The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-1-NBA playoffs, Baker Mayfield, Zion

Episode Date: August 17, 2020

Colin talks about the Lakers-Blazers match up, Baker Mayfield's recent comments, and why the Pelicans HC opening is a dangerous job.Guest: Doug Gottlieb Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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. A win is a win.

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

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For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Monday in a world of real sports.

Live in Los Angeles, this is The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, and right here on FS1, one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong in the last couple of weeks, last week specifically, Joy Taylor is joining me. So the NBA playoffs are today. In earnest, we're ready to go. We've got sports.

NFL camps are underway. We'll be reporting on that. Baseball two. Yankees on fire. Red Sox are rebooting. Joy, how are you? I'm great. I'm very excited for this week.

Yeah, this is a good week. This is a good week. Let's start with this. You know, in sports, fans often think a win. It's all good. A loss. It's all bad. There are bad wins.

There are times you lose a star player to an injury in a win, or the win sort of unveils the truth about your team and how limited you are. I actually thought Portland winning Saturday was like a wake-up call. Maybe I'm way too high on Portland. Let's be honest. The Lakers mailed it in in this bubble, and they're just sitting there. Veterans rested, ready to go. Portland and Damien Lillard have played nine straight playoff-level games.

Damien's averaging 41 minutes a game. LeBron averaged 31 minutes a game, and now the two-stars teams will meet starting tomorrow. Damien's played 112 more minutes than LeBron. That's almost three full games, and all those fourth quarters have been incredibly playoff intense for Portland. The bubble has been really fun, and it really gave us three things. Number one, what did the bubble give us?

It gave us a bunch of young stars and shows you the NBA is in good shape. Michael Porter, Jr. in Denver, J. Morant, in Memphis, Luca Donchich in Dallas. The league's got unbelievable. Yokic in Denver. How many players, 25, 24 and younger are in this game? And they're all better.

They're like quarterbacks in the NFL. They're all better, sooner. They're ready to score and they're ready to play. So the first thing the bubble gave us is a glimpse of the future, and it was really fun. The second thing, it gave us is championship level teams. There's about four. It gave you a hard game or two. But both number one seeds went three and five.

And Phoenix went, you know, eight and no. Milwaukee can't really find itself, not even defensively where they're always good. I mean, the Lakers played hard against the Clippers and then just sort of dialed it back. The Clippers missed several guys. I still have no concerns for them, but what is their chemistry? Let's be honest. The second thing we saw in this bubble, after all these energized young players, was championship teams.

there's no home court advantage. They just want to be healthy. They just want to be ready to go and be healthy. And the third thing we saw in the bubble, one really good team showed up to Orlando. I'm not counting the Phoenixes. One really good team played hard for nine straight games, Portland. They really gave you everything.

And they had to. And every game felt like a playoff game. And Dame looks like the MVP of the bubble. And Nurkich is a real player. But the other thing I saw Saturday afternoon, they're exhausted. They are shot. I mean, now, they get a couple of days off for the Lakers, but Nurkich looked shot the last three games.

Dame, the Energizer, played really well. But at some level, this is a lousy defensive team on their good days. I mean, Mello's their best wing defender. I'm not joking at 36. He's their best wing defender. I just don't know. Well, you got to revisit it. I know Portland won, but I sat and watched that game,

and I thought they can't close out Memphis. I mean, they can't close out Memphis. They can't stop Memphis. So I thought it was one of those good for Portland, but I looked all the minutes Dame put in. I looked at Nurkich. I looked at their roster. I looked at how fatigue they looked.

And I thought to myself, the Lakers are just sitting around, waiting for Tuesday, hydrating, getting rested, Xbox, been there before. I'll have to revisit my prediction on this one. All right. So, you know, one of the things that I find, you know, tedious.

I think if you're confident in yourself, being right is not the be all end all. But if you have low self-esteem, you know, you want to be right. Got to be right. Go to Twitter. It's just an advertisement for low self-esteem. I got to be right. So Cleveland has low sport self-esteem. They're kind of embarrassing.

The Indians can't win a series. The Cavs without LeBroner a mess. and the Browns are the laughing stock of the NFL. And so the city's got sort of, you know, low sport self-esteem. So last year they just kept fighting me and fighting me and fighting me. And I said, your GM talks too much. He got fired. I said, your coach is a bad hire.

He's never been a high school head coach. He got fired. And I said, Baker's a mess. He looks fat. He's not focused. He's just, he's a reach at number one. So I was right for all three. And Baker, though, now admitting he was a mess.

Here's what he said about last year. Here's this first one now he now admits. Having success all through high school and in college and having that standard so high and then coming into, you know, just the past couple years have been a roller coaster of emotions and not nearly as much success as I'm used to. So I would say I lost myself, you know, not having that success, not finding out what was working. I think I tried different ways of trying to have that success and I didn't find it. So I lost myself in that and I wasn't able to be who I am for these guys on the team.

There's no reason for me to jump up and down on the right wrong trampoline today. I got it right. And now Baker is admitting it. I would ask a simple question. In the history of the NFL, history of the NFL, find me the legendary quarterback with a college police video who called out his medical staff who called out a teammate who said maybe I'm not a great fit here because I want to get more touches, who by the way has an adversarial relationship, even with his local media. The answer, of course, is zero.

But Baker even admitted this, because I kept saying last year, he looks pudgy. He doesn't look like he's in good shape. Baker even admitted that. I think there was a lot of plays looking back on last year. You know, physically I wasn't able to work out as much being beaten. up. So I was, I was heavier than I was ever playing before at a playing weight. I just, I needed to to be able to have the scrambling ability, to move in the pocket. I mean, it's, that is my job to be in prime physical shape to show up and do my job on Sundays. All right. So I won that one. But that's

not what this is about today. I won. GM, head coach, quarterback. Just, you know, but let's learn something from this. Instead of me just being a noxious and jumping up and down. I've always felt like Baker Mayfield is the hyper kid who is a candy bar away from blowing up a room. But let's learn something from this. Three times, three and a half. Johnny Mansell, Baker Mayfield, James Winston.

I said, if you have bad judgment in college, it's going to follow you to the NFL because the NFL is just harder. Johnny Mansell's now out of the league of bust. James is now a backup and Baker Mayfield a mess. Cam Newton now is tough on, but I did say Cam was a number one pick. He's kind of generationally gifted, size, arm. He didn't have any market, basically. Let's be honest, he had no market.

Teddy Bridgewater had a bigger market. Nick Foles at a bigger market. But let's just stay on Johnny Manzell, Baker Mayfield, and James Winston. They exhibited really bad judgment in, college and shock. It just followed them to the NFL. So instead of me saying, I'm right, you're wrong, from this point forward on the show, if I say I'm concerned about this quarterback, I don't care about receivers, I don't care about

linebackers, I don't care about corners and running backs. You're not the face of the franchise. I don't care. I really don't. I don't care if a tied-in was a goofball in college. But from this point forward, if you're a college quarterback and there's a police. video and you're obnoxious and you talk too much, we can all at least admit it looks like it does follow you to the NFL. All the NFL is, is a hotter flame on your issues. It's a bigger

microscope on your issues. It's more intensity if you struggle with intensity. So let's just Now, let's go together. Cleveland, you and I, arm and arm. From this point forward, if you got judgment issues in college, we got multiple examples in the last five years. They always follow you to the NFL. I mean, I love Sam Darnold. He's great. But he was a risk-taking quarterback at USC. Took too many big risks, too many picks.

It's the exact same thing he is in the NFL. I love him. His DNA is perfect. even when it's not a personality thing. Dak Prescott, kind of a limited thrower in college, but a good kid, he's kind of the NFL, he's a good kid, but he's kind of a limited thrower. Everything in college is exacerbated in professional football. And so, you know, the minute I saw the police video, I said, one, really bad judgment,

two, you can outrun a donut eating cop. That's a problem. At two issues I had with it. So let's just agree, college issues at quarterback with judgment, pro. issues with quarterback and judgment. We can just agree on that. I'm not right. You're not wrong.

Let's just get past that. That now is a legitimate criticism. You can't get your act together when you're big man on campus. You sure is hell not going to get it together in the pros where the defense is better. The coaching is harder. The players are better. The scrutiny is worse. The microscope.

The lens is bigger. And the heat is hotter. All right. Coming up, coaching Zion. His general manager says, we fired a coach, we're hiring a new coach, and it's the best job in the NBA. Now, I'll tell you the best job in the NBA. You've probably never thought of it and why the Pelicans could potentially be an awful job. That's coming up.

Plus, top of next hour, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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, 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 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 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 all 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Good to have you in.

It is a Monday. Top of next hour, Colin right, Colin wrong. The definition of a good job, you have resources and expectations are in line. The definition of a bad job,

your resources aren't as good as people think, but the people who hire you, they think it's a great job. You see that sometimes in college football. Every fan base thinks they have a great job. There's about seven great college football jobs. Then there's a bunch of good ones. Notre Dame's a good job.

But it's cold, it's private, it's isolated, it's academic, it's got a religious umbrella over it. No, no, no. Alabama's a great job. Oklahoma's a great job. Ohio State's a great job. Those are great jobs. Notre Dame's a tough job. But it's a good job, and Brian Kelly's the best coach they've had since Lou Holtz.

So Zion does not have a coach now. They fired their coach over the weekend, Alvin Gentry. So now they're looking for a new coach. And David Griffin, nice guy, like him a lot, a smart guy, been on this show, says this is the best job in the NBA. It's the best job in the NBA. Here he is. No, we will not be quick with this at all.

This is not a rush. We have a job that we believe is going to be the most attractive in the NBA, quite frankly. It is not. and here's why it's actually an incredibly dangerous job. There are great jobs, there's good jobs. Then there are dangerous jobs or bad jobs. It's not a bad job, but it's dangerous. Because the expectations are here and the resources are way below.

Let's look at the roster. Zion. It's got, you know, weight issues, health issues. Some people think he needs a dietitian, not a head coach. I'm not one of them, but there are those that do. Number two is Lonzo Ball. Can't shoot. Could have been the worst player in the bubble.

Number three, Brandon Ingram. Thinks he's a one. He's a three. Number four, Drew Holiday. Now, I love him, but he's been in the NBA 11 years. So you're going to get a slightly reduced every year Drew Holiday. Good player, though, like him a lot. Number two is they're not a free agent destination.

Number three is they're in the West. There's a lot of good young talent in the West. Dallas, Denver, OKC, a lot of good talent in the West. And here's number four. Man, they are a hype show. And I'm probably to blame because I love watching them play. They're a hype show. I'll tell you a great job in the NBA right now.

If you're asking me if I could take any job right now, and it looks like 10 years of really good, it's Denver. So Yokic never gets hurt is the best passing big man since Arvita Sabonis, makes everybody better and appears to be a great teammate. Jamal Murray built for the NBA, the number two player, Kentucky kid can really shoot threes. Michael Porter Jr., another long athlete who can shoot threes. They've got a head coach already who's,

excellent. They've already made the playoffs and there's no hype. Nobody talks about Denver. I mean, in Denver, there are a second or third topic. Denver is a great job. The resources are excellent in the current NBA culture and momentum. And the expectations are we're a good playoff team. Let's see what happens. I think the resources in New Orleans are average. Zion's got to get the weight and health thing under control. And when he does, he'll clearly be the player, does Brandon Ingram realize he'll be a two at best. J.J. Reddicks, they're only really three-point shooter. He's 36. That by, and even in the Tom Brady era, that's a little old in the NBA.

So I just think, I think this is a dangerous job. And I've seen this in my life in college sports. There's about six great college football jobs. You think Michigan's a great job. No, Ohio State's a great job. a really good job, but a lot of fans in Michigan think they're Ohio State, and they're not. Michigan's harder academically. Michigan doesn't have the history. Michigan's got elite medical schools and law schools, and, you know, it's socially hard to adapt. It's a real academic power.

So be careful about, there's very few great jobs in the world. There's a lot of good jobs. This qualifies as a dangerous job. the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. NBA playoffs start today.

Yes. Very exciting. But some teams will be without some key pieces. Utah's Mike Conley left the bubble this weekend for the birth of his son. And it's unclear when he is going to return to Orlando. The Rockets confirmed that Russell Westbrook will miss game one against the thunder after straining his quad. And the Lakers got some good news.

Raj and Rondo is expected to clear quarantine today, a timeline for his return. is still uncertain. They're probably going to give him a little time to get back in shape. They need this 16 minutes. They actually do. They actually could use it. But they can't just rush him back because, you know, he's coming off of injury. Derek Jones Jr., for the heat, was diagnosed with a neck strain after a scary collision Friday.

He said he feels good, just a little sore and is hopeful to play in the first round. He's taking it day by day. I feel like we landed at the playoffs at a mostly, a relatively healthy place. Like Russell Westbrook obviously is a huge But he'll play in the series Loss. He's going to play in the series but I mean, they're going to have to maintain without him to have him not be missed at that level.

It's a huge factor obviously. They got a bad matchup. OKC. Bad match up. I mean, it's just Chris Paul wanting to prove Houston's wrong. They're a total underdog. They've got like, they've got a size guy in Adams that can run the floor that he's big.

They're a bad matchup. with house money also because there's no expect there's never been any expectations on them all season gulay i okay c i think fox bet is favored in that series i think okayc is now favored in that series but overall though we had a lot of questions going into the bubble about what you know the playoffs we're going to look like obviously thankfully there hasn't been that many catastrophic injuries no mostly everyone is is mostly healthy aside from russell westbrook who will play in this series and by the way it's been a successful bubble so far sixers most disappointing team a shock. It's just like last year.

Well, yeah, that aside. So the NBA announced the winners of its individual bubble awards on Saturday. Damien Lillard, no surprise, was selected as the unanimous MVP, averaging 37.6 points, 9.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in Orlando,

which is incredible. Devin Booker came in seconds in MVP voting. But his coach, Monty Williams, was named the coach of the bubble after the son's incredible 8-0 run. The first team, for the bubble for NBA all seating games were Devin Booker, Luca Donchich, Damian, Liller, James Hardin, and T.J. Warren.

T.J. Warren. Pops. Right. And second team was Janice, Kauai, Chris Depp, Kirste, and Michael Porter, Jr. Yeah. No. I mean, I, that playing game was incredible. Oh, I thought Saturday was, it was, I was texting with a buddy. I'm like this. I am, I am blown away when I am watching these games, and I never thought this would be true. I thought the opposite would be true. Baseball doesn't feel the same without fans.

You cannot watch a Yankee game in an empty Yankee Stadium. It does not feel the same. But UFC feels the same. Golf I'm good with. I cannot believe NBA is the team sport. I don't miss the fans. The aesthetic is great. I mean, I can't go as far as to say I don't miss them, but the juice is there without them.

And like, it's, I feel like the players probably miss them more than we do. Because the NBA has done such an incredible job with the sound, with the ads, the digital stuff. The digital fans to make it not feel hollow. And even when you get the shot of the other side of the court, it's so dark over there. It's still not very jarring. It's been incredible basketball. I'm sitting there watching it Saturday. And I'm thinking, and I'm sitting there, not alcoholic beverage, but considering one.

And I'm watching it. And I think to myself, I cannot believe how engaged I am in this. And I'll tell you, golf last weekend, when the fans are not there in golf, I can hear swearing by the golfers and I hear every shot. So there are a handful of little advantages in this pandemic where some stuff is just really endured. It's gone right through it seamlessly. And I feel like, you know, we were really concerned about like what it was going to feel like with the NBA coming back with these games. Was it really necessary to bring all these teams back? And these seating games have not only, almost all of them have been great games, close games.

They've almost all felt like playoff games aside from, you know, when the Lakers and the Clippers started slacking a little bit. But it's just been incredible basketball to watch. I had no idea what to expect. I was cautiously optimistic and they have way over delivered. I'm really, the playoffs are going to be amazing. So when camp began this year, Carson Wentz said he was able to spend more time in the gym during the offseason. and his teammates have noticed some of the extra work he put in. Lane Johnson confirmed that Wentz has gained some weight.

He went from 237 to 250. 250. All right. So he put on some muscle. He also joked that Wentz put on that dad bod weight and Jason Kelsey asked that Wentz bulked up by adding dad strength. So a little mixture of how he put on weight there. Also, remember, this is not a guy. This is a guy that's hyper athletic.

Anyway, Baker Mayfield's not. And he's a very big guy. 250 sounds like that's a lineman size, but once is a big guy. Yeah. And he's also a guy that's fast and nimble. So putting 10 pounds on that body. He's a, he and Mahomes look different when they play. They just throw the ball differently.

That doesn't bother me at all. And by the way, it's not just Cheeto weight. I mean, it's like he'd probably, it's probably. He was in the gym. I mean, but there's, there's a difference, right? Like when you think of a body, like, you're not going to compare Lamar Jackson's body to say, Ben Rothesberger pre-injury body. They're just built different.

They carry weight different. But I do think it's interesting how a lot of guys, both in the NBA and the NFL, really took the off time to completely transform their bodies in ways that they wouldn't have had the ability or opportunity to do before. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. It's an interesting, I'll get to Doug Gottlieb in a second. I'm sure you've heard me talk about the new bar cart. Go to Lowe's.com. inspired, do-it-yourself projects, lo's.com. Hashtack Lowe's Goals. Gottlieb, I'm told, will be joining us in 10 minutes. So it's interesting. Tom Brady now, he's in the Tampa camp. And, you know, it's all going well.

But yesterday he said something, which I didn't know. So Brady was talking to Peter King and he said, I'll read to the coat. He says, it's my 30th year of playing football. He goes, including high school, college. It's the first time I've ever had an offensive coach. Recently, I sat down with Bruce Ariens, and we literally just talked plays for three hours. Not even philosophy. We just talk plays.

You know, and I was thinking about this, because there is this sense today, and we always do this. We always think what we're seeing now is the first. I was watching a documentary yesterday, one of my favorite bands in high school, Rush, Canadian Rock. band. And you know, you start watching things and they're talking about music and, oh, the country was so divided in 1975. And right now we're like, oh, the country's so divided. My whole life, every decade, almost every decade, there's massive division, police and citizens, government, Democrats, Republicans, we've always been divided. 40s, 50s, 60. We're always divided. It's nothing new. And everybody now is like, got to have an office.

offensive coach. The quarterback has got to have an offensive coach. And I thought, let's just go back and let's look currently offensive and defensive coaches. The last 20 years, just the last two decades, here's the coaches that have won Super Bowls. The offensive guys are Andy Reed won, Doug Peterson one, Gary Kubiak one, Tom Coughlin two, Mike McCarthy one, Sean Peyton won, John Gruden, one, Brian Billick one. The ones with a defensive background, Belichick's got six, Pete Carroll, John Harbaugh, special teams, but mostly lean defense, Mike Tomlin, Tony, Dungey, Bill Cower. You actually have more with this side because Belichick has six. And I thought, well, that's, let's go historically.

So let's go historically offense or defensive coach. Belichick's defense, Jimmy Johnson's defense, Chuck Knowles' defense, Bill Parcell's defense, and Don Shula was defense. Bill Walsh was offense. Vince Lombardi was offense. Joe Gibbs, three Super Bowls was offense. Mike Shanhan was offense. it doesn't matter.

Here's the other thing. The two greatest years for a quarterback throwing touchdowns was Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. They both had defensive coaches. Three offensive coaches, Brian Billick, John Gruden, and Gary Kubiak, offensive guys. All three won because their defense was unbelievable. That Ravens defense, that Gruden, Tampa defense, and Gary Kubiak. Folks, it doesn't matter. Two things matter in football.

Is your quarterback have talent and is the coach any good? It just doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. There's no proven current or historical edge offensive or defensive head coach for a quarterback. Freddie Kitchens. This is classic Cleveland. I got Freddie Kitchens. We got to hire Baker Mayfield needs an offensive coach.

No, he needs a good coach. Freddie Kitchens was a disaster. at the end of the previous year, Greg Williams, not my cup of tea, but Greg Williams and Baker were good. He held Baker accountable. But Cleveland went with the classic overreaction. We got to have an offensive coach. Does Russell Wilson have an offensive coach? They seem to be okay.

Did Brady have an offensive coach in New England? They appear to be doing well. In fact, in last year's playoffs of the 12 coaches, six were offense, five were defense, and one was a special. team's coach with more defense in his resume than offense. So it was basically six and six. There's just, it just doesn't matter. Hire a good coach. You know, when Arizona went and got Cliff Kingsbury, my takeaway was,

are we sure he's a good coach? Because his alma mater fired him. I'm not sure he's a good guy. Now, he may be, I think Arizona fell into that, oh, got to have an offensive guy. No, you don't. They don't. Currently it doesn't matter.

historically it doesn't matter. For every Bill Walsh, there's a Chuck Knoll. For every Vince Lombardi, there's a Don Shula. It simply doesn't matter. And, you know, you go back. I mean, the reason I think Brady's going to work in Tampa is because Brady's great and the weapons are insane and it's going to work offensively.

And I actually think Bruce Ariens with Tom and here's another thing with Tampa as we get caught up into the offense. The truth about Tampa is their defense was better than their offense at the end of last year. Todd Bowles and the defense in the last six games were better than the offense. And I've said this year,

the untold story of Brady this year is not going to be the offense. They may have the best young linebacker in football. They may have the best young linebacking core in football. Vita Vio was a great draft pick. They get a pass rush, Shaq Barrett. The defense in September and early October

will keep Tom Brady in better field. position and will give Tom Brady turnovers. You watch in Tampa for the first six weeks. I can't make predictions post Thanksgiving. I'll make a prediction for six weeks. The Tampa defense will be the story in the first six weeks as Tom figures it out. So there is no, it doesn't matter.

Tom's great because he's great and Belichick was great. The mistake is what Cleveland did and potentially what Arizona did. We got to get an offensive guy for our coach. Kitchens was a disaster. what do they go in Arizona? Six and ten. I'm not saying that's a disaster, but I do think the idea

that you need the offensive guy. By the way, Kurt Cousins is winning a lot of games. Mike Zimmer's a defensive guy. This is the best Kurt Cousins has ever been. By the way, Derek Carr, he's not happy. His guy, John Gruden, is an offensive guy, and they don't seem to click. All right, God, leave right around the corner.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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, 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, 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 same,

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 a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. 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's 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, 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. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations

with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Good to have you in.

College football will cross our fingers. Get to that in a little bit. Doug Gottlieb, the Dugger, Fox Sports Radio right after our show. He is joining us now, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing, Doug Gottlieb. So, Doug, I'm watching that Blazers game Saturday, and I'm like, oh, my Lord,

they're not a good defensive team when they're energized. They look so shot. And it made me think, no, they can't stop LeBron. I like Portland, but I'm like them. When you watch them now, what's the Laker Blazer series going to look like? I don't think it's crazy competitive, Colin, and here's why. You know, first of all, the cliches do make sense because they have been proven over years. And defense does win championships, right?

The Lakers team's an outstanding defensive team. But the part that you're entering in, which is I think we've always done a bad job as broadcasters up, which is talking about fatigue. You know, Vince Lombardi, fatigue makes cowards of assault. The truth is it makes mortals of immortals. That's what it does. And they've had to chase this thing to get in. They had to play an extra game to get in.

And they don't have anyone on their team that matches up with LeBron. And frankly, Nirkich doesn't match up crazy well with Anthony Davis. Do I think Damien Lillard can single-handedly win a game? Probably, you know, C.J. McCollum is doing it with a broken bonus back. And he was outstanding the other day. But at some point, their lack of defense, the bad matchups, and the fact that they're just, they're running on fumes here. I don't think this is one of those crazy hard series.

My guess would be Lakers in five. Because the series when the underdog usually wins is game one is usually the underdog. I cannot see them having that much juice in the tank. And there's no Portland home court advantage, you know, going back to Rip City. Look, I think Portland's been great. And Damny Lillard's the MVP of the bubble so far, but I think it's Lakers in five. You know, so David Griffin said, this Pelican's job, we're going to take our time. This is a great job.

And I thought, no, it's a dangerous job because I've always kind of felt, Doug, a great job is realistic expectations and great resources. This one is high expectations, and I don't know how good the resources are. I don't even know, we don't even know yet what, and I love Zion, but, you know, we were joking earlier, some thinking he needs a dietitian more than a coach. What kind of job is this in New Orleans? I mean, it's, it's, you know, one of 30. I think, look, you got the upside of if Zion becomes a superstar, you reap the benefits of it. The problem with that is Lonzo Ball absolutely regressed in the bubble.

Yeah. You got to figure out what you're doing long term with Brandon Ingram, who people have forever have wanted him to be Kevin Durant. He's not. You got this mix between these veteran guys and the JJ Reddicks and the Drew Holidays. And then you have this kind of young. group that hasn't won anything, but you do like some parts of it. I don't think it's an easy job. Now, David Griffin, of course, he spent a ton of time in Cleveland. He won a championship when

Ty Lou is his coach. My guess would be Ty Lou will be the first call that he makes. It's a better job than some because Zion, if he does get himself in better shape and stays healthy, has the chance to be a superstar and kind of the unique talent that the NBA wants to build around one of these small ball fives with a great big smile on his face. But it's tricky, as you pointed out, New Orleans, you know, it's not just a basketball only. They're trying to break off the basketball and football. They haven't done that until they hired David Griffin. They aren't in a major market.

They don't have huge resources. The one thing they have going for him is Zion, but Zion can't stay healthy long enough and isn't his game isn't refined yet enough to take you to the expectations. I think people have with Zion. It's not a terrible job, but it's not, it's far from a great job. What did you make, let's shift to football? Camps are open up. You're seeing practices now all weekend long watching those videos.

Baker Mayfield acknowledged, I was overweight and I lost myself. What's your reaction to it? I think we've actually all been there, right? I think, you know, do I know if he's absolutely a changed man? I do not. I do not. But he did start to look a little thick. I mean, I think basically what he said Colin was, I was feeling myself, you know.

I had a couple good games. Everybody's giving me the out of boys. Every time I tweet something at Colin Cowherd, I get, you know, a thousand likes. and people slide into my mentions and telling me what a hero I am. But the truth is that he wasn't a good quarterback. And I think the Browns getting away from the running game also hurt Baker Mayfield. So I like what he's saying. It doesn't mean it plays out into him being a star player.

But at some point in time, I think we've all been in a place in our lives, sometimes in our 20s, 30s, 40s, where we lose ourselves and we're feeling ourselves and we say and do things that we do out of arrogance, not out of confidence. And I think that's where Baker was last year. And sports will level you out in a heartbeat. If you get ahead of yourself, sports will humble you. And I think this sport humbled him greatly. By the way, Brady said yesterday, we talked about this before we brought you on.

He'd never had an offensive coach. And I went through history and I went through right now in the NFL. And it doesn't matter. In fact, I think the danger is what Cleveland did, which is, hey, we got to get an offensive coach. And you lower your standards and you get Freddie Kitchens. I think Arizona is yet to be proven. but we got to get Kyler an offensive coach. And I'm like, Cliff got fired by his alma mater in college and nobody wants to fire.

The alma maters don't want to fire their guys. My whole thing is just hire a good coach. I couldn't give her, you know, John Harbaugh is a special teams guy. What did you make of Brady's thoughts? I mean, look, I don't, I heard what you guys said and I don't know truly the context of it. But it's a fact, right? He hasn't played for an offensive coach. it's a lot like players that will say like, man, I never played for a guy who actually played before because that's a different level of respect when you've actually been through it. And I think that's kind of what he's saying, right? Look, there's some parts about playing for an offensive coach, which are great. There's some parts of playing for an offensive coach, which are terrible, right? Because Bruce Arons has seen success with Ben Rathusberger with Peyton Manning with Andrew Luck. Like you kind of go through all the guys he's seen, but they are different quarterbacks than Tom Brady. And Brady has been successful in his own right. So,

Yeah, like we're both offensive minds and we can see the game the same way, but Bruce Ariens has never authored of a script of plays that looks anything like what Tom Brady offers up to the script of plays. So they may think along the same lines, but have a different way of viewing things. I just think he's speaking out of reality. I think he's enjoying the fact that it's a new and different process, but that doesn't mean, as you pointed out, he's going to be any more or less successful just because he's playing for an offensive coach that actually could lead to more friction

because at least Belichick let them be. You and Josh McDaniels, you go do your things, and I'm going to let you be. Listen, I like college football. I'd love to see it. But I'm not an epidemiologist. I'm not trying to make any stabs here. I have David Shaw last hour. But I will say this, is college athletes are going to be surrounded by medical professionals,

get tested three times a week, and they're in way better shape in the student body. And I'm looking at videos on the SEC fans in Bama and Georgia. Nobody's wearing masks. They're all going to school. So my thing is, if those guys can go to school, the football players who are in way better shape, getting tested three times a week around medical professionals all day, let them play. I'm not saying I'm right, but it feels, there feels like in America there's a lot of hypocrisy. You can get in a plane, you can't go to a restaurant, you can go to a beach, can't sit at Dodger Stadium.

Where do you land in college football this morning? Well, there's a lot there because, like in my own moderate Oklahoma State, There's videos of people out partying on the, you know, the first day's Thursday night of school, as they, as they usually do. One with a PFI-Fi sorority had 23 positive tests. So I think that can be a separate art. It actually lends itself to the argument that I've made this entire time. I understand that COVID-19 is dangerous. I understand that you need to be monitored. And if you're an athlete, you've come down with myocarditis. You got to shut down for three to six months. Okay. All of these things can, can, can, occur at home just like they can on campus. And all of us who've ever been athletes know,

we live in kind of a bubble anyway, and those bubbles have been made even more tight with these state-of-the-art practice facilities. Guys take online classes already. Guys don't mingle with the students. And yes, they may have previously gone out on a Friday or Saturday night. If they're back home, they're going out anyway. The only difference is they're not being tested by their doctors, right so i believe they're they're safer not safe but safer playing and being monitored i i think the same people who say hey we need to listen to our athletes and listen to their parents now the parents and the athletes like hey we want to play and you're like well no no we don't want to listen to you on that we want the adults in the room to make that decision it's really really hard um we also

live in two different americas you know where we live in in the west coast i think people are being more and more responsible in most parts in some parts of the Midwest and south These being less responsible and like, ah, hurt immunity. Well, I'll get it. We'll figure it out. It's a complex thing. But I'm sitting here telling you, I think if it's, if you can imagine how much college football coaches, their assistant coaches, and the players have a say in a player's life.

It's a ton. You're a family. You do what they say. I think you're much better off being on a college campus, playing college football. And if you get sick, we quarantine. We treat you. Whereas if you're at home, you're just as likely to get sick, only half as likely to actually get treated. Good stuff. Doug Gottlieb, Doug are after our show, Fox Sports Radio. Good seeing you, buddy. Good to see you. Yeah, Doug beat me at tennis this weekend. He beat me. It was very discouraging, very incredibly discouraging. I really regressed as a player.

I'm even golfing now. Well, exactly. That is exactly why I lost. I just not, not paying attention. There's excuses and there's reasons. It's just, it's a reason. I just was just not flumming. by Doug's game, which in itself is a huge problem. Yeah, the college football thing, it is, oh, by the way, thanks for all the nice things you said. We were on Bill Maher last week. That was nice. Friday show. That was nice.

A lot of good feedback. And I, you know, and Bill Maher and I actually have this in common. It's, you know, we've always sort of been a can-do country. And we're in a country of 331 million people. Five million of 335. That's how many cases there are. 5 million out of 335. We're not saying it's dangerous, but that needs to be said too.

The country has 335 million people. 5 million have it. And the safest people by far are A, athletes and B, athletes surrounded by medical professionals. That seems like, now, now, if you want to shut down colleges and do it all online and have no sports, I'm good with that. But the hypocrisy of, yeah, well, let college kids get it. But the football players, they're in grave danger. The athlete is safer than the non-athlete physically testing. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to be. to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.