The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Patriots, Freddie Kitchens, Cowboys, and where Colin was right & wrong

Episode Date: December 2, 2019

Colin explains the main problem with the Patriots, why Freddie Kitchens just doesn't get it and will be fired soon, why the Cowboys shouldn't be too upset, and where he was right and wrong over the weekend. Guests include Doug Gottlieb, Jane Slater, Eric Dickerson, 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. Oh, it is a Monday, and we are packed. This is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. One hour from now, a great edition. Colin was right. Colin was wrong.

We are absolutely packed. Joy Taylor is joining me. You know, Monday after Thanksgiving, we got the Cowboys to talk about on Thursday. It is a jam show today. How was your Thanksgiving? It was great. How was yours? Mine was out west where it was cold. Yours was out east where it was really cold.

Actually, it was nice. It wasn't too windy. And the Steelers got to win. And the Dolphins got to win. And the Dolphins got to win. I had a great weekend. Going to be hard to tolerate Joy Taylor today. The Dolphins and the Steelers won. Let me talk about this. So this morning, oh my Lord, panic in New England. Super Bowl's over. Oh my God. It's over.

Brady shot. Really? Let's see. First downs. New England had twice as many as Houston. Third down efficiency. New England was over 50%. They passed for 300 yards. They rushed for three times as many yards as the Texans and dominated time of possession. No. They just have a problem in New England.

It's called Antonio Brown. If he's on the team today, they're favored to win the Super Bowl. Folks, football in America is changing. Kids are smart. I see it in California high school recruiting. The top 100 players in California next year, 30-year-wide receivers, 10 or quarterbacks. Kids don't want to play running backs because they can't get a second contract. Kids want to be wide receivers because they'll sign you early for a third or a fourth contract.

And New England does one thing not very well. Wide receiver. That's why they had to go get Josh Gordon and had to roll the dice on Antonio Brown. Houston does a lot of things wrong. but they got the quarterback right and the wide receiver right. I watched the Houston Texans on a weekly basis get out-coached, out-schemed, out-smarted, and out-played. But Deshawn Watson rolls out, throws a flag football up in the air,

you know, flag football play, they diagram, and one of their unbelievable wide receivers goes and catches it. Minnesota, Baltimore, San Francisco, Kansas City, You know, Houston have done a really good job to stay ahead of the curve and pay for wide receivers and scout wide receivers and go get wide receivers. It allows you freebies. It allows you to get outcoached and outplayed and win. New England does not have an ace on the pitching staff. Therefore, forcing Julian Edelman, who'd be a great number two to be their number one.

And Mohamed Sunu, who'd be a great number three to be their number two. ask yourself this if you think the season's over for New England. Are they good enough at head coach to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough on defense to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough on special teams to win a Super Bowl? Yes.

Are they good enough with their coordinators and their offensive line to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough at running back to win the Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough at quarterback to win the Super Bowl? Yes, they are. They did it last year. But they're not good enough at weapons.

therefore forcing New England to have to be perfect. No penalties, 12 played drives, because they don't get any freebies over the top. And they've done everything well in New England for 20 years. But I have been banging on them. Joy is my witness. Tuey is my witness. Gouley is my witness. I've been saying this for about five years on New England. They don't scout receiver well.

They don't draft it well. They don't develop it very well. Julian Edelman was a college quarterback. That's classic New England. We're not good at receiver. We'll find somebody who's not a receiver, make him a receiver, and Brady will make him great. It's not the end of anything.

This organization does everything right, but we have a changing football world, and it's really changing on the outside in New England doesn't do that well. And my gut feeling is they have a Hail Mary. The Hail Mary is Antonio Brown gets potentially cleared. They give him a second chance, and everything changes. Then you'd have to double Antonio.

Edelman's a great two, sinews a remarkable three, and then Philip Dorset and the keel-Herry are terrific fours. But now everybody's got to move up, and it's just not good enough. You can out-coach triple the Texans rushing. Better on third down, more first downs, better on more, yes, but Deshaun Watson flings it up a couple times. We got receivers. We figured that out and we win the game.

That's the new NFL. You better not be lousy at wide receiver. And New England now may not be lousy, but they're not very good. Still a very good football team, as Tom Brady said afterwards. We're not to those very high expectations. And the expectations for our team often are, you know, a very, very, very high level. And I understand that. But at the same time, I think there's realistic expectations with our circumstances

and incorporating different elements and players and injuries. And again, we're just trying to do the best that we can do. I think they're still in the Super Bowl picture, but can no longer be a favorite unless the Hail Mary to Antonio Brown develops. For the record, Brady went to the owner and put up a massive fight to keep A-B for a reason. He knew this would be the issue. They're good enough everywhere else, but get no freebies over the top now. Let's shift gears to Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Tip of the cap to Mike Tomlin, coach of the year, maybe get my vote. Great organizations overcome obstacles, Steelers. Lousy organizations create obstacles, Cleveland. The NFL has always been about structure, and structure is boring. NBA's about stars, that's fun. International soccer's about stars, that's fun. Football's about structure. owner, GM, coach, quarterback, grownups, high IQ, totally focused, kind of boring.

The Cleveland Browns have been so chaotic for years, their structure, so inept, so mocked, so poorly thought of in the league that Freddie Kitchens gets a head coaching job. Freddie Kitchens was a position coach. For years and years, he was known as sort of a funny, likable southern NFL position coach. Then, because he's over his skis, he was given the big boy job in the corner table, and he puffs his chest out, and he just doesn't feel right. And so now Baker Mayfield, and I could hammer Baker all day today, but I will not. Because I've said from the beginning, Baker is not talented enough to overcome a below-average head coach

or a general manager, John Dorsey, who was run out of a better organization, Kansas City. Freddie Kitchens did something, and this really sums it up. I've always said this about crimes. I understand some crimes. I understand crimes of passion. You walk in, your wife's having an affair,

you take a baseball bat to a guy, crime of passion. Your kid's starving. You walk into a 7-Eleven, you grab a loaf for bread and peanut butter. Your son's crying at home, they're starving. It's a crime of desperation. Bank robbery is a special kind of dumb. You got to plan it.

You got to call people. You need help. It takes weeks. Nobody in the time goes, we're robbing a bank with security cameras. Not great. This is Freddie Kitchens. I understand coaches in the moment. Big game, highly leveraged, a lot of pressure, make a play call, and you and I don't like it.

I'll defend coaches on that. These games go fast. The clock is running. 75,000 people. It's a playoff game. Millions on the line. I make a call on third down. I go for it and I make a bad call.

I'll defend you. But to put a T-shirt on knowing you are now mocking a violent event which embarrassed your franchise in the NFL and allow a fan to take a picture of it is a special kind of dumb. That's what a position coach does or a rookie player does. That is not what an NFL head coach does. and he addressed it after the game and doubled down on it. I wore a t-shirt.

I wore a jacket with it. My daughter's wanted me to wear the shirt, and I'd wear it again. I'd put a jacket on, I covered it up, I took a picture with a fan. That was as simple as that, you know. T-shirt didn't cause us to give up 40-yard passes, and we were ready to play. That's the only thing people need to be concerned about. We were ready to play. So you covered it up.

So you knew it wasn't a great idea. When you put that t-shirt on, you covered it up. But my daughter thought it was a great idea. My son thought farting in public was funny at six. I'm not going to do what my son thinks or my daughter thinks. I'm an adult, a head coach, a seven-figure NFL coach. And there was a violent act, regardless of whose fault, the NFL was embarrassed, your owner was embarrassed, your GM was embarrassed, the league was embarrassed.

And you mock it, like Cleveland's done all year. looking in the rear view mirror on an event two weeks ago. Folks, Freddie Kitchens is what Cleveland ends up with. Pittsburgh ends up with Mike Tomlin, Bill Cower and Chuck Knoll. Great organizations have a job opening, and the very best at everything rushes to sign up for it. Cleveland has a job opening, and Freddie Kitchens is the best candidate. great organizations,

Pittsburgh Steelers, on a third or fourth string quarterback, overcome obstacles. Lousy organizations wearing a t-shirt to a game, lousy organizations create obstacles. Ramon Foster of the Steelers couldn't believe when he saw

the coach and the t-shirt. Did you feel it was disrespectful for a coach to be wearing something like that? I'll eat up to you guys. I know our coach would have never done anything like that. Why throw gas? When you do something like that, you throw your players in a long way. Again, there is good news for Cleveland.

The good news between the helmet incident and your coach not having the wherewithal to understand how serious it was and mock it, it gives Cleveland the ability now to fire Freddie Kitchens. GMs do not like to hire coaches and have to fire them within a year. Because it means the GM hired the wrong guy. And John Dorsey has got an ego. He does not want to fire Freddie Kitchens. So that loss yesterday, if Cleveland wins that game and wins the rest of the games and goes 9 and 7,

Freddie Kitchens is hard to fire because I hired him. If I hire somebody, I don't want to fire him a year later, or I'm acknowledging I whiffed. But John Dorsey can now go out and say between the helmet, lack of respect, between the T-shirt, you know what, I gave a young man a chance and he just wasn't right for the job. So there is a silver lining in this annual dumpster fire. Freddie Kitchens is officially a coach, unofficially fired by the Cleveland Browns. It'll be announced fairly soon. A week, four weeks, five weeks, they'll move on.

coming up next, you know, everybody in the NFL, there are no perfect teams. Baltimore's close. There's no perfect teams. Everybody's got a problem. Actually, I'm watching Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys, they have the best problem in terms of a major problem. They have the best problem you could possibly have. Great news for Cowboy fans. It actually is coming up next.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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

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And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clifford Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clifford 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?

Come on out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the. I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on the Ernie Stewart for Chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney.

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

Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Looking for the perfect gift, get a shirt from Untuck. Designed to be worn on tuck. sent off the Cyber Monday sale going on now until 8 on Tuckett stores on tuckett.com. How about that? Cyber Monday today. Yes, which is basically every day for me.

Which is you go and you go on the internet and it used to be Black Friday was day after Thanksgiving. People line up. Yeah, I don't participate in that. Yeah, wife does a little bit on shoes, you know. And then today's the Cyber Monday. So as you watch our show, if you want to click, click, click, click, click, get some stuff. Be careful, though, out there. Yeah, right.

On the dark web. Yeah, the dark web's got all sorts of stuff that's not on sale. You want stuff? People sell like counterfeits stuff and all that. That is bad, clearly. Be careful where you're shopping. All right, 45 minutes from now, Colin Wright, Colin wrong, Doug Gottlieb in 10 minutes. So, you know, you look at the box, I look at the box score, first thing I do with football games.

Dallas gets all sorts of yards. Yards and stats are not the problem. Because personnel's not the problem. Dallas had more first downs, 10 more than Buffalo. They were just as good on 30. down, more plays, better yards per play, more passing yards, two for four in the red zone. Yards aren't the problem and stats aren't the problem. Why? Because personnel and playmakers are not the problem for Dallas. When I was in college, I used to eat a lot of top ramen because it was

really simple. Add hot water and stir. And I wasn't a chef. I'm still not. And it was an easy solution to my hunger. Add hot water and stir. I like problems like that. One thing to do, maybe a second easy thing. Dallas has the best problem in the NFL. Just add the right head coach and stir. Everything else is fine. Buffalo's got a great defense. Dallas had no problems moving the ball on maybe the second or third best defense in the NFL. Dallas, there are teams in this league. The New York Jets have a bad O line, need a new number. one receiver, need a number one cornerback, need an edge rusher.

The head coach and the defensive coordinator hate each other, and we're not sure if we like the owners. That's a bunch of problems. Cincinnati and Washington. I don't like the owners. I don't like the GM. I don't like the offensive lines. I don't like almost anything. Those are major problems. You need

a chef in that kitchen. Dallas, you've got all sorts of yards and stats and playmakers. You just got to get the right head coach. And we know three things. A, the Cowboys have the personnel. B, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones draft very well. They're really

an excellent drafting team, excellent scouting department. And C, Dallas pays. Jerry Jones does not get hand cramps. He writes big checks. And this is the kind of job where a very good coaching candidate in the NFL would look and go, man, you can walk right into that thing. I can walk right into that thing.

I can walk right into that thing. I got players. I can win. I can win right now. And you got Lincoln Riley out there. I'll just throw out Urban Meyer. Everybody thinks Urban Meyer wants to coach college football again. I'm not sure he does. I think he'd probably take a phone call from these guys.

I think Lincoln Riley would take a phone call from these guys. Most NFL jobs, you need a chef to fix. You've got to fix the O line. You've got to fix your wide receivers. You don't have any of those problems. This is add hot water and stir. They just get the right coach in. I mean, Buffalo just outcoached him.

That game was decided by three factors. One, a very clever trick play by Buffalo. Two, Cole Beasley. You think Buffalo was going to make a point and give Cole a chance to burn his old teammates? Dallas couldn't figure that out. You think you'd put more heat on Cole Beasley. And three, some situational football, second half in the football game, some adjustments. It's all coaching stuff.

So this is a great problem to have. The Jets have multiple problems. Cincinnati's got six. The Jets have four. Washington's got nine. Those are, you need Bobby Flay. I could figure out the Cowboys. Get the right coach.

Joy with the News. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd Line News. So the Steelers got a win and the Dolphins got a win. Oh, you're intolerable this morning. I am. Can't tell me anything.

The Eagles blew a 14-point lead in the second half yesterday to hand the dolphins. their third win in the last five games, 3731 over the Eagles. Doug Peterson knows they missed a big chance to tie the Cowboys at the top of the NFC East, but he's still trying to remain positive. We've self-destructed in a couple of areas today, and it hurt us, and we didn't make enough plays.

They made them, we didn't. As crazy as this is, I mean, I would say it's a long shot, but we're not out of it. We do have four of our division opponents coming up. Yep. And, you know, the guys got to understand that, and it's my job to make. sure they do understand that, that we're still fighting.

And in my position, I've got to make sure that the team understands that, you know, we've got to guard against that and we're still a good football team. And again, listen, it's about what we do. Speaking of trick plays, one of the best trick plays of the season. Maybe you have all time. Really, the punter, Matt Hack, flipped the ball to Jason Sanders, the kicker. We're showing it right here. I mean, that was just a, that was a duck.

That was a flying duck. You know what, though. I'll tell you this. every year we have a division champ. Every year of my life, Joy, we have a division champ and we're like, that's a, that's a team that's probably not a playoff team. And so the NFC East is going to have a team and we're like, we don't like the coach with one. We don't love the personnel with the other. It's just, just Philadelphia or Dallas, one of them's going to make the playoffs.

I'll probably take Dallas because they're healthier. But I mean, you never get eight division champs and you're like, they could all win the Super Bowl. Right. We've never felt that. It's just disappointing because the NFC East is usually so competitive. and it has three, well, really every, every team in that division is just a cornerstone franchise of the NFL. So, I mean, I felt like the dolphins would cover to begin with because northern teams coming down to Miami in December, we see it with the Patriots all the time. It's always one of those trap games you got to be careful with.

And I don't like the way the Eagles have been playing lately. And the dolphins have been playing hard as we talk about every single week. So this felt like a game that was easily loseable, including. Clearly it was. I mean, they blew it. And now he did mention the rest of their schedule. So they have the Giants at home. I think the Eagles have the Giants twice.

They have them twice at home. And the last game is at the Giants. And then they have the Redskins and the Cowboys. So they will sort out the rest of their season within the next four games. So I don't have a lot of hope in that, though. So the Patriots have been the Super Bowl favorites all season. But after the loss of the Texans last night, the Ravens have moved into the top spot. Baltimore is now the favorite at plus 260 with the Patriots and second.

at plus 400 according to Fox Bet. After the Ravens big win over the Niners, Lamar Jackson wore a shirt with your favorite saying, nobody cares, work harder. I love him. It was asked about that being the team's mentality this season. Well, you wear that shirt for most of your postgame pressers. Is that the mentality that you feel like there's on the scene?

Yeah, absolutely. That's every day. Nobody cares about what you're doing. You got to work harder. If you want to be the best, you got to work hard at being the best. if they doubt on you, work harder. It don't matter.

If they're opinion, you're just going to go. I love that game, first of all. First, oh, God, it was great. It was, uh, it just felt like how that game should go. Not a, you know, high flying, spectacular game,

just a grit and grind game down to the end of the two best teams in the league. And, and it was a great watch. And look, the Ravens are just, they're just unstoppable right now. It is what it is. They have that extra juice.

whatever it is. And I do think that's coming from, obviously, Lamar Jackson and his mentality. And that's a very Ravens mentality to have, too. Like, they're always an interesting and exciting team just because that franchise is always in the conversation for being competitive. Always been very emotional and like the city of Baltimore, tough. Right.

It's a tough city, tough football teams. And him being the leader of the team playing with the energy he is, but matching that energy with exactly what he said. which is every single week you still have to continue to work harder. Don't get too high on yourself. There's always someone waiting there to, you know, try and knock you off. So I love that. I'm going to have to get you one of those shirts.

By the way. Will you wear that to the gym? Oh, God, yes. I'd wear it at home. I would wear it around my kids. Work harder. Nobody cares. It's my favorite saying. I told you, it's the best tweet in the history of the internet, Gucci Main.

Work harder. Nobody cares. I'm going to have to get one of those for you. Finally, Alabama's playoff hopes were dashed when they lost to Auburn, 48, 45, in the Iron Bowl this weekend. Great game. Wild game. Alabama looked like they were going to get the ball back for one last chance, but they were penalized for 12 men on the field to give Auburn a first down and the win. And after the game, Nick Saban took aim at the officials for robbing them of one last drive. Oh, boy.

You know, I really feel that it was a pretty unfair play at the end of the game. They substituted the punter as a wide receiver. So we put the punk team in. And then when the quarterback was still in there, we tried to put the defense back in. I thought they should have given us a little more time to substitute and get Wadde out as a returner. We get called for 12 guys on the field. So that was very disappointing. What's disappointing is saying anything about the officials in that spot.

Nobody wants to hear your excuses, Nick, you couldn't stop LSU, you couldn't stop Auburn. You can't stop Clemson. This is an, you know, my theory on this, and I still think Alabama is great, but Clemson's now the heavyweight champ of college football. Sure. Alabama, and this is what happened to Pete Carroll at USC, Mac Brown at Texas, Urban Meyer, at Florida. They've lost too many great assistance. They've lost too many players early to the NFL.

They're going to lose Tua, their best back, their two best receivers, their best offensive linemen. It's become not only a player turn style. It's a coaching turn style, and they're still great. But they're going to replace a quarterback or running back and two receivers. It's too much. And they don't, nobody in their programs is good as the guys they'll replace. This is exactly what now.

This has lasted longer joy than USC's dynasty or urban in Florida or Mac Browns. But this is how they all end. Glammer programs get coaches and players sucked out of it by the NFL or other colleges. And you end up, Alabama's just not as, it's not scary anymore. It's not scary anymore. And they have more competition in recruiting. Yes. Because there are Clemsons and LSUs and Ohio State in Oregon.

And like there's, there's a lot of options for kids who want to go to. a big high profile program with great coaching that's going to give you an opportunity to get to the NFL. Like, it's not just Alabama anymore. I'm not saying that it's over, but I don't want to hear that from Nick Saban after that game. It's not the official's fault that you lost in any way, shape, or form. You're supposed to win that game. You have to win that game.

And I understand you don't have Tua. That's fine. Okay, but just no excuses. None. If the fans want to say that, if the media wants to say that, that's fine. But you have to come out there and take responsibility. for that loss. Two pick sixes.

There's the game. I mean, I don't want to hear. That's, of course, that's exactly what happened is what Auburn was trying to get you to do. That's right. So it's on you. Like, and those situations, it's really about coaching. You have to have kids prepared for that. That's, I don't want to hear that from Nick Saban.

Totally agree. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. I got a lot of thoughts on Jim Harbaugh. Doug Gottlieb in 10 minutes, top of the hour, 30 minutes away. Colin Wright, Colin Ron.

So in the early window, 10 o'clock if you live out west, one o'clock if you live out east. The game of the day, in fact, I thought it was really the game of the day. The game of the weekend to me was the San Francisco 49ers traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens. I thought Baltimore would win. I just thought they would win it by more. The Ravens of 1-8 straight. And there's no hot take this morning. There's no contrarian point of view.

This was two heavyweights in the middle of the ring. exchanging blows. Both head coaches are A's. Both running games are A's. Both offensive lines are B plus to A. Both defenses are A's. Special teams are excellent. This was just great football for three and a half hours on Fox.

I would love to see him match up again in the Super Bowl. I think Seattle and Baltimore in the Super Bowl, depending on tonight, my gut feeling that's the Super Bowl. Because I think the 49er schedule is brutal and they'll have to go on the road if Seattle wins tonight and face the Ciox and the playoffs up in the northwest. But these were two Super Bowl

teams. These were incredibly well-oiled and they had all the components that Super Bowl winning teams have. Excellent coaches, great O'lines, tough defenses, get a pass rush. The quarterbacks are a little younger than historically teams that get to the Super Bowl, but the NFL's

bail in water on Baltimore and Lamar, they'd They're trying to figure it out as the season goes on, and Jimmy G. once again, made very crucial throws, good enough to win this game. The only concern I have here, it's not an excuse, it's a reason. You know, if you got T-bone driving to work, that's a reason for being late. If your dog ate your homework, that's an excuse. There's one thing about San Francisco, and I think it really hurts up in this matchup. And I noticed that about four to six times this weekend watching with buddies. The Niners went and got in the offseason, a linebacker named Kwan Alexander from Tampa.

He is super athletic. He got hurt. He's done for the year. Kwan Alexander against Lamar Jackson, not an anecdote. It wouldn't solve everything. He wouldn't be a magic elixir for Lamar Jackson, but he would help on about a half dozen plays. And about four or five times in this game, Lamar Jackson went off running, and that backup linebacker is a backup for a reason.

and Kwan Alexander's a star for a reason. And I think that's the kind of player you can't lose if you're going to beat a Baltimore in a big game. You've got to have active linebackers, pro bowl level guys who can, if not chase him down, get angles on him. And without Kwan, I thought it was noticeable for San Francisco. They're just not quite athletic enough to stop Lamar Jackson on that six to eight plays a game. And you're never going to stop all of them. Lamar's going to get his game, about four or five times a game in a big game. third down. Could Kwan go in and make a tackle

a little early? Yeah, and that's the difference in the game like this. But there's no contrarian take here. That was great football. Those are great teams. That was the best game yesterday. It was the best game maybe in a month on the NFL. Well-oiled machines, well-run, well-scouted,

both are ahead of the curve on wide receiver and quarterback play. They deserve to be in that game and we were lucky to have it. And I thought it was just outstanding NFL football. That was as good NFL football. I got everything. I got finesse. I got clever. I got fast. I got athletic. I got good coaches. I got smart. I got power. I got tough guys. I got a little rainy weather. And I thought the rainy weather

was going to really hurt San Francisco. I said it yesterday on Fox NFL kickoff. They kept showing pictures of rain. I'm like, God, this is built for Baltimore. This is, and San Francisco, they came out and had, they were ready to go. They were throwing blows at the center of the ring. So it was just great. calling right, calling wrong in 30 minutes less than that. Doug Gottlieb around the corner on a Monday. Eric Dickerson will go to Dallas. Jane Slater's an unbelievable cowboy reporter. A lot of heat, a lot of calls on radio this morning in Dallas.

Jason Garrett's taking heat. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade. of my own experience in the middle 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 afraid. Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed the game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and 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. 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 Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clifford 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, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win. no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

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

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Dugger, my buddy, Fox Sports Radio after our show. On a Monday, Doug Gottlieb, joining us, Joy Taylor, is well, top of the hour. Colin right, calling wrong. Let's start with Freddie Kitchens. I said when you're, you know, when you're a chaotic organization and you have job openings, a lot of people are like, I'm not bringing my daughters and my kids cross country, my wife doesn't want to live there. Cleveland's got a chaos problem where you have a job opening and you end up with Freddie

Kitchens who would not have interviewed for a Baylor football job. I like Freddie Kitchens. I know guys that know Freddie. They said he was a funny running back coach. People liked him. And then they give him the big job and he puffs his chest out and wants to be a head coach. And it's like, He's not a head coach. So in a way, could I not argue losing, allows Dorsey to now fire him and Baker can have a real coach or a semblance of him? I don't think there's any question that he's the guy that takes the fall, right? Because John Dorsey made all these draft picks. People say they have talent.

He's not going anywhere. Baker Mayfield, to this point, probably still gets another year with a new offensive coordinator, at least maybe a new head coach. And I think that's why people didn't want to take the job, not just the chaos in the organization and how it was a, turnstile in terms of coaches and quarterbacks, but also Baker was so powerful this offseason that whoever came in, if it didn't go right, was going to get fired. But the idea, and like I get it. Your kid gets hands you a T-shirt and says wear it. It's funny.

It's kind of clever. And, you know, it's sort of galvanizing. But this is the Peter Principal. I just got back from my alma mater, Oklahoma State. I'm a graduate of the Spears School of Business. Yeah. And one of the things you study in business school is the Peter Principal, which is when you're elevated above the level of.

your competency. Sure. And that's him, right? As a running back coach, great. Offense coordinator, maybe even then, because he's a former quarterback at Alabama, sees a little differently, like, okay, but when you skip steps. Yes. And then, let's never forget, not only did he take on the head coaching job, but he's also

calling the plays. So he's performing a task that he's not really prepared for and then calling plays. And if you look around the league, a lot of these, you're Kellyn Moore with the Cowboys, some of his play calling. It's the first time doing it. it's learning on the, even when you've been in an NFL quarterback is hard. Can you imagine Kellyn Moore being a head coach? No.

Of the Cowboys, no. No, he just couldn't do it. Yes. It's a big, big job. There's a lot of fires. And then you have the OBJ stuff and the Baker stuff and the Miles Garrett stuff. And this is the stuff you handle when you're a head coach, not an offense coordinator. Jimmy Johnson, the former cowboy coach told me this weekend, he goes, the best coaches in this league are walk around coaches,

where you kind of walk around and you say, don't do that, do that. He goes, Sean Payton is one of the only guys that literally, you call. He's plays. He's on one side of the football and they win. And he said, but most of the great coaches, he goes, you know, Pete Carroll, Belichick, kind of walk around, fix that, fix that. And he goes, Freddie Kitchens right now, forget walk around. He's just walking into the offensive room glaring at it and not being able to run the team, to your point, little over his skis, making it up as he goes. And then, of course, on the other side, you have Mike Tomlin, who you and I have discussed, you know, there's a reason he's never had a losing season. Ever.

And the report that a locker was he picked up the marker and made some of the, you know, some adjustments at the half and said, we're going to do this, this, and this. And with a guy who's a four-string quarterback in camp, ends up, you know, beating the Cleveland Browns without his running back, without his center. I mean, it's a great. It's a remarkable story. And yes, that's organizational. And a lot of people question, you know, what did Mike Tomlin do?

He's a walk-around sort of guy. But when push comes to shove in a moment where you try and find out, does he, does this guy actually know what he's talking about, he does, whereas Freddie Kitchens can't control that thing, you know? I mean, look, is it his fault that OBJ went out? No. Is it his fault? Some of the other issues are playing without Miles Garrett? Yes and no. But most penalized team in the league

and they're underachieving even now with a schedule that should be manageable. We all knew the first started the schedule was easy, but you predicted it would turn around. Think of the games in which they've lost, the Broncos game they shouldn't have lost, and how they looked in the second half speaks to coaching. Okay, New England, and my argument

is pitching staffs need an ace. Rich Hill for the Dodgers is a great four, an okay three. He's a bad two, is that if you had Antonio Brown in New England, then Edelman's a great two, and Mohamed Sanu's a terrific three, but you don't have that now. So everybody moves up.

And it's a pop gun offense, but I do think all the other elements of this team are good enough to win a Super Bowl, but they can't in 2019 with zero tight end and zero deep threat. So your proposal as you go and re-sign Antonio Brown if he's cleared by the league?

cleared that you Tom Brady fought for him. I mean, let's be honest about this league. We make a lot of decisions based on do you have the talent? I get it. And it does make sense. You have to have somebody where the safety has to double over the top. Otherwise, no one's going to get open. Right.

And last year they had the ability to run the football, which they don't have nearly as much. One reason is Gronk, who as well respected as gronk is as a pass catcher, didn't get the respect he deserved as a guy who could block. Yeah. Like all these other great past George Kittle, like not really a block. Unbelievable talent, not a blocker. You kind of go around the league and all these great pass catching tight ends. Most of them aren't blockers.

Gronk was so he could hit you in both. And then they would hit you if they had the mismatch on Gronk or if they only put one guy on Edelman. Those two could beat you. And they survived in the playoffs and survived in the Super Bowl. I am going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe, right? Like, I am falling for it. I am falling for it. I do think they look.

they don't look like they have the offense. I agree. Now, keep in mind, they'd have to beat the Chiefs, who will see them against this week. They'd have to beat the Ravens, who we saw them against, but the second time around, you would think they'd be able to make Lamar Jackson more of a thrower, and the weather in Baltimore or New England couldn't be particularly good. And, yes, they won this week, but it wasn't like Lamar's offense was the reason that they won.

That was a team win in Baltimore. So do I think they're completely washed up? No, but I think they have major offensive problems. But let's not forget, when Antonio Brown was there, every day there was a new story. Okay? It's not just one thing. Yeah. And it wasn't just that he, you know, sent DMs about, you know, this one woman or this one massage therapist or this one, you know, trainer who trained him.

It was every single day there was something. The day he signed there, there was a story that came out. And the Patriots had to be ticked because they were probably asking, is there anything that's going to. come out and he said, nah, nothing I know about. And, of course, lawsuit, story, direct message. It was, it was just too much. And now that I don't think the tweeting about wanting to play

for the Patriots does him any good. I don't either. So, you're right, but when you consider what the owner went through in the offseason, I think that's a major factor as whether the league wants that to happen. I just, I don't think they have the weaponry this year, and I don't think

that you can score enough with Kansas City. And I'm not convinced that they can score enough with Baltimore to get to another Super Bowl. Let's talk college football. We've got about three minutes. I want to give you the floor. Jim Harbaugh's got nine wins. If they win a bowl, it'll be 10. That would be the fourth year out of five. He's won 10 games. Are we judging him because he can't beat a superior football program in Ohio State?

Are we judging him just on that when the reality is he's going to win 10 games again this year? It's a little bit of both, right? Ohio State's fired a coach because he couldn't beat Michigan, right? that that has happened. But we have to remember that unlike Ohio State, they share the state with Michigan State, and they've essentially eviscerated that program during his time there. That's what's changed, is they once again became big brother in the state.

Yeah, Michigan State can no longer recruit. Jim gets all the good players. Right. And there's fewer players in Michigan. There's more in Ohio, and you're fighting Michigan State and Ohio State for the players in Michigan as well as now going to Florida and going to Texas. I don't think people understand to have a healthy respect for what he inherited.

There was infighting. There was, you know, a couple of athletic director changes. They had to modernize the strength and conditioning program, and he's made them a consistent winner. Does he have to beat Ohio State? Yes. Yes, he absolutely does. And this was supposed to be the year,

and turns out Ohio State might be better than they've ever been. But like Michigan fans, because they've won more games than anybody in the history of football, think they invented football. He've won one national championship in the history in the modern era of football. One. One.

And by the way, didn't they split that year? Right? Yeah. There's that the Charles Woodson year? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They split that year.

I was in college. That's how long ago it was. Right? So, like, with respect to Michigan fans who think you're Michigan, you're supposed, should you beat Ohio State? Yes. Mac Brown couldn't be Bob Stoops the first four or five years that Bob Stoops was at Oklahoma. Because Oklahoma is a better program than Texas. Yes.

Yes. And eventually, I do think that Michigan fixes this thing. And I would have thought Shea Patterson's last year, it would have happen. But the idea of selling Harbaugh because he can't beat arguably the best football program in the country, to me, is laughable considering where you were and how the program's trajectory continues. By the way, Cowboys are going to have a job opening. It does appear. Harbaugh probably, you know, Michigan wants to fire Harbaugh. He may get a call from Jerry. Is there a magic elixir, or say, I'll use that again, for the Cowboys? No, because, remember, could define the coach? Yes.

but you're Lincoln Riley. Do you want your owner having press conferences in the locker room when you're king at Oklahoma? Remember, college football coaches are making $6, $7, $8 million now. Yes, they are. And they have better players than the other team 90% of the time. At Oklahoma, yes. Yes, 90% of the time. You know, there's like Texas and whoever they play out of conference and the college football playoff.

That's it. Other than that, you got better players than everybody else. Why would you go to the Cowboys? The perfect idea of what is wrong with the Cowboys is Cole Beasley should have been on the Cowboys. Instead, he gets 29 million four years to walk and he is one of the big reasons the bills beat him. Yes, they have the glamour players, but it's those gritty players. It's those guys that make plays on third down. Their special teams is a disaster.

Their defense doesn't get a big stop. Their offense, Laxay Cole Beasley. I think they're all glitz and glamour, but I think the idea of going out and hiring Urban Meyer, does he want? It's a fair. Jimmy Johnson couldn't do it, and Bill Parcells couldn't do it. That's a good point. Doug Gottlie, the Dugger, Fox Sports Radio after my show. Colin Wright.

Colin Wrong. That's next. Loaded show. Hour two. Thanks, Doug. It's the herd. 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. 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, 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. 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, I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending.

Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

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

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker...

They know these kids. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, ref, 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game.

is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I gotta manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's gonna 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. Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers while 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 podcast. Oh, here we go live in L.A. Our number two, this is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening,

we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and right here on FS1. 15 minutes, Jane Slater, who is an unbelievable insider for the Dallas Cowboys. Part of my herd podcast network. She's terrific. He'll be joining us. Eric Dickerson. Joy Taylor is joining me. By the way, I didn't listen to.

to myself yesterday. I always have a theory if you get humiliated on national TV and you're a decent team, you'll always play well the next week. So the Rams got humiliated by Baltimore. They played so well yesterday against Arizona. I mean, the Rams looked like last year's Rams.

You're like, oh, they got humiliated. Sean McVey got ripped. They came back. In the NFL, that's a rule that I always listened to except this weekend. Yeah, when I was picking that game, I had your voice in the back up my head, you know, talking about Kyler Murray and nobody watches. I'm like, you know, I think Arizona

could cover. Yeah, that was wrong on that way. That didn't work out well. Good to have you on the Monday. Every Monday I have big, strong opinions. I call myself out, though. A lot of times I whiff and I need to be held accountable where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. Where Colin was right?

We have said since training camp and since the draft, the Patriots, why don't you draft the tight end? Now they don't have one. Why did you let Josh Gordon go? He's good enough to make an occasional over-the-top play. Use him as a decoy. Belichick has left Tom Brady with a pitching staff with no ace.

It's a pop-gun offense. All the components of a Super Bowl team are here. But we said this during the draft. Use those picks. Go up and get a tight end. They're the worst tight-end offense right now in the NFL. They've lived on it. They've dined on it for a decade.

They didn't address it. So they can't attack the middle of the field. All of their problems you could see before the draft. You could see them last year. You could see him coming. Why they let Josh Gordon go, I'll never know. Seattle immediately picked him up and he's immediately paid dividends. This was all very predictable with their offense.

Where Colin was wrong. Blazing five stunk one and four. Raiders imploded. Kyler Murray, worst game as a pro. On the year, I'm at 51%. For the record, I've never, ever had a lot of, losing record in Blazing 5. So the pressure is on me this week. I've always been in the 55, 56% region, so the pressure is overwhelmingly on me, and I stunk this weekend, did not get it done.

Where Colin was right? We said when John Dorsey hired Freddie Kitchens, we said he's hiring somebody he can control. He's got a big ego, and this is what happened. Freddie Kitchens, doesn't have the gravitas, doesn't have the maturity, doesn't have the experience. This was incredibly, and then they acquired OBJ. who's mostly been fine this year, but this was really predictable, is that a general manager, there's an old saying in business, A's higher A's and B's higher C's. John Dorsey got run out of Kansas City and wanted to control his head coach,

and instead he get to head coach that's really at best a coordinator, at best a coordinator. Where Colin was wrong. Mike Tomlin, coach of the year would certainly be a legitimate, vote. Devlin Hodges, by the way, the 2018 Alabama duck calling champion. I'm not joking. He was the world's best duck caller at 13 years old. He's called duck Hodges. Fourth string quarterback in camp, yet they win. They're on a third string running back, Benny Snell. Juju-Smiths-Schuster doesn't play. Marquis Pouncey, their center doesn't play.

They're an injury-riddled mess on a fourth string quarterback, and I've been highly critical of Tomlin through the years being too emotional and not detail-oriented, but they are in the wild card race. I mean, we give Sean Payton credit because he won with a backup. This is a fourth stringer in camp in a division with Baltimore. And the talented Browns, Mike Tomlin, this is as good a job as he has ever done, never at a losing season. Got my respect.

Man, he's been great. Where Colin was right? We said this when they were winless. We said the Miami Dolphins are a well-coached lousy team. And people don't think that's possible. It is. This team was down two touchdowns late, came back in one. That doesn't happen for a team that's almost tanking.

Miami's got a couple of nice wide receivers, but this is a team that gets every ounce out of their talent. Brian Flores there had the best trick play I've seen all year. They have three first rounders. And we said this. There's a difference between being Cincinnati bad and Miami bad. Miami's got the right coach and a direction and a plan. And them coming back to win that game just proves a point that we try to make.

You can be bad and very well coached. Just have personnel limitations. And I think they'll solve most of those limitations next year in the draft and free agency. Where Colin was wrong. I jumped on the Raiders too fast. A couple of weeks ago, I had the Raiders, I think, above Kansas City at number nine. And the herd hierarchy. And the staff said, don't do that.

You're going to regret it. Don't do that. Since then, they have been outscored 74 to 12. And their defense is bad. They need more weapons. And they're a year away. They do have some offensive talent, I like. And I love their running backs.

But it's hard to feed the running backs when you're down by 28. Running backs become really irrelevant when you're down by four touchdowns. Derek Carr did not look. comfortable yesterday. And listen, it's one of those things where I was so wrong on the Raiders that I overextended my opinion on the Raiders. And right now, they're a developing franchise. I mean, they're still in the wild card race.

But Buffalo is a wild card team. The Raiders think they are. But if you look at Buffalo and you look at Oakland, wild card team should be good enough to win a game. Oakland's not good enough to win a playoff game. and I was on him too quick. Where Colin was right? The Brooklyn Nets are now six and three without Kyrie Irving and four and eight with him.

By the way, the Celtics this year are better significantly without him. The Celtics last year were 12 and three in games without Kyrie. He's a problem. He's always hurt. He's selfish. He's not a great teammate. A lot of diva. And at times, the earth is flat.

He's a little odd. This week he went on a rambling. Instagram rant about how people boo him and I'm more than just a player and of course you are. I'm more than just a sportscaster but people tune in to hear my sports opinions and people pay tickets to watch you be a basketball

player. We all know we're more than just what we do for a living. I'll say it again. Kevin Durant bailed on Steph Curry for Kyrie Irving. I've been watching the NBA for 40 years. You'll get a guy in the league. This happens all the time. There's always a couple guys in the league. They're great individual

players. They're not good teammates. That's okay. I mean, you ever go to the YMCA and you watch a guy and you're like, oh my God, he's great. Nobody can stand him. Kyrie's difficult. He does not make teams better. LeBron made him. He bailed on LeBron and that's what you got. Where Colin was wrong. I predicted Bama and Clemson would play for a national title and that's not going to happen. Bama can't stop anybody. They couldn't stop Auburn in their freshman quarterback. They couldn't stop LSU. Last three times they faced Clemson. They can't stop them. I still think it's a great program, but they've lost too many great assistance.

They've lost too many players early. This is what happened to Pete Carroll at USC, Mac Brown at Texas. Alabama doesn't scare anybody. Next year's offense is not going to be nearly as dynamic at running back, quarterback, or wide receiver. You just can't keep losing great assistance like Kirby Smart, who then goes to a rival and starts out recruiting you. They're not as good.

They don't have as many good players. They'll still win 10 games next year, but they're not a national chance. They played two good teams this year. They lost to both and couldn't stop either. That's who they are. I was wrong. Where Colin was right. Nick Foles got benched.

Of course he did. He's Nick Foles. Listen, he hit lightning in a bottle on an unbelievable Philadelphia roster for a year and a half. But now he's a four-year, $88 million backup, and that is the worst quarterback contract. You think Kirk Cousins contract's a problem? This morning, it looks like a deal. This is a bad quarterback contract. First three drives, he had turnovers.

He's never been overly athletic. He's got a good arm, not great. He's a backup who hit lightning in a bottle. By the way, Tim Tebow won seven straight games. Mark Sanchez got to an AFC championship a couple of times. He's not an elite quarterback. He's not a $20 million quarterback. He's a good kid who was going to retire a couple of years ago

until he hit it in Philadelphia with great offensive coaches. And now he's back to being, you know, Nick Foles. Where Colin was wrong. I predicted Gus Malzahn would be fired, probably mid-season at Auburn and he just beat Nick Saban for the third time in his career. Gus Melzon has been, especially at home,

a big pain in the butt for Nick. He outsmarted him on that final play of the game when he put a punter in and Nick was trying to rush people in. He's clever offensively. They recruit the heck out of the state and the region. They've got a ton of NFL guys. And listen, it's not easy when

Alabama and Nick Sabin are in your state. So they're not as good as Alabama, but I didn't think he could withstand this year. They beat the Oregon Ducks early. I thought that would be a problem. They beat Alabama. They may have had the toughest schedule. They beat Texas A&M.

I was wrong. I thought he was going to get rolled. I predicted it. And I missed on that one. So there you go. I got some DAC stuff. Jerry Jones last week was asked about the DAC

Prescott negotiation. And here's Here's what Jerry said. Let me just say this. I think all of us, including the fans, want to win a damn football game. Okay? Now, I know we've got a lot of other things to think about who's coaching, who's playing, who's compared to another player someplace else.

How about let's win some ball games, folks? We can take out other stuff. I'm not known as a guy who gets hand cramps when I'm right in check. There are a lot of reports that the Cowboys, and they're good on this personnel thing, are going to franchise tag DAC. Basically, we'll pay a fortune, but not for very long. The franchise tag in the NFL is the engagement ring of the NFL. I don't want you to leave me, but it gives me about a year to, you know, hang out a little more.

That's what it is. It's the engagement ring of the NFL. is that you don't want her to leave you. So you give her a ring and you're like, I'm not quite sure yet. So I'll give her an expensive ring, but I'm not sure if I want to pay for the wedding yet. And that's what the franchise tag is. It was created for we like our quarterback. I just got to see more.

Dax 015 this year against the best teams with a winning record they played. But for the record, Kurt Cousins got mad when they kept franchise tagging him. But Kurt Cousins went 9 and 7, got to a playoff and couldn't win the big games. Right? That was the feeling on Kurt Cousins. So the Redskins kept franchising him saying, we know you're good enough to win a division when the division's in some tumult. So we'll give you an engagement ring.

And Kurt Cousins finally said, I want a wedding ring, put a ring on that finger. I'm out of here. I went to Minnesota. So we'll go to Jane Slater next. Because you're hearing things now. I mean, listen, the Cowboys, again, they pay people. And they're good with personnel.

And they pay people early. So how come they're not paying back? Is it a franchise tag? waiting to happen. We'll discuss that coming up with Jane. Eric Dickerson as well. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

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, 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 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying,

and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie. I'm Tab Ramos.

I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Side, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions.

If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience at all with the United States. us. Listen, inside American

soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Saturday, Justin Fields and number one Ohio State looked to punch their ticket to the college football playoff as they battle Jonathan Taylor and number 12 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship

game. Coverage begins at 7 Eastern 4 Pacific on Fox and the Fox Sports app. I think Ohio state's the fastest Big Ten team I won't say I've ever seen, but I Remember, they are fast everywhere. Corners, receivers, backs, quarterbacks, linebackers.

Ohio State runs like an SEC team. They are so fast. And I like Michigan's defense, but Don Brown, their coordinator was over his skis. All right. So we watched the Cowboys lose and the way they lost. It's the second straight weekend, first with Belichick, then Sean McDermott. Whereas an observer, even a casual observer, it did feel like Jason Garrett got a little out-coached, out-detailed. and we're going to bring in somebody we absolutely love.

She's a reporter for the NFL network. She's been living in Dallas for years and covering the Cowboys via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Jane Slater at Slater NFL. All right, let's start with this. Does, I mean, Jerry started this, Jane, about a month ago. He started bringing up Belichick and bringing up coaches. Does Jason Garrett have anyone in his corner today that's fighting for him, Jane?

His team. And I think that's the most important group of men. that he needs there at the Star and Frisco. We've been talking about this since after the Packers' loss and again, after the Rams loss, I was told that Jerry was beside himself and infuriated. That's when essentially it came out that Jason was not going to get that extension. He was getting the one year to play this one out. And I think Jerry is frustrated.

I think that I would not be surprised if, you know, they've got a list of guys they're interested in and bringing in here next year, given the expectations for this team and them not meeting those expectations. You know, you and I have talked about this. They haven't had significant injuries to their starters. In other words, they haven't lost their quarterback, a running back, or a player that you could point to like Ron Rivera, who doesn't have Cam Newton, say, this is why our record looks like this.

And then they've gone and they've played teams where they've caught great, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay, Detroit. And he's just, if you want to put a finger and assign blame somewhere, you have to look at coaching this year. So, you know, I joked in the past, you and I talked about, this this summer that I didn't think that he was on the hot seat. I've always thought that that seat was lukewarm. It's definitely hot this year. But I think the most important thing for Jason Garrett is you got Jerry once again in his corner talking about it. After the game,

we were all sort of incredulous about that on Thanksgiving. But more importantly, he's got the team. The team has never said that they don't buy into him, that they don't believe in him. yet still when his back was against the wall, he was coaching for a job on Thanksgiving. The team did not show up in that game when they played the Buffalo Bills. So it's going to be interesting to keep an eye on this call. It's kind of a long-winded answer for you, but he does have the support of his football team still. I would say this. Jerry had, if not perplexing, an interesting reaction to it. He was very emotional.

And we thought, I remember watching Jerry walked down the hallway after the game and the, oh, he's ticked off. And yet he got very emotional. You were there with Jerry. he was almost fully supportive. Were you surprised by Jerry post game after the Buffalo loss? Absolutely. All of us were, quite frankly. I was right in front of Jerry when he came out of the locker room and talked to us for roughly 28 minutes.

And we asked him every single way possible. You know, you essentially threw your coach under the bus this whole week. You didn't walk off your comments after the Patriots lost. You went on radio on Tuesday and then good morning football and NFL network on Wednesday. And you made it very clear you wanted to, quote, win some damn football games. Well, they didn't win a damn football game. And then he went on to say with tears in his eyes that he believes in the group of men in that locker room. And I reminded him that that team needed to play for their coach and they didn't.

And he continued to say that, you know, this is a team he believes can go ahead and win out the rest of the month and then make a run into playoffs. and then I reminded him again, well, you guys are 0 and 5 against winning teams. Where's that? Where's the confidence coming from? I truly believe this, Colin, you know, he talks very endearingly about his time as an Arkansas football player. And I feel like he was in the locker room. He felt the emotions of that locker room.

And if he could have put on a helmet and run through a wall with them, he would have. But I think he got caught up in the moment. And I think he felt like he was a part of this team. And the best way to support that team was to support their coach very publicly. And he did that. You're hearing discussions now. We kind of joke that the franchise tag is like the engagement ring of the NFL. I love you, sort of.

You know, I don't want you to leave me. Kirk Cousins, by the way, had a nine and seven year, Jane. He got to the playoffs. He was statistically very impressive. And Washington said, no, no, no, no, we need to see more of this. I'm hearing people that I trust say, that could be in for a franchise tag. A, do you believe that? How would that land in the cowboy locker room, in your opinion?

Well, right before I came on air, I reached out to one of my sources and asked them just that. And I was told it is looking like it's going in the direction of a franchise tag, which I think is fascinating. You know, we were talking about this a few months ago. Dax team came to the Cowboys and said they wanted $40 million. Dax agent went on record and said that they disagreed with that report, that that was false. You know, you and I had talked about it was a way to get them somewhere to the $33, $35 million. range and Jerry has repeatedly said while he praises Dak Prescott, he knows he's an important part of this football team. They've got a lot of other guys that they've got to consider and they can't

break up the roster to pay one guy. Now, I think he's in Jerry's mind, he's thinking, well, with this, you know, the CBA and of course they're going to have more room with money here in another year that maybe they can pay Dak what he feels that he deserves. But I'm getting the sense and I was literally told via text that it's looking like it's going in the franchise tag direction. And I don't think it's a disrespect towards DAC. They want DAC, but DAC doesn't want to give him a hometown discount either. And I don't, while I think that it would be frustrating for DAC, he feels like, you know, think of everything he's done the last four years in Dallas.

I mean, he's done everything you could possibly ask him to do. And, you know, there's a reason that he was in part of the MVP conversation. Look what he's been able to win in spite of here in Dallas this season. He's the type of guy that I will say, I don't think he's going to look at. at it from a disrespect standpoint. I don't think it's going to create problems in the locker room. He's just one of those guys that seems to be able to focus on the task at hand. And that's just be the best quarterback he can be for the football team. But yeah, I'm a little shocked that the conversations have headed in that direction. NFL networks, Jane Slater. One more

question. If there is a replacement for Jerry, Lincoln Riley is the obvious North Star. He's really the guy they want. But Oklahoma is a terrific college job. He's a young coach. He's certainly could stay there for another seven, eight years and then become a coach. I work with a guy named Urban Meyer. I mean, Urban Meyer's the best candidate in the world not coaching right now. Is there, would it be an NFL move, a college move? About a minute left, Jane.

What do you hear? Because, I mean, this is all over Dallas papers and Dallas radio. Besides Lincoln, Riley, is there anybody else cowboy fans want? The Cowboys and the fans wanted Sean Peyton, and then Sean Payton when he got himself an extension in New Orleans. So I think it is, it's a tricky situation for him. And I think honestly, that's why they've held on to Jason as, you know, we've kind of talked about this before he's the devil that they know.

I would honestly, Colin, not be surprised that if this team did win out the rest of the season and got themselves in the playoffs, that we're talking Jason Garrett again next year. That's just, that's how Dallas operates. But Lincoln, obviously, the coach that's the hot idea right now because of the way they courted Jerry's grandson when he was going off to college. And as much as I don't love the idea of bringing in a college guy and expecting him to make an immediate impact here in Dallas, you know, they did do it with a guy like Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. So who knows?

All right, Jane Slater, you can follow her on Twitter, Slater NFL. Jane, thank you so much. By the way, the NFL Network is doing the NFL 100 All-Time continues this Friday at 8 Eastern. 100 best this player, that player. running back, quarterback, all that stuff. So she's hearing as well. She's got great sources. She's hearing the franchise tag for DAC, who, you know, again, it's not a stat thing.

It's very, it's, DAC is doing, this is very much Kirk Cousins. Stats, garbage time yards, wins against average teams, not so great in the big games, which is interesting because Dak came in the league and was very good against really good teams. Now, Dak, people have more film, more tape, it's got a bunch of good weapons. and he's doing to Kirk Cousins. He can't win the big games 0-15 this year. So they franchise Kirk Cousins who was winning games and got to the playoffs.

It feels like Dax's in that space. Here's Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Speaking of a big game, Ohio State beat Michigan for the eighth straight time and the 56-27 win on Saturday.

Jim Harbaugh has been the coach for the last five of those losses. after the game, he was not open to talking about why he cannot get a win over the Buckeyes. Is this a talent gap? Is it a preparation gap? Is it a coaching gap? What is the biggest difference between you and Ohio State at this point? I mean, I'll answer your questions, not your insults. So that wasn't an insult. I mean, you give him 118 points in two years. They played really good. They played good. That's what I'm asking. What's the biggest difference in the gap game, you guys think? They play better today.

I mean, look, he's obviously. frustrated. But that's not an unfair question. There's clearly a reason. There has to be a reason why you can't get over this and get the win over Ohio State. And I understand it's a frustrating thing because it's a huge rivalry game and

they've lost eight straight times to Ohio State. That said, I don't think there's any shame in losing to Ohio State this year. No, no. And most of the time. I mean, in my opinion, there are really now four to five gold star

programs that when they have the right coach, they're hard to beat. USC down now, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, and I would say less so, but Notre Dame's the great independent. And when that's your rival, that's Michigan's rival, when they got the right coach and the right people, they win that game. I mean, you watch that game. Ohio state wide receivers, there are all first and second round NFL guys. and Michigan's got really good corners.

But some of that you can't coach your way out of. It looked like Justin Fields was going to be out in the third quarter when he went down with that knee injury. And he comes right back in and just shows a 30-yard dart. It was like Heisman level. It was unbelievable. Like, they're just better. And that's okay. Like, and this year in particular, they're a whole other level above better.

Auburn's a great program. It just so happens that Alabama's right down the road. Alabama historically is better. You know what I mean Michigan fans don't want to hear this and Michigan alumni and everybody but like this year I think maybe you just it's okay because that was a

I mean 56 to 27 that was a convincing loss so Deshawn Watson finally got a win in his third career matchup with Tom Brady and the Patriots after the game he explained why this one will be so memorable for him as far as there's big wins I mean honestly it's pretty big

really just because it's Brady you know I was I went to against Brady who knows when he's going to hang it up. You know, that's my role model of a guy that's been doing it forever. Over 20 years. I'm only allowed for 20 years. So it's pretty awesome to finally get one and just to see the love and respect we have for each other. He's great.

Boy, and I'll tell you about Houston, we can complain about their coach. They're wide receiving. Between the Vikings, you'll watch the Vikings tonight on the Monday Net football. Between the Vikings tonight and the Texans last night, those teams have somebody in those organizations can draft wide receivers and develop them. Vikings have so many good skill people. The Texans wide receivers, they go like four deep. I mean, they've always had great talent that position.

That's why it's frustrating when they have these swings. Swings. And obviously when Deshawn Watson's not been able to be out there because of the offensive line. That's flag football right there. No, they were incredible last night. So now they're obviously the top, the AFC South at 8 and 4. Titans got a big win, 7 and 5. And the Colts are 6 and 6.

Obviously, the Jags are out of it at 4 and 8. But the Texans' remaining schedules against the Broncos at home, then they're at the Titans, at the Bucks, and then they play the Titans at home. Three and one, they're a play. Texans are a playoff team. I mean, listen, New England's a playoff team. They look like it. Buffalo's a playoff team. They look like it.

Kansas City's going to be a playoff team. They look like a playoff team to me. The Texans are kind of dangerous. The question is, who's the – I think the AFC's all settled, Joy. Baltimore's a playoff team. Right. I think it's all settled except one wildcard team. And I got to be honest with you, I said it's before the year, and I'll say it again.

Tennessee with Ryan Tannahill. Both of you and I said this. It was going to happen eventually. Tennessee with Ryan Tannahill feels like a playoff team to me. They just do. No, I mean, Ryan Tannahill has that capability. Obviously, you've already seen that. It's a matter of it is that going to work long term?

But the way that they're playing this year with him, it's, you know, you have to watch out for them. Finally, the Steelers may have had a little extra motivation heading into their 2013 win over the Browns yesterday. Last Friday, Freddie Kitchens was caught wearing a shirt that said Pittsburgh started it, caught as in he took a picture in it, in reference, obviously, to the brawl that broke out the last time that these two teams played, which was two weeks ago. But Kitchens downplayed his shirt choice.

I wore a T-shirt. I wore a jacket with it. My daughter's wanted me to wear the shirt, and I'd wear it again. I'd put a jacket on, I covered it up. I took a picture with a fan. That was as simple as that, you know. T-shirt, I mean, T-shirt didn't cause us to give up 40-yard passes, and we were ready to play. That's the only thing people need to be concerned about.

We were ready to play. Well, the sealers didn't overlook the shirt, and Pittsburgh Guard, Raymond Foster did not hesitate to call Kitchens out. Did you feel it was disrespectful for a coach to be wearing something like that? I'll eat it up to you guys, but I know our coach would have never done anything like that. Why throw gas? But when you do something like that, you throw your players in a long way. Look, I'm not going to lie. I saw this on Twitter, and I wrote about 75 different tweets and responds to it.

And instead just decided to retweet it, just to put it out there, you know, sometimes the C-News. And just want to share it with everybody. I thought that this was a horrific decision by Freddie Kitchens. Yeah, you did. I mean, look, aside from the fact that you're a head coach, and that's just not what head coaches do, not mid-season, you're not. not on top of the NFL world by any means. It was also an embarrassing violent moment. That's the whole point.

This is not a cheeky thing that's going on between the Pittsburgh and the Browns. A funny moment. Which, by the way, can it even be considered a rivalry? Like, you do have to win a considerable amount of those games which would be a rivalry. That sounds petty. But, like, if we're just keeping it real, this is not something you make light of. It's a very serious situation on all sides. It had a racial component.

Yes. had a violence component. You should be doing everything that you can to move on from the situation. We talk about this all the time. Cleveland can never just move on. It's always about what happened last week. In this case, two weeks ago. And to blame it on his daughter, like, look, maybe his daughter did tell him to wear it.

You say, honey, I can't wear it. Like, thank you. It's funny. Like, we'll keep it. You know, maybe 20 years from now or something. We'll wear it at Thanksgiving. It'll be a funny joke. You can't wear it.

Who cares if your daughter got it for you? You cannot do this. And Raymond's right. Like, my Tomlin would never do something like this. No, no. Never. Yeah. I mean, it's just part of being a head coach.

We say this before. 30% of your quarterback salary is, are you a grown-up? 30% of your NFL head coaching salary is, are you a grown-up? That's a big part of leadership position. I'm not just paying for your wins. Can you run the Dallas Cowboys? Can you run the Pittsburgh Steelers? I'm not a square, okay?

But you can't represent a team that is being accused of having no identity, being completely undisciplines and just got fined hundreds of thousands of dollars and lost your best defensive player to an incident that the entire NFL wants to just move forward from and you're going to walk out on a t-shirt making fun of it. Not smart. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. By the way, let me defend Jim Harbaugh on this. Can we stop judging Jim Harbaugh on this game? Jim Harbaugh has nine wins. to a bowl and they'll probably be favored, they will win their 10th game. This will be the fourth time in five years Jim Harbaugh has won 10 games. This is not Ohio State.

This is Michigan. Michigan historically wins nine games. He took over a mess, a tire fire, six and a half win Brady Hoke. He's now winning on average 9.4 games. But Colin, they pay him 7.5 million. who gives a rip? All these guys make a lot of money. It doesn't matter what I make or what Jim makes. He had leverage. He has a good agent. He had been to a Super Bowl.

He was going to make a bunch of money. The bottom line is he is absolutely doing what is hard to do at Michigan. Same with Texas. Texas is not Oklahoma. The winning as coach in Texas football ever is Daryl Royal. His winning percentage is 77%. Oklahoma has four coaches that have done better than that. Oklahoma is a better program. The winning as coach in Michigan football history is Bo Schembeckler.

His winning percentage is 79%. Ohio State has three coaches. Woody Hayes, almost four with a better winning percentage. Oklahoma's a better football program than Texas. Has been since I was a kid with a few brief exceptions. Ohio State's a better football program than Michigan. Michigan's got the better medical school. Michigan got the better business school.

I like Ann Arbor as a town. I like Austin as a town. Jim Harbaugh's on 9.4 wins a year. It'd be like judging Peyton Manning on his games against Tom Brady or judging Phil Mickelson on his master's against Tiger Woods. Jim Harbaugh is winning more games. He'll win 10 again this year for the last five years, 10 games. Michigan's never been Ohio State with very few exceptions.

Harbaugh's good, and I don't give a rip what he makes. I don't give a rip what any of these coaches. coaches make. When your primary rival, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama is great and beats you, you get roasted. Gus Melz-on every year is going to get fired. The Texas coach every year is going to get fired. Jim Harbaugh is every year is going to get fired. He's good. He's not going anywhere. Eric Dickerson, how about them Rams? How about the NFL? Eric Dickerson, who should coach the Cowboys? That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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 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 last night a blown call changed a game this morning the internet lost its mind highlights are trending opinions are flying and nobody's telling you exactly what happened that's where sports slice comes in i'm timbo every episode we're cutting through the noise breaking down the plays the controversies and the stories behind the headlines we go straight to the source the athlete themselves their locker room stories their reactions the stuff nobody gets to hear the laughs the drama the tributt 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 SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clifford 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 of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

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

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

while 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. Cyber Monday sale, Tommyjohn.com, code heard 25% off sitewide plus free shipping. Eric Dickerson's the Hall of Famer.

Let's start with this issue. Freddie Kitchens, you played in the NFL for a lot of years and some teams over a decade. Freddie Kitchens' t-shirt. Joy hated it. I'm with joy. What did you make of it? Oh, man. You don't do that.

You just don't. I mean, that t-shirt, you wear if you cut in the yard. on your ride and on your ride lawnmore or sitting up drinking with your buddies, you know, on your porch, but you don't do that. Because as a player, you're giving the team material.

And trust me, Freddy Kitchen's not going to get hit. He's not going to get tackled. He's sending a call and plays. So I just, I don't think, I don't think you do that. I mean, let me ask you a question. Would Bill Belichick do that?

I don't think you would. No, you couldn't hold him down and put that on him. No. No. No. It happened. Okay. Let's talk about Jason, Garrett,

and the Cowboys. They're 015 against good teams. back-to-back weeks, Belichick and Sean McDermott appeared to out-coach Jason Garrett. We know we see their yards. We know they have players and personnel. That's not the issue. Who would you go higher? Let's just bottom line it.

If I'm going to hire a coach right now, you know, I would go hire Urban Meyer. I mean, you know, that's the guy I would go after. I mean, look, I look at Jerry Jones. He fired the great Tom Landry. And everybody thought, oh, my gosh, you fired Tom. How did you do that? You know, and he wouldn't got Jimmy Jones. Johnson.

College guy. College guy. I'll call Urban Meyer, Jimmy Johnson 2.0. You go hire a guy that is hot. He did it at Utah. He did it at Boise. He did Ohio State. Howe State is still winning.

And I think right now, Urban would be the perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys. I'm not a cowboy fan, but I might even have to like him just a little bit because of Irvin. Well, no, Jimmy's never been afraid to go to the college route. Some owners, he did Barry Switzer, he did Jimmy Johnson. And by the way, Jerry played some college football, so he loves Saturdays. You can tell the Cowboys organization loves Saturdays because they draft so well. New England loves Sundays. They don't draft necessarily well.

So the Cowboys know their college material, their coaches, their players. I want to talk about the Saints. San Francisco, Baltimore, steals all the attention. New Orleans, Drew Breeze left for a while. They won all their games, and now they're back. You've liked the Saints all year. And for obvious reasons, Drew Breeze, Sean Payton. But when you, in your era, they were horrible, aren't they?

They were bad offensively. I mean, they couldn't move the ball or length of this table. But boy, would they hit you. I mean, with Ricky Jackson and Pat Swilling, they had some linebackers, the Soul Patrol, as they were called. I remember that. The Soul Patrol. The Soul Patrol would hit you.

So I'm going to tell you one thing about the Saints is the Saints are very hard to beat in New Orleans in that stadium. I mean, it's loud. It's just tough to play there. I mean, we played there twice last year, and they got us the first game, and we got them the second game. You know, it was a call, but we got them a second game. But when I think about the Saints, the Saints did it with Teddy Bridgewater.

I like Teddy. But now they have Drew Breeze back. That team plays very well on turf. If they stay at home, you have to play them in New Orleans, I don't think you can beat them. Well, and they've had a break. Atlanta's a mess. Cam's gone. Tampa Bay's influx.

So they're piling up wins in their division. and let's be honest about this. San Francisco's a good team. They may end up being a five seed. I'll tell you this. I think my gut feeling this morning, if I had to bet, you know, I would take the Ravens against the Seahawks

in the Super Bowl. Because I think Seattle's schedule, they're going to end up, the Niners are going to have to go up, Minnesota is going to go have to go back. I think Seattle's going to host the NFC championship. What did you make of Baltimore yesterday and San Francisco? Any take on that?

I thought it was a very good thing. good football game. You know, when I think of, you know, you know, what I look as I'm going to say flip-flopped, you know, when you go back and think about 2013, the 2013, the Ravens against 2013 49ers, Colin Kaepernick played for the 49ers. Now that's Lamar Jackson who plays for the Ravens. You had Flacco who played for Baltimore. Now he plays for, now Garapolo is Flacco. More of a pocket guy. More of a pocket guy. The, the, the Ravens had that great defense. The 49ers had that great defensive front. But, you know, I think I think the X factor here is Greg Roman, you know, who's the coordinator for Baltimore,

who had Colin Kaepernick. And now look at Lamar Jackson, who I think is a better quarterback, even a better athlete than Calvin Kaepernick. Well, he throws up, first of all, Kaepernick was talented, but Kaepernick had no off-speed pitch. No. Even a screen pass was a dart. Lamar's got a nice touch. Yeah, and so I think that's the difference right there, you know, with Lamar.

And you know what? The teams, people say, you know, NFL, they have time. to figure it out, it's too late now because it's playoff time almost. And you don't have time to figure it out. You got to run. You got to do it on the move. You know, I said this.

Remember the wildcat. So the wildcat offense was we're going to hike the ball to a running back. That worked for about three quarters of a season. Because the league was trying to catch up to it, Eric. They're trying to catch up to it. And I think Baltimore reminds me at the 2015 Carolina Panthers.

So Cam comes in and Cam's a unique athlete. And for about a year, The league's like, okay, they got healthy at the end of the year. They got hot. They played with a lot of swagger. Baltimore's playing with a lot of confidence. They're doing a little trash talking, Carolina did. And I do think, go back to your years in the NFL.

Was there ever a team that got hot? May have been the greatest show on turf. And the league was playing catch-up in season. I can tell you for sure, but they never caught up. The 49ers. I mean, seriously, because they ran an offense that you really could not put your arms around. The West Coast. West Coast offense.

You think you have it, but you don't have it. Because the thing is, they would throw short, short and all these short patterns. And then, boom. Jerry Rice. Jump down the field. So it was efficient and had the big play component. And the big plays. And the thing about it, I look at Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens is they run the football.

Running the football is tough on a football team. You know, the NFL is all about scoring. They want you to pass the ball. Running the football is not popular, but it wears a defense down. and they do such a good job of it. Well, I can make the argument. The two best running teams when they're healthy are San Francisco and Baltimore. Baltimore Ravens, you got it.

For the record. Seattle's running game with the seventh rounder from Oklahoma State, Carlson, and the Penny Kid from San Diego State, who's now played very well in the last few weeks. So just a tip of the cap to the running backs. Nobody wants to play running back anymore. I see this. But Baltimore and San Francisco, to me yesterday felt like a heavyweight fight.

Those are physical teams. It's physical. They were hitting out there. I mean, like you say, no one wants to run the football. That's how you win football game. If you can run the football, play defense. And you got to have a quarterback. You just can't have anybody back there.

But you have a quarterback, you know, you can win. Minute left, by the way. What did you make of your Rams dominating win? Solve everything? No, it didn't solve everything. You know, it was a good win. I'm glad they won. They beat a team, how you should be the bad team.

And it's just a stepping stone. They came back from a good shalacking on Monday, So Jared Goff looked pretty good. He looked good. If you give him some time, you give him some time. But you know the big thing is, run the football with Todd Gurley. Todd is healthy. You know, run the football and you'll see a different football team.

Yeah, when Jared Goff has time to throw, he throws a beautiful football. He's not the kind of kid like Matt Ryan or Tom Brady that you can put pressure on his feet. Goff had time. Goff was hot. Rams look great. Eric Dickerson, the Hall of Famer. folks feel better with M-Drive, support your body's testosterone, energy, and lean muscle. Go to M-D-for-M-N-D-com.

The code is H-E-R-D to get 20% off your first month of M-D-R-R-R-D. Refind your Prime with M-D-Drive, hour three next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Looking for the perfect gift. Get a shirt from Untucket. 30% off, Cyber Sale Monday. 30% off on Tucket stores nationwide on tucket.com. By the way, Chris Peterson step down University of Washington, I am told it is burnout.

He is done coaching. He'll take an administrative role at Washington. This is not a decoy. He will not be the USC coach. Chris Peterson is retiring. I'm told he was burned out, exhausted and miserable. I have predicted Nick Saban will retire much sooner than everybody thinks. Between the transfer portal and the now early signing period, college football coaches get about two weeks off a year.

I don't believe Urban Meyer is going to coach. college football. I think he could go to the Cowboys. Chris Peterson stepping down. Nick Sabin's got a pile of money. I think Nick will step down much sooner than everybody thinks. I'm told Peterson in the last two years is absolutely exhausted. Doesn't get time with his family. He was never a lifer who was going to coach into his 70s. He's in good shape. He's a workout guy. He's a family guy. So this is a symptom now. You're going to start seeing this in college football. Burnout from coaches. College football butchered it. They created an early signing period. It used to be after the season, February of recruiting period, you got a couple months off. A college coach could hang out with his family.

Those days are done. Now players have power. They can transfer any time they want. Peterson's like, I'm done with it. Urban Meyer, by the way, stepped away. He's got 10 more years of coaching if he wants. I think Sabin's going to step away in the next two years. I wouldn't be shocked if Nick Saban retired now. Probably won't, but I wouldn't be shocked. Here is Joy Taylor. with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, the Eagles blew a 14-point lead in the second half yesterday. By the way, to a team that doesn't have to play hard, Miami. They don't have to play hard, and the Eagles are supposed to beat the Dolphins. Yeah. Well, it was the Dolphins' third win in their last five games. Doug Peterson knows they missed a big chance to tie the Cowboys at top of the NFC East, but is still trying to remain positive. We've self-destructed in a couple of areas today, and it just hurt us.

And we didn't make enough plays. They made them. We didn't. As crazy as this is, I mean, I would say it's a long shot, but we're not out of it. We do have four of our division opponents coming up. And, you know, the guys got to understand that. And it's my job to make sure they do understand that, that we're still fighting. And in my position, I've got to make sure that the team understands that,

that we've got to guard against that, and we're still a good football team. And, again, listen, it's about what we do. Joey, they can still win the division. Well, yeah, so the rest of their schedule, The rest of the Eagles schedule at 5 and 7 is they have the Giants at home. Then they're at Washington. Okay, that's 7 and 7. Then they have the Cowboys, and then they're at the Giants.

Now the Cowboys at 6 and 6 have at Chicago, then against the Rams, at the Eagles, and then the Redskins. I would take the Cowboys because they're healthier. But I think Philadelphia could go 9 and 7. The Giants are a total rebuild that can't stop anybody. Philly wins out, they win the division. And I think they have a chance to win out. I would probably take Dallas simply, not because they lead by a game. But Dallas is.

I would take Dallas just because they're healthy. They're healthy. And I just don't like the way that the Eagles have been playing. And it's not necessarily just because they lost the dolphins the way that they did. Because look, the dolphins sneak someone always in December because you go down there and it's the heat and whatever for whatever reason. Like this always seems to happen no matter what state the dolphins are in. So I don't want to overreact too much to this game, but I just don't like the way that the Eagles have been trending all season.

They have a lot of injuries. They have not been playing up to the potential that they were supposed to this year. Now, the Cowboys obviously have their own struggles. I mean, that game against the Bills was a disaster for Dallas. But they're going to sort this out within the next four games. The division is going to be decided. And, you know, just pick your poison at this point. But shout out to the Dolphins, great win and great trick play out of the special teams guys there.

So Lamar Jackson had another huge game in the race. Ravens 2017 win over the 49ers yesterday. He had 105 passing yards, 101 rushing yards, and two total touchdowns. After the game, Lamar Jackson wore your favorite shirt that says, nobody cares, work harder. Love that. And he was asked about the team's mentality this season. Love that.

Well, you wear that shirt for most of your postgame pressers. Is that the mentality that you feel like this on the scene? Yeah, absolutely. That's every day. Nobody cares about what you're doing. You got to work hard. If you want to be the best, you got to record that being the best. If they doubt on you, work harder.

It don't matter. If they're a pain, you're just going to go. Love it. It is a great mentality to have. And it's very Baltimore. Oh, yes, it is. And they did a great job with Amar Jackson. He fits everything that Baltimore does.

I love that they built around him, and it's paying off for them. For years and years, the NFL is kind of a copycat league. It's fun when you got a team in the league that's like, no, we're going to do something totally different. It's fun. And it works. And it works. And how long will it work? I said this last week.

I don't care. It's working now. Well, I mean, the how long will it work thing? Like, how long does anything work? Stop comparing everything to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It's silly. Most of them makes sense. Nothing lasts that long.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing in all sports lasts that long. So just let that go. So compared to something reasonable. If Lamar Jackson is the starting, they win a Super Bowl and... And for two more years after that, they're very fun. I won. I mean, seriously, John Arball have two Super Bowl.

It's always the conversation about what, like, is this sustainable? Like, this actually isn't new. No. What's happening. It's just we haven't seen it in a long time, really, since Michael Vick. And there's, while no one is quite Lamar Jackson, this style of hybrid quarterback, we're seeing all over the league. Yeah, and we're seeing it in high school. And all through college.

Yeah, it's just a new thing. So it's just going to continue. So the idea that's sustainable, it's very sustainable. And it's obviously been through this year as well. They're so fun to watch. That was a great game. Yeah. Finally, cameras caught.

obviously frustrated Tom Brady yelling at his wide receivers last night. A lot. But this morning he took a step back to defend his teammates and says he sees how hard they're trying. I think everyone's working hard. We're trying to do the right thing and

you know, it's there's some good effort out there and there's guys are doing the best, you know, they can do in my belief. We're just, sometimes it's been good. And other times you know, we obviously have work. We still got to do. Well, he's throwing to a lot of different receivers against Houston. He threw to

Julian Edelman, James White, Jacoby Myers, Matlick Coss, Ben Watson, Phil Dorset, Mohamed Sanu, and Akeel Harry, had zero receptions. We're showing the video of him. Listen, I never have, I've said this before. I've been a little vocal on the sidelines. I've never had a problem with the Troy Ackman, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady barking on the sidelines. That's what guys do in games. If I'm going to have anyone yell at me about what I need to do better at the offensive side of the ball and football, I think I'd take Tom Brady. Yeah. I don't think Brady's the issue.

I just, they need weapons. And by the way, we said this before the draft last year, Joy. They needed a tight end. They didn't address it. Well, I mean, that's why he fought to get Ben Watson back. Like, he wasn't happy about that. You heard how he was talking about him when they let him go and then they had to bring him back. Why did they let Josh Gordon go?

They don't need Josh Gordon. Why did they let Josh Gordon go? I don't know. I don't know. By the way, because Seattle picked him up and he was really good against San Francisco twice when they needed it. He is really good. So I don't know what the situation was there.

Sometimes you're a little rigid. I think Brady, well, yeah, but I also think that sometimes if that's your culture, you have to pick culture over players sometimes, and it ends up not being the best decision long term for you. I think Tom Brady is not a rigid person, so he probably pushes back against that overall mentality. But, yeah, I mean, they need a big time player. They don't really have one right now.

But again, I maintain, I am not selling Patriot stock yet. The rest of you can dump it if you want to. I will believe it when I see it. Yeah. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News.

By the way, want to hear something amazing. Discover matches all the cashback you earn at the end of your first year automatically with no limit. Discover cashback match. Learn more at Discover.com slash cashback match. Let's bring in the Hall of Famer, Tony Gonzalez. He's got the Yellow Jacket. He's got the Hall of Fame ring. He's got all the things Hall of Famers have.

17 years in the NFL, missed two games in his career. How are you? Look at you. Just bouncing around today. Look at that. You got something healthy. Yeah, a little nut bar or whatever. Yeah. I need it after a holidays, man. I went after it. Did you? Yeah, I went on. I went for it.

A lot of sugar. It started with Strahan's birthday. And so he had cakes on his morning show. Then we had a cake at the Thursday night show. And, I mean, the guys, so people sent him. Anyway, that, Thanksgiving, too much sugar. I totally get it. But I got it.

All right. So now, Monday night football, Viking Seahawks. You made a bold prediction on the air as a former chief. Yeah. The chiefs played the Vikings. You've been on a, you're on the Vikings all year. I'm not a Kirk Cousins fan. You're a cousins fan.

What is it about Minnesota you like? They play Seattle tonight. They got a complete team. I mean, they have a great offense, I believe. You know, you got Dalvin Cook, one of the best running backs in the league. Guy gets the ball. And that's where it starts on the offensive side of the ball. That's what every quarterback in the NFL would love to have

because it sets the time. So you got Dalvin Cook, you got Adam Thien, you got Diggs, you got a good set of tight-ins, Irv Smith and Rudolph. They're using him now in the red zone. And then really it's Kurt. I love what he's doing to go along with that defense. Look at his numbers this year. You look at the prime time.

He's won two primetime games. That was the knock on him. He couldn't win in prime time. Then now this game tonight, going on a Monday night football against somebody who else is supposed to be the MVP of the league, which is Russell. Right now, Lamar Jackson is the MVP, but after that, it's Russell Wilson, right? Yeah. Look at the numbers that Kurt Cousins is putting up versus Russell Wilson's numbers this year.

They're almost identical, even a little bit better in some areas. So I think this is a perfect opportunity for Kirk to go out there and show the world and show himself. Like, hey, I'm one of the best quarterbacks in the league. They paid me like that, and they have a Super Bowl caliber team. Yeah, by the way, he's always been accurate. It's never been a question. He was a great college quarterback. was good in Washington, he's good in Miami.

It's not that he can't play. He's a little small, doesn't stretch the defense, tends to be a guy that needs a lot around him. Well, right now his reality is he's got a lot around him. No, that's his reality. By the way, Alex Smith won a lot of games when he had guys around him. So you tend to be, and it's funny, you said something to me the other day that I was fascinating.

For those of you that don't know Tony, I kind of know Tony, but it was a great, great, very serious person. You do a lot of philosophy. You did not. You told me the other day you said, I wish I would have had as much fun as gronk. You were a very serious, committed pro athlete. Yeah.

And you told me the other day, you're saying, you know, sometimes I wish I had more fun. I didn't have a, you know, I wasn't a big fun guy. Yeah. So when I saw the Freddie Kitchen shirt, I'm thinking that wouldn't, that's not you. Uh-uh. You would be, if you were, if you saw your coach wearing that, I mean, my takeaway is not to be mean, it's just what a dumb guy would do. Like I know that sounds like I'm a jerk, but it's like that's not Mike Tomlough,

Belichick, Sean Payton, that's not what they would do, right? Stupid is, it is stupid does. I wouldn't have liked that. There's no way, especially as I got, shoot, even when I was younger, I wouldn't like this because all it does is start a fire. I mean, in Pittsburgh finished it. You saw the T-shirts that came out afterwards. I think as a head coach, this is incredibly immature,

is if we're going to be nice about it. Okay, so you had Dick Vermil. Yeah, Dick Vermil would have never done something like that. Yeah, he was almost, refined. He owns a wineries. He's as elder statesman, very sophisticated guy. Yeah. Don't you think, though, that this is, maybe he's trying to play to the lockroom. This is the new age. You would never have seen any quarterback. I mean, any, any coach in the NFL do something like this is just a sign of the time. I don't know if it is. Here's what I think

it is. When you're trying, this team's made bad choices all year. I mean, some of the play calling, end of the first half, some of the play calling by Cleveland, average people make more poor choice. I think when you're trying to curry favor with people, you reach. Now, I think there's a lot of young coaches, like Sean McVeigh wouldn't do this, because Sean McVeigh is secure. He's been to a Super Bowl. I think when you're insecure, you reach. You brag a little more.

You do stuff. And I think he's a guy that deep down knows he's a little over his skis. It's unraveling. And he's trying to kind of reach out. I'm one of you guys. Yeah. You know what it is? He's, this is not a head coach.

Now, position coach, I've had position coaches do stuff like this. They do it all the time. I had a position defensive line coach that would come through the locker room wearing shoulder pads. He'd put on a jersey and shoulder pads before the game and was hyping everybody up, cussing and yelling before the game. And yeah, you like it. The players loved it. That's what a position coach does.

A head coach is the CEO. He's the face of the organization. You can't do that. You just can't. You just can't do it. It's all there is to it. Let me ask you about this. So the franchise tag in the NFL is the engagement ring of football.

I don't want you to leave me, but I'm not ready to get married. So if you're the cowboys, the rumor is this morning is they want a franchise tag, Dak. So let me ask you as a pro athlete. So you come into the NFL, you massively outperform your contract. Yeah. You've won the division. and then when it's payday, they're like, Tony, we're going to franchise tag you.

So we'll pay a big money for a year. My question is, would Dak resent that? Because he has been a bargain basement. He's won the division twice, and he makes what a Dallas DJ does. Yeah. Would you, and you're pretty pro-business, would you resent the organization a little?

Absolutely. I would have de-presentment. It would hurt my feelings. You are. You're very vulnerable that way. Oh, I would be, I would go home and complain to whoever wants to hear me. I would complain out loud. I would tell even the papers to be like, look, I don't understand. I feel like I've performed.

I've done everything in this relationship. I've communicated. I have worked hard. I've stayed late. I've showed up early and I've won games, more importantly. And if you, now you deny it when it comes time to put the ring on the finger, let's go. Let's walk the aisle. Let's go do this.

Let's get married. It's, you're just. What do you feel about this, Joy? Yeah, I think it's ridiculous. I don't even know, I don't understand why he hasn't signed it. He's a franchise quarterback. He wins. He wins.

He wins, but obviously. He's a professional. He's great at the microphone. He's never in any trouble. He does everything they ask him to do. I mean, what do you say? Don't try and be happier than happy. John says he does everything but beat good teams.

Well, there was a time when he beat, there was a time when he beat good teams. I know, it's always upset Scu-A, but it's not like he hasn't won big games. It does. I would say this. Maybe Dax's more mature than me. What's the difference between Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott? Well, because the feeling is Carson Wentz was a number one or two pick. He's just a better player. What's the difference between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys right now? Yeah. Or Dallas wins more. I mean, Jared Goff, I mean, getting the big contracts.

I mean, other quarterbacks have gotten these contracts. I think I got to be honest with you. If I was Dak, I think I'd have a little resentment. My feelings would be hurt. Yes. But we also, let's, you know, I love putting the shoe on the other foot. If I'm Jerry Jones, and we're speaking of relationships, I'm looking at a... What do you say, though? You're like, you know, sometimes you just know.

It's like, I just don't know. I haven't, you haven't given me that feeling in my heart yet. Listen, the thing about this, Tom Brady, everybody passed on him for five rounds. This is a hard position to evaluate. Dax's in the league four years, and it's still split around. I talked to GMs. They're like, not into DAC. He wins.

He's not. Everybody says, I like his intangibles. I don't love his tangibles. So this is the hardest position in sports. And Dallas is basically saying we're still trying to evaluate him. Yeah. Well, you know what? Guy just got done talking with Kirk Cousins, right?

I mean, it's the same type of deal. A lot better with Kirk Cousins today. And they would. Look at him. Look who's hurt now. Look who's hurting now. So I don't know. I would sign him.

If I'm the Dallas Cowboys, I would sign this kid because, first of all, what else do you got? You're going to go out and develop another pick? I mean, I don't think it's going to happen. I would go with this guy. So New England last night, concern at all? I think they're just missing a big time over-the-top receiver, but concern when you watch Tom.

Nah, everybody's panicking. I don't, I'm not. Haven't we seen this before, though? They've only got two lost. I know the schedule hasn't been that tough, but. I think we saw it last year. We see those time. I think they're going to figure it out.

everybody's wanting so bad for the Patriots to crumble and everybody's trying to predict it and even this, I would even say even if Tom Brady's not there, I don't we respect Bill Belichick enough to say that he's the great, people call him the greatest coach of all time. You'd probably call him that. Yeah, I know I'd put him up there.

So why do we think that it's just going to be over all of a sudden with them, especially in the middle of this? But don't many teams would kill to be 10 and 2 or whatever. Also, you don't know if they have to play Kansas City and Baltimore. They may only have to play one. It's like the NCAA tournament. You go, oh, they can't beat boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, but sometimes Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse all get beat. Yeah.

So the bottom line is, you may only have to play Baltimore or Kansas City. What if Kansas City goes to Baltimore? I watched the Chiefs yesterday. I don't think you want any part of that. What if Kansas City goes to Baltimore and they beat them? And they beat them. So, yeah, you're going to have to beat. You're going to win the division.

You're going to get a buy. I got to tell you something. Don't be shocked if Buffalo goes on the road with that staff and that defense and beat to Kansas City or Baltimore. It wouldn't be shocking to me. So maybe you end up playing Buffalo again. You just don't know in this sport. Tony Gonzalez, Hall of Famer, good seeing you. Thanks, boy.

Coming up next, the three word game, every NFL game described in just three words. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard radio app. Two amazing things happen today. Chris Peterson has resigned, retired at the University of Washington. I'm told he's done coaching, burnout. And Joy Taylor just told me she got in at 1.30 in the morning flying in from Pittsburgh and still made the show. I mean, it's not an option for me to not make the show. You could have called in and said, I'm tired. I don't really believe in that. I know you know. Nobody cares. Work harder. That's right. Is I'm tired an option? Can we do that? I was not aware that was an option.

You're right. I did I dispute for two years, waking up at 3.20 in the morning. I'm tired was never an option. You guys don't care that I got in that late. I'm happy to be here. Well, we love you. All right, best for last. We call it the three word game.

You can describe every NFL game in just three words. Here we go. Thanksgiving Day, Bears Lions. What a blow. David Blow. Undrafted rookie quarterback from Purdue made his first start against the Bears defense, had 140. 39 passer rating on his first two drives.

Who is that guy? Bears won, but it was, there have been so many backups this year. This is a fun watch, though. It was a really fun game. Bill's Cowboys. What now, Jerry? Jason Garrett's contracts up at the end of the season.

Dallas is 0.15 against winning teams. Let's give the Bill's credit. That's a great staff. Josh Allen, way better than I predicted way sooner. They've shorted up their offensive line, but what now? Still think Dallas is going to win the division. Saints Falcons, stiffing the turkey. Saints lineman, shy tuddled, picks off Matt Ryan third quarter,

and provided the stiff arm of the year. Oh, Lord. It looked like Big Brother. Look at this thing. It is delicious. Oh, my Lord. Saints clinched the NFC. South. That's so I feel bad for Matt Ryan. Packers, Giants. Don't stand, Pat. Giants have lost eight straight. They're seven and 21 under Pat Schumer. Five losses by over 17 points. They don't look well coached. They don't look prepared. I was told, listen to this. I was told by a source inside that locker room. Pat Schumer doesn't.

meet with his quarterbacks every week. Tom Copland met with Eli Manning every week. Because he has something better to do? Just what I've been told. Don't stand, Pat. It's time to move on. Adam Gase, I'm okay with for another year. Pat Schumer has lost that team. 49ers Ravens, heavyweight fight delivers.

How great was that game? Ravens have scored 20 plus points in 19 straight games. So a lot of people are saying, well, Baltimore's offense can be stopped. Listen, it's November, December. You're not going to score 35. The weather's rough. I still thought their offense, at least situationally, was very good. They also are the best kicker in the world, which means they get close.

It's an automatic three points. And for the record, I thought Jimmy G. and the Niners played very, very well. To go on the road, and that game, I thought San Francisco played a great first half. I've got no big hot take here. If they meet for the Super Bowl, I'd be very happy. Titans Colts. out of luck Andrew Luck's real good

they're one and four last five games Jacoby Brissette's fine one or fewer touchdown passes in five straight games that's with a great offensive line Jacoby Brissette's a starter in this league but he's a lower end starter and Andrew Luck the energy has left the building they have to play

almost perfect football to win now and the Texans are going to win that division Brown Steelers Pittsburgh finished it Freddy Kitchens wore a shirt this week that said Pittsburgh started it referring to that ugly brown Steelers melee. Pittsburgh 7 and 5 now holds the second wildcard spot. I don't think Pittsburgh's a playoff team.

I don't. I think Buffalo is, and I think Tennessee feels like a playoff team. This is not good enough. Freddy Kitchens, probably a great guy. I have a source with him that said he was a fun-loving, high energy. Everybody loved Freddie Kitchens as a position coach. Just feels like the Peter Principal. He was given a job way over his head.

Jets Bengals, it's not Darnold. Sam was fine. 28 for 48, 240 yards, no turnovers. Bad O line must have had six drops. Sam Darnold's not the problem here. They had 10 penalties. The Jets right now have the number, I think, nine pick in the NFL draft. I almost wonder if you trade down, get more picks.

You cannot win consistently in this league with a bottom five offensive line. Sam Darnold wasn't the problem. He's fine. Eagles Dolphins. punter to kicker. Punter Matt Hack through a touchdown to kicker Jason Sanders in the history of the NFL.

Well, it happened back in 1977. So it doesn't happen much. First time ever, though, in the Super Bowl, by the way, it's the first kicker to catch a touchdown since 77. It's the first time ever in the Super Bowl era. A punter is thrown in touch. I wonder how you sell this to the team.

Let's get the two most unathletic guys and you guys play catch near the end zone. And the whole thing just looked like it was a disaster or when it happened. It did before the snap. Yeah, I loved it though. Redskins Panthers. Good for Cam.

Listen, after a five and one start, Kyle Allen is being exposed as a backup. Ron Rivera, they may clean house here, but I feel like this morning, you may draft a quarterback, but I think you probably bring Cam back for one more year. He's popular.

Kyle Allen is a transitional guy and not a great one. Don't be shocked. Ron Rivera's name, if he gets flushed out, Dallas Cowboys could do worse than Ron Rivera. They could do worse. Bucks Jags, Nick Fools Gold. Nick Foles bench for Gardner Minchu, four years 88 million. I like Nick Foles. He caught lightning in a bottle in Philadelphia.

You know, if you take out Philadelphia, he's like 5 and 11 as a starter. He's a backup. He's a really good backup. And Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez, Nick Foles, you can get lightning in a bottle. It happens. You know, Stan Humphreys got to a Super Bowl. Rex Grossman got to a Super Bowl. It happens.

But he's a backup and he got benched. Rams Cardinals. What was that? It was Rams out gained Arizona by 351 yards. They had 21 first downs in the first half. Did L.A. and Arizona had three. I don't think Arizona had a play that worked for two and a half hours.

And I love Kyler Murray, but that was, I mean, that was jaw dropping. Raiders Chiefs, Chiefs officially back. Five different Chiefs scored, 31-0 halfway through the third quarter. They looked like Super Bowl material. Chargers Broncos, classic charger loss. Pass interference. Broncos get a field goal as time expires. All eight.

of the Chargers losses, seven points or less. Patriots, Texans, help wanted receiver. James White and Julian Edelman, those two combined for 23 targets and 14 catches. Please get a deep threat, New England. Viking Seahawks tonight, Vikings in prime time. Both teams are half game back in the division. This has an NFC championship feel to it. Soda, my opinion, best overall roster.

Seattle added three players around that trading deadline, all paying dividends, all take Seattle close tonight. Thanks for joining us. Speak for yourself 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. In 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,

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You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest, conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the Iha radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up guys? This is Cliver 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

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