The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The 49ers have their QB

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

Colin looks at the 49ers QB situation after they officially demote Trey Lance to 3rd string and why landing your franchise QB is the only thing that matters despite how odd the path there might be Questioning Caleb Williams as the top QB prospect coming out of college football is being ridiculous Thoughts on Shohei Ohtani's magical season being cut short by injurySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Lots going on live in Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. One hour from now, my favorite part of the year, Greg CoSell stops by for 15 minutes. What does he see? What doesn't he see? Greg CoSell, top of next hour. Yes, once again, I am battling a head cold.

So is J. Mack. We're wobbling around, no equilibrium. Something is going around either the studio or Los Angeles, but I can barely breathe. We are here to deliver infotainment today. How you doing? You drop equilibrium. I'm wobbling all over the place here. Forgot my phone today?

Oh, at home? Yeah. Finally got it. Oh, geez. One of those things. You're a mess, huh? I took those dark green pills, slept for nine hours. What do they call the NyQuil?

One of those nights. So I saw this, a memo to sports headline writers over America. We know you're looking for clicks. But I saw this one this morning. Look at the Eagles, Dolphins, Cowboys got a haul because of how badly the 49ers whiffed on the Trey Lance deal. You guys all realize the next draft they found their franchise quarterback, and they landed in the same space.

a cheap, talented quarterback, who they don't have to pay big boy money to for three to four years. Finding a quarterback in the seventh round last picked, that's unprecedented. That's almost impossible. Whiffing on a first round pick happens all the time. Getting aggressive, moving up for a quarterback that doesn't work. That happens all the time. How you get a franchise quarterback is not that relevant. That you get a franchise quarterback.

is really relevant or the coach and GM lose their jobs. Pete Carroll's a legend. Before he landed Russell Wilson, they gave Matt Flynn a three-year deal with a chance to make $26 million. He threw nine passes. They traded a second round pick for Charlie Whitehurst. He never played.

Then they landed Russell Wilson. Matt Flynn and Charlie Whitehurst disappear into the ether. They found their franchise quarterback. Jimmy Garapolo, older quarterback, couldn't stay healthy. So the Niners rolled the dice, traded up to get a young, sturdy, athletic, coachable, smart kid. Didn't work. But also it should be noted the following year, last pick in the draft, they found it. Doesn't matter that Pete Carroll traded a second round pick for Charlie Whitehurst. Or they were going to pay Matt Flynn up to 26 million.

How in life has a thousand paths? That doesn't care which one you'd take. Denver Nuggets. Did you know they drafted Rudy Goldberg with a first round pick 10 years ago, moved off it in about an hour. The next year they got Yokic in the second round. They got their center. Nobody cares.

How and that are two different things. NFL's a bottom line business. The Niners got Joe Montana in the third round, Kaepernick in the second, Brock Purdy in the seventh, Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade, Steve Young in a trade. Well, most of those guys got him to a Super Bowl. How? Who cares? That important. I mean, go look at the Jets.

They fly out to Malibu. They're desperate. They got Aaron Rogers. How? They hired Nathaniel Hackett. They told him they get in Randall, Alan Lazzard, whatever. They've got Aaron Rogers. How they got him, who cares?

That they got him is everything. Go look at Jared Goff. The Rams give up a haul to move up to get Jared Goff. A haul looks like a bust. Fire a coach, get a new offensive coach with no head coaching experience. Goff gets good, goes to a Super Bowl. They pay him a fortune. About a year and a half later, they get tired of him.

then they give up a bunch of picks to get Matt Stafford and win a ring. Nobody cares. Sean McVeigh's ring never falls off. They got the ring. Rams are even bad now. Doesn't matter. Got the ring. Kyle Shanan doesn't have one.

Everybody worries about the how. Don't. How you end up happy in life is irrelevant. That you end up happy in life is everything. J. Mack is. is, I am, different paths. The Niners have their franchise quarterback, and they don't have to pay him for three years. Nobody cares how Pete Carroll found his. Brady was in the sixth, Dack was in the fourth, Tony Romo and Kurt Warner were undrafted. Who cares? It doesn't matter. Everybody gets caught up in the

how. That. Headline riders. The headline is, Niners have their franchise quarterback, and we'll pay him a nickel for the next three years. His name is Brock Purdy. It all evens out. They even have a good backup. Sam Darnold, who could start for teams. They're fine. The Trey Lance thing happens about half the time. You either draft a guy in the first round.

You move up for a guy in the first round, a quarterback. It's the hardest position to evaluate. It doesn't work out. Doesn't mean he's a bad kid. Doesn't mean he can't play. Just not in San Francisco. It's fine. They got him.

His name is Brock Purdy. All right. Speaking of headline writers, we used to have a president, and he always used the term fake news. And there is some fake news out there. There's a lot of people now, bloggers, you know, anonymous stuff. You don't know who's right in what.

New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, ABC, NBC, CBS. Even many of you think they have agendas, right? Now we have a cable world where this one is right-wing stuff, this one is left-wing stuff, CNN was this, now they're that. Yeah, I understand it. Political stuff has agendas. But there are legitimate news organizations. But I do see stuff in the media where I understand why you, the consumer, get worn out.

And that this is not a big deal, but you should try to ask questions that you don't know the answer to. And I saw this headline this morning. USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams says he's not decided whether to enter the 20-24 NFL draft. Yeah, he has. It's over. And every fan knows it. He's going to be a top five pick, probably number one.

Overwhelmingly number one if he doesn't get hurt. There's no story. When it comes to young athletes or young people or victims, you tread more lightly, the season hasn't started. No reporter should be employed if he's still struggling with the idea of what Caleb Williams is going to do after this year. You shouldn't be employed. It's not difficult. Who drafts him?

We don't know. That's worth a discussion. Arizona, Raiders, Texans. That's fascinating. that he's going to leave after this year. It's done. It's over. Don't be naive. It's over.

Well, Colin, the NIL is irrelevant. USC probably works deals to pay him three to four million bucks a year. He's going to sign a contract. It's the number one pick for whatever number one picks get. He's leaving. It's over. I told you two years before Andrew Luck got drafted. He's going to be number one.

I told you two years before Trevor Lawrence got drafted when he played in the national title game against Alabama, that's your number one pick. I'm telling you a year in advance, and you know it. He's the number one pick if he's healthy. Drake Mays probably two, maybe Harris and the receiver from Ohio State. A lot of good players this year. Great draft. Great, great draft last year, a bad draft.

But come on, media, do better. We know he's leaving college. There's no debate. This is like college football writers who write about who's going to win the Heisman in week three. Is that what really fans are talking about? They want to know who's going to win the games. You're not even in the conference play yet. Caleb Williams is leaving college after this year.

Why do a gotcha? Why do find a quote? He said what he has to say. You know, I haven't thought about that. All I care about is this season. The fact that he had to answer a question, or it's a discussion, or it's a headline, that's why people turn on the media. They don't care if we make mistakes.

Listen, when a surgeon makes a mistake, a trapeze artist makes him a A pilot makes a mistake. It's punitive. People can die. We all make mistakes in our life. This is not the end of the world. But there's a reason why trust in the media has plummeted. And it's not on mistakes. It's on agendas. It's doing stuff just for primarily gotcha. This feels like a gotcha. Caleb Williams not decided what it's over. It's all over. he's going number one if he's healthy. If he gets banged up, maybe somebody pauses and he goes two, three, or four. But it's not a story.

Not to anybody who's being honest. All right. Very fired up today. I got to tell you, you know, I use the term from time to time, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, watch out for teams. You see a little drip, little drip, little drip. Don't know if you notice this, Jay Mack. I don't want to go too deep into it, but Corey Davis.

retired, kind of sort of left. So let's see. Lazzards hurt. Corey Davis gone. Mims was a bust. Don't want to see. You know what? You hear from the Giants these days?

Oh, yeah. Happy as a clam. Not a peep from the Giants. We did a big trade this morning. You see that? Snagged a former first round pick from Arizona. Kid Isaiah Simmons, the linebacker. They just got him for like a seventh round pick.

Giants trending upward, Colin. You gotta love it. Oh my gosh. When did that just happen? Like within the last hour. Listen, man. Come on. Jonathan Gannon gets to town.

I got to realize it. Whoa. Isaiah, he's not fitting into my plans. I'm out of here. Come on. New York Giants got a former first round pick for a seventh round.

For nothing, yeah. And he's athletic as heck and a playmaker. I got to tell you something. Preseason matters. I'm feeling very, very interested in the New York Giants. Put them in the playoffs? Top of next hour. to tell you who I have in.

Oh, it's changed. Season hasn't started. What if it's changed? I love it. I love it. A seventh round pick comes on. Sorry, former first round pick for a seventh rounder comes on. Whoa, wait.

What do we got cooking here? Giants. It's something. It's something. We should have a side bet if Washington passes them in the division. Washington finished 30. I'll bet you right now. Even with his head cold and I can't see straight, I'll bet you a hundie right now.

No, no, not too. 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.

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You know, I was told yesterday by somebody who's pretty close to the 49ers that he wouldn't be shocked if the Niners moved off Trailands. They've made a decision on the quarterback. It can't be a distraction as a backup or a number three quarterback. back in this whole thing's becoming a distraction. You know, the media in San Francisco, not all but some, or he wasn't treated fairly. You can't have a backup be a distraction, especially now a number three guy. Kyle Shanahan talked yesterday, he said, hey, we like Trey. Sam Darnal had a better camp. I mean, this isn't a thing that we're giving up on Trey.

This is more of how Brock played in his seven games, and that was decided before this season started. And then how good Sam's looked. They both looked good. But we do have to make a decision here. and you only get so many reps at it and we feel, you know, starting about 10 days ago, Sam really separated himself and we got to keep it real in that way. Listen, Kyle Shanahan, offensively, is a football expert. He is.

Half the league now uses his offense, copies him. How many practices do you think it really took him to figure out Trey wasn't the guy? the NBA has single workouts. GM head coach sit there and decide on draft picks. A 60-minute workout, one. Treylands didn't get a fair shot. How many practices did Kyle Shanahan need? How many years did he need?

Nick Wright talked about this yesterday. I'm not arguing that Trey Lance is a great player. I am simply stating the fact that Forget top five picks. First round quarterbacks taken. All of them have gotten a bigger opportunity to show if they can or can't play in the last 30 years. You got to go back to Jim, Drunken Miller, and Andre Ware to see a guy who got four starts and out. They realized very quickly it wasn't going to work. NBA teams do single workouts. 60 minute workouts. head coach lead scout sits in a chair. They watch Dame workout. Dame Lillard, small Oakland gym.

He blows him away and they draft him. One workout. Baseball has showcases where they go into towns, a couple of hours. That kid can make our farm system. NFL has a combine, a weekend in your underwear. And they will use cone drills. 40-yard dash times, bench press, and decide, yeah, forget the three years of SEC or Big Ten film. Sports are cutthroat.

They're standings. There's winners. There's losers. You get injured. You lose your job. I get injured. I don't even know if it's legal to lose my job. But in sports, that's the way it is.

Whatever I hear these phrases, that's not fair, reminds me of, I'm offended by that. Okay. You go over in the corner and work on your feelings. We've got a game Sunday. The grownups have a game tomorrow. I don't give a rip. If it's not fair or your feelings are hurt. We have standings. They don't care about your feelings. It didn't take Kyle Shanahan long. I was told very early, very early, and my source was there. They didn't think he was athletic enough. He wasn't as athletic. as they thought he was going to be. He wasn't as twitchy. So they came to a realization. They knew that his throwing needed work, but they realized very early the athletic part wasn't close to what you have to be if you're not a great thrower. And then the throwing part, it just was a struggle.

Good day, bad day, good day, bad day, good camp, bad camp. Kyle Shanahan, when it comes to singing, entertainment. Good God, I don't know anything about music. I could watch the voice. You're about two melodies and a lyric in. You're like, yeah, that doesn't work. Or that's great. Doesn't take long. Fair. I'm offended by that. That's not right. People identify very early. I said this yesterday. I talked to Bill Pullian. He's a Hall of Fame general manager. And I, you know, Bill's a friend and I talked to him years and years. You used to talk to him more regularly because we work together at the other place. And I said, did you ever, you know, privately,

did you ever just whiff on a guy? And he goes, oh, yeah. He goes, it's a bad feeling. He goes, I drafted an offensive lineman, and I knew three practices in, guy couldn't play in this league. Couldn't play in the league. I still think Trey can play in the league. Just don't think San Francisco's the place. It's okay.

Sam Narnold's better. I watch camp. You watch games. He's better. Brock Purdy's never lost a game. He started and finished. What do you want the coaches to do? Like I said earlier, how you find your quarterback doesn't matter.

That you find him matters. How your first round pick doesn't or does work doesn't really matter. That he does or doesn't, you have to identify very quickly. And if it doesn't, you move on. J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You mentioned Bill Polly and obviously did a lot of great things in his career.

He also, probably most famous for saying, that Lamar Jackson should switch to wide receiver when Lamar Jackson was coming out of Louisville. There were, I had people tell me that didn't go on record. They didn't think Lamar was going to work. And for the record, how many teams passed on the bar? He was late first round? Was he the last pick in the first round? Yeah, I mean, a lot of people, when you watch, it's so funny, I went down a rabbit hole about a week ago,

and I was watching Lamar Jackson College video from like his second, third year in college before he got drafted. It looked like the video. was sped up. He was so fast. And you watched them and you thought, this is a great college quarterback. I don't know. I didn't know. I'm like, he's skinny. He's amazing. Is that going to work in the NFL? It's in exact. Nobody knows. Everybody, Belichick can't draft his skill player to save his life. Remember the game Lamar had against Clemson, Louisville Clemson? I remember. I think it was a Saturday night. Lamar Jackson just put on an incredible show. You're like, oh my gosh, this guy's, this guy's unbelievable. But you're right. People don't want to hear this because people spend their whole lives recruiting and scouting.

Everybody's guessing in the NFL draft. That is the reality. I don't care who you're talking to. Jet fans love to bang him me for Darnold. You all love Zach Wilson. And I was completely defiant. I was defiant on Mansell. Baker. I whiffed on Darnold, who by the way in San Francisco, proven through a couple of games, can still play. But he wasn't as good as I thought. But it's like, folks, it's not exact. Every armchair quarterback's an expert. This stuff drafting quarterbacks is hard. It's very hard.

I mean, Josh Rosen went, I think, 10th overall. I don't know if he's going to make a roster this year. Like, it's very difficult to predict. That position more than any. Yeah, yeah. All right, let's start with the Broncos. They obviously made the big investment in Russell Wilson last year. He had the worst season of his career.

Now under even more pressure after Sean Payton showed up, Russ isn't worried. In fact, he's ready to thrive. Here's what he had to say. Do I feel the pressure? No. You know, I don't run from it. You know, I look forward to it.

I run to it, if anything. I think we as a team, you know, we're all in this thing together. We're all searching for one thing, and that's to get better every day. We're not looking too far ahead. You know, all the guys today, trying to learn as much as we can from today's practice, trying to learn to the next day and use that experience. I know everybody, they get mad because he kind of, it gives you these rote or cliched answers, but he said something one time that I thought,

I don't know if it was his, but Russell Wilson said something once, and I thought he really understood the position. He said pressure is a privilege. There's no pressure on a number three quarterback. Franchise quarterback, there's pressure. It's an absolute privilege. And I think he's always understood that and accepted it. His answers may feel canned. Kirk Cousin's answers may field canned. I'll take that over cocky Wednesday presser. I'll take cliches from Andrew Luck and Tom Brady every day of the week. I can line up the 10 best quarterbacks ever. Joe Montana was not a great soundbite. Either was Brady. Either is Russell. Baker was. Russell Wilson's a good soundbite. That was good about pressure. I like that. I run from it. I'm not afraid of it.

The best quote on pressure ever, Stephen Jackson. Do you remember him? He played in the NBA. He's like 6-8, play for the Pacers, a bunch of other teams. He does the up-and-smoke podcast with Matt Barnes. So I'm working with Stephen Jackson here at FS1, and I was in the dressing room with him, you know, and somehow pressure came up and he's like, I make love to pressure.

Just like inviting it, and I just start cracking up. I mean, Stephen Jackson's big dude. But yeah, listen, if you're afraid of pressure, you know, sports probably not for you. Yeah. No, I mean, it's gobbled up great golfers. David Duval,

gobbled him up. Greg Norman on a Sunday at the Masters gobbled him up. Like, pressure is one of the boxes you have to check. When Tiger Woods was in his prime, like in that 10-12-year window, everybody talked about what he did off the tee.

He was so good on the greens. And I don't think of Tiger as a great putter, but when I go back to YouTube or I watch documentaries on Tiger Woods, he was 18-foot putts almost felt automatic in big moments. And it's like, Tiger was built for them.

You love pressure. Men's basketball league playoffs coming up. A lot of pressure on you. We're facing a team with second best player in the league. And I told the guys, listen, he's better than me. He's 15 years younger than me. I want to guard him. I want five minutes of his smoke just to start the game.

Then we'll hand him off to someone else when the time matters. But yeah, you're the Stephen Jackson of your league. No, I am absolutely not. Next up, the Jets. Yeah, we keep talking about the Jets. Everybody loves it. Veteran Jason Peters. Remember that left tackle?

to play with the Eagles forever. He's currently a free agent, and he was asked if he could, you know, if the Jets called him up, what would he say? Here's Jason Peters. They give me a call. I'm going to show up and show out. That's what I do. I'm a straight professional when it comes to that.

Helping the young guys, they want me to sit. You know I'll sit. But I'm always going to be involved helping guys and making sure that the best person they can be when they step on the field on Sundays. Now, Peters, I think, went to Dallas for a minute when they needed some help. I think. I thought he went to Chicago. Might have been Chicago. He's been around the league.

But he's like, I mean, this guy's like 37, 38 years old. Yeah, last time I saw him, he looked old. He was really, really good for a long time with the Eagles. And this is a big weekend for the Jets. Okay, it sounds like Dwayne Brown's getting work in practice today. Yes, I'm reading the daily practice reports. You should. It's going to be Brown and Beckton.

And we shall see what happens with the Jets. But yeah, that Corey Davis retirement's interesting. I don't know how it works financially because they still have his rights now that he's retired? They have his rights, but it sounded like, I don't want to dig into it, I don't know, but it sounded like the sport had kind of worn him down. I think mentally, physically, and Corey, he's got talent, but it is interesting now. Garrett Wilson's a kid, Lazard's a three, masquerading is a two. Nicole Hardman, don't forget him. Yeah, Andy Reid bailed on him.

Tight end gives you about 250 yards a year. I'm just being honest. I'm not trying to be like inflame it. It's just not great. That's fair. By the way, Lazzard sounds like he is going to be ready for week one, not a massive concern. But we'll see. Listen, if they call Jason Peters, be ready, buddy, you know? Any U.S.FL left tackles out there looking good? No, USFL, not just because it's on Fox, there are some skill players who can play on Sunday. It's not a good O-Line league.

It is not. It's bad. If you can block, you're in the league. Because every team, I mean, there's very few teams in the league that don't need an offensive lineman, or at least a second team depth guy. Who was it that came on the show and said that's the position with the least depth in the league? Somebody recently came on here and was like, listen, offensive line depth is lacking. It's really an issue in the league.

That's why you saw the Chargers. Remember last year they had the injuries and it's like Herbert's under pressure? It's like offensive line, you've got to have depth. Eagles, healthiest O-line last year. Go to the Super Bowl. Also great O-Line. Yeah, Chief's offensive line. Kelsey's two years ago.

Arguably the best center ever, and Lane Johnson's the best right tackle now and in a short list of ever. Think about that. And they've got other guys who have worked. Remember, chiefs in that Super Bowl, offensive line decimated, and Mahomes running for his life. They quickly fixed that in like two years, didn't they? They got the center. They got Tooney. Then they drafted Creed Humphrey out of Oklahoma.

He's awesome. Yeah, he's the second best center in the league to Kelsey. All right. Final story, Ezekiel Elliott settling in with the Patriots, obviously seven years with the Cowboys. Zeke feels home in Foxborough. Here's what he had to say. I think when you look at my play style and the culture of this team, I think, you know, it's a good match. And so, you know, I think I'm a good fit. It's kind of at home for a long time. So I got a lot of energy. I think I missed the first, what, 17 practice at camp.

So, you know, I thought I definitely should come in and be kind of a little energizer boost. But, I mean, the transition's been good. I've been getting along with the team. You know, love the coaches, you know, love this atmosphere. Love this program. program and, you know, just having fun. It's going to be so weird to see him in a Patriot jersey, isn't it? He's so much a Dallas Cowboy. There's just certain players that just feel like

their team. I'm not body language guy, but did he look a little slim down? Maybe it's the hair. He just looked slim down to more mature in that interview. You know, remember Dallas, he would step up to the mic, he was all cocky. He was the man. He was the alpha on the team. But I will say, he was immature in college and early in the pros. He does feel

like, and by the way, they're all kids. does feel like he's grown up. Like he's come. You kind of sense your mortality is the wrong word, but you kind of sense your career mortality when you're a running back by about year four and you're looking around the league and nobody's getting deals and you've been carrying the ball 260 a year, you're beat up. Like it's, it's, he's not even 30. That's crazy. Well, that's, that's, that's, running back's the last position on offense. You can hit anywhere anytime. They're just the way it is. So he's, I mean, the one thing I always liked about Zique, is he's a willing blocker.

Like he'll, he can catch, he's got good hands. He's a number two in this league. But, you know, if you're not going to be a star running back, you've got to block and you got to catch. And he, to his credit, will. I know people will say he's washed, blah, blah, blah. I'm just going to say, in his prime, this guy was, and go look at that Ohio State run,

the 85-yard touchdown run against Alabama, a stacked Alabama defense. If I said last, I don't want to go all the time, last 20 years, Adrian Peterson's probably, the best back. Levyon Bell had an unbelievable three or four years. He was really, really good. There's been a lot of good backs. Zeke's certainly. They don't last long. I would say Derek Henry, who took a while to get going. Remember him? It just took him years to get going. Adrian Peterson and me was one of the only running backs I've ever seen that I didn't think guys wanted to tackle.

La Danian Tomlinson's got to be up there. He was. Oh, La Danian in last 20 years. La Danian was, that's a guy, by the way, this kid Atlanta got, this Bejan Robinson. catch block run. Like he's got, I had a GM tell me cleanest player in the draft. He has no flaws. We'll talk more about Atlanta leading up, but Colin,

very little tape on Desmond Ritter. Are they hiding him? I know you mentioned Atlanta. I'm just very curious what's happening there. I don't even know what he looks like as a dropback. Like, they got weapons. They got dudes. London, pits, Mijon.

Oh, no, they have. The quarterback is, I don't know. I don't know what's going on there. Have you seen a lot of Ritter tape? No. NFL, there's like, Are they, why is Arthur Smith hiding? What's going on? Well, Green Bay did this with Jordan Love.

He entered some games last year. I mean, they had to, but anytime they could control it, they didn't let any video out. I don't have an answer for it. You know, teams like to control what gets out. Sometimes you can't. Jordan Love for three years, it was, we joked it was the Loch Ness Monsters. It's like, you had these grainy pieces of video. You're like, what is he? That's why Jordan Love's so fascinating.

And Desmond Ritter less so, because I, you know, I, Green Bay is a bigger brand, but I don't know what Jordan Love is going to play like. These preseason games, when you're doing bootleg rolls, he's averaging four and a half yards per attempt. I get nothing out of that. He did have one throw down the field that you showed. He did. It was nice. Whoa, Jordan Love, he can uncork a 25-yard pass. I didn't know that. You've got to kind of be able to do that with Christian Watson, especially.

J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Interesting. Greg Kosell, top of next hour. I'll give you my AFC-N-FC playoff teams. I got a couple hanging on the edges, but I'm very, very close. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world. That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the, the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup sits, starts, fantasy football players rankings to get you

ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Carmen and me, Dan Byer on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you be 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 recommended 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do 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 on day, but yeah, yeah, literally. But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Dionne Sanders, Coach Prime, is coming to the biggest season opener college football has seen in years. as his Colorado Buffalo's face 17th ranked TCU. Big Noon Saturday on Fox starts September 2nd. Absolutely no idea. I have to watch that game.

I have no idea what I'm going to get. I know they have a good quarterback. Probably. I know they have a really good quarterback, and I know they have this kid. I think it's Travis Hunter, who could be the best athlete in college football. So he'll be a return guy.

I mean, so a great athlete and a great quarterback, but, man, they'd like 50 of their players just. left. It's like, that is hard. But it's college football's weird now. Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley, in six months, redid their rosters. You can do it. Now, Colorado doesn't have the NIL or the brand to quite do it, but sometimes in sports, I'm just rooting for interesting. I think Dion Sanders to Colorado, I have no idea if it's going to work. My initial feeling was, that's a weird fit. And then I'm thinking over the course of the weekend when I heard it the first time, I'm like, well, he'll make, we'll talk about Colorado.

And part of recruiting is just being in, getting into the house, getting into the living room of a parent. So we'll see how it works out. I'm going to watch the game, though. I have, I have a vibe. They're going to be a two-win team. And after about a half against TCU, they just don't have enough players or depth. So this is a sad story.

The Angels, Shohei Otani. I have talked more Shohei Otani than any baseball player in the last 15 years outside of maybe a Derek Jeter or an A-Rod. he tore his UCL, so his pitching career is in peril. This injury cost him a lot of money. If he needs Tommy John's surgery, this would be the second in about five years. But let's be honest, the pitching and hitting dominance was probably not going to be sustainable. And he still leads baseball in home runs.

He's a great athlete. He moves well. He's going to get paid. But he probably lost $150,000 or $150 million, potentially, on the pitching side. But Bo Jackson was a dual sport athlete. His hips wore out. Bodies have limitations. That's why I say this.

I watched Tiger Woods for about 12 to 15 years would come out of his shoes. I would watch a golf tournament. And you know how like you'll watch a swing and the analyst will say, oh, it's perfect work there, good turn. Tiger Woods would come out of his shoes. Every golf instructor in the world would tell you don't swing that hard. And he dominated golf. And so in the end, what happened? Back issues, knee issues.

Tiger Woods looked like Ed Reed on a golf course. He'd wear those red shirts. He was jacked. Bodies have limitations. Tiger fell apart. Big Ben and Cam Newton walked into this league bigger than defensive ends. Took too many hits. Aged really quickly.

So my guess is, this is going to cost him a lot of money. At one point this year, he threw a one hitter. I think it was a double header against Detroit. He threw a one hitter a couple hours later. knocked out a couple of jacks. I mean, banged a couple home runs. That's not sustainable. That stuff doesn't, he's already, I think he's late 20s, what is he, 27, 28, something like that. He's done 29 years old. His bodies have limitations. Even Tiger Woods, Big Ben, Cam Newton. So my takeaway here, and what I would, I think most people are curious about is, I think he's going to lead the angels.

I think he's, if you're sitting there, you're thinking, okay, I had this year and we couldn't even compete. Mike Trout is back on the injured list. Angels are either cursed or not well run, but I don't know if I trust their doctors going forward. This has felt to be for a year, like the Dodgers have been getting ready for Otani. Kershaw got a one-year deal. They moved off Cody Bellinger. It feels like they have been looking at this. Go up to 405 to 5 an hour. It looks like he's going to be a Dodger to me. I think he's comfortable. on the West Coast. I know he likes playing for the Angels,

but, you know, and this is not a shot at the Angels, but if you were his agent and the Dodgers, who are incredibly well run, can surround him with talent, if the Angels have to pay him, you know,

the market price with Mike Trout now hurt more than healthy, what can you surround him with? I mean, that's why he's got to go somebody like Braves, Astros, Mets, where you can surround him with players. So the Dodgers,

you like to fit. It's sad. But it also, I think sometimes you look at these players and it's like, how long can Bo Jackson do this? Two-way athletes. It's not like the 40s. It's not high school football. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, but he's still a great power hitter and somebody's going to pay a lot of money for him and should. So I saw this. So the Hard Knocks has given us a little peak, a little peak inside the jet. The first episode, Salas complained about the O-line. In the second episode, Aaron's Randall Cobb is complaining about the receivers. And I do think this is a story.

Corey Davis basically stepping away, their wide receiver at 28 years old. So now they have O-line issues, receiver depth issues, and Aaron's getting prickly issues. You're not hearing a peep from the New York Giants, by the way. So here's the tight-end wide receiver group for the Jets as of this morning. So Garrett Wilson's your number one. He's 23 years old. Alan Lazard is your two. He's hurt.

And the truth is he's more of a three than a two. McCall Hardman, who Andy Reid bailed on, is a three, very inconsistent. CJ Uzoma is your tight end. He gives you about 350 yards a year. That is not a Super Bowl level wide receiver tight end group. It is not a Super Bowl level offensive line group. Uh, here's the good news. Corey Davis leaving clears up about 10 million bucks, 10 and a half million bucks a cap space.

So the guys on the team this morning, we looked it up. I think, I think they have about 19 million bucks around there in cap space. There are wide receivers out there. Um, Joan Jennings for the Niners, give them a ring. I mean, they've got Debo and Brandon I, Uke and George Kittle. They may be willing to move off a wide receiver. Van Jefferson for the Rams. They're dying, dying, dying for a.

pass rush, interior lineman. Maybe you can call them on Van Jefferson. There's going to be some cuts next week, early next week. There could be some surprise cuts. Mike Evans in Tampa feels like he's withering away down in Tampa. By the way, Tampa does not view Kyle Trasker Baker as the future. I would call Tampa and give a call to, there's a lot of things here. Mike Evans would solve all your problems. They would be a different football team. Then Garrett-Wilson's your two. Okay, that's different. That's bringing an ace to the staff. Mike Evans would change everything.

Would I use that cap space for Mike Evans? I would if, if Dwayne Brown can play this year. So the Jets in the next few days, we've got a Mackay Beckton issue, we've got a Dwayne Brown issue. If you felt comfortable with Bechton and his knee and his weight, if you felt comfortable, Mike Evans gets very tasty. And I never thought in my life just adding a wide receiver, change things for years and years, the league has changed now.

Mike Evans, a true one. Garrett Wilson, a 1A. Lazard, a 3, which he really is. McColl Hardman, a 4. Okay, that's a big, that's a different ball game. Because right now you want Lazard to be a 2. You never felt like a 2 in Green Bay. Andy Reid Bales on the young kid.

That tells you something. So I will say, though, not a peep from the New York Giants. In fact, they picked up according to, I haven't seen it yet, I haven't been on my phone. Isaiah Simmons, linebacker, former first rounder, kind of a playmaker, but an odd fit. Arizona moved off him. He's now a giant. Big moves well, can make plays.

Who knows how he fits. So it is something. Top of next hour, Greg CoSalle. And I am inches away from my AFC and FC playoff teams. I'm considering four teams not in. I'm going to watch them for the next 10 days, go on vacation next week, then I'll figure it out. By the way, Nick Wright yesterday, very concerned about the New York Jets. I think the Jets have a below average coach, and I know they have a bad offensive line.

They have overall, as far as what we know about their weapons, a below average group for the AFC. Garrett Wilson is excellent. after that, it's a bunch of number three receivers, a running back coming off, unfortunately, a torn ACL, and another running back who the whole league loved so much who was available three days ago, and you're in the toughest division in the league, and you have the toughest open to the season of any team the first six weeks, and you have a quarterback who is coming off the worst year of his career. I don't think that's a hot take. I said this yesterday. There's a lot of beating. There's a lot of beeping red lights with the Jets.

The Corey Davis thing is not the end of the world. If you go, Tuesday, there's going to be a good receiver. You can find receiving talent. You can find receiving talent. Go get a veteran that Aaron Roger, he doesn't want any kids. He's already got Garrett Wilson and the kid from Kansas City. He's got kids. Go get Aaron Rogers, somebody that's been around the league.

Let me tell you something. How do you think Aaron Rogers reacts if he gets a call? Mike Evans coming to town? That's a game changer. Now, now I think about the Jets. differently off one star receiver because Lazard's a three not a two you try to wedge him up to it's not what he is I've watched he's very very you know he's got some size to him I don't think he's a consistent too it's okay to get worried it's okay it's okay to get worried I mean you can be

worried it's okay you know the audience can see what you're doing just needling me with the jet just getting under my skin hey I'm what are we three less than three weeks away from the opener Jets bills I can't wait no I can't so excited So excited. The average break-in lasts eight to 10 minutes. That's why you need new 24-7 live guard protection from Simpleaseaf. Get 20% off any system. Sign up for a free month trial of fast protect monitoring at Simplysafcollon.com. There is no safe like SimplySafe. Hour 1 is down. Greg Coasell around the corner. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygle 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 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. Cliver 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills 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 Cliford Show on the IHeard 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.