The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-1-Raiders-Saints, Cam Newton, LeBron James

Episode Date: September 22, 2020

Derek Carr outplayed Dree Brees last nightCam Newton works better with this Patriots teamThere might be more bad news for LeBron James hatersGuest: Peter King 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.

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

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. To Tuesday, we are live and loaded in Los Angeles. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on Fox Sports Radio, right here too, on FS1, one hour from now. All sorts of interesting teams. How good are they? Our herd hierarchy, our second ranking of NFL teams, will we squeeze the Raiders in there? And what are we to do with the New England Patriots?

Joy Taylor is joining me after a captivating look at a Raider team that feels perfectly welcome in Vegas. I can't wait to see Raiders fans in that stadium. It'll be amazing. It did make me miss Vegas a little bit. I know. It did. Talk about a Chamber of Commerce Night for Vegas. Yeah, it looks great.

You see the strip. I had buddies like, God, I miss Vegas. Every time they showed the strip, I was like, oh, memories or lack of their of either way. Good stuff. Let's start with this. Drew Brees was not very good last night. I have a rule with quarterbacks. Trust your eyes. Take the emotion out of it. Take down the pom-poms. Trust your eyes. Then look at the data. Said that a couple years ago, Mitch Trubisky made the playoffs. And I said, eh, it's a lot of smoking mirrors. That's mostly coaching. What do we think now in Mitch Trubisky? I said it with Baker Mayfield. Maybe he's a franchise quarterback. He's not a number one

pick. Look at him. I said it with Kyler Murray. Second start. Oh, hell. That's special. Drew Brees, trust your eyes. Look at the data. He's old. He's declining. He doesn't throw the ball down the field. He was clearly the second best quarterback in the field. Derek Carr was carving up an excellent defense.

Drew Brees struggled against an average defense. Old quarterbacks don't want to hear it. They get defensive. They get snippy. They've been American royalty. They're iconic. They make $30 million or more a year. And when the end is near, they get crusty.

but the Raiders don't even have a great defense. They didn't have a sack. Drew Brees said, we're out of sync. Why? You've been there forever. So's the coach. It's mostly the same pieces without Michael Thomas. Raiders didn't have two of their best offensive linemen. They were fine.

Again, Derek Carr was the better quarterback. He had a livelier arm. After the first quarter, he started throwing the ball down the field. He gave us a few arm angles. He was more mobile than athletic. He had more juice. He had more energy. against the better defense.

Trust your eyes. Wow, wow, wow, wow. Breeze is accurate. So is Kirk Cousins. Breeze is excellent at the line of scrimmage. So is Kirk Cousins. Half of the Saints completions to a team without a pass rush or to running backs.

Trust your eyes. Then look at the data. The data tells you in a league with these hyper-athletic quarterbacks, Kyler and Russell and Aaron and Lamar and Mahomes, the saint's ceiling is dink and dunk and dink and dunk. What about Michael Thomas? What about him?

He's not really a rangey deep thread. He's just a great receiver, 17 yards and in, and he's great. It's okay. Now, Drew Breeze afterwards will tell you he's still very good at what he's supposed to do. Here it is. I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision. maker. And so at the end of the day, I'm going to throw the ball of the open guy. Blue the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. So that's my job.

My job is to help put everybody around me in the best position to succeed. And that's all I'm focused on. That usually can win games in this league. But again, what is the standard for Drew Brees? What is the standard now for the Saints? They keep winning the division. that's not just the standard. Completing accurate line of scrimmage, that's a lot of Kirk Cousins and he doesn't get to Super Bowls. The league is changing. The business is changing. The rules are changing. It is benefiting mobile quarterbacks. Wide receivers have never been more valuable, free touchdowns all over the league. And the Saints don't get any of them. So until further notice, I have two tiers of quarterbacks in the NFL. I've got the

Oh, my God, tier. That's Russell, Wilson, Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson. And then the special tier, and until further notice, breeze out Derek Carr in. Oh, by the way, Carson Wentz, you're on the clock. I'll give you two more weeks. That's officially what it is. Nothing personal. Trust your eyes.

Put down the pom-poms. We have stuff we can see. The better quarterback last night. Throwing with arm angles, livelier, letting her rip, a lot of velocity. throwing the tight ends, wide receivers, slot receivers, running backs against the better defense was absolutely Derek Carr. Derek Carr was a better quarterback. Well, Drew was on the road.

There was no crowd. The Monday Night Football Broadcasting guy. That was the closest three people were together. That was the crowd. I thought Derek Carr was a much better quarterback last night. All right. Let me shift to this. So there was a comment yesterday by a broadcast.

at another network of former steeler Ryan Clark and said, Cam Newton's actually better for the Patriots than Tom Brady. Whoa, whoa, whoa. But his quote was specifically for young receivers. He said Jacobi Myers, Damir Bird, Nikiel Harry are better off with Cam Newton than Tom Brady could ever give these guys. That's not a knock on their careers. It's not in any way to negate Brady's greatness. They needed Cam Newton.

This was a match made in heaven. Now, I will say this. Jacobi Myers and the other kid don't matter. I could care less. Nekeel Harry? Oh no, Cam Newton's better for him. Cam Newton sees Nikiel Harry as a fresh, young, healthy, talented weapon. Tom Brady saw him last year as a guy that couldn't get to a spot because he didn't know the playbook well enough,

for he hadn't been in the system long enough. Tom Brady was frustrated with Nikiel Harry because Tom had been there forever and memorized the system, and Nikiel Harry was learning it. So that I agree with. Cam is great for Nikiel Harry. and by the way, the Patriots can't draft wide receivers, this cannot be a bust. This has to work. Nikiel Harry has to work. You can't pass to Julian Edelman 29 times a game.

Nikiel Harry has to work. And I do think Cam is better for Nikiel Harry. But let me just give you the difference between Cam and Brady, because we're going to hear this a lot now. Because Cam's going to have some success. And Brady's going to have some success. Think about it this way. Here's my analogy. Tom Brady is the great.

conductor. And when you have the great orchestra, Welker, he had good running backs, Randy Moss, a young gronk, Brady created the greatest music we've ever heard. Cam is a lead singer. Give him the mic. You don't even notice the drummer. The orchestra, the symphony becomes a little less crucial. I mean, in Cam's MVP, or ask yourself, do you remember who their number one, number two receivers were? Yeah, nobody does. Cam, when you have a garage band and marginal talent, you know, like New England right now has, Cam's a great fit. Cam's a playmaker. Cam grabs that thing, and he is in the front of the stage, and he is just bellowing and a showstopper. he is the show.

And this is a garage band. There's not much here. Now, Tom Brady has moved down to Tampa, and that is quite an orchestra. 7-8-9 weapons at his disposal. And Tampa last year had another conductor. His name was James, and he would forget songs occasionally and lose the baton. Tampa is perfect for Brady. When you give him weapons, he is the great conductor.

He gets everybody in the right spot. He plays to their strengths. He puts the ball in the right spot. He doesn't turn it over much. He takes just enough risks. Cam's always been more lead singer. It's not as much about the orchestra. And when you give Cam nothing to work with, he's better than Tom.

I mean, Sunday, I don't believe Tom Brady could have gone to Seattle, gotten into a shootout with the Seattle Cioxx and Russell Wilson, who's playing virtual perfect football, and Tom Brady would have gotten them within one play and three yards of winning. No, I think Cam Newton with this roster and this team and no deep threat and below-average tight ends and the greatest offensive line coach left, and they had eight guys opt-out and free agents left, and they don't have a kicker, they can totally trust.

And they came with a play of beating maybe the first, second, or third best team in the league. This is about Cam. And Nikiel Harry can't be a bust. And he's better with Cam. But I think when New England was at least presenting Tom with some gifts, I think Tom's the best ever. There are times that Cam has had better talent than I think the media and fans would like to admit. And it hasn't, he hasn't always elevated those players.

But these players, they got ceilings. Cam on his best, doesn't. And so I think it's okay to just admit, like, Cam works for this New England group, and Tom will eventually work really well with that group in Tampa, and Tom wouldn't be quite as good with this group. I don't think he would. I don't think he would go to Seattle and get within a play of beating the Seahawks. Cam Newton was on Boston Radio this morning, and he admits this is a really, really good fit for him on a multitude of levels.

I do admire and love the culture of the Patriots. And it's been a place for me that's been therapeutic. This is a place that has been kind of rather challenging for my growth and it's making me better. And also, you know, it has been a place that has given me everything for my need at this particular point of time of my life. Cam's the artist, he's the rock star that right now in this moment, New England needs. It's working. It's fun.

Oh, by the way, they host the Raiders next Sunday and what I think is going to be the most entertaining game of the weekend. All right, coming up next, it wasn't just a football game. Why the Raiders win mattered a lot for the NFL last night. That and an uncomfortable place for the football. The LeBron haters, by 9 o'clock tonight, potentially, that's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever 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,

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Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, Jerry Jones is the one that pushed for the Rams to move. from St. Louis, kind of a dying city in America. Corporate headquarters have moved out into Los Angeles. Jerry Jones pushed for the Oakland Raiders who had left before to move to Las Vegas. Jerry Jones has great business instincts. It's nothing against Oakland, but the stadium was antiquated. The A's have tried to leave.

The Warriors just left over to the other side of town. And in the end, last night felt right. John Gruden in Vegas. Raiders rebel brand in Vegas. The Rebels, the running rebels were outlaws. The Raiders are outlaws and every league needs a villain and a rebel and a maverick and the guys that push back. The stadium. Raider colors, reflective to the city of lights.

I don't think I've ever seen a first game in a city that felt more right. I wanted to go to Vegas. I wanted to hop on a jet and go to Vegas. I started lighting up cigars and drinking cocktails. It felt perfect. Vegas is lights, action, and juice. And the Raiders offense, and Derek Carr slinging it, and Gruden talking felt absolutely right. Everything worked.

The Raiders are actually a very good brand. They've been down, though, for a long time. I said this years ago about the Warriors. The Bay Area was always a great NBA town. It just were bad for 15, 20 years. Like some cities in this country are struggling to keep up. They can't get legislation passed. They can't get a new stadium.

they have funding issues. It happens. I lived in a city called Hartford. It was dying. They couldn't keep their NHL franchise. It's not up to the NHL to help cities get their economies right. But Vegas's son. It's no state tax. It's entertainment. It's a food and entertainment mecca. And the NFL is number one entertainment ticket on five different American networks.

It's the only TV show in America that's number one on five different networks. Vegas and the Raiders is right. And not all these expansions are. We all know the Chargers felt more like San Diego than Los Angeles. Maybe they always will. There are times we have moved teams. It wouldn't feel right if Philadelphia's Eagles left or if Chicago's Bulls left. But this is the perfect move.

This divorce works. This is it. That stadium looks like the Raiders. That city feels like the Raiders. And by the way, one of the things I like about, Las Vegas having an NFL team. Because I always fought for this. I didn't think baseball would work there.

I'm surprised hockey's worked there. I never was for NBA. Too many games, not a big corporate headquarter. But the NFL is eight Sundays. And ask yourself, the NFL is a fall and winter league. It gets really cold in most of America by November 15th. If you live in Kansas City, you live in Denver. You look at the Raiders schedule, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore,

many of the great teams, most of them in this league are in bad weather. oh honey, let's go to a road game this year for our local team. Any place better than Vegas? Any place you're going to get better food, better room for the price, and a cheaper flight than Vegas? The answer is no. That was a home run debut. How many of you watched that game like joy and thought, God, I miss Vegas? That's great for the city.

It's great for the team. It was great for Gruden. I'm watching this locker room stuff last night. That's one of the best debuts I've ever seen. By any team relocating, moving, expansion, that's as good as it gets. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Gruden is such an entertainer, too. What's that? Gruden is such an entertainer. Well, he was, when I worked with him at ESPN, and I told people this all the time, is that the Monday night football crews, and this is nothing personal, but when he left, there was a hole. I mean, Gruden, it was just

Tariko Gruden and John Talk. And they didn't need a third guy. They didn't need, I mean, it was, they didn't need like a guy in the crowd. Like, John Gruden just took the oxygen out of the room. He's just a special, unique, one-of-a-kind personality. He is. I mean, it's just, you can tell something.

And by the way, the NFL has got a bunch of old, boring coaches. They need Gruden. Gruden's great for the guy. the NFL business. Because he's old school and he's full of life, full of life. So Justin Herbert was impressive in his NFL debut on Sunday. And even though head coach Anthony Lynn said after the game that Tyra Taylor will be the starter, healthy, Lynn did think there's just a good starting point for the rookie. I thought he came in and gave us a chance to win. But there's a lot that you don't know. There's a lot, you know, we didn't get done with Justin on the field yesterday.

He's a backup for a reason. You know, he's a rookie. And there's a lot. And there's a lot. that he needs to learn about this game. I know we can win without either quarterback, but the veteran quarterback right now gives us the best chance to win. Well, Tyrod was reportedly out because of an adverse reaction to a pain-killing injection to treat a rib injury. He's said to be recovering well and got treatment at the hospital. Herbert was 22 of 33 for one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown.

Against the Super Bowl champs. Against the Super Bowl defending champion. And given five minutes heads up. with no first team reps all week. Look. You look big. I have a lot of respect for Anthony Lynn and I have a lot of respect for Tyrod Taylor. But after seeing Herbert and as you started the show by saying, with quarterbacks, your eyes don't lie to you.

Like you see what you see. You can make up whatever narrative you want. But at the end of the day, how they perform, you can see if it's them or if it's someone else, right? Very quickly. Justin Herbert having that performance, if Tyrod gets back out there and has one or two bad weeks in a row. It's just, that's just how it's going to go. We've seen him now. Herbert just looked big and athletic. He looked, by the way, he looked like a first round quarterback. You're like, oh, he's bigger than Tyrod. He's got a bigger arm than Tyrod. And he's a little

fat. He's like, that's what a first round quarterback now, they don't all look like that. Right. But that's what they look like. You're like, like, Joe Burrell, when you look at him, you're like, oh, he just makes guys miss. He throws 60 times. He throws 60 times. He's not over. First quarterbacks, even if they're erratic in their first start, they shouldn't look completely physically overwhelmed. Or mentally overwhelmed. Or mentally overwhelmed. They're throwing six interceptions.

Like I just thought the eye test was Herbert may be erratic and may miss some audibles that Tyrod would pick up, but God, he looked big. The other issue is we kind of know what Tyrod is, which is a good quarterback, playoff level quarterback, but we sort of know. where he is in the league at this point. What Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow have is hope and potential. And that is an intangible that someone like Tyra Taylor doesn't have. So when you see Justin Herbert out there and you're like, wow, he got five minutes to find out he was starting.

He's a rookie quarterback. Did a pretty decent job against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, if that wasn't Justin Herbert, we'd be like, all right, well, who is this guy? Five years in the league is this is what it is. He's a rookie, and that was his first start. So the potential that he could reach plays a role in whether people are going to want him out there again. So Tyrod cannot have a couple bad weeks, or that's just how it's going to go. So the Eagles have not gotten off to a good start this season.

We lost both of their games by double digits. And former Eagle, Brian Westbrook, says there's plenty of reasons for the team's own two start. But Carson Wentz is going to have to be the one to turn things around. As bad as they were against Washington, things got worse. And, you know, a lot has to land a defeat as a quarterback. Of course, a lot of have to land at the feet of Doug Peterson, Jim Swarth. I mean, there's a lot of things to go around. I don't see anything that's going to change outside of Carson being the guy that, you see, yeah, I said it last week.

I'll say it again this week. Unless he can be Patrick Mahomes like, then we don't have a chance. He's probably right, but the thing about being Patrick Mahomes like is there's only one Patrick Mahomes. Well, and also, there is some good news here. If we both acknowledge Wenz's a mess. Yeah. Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins are at best developing. I'm not sure if they're emerging, they're developing,

and the Cowboys right now are lucky to be one-on-one. So you've got time here. This is not a division where, like, if you're Arizona and your own two and you watch the Rams and Seahawks, you're like, we can't be O'N-3 or it's done. Philadelphia's got a long runway here to figure out what the issue is, and I don't know what it is, but there's time here. This is not urgent.

They don't have to win Sunday. Well, we also know that Carson Wentz has the ability to put the team on his back because he did it last year. Now, if he's the same guy this year, like that's the question. We don't really know what's going on with the Eagles. But as you mentioned, everyone's kind of got to calm down. We feel like we have a ton of information on everybody, but we really don't. It's only week two. It feels like we've watched so much football because we're all just consuming as much as we can because we missed it so much.

But it's only week two. And NFC East is what it is. They have the Bengals this week. That's a good, at home. It's a nice place to be. That's a good get-back game. And then they have the 49ers at San Francisco, but they're banged up right now. No Garapolo.

And no Bosa. So that's not a terrible place to be. So very quickly they could be two and two. Right. So we probably need to pause a little bit on the panic, but they do not look great. Finally, the Clipper season didn't end the way they hoped, felt to the Nuggets in the second round. And after the game seven loss, Paul George reportedly addressed his teammates, but it didn't go very well. According to Sham Sharania,

George was urging the team to stay committed and for everyone to return next season to make another title run, but his comments were met with some eye rolls and bewilderments. I love that word. Particularly because of his poor play in the series. Shams also noted

that George had multiple verbal spats with teammates during the postseason, and the Clippers players reportedly felt he wasn't holding himself accountable. Remember after game seven, Paul George told the media we never felt like this was a championship or bus year for us. So probably wasn't the person to give that speech. I don't know who the speech giver is in that locker room because, you know,

Kauai is not very focal. I'll say it again. Not be surprised if they move off Paul George immediately. I will not be surprised. Paul George in draft picks, they've got depth here. You can get players. I'm not going to be surprised if they, I'm just, don't have it sourced, kind of sourced. don't be shocked if they lose patience quickly with Paul George.

Because as you and I know, people are what they are in the playoffs. We try to talk ourselves that Hardin will now rise. And we do it every playoff run too, because they'll have a game and we're like, oh, there it is. Nope. And listen, Paul George is a great player. But the clippers are not built for the regular seasons. This is a team that is built to win a championship that is the expectations.

That's the expectations of the owner. Steve Balmer, that's the expectations of the coach. Dot Rivers. Kauai Leonard. Because everyone's down on Kauai Leonard right now. Like he didn't just win a championship last year. I got no issues with Kauai. He didn't have a great performance, but.

Yeah, he had a bad last game performance, but I got no issues with Kauai. I'm still all in on the Kauai. This team is a team that needs someone who can perform in the postseason. And there's a lot of evidence that that might not be the case. Joy Taylor with News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd Line News. You know, I was talking about this earlier. There are quarterbacks I've grown up with. Tom Brady and Drew Breeze, and it is tough when a Joe Montana ages. But I do believe I watched Drew Breeze last night, and I've said that's the last couple of years. New Orleans doesn't throw the ball down the field. And when you have these hyper-athletic quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers and Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, and they're just so incredibly gifted and they're giving you free touchdowns and stuff over the top is that being, you know,

Breeze looked more like Kirk Cousins last night. And I hate to say it, but, you know, we know the age game. We know how it works. Peter King is now joining us, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, The Best or Nothing, NBC Sports, three-time national sports writer of the year. Listen, it can be painful, and I don't want to overreact, but I've been critical of Breeze the last couple years. I love him.

I know he's accurate. I know he's good at the line. I know he's a great leader. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the game is changing, Peter, and I thought you could really see decline last night with Drew Breese. Well, I would just say two things about this. Number one, I think that first, in the first, say, three drives, I thought that Breeze was fine and playing well and using Alvin Camara optimally. Okay. But as the game went on, the loss of Michael Thomas really showed. And again, for those who want to pin all of this on the fact that Drew Breed, is not throwing the ball downfield.

I understand that. But he's got one of the best downfield threats in the recent history of the NFL who's probably going to miss three weeks. And so I think you can't look at Breeze in a vacuum. I think you have to look at him as part of a hole. And that hole right now has a pinhole in it. You know, that balloon hole has.

a pinhole in it. And, you know, if I am the Saints, you just have to hope this isn't a shootout with Aaron Rogers this weekend, because if it is, the Saints will lose. You know, I said this before. I didn't think Belichick Cam would be ideal, but it's really fascinating. And I would make an argument that actually, Nikiel Harry is a first round pick that cannot be a bust. They need a weapon, and Cam's probably a better fit with him than he is Brady. And I got to be honest with you. I don't think Brady could have gone to Seattle and gotten within one play of beating the Seahawks. Are you at all surprised that it's not just that Cam, it's working.

It's working with no preseason, shared snaps. It's way better than I thought at this point, Peter. Well, it's better than anybody thought it would be. In part, what you're saying, there was no preseason. There's no off-season program. which to me is a huge plus when you talk about how well they're playing on offense. And if you follow the Patriots, if you're a Patriots fan, even though they lost that game the other day, there was so much to be optimistic about and so much to be up about.

And all I can say is that as I look at the AFC East right now, you've got to love what you're seeing in Josh Allen. you know, his performance under pressure, you know, pro football focus had a great stat. His quarterback rating under pressure Josh Allen is like 150 point something. And you look at that and you just say, wow, that was one of the things that people wondered about with Josh Allen. So you got to give him some credit. But as far as the Patriots go, I totally agree. Bill Belichick is proving just like the old.

Mum Phillips thing. He can beat you with his and he can beat you with urine. You know, he can win with a wide variety of players and a wide variety of schemes. Are you shocked? And maybe it's a reflection on last year where Went was asked to carry the Eagles and now perhaps he's trying too hard to carry the Eagles and doing too much. Are you at all surprised by how ineffective, inactive, inaction? accurate. Carson Wences B. We know Doug Peterson can coach. It's the same system. Are you surprised by what you're why? I am. Yeah, I'm very surprised. I thought he would play significantly better than what he's playing, Colin. And I think one of the issues right now is the inconsistency of the protection

from an offensive line that is very much not only a work in progress, but beat up too. I mean, Lane Johnson, you know, who might be the best at his position in football, clearly is not 100%. They didn't plan on having Jason Peters have to play tackle this year at his age. So that's another issue I see. But, you know, I also think that one of the issues that they have is that this was a team that needed the offseason, that needed the chemistry between Carson Wentz and his receivers, didn't have it. And it's one of those, it's one of the things that when you look at the way Cam Newton played Sunday with all these new guys, you've got to applaud that. And Carson Wentz just has not been able to make that same positive adjustment that Cam Newton has made

in New England with guys who he didn't even know before. You know, it's interesting. There's one or two things that I was told years and years ago from a general manager, a really good GM. He said, and I said, how do I figure out if a coach is working very early, five or six games in? He goes, one of the two things I look for is a general manager. Do I get the same performance every week? Win or lose? The team looks, I mean, Belichick's team, they look the same. You get the same performance every week. Sometimes they lose. Sometimes they win. He goes, are you seeing consistency of performance? He goes, the second thing is the really good coaches are good after half. A lot of guys can put down 20 plays.

They got no second gear. And last year, Matt Lafleur, as a rookie head coach, I thought was really good on the script and they were a bad second half team. What's interesting, two weeks into this year, they're actually a better second half team. And I think, okay, I'm now getting a lot of wins in 18 games. And now I'm getting a team that's good off script. So did we undervalue Matt Lafleur a little last year? I probably did. No question about it.

As a matter of fact, I called him my coach of the week in my column this week because look, guy has now coached 20 games in the NFL. He's 16 and 4. That includes the playoffs. That includes two horrible one-sided losses to the 49ers. And I, like I'm sure a lot of people coming into this year, looked at those losses and said, the Packers are really good against just 50-50 teams, you know, teams that aren't very good.

They're not really good against the excellent teams. And the two San Francisco games prove that, seemed to prove that, in which they gave up 37 points each time. But I think what has happened this year is that you have Aaron Rogers coming into this year, and I doubt he's ever going to say it, Colin. But you have Aaron Rogers coming into this year saying basically, I will show Brian Goudicunds. I'll show him. And Brian Goudicund said, good, that's fine. If I end up having to trade Jordan Love two or three years into this experiment, that's okay.

Well, Jimmy Garoppolo our situation and we'll be okay. But to me, Aaron Rogers deserves a tremendous amount of credit for coming back without significant improvements. in their receiving core and coming out and playing great early. And I think they lead the NFL and points scored. And so I look at this and I say this head coach knows what he's doing and this quarterback knows what he's doing too. So, you know, it's funny with Brady is I was talking to a former NFL coach this weekend and he said, you know, Tom in New England always had, you know, Moss and Welker

or Gronk and Edelman. He's like, he's got three legit tight ends now and three legit wide receiver and two good backs and a third back that can play. He said Brady may be struggling with too many gifts. New England was actually for a complex offense fairly simple. You'd have like one big star receiver, a slot guy, and a tight end. I think Brady's going to figure it out,

but he's still not throwing to the tight ends. Is it possible? It's not just a new coach and a new system. Brady's got so many mouse to feed here This is going to take a long time. This is an eight, 10 week process to figure out. There's no question about it. But unlike a lot of other places where when you have a lot of mouths to feed,

the hungry ones get really ticked off, I don't think these guys are going to get ticked off if they're not getting the ball. Because it's Tom Brady. And all he's going to do is, all he's going to do is say to O.J. Howard, listen, if you're open, I'm throwing to you. He'll say that to Mike Evans. You saw him say that. You saw him do that with Evans.

the other day when he was wide open in the deep middle. You know, I think the one guy who even though he had an end zone drop the other day, I think the one guy who's going to merge this year out of all of the receivers, out of all the famous ones, is an unfamous one. And that's Scotty Miller. The two days that I saw the Bucks in training camp, Scotty Miller was getting fed more than any wide receiver on that team. and Brady just really likes him.

One of the reasons I think he likes him is he gets separation. Brady is not used to having receivers who gets separation, but this is a 434 Smurphy guy who's really tough. And he kind of reminds me a little bit of Gary Clark with the All-Washington team that he just was so smart a player and he got separation. and that's what made him an excellent target for his quarterbacks. And I agree with you, Colin. I think this is definitely a work in progress because, hey, he never got in a huddle with any of

these guys until one month before the first game. So, you know, you have to give him time and you have to avoid drawing really specific judgments after two or three games. Peter King, great stuff. Monday morning quarterback. Good to seeing you, my friend. Love your stuff as always. Read his column.

Peter King. Thank you. Coming up next. We're getting to a point. It's going to get very uncomfortable for many of you, LeBron, haters, and it may get really uncomfortable after tonight. That's next.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in 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 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. Yep, that's me.

Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skis. The reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

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

What the hell does George Bush got to do with a 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 on day, but just so you're just so you. 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. So, oh. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the 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, 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 Fantine, 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, Kear Gaines, is 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 Hardway and listen now. It's a scary time in America tonight for many of you who just can't deal with change. Your rigidity has made you feel left out in 2020.

Change is hard for you. You don't like change. What you saw in 1980 is the facts and nothing should ever change from 1988 or what-eves. It's going to be tough tonight potentially. If LeBron wins, the Lakers are up on Denver 3-0, they'll win the series and he'll make it to the NBA finals again. Oh boy. Michael Jordan the goat. LeBron no chance to be number two,

even though LeBron still looks like he's near his peak. If LeBron wins tonight, then he'll face Denver one more time and then get a bunch of rest for two young teams, Miami and Boston, who will both be underdogs to LeBron and the Lakers. And the two best players in the finals will both be LeBron and Anthony Davis, and they'll win. If he wins tonight, it does eliminate one more and. anti-Lebron argument.

And that is, oh, the West. The West is just too much for LeBron. I mean, did it over in the East. They're playing picnic tables over there. Nobody in the East. Oh, wait, he beat Portland in five. He blew through Houston in five. And maybe he beats Denver in four or five.

He was the number one seat in the West. He's rolling through the playoffs in the West. He doesn't get the home court advantage as the number one seat in the bubble in the West. He has a brand new coach and roster in the West. West and he's blown the hell through it. Yeah, it wasn't a West thing. It was the he's damn good thing. Everywhere, every league, every team, every roster. Michael Jordan could not win games with a second team. LeBron is about to win a title with his third. LeBron James only had one coach that he could take to the finals. LeBron is about if he wins tonight to get his fifth head coach to the finals,

but you keep clinging to 1980. I, whatever was happening, that is the best. One by one, we're eliminating the LeBron criticisms. The West is so easy for LeBron to roll through. He doesn't even get home court advantage. Michael got to go home to the stadium. And the Bulls' crowds were electric. You got Oprah sitting over there and Siskel and Ebert over there

and crazy fans and the, you know, the public address announcer and the, come on, man, you're going to give it a rest? Guy moved west. Bow, bound, bow, bow, bow, bow. Westbrook Harden, boom, Kauai, Paul, bam, bow, bow, bow. Knock all the chest pieces off the table. There's the king. King's left.

Not sure they're going to win the night, but you're running out of, you're running out of arguments. They blew through Portland, they blew through Houston, and they're blowing through Denver. And I got news for you. Nothing against Miami or Boston. They're not beating Anthony Davis and LeBron James. And I'll tell you this. You can say what you want about LeBron. This is leadership.

Because every old team in this bubble, the old teams have a bunch of wives and they've got kids. The old teams have stunk in the bubble, except LeBron's team. The old teams, Janus, first week is like, I don't like it here. Paul George, I'm struggling. It's hard. You got habits. Once you get into this league eight, nine, ten years, you got habits. You've got a family.

You've got kids. You've got your life. 22-year-old kid. It's an A.A.U tournament. Young guys are great in the bubble. Old guys have struggled, except LeBron. By the way, Joy, Taylor has some breaking news. This is rather remarkable, again, for people that can't handle change.

This could be very discomforting. Well, week two of the Patriots, Seahawks, NBC Sunday Night Football. NBC. NBC. Came in, yeah. Yeah. So according to NBC, sports PR, that easily ranked as, the week's most watched primetime show and at top last season's week two Sunday night football game.

Well, how's that possible? They had 18.2 million last year, this year, 18.4 million. And last years did not face LeBron and the NBA playoffs and the primetime Emmys. So the number one NBA brand and number one NBA player were playing at the same time, plus the Emmys and the ratings beat it. How is that possible? I thought everybody was. I guess people are still watching football. People are still watching football.

Folks, I know you don't understand the ratings. You got to wait like 48 hours after the games. You have digital numbers come in, O-O-H numbers come in. People are moving and watching it differently these days. And people are still watching football. Amazing. They still like the games. I don't know how it's happening. I'm told they're not watching.

Heard hierarchy. 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, 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 IHeartRadio 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 going to be a lot of my football. I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The 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 a 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 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. 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.