The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Brock Purdy is for real

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

Niners QB Brock Purdy once again proves he's the real deal The Giants have crossed over from a once proud and successful organization to dysfunctional Is Deion Sanders interested in the NFL?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, live on a Friday in Los Angeles. It's the herd.

Wherever you may be in, however you may be listening. Best show of the week. Julian Edelman stops by today. Blazing five, one hour from now. We are loaded. NFL on a Thursday night. We were just waiting for the cover. That's all it was.

We were just waiting for the cover. Both teams were missing. Good players. Giants missing the left tackle, though it really hurt. J-Mack. That was, you know, Brock Purdy, I'm sitting here watching him. They blitzed all night, handled the pressure. One time they put 10 in the box, just threw it away.

It's amazing. Everybody's waiting for him to fail. He's not failing. Not quite. Daniel Jones failed a lot last night. He was all kinds of bad. Yeah. So, you know, I look at the numbers last night.

Third down, Brock Purdy was really good. Time of possession, he controlled it. Yards per pass, not a lot of dinkin' dunkies, thrown it up the sidelines. 26 first down, dominated the game. We've become so obsessed with the upside of quarterback. We fell in love with Zach Wilson because of a throw at the combine, Justin Field's size and his ability to run. Yeah, maybe Brock Purdy's ceilings a little lower, maybe a lot lower,

but his floor is really high. He rarely even has a bad half or a quarter. He was very okay in that playoff game against Dallas. You know the great cowboy defense, but he completed 65% of his throws, won the game and had no picks. San Francisco, yeah, San Francisco scored 30 plus points in all but two games he started and been healthy. He stays out of trouble. He accurately delivers the ball to the right people. Debo, Kiddle, Christian McCaffrey, usually Brandon Ayuk who was out last night.

I think he moves pretty well. They can move the pocket with him. He moves well enough. He doesn't move too well where he's paralyzed by running. He sits in the pocket and throw strikes. He doesn't shrink. He doesn't have that Kirk Cousins like teeth clenching stuff. I don't see a guy that's overwhelmed.

I see a guy that moves well. I see a guy that gets rid of the ball accurately. He's confident. He's not cocky. San Francisco's offense is a symphony and he keeps the beat. And this happens all the time. American Idol was the next. number one show on television in America, when, you know, linear TV used to be a thing.

Number one show for a decade. Every network, including this one, passed on it once. We circled back and got it. Good for us. Tom Brady, best quarterback ever, six round. Yokic, most dominant player in the NBA. Second round. Not only does it happen with guys like Brock Purdy who are good.

Tony Romo was really good. Kurt Warner was great. It happens all the time with stars. But here's the thing. The NFL now is so quarterback-centric that we believe if you win, it has to overwhelmingly be the quarterback. No, it doesn't. No, it does. San Francisco had more yards last night after the catch than the Giants had total yards.

The ball, get it to the guys, let them break tackles. Debo breaks tackled. Christian McCaffrey breaks tackles. Kittle breaks tackles. Get them the ball early. step out of the way. The story in Kansas City this year is not Mahomes. It's their defense. The story with the Rams is a rookie wide receiver getting better than Cooper Cup numbers. The story with the Cowboys is defense. You can win in this league a lot of games without a

hall of fame or at quarterback. Even Mahomes this year, the story is how good that defense is probably his best. San Francisco, A plus coach, A plus skill positions, a plus defense, and a quarterback that doesn't shrink, doesn't cost you anything for a couple of years. I don't even remember him at the combine, but you're waiting to see more of him. This is what he is, and he doesn't make mistakes. His passer rating's 112. Well, he's got this.

Well, he's got that. Well, Matt Stafford won a Super Bowl when he had Sean McVeigh. You know, Russell Wilson was good. when he had Pete Carroll. Everybody has a, well, he's got blank. Aikman had Jimmy Johnson. Marino had Shula. John Elway had one of the greatest coaches ever.

Mike Shannon. Everybody's got to have something. There's no quarterbacks winning Super Bowls with lousy coaches and bad old lines and crappy defenses. You got to have something. Yeah, Kyle Shanahan's brilliant. Yeah, the defense is stacked. And in two years, three years when they have to pay Brock Purdy,

maybe it won't be as stat. But we're obsessed with the upside. What about the floor? This kid just doesn't have bad halves. Even against Dallas. 65% completion percentage. No picks. Got it to the right guys enough and they won the game.

And he's humble and he's hungry. Here's Brock Purdy after. I feel like, you know, there's some throws out there that I miss that could have, you know, obviously helped us get the lead earlier and quicker. and faster. So those are the things that, you know, sort of are in my mouth that, you know, I was sort of a bad taste from that I want to be better at. So watch the film keep getting better, and we just want to keep winning.

All right. So how about the other team? The Giants have the worst first half-point differential through three games in like 30 years, 1991. They can't score when the plays are scored. with a really, really good smart head coach. Daniel Jones in prime time, and these numbers matter because that's against good teams and good quarterbacks, right?

That's what TV networks want the New York market. They don't necessarily love the Giants, but they want the New York market. And since the Giants aren't that interesting, usually they face a great roster full of stars or a great quarterback. And Daniel Jones, in his career in prime time, is 1 in 11. Oh, no, that's not the worst part. His passer ratings 70, almost 60s. More picks than TDs.

One in 11. And that's the illustration of what the Giants are against quality. They can't even compete with the Cowboys and the Eagles right now. Forget the Super Bowl. Forget the NFL. In their own division, they're not close to the Cowboys or Eagles. Those defense suffocate this offense. And again, that's with Brian Daibel.

and Sequin Barclay, usually, and a great left tackle, usually. Suffocated. And I'll tell you something. I could be wrong on this, but I think Washington, this happens every year. We get to October and go, that team is good. I think it could be Washington. So they reached it, Daniel Jones, at number six, picking the draft, and they reached on the 40 million per year contract.

It felt so Cleveland. It felt so Cleveland. There's always been this clear divide in the NFL. and I said, because I lived around Giants fans for years in Connecticut for 10 years. Almost all my friends, not a lot of Jets fans. It was Giants fans or Patriot fans. And there's always been this clear divide in the NFL. I don't even have to name the teams.

Well-run organizations, you know them, and poorly run organizations. Forever. You know them. And about 10, 11 years ago, the Giants made this big leap into the have-nots crowd. since they won the Super Bowl in 2011, 11 full seasons, eight under 500, zero division titles. This is worse. Six coaches.

You know what I'm talking about? You know the franchises that do that? They always look down at the Jets. No, you're looking square at the Jets. In fact, in terms of personnel, the Jets defense stacked. the Giants is good. I mean, you look down to the Jets. You can't look down at anybody.

Can't look down at Detroit. Detroit's better than you. Can't look down at Washington right now. Got to look up at them in the standings. The only drama last night would probably be, are the Niners going to cover? I mean, you watch the game. I watched the game.

That's all I thought about. Yeah, one of the 49ers going to cover. That was the only drama. When are the 49ers going to cover? So I'm looking around at this thing. I think they have a very smart GM and coach. So there's light at the end of the tunnel. But they are tied to this Daniel Jones contract.

There's some light, but they've become Nebraska football. Power, titles, relevance, off the radar. And I always call them the accounting. firm of the NFL. Details, even when successful, boring, but you knew what you were getting a bedrock of details and toughness and long hours. That was the New York Giants brand. Now, I don't even think they have a brand. They have a good coach, a clever general manager, and the quarterback can move a little, but the only thing I was thinking about last night, will the Niners cover?

And I mean, even when it was close early, it's like, man, where are they going to pop through this thing? Here's Daniel Jones after. It's not, you know, not what we, not what we're trying to do. So we got to find a way to figure that out, execute better early in the game, finishing the end zone. take advantage of opportunities, but it comes down to making plays and executing better in those situations.

Well, I try to be positive before the season, but you take Sequin and Andrew Thomas out of that offense, and by the way, the young receiver, not getting a lot of looks last night. So, J-MAC, right now, right now you're on the right side of the New York Giants. It feels good to give out some money on a Thursday night while also. watching the Giants just flop around like a dead fish. They look so bad on offense. 3.3 yards per play, Colin. That's it.

150 yards. If they weren't gifted that penalty on the punt where they took over at the Niners, like 37, they don't get in the end zone at all. They don't sniff the end zone. That's a bad football team. Yeah. I mean, they played 12 quarters of football and they've been outplayed in nine of them, like significantly outplayed.

Well, what's concerning is they're really atrocious early. So in Denver, we're saying we don't like what we see. But Peyton and Russell Wilson are very effective early on script. Well, the Giants have been okay in the second half of one game, but they're not good even on script. And you would think with a clever coach, you know, they don't know what you're going to do. There's the element of surprise.

Even like mediocre offenses can usually in their first couple of series, surprise you, pick up yards, misdirection. No, they don't do that either. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code heard when you download the app. All right, I'm going to go with a three dog parlay pick via Draft King Sportsbook. All right, Chargers plus one of the Vikings. They have a better team.

They're desperate, better roster. And I think this is the moment for the Chargers this season. Line in the sand. Lose, they're thinking about a new coach. I think they win. They've had moments in both their losses. Chargers win by a touchdown. Steelers plus three at the Raiders.

Why? I think Pittsburgh's a better roster overall. After an ugly win and an epically bad performance by the O-line, they'll hear about it from Tomlin and play inspired. Take the Steelers by a touchdown. And Rams plus one at the Bengals, Joe Burrell may not play, and the Rams are the shock of the league. If you want to take the herd parlay,

Check out Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code H-E-R-D-Hurd when you download the app. Chargers, Steelers, Rams. Like it, I love it. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler.

In New York. Call 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y-4-669. See show notes for full details. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. of the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you

behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So great to have you back in a Friday. We have a great show. Blazing 5, 40 minutes from now. Love my picks. I haven't said that the first two weeks. Love them. I don't think I said that. Julian Edelman stops by today. One of the smartest coaches last 20 years in college football, Chris Peterson is joining us in studio. He's talking Colorado in Oregon. There's Notre Dame and Ohio State. There's big games all weekend. Blazing five again, top of next hour. So when NFL executive was quoted saying about Dion Sanders, he might skip the NFL. He'll have to deal with

parity in the NFL. He might not have the same impact in the NFL. He has in college. He'll be limited on how many guys he can bring in and attract because of the cap and the draft. Well, with very few exceptions like Pete Carroll and Jimmy Johnson, most coaches do not succeed at both. Most don't succeeded one. Pete Carroll and Jimmy Johnson succeeded at a high level, Super Bowls, Natty's, at both. Here's the thing. It's a different job. College head coach, you control everything. Jim Harbaugh was very, very effective at the college level everywhere. And he had success in the NFL. Jim likes to control personnel. So did Urban Meyer. Jimmy Johnson was known as great in personnel. So was Pete Carroll. You don't get that in the NFL. College football coach runs the

show, Saban, Urban, Harbaugh, you run the show. In the NFL, you have to have a symbiotic relationship with the GM and the owner. In fact, Harbaugh, Trent Balke, did not get along very well, the GM in San Francisco. So it was a struggle. So some of these college coaches, even coaches I like, college basketball coaches, college football coaches, coach Kay and Sabin can be a little bit of a control freak. You cannot be the biggest star in the NFL. Your quarterback, your star receiver, your edge rusher are. The owner also wants to be seen as a star. In the NFL, it's bigger cities, louder media, more criticism. You can't schedule around competition. Bottom line, in college, a salesman thrives. In college, salesman die. Dion right now is an unbelievable salesman. And he doesn't even have good real estate yet.

he's a great salesman. And he's a little controlling, even with his son, which is his son. He's right too. But right now he's controlling everything. Everything goes through him. In the NFL, the GM makes calls all day and doesn't even give you a heads up. They're talking about personnel, players. They're not giving you a heads up.

Now, people will look at Belichick and say, well, he's controlling. And I would argue since Brady left, it's absolutely hurt him in the draft. But when Josh McDaniels, Brady, and Dante Scarnicchio, the offensive line coach, were there and closer to their prime, he let those guys run the show offensively. So I think Dion appears to be absolutely, it's not a criticism, perfect for college football. Joel Clatt on our show earlier this week talked about it. Deon doesn't want a coach in the NFL. He's told me that point blank to my face. He believes that his role is more as a mentor.

He loves coaching kids. And this is where he feels called. In fact, the word that he used with us in our meeting, and you'll know this because he's very forward about his faith, he believes this is his ministry. To be there for kids in college, be a father figure to kids in this moment in their life. He's not going to the NFL, period. Now, whether he's at Colorado for any length of time, I'm not sure.

I'm not sure because there are going to be a lot of people that come calling. Now, I never say never. Jerry Jones calls offers 10 million plus. You know, he's got history, but you don't have an impulsive ego owner in college. You control personnel. The quarterback doesn't make four times what you do. A GM wanting credit. Dion gets to get the credit.

Dion gets the love. Dion gets the mission. Dion makes the calls. And that matters a lot. Jim Harbaugh succeeded. to some degree at both, but I think Harbaugh's better suited. And I've talked to GMs about this in the NFL. He's better suited for college.

So is saving. Pete Carroll's had to relinquish power in the draft. What a shock. Seattle's drafted better last couple of drafts when Pete stepped back. Belichick won't. It's to his undoing. But I think he's found his place, whether it, like Clatt said, is Colorado long term. I don't know.

It's good for the sport. It's good for him. It's good for the kids. And it's been a blast to watch. J-MAC with the news No No Turn on the news

This is the herd line news Yesterday was Justin Fields Day It was Basically a pinata After saying some silly stuff To the media Then blamed it on the media

Trying to get clicks Well Patrick Mahomes Has now shined in The two-time MVP Offered some advice for the struggling Justin Fields Trust your talent

Trust your instincts He's here for a reason He's made a lot of Big Place happen in the NFL and in college wherever he's been. So just trust in your instincts and then go out there and be the player that you've always been, just not against us, hopefully. Yeah, this was a game.

I think Justin Fields against that Kansas City defense feels like there's not much there. I will say this, though. I do believe and hope that they abandon the Tampa Bay game plan and go back to allowing Justin Fields to move and run. At this point in his career, he's better at it. This Tampa game plan was sit in the pocket. That's not right now. That's not his strength.

It may never be. But right now, he can pick up first downs and can move to change running. Allow him to lean into him. So the only problem with that is they did that last year. He ran for a ton of yards and they lost 10 straight games. You know, like that didn't work. This isn't working. So maybe there is no solution.

I'll defend fields for a second just because that's what I do. So there are left tackles out this week. The backup has not played a snap this season. The center has graded out, according to pro football focus, as the worst center in the NFL. Now he faces Chris Jones. And the guards are basically glorified traffic cones, according to the grades. Like, they cannot protect Justin Field. And by the way, defensive head coach, there's a real trend in the league.

They certainly don't correct them quickly. So essentially, Iberflus became a coaching star when he bottled up Mahomes. Remember it's Sunday night football? Colts, I think it was in, it was in KC. It was a masterful performance, and they won 1913. They sacked Mahomes, and he was just rat. He didn't know what was going on. So maybe Iber Fluse is able to conjure some magic. But that was like 2019.

Like a lot's happened since then. Can you make any case for the Bears here, Colin? No. Covering, maybe not winning. Twelve and a half? Yeah. When's the last time they had a good Olin-Croits was, I mean, on it, he was great. But, I mean, it's...

You have to look back to like Walter Payton when he was dominating. Yeah, I mean, it was in the 70s, you could have a defensive coach and a great O line. You know, it just, it seems the ongoing trend is the worst O lines are almost all, almost all defensive coaches, and they don't have the ability to correct it. Sean McVeigh changed the O line for the Rams, move the left tackle to right guard in one-off season. Andy Reid did it in one-off season. Pittsburgh. Chicago. They've given draft capital do it. They've used draft picks on it. Last year again, one of their top picks. A tackle. It's still bad. We'll see, Bears. I don't, I just, it's tough

for me to lay 12 and a half with Casey. I don't, I don't sleepwalk through. Maybe they get a 14-0 lead and they're just like, all right, let's mail it in. I wouldn't have bet last night's game. And I, and I knew going in, it was a matter of when will the Niners cover. I hate in the NFL, giving up 12, 13 points. It's the giant, so I felt good. Next up, Zach Taylor and Joe Burrow. Burrough's still day-to-day after re-aggravating his calf strain in week two. There was some video of him walking across the street and people are like trying to scrutinize.

Is there a limp? What's going on? He's wearing like a sleeve. Well, they don't throw the ball down the field effectively this year. Right now. That's always been their thing is the over-the-top throw. They are bad. They're not throwing the ball down the field at all with any efficiency.

So yesterday the Patriots went out and grabbed Will Greer, their third string quarterback, who'd been with the Bengals on the practice squad for like three weeks. So the Bengals just this morning within the last hour grabbed a guy, Stennett, I believe is his name, who has been with the Bengals before knows the system. And everybody's trying to parse, does that mean burrows out? And like Stennett's the backup to Browning. You know what it feels like to me? Belichick saying to himself, the only way we can get in is wild card,

and we could be battling Cincinnati for a wild card spot. let's weaken them at quarterback. Belichick loves to do this stuff. He's been doing it his whole career. I mean, that's a strategic move by Belichick saying, I think Cincinnati and us are both good teams at O&2. We're going to move up, may not win our division. We'll be battling them.

That's weaken them. If Burrow doesn't play in the backup gets dinged, instead of Will Greer, who has some talent, I think he was the West Virginia kid. He was, yeah, yeah. He's got some talent. Now you go to a kid that's just walking back into the building. So what do you, I mean, we don't have the medical reports

Um, we don't know, nobody has any clue what's going on. Calfs last forever. Yeah. They're just, and they get reagravated. I think I predicted this on the air.

When you get a calf injury, you're absolutely sure it's okay. 12 days in, and you're re-agravated. I wonder if the calf is the most re-agravated injury. You think you're like, oh, it's a little tender. Pops again.

Yeah. So Aaron Rogers had a left calf and then a right calf. Okay? And then in game one, you saw what happened. Now, he's a little older than Burrow, obviously, by like, you know, 15 years. You don't want to mess around. Like, maybe they just, hey, we're going to put Burrow on IR four weeks on the show. But then your season's over, right? Yep. It's over. You're not coming back from 02 with Jake Browning in this division. Final story, A.J. Brown and J. Lynn Hertz had what looked like a heated argument on the sideline.

I'm sure you saw that last week. AJ Brown, not thrilled. He wasn't getting the ball. The team was quick to address the incident as NBD. That's no big deal. That's what the kids say these days. Yeah. Brown echoed those thoughts yesterday. The LaSalle line discussion, I want you, I want you all to know that. That's what it was. It was a discussion, you know. It's a game that we both love and I want everybody to understand that sometimes emotion front high. And that's kind of what happened to, you know. That doesn't mean, it's the end of the word doesn't mean.

I'm beefing with Jayland. I know everybody took that out of context, but it's not a big deal. Me and him are still on the same page. We're still growing. We're still trying to. become great and get winning, most important. Well, you can say it's no big deal, but history shows

we see a couple of these and usually the receivers gone within a year or two. He had one of these last year. People hate when I say this word, but wide receivers are divas in the end of they want them. Occasionally. No, there is a rich history of these guys. Well, there is a history, yeah.

Major. Let's keep an eye on digs in Buffalo. We'll see. He's in line for a big game this weekend. I think we're opposite sides on that. Odell Beckham, almost every stop he's been at. Like if you don't get the ball, and Brown put up monster numbers last year. Teams are taking away the deep threat.

We've talked about this. They're playing the two safeties high. No more bombs to AJ Brown. Remember last year he was just electrifying, just catching 50-yard touchdowns left and right. And I don't know. We'll see how this goes. Tampa Philly is a spicy game Monday.

I think we're going to have a lot to say on that one on Tuesday. I'll just leave it there. That was a strong consideration. for Blazing 5. More than a consideration. I contend this is a very good Philadelphia team that doesn't quite know what they are offensively, but a very good team.

Love their personal. There's almost nothing I don't love about that team. Right now, I just don't know if they know. What about the injuries on the defense aside? A lot of guys. A lot of these physical teams, Baltimore's physical, banged up, San Francisco Philly. A lot of these physical teams,

that's just the way they, is it a practice thing? Is it an in-game thing? Like, it is interesting how many of the teams that have injuries are often very physical teams. Well, we've talked about this, the close games. You know how if you win a lot of close games one year the next year, they're not going to all break your way. Well, if you're super healthy one year and nobody gets injured, Ram's Super Bowl run, Eagles Super Bowl run, it's unlikely everybody's going to be healthy again.

It's tough at physical teams. Just put eye on these Eagles. All right. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Trayvon Diggs injury.

Oh, yo, yoi for Dallas, that's a thing. I almost, I don't want to give this one away. But it's, you know how sometimes you got to be careful about analytics. Because, you know, analytics have made baseball more boring. Right? Like, so finally baseball stepped in and said, no more defensive shift. We want more people on bases. We want the games to go faster.

There's an argument. San Francisco Giants. Tom Verduge just had a great article. It's making baseball more boring. It's not in the NFL. The analytics say Dan Campbell's the best coach in the NFL. And I think Dan's done a great job. I don't think he's the best coach in the NFL. But you got to be careful. You have to be careful about, you know, contextualizing stats. So the ringer, I just want to show you, the ringer, and I don't know if we have the graph of this, but they took Russell Wilson in Seattle. And then Russell Wilson's numbers in Denver. And it was shocking. My first takeaway was, this is not what my eyes see. Completion rate. Actually, higher in Denver. Passing yards per game, higher in Denver. Touchdown rate, higher in Denver. Quarterback rating, higher in Denver. Rushing yards per game, pretty much the same. Passing touchdowns per 17 games, higher in Denver. So, um, I went through all these numbers, The Ringer. Fantasy points per game, higher in Denver. Interception rate, lower in Denver.

Touchdown rate, higher in Denver. And the Ringer does a great job. But basically the article is, Russell Wilson is basically the same quarterback in Denver as he was in Seattle. In fact, the argument here is he's a little better. So you're thinking to yourself, no, he's not. I was thinking, no, he's not. So I had to do some excavating.

I had to grab a shovel. I had to dig, dig deep because my gut was telling me, oh, no, no, there's a major difference. And we'll talk about that and that. 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. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game.

What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences, loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me,

LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

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

to do a little Kim. Well, you can find out on The Look Back at It Podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tomorrow, start Saturday with Big Noon Saturday as Dylan Gabriel leads 16th ranked Oklahoma into a conference showdown against Cincinnati. The big noon kickoff crew gets it started live from Cincinnati at 10 a.m. Eastern. And then it's Sooners Bearcats tomorrow at noon Eastern on Fox. So I was saying I went to the ringer this morning and they had this argument that or this story. Russell Wilson's basically the same quarterback in Denver's.

He was in Seattle and they show all the stats. And you can't argue it, right? And I thought to myself, that's not what my eyes are seeing. What I'm seeing this year, he's bad after the script. And so I went digging this morning. We did. And in Seattle, sure enough, not only was Russell Wilson a good fourth quarter quarterback, he was unbelievable. He led the NFL, number one, with 91 touchdown passes in 10 seasons, only 25 picks.

This year in Denver, five TDs, four picks, won to Hail Mary. He completed 63.5% in the fourth quarter. Again, the division was good, tougher to throw in the fourth. you often trail and they know it. This year, 57%. Both years, by the way, in Denver. I'm being told. Passer rating, 104 in Seattle.

In the fourth quarter, he was magic. In Denver last year, this year, 78. He's bad in the second half. He's really, really bad in the fourth. So when your good matters, when you're good, there's a saying, coffees for closers. All those great Michael Jordan highlights. None are in the first quarter.

All right. Okay. Walk off home runs are special. Don't get them in the second inning. In real estate, everybody can sell a house in a good economy and low interest rates. Can you sell it now? Close when others can't. When your great matters.

Tony Romo isn't perceived as a great quarterback. Much better second half quarterback than first half. Derek Carr, is he great? 13th all time. In fourth quarter comebacks, he just got 150 large from the Saints. He's been good in big spots in the fourth come from behind. And with the Raiders, he was often behind. So again, there was a term, let Russ Cook.

What did they mean when they said that? Well, they wanted more of his fourth quarter heroics in the first quarter. And so you go to Denver, he has been a bad fourth quarter with Hackett and with Sean Peyton. And he was magic in Seattle. So that's the classic contextualization is when are you great? Okay, legends are born and made in the fourth quarter. It's why I defended Derek Carr for years.

I've seen him come from behind so many times. He's ahead of a lot of Hall of Famers. It's why I said when Tony Romo played, I was always a Romo guy. I'm like, guys, he is really good in the second half. He's really good late. So even Patrick Mahomes, if you look at the brand of Patrick Mahomes, number one is armed talent. 1A is comeback king.

John Elway, by the way, through a lot of picks. It's not his TD interception ratio. It's not John Elway's passer rating or completion percentage. Elway was a great fourth quarter come from behind king. Ask Cleveland. So I look at these stats, and they were a lot. This morning, I didn't even know what to make of it. And I'm like, no, I remember in Seattle, I can remember so many Bucket Aikman games,

Fox games, big moments, the rain drop over the defense, fourth quarter. So when you're great matters. Kirk Cousins, one o'clock window, we always joke. On script, one o'clock window, Kirk is money. Late, late game. Fourth quarter doesn't feel as big. Kind of shrink. Same with Andy Dalton.

A lot of big moments for Andy Dalton and Cincinnati. He got to the playoffs. I never felt he was big in the playoff games, big in the big moments late. That's just how it felt like to me. Greg Kosell yesterday came on the show and said, here's what the film says. I would say that the film tells me that Russell Wilson is not playing very well. He continues to have a strong tendency to leave a lot of throws on the field

that are there to be made, Colin. I can't tell you how many times when you watch him on tape that he hits his back foot, doesn't even plant it, and immediately breaks down. There's really little pocket nuance and precision to his game. There's just too many plays that are there, and he either doesn't see it, doesn't throw the ball. He's not been particularly accurate. He's not playing particularly good football right now within the context of the offense.

And again, when you're great. matters. Script is one thing. One o'clock windows, one thing. Those TV games, it's fourth quarter, that's where you get paid. So something happened, I think it happened after our show yesterday, and it's a big deal. Now, we've already got six or seven great players out for the season. You know, almost every team will lose a really good player at one point due to injuries. Now, there's a lot of injuries during the year. We've seen it over the years with San Francisco, and the guys usually come back. So Trayvon Diggs, the great corner. having a remarkable year out.

Torn ACL in practice. Brutal. Bad for the Cowboys. Bad for him having a remarkable year. Mike McCarthy knows how big of a deal it is. You hate to see when any of your players, but I mean, it's just awful. Just the outpour of concern for him.

I mean, he was just playing off the charts. I mean, that's the way he practices too. obviously a big blow. This is the best I've ever seen him. I mean, he had a great offseason. His training camp was, you know, the confidence that he was playing with him. His ball skills are just off the charts. I've never seen anybody like him.

Yeah, he was not only spectacular this year, he was allowing a passer rating of one. There's no more numbers. One. Here's the real problem. We've watched Philadelphia never seems to be told. healthy, they can blow people out. San Francisco, never healthy can blow people out. Baltimore's never healthy. Get to the playoffs, win a lot of games. Dallas to me feels really dependent on about

four players. Dax leadership, C.D. Lamb on the perimeter, Micah Parsons' dominance, pass rushing, and Trayvon Diggs. Because of Trayvon Diggs, they're allowed to be hyper aggressive on the back end. Dallas may be the most aggressive team in the league in the back end. Well, that's because of Trayvon Diggs. Now, Dan Quinn cannot coach that way. They were number one in the league last year and this year in takeaways. That's their secret sauce. Dak will get the publicity.

The secret sauce for Dallas is they take the ball away. Better than anybody in the league. Better than San Francisco. Better than the Jets. Better than Pittsburgh. They take the ball away. Well, he's a big part of it. But he is also somebody that allowed you to play a certain way.

when you watch teams play Dallas, like they are aware that Dallas is so aggressive, you can get burned by Dallas. And it goes, you see it on film and you prepare that way. It's not the same now. Now if you can slow down Micah, no easy task, going to take more chances downfield against Dallas. So they won't coach the same.

Dan Quinn won't coach the same. Others won't coach the same against them. It is a major blow. And I do feel like, you know, there's teams in this league. Like Pittsburgh, I don't feel as, you know, T.J. Watt is really, really important because he's so great. But I, you know, if you told me Naji Harris, good game, bad game, Minka Fitzpatrick, good game, bad game. I don't feel like that doesn't feel like it tilts anything. C.D. Lamb, twist, an ankle. I said it before the season.

This offense is not the same. Micah Parsons hurt. Not the same. Trayvon Diggs really allowed you to play a certain way. So I think it is a, and here's the other thing. You know, we view the AFC as superior to the NFC. Well, so far that's just not the case. Cincinnati's struggling. Buffalo has no has been great.

Aaron Rogers gets hurt. Like there's some issues in the AFC. Jacksonville can't get their offense going. Kansas City is sputtered. But if you look at what a corner means in the NFC, Eagles in Washington in your division both have two, two really good. receivers. Rams San Francisco, potential playoff teams, both with two really good receivers, Cooper Cup coming back for the Rams. Seattle and Detroit have multiple receiving threats.

So the teams in the NFC that you could face in the playoffs, Eagles, Washington, Rams, Niners, Seattle, Detroit, they got multiple targets. That you need a shutdown corner. Or Gilmore and Trayvon Diggs, you need two high-end corners. So I think it's a big blow for the Cowboys, what it means is now you cannot afford a C.D. Lamb, a Micah. Like, now this team already felt to me a little top heavy. Now they're a lot top heavy. That's my take. May not affect him this weekend. This weekend against Arizona. Yeah, it definitely will not impact. It won't impact him. I mean, you're looking ahead to like an Eagles match up in the second round of the playoffs. It's a totally different game.

Yeah, but again, the receivers in the NFC are not great. Well, I would argue, I would argue, Brandon and I, you can Debo, Samuel. Those are excellent receivers. Philadelphia's got too good. You and I both, you're doing it reluctantly. Washington? No, stop. Washington, McLorins, and A.

Is he not? I mean, I'm not. McLaurin's very good. Yeah, Dotson is very good. Okay, that's two really good receivers. Sam Howell. Come on. I heard people compare.

Sam Howell to Russell Wilson after that performance. He's a young Russell Wilson. After one good half in Denver, are we doing this already? Three NFL starts, passer rating mid-90. Oh, a week 17 game, Arizona, which is awful, and altitude in Denver.

My gosh. Are you picking Washington in the Blazing Five? I think Washington is just, you acknowledge that during a season. They've got good personnel. You may not know much about Sam Hall or love the coach who's been to a Super Bowl. Their personnel, D-line, receiver, running back. They've got good players.

No, no, they definitely have good players. They got rid of the stink of the ownership. What about their coach? What about that? Ron Rivera. You like him? He's a defensive coach, so I have my issues with almost all of them. Boy, Blaz and Five, the people are hostile right now. When is the Blaz and Five? Okay. Fired up.

This is the week. You think I can win one game? I don't think you can have another bad week in a row. It just won't happen. You know, it's not going to happen. It's going to be kind of funny, though. Is this like sitting at the roulette table waiting for, there's a run of black and you're waiting for the red?

What, if I go 0 and 5. You won't go 0 in 5. Hey, don't put that negative energy out there, man. Come on. Manifest a 4-1. Just not the Washington Buffalo. You sound like Aaron Rogers. Manifest it.

Hour 2 next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a Podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human