The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Is Aaron Rodger Back?

Episode Date: November 29, 2023

Aaron Rodgers is officially starting a 21day practice window???? More thoughts on the college football playoff rankings!Guest: Dianna RussiniSee 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

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or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. It is a Wednesday. Wherever you may be, however you may be watching or listening. Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt. Thanks for making us part of your day. A lot of choices out there.

Joel Klaff in one hour. Michigan, the Kings of College football, at least until we get to the playoffs. J.Mack, I had a very interesting conversation last night with a very well-connected college football insider. The insider was saying the word is all around that Michigan program. Jim Harbaugh,

moving on. It feels like it after the potential national championship. Yeah, I think they're probably going to get there. Colin, I'm excited for it. All right. We start with that. Jeremy Fowler, respected journalist, said Harbaugh's name has percolated

around the NFL. There is a belief that this might be the year. Take away the fact that maybe you just don't, you know, like Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has had three great coaching hires in the history of this esteemed football program. Lloyd Carr was there for 13, won 75% of his games in a natty. Bo Schembeckler's probably the biggest legend there for 21 seasons. Five times he finished in the top four. And then indisputably, it's Jim Harbaugh, who's going to his third straight season finishing in the

top four, only there nine years, but winning 77, almost 78% of the games. Lloyd Carr, Schembeckler, Jim Harbaugh, those are their three great football hires. But with Harbaugh, unlike the other two, at least in their prime, with Harbaugh, he's become like politics and religion. You can't change anybody's opinion on him, and everybody's got a strong opinion on him. Right? But more than anything, this can't be disputed. Ohio State was arguably, along with Alabama, the best college football program in America about four years ago.

Now they are the second best football program in their own conference, the Big Ten. Jim Harbaugh has relegated Ohio State to just another team, Michigan beats. Focus, physical, run first power football, just like the Niners, Stanford, Ohio State was pushed around by Michigan for the third year in a row. And this was the great Ohio State defense. It was vaunted. It was exceptional. And yet, Ohio State scored on every single drive of the second half they weren't kneeling

with over 120 yards rushing in the second half. That is owning somebody. It was just four years ago that Ohio State was second to Alabama in most eyes. now they're second in the Big Ten. And like politics and religion, the Harbaugh haters line up. They've got to find a way to tear him down. He's cheating the scandal at signs. Again, without the signs, Michigan, even more dominant than previous years,

scored on every second half drive, they didn't kneel. In politics these days, if you're wrong, you can claim it was rigged. That's clever, isn't it? in religion you can claim if you're wrong well the man upstairs doesn't exist at all right you can be agnostic and in football Ohio state can claim a lot of things but one thing is indisputable as long as Jim Harbaugh remains the coach of Michigan you may occasionally beat him but they will have the best coach and the best culture in the series that is indisputable they are power football personified

Ohio State now gets pushed around at the line of scrimmage even their vaunted defenses can't stop Michigan in second halves in politics you can just claim we actually won it was rigged at Ohio State you can claim it's cheating it was removed this year and again they scored on every drive they didn't kneel the only way unlike religion you can't claim he doesn't exist the only way to retake this series if you're a Buckeye. Go back to the start of my rant.

Cross your fingers that he leaves. That's the only way. All right. So the Warriors last night played a sort of an up-and-coming warrior team, the Sacramento Kings. They had a great playoff series last year. A lot of people like Sacramento. Beam, light, light, beam, whatever it was called.

Everybody loves Sacramento. And they just weren't quite ready to win, they got close. They met again last night. Warriors had this game, but Steve Kerr doesn't like playing young guys, pulled out Moses Moody, who was hot, went with the old guys, and it didn't work. But one of the things in sports that's important, instead of nitpicking Tiger in his prime or nitpicking this quarterback or that quarterback, enjoy the ride while it's great, because great doesn't long, last very long. Find me a dynasty, and I think the Warriors' dynasty is officially dead. Find me one that elegantly ended, that ended.

on their terms. The Patriots now, a mess. Spurs bottomed out. Joe Gibbs left Washington. They've never recovered. Spurs, Lakers Post-Cobie, half-decade. Awful. If you look at Michael Jordan leaving the Bulls,

the next six years, I believe the most win Chicago had was 30. None of them end elegantly. And usually for the same reason, right? you get overly loyal to people that got you trophies. They're past their prime. You sign them to one more contract. There's cap space limitations. You're missing a draft pick.

This is where I'll give the Warriors a lot of credit. They tried to infuse this roster with draft picks, youth, new guys. But DiAngelo Russell, like he is with the Lakers, was too screwy. They got rid of him. Andre Iguodala was great. briefly. Bogot, great, got hurt. But the draft picks, Wiseman, Cominga, Moody, none of them work. And I think there's a reason none of them work, Jordan Poole. Why don't they work? Well, number one, Steph, Clay, and Dremont, and Steve Kerr coaching it. It's very high IQ basketball. And increasingly in college sports, you get Wembe at 19 or 10 or 10. They're not emotionally.

ready to play. They're not physically ready to play. So you have this legendary offense, Draymond and Steph with a catalyst. It's very, very young, virtually impossible for young guys to fit in. They're just not ready to play. And the other thing is that it's a unique system with

two incredibly unique players, Draymond, Green, and Steph. And for the record, old stars mostly don't like playing with young guys. when LeBron James went to Miami. D. Wade, Bosch, he recruited Ray Allen, Badiye, loved Haslam. Mike Miller.

When LeBron went to Cleveland, they could have had Andrew Wiggins as a pick. He's like, give me Kevin Love. Kyrie Irving's been around a few years. He didn't want the young guys. When LeBron got to Los Angeles, that Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, he got him out of town. He wanted Anthony Davis. Kevin Durant chose Kyrie Irving

Now he goes to Phoenix He wants older guys Go look at Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant The great players After they have the bag and rings They don't want to be mentors They don't want to be school teachers

What can you do for them What can you do for me And that doesn't mean Steph Curry's selfish She's the opposite But Draymond Green's got no tolerance For Jordan Poole either just Clay or Steph. They don't have any time to waste on Cumminga,

unable to figure out the offense or Wiseman's 19 years old, can't even have a glass of wine at the hotel bar. I don't have time for it. LeBron doesn't want to play with young guys. Katie didn't want to play with young guys. Michael Jordan didn't want to play with kids. Steph, Draymond, don't either. It's nobody's fault.

Steve Kerr doesn't want to coach him. Last night, Moody was red hot. Fourth quarter, pulled him out, went with the old guys. Steve doesn't want to coach young kids. kids. It's understandable. Old stars don't want and don't generally mesh with the young guys. They're past that stage. Here was Charles Barkley last night on TNT on the Fading Warriors. As I told y'all, this team is cooked. Y'all thought I was crazy. They got away last year because Steph went crazy in game seven. Sacramento should have beat them. They, you know, people did these two different things.

No, no, I'm saying. And with Candice's point, Steph, he's going to start slowing down too. They got an old team. Everybody slows down. Steph looks like he's. People forgot last year, Sacramento went there. They was like, they're going to win game six at home. Sacramento went in there and kicked their butt.

Then I said, man, Sacramento, I picked him to win that serious, but Steph went crazy. He's not going to be able to continue to do that because those other guys aren't the same either. They're older. It doesn't end elegantly. Did you ever think in your life after watching 20 years of the Patriots dynasty, they would be embarrassing? Because that's what they are now.

Like, they're embarrassing. Belichick seems completely out of touch. Greg Popovich got the number one pick for a reason. They bottomed out. The Bulls looked so smartly run for years, and then they weren't. The Lakers are the biggest brand in the NBA. Post-Cobie.

Ugh, hard to watch. This is the way it was destined to end. They'll have their moments. But winning a seven-game series over the Warriors, or excuse me, over the Nuggets, over the Celtics, over the Bucks, over the Sixers, I don't see it. And right now, not over the Kings either. All right, Jay Mack, you were a Sacramento Kings fan. Well, I love Curry. I'm one of the biggest Curry fans on the Internet.

I did tell you this team was getting old, and now Chris Paul hurt last night. Yep. It's the way it is. Nothing lasts forever. We know this, right? It's impossible to stay on top. So you just got to enjoy it while it's there. That Seahawk dynasty with Russell Wilson closed in like three years.

Yeah. We thought they were going to be, I mean, the way they beat Peyton Manning the Super Bowl, and they should have won that one against the Patriots, you're like, this could be like a six-year run. About a year later, injuries, players not getting along. Niners were good. You look up and you're like, yeah, all right, it's over. Yeah.

How about that Dream on turnover late, huh? was tough. They paid them a lot of money in the offseason, getting a little old, long in the tooth, as they say, Colin. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users, please use the code Hurd, when you download the app.

Here's my parlay pick of the week via Draft King Sportsbook. I'll take the Lions minus four at the Saints. I'm out on Dennis Allen. I think he's one of the worst coaches in the league. Lions got embarrassed by. Green Bay, they bounce back and win. Chargers minus six at the Patriots, a desperate team coach and a hot seat in New England. I'm not sure they want to win games. I'll take the Chargers to win by more than a touchdown. And I'll take the Jaguars hosting the Bengals. Jake Browning,

not it. Can't beat you downfield. Jags want to get that number one seed. They're motivated. If you want to take the Hurd Parlay, check out Draft King Sportsbook, please, new users. Use the code Hurd, H-E-R-D. When you download the app, it's real simple. 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 and Y 467369.

See show notes for full details. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. I'm the King. What's good, y'all? It's your main man, Michael Smith. esteemed NFL analyst and certified fantasy football legend. Allow me to present to you your new favorite fantasy football podcast.

The Dynasty Exchange, hosted by my first round rookie picks, Davis, Dylan, and Josh, three guys who most definitely know their stuff. They're the co-commissioners of the coolest and most cutthroat dynasty league you'll ever come across. The Yacht Club. And now they're the co-host of the most elite. Now make that the definitive dynasty program in the game. It's dedicated to only the most devoted of diehards, the guys like me who can't stay off sleeper in KTC.

And trust me, you won't regret making the choice to follow their dynasty advice. Listen to Michael Smith presents the Dynasty Exchange on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 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'll say. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 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. 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 It is great to have you in a Wednesday. Joel Clat, 45 minutes. O's a spirited debate like J-Mack. I do not believe in Florida State. Out of here. Backup quarterback. See you. I want to talk Tom Brady, though. Tom Brady has a podcast. It's called Let's Go. And he's doubling down on a criticism he has had where several people, I've pushed back on it. And Alex Smith, the other places push back on it. Alex does a great job. Brady doubling down on what he believes is the erosion of the NFL. I think the pro game is reflecting more of what the college game is, as opposed to the college game, reflecting what the pro game is. We're asking now pro players to play college football,

and that's the biggest difference I see. This is way more checkers now than it is chess. I tried to play chess. I wanted to have three moves ahead of you at all the times. But he had to. So everything for Brady, if you look at his career, was actually uphill. He comes in as a six-rounder has to prove himself. Defenses in that time period could do more, could be more violent. He had a defensive head coach and mostly a defensive culture. And the wide receiver talent 20 years ago wasn't nearly as deep or as good as it is today.

So Brady's superpower had to be his brain. he also had to face all-time great defenses, the Seahawks, the Steelers, the Tampa Bay Bucks, the Ravens. Nothing today compares to those. Some of it is the rules were different. In fact, that's a lot of it. And the culture was different. You were allowed to do more. So Brady is the greatest chess player of all time.

It is easier for quarterbacks today. The rules lean in their favor. They get much better coaching, high school, college, the coordinators now, the head coach, that are offensive, but give them far more options. It's far more sophisticated. The tight-end talent today compared to 20 years ago is insane. The wide receiver talent's insane. But here's where I'll pushback again with Tom.

The best quarterbacks in this league are overwhelmingly kids. Even Mahomes is 28. Burroughs Young, Herbert's Young, Jalen Hertz is a baby, Lamar, Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud. Mac thinks Brock Purdy's the next Dan Marino. They're all kids. I mean, how many old guys make an impact? Stafford hurt about every fourth week. Aaron Rogers hurt now.

And Russell Wilson has been reborn, but it's a young quarterback's league. Brady became a great chess player. And I would earmark going back his eighth year. He was 30. That's Brady's eighth year. And there's interviews to acknowledge it, he became the chess. player. He'd seen great defenses. He'd seen every

coverage. He'd listened to Belichick. It was in his eighth year. I think these quarterbacks we have now will become chess players. I think some of them are transitioning from checkers to chess. Some are clearly playing checkers. One or two

are close to chess. But again, if you go look at Tom, remember, he played to mid-40s. It was about 30 when not only did the light go on, but he could manipulate defenses every time he went to the line. Audible out of trouble. Audible into productive yards.

I think it's really hard to be an NFL quarterback. For the record, I think the talent's better around quarterbacks, the coaching's better, and the rules are better for them. But defensive players are also bigger, stronger, and faster than they've ever been. So I think the young guys will get there. But Tom is the greatest chess player of all time. There's no doubt, but it takes time to master chess. Even I can play checkers.

J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Brady's such a master. He picked like the perfect time to come out with this hot take about the mediocre. Because so many quarterbacks are hurt. You know, you see some of these totals on games.

It's like 33 for the Falcons and Jets or whatever the numbers are. Well, there's four games this weekend. I think four, maybe five with a backup quarterback playing, and there's only a couple of great. Listen, football is as entertaining as the quality of quarterback play. Last week, the best game, Josh Allen, J. Hurtz. Another game that was wildly entertaining was Trevor Lawrence against C.J. Stroud.

Right. And then you look at games like the Giants and Patriots, bears Vikings, and it's unwatchable. Yeah. So quarterback play is really, really important. And I do think we have seven or eight. Dax having his best year. I think we have seven or eight, and I have to include Dack this year.

Really high-end quarterbacks. Dak, I could argue, is playing more chess than he's ever played. I think Dax's having his best year. I think he's best. I always thought Dack was good at the line of scrimmage. Seating on a lot of bad teams. It is. But against Philadelphia, I think Dack is much more of a chess player than he's ever been this year.

And I've never been a huge Dack fan, but I think he's playing next-level football. A lot of it has to do with the two high-s-season football. Look, people decided we're going to go with that. We'll give you all the short stuff. Go ahead, drive the length of the field. You're going to make mistakes. And everybody is. It's like, you know, in the NBA, everybody said,

oh, we got to move the three point line back or change it because all anybody doing is threes or layups. Well, all any defense now is doing is sitting back and saying, go ahead. We'll give you what you want. No big plays. And it's kind of mucking up the game. But anyways, we'll dive deep into it later.

How about the matchup this weekend? The rematch. Eagles, Niners, San Fran looking to a event. avenge that loss. 32 million viewers? What do you make of it? 30 million viewers? I mean, the college football game got 19 million, Michigan, Ohio State.

A college football game got 19 million. And I think the Eagles, bills, you can look it up. I think it got close to, I got over 25 million. Yeah. It may have gotten like 28? This could get 30, 35. Is it that insane? And not really.

This is a great matchup. I mean, these are two of the best teams. Think about linear TV is not working anymore. If you can get a million people to watch a show on the networks, it's a big deal. going to have 35 million people watch a football game. And there's multiple football games on at the same time around the country. What's your saying around that urgency? Is that what it is?

Like there's massive urgency with this. The two things that get ratings, it doesn't matter if it's politics or sports, is stars and urgency. The NBA gives you stars. The NFL gives you stars and urgency. Very few games. Scarcity of games. Yeah, scarcity. So San Francisco, Philadelphia, like, I don't even, I'm turning my phone off.

You won't receive. I'm going to be completely anti-solvely. for that game. Yeah, it should be exciting. No tax either. Phone's off. You know, Nick Bosa spoke out this week saying that the rematch aspect is a little bit overplay. It's a huge game, obviously, with the seating and all that. We're different teams this year. We're at different spots. They're really good. Nick found ways to win this year. It's just going to be another game, another game where we have to execute, and I'm extremely confident. This go around, I was confident last year, but and things early in the game. Definitely hurt us, but we're just excited for another opportunity. The addition of Chase Young is not being talked about. It's a bigger deal than people are letting on.

Another pass rusher, another big body off the edge. So I like San Francisco when the line came out. Now it's up to about two and a half, some places, three. It's not lasting. When you see three, everybody then bets Eagles getting a field goal. You still like the Niners? I love the Niners. Here's my issue with the Eagles right now.

They're falling behind and struggling out of the gate, Colin. What does San Francisco do better than anyone else in the league? The scripted stuff. They're the best team opening the game. They come down, score, put you behind the eight ball. Listen, we saw them against Dallas. Okay, put Dallas behind early, just choked them out. Jacksonville, same deal.

Pittsburgh. Look up and down the schedule. When they get that early lead, it's lights out. Because the pass rush is unleashed. And look at Philadelphia's struggles lately, Colin. They start slow. Here's the thing for Philadelphia, though. If Philadelphia says to themselves,

we're going to play these guys again. That's what Philadelphia is saying. We're going to play these guys again. And they come in there a little healthier than us. Not that you don't want to win the game. But it's not the end of the world for the loser of this matchup. That's one of the things. But Philly's at home in front of that home.

They're going to be juiced up in Philly. It's going to be a scene. You don't want to be like, we'll get them later. No, no. It's one of these things. can't wait to watch it, but I feel like this is the first of two fights. I would agree. You cannot overestimate extra rest for San Fran.

They played Thanksgiving night. Philly coming off an exhausting overtime game following a Monday night. That to me is everything. Like that alone has me on the Niners. So the stat to watch, though, Kyle Shanahan, 0 and 37 when trailing by eight or more in the fourth quarter. So if Philly can get the lead somehow, I don't see it happening. Does Philly get big leads on anybody? That's the thing.

They come back for all the games. All right. Next up, Buffalo Bills heading into their by week at 6 and 6. Tough loss to the Eagles. Fourth time this season, Buffalo has lost a fourth quarter lead. Who's that on? Coach, quarterback? I don't know. McDermott still believes the team can make the playoffs. Listen, no one's more frustrated than I am.

I can promise you that. We're working hard at figuring it out. You know, those are the things that we're studying moving forward. And we know we'd rather, you know, have a better record than what we have, but we are who we are. And the encouraging thing is everything, all the goals that we set for ourselves are still within our reach. His tone has changed a little. Is that fair? You think?

He was a little more dogmatic and territorial early, and now he's a little more apologetic. He's pulled back the reins, and I think some of this. Remember, their defensive coordinator quit in the offseason. Weird. Okay, he was kind of rubbed out by McDermott. Okay. And the mistakes for Josh Allen once again, fired the O.C. They fired the O.C.

So when coaches get, his tone has changed, they fire the O.C., the D.C. left. It all points to the rigidity of Sean McDermott. Again, the comp I'll use again is Chuck Knox, a legendary coach who coached in Buffalo, L.A. in Seattle. I grew up. Chuck Knox was a Zuck coach. He was a cleanup artist. That's what McDermott is. smart guy has the details.

He's not a visionary. He's kind of a, I think he was a high school wrestler, tough guy, bottom line details. He's got a very clear focus on what he wants, and he's very good at cleaning up the mess. Where's the vision? That's what Sean Payton has. McVeigh, Shanahan, Andy Reed.

It's the vision. Some coaches are cleanup artists, but there's no second gear. I don't see the second gear here. They can't build a consistently good run game six years in. Don't watch what McVeigh's done with the O-line in the run game for the Rams this year with less talent. Well, he's younger. He's an offensive guy.

But how much is this discussion changed if Josh Allen simply hits Gabe Davis on that overtime pass? Gabe Davis opened in the end zone. He ran the correct route. Davis was open. Is a team that's more buttoned up offensively, we don't have that discussion because they do hit Gabe Davis. They had 10 penalties in the first half. That's bad. Bad.

A producer adds here that the bill. are 6 and 0 coming out of by weeks under McDermott. That's a great sign, right? Preparation. Coming out of the by week, they go to Kansas City. Colin. Certainly a winnable game. Certainly a winnable game.

No, hey, look at his schedule. There's a lot of wins there potentially. That's a winnable game? Absolutely. I'm not saying they're going to win it. I'm going to say it's a winnable game. And then after that, they host Dallas. Now that will be Dallas going to cold weather.

No, that is not an easy schedule. Mahomes, Herbert. Well, let's toss Herbert out for now, okay? We're done discussing the Chargers, okay? Sorry, I know you've got a lot of Chargers fans. I can't even stomach listening to them on the air. That thing being said, three of those final five games are tough. That Miami game in Miami.

Four are tough. Who's the fourth? Chargers. Stop! No. Three or five are tough. So if you lose three, it's over. That's nine losses. They're not going to the playoffs.

And I think McDermott, he's got to go, right? I think he's done a great job. He will also, for the record, get another head coaching job because there's seven teams a year in this league that need to be cleaned up. I mean, when you got to hire a defensive guy, you got to go grab up. He got him to the playoffs before Josh Allen. He got Tyrod Tanner to the playoffs. By the way, what you don't want in the NFL is chaos. Sean McDermott will end chaos.

When he comes in the building, he will clean it up. Give him four or five years, you'll be a playoff team. The question is, and this may be a handful of coaches, does he have vision? can he take you to the next step? That's the only... The question isn't, is he a good coach? Is he a smart guy? Check, check.

Is he detailed? Check. But he is not an offensive coach. There are limitations on that side. So he is very dependent on getting the OC right. He did for a couple years with Daiple. Yeah. So it's not...

I'm not saying McDermott couldn't... If Dorsey is out and they went and found another OC, I'm not saying they couldn't be much better next year. But he is very... very reliant. Belichick wasn't reliant on an OC. Charlie Wise. Josh McDaniels. Andy Reid is not reliant on a defensive coach or an offensive coach, though Spags is good. Sean's very reliant on getting the OC right. All right. Final story is we've talked about Mack Jones and the Patriots all season long.

He's been benched in four of 11 games, which is crazy. OC Bill O'Brien is defending Matt Jones. He's the one, Colin, saying, I don't think he's the number one guy to blame. If you want to blame anybody, blame me. All right, Bill. Chargers, six-point favorites in New England. I like the Chargers. I know it's dangerous. So Albert Breer said something a couple of weeks ago,

and I was told this, I was texted this over the weekend. So Albert Breer has a source, and I have one, and they're saying the same thing. I think what's really worn the Patriots out is what they thought. thought they were getting from Nick Saban. Nick and Belichick are close. Was a kid who made good decisions but was limited athletically. That's what they thought they were getting. Sabin said he's limited athletically, but he makes good decisions.

And what they've really been disappointed with, this is what I was told, is he's actually a very poor decision maker. You've watched C.J. Stroud. He's obviously a quick thinker. He's a great, quick decision maker. Like some guy's just quick. Herbert, I think, makes very good, quick decisions. Zach Wilson does not. Mack Jones does not.

They either don't see the field. It's cognitive. Whatever it is, is I think the Patriots, I was told this weekend, they are just really frustrated with what they view as like sub-average decision-making. And they thought that was the one thing they were getting. And it turns out he's not good at that or the athletic part. All I heard from Patriots fans was the reason they stunk offensively last year was, was it Matt Patricia was the OC?

We just got to get Bill O'Brien in there. So is it the O.C.? Is it the quarterback? Well, they're going to draft a quarterback. They are drafting a quarterback. Bo Nix? Probably, yes. By the way, Bo Nix is perfect.

He's perfect. Some people are painting him as a checkdown Charlie. He started to drill down on his incredible stats. I'm not saying he is. He's much more athletic than Mac Jones. That's not disputable. I'm more athletic than Mac Jones. He doesn't have a dad bod.

He's getting ripped. I mean, but he is ripped. He's got a zillion starts in college. He's very athletic. It's like C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert. You don't notice in college sometimes they're being protected by their coaches. And then you watch C.J. Stroud against Georgia or Herbert against Wisconsin. And he'd be like, oh, damn, these guys can move.

Bow Nicks can move. So he's athletic. He's cut up. He's accurate. He doesn't throw a great deep ball to knock on him. He didn't throw a ton over the top deep. He doesn't have a power arm. but he's like Mac Jones if he made better decisions

and was more athletic with a lot more college starts. That's something. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Jay Mack's got people fired up. Diana Rusini stops by today.

Joel Clatt, top of next hour. The holidays are a time for coming together, wherever together may be. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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, Clifert 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 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, 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. This Saturday, the Big Ten championship kicks off on Fox with their perfect season and

playoffs on the line. J.J. McCarthy and second ranked Michigan take on number 16 Iowa. Coverage begins Saturday at 6.30 Eastern on Fox. So here's the story breaking news. Robert Sala, coach of the Jets, has announced the Jets are opening a 21-day window, practice window for Aaron Rogers, his potential return in the next three weeks, a 21-day window. It's part of the process, part of the progress of his rehab. I think it would be a gigantic mistake for Aaron Rogers to play.

I do not believe Aaron Rogers is going to play. I don't think he'd be ready behind this wobbly offensive line to play. I think it could be a career ender if he gets hurt again. can you imagine doing rehab back to back? Come on. Never forget. He got hurt. Like, wasn't it the first series?

Fourth play? Yeah. Yeah. He got hurt. It wasn't like a tear because he was worn down. He got four plays into this season with this online and got hurt. I hear all this stuff. Well, you know, it's different.

You know, not married, no kids. He's got nothing but time. He can just do this rehab. Father time. He's now, what, 40, 39, 40 of an Achilles surgery. This is a horrible decision. I wish him well. But I've said this before and I'll say it again. Aaron Rogers, in my opinion, is not going to matter in an elite level in the NFL again. There's younger quarterbacks. They're better. They've got better offensive

coaches. They have better offensive line. They have better weapons. I think Aaron is interesting to listen to him chatter about a bunch of stuff. He makes headlines and he's good content for us. when Brady left for Tampa, that was not the end of Brady. When Stafford went to Detroit, that was not the end of Stafford. When Farrv went to the Jets and then Minnesota, that was not the end of Fav, although it was close. Aaron, this injury to me, I don't see how they would be highly relevant next year. I think the bills go out and get a better offensive coordinator and bounce back. Josh Allen's just too good.

I think Miami with McDaniel and Tua, they're not going anywhere, right? They're not going anywhere. I think New England gets a competent quarterback and gets better. Mahomes is going nowhere. Joe Burrow comes back. Lamar and Harbaugh and that group are excellent. You know, Pittsburgh's always going to be a factor. Again, Jacksonville's not getting worse.

C.J. Stroud, Houston now is a real player. The Chargers, they may get Harbaugh, they may get a coach, like that everybody thinks. is the guy. Denver, Russell, Wilson are solved. I mean, this was the year, I can argue. This was the year to do it. The bills, end of last year, this year,

dovetailed. Burrow gets hurt. Herbert doesn't have the right coach. Jacksonville feels like they're close, but not right there yet. Kansas City, crossing their fingers that Rish Rice is a number one, but they're a bunch of kids at receiver.

This is the year to win in the AFC. This was the year. This was the opportunity. And by the way, this is timing is, this is, you know, this is the way life works, right? It's a lot of timing is a lot of success. And there are just time, I mean, Phil Mickelson's one of the all-time great golfers. His prime was right around Tiger Woods Prime. By the way, Malone, Stockton, Jerry Sloan, the coach, those jazz teams were excellent. But Michael Jordan was in his prime. So there are, There are times when people are, I mean, fantastic. And Aaron still got it.

But this offense, you could argue, needs four new offensive linemen. They need another receiver. They got to get out of the Allen-Lazar deal. They need to upgrade it tight end. I love Breece Hall. I like Elijah Vera Tucker when he's healthy. I think Garrett Wilson's exceptional. But this offense needs a lot of work.

And my take is you probably got to trade like a sauce gardener or an elite piece to upgrade positions. and not just have draft picks. But I believe this was the year in the AFC, between the burrow injury, the erosion of Buffalo. Buffalo's with Josh Allen is going to be around for like seven, eight more years of good football. McDermott tends to be highly dependent on the right offensive coordinator.

That's okay. That's okay. Some coaches, by the way, Sean McVeigh is doing much better this year because Rahim Morris is a great young defensive coordinator. He's terrific. And by the way, the Niners' defense was better last year with Demico Ryan than Steve Wilkes. It appears this year. That's where they go get Chase Young.

I mean, sometimes you're dependent on the right coordinator. I think the Jets now have to make a decision on that. Hack it, like a grown-up decision. But last week, Alan Lazzard was a, did not participate, a healthy scratch. So that feels like the Jets are going to take back the franchise, probably move off Lazzard, get a new O.C, make some decisions, based on the future of the franchise and not just appeasing Aaron, but I don't think it's a hot take and I don't think it's anti-Aaron. I think the Jets with Aaron will be very, very fun next year,

and they'll be a good team, but you can't deny. The AFC, it was not wide open last year. Burrow at the end was on fire. Allen was playing well. Mahomes was playing great. I mean, Lamar Jackson was hurt, but Herbert was putting up another big year, and we hadn't sold all our stock on Brandon Staley yet. like it was last year

like the there it was a it was a tough wall to get through this year you've had a lot even Mahomes went three games he couldn't score in the second half couldn't score a point so this this year was

wide open and Aaron should not play can I ask you something so if you look back to the Brett Fav Mangeanie year Fav you know Woody Johnson was hot for Fav brings in Fav they go they start great and then it falls apart Do you remember what happened next, Colin?

They moved off of Fav. It was obviously not working, and they drafted Mark Sanchez. And top six pick or whatever. Instantly to the AFC championship twice in a row. They got a younger quarterback, and they switched things quickly. What's the percentage chance Woody Johnson and companies say, boy, hack it, Lazard, this was a disaster. Rogers hurt, I'm done. Let's move on.

Let's not bring Rogers back. and let's draft a quarterback at the top. So let's try to just reboot. Where are the Jets in the mock draft today? They're eight. So if they keep losing and they finish six, that means they'll get one of the great left tackles. Here's my question.

They'll get one of the great left tackles, which is number one. Trade sauce gardener for a first rounder, five, six, seven picks later, get panics, get Jaden Daniels from LSU. I'm just saying... How is that going to go over with Rogers?

Because Woody was hot. He took the private jet to go see him and, like, recruited him. You like to say, when it's not working, move off of it. Don't waste time. Does he have the intestinal fortitude? No, Aaron would not like that. But my point being is, your first pick is left tackle. So if the jets keep losing and end up six,

they're going to get arguably the best left tackle or an unbelievable tight end. So Aaron would have to be happy with that. What I'm saying is do you move off sauce and get the future quarterback? I think it's very viable. Listen, if you can get the left tackle, the offense will be better immediately because you'll have better protection for Aaron. I'm saying do you consider moving off Aaron Rodgers?

I don't think it's the craziest thing in the world. I don't think it'll happen, but do I believe they've ever had a coffee and discussed it upstairs? Probably. I mean, last week, Lazard, Healthy didn't play? Hackett's been a train wreck. Cobb, nothing. Hardman already gone. What I'm just saying is

I'm not predicting it's going to happen. Yeah. But somebody told me something years ago that corporations decide to move off you six to nine months before they move off you. They raise hands upstairs. Do I believe they're going

Lizards a mess? Hackett's a mess. Randall Cobb's not productive. I mean, Dalvin Cook, did he have anything to do with that? I think he recruit. recruited Dalvin Cook, right? Well, there's no...

I mean, Dalvin Cook went from like a top 5-6 running back to... What does he do? He has 200 yards rushing, maybe? There's no way in the world. They would have brought Dalvin Cook in without Aaron Rogers. Like when LeBron goes somewhere and he calls the shots, things usually work out. I mean, wins titles Miami. It goes back to Cleveland, Lakers.

Aaron Rogers goes to the Jets, called the shots and what has worked? Give me one thing, Colin? The defense. That's why I wouldn't fire Robert Sama. He had nothing to do with it. Yeah. No, that's why I think Robert Sala, I would not fire Robert Sala. Robert Sala has proven, unlike Brandon Staley, has proven he knows his side of the ball.

His side of the ball is excellent. They're just worn down from being on the field all the time. But again, nobody's saying this is going to happen. This was the year in the AFC where Kansas City is literally went three weeks with Patrick Mahalm and Andy Reed. Couldn't score a point in the second half. Not a point. Buffalo circles the drain. Burroughs hurt.

Herbert now, that thing's a mess. And by the way, Russell Wilson and Sean Payton next year are going to start in a much better place than they did. So that's going to be a viable playoff team. To your point, do you know who seven in the AFC is right now? The Indianapolis Colts with a rookie coach and Gardner Minshu. We both love Seichen. Shane Stuyken? He is very good.

He is great. And also Anthony Richardson was wildly dynamic when he played. This is bad. Now when you put it in context like that, like this was the year, Jets. I have to scroll down a little bit. They're 15 of 16 in the AFC currently. Get a left tackle. Sell Sauce Gardner.

Get another pick and try it. Pick 15, 16 to get Michael Pennix. By the way, they don't have to play. Better serve to sit behind Aaron for a year anyway. Aaron's going to love that. Just like the way they drafted Jordan Love. Actually, no, didn't that drive him to win the MVP or something? Because he was so angry.

I'm just, I'm spitting facts here, folks. He's fun. I have no agenda. Joel Clats around the corner, hour two. Good show today. Just starting. 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.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.