The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Some NFL teams might be in trouble

Episode Date: August 16, 2023

Colin has bad news for 3 teams in the NFL that have the potential to see their season fall apart in dramatic fashion this season He reacts to the second episode of HBO's Hard Knocks and believes the Jets have a talented roster but one fatal flaw that could unravel their high expectations with Aaron Rodgers He praises Trevor Lawrence for his breakout season and saving the Jaguars franchise. Plus, Super Bowl Champion James Jones joins the show in studio to explain why one young QB in the NFC is already in serious troubleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jay Mack and I are in a really good mood. Don't want to get into it. He's getting better. Didn't have to go to the ER last night. Still very shaky, but he is a gamer. I'm not as shaky as the Jets offensive line right now in practice. Are you following this? They're practicing right now.

And it's not looking good. Aaron Rogers getting beat up. Well, I wanted to talk about that because there's about three implosions every year in the NFL. And I'm not talking like the Bears going a losing streak. We didn't have high hopes for them. I'm talking about teams that are ascending and talented. Last year, Arizona. Ascending, playoff team implodes.

Coach fired, GM fired, quarterback pouting. You know, Denver, a good franchise, brings Russell Wilson over, gives up a ton of draft capital implodes. The Rams went from Super Bowl to 5 and 12. McVeigh's going to retire. Stafford may never play at the high level again. Like I'm talking about you start with pretty high standards, really good organizations. The Bears don't qualify for that. And Green Bay didn't make the playoffs, but they could have it.

They won the last game. That's not an implosion. But there are, and I'm talking about where there's a physical. and emotional and a cultural tire fire where everything just unravels for teams with high hopes. And I do believe there are three teams in the NFL this year that fall into that category where there's a really good roster, really good players. We've seen some success over the years. And there's like a hanging issue or four.

Let's start with Sean Payton and Russell Wilson. This thing, remember, Russell Wilson's major. deal doesn't start until next year. He's in the final year of a Seattle contract. And the general manager who pulled the deal off is still in the building and there's new owners. If this thing goes sideways fast, Sean Payton is not a patient man. And he wants things done his way. If Russell is just okay, he's going to be somewhat bitter. That general manager who made the deal, he'll probably view as a bit of a roadblock. he's already been outspoken during camp.

This thing has the potential because, again, Russell Wilson is not your classic pocket passer. He has to move to work. The problem with quarterbacks who move, it could be Michael Vic in his prime. It could be Big Ben in his prime or cam. They age fast, quickly. Has Russell Wilson just aged and he's never going to move again like he used to?

So this thing is the one that really stands out to me. I have high hopes, but the division's good. Herbert twice a year. AFC, Holmes twice a year. Kevin Clark in the Ringer talked about this yesterday. I trust Sean Payton to fix the Broncos. I don't trust Sean Payton to fix Russell Wilson. It was the biggest decline for Russell Wilson by passer rating in the history of the NFL from quarterback switching teams, which begs the question, is he still a elite?

And then here's another stat. He held under the ball too long last year, and he didn't have the legs to extend plays. Sean Payton is going to want him to have the quick release, run the offense, all that stuff. I just don't know if this is going to work. You talk about timelines not matching up. Sean Payton wants to turn his franchise around. Russell Wilson may not be capable of turning it around himself. So that's the one with the potential to implode.

When Sean Payton took the job, my first gut reaction was, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you want to broadcast for one more year. I don't know. That Dallas job may come open. All right. Two other, because we get about three implosions a year. Two others to keep your eyes on. The Cleveland Browns. Kevin Stefansky, his wins have declined every year.

We have a quarterback in Deshawn Watson. Hasn't played much in the last two years. And the AFC's gotten very good at quarterback. The owner is impatient. Star quarterback, is he a star? He certainly paid like it. Rest of the division. Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, very good. It's an annual tradition. Cleveland screws things up.

High hopes, very good roster, elite people at the right spots. But Deshawn Watson at the end of last year look rusty. Let's say he dusts the rust off and is just a B plus quarterback. That will not do if you look at his contract. And the third team, and I know I know you always think we're picking on you, but we've been right, the Dallas Cowboys. Dax got more on his plate. coming off leading the NFL in picks,

had a rocky camp, Trayvon Diggs talking trash to him, Mike McCarthy now calling plays, brilliant young progressive offensive coordinator, Kellyn Moore, upgraded quarterback, went to the Chargers and Herbert. There's a chance there'll be a little regression on defense. I like their defense,

but they led the NFL and takeaways back-to-back years. That usually doesn't last forever. The early schedule for an offense that's still trying to get the O-line right running back room solidified you've got new england's defense jets defense giants defense chargers defense has a lot of potential turbulence with those defensive fronts and that okay cowboy offensive line and you have a perceived head coach in waiting with dan quinn on the staff and if you ask fans if they start two and three if he asked fans what do you want to do with a coach

they'd say get rid of them move dan quinn up he's got got the best unit, the best side of the ball. So the Broncos, that thing could go sideways fast. Cleveland, it's what they do. Screw things up. Impulsive owner. And the Dallas Cowboys. Those three to me feel like I'm not talking about if Houston wins four games.

Like the Bears last year. That's not an implosion. We know what they are. Young quarterback, rebuild roster. We didn't expect much. But Denver, Cleveland, Dallas have a little bit. of implosion, a little bit of Arizona last year in them. All right, so Hard Knocks continues.

The New York Jets didn't want to do it, but they're doing it. And the two stars of the show are Aaron Rogers, which is predictable, and Robert Sala. I've said if you were going to do a movie about this Jets team, Sala and Aaron Rogers look like actors. They're like alpha males, good looking guys. And one of the things Robert Sala, we have a clip from last night, and this is one of the things why I love the NFL. And I love the NBA, but I love the NFL more,

is because you can be confrontational. You can ask more of players and you won't get fired or have their agent call. Here's Robert Sala after a really choppy inter-squad practice. Right? Like with Carolina, here's Sala. It was our first opportunity to change the stink that's been in this organization for a very long time. on the offensive side of the ball. You can have a Hall of Fame quarterback.

You can have two $10 million plus receivers. You can have a reigning offensive rookie of the year. You can have all kinds of skill in the running back room. None of it matters until the big boys up front change who the we are. We as coaches, we as an organization can't want it more than you. And I'm watching that tape all night last night trying to find something to show that we're changing and it didn't show.

when it was our first up. It's real. It's confrontational. It's alpha and it's honest. If an NBA coach did that, he'd be fired. Agents would be calling. You hear that all the time in the NBA, like Damien Lillard's the latest example,

not to pick on him, but like you'll hear, hey, if you don't trade him where he wants, players will never go to Portland. Well, I'm not sure players have ever wanted to go to Portland, first of all, and they will if you trade for him or you draft him.

You go where you're traded. You don't control the league. Sala comes off as caring, intense, a leader, and brutally honest. And you're allowed to do that in the NFL. And what he's preaching is what we've been saying is the only issue with this team, the offensive line. When you get older quarterbacks, Brady to Tampa, Stafford to L.A., Russell Wilson to Denver, when you get quarterbacks mid-30s and up, they get really prickly when

the offensive line deteriorates or doesn't give them ample protection. This is also an illustration of how valuable and important the draft is. I mean, the Jets have really good players everywhere. But if Mackay Beckton is a whiff and you can't even use him at right tackle, this house comes crumbling down. And Robert Sala knows it and he is addressing it. Listen, you can screw up a house. But as long as the kitchen's good, you can sell it.

The backyard can be small. The bathrooms can be a little tight. You know, the family room's weird, a little clunky. But if the kitchen's a disaster, it doesn't work. And if tackle, even Patrick Mahomes went into a Super Bowl, second tier people at tackle, he got blown out. You got to get tackle right. Most people in the NFL you talk to, if you say the five most important positions, everybody says, quarterback one, most people say left tackle two, edge rusher sometimes is two, tackle is third.

You can have Brock Purdy if he's got Trent Williams protecting his backside and he's not going to get hit. So I like Dwayne Brown, but he becomes 38 years old this year. He's had a long physical career. For one year, as long as he stays healthy, they should be okay. But tackles get to be high 30s. they miss games. And if Bechton's a whiff, not saying he is yet, maybe he recovers, maybe he gets the weight under control, maybe his knees work.

Then I could absolutely say, this is a Super Bowl bubble team. Absolutely. Corners, pass rush, intense coach, star quarterback, nice weapons, two running backs, interior O line, more than capable. So I think what Robert Sala is telling you is, yeah, we see. the problem. You see the problem. I see the problem. J. Mack, the world sees it. And I love the NFL because you're allowed to be honest and authentic. You don't have to coddle. You can point a finger and say, you're the issue. Fix it. Can't do that in all sports. International soccer, good luck.

NBA, good luck. All right. And I love international soccer and the NBA. that's the part about it, but sometimes a little dicey, little coddly. We got good stuff today. I have good news for J-Mack. I think that he'll be happy about. And also, remember when I was, you know, a kid from the Pacific Northwest that you had the Mariners. So the Mariners were after the Seattle pilots that went away. And then you had the Mariners and they were in the kingdom and they were in the kingdom and they

We're bad forever. And then, like, Ken Griffey comes in. They beat the Yankees. They get to the Indians, lose to the Indians. But there's a lot of people that thought Ken Griffey saved Major League Baseball in Seattle. They got rid of the archaic Jurassic Kingdom. They got saved Co Field. A lot of people felt like Ken Griffey saved baseball because it had already been booted.

Was it going to get booted a second time? It's geographically further away than any franchise. It's harder to get to. There's an NFL player. I won't give it to you next. There is an NFL player that I think has been underappreciated and really has the Ken Griffey quality. I'm not sure the franchise would exist in five years if he didn't come along, and we'll talk about that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor, the FDefiardt, forth. 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

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What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Go to tankless maidsimble.com. Navi and water heaters, 15-year limited warranty, tankless made symbol.com. So the athletic ranked, according to coaches, executives around the league, ranked the best players in the NFL, the 25 best players that were under 25 years old. And it's a lot of, I mean, it's a good ranking. You know, Justin Jefferson, Micah Parsons,

Nick Bosa, Patrick Sertan, Jamar Chase. Not a lot of disagreements from me, Justin Herbert, Aquin Williams, Jalen Hertz, Soss Gardner, Tristan Worf's, Jalen Waddle, Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, C.D. Lamb. Now, Trevor Lawrence at 15 is interesting. I don't think people understand how valuable this kid is. So if you go to his last nine games last year, remember they were trying to recoverin from the Urban Meyer fiasco, He was number two in completion percentage, touchdown to interceptions, and passer rating ahead of Patrick Mahomes in all of those categories.

With no true number one receiver, a middling offensive line that was ranked by PFF 19, new head coach, new system, the expectations of being number one. The kid goes in, throws four picks, trails 27-0 in a playoff game, comes back great second half in a win. he's unflappable. Trevor Lawrence, I think, basically saved this franchise. He did a Ken Grippy to the Mariners. Their attendance has always been weak. Local TV support and ratings weak. If Trevor Lawrence never ends up in Jacksonville after the urban situation

and they miss on the next quarterback and the coach, you think it's really improbable that the NFL would just say, you know what, we want to expand to Germany. NFL is absolutely all about growth. They're going to move a franchise somewhere to Europe. It would be Jacksonville. You're not moving Buffalo, big market New York teams. You're not moving Washington with a new ownership.

You're not moving those teams. Carolina doubtful. It's the banking hub of the South. Carolina's got money. You'd move Jacksonville. A lot of retirement. only one really amazing hotel or even legitimate hotel for a Super Bowl. I was there for Super Bowl week.

It's a college football city. They talk about high school and college football more than pro football. Don't kid yourself. Oakland's going to lose baseball. They just did. San Diego lost the NFL. You don't think Jacksonville could? They have an owner who is willing to take big risks.

The NFL keeps putting games in Germany and London. There's a reason for it. Growth. I don't think anybody understands. All these players, best players under 25, the most valuable, literally a save the franchise player is Trevor Lawrence. Said yesterday, I met this kid. He is completely unflappable. He's the opposite of Johnny Mansell, not only in size and talent, but in maturity.

All about family, football, faith, rock solid. After that urban fiasco, if they didn't have him and they missed on the next quarterback or three, they didn't get Doug Peterson smart hire what if they go defense you think in five six years NFL would say this thing ain't working go look around sports we don't have a pack 12 conference we did two weeks ago stuff changes Trevor Lawrence is the most valuable young player in the NFL I mean don't get me wrong the bosses are great but if they left san francisco and the chargers the franchises would be fine. There's good players on both.

This kid is completely different and still, to me, undervalued. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. That's a great point about moving Jacksonville. They're the first team this year. They'll play back-to-back international games.

I don't think that's ever happening. I mean, they just don't, I mean, when I was there for the Super Bowl, and I spent some time I lived in Tampa, but when I was there for the Super Bowl, it was really, there was one hotel to stay at. At one point, they were calling in taxis from Orlando and all over the state of Florida. I mean, they just didn't have enough taxis. It is a small, small town.

It's not a banking hub like Charlotte. It's not as important in the South as Atlanta culturally. It's like a golfing community. It's known for having a great golf course. It's a quiet place to go and hide if you want to retire. It's like this kid. I mean, I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I mean, the Mariners failed.

It's called the Pilots. Then he had the kingdom in the Mariners. that thing was falling apart. The kingdom at one point, you had tiles on the roof falling into the field. And it was like you couldn't really gain any public inertia to get taxed up and build a new stadium. Nobody wanted to pay for a new stadium. The Mariners were always terrible. Ken Griffey arrives.

You know, they beat the Yankees in the greatest moment in franchise history. And all of a sudden you've got capital taxes. Everybody's chipping in. Take Trevor Lawrence out of this franchise. I don't think they're here in five or six years. All right, let's get to Jordan Love. We'll start with your favorite quarterback in the preseason. 46 passing yards at a touchdown against the Bengals.

David Bakhtiari has been impressed with Love in camp and will grade him on a stronger curve, saying definitely a higher standard. He had three years to understand the math of the offense, which is very fortunate for any first round QB to get to watch and see how a first ballot hall of famer and generational talent. and a guy who borderline changed the quarterback position and how it's played. So, yeah, his baseline for me is way higher. I think he's going to be competitive right out of the gate.

Well, competitive. What does that mean? I'm not looking for competitive. You're the Packers. Of course, you're going to be competitive. It's the NFC. It feels like the Green Bay media just asks everybody every day, what about Jordan Love?

What about Jordan Love? And we're waiting for something, and nobody really knows. He's just a big black box, if you will. We don't know what he's inside. I don't know. Yeah. No, I just, I feel the 4.6 yards an attempt really tells you how slowly. Now, maybe Green Bay smarter than all of us.

And their takeaway is after years of Farv and Aaron Rogers, there is no, we have so much equity built into the franchise. We have a new stadium upgrades. The experience for the fans is we're not going to lose any cheeseheads. So Green Bay could be smarter than all of us. saying, hey, we're going to go slow on this thing. Because I think Green Bay already knows we don't have Burrow here. We don't have Herbert here.

What we want to make sure is it doesn't become Trey Lance. What we want to make sure it's not a first round pick who never gains confidence. So Green Bay could be just saying, we're going to go, we're going to air on the side of conservative, which is pretty easy in the Midwest, more conservative region in the country. We're going to go conservative. We're not going to worry about what the coastal elite media says. So they may be smarter than all of us. But when I watch it, and he's averaging 4.6 yards in a tent with a good old line,

he faced the least amount of pressure of any quarterback last week in the preseason. All time to throw. Wide open Musgrave missed. A deep ball didn't get there on time. Really easy bootleg, can't screw it up plays. It's telling me what they think right now of his progression. Still a little surprise they're dogs to Justin Fields in the other. Two and a half.

Well It just It almost feels like a trap Chicago Everybody loves Chicago now I guess this show started The Chicago run Everybody's on the Bears

Now Well not everybody's on the Bears I like you You are higher on the Bears Than a lot of people You like Cleveland more than me Well I don't understand Why Cleveland is liked

I don't It's just it's puzzling Anyways let's get to Tuatungo By Loa He had a good year But he had Multiple concussions He's been working hard

This off season To avoid missing Any time this year Dolphin Safety Brandon Jones seize the fire in his eyes. He has that it factor and we need that. He was balling last year and I can see it in his eyes now that the vengeance of unfinished business, he's coming back with a vengeance. Hmm, okay. All right. Yeah. I just want him to be upright. Coming back with some

jujitsu as well. I don't know what it is. Just could he be, as long as he's upright, they're a good team. They're a good team. Like their coach, like it. Yeah. There's not much I don't like about him. I'm just worried about. If you told me he'd never had a concussion, I would pick them to get to the playoffs over the Jets. And I'd do it with conviction. Super Bowl sleeper? Absolutely. Absolutely a Super Bowl sleeper if there wasn't a concussion issue, because the concussion is not any injury. You bang your knee up. Nobody in the media, the fans, the medical community aren't going to bang on you if you play 12 days later. If he gets anything resembling a concussion, you can't plan for a month. Well, in that division. A month is the season. That's why they got Mike White. Backup. All right, final story.

Joe Burrow and Mahomes are one of the NFL's best new rivalries after the back-to-back AFC championship game clashes. And now NFL MVP odds have been released. And Burrow is a slight favorite over Mahomes, despite the calf injury. You see the odds here. Plus 600 for Burrow, plus 650 Mahomes. Josh Allen, who was the favorite last year's third, Justin Heron. Herbert is fourth? Jalen Hertz is tied with him? I don't, I don't, this is probably the order I would go in. I don't, I don't, you know, Mahomes doesn't have a true number one receiver and so much of Burrow does, Allen does, Herbert does, Hertz does. So a lot of his yards. Burrow could split part of the vote with a guy like Jumar Chase on his own team who's putting

up, put Mike Badman insane numbers again. Now these are, I'm not early an awards guy, but I think this this feels right. I think you and I both agree. The Philadelphia is going to pull back a little. Schedule is harder than what it was last year. Um, nothing here surprises me. That's who I would. Yeah, it's hard to tie up your money on NFL MVP odds for like five months. You know, it's just not a market you want to bet into with a ton of confidence. And I also feel like, so much of like, and I feel like this in the NBA, like when when certain players get MVP's, like, like,

like Embed, it was really an anti-yokic vote more than it was a pro-M-B vote. That was just the media decided they were over-yokic. It's time for... And like when Westbrook, when K.D. bailed on Westbrook, not that Russell didn't have good numbers, but it was a bit of a, hey, it's a sympathy vote. This guy got dragged by KD, which it's mobility. It's not anything. But I feel like, you know, the MVP in sports, once media gets involved, they're rooting for better

stories. It's not like Yokic is clearly right now the most valuable player for any team. M.B. can't win a second. I mean, we've seen it year after year. He's not healthy. He misses games. He doesn't get along with all teammates. He doesn't deliver in May. Yokic is the best player, but they voted anti-Yokic more than pro M.B. So what if your buddy says, Colin, I found $100 on the ground and I have to bet it on someone to win the MVP. Who would you take a VOR? Burrow. Because he has two good receivers. They went and spent money on a left tackle, offensive coach. They have running backs, but they're not run reliant.

My only concern with Burrow is the Steelers defense twice and Miles Garrett and the Browns defense twice. So, I mean, their schedule has, I mean, you're just not going to score that many points off Pittsburgh. T.J. Watts unblockable. I mean, I literally think they went and upgraded left tackle just for T.J. Watt and Miles Garrett. Like in their division, that's four games. I would say T.J.Y. Miles Garrett, those are two best pass rushers in football. So if you're wondering why they spent that money in the left tackle, it's like those two players. That's why, and they're both, by the way, and they're prime.

So, uh, Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. You know, I was talking, I started the show saying I think Denver, Cleveland, and Dallas, and I'm not saying they will, but they do have the feeling that they could unravel very quickly. There's just situations there. a lot of it centered around the quarterback or expectations.

Do you have a team? One team. And again, I'm not talking about a team that's bad. If Houston wins five games, that's not imploding. Chicago last year, that's not imploding. It's who they are. Is there a team that we really feel like, like I have a feeling it's Buffalo for you?

It's not. Because I think we're over-dramatizing Buffalo's erosion. So here's the only thing you say imploding. Denver didn't even make the playoffs last year. Well, and it was the first game. They couldn't run the clock. They had to hire a coach just to run the clock. So can a five, what were they?

Five wins? Can a five win team implode further? Well, I think it has to do with good roster, high expectations. You've got a Hall of Fame coach and potentially a Hall of Fame quarterback. Your expectations with Sean Payton are to be significantly, what's their over under? Nine. People think they're a 10-win team. I don't want to beat up on the Giants, but are they in the mix?

They could only go down. They're not getting better than they were. Yeah, they're hard to say because don't we feel basically, I mean, if we're totally honest about the Giants, they got in because of the Vikings. I mean, they got in because, I mean, if you take the Viking games out, what's the season? I mean, Daniel Jones had two great games against the Vikings. I mean, remember their season opener? I think Mark Sanchez was here.

He's going to call the game. I'm like, I like the Giants. And then you watch that game and the Giants get super lucky. Remember they went for, I think they went for two or some like late game called Brian Dable made the right decision. Yeah. They got a little bit lucky in like three of those wins. I'm talking major loss.

So the Giants would be at the top of my list for implosion. I think the Minnesota Vikings might be second. Well, you pointed out something on the Vikings that I thought was interesting. And I just read something, was it yesterday or the day before, somebody else had your feeling, they probably got it from you, that you made the point that the Dalvin Cook move is really the organization saying, this is the last year of Kirk Cousins. Yeah, it feels like they're getting their salary cap in order.

The new GM last year, the new coach, and they want to put their imprint on the team. And like, you're not getting fired if you, how many games, 13 wins last year? Yeah, no, he's sad. They're fine. They're not going to get fired if, you know, they win seven games and miss the playoffs.

So I can see Minnesota pulling back saying, okay, Kirk Cousins, thank you for your time. We're going to move on. It won't be a drama-fueled implosion. It will be more of an erosion that the team is privately, you know, like I've said this about the Dodgers this year. What's amazing about the Dodgers, it's not their most talented team,

but the chemistry, They've gotten all these guys at the trade deadline. They've over-delivered. But you could see they pulled back, let Cody Bellinger go, let a couple guys go. Because they're saving money for Shohei Otani. So like the Dodgers are doing what the Vikings are. Like, we want to win games and go to the playoffs. But we pulled back on some salaries with an eye on the future.

And the Dodgers are, you know, typical of the Dodgers delivering in the regular season. It's what they do. They've got everything in that organization's great. but I think Minnesota could do the same thing. Like, we want to win the division, but we're really setting the table for next year. The other one would be the New England Patriots. You've talked about Belichick, hot seat,

grasping at straws with Zeke Elliott. I mean, once he's plotting for 2.3 yards per carry and the media is killing him in Boston, it just feels like that could unravel, Colin, from Mack Jones and Bill Ballard. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. It's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot baseball talk, featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

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

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. You can help those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from these disasters. Go to red cross.org slash fox forward. Good to have you in on a Wednesday. So do we have, I haven't looked at the schedule this week for preseason games. So last week it started on Thursday, then Friday, and I spent a ton of.

time watching really bad football, mostly really bad offensive lines, but there's, there's some storylines that emerge. And so this is the second week. Remember, we've cut the preseason down in a three games instead of four. So a couple of weeks left, couple of games left, and then we are ready to go. You know, I was thinking about this this morning when Zeke signed with New England. Is that, you know, Belichick, apparently, according to James White, who was such a nice, I think he went to Wisconsin, such a nice player for New

England, great hands out of the backfield, his prime days were in New England. He's talking about Belichick and Zeke, and apparently Bill always loves Zeke. Obviously, he's a proven veteran. He may not have, you know, the 1,500, 1600, 1600 rushing yards. Like he was having his first few years, you know, in the league with that Dallas offense line, but he can be a very productive back. And I know Bill Belichick has always had, you know, a great time talking about some of the best backs in the league. I know he's a big fan of Zeke. Whenever we would compete against those guys,

he would always talk them up. So to have him on his roster, I know he's loving that. Zeke, Cam Newton, Reggie Wayne, Ocho Cinco, Muhammad Sunu,

Bill romanticizes football. Constantly. Unfortunately, he does it in personnel. We need an intervention here. we were talking about this this morning as we prep for the show that if the coach of the Patriots and the GM of the Patriots were two different people in Boston they would demand the GM get fired I mean this past draft they're a slow offense they drafted two kickers and three guards

Bill's constantly romanticizing the past he should be a baseball manager he can't do personnel. Zeeks passed his prime. Cam was past his prime. Chad Johnson passed his prime. But he, quote, loved those guys, yet won't put his arm around Mac Jones. You know, it's like he's become close to retirement guy that becomes infatuated with classic cars. Unfortunately, we're trying to win an F1 race here.

There's a place for classic car guy. it's not the Monaco Grand Prix. And that's what the AFC is. You can be two things, a legend and then sort of over your skis as cultural changes happen. Greg Popovich could never put his arms around the three-point shot. And Belichick is completely toned deaf to offensive personnel. It's bad. The only pro bowler he's had in recent years that, you know, he drafted is Mack Jones.

and I swear to God, it's almost trying to implode the situation. He doesn't want him to have too much power. In fact, it is almost impressive when you consider their recent drafts that Belichick has gone 500 without Tom Brady. It's sort of impressive. So I saw a story this morning.

Apparently the Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham is generating buzz at quarterback. Is he any good? Or does he just look dynamic? the team is so slow. Where did he get drafted? Did he get drafted? I mean, he's a nice college quarterback, and he's kind of fun to watch play.

But again, Bailey Zappy, Malik Cunningham, Cam Newton, can we put our arms around? Mac Jones. So, it's just, you know, when you were young, do you ever remember this? You'd go to Grandma's house, and it smelled weird. and there was a lot of antiques, and you didn't want to bump into anything because you'd break it. Most of the stuff wouldn't go for much money at a garage sale. It's like, that's sort of where New England's becoming.

It's grandma's house. It doesn't smell right. It's a lot of stuff that's not worth anything. They've overpaid for some items, Hunter Henry, and you're not getting a ton out of it, Nelson Aguilar. Like, does everybody get here that if there were two separate people with a Patriots, coach GM. You'd want the GM fired. But we do this in sports.

We kind of put our arms around the past. The one thing I've always loved about the NFL. They don't do when rearview mirror stuff. Baseball is paralyzed by its history. Just paralyzed by it. And football's not. They're always evolving, changing rules. I mean, we were all clamoring.

I'm a casual baseball fan. I mean, how long were people saying, get rid of the defensive shift? Let's speed the game up, pitch, clock. I mean, like, it was 20 years of people saying, now the game is too slow. Baseball now has to cut the number of games. Never will. Grady owners. There's no urgency with baseball. The ratings are up a little this year. But in the end, can't have 162 games doubled the NBA season. So I think Belichick's almost got sort of a baseball field. I think he's buddies with Tony Lerusta. He's got a baseball field. He really loves the past. He romanticizes it. He has these

players that he likes. He always like Chad Johnson. He loved Cam. He loves Z. Zeke, Reggie Wayne. It's like, they got nothing left. It's the end of their careers. If you'd have loved them seven years ago when they weren't cheap. So I, and I'm not saying Zeke doesn't have some value. He's always been a good pass blocker. But the Patriots O line is never a real issue.

Mack Jones has time to throw. What they need isn't a running back that blocks. What they need is a home run hitter. And they don't have one. And Zeke is, I think we showed the numbers earlier. If you go to Zeke, maybe it's the style of play. his rushing yards per game have gone from 108, 98, 95, 84, 65, 58. I mean, it's, he's averaged the last couple of years, four yards a rush and last year

3.8 yards. So I don't know, I understand people can can like the move because he is, he can catch the ball and he can block. And there's value in that. But when you combine that with Devante Parker, Judeous, Ms. Schuster, Cam, Chad, Reggie Wayne, you feel like we need an intervention here. It's just not good enough. Albert Breer Top of Next Hour.

You know, I was thinking about this. So we talked about this, J-Mack. So people, you know, they struggle with change. You and I don't for whatever reasons. I think we both moved around the country. But people, by and large, they struggle with change. That's okay. But think about this.

Oakland is losing the A's. Seattle lost the Sonics Kansas City and Vancouver lost NBA teams Okay San Diego lost the NFL and L.A. didn't have an pro football team for 20 years. LA.

When the Pact 12 imploded does everybody understand very few things in life have a lifetime guarantee? And so right now I read a story this morning that like Cal and Stanford can't find a home. Maybe Cal is not really a place. It's an academic power.

But like sometimes you felt they liked rugby more than football. And so if you don't commit to football, I mean really commit. Don't tell me about they got new facilities. That's the baseline to compete for recruiting. Just upgrading facilities. Stanford's tried to win. They had Bill Walsh as a coach. That Jim Harbaugh. Stanford's tried to win. Has committed to winning. Cal football doesn't. They've had some good quarterbacks, but you don't keep a program alive. I got nothing against Cal.

I think Oregon State wants to win in football, but has some limitations. Cal's got rich alumni. It's in one of the techiest places in the country. And I look at all this stuff in sports. And folks, I'm a West Coast guy. The PAC 12, in an era, when there's a million new TV channels on cable and streaming, could not get a content deal. everybody pickle balls on the air

slap fighting league pillow fighting everybody is dying for content and the PAC 12 could not get a TV contract why because their perceived value isn't the market value they were arrogant about it so when you combine their arrogance and the fact that they didn't commit like the big 10 the ACC the big 12 the SEC maybe it was just time for the PAC 12 to end. I was saying this morning to a friend, Cal's an academic power, arguably the best public

university in the country. What if they just downgraded? And they don't win the Sears Cup like Stanford or UCLA does where they're great in other sports. They're fine. What if Cal just doesn't have football? Well, the A's are losing baseball. San Diego lost football. Seattle lost the NBA. Kansas City, when I grew up, had good NBA teams. I'm not saying Cal has to give up football. And I know they've put some NFL quarterbacks in the league. I mean, Villanova put Howie Long in the league. I mean, it's, but when I look at all this stuff,

there aren't very few lifetime guarantees. I mean, balls are going away. CDs, landlines, DVDs, stuff goes away. And, you know, I've argued this for years. You could chop off four pro teams in every league in America. Nobody would miss them. You could go to the NHL lop off four teams, NBA, NFL. I could go.

We could do that as a segment someday. So a college football programmer three just doesn't do football anymore or is in a tiny conference? People miss stuff that truly matters. How much of that stuff mattered? You can't find a home now. Maybe a to you problem. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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. on The Look Back at it podcast For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast Guaranteed Human