The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Nightcap - A Zach Wilson Debate & What's Wrong With the Bengals

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco Johnson react to the Chiefs beating the Jets on Sunday Night Football, the Bills crushing the Dolphins, the Bengals losing once again, the Jrue Holiday to the Celtics trade, and more.  #Volume #Herd #Club See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

The volume. We're back with another week of football and Draft King's Sportsbook is keeping us in all the NFL action with great offers every single game day. New customers can bet $5 and get $200 instantly in bonus bets. Throw five down on any of this week's epic matchups

and walk away an instant winner. Football is more fun when you're in on the action. So download the app now, and sign up with Code Shannon. New customers can bet $5 and get $200 instantly in bonus bet. Only on Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL with Code Shannon. The crowd is yours.

Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler or visit www.1-800 gambler.net. In New York, call 8778-Hope-N-Y or text, Hope N.Y. In Connecticut, health is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-9-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort, licensee partner Golden Nugget Lake Charles, 21 plus age varies by jurisdiction. Boyd in Ontario. See sportsbook.draft kings.com slash football terms for eligibility, terms and responsible gaming resources.

Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. Eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. Hello, hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Nightcap. I am Shannon Sharp, your favorite, unc. He's your favorite number 85, Cincinnati Bingo legend, Chad, Ocho, Cinco, Johnson. Thank you for joining us. Let's jump right into it.

The game you just watched Chiefs beat the Jets, 2320. I'm sure Vegas is very, very happy that Patrick Mahomes slid down in bounds because they were giving nine points and who knows what would have happened. and Patrick Mahomes says, you know what, I'm not going to take a chance. I'm not going to take a chance that we scored touchdown and they run the kickoff back onside and if something fluky happens. So you know what? They have no more timeouts.

I'm going to slide down in bounds. He also threw his 200 touchdown pass in his 84th career game, fewest to 200 TD passes in NFL history, surpassing my former colleague and HOF class teammate, excuse me, Dan Marino of 89 games. What were some of your takeaways? Let's start with the Kansas City. We'll get to the Jets.

Let's go with Kansas City. What was your big takeaway from the game for the Chiefs? I mean, obviously, with the Chiefs, the Chiefs did what they could. I mean, it was very surprising with Taylor Swift being in the building that Travis Kelsey hadn't caught a ball into the third quarter. You would have thought they would have featured him the same way the NFL has featured Taylor Swift and all of their somewhat commercials leading up to the game.

Yeah. But other than that, they play good football. ball, they play good football. They didn't blow the jets out like everybody thought. Everybody thought it was going to be a runaway game. Obviously, Super Bowl champ going to come in and just run the jets out the stadium. But that wasn't the case. They played good football.

Obviously, Patrick Mahomes turned the ball over because of the great defense of the Jets. And, I mean, that's pretty much it. That one, that one, that one, those throws, those throws, those throws, you see those what do you say? What? Listen, listen. You read his lips. What creates those kind of throws?

What did he say? What did he say? What did he say? He didn't have pressure. There was no pressure on him. Go back and read his lips. He said, throw the effing ball. He was trying to guide it. It wasn't no pressure on it when he threw the picks. Yeah, did they pressure him?

Defense. Yes. But on those, on those possessions, those were self-inflicted wounds. Okay. What about the run game? Were you impressed with the KC's run game? Projecto. Yeah.

Most depth. Pacheco is the real deal. He's the real deal. Matter of fact, I heard, I heard, Collinsworth, the comparison, the comparison between him

and Marshawn Lynch. You see the similarities in their styles of running. Obviously, I'm not saying he's Marshawn Lynch. I'm not by any means. But the style, the style,

the force of which he runs with. The force of which he runs with meaning, like a Marion Barber, Marshawn Lynch. You know, it's one more that's on tip of my tongue where they ran with such anger. Like,

and there was intent, behind every step they took, especially when they ran into, run into their opponent. Other than that, I mean, it was decent. It was decent from their side. I think the thing is that

the Chief's got to do something with that right tackle. He's had 10 accepted penalties in four games. Let that sink in ladies. The record that, if I'm not mistaken, is Brandon Browner, I think, in 2015, had 23 in a 16-game season. He has 10 accepted. not to count how many, you know, they got off the field, it was third down,

and he got a penalty, and the plans was incomplete, or they got stopped or something. He has 10 accepted penalties. That's terrible. And it's going to bite you when you least needed to come into play. Because he gave him two points. He got him on the board. You know what the funny thing about it is,

the offense is so efficient, the offense is so good. They're able to do, they're so well, balance offense, I mean, in all three phases, often they can run the ball very, very well. They can pass the ball very, very well. They're one of the few teams in NFL that can overcome those penalties. But like you said, at some point later on in the season, in a game of extreme importance, those calls are going to cost them.

You're not going to overcome those against a Buffalo. You're not going to overcome those against the Miami. You're not going to, some of the better teams, right. You're not going to be able to overcome those. type of mistakes because they put so much pressure on your defense. Right. Now your offense, because the Jets is not an offense that, you know, you're like, oh, man, we got to go score 30, the opposing team offense.

Like, we got to go score 30 against Jets offense. Right, right. Buffalo, you know you got to go get 30. The dolphins, you know you got to go get 30 or you're going to be in trouble. And mistakes like that, turnovers, because turnovers allow bad teams, you bring them up to your level. Because you see last, tonight, Ocho, it wasn't like the Jets were driving, the ball until the Kansas City created short fields for him, turning the ball over,

and it got them some confidence, and all of a sudden you can see like Zach Wilson started getting a little, a little bit, a little more confident. Whoa, whoa, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that's not what we're going to do. We're not going to do that. Because Zach Wilson played good football tonight. What happened? What happened? What happened?

You had a chance to take the lead. What do you have a chance to take the league? What did you do? Tell me what happened. here. Wait a minute. Let's hope we had a drop touchdown. We had a drop touchdown. I dropped touchdown.

We had a drop touchdown. Hold on. We had an interception that Mosley could have picked off. These are game changers. They're about five or six plays that would have to change the dynamic of that game. What you're not going to do is sit there and talk about, oh, the offense got confidence. And Zach Wilson got confidence because of what the chief did. That's what you're not going to do.

Hold on. Let me ask you question. football. Hold on. Let me ask your question. Think about it. Okay. And the game that they, the one game they won, they created four turnovers. The game that they got close, the team created two turnovers. So tell me the game in which they

didn't win in which the jails have gone up and down the field. But they had nothing do with it. They lost. Okay. To your point, they lost. We lost. We lost the game, but tonight was a great foundation for us to build off offensively, including Zach Wilson. He played good

God damn for him. And the fact that you're going to see here not get this man any credit with the way he played. I can't believe you. How do you want to sit here and do that? When it mattered the most, when he had a chance to go down and tag the lead, tell the people that didn't see the game what Zach Wilson did. Don't get quiet now.

Hold on. For the people at home, Ocho Cinco is from to explain to you the last series. Hold on just a second. I want you to explain to the people at home that maybe their cable went out or they don't at NBC on the reg. I need you to explain to the people what Zach Wilson did on the last series. We didn't make it.

No, no, no, no. We didn't, we didn't do what we needed to do. We didn't do. Listen, something. Hold on. Hold on. Did the offensive line block? Did the receivers go out for a pass route?

I need you to give them a play by play. I need you to be the black Chris Collinsworth. You know what the first. I can't, I can't even remember that play. I can't remember what I can't. I can't. Because I was so focused on all the lives. Did you get mom coming to your...

I can't even remember the bad. I can't even remember the bad. I just know based on what I saw tonight, the sample size of play I saw from Zach Wilson, it leads me with a great taste in my mouth and knowing that Jess are going to be okay. It's going to be okay. You want to talk about one series.

We know what happened when that, when the game was on the line and we could have taken the lead in the game. We know what happened. It's no need to hope on that. How many times do a game come down to a play? All the time. All the time. It happens all the time.

It happens all the time. And I named some other plays. They're about five or six in the game of 70 days, 75 plays to make a different. I told you, the tight end. Wait, was it, was it, yeah, we had to settle for a field goal. Ball hitting right in the hands. That ball, they stop it. The man sliding.

The man sliding on the grass. What that means? I thought the dude played for the master way he was flying trying to catch the ball. I thought he was a baseball player. For one, he had his hand placement entirely the wrong way. Any ball below your waist, your hands shouldn't be like this anyway. Your hands are supposed to be like this, ready to cup the ball because it's already low. But you have to understand.

That would have been a catch. Ocho. What do we express to people? That would have also been able to change the game. Stuff like that happened. Let me ask your question. What do we talk about running one way and the ball coming behind you? Yes, that's the way you do it.

But a normal, when you slide, it's hard to open your hips up and turn your hands like this. It's a lot easier to be going away and put your hands like that. Yes, that makes the catch more difficult because it's going to hit your hands and go down. But it's really hard to run one way, open the hips, and get your hands up under the ball like that. don't do that, Ocho. That you call balls for a living. Now you see what? Now, see, you see him making excuses.

You see him making excuses. And I'm telling you, you know, those two plays that dropped touchdown and that interception. And just, but the inch, it's a game of inches. It's a game of inches. Just like Al Pacino said, the six inches in front of your face. That's exactly what Wilson, Zach Wilson missed, Garrett Wilson on the deep ball. It was six inches. six against us.

Yes. That all these play, those are three plays right there that would have changed the outcome of this game. And it's just unfortunate that it didn't go our way tonight. It didn't go our way. But I'm happy with the play from Zach Wilson tonight. Hey, listen, even after the game, what a Patrick Mahomes say? Zach played goddamn well and had some hell of a throws out there.

Well, listen, they rolling him out the pocket, getting them comfortable. You can see the confidence in some of the throws he was making. They ran the ball a lot better tonight. Oh, yeah. But in order for you to continue this to see this, Zach Wilson, your defense is going to have to continue to create turnovers. Are you comfortable that your defense is going to give me the two games that they, one game they won, they created four.

The other game they almost won, they created two. So the games in which they didn't create any turnovers, what happened? We lost. Yeah, but that's okay because the defense, remember, this is the great defense. This is just not no any ordinary defense. is a great defense and they're going to continue to cause turnovers. It's going to continue to happen. And with these turnovers, what we're going to have to do often, and you notice I'm

saying we. I'm infiltrated because I support Zach Wilson. Yeah, because you drop out. We have to, we have to get points on somebody's turnovers. If it's not a touchdown, if it's not a touchdown, you got to get touchdown. We got to get touchdown. We got to get touchdown. But if we can't get touchdown, because the defense is playing so well, we got to get three

points every time. I mean, I'm not saying every time. I say no video game. real life. But if we can get points every time we get the ball, especially on turnover, it would make the game that much better for us. Yeah. I mean, if I'm the Jets, I do see a little glimmer. Thank you. Thank you. Gary Wilson. But, Ocho, I can't go into a game saying in order for us to win, I got a count on my defense to get turnovers. You don't have to think like that.

Yes, you do. You don't have to think like that. No, you don't. They haven't even come close to winning in games in which they don't create turnovers. Are we watching two different teams? We watching the same thing. But I'm just saying, why you got to be so negative about my jest, man? Why you got to be so negative? I've got to be a realistic picture. It's a realistic picture, but you don't know what's going to happen from game to game.

They can come out next week based on the confidence. You know what? The officer coordinator by his sit back and look, you know what? Zach is feeling a little bit more confident. Maybe I can open up the playbook a little bit more. Maybe I can do more. Maybe I can do more and add a wrinkle or two in, you know, so now that he has a little bit more confidence and he's letting the ball go.

You do realize football games are like poker hands. Yeah. The last hand I had has nothing to do with the next hand I get. Right. The last game you played got a damn thing to do with the next game that you play. So this notion. It showed don't. It show don't.

Okay. When you have a showing, when you have a showing like they showed tonight, against the Super Bowl champs, it makes you feel a lot better going into next week. It makes you feel a whole lot better. Because I feel goddamn good. They won against Buffalo

than how they look against the Cowboys. Since there's carryover, you're telling me there's carryover. So how do they look against that Monday night? He came up the bench, reliever, went six strong innings, won the game. And then the next week, what happened when they started him?

Okay, we're going to move on. We'll get back to that. We'll get back to our normally scared. your program a little later. What? You're tough, man. The bills dominated your fans. Defense, unbelievable.

Who's the best team in the LFC right now? The best team of this is four weeks. So we're at the quarter pole. Right. Kansas City, bills, dolphins, ravens. Who's the best team in the NFC? Well, obviously, until somebody unsees the Kansas City Chiefs, they will continue to always keep that rain at the top,

the top team in the AFC. Now, right now, just because of, Buffalo was able to dominate, able to dominate the dolphins, I still see more upside with the dolphins as opposed to Buffalo, even though they won the game, even though they won the game. Remember, when you play division of opponents, tendencies, familiarity with what they do and what they like to do. So those games are a little bit, a little, a little bit easier from a defense, this perspective on how to stop because you already know what they're going to do. But 48, I got, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know how's

you're going to say, you're going to say 40. If anything, I got them 2A and 2B. Can I do that? Can I do that, can I do that? And just for the sake, just, just for the sake of the conversation and in, in the, let's, let's go with the bills first. Okay. The bill's two A and, and the, and then I got the Ravens right after that. Okay. I got the Ravens right after that. And right now, I don't know what's wrong my bangles. I want to put my bangles. I want to put my bangals. I I want to put my bangles number four so bad. But I don't know what's going on. Not yet.

We got them coming. But let me tell you why I like the bills a little bit more than I like the Dolphins and I like the bills a little bit more than I like the Chiefs. Because you see the pressure that they're bringing? Right. That's what I'm Von Miller. Yeah. He's going to start practicing tomorrow.

So within the next month or so, he's going to be back on the field. Now, they did lose Tredavius White to what looks like an Achilles injury. So it looks like he's lost. Yes. looks like he's lost for the season. But when you pair Vaughn with Floyd and Rousseau and those guys, Ed Oliver. Right.

Oh, and Milano? Matt Milano? Yeah. He's playing the second best linebacker behind Fred Warner. You talk about 1A and 1B, he's right. That's a hard play in Jesse. Yeah, he rewrite that with him. He's all over the field.

He's making plays. He's shooting gaps, getting in the backfield. He's diagnosing. everything, and he's coming up with remedies for it immediately. So Miami, I mean, they picked the, Miami, the Buffalo, Josh Allen, 21 or 25, four TDs, a perfect passer rating, and he had a rush touchdown. You can't play any better than that. You can't play any better.

His only problem is turnover. Oh, Joe, how many times you say, if he doesn't turn the ball over, they're almost impossible to be. Yeah, almost impossible to be. That's the thing. you actually picking the bills, right? But then I obviously had Josh Allen had a great game today. But what Josh Allen are you going to get?

Are we going to get this same consistent Josh Allen that plays this type of football week in and week out? When you get to the postseason, can we get the Josh Allen performance that we got today? Because if this is what we get from Josh Allen from this point on leading up the goddamn February, you might as well get a ass the goddamn Lombardi right now because ain't nobody beating the Josh Allen Buffalo bills that you saw today, especially with what they can do defensively. And goddamn him and goddamn, I don't know what the hell

Stefan Diggs ate for goddamn breakfast of day. I bet it was McDonald's, though. I bet it was McDonald's. He ate, he ate Dolphins, I bet that's what it was. He ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because they had no answer. He was able to get the ball to Gabe Davis. They ran the ball fairly well,

and then you always have to worry about him in his legs and his ability to make plays outside of the pocket. That's what makes him, because to go back to the previous game, think about it. wasn't at the end of the game that got Kansas City this win. It was Patrick Mahomes. They're home. Third and goddamn.

Third and a highway. What are we doing? What are we doing? But the bills played extremely well today. They put together a complete game. Like you said, division games are really tough. Buffalo made this look really easy, Ocho. Look, when you play Cleveland, you played Pittsburgh and you play the Ravens,

those were nip and tuck ball games. 27, 24, 2023. There was no 48-20-type ball games because, as you said, there is such familiarity. We've been in this division for a number of years.

We know the personnel. We know what you like to do. Buffalo made this look extremely easy today. They made it look easy, but this is the thing, and I always say about the NFL, for the casual fans that watch the game, week to week,

ain't no telling what's going to happen. Ain't no telling what's going to happen. We just saw Miami put up a 70 ball last week, So I guess in everybody's mind, going into the Buffalo game, you're thinking they're going to run away with the game. But this is what happens. This is what happens week to week in the NFL. It's always a toss-up.

It's always a gamble. That's one of the reasons why I don't play fantasy. Because you never know. You never know. If you think about it, what got them in trouble is that anytime they brought pressure, they were relentless on tour. They were not going to let, they were going to make you make a decision right now. We're not going to let you have time to find those speech.

merchant. We're not going to let you find Waddle. We're not going to let you find Tyree. We're not going to let you find burials. All those guys that can get down the field. And they were relentless with their pressure. And if you notice, they were, okay, Buffalo got it scored, Miami score. Miami scored. Buffalo scored. And then what happened? They started turning the ball over. And then Buffalo scored again. And then Miami gets sacked. And then Buffalo scored again. And so even though they weren't touchdowns, they got points out of those drives in which Miami turned the ball over. And so if you're Miami, you've got to take care of the football,

but you've got to find a way to protect Tua. Sometimes that scat personnel would have to say scat. That means five linemen and all the eligible receivers are out en route. Yeah. You got to protect that quarterback. You got to protect Tua. And one of the few ways that you can protect them because obviously some of the route they were doing,

there was really nothing short. There was either intermediate or it was long. Man, get the quick game going. Get the quick game going. the stifle the pressure that they are putting, get the ball out of his hands really quick, really quick, really quick. Get that front five, that front four,

get them tired. And then you can go down the field a little bit after you mix up the run a little bit. They try to get a couple screens early, but the edge rushes did a great job of getting their hands up and deflecting the balls because they have seemed like they had something going. Let's get to your bingoes.

One in three, oh, and two in the division. They have yet to score a first, half touchdown through four games. Are you concerned? Is it time to panic yet? I don't think it's time to panic yet. I don't think it's time to panic yet. We are one and three.

It's a 17 game season. One thing my mama always told me in anything in life when it comes to wanting to have success on the back end, it ain't a sprint, baby. It's always a marathon. It's not a sprint. It's always a marathon.

And the marathon goes in three phases. And right now we're in phase number one. And it's not too late for us, But we need to do. But what we do need to do is get back to the drawing board offensively and figure out how all these teams have seemed to have figured us out to where the things that we've been extremely efficient on is not working as opposed to the way it worked the past two years.

Well, I tell you what, I don't know. I don't know I hadn't run a whole lot of marathons in my life. As a matter of fact, I've run any. But I can tell you this, you can run a marathon, but you let those Kenyans run four and a half minute, five minute miles. and you run 12-minute miles and you see if you catch them. Listen, this is the thing about it. It's like running the 800 or the 1500 meters.

Sometimes you don't need to be at the front of the – Listen, sometimes you don't need to be at the front of the pack. You just need to be right there in the middle or right there on somebody hip because at the right time you got to know when the kick. That's all we're looking for right now. Right now, that's the position that we are in right now as a team. Look at your offensive line and look at Joe Burrow. And you tell me in all honesty,

You feel comfortable with where you are right now. Can I tell you something? Yes. You know what we've been talking about and fussing about in general through the media, because I'm on the other side now. We've been talking about their officer line in the past two years. You know, do you know what we were last year? We were in the AFC championship with that same offensive line.

Let me finish. Let me finish now the year before that. You know, we were at with that same officers line we talked about? We were in the Super Bowl. That's what we were. Just FYI, I'm just letting you know, that same offensive line. Off the line is a problem for many and many of teams. So what do we do?

What do you do? You find ways to those who might be the weak link on your officer line. You find ways to manipulate and hide it. There are ways you can do it. Listen, I'm not an officer line, coach. I'm not an officer coordinator, but I do know there are ways that you can hide the weaknesses on your line where you're struggling. Oh, Joe. Yes, sir.

You and I have talked at nauseam about how one year has no impact. on the next. So you climb, you climb the mountain and you get to the Super Bowl. Just because you almost got to the top, that doesn't mean when you start at the bottom of the next year, you get back to where you got to the previous year. So just because you guys started 0 and 2 and you ended up in the AFC championship game and you ended up in the Super Bowl, what does that got to do? You look at the way your quarterback is playing. You look at your office have yet to score a touchdown in the first half. Did they do that in the previous two years? years. Yes or no? No. They was on fire. They were on fire offensively right out the

motherfucking gate. Orlando Brown was trending again. So tell me why an offensive line would be trending again for the second times in four weeks. Tell me why, Ocho. Wait, he was trending? I don't know what happened. No, not this, listen, all Bushes like, you know, I was at the game. I was in Tennessee. I was at the game. Yes. So why was he trending? If you were at the game. So you saw what a lot of people did. didn't see. No, no, I missed it because I left in the third court. I had to get back home. So now you telling me something I didn't know. Hey, let's see. Joe Burrow versus the Brown weeks won. Two sacks, 10 quarterback hits. Against the Ravens, week two, one sack, five

quarterback hits. Against the Rams, week three, two sacks, six quarterback hits versus the Titans, week four, three sacks, nine quarterback hits. So in other words, the man has been hit 30 times and he's been sacked eight times. And you say, well, you know what eight? We've been here before. Do, do, we, Tennessee, Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Titans defense. Where's their identity?

Where's the strength of their defense? The what? That front. Hold on. That front. This ain't, we didn't just play no, no, no, no, no bunch of, oh, I don't want to be disrespectful. This is the NFL.

Jeffrey Simmons and them young fellows. Oh, Joe. And they, what? I'm just, I'm just being honest. That's your offense. You keep telling me what did they do? What do they do? What do your offense do?

When are you going to tell me something that they do? I don't talk about Tennessee. We'll talk about Tennessee in a minute. We'll get to them and Derek Henry, bludgeoning them running the football. Let's talk about your offense because you told me two years ago they were in the Super Bowl. Last year they went to the AMC championship.

And you told me just a minute ago that y'all started out on fire is that y'all had to get your feet wet on the defensive side. Now, again, I think we've had the same often that struggle. This is a tugging war. It's the same thing. It's a give and take. We've had the same conversation at the beginning of every season about the offensive line woes. We know there's really nothing I can say about the officer line woes except that they got to get back to the drawing board and figure out a way to mask and hide those that might have a weakness offensively.

There's nothing I can say. And I just said offensively what we've always done is we've always risen to the top on the back end when it matter most. The fact that we're in a hole right now, we're one and three. Yes, we are one and three. There's only one way to fix it. There's only one way to fix it. But normally a defense and an offense can only hide one player. Right.

As long as it's not your quarterback, we can hide a weak offensive line. You can't hide your quarterback, especially not in this day and age. You can't. You can't hide five offensive linemen either. But in the previous two years, let me ask you a question in the previous two years, was Joe Burrow dealing with a calf injury? And seemingly, I saw him on the sideline doing something with his arm. So he got hit.

The elbow got hit. So he was dealing with that in the previous two seasons. The calf injury and the elbow, he was dealing with that? Yes or no? No. So you feel, so this year. I still feel good. Do you understand, let me tell you something.

Do you understand Joe Burrow is a pocket pass and quarterback, right? that has the ability to run and escape as well. Yeah. When they went on that Super Bowl run, what was it that Joe Burrow did? Got key third downs with what, Ocho? His legs. Yeah.

Now he can no longer do that. He also can't get outside the pocket and fry Jamar Chase. T. Higgins has fractured ribs. So now, again, do you still feel as comfortable talking about the bingles moving forward because of what they did the previous two years

considering your quarterback has a calf, an elbow, T. Higgins has fractured ribs. Tia will be fine. Fractant ribs you can play with. Me, Tia put on the flapjacket. What do you call it? Yeah, a flapjacket. If we put on a flapjacket, he'd be fine.

And I think, and Joe said it, obviously, in an interview on how losing T. Higgins It hurt them because it hurt them tremendously because some of the things that they're able to do offensively when he's in the lineup, even though they have some quality backups. It's still not the same with T not being in there. At 80% Joe Burrow, listen to me, listen to me real quick,

an 80% Joe Burrow that is hobbled but still has the arm in the mental capacity and IQ he has as a quarterback to get the job done is still better than other teams quarterback at 100%. If you don't mind me asking. Which is why I feel the way I do about the Bengals, why I don't have to say over one and three it's time to panic.

That's why I feel that way. How many in your career, how many receivers have you known wear flap jackets just because they wanted to? Why don't receivers wear flap jackets? It's uncomfortable because you can't put your damn arm down for one. Wow! So it's just going to be that either for T. Higgins to put one on and go play wide receiver, huh?

Well, I'm just saying, I mean, you're not going to have a choice. You got to protect your rib, man. You got to protect your ribs. And obviously, listen, the flap deckers they have the day with the way all the high-end technology stuff, it wouldn't be them big fat ones where your arms be sitting on your side like that. You know, they got some stuff you can wear that can feel comfortable. Yeah, but you still got to catch the ball to ball.

You got to get used to that ball catching creaming off your body because it's not like you will catch every last ball in your hands. T. Higgins catch with his hands. Don't do that. There ain't no receiver used to the game called every ball with their hands. I did. I never used to. my body. No, you did. Yeah, I did. I pulled some tape, but I ain't going to do that. I'm going to let it slack.

Okay. But, hold on, through four games this year, Joe Burrow has two touchdowns. Through four games last year, he had eight touchdowns. In 2021, through four games, he had nine touchdowns. So again, I'm going to ask you again. So, hey, listen, can I tell you something? Yeah. I just told you it's not how you start, right? I just gave you an analogy about the marathon and the sprint, right? It ain't how you start just because he had your name and numbers from year to year. Didn't you say you got to cut that? But listen to me, didn't you just tell me about climbing the mountain, and then when the next year comes, you got to start all the way back over?

Yes. Well, just because it didn't start the way it did the previous two years, doesn't mean we're not going to get what we want to get to. But just what you said, you told me the reason, even though we started bad, look at how we started last year. Look at how we started a year before. That's where the promise comes in at, where there's nothing to worry about because you know where it's going to get to.

It just didn't start off the way it did the two previous years. We still got the same regime. We still got the same personnel. That's how you know it's going to be all right. But your quarterback is not as healthy. Everything is predicated on him. Oh, my goodness. Listen, you're not listening to me.

Joe Burrow at 100% is the second best quarterback in the league behind Patrick Mahom. Yeah. Joe Burrow at 80%. is the third best quarterback in the league. No, not even close. Not even close to be at 80%. Man, stop playing with Joe Shiksy, man. But here's the thing, Ocho, what you're failing to mention,

is that Joe Burrow at 100% can rise that sinking ship, which is your poor offensive line. But see, now Joe Burrow at 80%, they bring him down. They drown him. They drown the rest of this team. It's not like you got, it's not like you have the 2000 Ravens defense. That's not what you have.

So now you need, you need Joe to be almost 100% because of the inequities that you have, the glaring what you have in the offensive line. Right. Your secondary, whew, your secondary, you can't keep losing the, the bond bells and the guys that they lost. those are big subtractions that you got, don't Joe? Listen, we're going to be all right again. Okay.

I'm going to check back with you. We're going to be all right. It's early. Matter of fact, check back in with me when we get about week six or seven. And when I'm able to hit you with that, what I told you. What I told you about that marathon? What I told you about when you run that 1500? You don't need to lead the lap, the first three, four laps.

Well, I hope you're doing. All you need to do is stay right in somebody hip pocket. until it's time to kick. And when you kick, you make sure you kick at the right time. Ocho, you know, sometimes people just run a marathon just to say they ran one. I hope come week eight, y'all ain't just playing the remaining games just to say y'all finish the season, okay? Nah, no.

Okay, I'm just saying. We're not even feel like that. The Kenyans, they're running to win the race. Sue Ellen down the street, she's entered the marathon to say she ran chucking off her bucket lifts. Okay. I don't want the Bengals to check off the last seven. their games off the bucket list because they just had to finish out the season.

You're a non-believer. And one thing, one thing we love to do, we love to make believers out of non-believers. You keep that same, you keep that same energy, man, come, when they start getting cold. All right. Cowboys blow the doors off the Patriots. The 35-point loss

was the worst in Bill Belichick's career. The 55 points the Patriots have scored this season or the few they scored in the first four games. Since he became head coach in 2000, Belichick's first year. When you look at, we can talk, we can address the Cowboys

because again, what did they get? A scoop and score, a pick six, that one touchdowns. Now they are one, one red zone touchdown in their last eight trips. It's difficult to score in that red zone, man. I say, I said it, I said it before and I'll say it again. It's very difficult.

The closer you get to the end zone, or the closer you get to into the, into the opponent's territory and you haven't scored from, you know, 50, 60, you know, 50, you know, from the 40, it's very difficult to score. It's very difficult to score.

But the fact that the defense is playing so well, playing so well yet again and bails out the offense, that is a good thing. Because the tides are going to turn to some point when the defense isn't going to place so well where the offense takes over and it becomes their identity for that week.

Kind of like last week against Arizona. Ooh, I don't know, I don't know what, bingo. Oh, how long? You told me when the defense wasn't going to play well, that was going to be the office opportunity to bail them out. So I just went back to last week, like last week.

I mean, listen, what happened, what happened with the Dolphins and the Broncos last week? Whoa, whoa, whoa. And then you come, then you come into a game against today, against the bills. Yes. And everything changes. Week to week, different things change, depending on who you plan.

When you think about it, you would have thought Dallas is going there and going to kill Arizona. I mean, that's just, that's the nature of the beats in the NFL. Week to week, you just don't know. We're going to find out a lot more about, we'll know a lot more about the Cowboys over the next four games. They're on the road Sunday night football against the 49ers. Then they get the Chargers. They get the Rams. And then they get, who do they play after that?

Another team. The Eagles on the road. Three of the next four games are on the road. So I think we'll have a best. a better indication at the midway point exactly who the cowboys are. So basically, out of the next three games, one of these games could basically be the NFC championship. Yeah.

An early NFC championship. Basically, that's all it is. Yeah. That's all it is for that. Because, I mean, it's really top-heavy. Basically, you got the 49ers, you got the Eagles, and you got the Cowboys. That's it. I mean, but then what happens, you know, come playoff time.

you get a game like surprisingly, sometimes you never know. You get an Arizona come out of nowhere the way they played the Cowboys last week and something like that could happen come playoff time where the team that comes out of nowhere and gets an opportunity and gets a shot and knocks off a team that you would suspect

would beat them anyway. These games mean so much more, not only for purposes because guess what, now we have a common opponent. We played you when it comes to home field. You come now. you come back to the Bay or do we go to Dallas. You go to the Eagle, the financial field, or do you go to Dallas or do you go to the Bay?

So these games are going to be very important because at the end of the day, if it's an NSC championship game, I want it in my building. You want to be home? It doesn't guarantee me anything, but I want it in my building. It doesn't. I always thought about it. As a player, did you buy in a home field advantage? When I play away at away games, I can't even hit a crowd.

When I play home, I can't even hit a crowd. Right. Even though they're right there on top of you, I mean, just mentally, I'm in such a zone where I'm really not affected by any outside noise outside of what's going on in that moment on the field. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

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

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

Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I was

fortunate. I won one championship game at home. I won two on the road. The best part about winning on the road, is like being able to celebrate on somebody else's field and then the crowd is like leaving the stadium. Now you're at home and you lose those are your fans and you empathize.

We like, damn, we let them down, bro. We fought so hard to get home field so we could play this game in front of our fans. Right. And we didn't get it done today. You lay an egg. You lay an egg. But give the Cowboys credit.

boys again, a scoop and score, a pick six. They played extremely well. They made them one-dimensional, and they were able to put pressure on Mac Jones all night long. So that wasn't needed, even though he had good numbers, I think the thing that Mike McCarthy is going to keep preaching, guys, we've got to catch these possessions in. Kick and field goal gets you beat against good teams.

Yeah. Scoring touchdown when you championship, when you get into the red zone. And then you're going to play teams that have in high all high-octane offense. Yes. That's going to score points. Yes. Sometimes they, and they scoring them from far out.

Because when you play the 49ers, man, ain't no telling what the hell they're going to do. When you play the Eagles, ain't no, you got to deal with Devante Smith and AJ Brown. Then you got Swift coming out the backfield. You got all the guys. And they can score from anywhere. So you're going to have to take,

when you do get those turnovers, you got to turn them into points. And I'm not talking about three. Do you believe Coach Belichick can pass Don Shuler? He's 29 to win away. Because see, look, okay, Coach Shula has 329, I mean 347 career victories, correct? Right. Career victories.

He has 328 regular season victories. Coach Belichick has 299. So do you believe he can pass, do you believe he can pass him? I think, I believe he could pass him, but he would have to, he would have to, you would have to go some more. Yeah, no, no disrespect. He would have to, I think maybe the quarterback situation. I think maybe the quarterback situation. I don't know if, if today is a good testament or a test of Mac Jones.

I think Mac Jones is who he is. We've seen enough of Mac Jones to, to know that this is what we're going to get. And you can't turn the ball. You can't turn the ball over. You can't turn the ball over because you don't have the offense to overcome turnovers. They can't score on your possessions. The opposing team can't score on your possession. It's hard enough to defend them when they have the ball.

Now you're giving them points on your possessions. It's almost impossible to overcome that. Yeah. I mean, they don't have the firepower. Obviously, Tom is not there. Tom is not walking through that door. And he ain't coming back. Yeah, you ain't coming back.

And the offense is just different and just different, you know, as opposed to when when times were a little bit simpler when number 12 was at the helm. You know, sometimes you don't realize how good you have something until it's gone. You know, everybody starts to believe whether it's a relationship. You know, you're like, I find somebody else.

There are more of me. There are more you than are me. And then you realize, well, damn, she did do an awful lot. She kept me organized. She kept me on point. She kept this in order. I got the kids ready.

I didn't have to worry about all that. Then all of a sudden, sometimes I think Coach Belichick thought, like, you know what? Man, this is all me, bro. I got this. I'm doing all the shopping. You know, I'm hiring all the help.

And, nah, bro. I don't think, I don't think he thought that. There's no way he thought that in understanding how special. Did you read Seth Wickersham, please, about he wanted to get rid of Brady back in 2017 for Jimmy G. You think, oh, yeah. Well, guess, did you, did you, I know who went upstairs and told him to get Jimmy G out of here? Because I don't want that over my shoulder. So why would he have to do that if he wasn't trying to get rid of it?

Okay, I mean, yeah, you're right. I didn't think about it. But sometimes, you know, that's like you have a girlfriend. You have a girlfriend. I'm just using this analogy so people can get a better understanding where I'm going from. Yes, yes, people understand relationships. You got a girlfriend and you see something that is beautiful. Let's say you date in a seven, you see a 10, and you think that 10 is so much better than what you already have at home.

Right. You leave your girl and you're going to try and go date this 10. And it comes out to be nothing like what you had before. And you end up regretting it. You end up being miserable. And that's basically the situation. Give me the status seven. That's steady seven.

That's going to be like my grandma used to say like an old shoe. That's going to be there. That's going to be tried and true. Every time. Every time. And there's a reason. There's a reason in the Bible. The number of completion is number seven.

and I'm taking seven with you all day. When you shoot craps and you want to hit. Seven out. Seven out, baby. Talk to me now. Stay with me. The Bears blow the largest lead. I think if I'm not mistaken in the history,

Justin Fields was having the day of days. He was having the game of his career. Beautiful. Until the final three drives. He goes lost fumble to tie the game, turnover on downs on a four. That was coach. because you kick the field goal and you go up three

and now you force them to either kick the field goal to tie you or get the touchdown to beat you and then the game ending interception. Here is something that's very interesting, Ocho. The Bears might be tanking for Caleb Williams because not only if they tanked, they get the number one pick, but they got Carolina's pick also, which could be the number two pick.

So you could possibly get Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison, Jr. You think, would they do that? Would they do that? Would they really sabotage the play calling offensively and defensively week in and week out to get Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison, Jr.? We see them do it all the time in basketball.

Listen, that takes us back to the situation and analogy that we just explained and having something at your disposal, having something at your helm, that you don't even know what to do it, but you're trying to say, you know, well, forget this, I'm going to try to go get these new these new shiny toys

that are doing extremely well at the collegiate level. Same thing again. Same thing again. We just talked about that. Yes, but I personally Ocho, I do not believe the Bears will pass on two quarterbacks because they had the highest grade, Bryce Young and Caleb Williams. I don't believe

they'll pass on both of those quarterbacks. Right. Do you, honestly, do you believe they will pass on both of those quarterbacks? I don't think so. I don't think so. But again, if you, if you didn't know what to do with the one you got now. If you don't know what to do with the one you got now, what makes you believe you're going to know what to do with the one you get from U.S.

Well, another regime, because here's the thing now. I believe another regime would come in. If you stood with Justin Fields, that's three regimes. That'll be his third regime. Now, you said it was Matt Nagy and his play calling. You said it's Eber Fluse and that play called whoever the OCS. So at some point in time, we got to look, as great as Justin Fields played in the first three, the first up until those final three drives.

Right. He was awful, the last three drives. Right. So, I mean, you base in, so you're not even taking what he did throughout the game where he was playing phenomenal football, great football at that, based on, you know, Woody has showed us so far at the beginning of the season. and the growth where it could, hey, one game, all you need is a little confidence, and boom, you have that kind of game you had outside of those last three drives.

So you're basing this performance on those last three drives only? Let me ask you a question. You go to Vegas, you've been to Vegas? You have a gamble in Vegas? Well, I'm cheap. Now you know I ain't spending no money. But let's just say for the sake of argument, you go to Vegas. Okay.

For the sake of the argument. Okay. You play in poker. You have 20 million. You got 20 million. How much? You up $20 million. and then at the end of the night, you lost it all.

Are they going to talk about that you was up $20 million, or they're going to talk about the fact that you lost? Oh, they're going to talk about the fact that I lost. So what are we talking about right now with Justin Fields? Okay, I got you. When you put it like that? I got to put it to it in context that. Listen, when you put it to me like that,

God damn. God damn. Because how quarterback, what do we measure Tom Brady? Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the greats, a lot of these guys, they play bad the whole game. But when they needed to put something together, the last five minutes.

They always come through. Always come through. Every time. And Justin feels was having a day of his life throwing the football. We know what his legs are. His legs are magical. But in today's game,

you're not going to win your way. You're not going to run your way to a championship with your quarterback legs. You're not. It's just not. Because they've set the game up, Ocho, for you to be able to throw all this incidental

contact, all this holding, all this hand to the face, all this, uh, uh, uh, what, defenseless receiver. And you could only hit the quarterback in this area. Let that sink in, Ocho. Yeah, yeah. You can only hit the quarterback in the, on, in the width of his, of his numbers. So this is 12 or this is 14 or whatever your quarterback numbers is. That's the only target you can hit.

Right. I mean, that, that, that is, that, that is crazy when you think about it in hindsight. Another thing I would, I would go back to is the NFL. actually protecting themselves long term for anybody that try to come back. That's a whole other topic. But again, they've handicapped the defense to a point to where it's a past happy league. And it's almost unfair. It's almost unfair, you know, for those that play defense to the point where those

that are getting paid defensive league quarterbacks, they deserve every dime. They deserve every dime they get because they can't do nothing. They can't do nothing. Nothing. because it potentially, if we go back and look, the Jets had gotten off the field, had gotten an interception from Patrick Mahomes. Yeah.

And they got a little five-yard hole. It was 30-16. They got a five-yard penalty. On sauce. First down. That wasn't, man. Robert Sala had every right to be going off on the sideline on that coach because that could have changed the momentum

and the shift of that game for them, and they ruined it. We talked about this guy last week. Chase Claypool. Chase Claypool. My God. Chase. He wasn't at the game. The team spokesman said he was told to stay away.

The Steelers traded him for the 32nd pick in the draft. They're hoping they can get a fifth or a sixth round pick. I told you last week. Imagine if TJ or one of your receiver teammates has said, Ocho knows that's not that performance, that type of effort is not acceptable. that had nothing to do why they told him to stay at home. I think they told him to stay at home

because of the comments that he made when a reporter asked him all the Chicago Bears using you right offensively, and his answer was no. And basically based off his answer and being honest and truthful on them not using him the right way

because as you can see, the Bears aren't playing good football offensively. They're not using any of their offensive stars the right way, including DJ Moore or D.J. Moore. Or D.J. Mooney. Let me ask you question.

Was Pittsburgh using them correctly? Not to his full potential. They traded him because of what they had in the receiver room already. Well, you know, if he's what you said, hold on. Hold on, wait a minute. Yeah. If he's what you said he is, cream rise to the top, regardless of what's in that room. Right.

If he is what you said he is, why does it matter that Deontay Johnson or George Pickens or whomever else is in that room, why does it matter if Chase, Claypool is what you said he is. Listen, that's the issue and a problem with personnel in the Steelers organization and not wanting him around. But I have an understanding of watching him, watching him in college. Huh? Who don't want good players around?

What, it's the NFL, everybody good. It's the NFL, everybody good. That's why they feel, oh, we can get rid of him and get the production from somewhere else and somebody else. That's the nature of the business. That's the nature of the beast, and that is the way to think. And you know what? Sometimes you don't get that. Sometimes you don't replace what you think might be better.

The grass ain't always green on the other side. Oh, Joe, you normally get one chance to go somewhere and they say, you know what, they didn't use them properly. It's kind of like the James Harden situation. You can't force your way out of Houston, force your way out of Brooklyn, try to force your way out of Philly and think people are going to empathize with you. You can't keep saying. When you putting up 21, 13 and 8, yes, you can. No, you can. Because you see what's happening right now, don't you?

Because everybody goes to say how long before he's unhappy here? Man, anybody would take James Hard, man, don't do that. We talk about one of the most prolific scores of all time, nah, coming off the dribble. Don't do that. Don't do that. Come on now. And I know you're not trying to compare James Hard and Cheapeau. No, I'm saying.

That's two completely different spectrums. I'll tell you what. How about this here? Antonio Brown. Yes, sir. The Pittsburgh Steelers got tired of him. The Oakland Raiders got tired of him. The New England Patriots got tired of it.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got tired of it. Don't tell me you can't wear out your welcome because you can, Ocho, and I don't care how great you are. Right. Okay. Would that a better comparison? How about AB? I got came off a hundred catch season, 13, 14,400 yards.

And what did the Steelers do? Moved on. Has it been so far since he's been gone? How's it been for him? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. How has it been for him? How has it been, from an officer standpoint, a receiver production since he's been going?

I'm just asking. I'm just asking. You just told me, you love George Pickens. You just told me that. I do. I do. I do love him to death. Okay.

What you mean? I have, but you still didn't answer the question. Right. What has the production been the same since he's, he's been gone. No. And you just answer the question. That's all I'm asking.

Have we gotten the same type of production AB produced? No. No. And he's did it. Why? Now, why? So, wait,

let me finish. Now, stay with me. Now, stay with you. So we haven't gotten the same type of production. No. Chase, Jake Claypool is gone from the Steelers, right? Yes. Yes.

Because they were, they're not using, they say they weren't using him right, right? That's what he said. I don't know. I don't know. You got George Pickens. I'm, you got Deontze Johnson.

Are they using them fellas right? They're using them correctly. I just don't know the guy that's throwing the ball. I don't know if he's correct. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If they were using them correctly, they would still be able to put up somewhat of the numbers that AB was, no?

Or am I on my trip on? Hold on. Are you comparing those guys to AB? AB was on a, could make a case that he's, he's an all-decade receiver. Yeah. No, no, I'm just saying.

He can make a case. He's an all- You made the kid. You just compared one of the best Prolific NBA scores to Chase Clarepool. What's the difference? No, what I'm saying, you only get grace in moving

a handful of times. You can't keep moving and saying, they're not using me correctly. At some point in time, you can't keep saying this organization is bad. Okay, you said Houston was bad.

You went to Brooklyn. That organization was bad. Now you're in Philly. Philly's bad. You want to go somewhere else. Hold on. I forgot. Hold on.

I forgot about OKC. so OKC Houston, Brooklyn, Philly how many times do we get to change and the only common denominator the organization is still going was the common denominator the individual

So I'm just saying with Chase Claypool I don't Ocho, think about it he's a big kid I think he's like 6, 5, 2.30 ran extremely well just like Brandon Marshall If you look his numbers, his Notre Dame numbers

didn't, didn't like, man, who, because a lot of people thought the kid was going to have to bulk up and move the tight end. Right. Something is going on with him internally. Mm-hmm. And I don't know what it is, but these teams, Ocho, you know these teams will move on, man.

Yeah, they'll eat 30, 40, 50 million dollars like it's nothing. Quick. Quick, because they go, they go make it up anyway. They're going to make it up anyway. Hey, they're not going to have you dragging your feet on there. But he just got to make it up in his mind. Bro, you want to play football or not? Right.

I don't know what, I don't know what's going on. I think he got something at home. Go ahead. He need the right situation. I think he needs to be in the right. I don't know what the right situation is. I think he needs to feel welcome. He needs to feel welcome where he is.

And that's all that takes some time, Shannon. That's all to take some time is for a player to be in a situation where he feels welcome. Where he's at a team where they. where they want to use him, where they want to make them a part, an intricate part of the offense. That's all.

Sometimes that's all we want. You know what I feel most welcome? Yeah. The bank. How are you doing, Mr. Sharp? How are you today? I feel so welcome when I walk up in that thing, Oh, Joe.

I don't know about you. But that's why I feel most welcome at. When they say, Mr. Sharp, what can we do you today? What can we do for you today? Ain't that what you feel welcome? Sometimes it ain't even about the money Sometimes they want to play for the love of the game

Man stop it I think his frustrations I think Chase Claypool's frustrations about the love of the game Not the check But if it was about the check He wouldn't be complaining about them Not using them the right way

So I'm staying I'm standing with my receiver They're not using the right way And then I'm not finished Because they ain't using none of the motherfuckers They got over there Oh, I curse my bad They're not using none of the receivers they got

They're not using DJ more right And, man, you know what? Did J. Moore have a nice game today? Yeah. Oh, today? We in Week 200. He should have been having a day. He should be having a nice game every week.

Because if you want to win, if you want to take that donut so you're not O for, you got to get the ball, you got to get your special players. You got to get him involved in the offense and make it for everybody else. You know what? I love how it's week 200 for everybody else except the Bengals. It's only week four for the Bengals. But it's week 2000 for everybody else. Well, listen, well, the bears haven't been in contention

in a very long time. We coming off, God damn two AFC championships, so it's different. For us, we got a little leeway. We got time to, we got time to get it together. Y'all just made it a lot. What the last time the Bears been to the playoffs? I'm just asking.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. 2017? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. CMAX, Kristen McCaffrey, another outstanding day,

106 rushing yards. 71 receiving yards, full total touchdowns. He's the third player in NFL history to have 600 scrimmage yards and seven scrimmage touchdowns in his first four games. He joins Emmett Smith and Jim Brown, who did so twice.

Is it time for us to start putting him in the MVP conversation or should he have already been there? He should have already been there. He should already been there because he was a workhorse when he was in Carolina. He comes to San Francisco

and asks to the offensive dynamic that they already had going on. And now he's a work course here. And he's doing things just broke Jerry Rice's record for most consecutive touchdowns in the game. Today, what he had three? He had four, three or four? Four.

Like, what are we doing? He's coming out of the backfield. He's running off tackle. He's catching sweeps. He's lined up at receiver. He's lined up in the slot. He's doing something of everything. And then we talk about who's the best running back in the game.

And this is what I do when I think about the best out of position. I think about all. all 32 teams. Now, think about players that you can take, let's say you're not, you take Christian McCaffrey off the 49th's offense. How many running backs in the NFL can go into the offense and do the same thing he's doing right now? Probably him.

Thank you. And when I thought about it and I broke it down and thought about it based on what he's able to do as far as being a Swiss Army knife, the only thing I can come up, the only person I can come up name I can come up with was Alvin Kamara. Similar. You know, style-wise. You know, different in their own right. But they can do sooner.

But Christian McCaffrey is the best running back in the game right now. He just is. It is. He can do so many different things. He can do so many different things and do them well. And that's the kind of player when it's time to get paid. Let's say if he hadn't already got paid, that's the kind of player that wouldn't have a problem getting his money as a running back.

Because he does every goddamn thing. If I'm not mistaken, I don't think they've lost a regular season game since he's been there. I think there were a 500 ball club when they traded for him. And I don't think they've lost the regular season game. But he's been outstanding. And if he were to win the MVP, he'd be the first running back to win the award since Adrian Peterson won it in 2012. Well, Adrian Peterson was special, man.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, have mercy. He almost got Eddie's record. 2,097 rush yards that year. He's single-handedly because Kristen Ponder was his quarterback. A guy was in the league, but Adrian Peterson single-handedly, put that team on his back and ran. them into the playoffs.

Yeah. Unbelievable. So you believe Christa McCaffey should be in the MVP discussion? Yeah, he should be in the MVP discussion. But as you know, when it comes to MVP, being the most valuable player, it will always go to a quarterback.

It will always go to a quarterback unless you are just immaculately, like, special. What he's doing is great. What he's doing is great. But at some point, you know, your Patrick Mahom is going to come through. and just just, just, and all those guys,

yeah. And, you know, even though they Josh Allen shipped up, Josh has a chance to win it, he just got to be consistent. If he do, if he do what he did the day and continue to do it,

man, shit. I don't know if you've been following, but the Rams have a guy. God damn. Pooka. Pooka. Pooka is duke in on these folks in the NFL. He has more yards than all four first round receivers

combined. He has 39 catches, which is first in the NFL. 501 receiving yards, which is first in the NFL. And he just scored his first touchdown. So his 5001 yards beat Anquan record of 463 through his first four games. His 39 catches breaks Anquan's voting, 30 catches also. And he's doing it. He was the 20th receiver drafted. Yeah.

No, I'm not saying the 20th. player. I'm saying he's the 20th receiver. That was taken. And he's doing it all for a grand total of $811,000. Can I tell you something real quick? Yeah. This is, this is, this is, this is a testament to what I've always been saying about using the players at your disposal. Yeah. That's exactly what McBay is doing. You have a guy that's a rookie coming out of college that is breaking all kind of records and in your scheme you have the perfect scheme for him where you're getting the most value out of him he's doing he's a bigger cubicle he's doing he's doing unbelievable things but look what happens look what happens you see how easy it is it's funny that the rams

have figured it out but you know what happens it's funny that the ramp to figure it out you put your players in position to make plays and what do they do every team should be able to take whatever philosophy they're doing over there with the Rams, because Cooper Cup did it when he had the Triple Crown another year. Right. Now you get someone who was the 20th picked receiver out of all the receivers when none of them are playing the way he is, but why is that? Because why is that?

Oh, you got a factor this in also. He's getting the ref that Cooper Cup would have gotten. Do you think he could have putting up these numbers with Cup in the lineup? Because all those targets would have been going to Cup. Right. That's letting you know, though. That's letting you know that it's plug in, plug out. Plug in and plug out.

Antonio Brown is going. Okay, we plugging in George Pickens and Deante Johnson. The production should still be the same if you know how to use the players the right way. No, I don't believe, I don't believe if you had another quarterback, you would get this kind of production. Because Antonio Brown, production, a lot of it, was predicated on who, Big Ben.

Big Ben is going to the Hall of Fame. Now, he wouldn't put, A.B. was not going to be getting no 125 catcher with no, with no picket, with no Kenny picket. He ain't going to be having those 15, no, stop it. Stop it.

Man, listen. Man, AB, man, AB could, the mother Teresa could be our quarterback and AB can go 1,400. Don't do that. This ain't, this ain't just your average receiver now. We, we're not going to do that. No, but look, the thing is that the great,

it makes it easier. Yeah. I see what you say. It makes it easier, but then when you're a special talent, when it's not easy, you can still make it possible. Yeah, it goes way up.

Yeah, okay. Look at, I mean, Jerry, Jerry goes from Joe Montana to Steve Young to first ballot. Yeah. I mean, me, now, when I look at a D. Hopkins, and I look at some of the quarterback, I'm like, how do you know, D. Hopkins made all pro with these quarterback?

He liked that. I'm like, jeez. He liked that. His first is his last name is him. Man, I mean, he was, Case Keenan was throwing him passes and, and, and, I don't, I don't remember the, man. I don't, I don't remember all the names of the quarterback carousel.

Brock Oswald and Houston at the time. And he was getting it done with everybody. Yes. Yes. Look, I don't know, man. The Steelers got a tough goal because it looked like Kenny Pickett got dinged at the end of that bought that. He left in the third.

He left in the third and then come back. That wasn't his ACL, was it? The way he was, he was walking, he was walking so gingerly. It wasn't the ankle. He walking gingerly like that. He grabbed his knee right away. Yeah. I'm hoping, I'm hoping it's not.

I'm hoping. I'm hoping. I'm hoping so also. I, you know, it's just, it's just tough, man, because this is a very, this is a very physical game. These guys are getting, they're getting bigger. They're getting faster. Faster.

They're getting stronger. And the collisions are greater, Ocho. And you know what's not changing? the dimensions of the field. Nope. The dimensions have not changed one bit, but everyone else is getting bigger, fast, and stronger.

So something going to have to give. I don't care how much you try to protect the players, something going to have to give. Yeah, you're playing an inherently dangerous game. I don't care how safe you make the car. When you increase the speed, there's a greater risk that things going to happen. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Big trade. We talked about Dame getting trade to the buck. The Celtics counter that move. They make up trade for a holiday. So now you got Holiday, Brown, Tatum, Prasinger, Al Horford, and then now Buck starting five is Dane, Beasley,

Chris Middleton, Yonis, and Lopez. Still. Who you like? Who are you with? Oh, are you still with your heat? No, because I had people making fun of me. Obviously, just for context, being that I am a fan of the heat,

I purposely put the heat first. But let me get into, into my basketball turns and basketball knowledge and what I know of the game, obviously the bucks. Obviously the bucks are the best team in the East. You like the bucks over the Celtics? Oh, yeah, most definitely.

I mean, they have a great squad. Obviously, they top heavy with just a top two. They top heavy with Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum. I mean, when it comes down the stretch, you need a goddamn shot, there's only two people you can actually go to. You don't know what you're going to get from the rest of the fellas. You don't like a holiday?

Yeah, Jew is nice. Yeah, Jew is nice. But I'm talking about, listen, and you got a defender. The only thing I'm going to say about the Celtics, they did give up some of their sides with Robert Williams. Yeah, so they're playing small now. Yeah. You're playing small?

Yeah, I guess, I guess, you know, because my question is, who are you going to put on Yanis? You're going to put Porzingis on him? You're going to put Arnizondon. Is Porzingian going to stay healthy? Yeah. How about that? Is it going to be healthy?

Which poor Zingas are you going to get? Night in and night out. Because the problem that you have is that you can't build a wall to try to keep Yannis out in the lane now because you got damed. He hitting you from anywhere. He hits you from 80 feet.

Yeah. Yeah. And they're still a big team because you got Yonis, you got Lopez, you got porters, so you still go 610 or above. Yeah.

Or you can go smaller if you want to. You got small if you want to. Yeah. Wait, well, Middleton's 6-8? Yeah, Middleton's a big dude. Six-seven, six-eight, yeah. So, yeah. Holiday like six-five?

How tall's holiday? No, he can't, you know, a holiday ain't that damn tall, man. Would you think he was six-four? He might be six-three. You look about six-three on TV. I've never seen him in person. Holiday six-five? Holiday six-five.

What I don't? So that means everybody else, everybody else just that much taller than him. They had been thinking he was about six-three or six- Six, two. Yes, yes. Them guys are giant. I mean, guys that you think, oh, man, no, no, they're not. Middleton's got to be at least six, seven.

He's six, seven. Yeah, I told you. Yeah, and I know, I know Chris. And so you got Yonis at 611. You got Lopez at seven foot. You got Portals at six, ten and a half. They got a big team. So the question is, it's going to be a great,

it's going to be a tremendous matchup. James Hardin is unhealthy. And now you still got, who you're going to put on a Joel and B if you're the Celtics. Porzengis, you ain't got no choice. At 7-3, 117 pounds? You have no choice because you have no size. Anybody there's nobody there's nobody else you can put on them.

You ain't got no Draymond Green that got that dog in him. That can just fighting and crawl and scratch and you know what I'm trying to say. That's going to get it out the mud. You don't have that. So you got to put size on them, even though, even though he lighten their ass, you got no choice. I mean, Porzinger, first of all, Porzinger, that man's so skinny,

he could look through a keyhole with both eyes. You don't normally look through the keyhole, you got a clover with your eyes, Ocho. That's how scared of that man is. Yeah, you're right. Look, it's going to, Miami is going to rule this because what they could have done

is control their own destiny. Easily. Not only did you let Milwaukee get strong, you let the Peseltis get strong also. Yeah. Because now they got guys, they got three, four guys that can go get a bucket in a crunch situation. You got JT, you got J.B, and you got Holiday that can go get a bucket.

Prozingis can stretch the floor, knocked down a three. So now you're going to open up lanes so those guys can get to the rack on you. All three of those guys can put the ball on the floor. Holiday over the last three seasons is almost 40% from the three. in the regular season, man, this cripple your, we are behind,

we're behind the eight ball. We behind the eight ball, but what we do do is we play team basketball extremely, extremely well with no super, super, super duper star. Right. We play together as a unit extremely well,

but it's going to be tough. It's going to be tough to beat the bucks and it's going to be goddamn tough to beat the Celtics. Yeah. It's going to be buried, buried, Very, very, very tough.

Very tough. So tomorrow night, the Giants take on Seattle. Seattle. Gino Smith, let's go, baby. I'm looking forward to that game. D.K. Mackap, Gino, Walker, the third, Kenneth Walker, the third. And we're going to see.

I don't think Seekwine's going to play. So again, the ball is in Daniel Jones's hand. You know what you're going to get. What are we going to get? What are we going to get, okay? We're going to get another. example on why you should have paid your running back. Wow.

And I have nothing to get Daniel Jones. I mean, just like we, hey, listen, everybody talks about the quarterbacks and seeing it is what it is and this is what you get based on the situations that they've been put in before. Yeah. What are we going to get? And you're playing a great Seahawks defense. Mm-hmm. You're playing a great Seahawks defense.

Man. I got, I can, you want me to take the score line? What score? I can take the score line right. Now, 2712, Seahawks. Wow. Yeah, 2712 Seahawks. And I'm telling you right now, you heard it here first.

So if you're a gambling, man, you might want to listen to me. Throw something on the floor for me. I'm going to pick it up. Don't listen to that man. The man told you he don't gamble. So don't listen to it. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for tuning in tonight, Cap. I am Shannon Sharp, your favorite dog.

He's your favorite number 85, Chad Ochosinko Johnson. We'll see you tomorrow night. after tomorrow night's ball game. Oh, yeah. Call me if you need me. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band

with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok.