that? Yeah. You're pretty good. Going try it out? Later. Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, it's on the cake. That's perfect. That's why I love you. Thank you very much. Thank you guys for playing the appropriate Happy birthday song as well. Happy birthday, Colin.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's very. Very exciting. Capricorn season. Did we see that? Nobody cares, work harder. Yes.

Isn't that great? It's my favorite tweet by anybody ever on the internet. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. All right, three-word game. We talk about not only every game, but every team.

Can you wrap up the season for the losers? Can you wrap up the teams that won heading off to the next weekend? The three-word game coming up. One 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. Oh, welcome back. I'm just reading on Tua.

I'm glad Tua came out. You know, I'm just reading some stuff here off Bruce Feldman. He, college football guy for Fox. According to Feldman, he talked to an NFL source who said, listen, thank God this is the right decision for Tua. If he came back to Alabama, it was going to be a devaluation period. already have all the tape you need on him. This is a really important thing when Tua made the decision today.

My takeaway is years ago, Matt Linerd stayed for one more year, and I remember a scout telling me, does he love? Like maybe he's more of a college guy. Like he could have gone pro, but he's staying in college. Maybe he just wants to be a college quarterback. And I thought, no, he's just staying in there because he can win more games than he loves USC. But that's how scouts think. Like, if Tua goes back, it's like, what do you scare to the challenge?

What do you, maybe you just want to be more of a college guy? Like that scouts take, this is one of those situations where you're better just going, getting healthy. And I've got to tell you, I think Tua is the best quarterback. The thing I like about this for Tua is that he can go to a team like a Carolina or a Chargers. He can sit for like they got, I think, Tyrod Taylor with the Chargers and just start the year with Tyrod. And like Lamar Jackson, week 10 or 11, if you're, you know, you're kind of around 500, he's all ready. to go. You know, let him sit for eight to ten weeks because Tyrod can win you

games. He's not your franchise guy, but he can win you games. And I think he's going to, whoever ends up with the Chargers, whatever quarterback ends up, whoever it is, that guy, it's Noah's Ark, two good corners, two good backs, two good tight ends, two good receivers, two good pass rushers, two good safeties.

I mean, chargers are really good. They just need a younger, more mobile quarterback. All right, it's best for last week. We call it the three-word game. Now, we don't have as many games this weekend. So we wrap up the season in every game this weekend for the winners and losers. Here we go. Best for last. How about Bill's Texans?

Bill's needed that experience. Listen, as Sean McDermott said afterwards, my quarterback was just trying to do too much. He's a young quarterback. Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, they make mistakes. It's his new territory. They can't act like they've been there before because they haven't been there before. Bill's up 16-0. They've now lost six straight playoff games.

Got to go back to the mid-90s. And yes, Josh Allen looked a little over his skis in crisis. He's a playmaker. He was trying to make a play. He reminds me so much of Sam Darnold. He's got a better arm than Darnold. But sometimes you're like, dude, this isn't high school. You can't be just shoveling the ball over the field.

How about the Texans who won that game? Deshawn is MJ. Sacked seven times, yet 80% completion rate. 250 yards. A touchdown, no pay. and a passer rating of 120, and that's against the bill's defense that is excellent. That is one of the best secondaries in the NFL. I think they may have the best safeties.

They have an all-pro corner. The Buffalo Bills, to be that effective with an offensive line on the right side that evaporated is a remarkable accomplishment from one of my favorite NFL players. Let's go Patriots Titans game. Patriots Dynasty is over. Listen, you know, after they started 8-0, they won't. at four and five. They lost three home games. They're old. They looked old. They looked tired. Julian Edelman is just all beat up. They don't have over the top players. 18th in rushing this

season. We know, we talk about Brady. They just couldn't run the football. Why? Because Gronk was a great blocking tight end. He's gone. They lost their center. They had a revolving door for the first two months at left tackle. They have got to get somebody over the top. They've got to address the tight end. They've got to get some depth on the offensive line. they just fell apart. They were four and five in their last nine games. Most of those were giving them home field advantage, and they still couldn't win.

How about the Titans? Titans deserved it. Led the NFL in rushing. 182 rushing yards is the most ever surrendered by Bill Belichick in New England. Tanyhill didn't even have a huge game. But when you watch the Titans, And it was really mud wrestling here for about three and a half hours. The score just kind of felt like it stayed the same forever.

But again, didn't you feel like Tennessee just had a little bit more speed on the perimeter, more of an offensive identity? They could rely on Henry. And New England was held to a season low 13 points. And the Titans, unlike the Patriots, are hot. They've won eight of their last 11 games. Good for Tennessee, a team that deserved it. How about the Saints Vikings game?

Saints, another heartbreaking loss. Three consecutive seasons end on walk-off losses, twice by Minnesota and once by the Rams. They were a team, the Saints, that did not turn the ball over all year. They had two turnovers in this game. Now, they did have some injuries that crept up on them. This is a league of attrition. But in the two big plays down the stretch,

one to Kyle Rudolph and one to Adam Thielen. That defense that had been so good all year just couldn't make stops. Playoff football is situational football, and the Saints situationally couldn't make plays at home in the end. How about the Vikings? We like that. Kirk Cousins on the road, 61% excellent in overtime, 96 passer rating. I thought this was, as Troy Eichmann pointed out, this is the throw of his. career to Adam Thielen, who Thielen was hurt much of the year. He came back. They couldn't get the ball

to Stefan Diggs much early in the game. It was not a perfect game. They left some points on the table throughout the course of the game on drives. But, you know, Cousins is a much maligned, often criticized quarterback who really put his stamp on this game with that throw to Adam Thielen. How about the final game, Seattle, Philly Eagles? Not on when. Listen, Nick Foles didn't win a game this year. Jadavian Clowny, I don't think it's a cheap player. I thought this was a cheap shot. It knocked Carson Wentz out.

They were just decimated by injuries. I think it's remarkable they made the playoffs. They started the year with more secondary issues that I've ever seen. Then they had an offensive line issue. Then they had wide receiver issues. I don't think they ever recovered from Deshawn Jackson being out. And I think they have to address that in the offseason. Carson Wentz is a playmaker.

He really is Mahom. He's a playmaker. He's going to throw some picks. But what would Mahomes be without Tyree Kill? He's just not as special. That's some of the juice. How about the Seattle Seahawks finally? Russell Real MVP.

Listen, I know Lamar's going to win it, but Lamar's got help. Russell Wilson was missing a left tackle, another offensive lineman. He was missing Chris Carson, Rashad Penny, and CJ Precise. Bobby Wagner was the only other C.Hawms. this year that was a Pro Bowl or Ravens had 12. They couldn't run the football. They had 17 carries for 19 yards. They were missing all just on the offensive side.

They were missing all sorts of personnel. And by the way, Joy looked this up for me today. They're only 18th in defense. It's not like they had a stone cold defense. Quadry Diggs was gone for a big chunk of the season. Clowny took a while to get moved in. The fact that Seattle has advanced to the second round of the playoffs with all these injuries is unbelievable. Trent Dilfer called him the best football player in the

National Football League, and I do not disagree with it. I don't think there's anybody that's done more. As much as Lamar Jackson, if you took out his two best tight ends, Stanley the left tackle, Mark Ingram, would they be advancing this weekend? I don't know. I think he's special. Want to hear something amazing? Discover matches all the cash back you earn and your first year automatically. There is no limit. Learn more at Discover.com slash cashback match. Jay Glazer talking about Mike McCarthy and speak for yourself coming up next.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline.

and we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 I-Heart 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's really not safe to have anywhere. but you're having him 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 not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 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, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.