The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The Brotherly Shove

Episode Date: October 23, 2023

Colin admits he's changed his opinion about the "Brotherly Shove" play the Eagles have mastered and explains why their evolutionary approach is remarkable He officially labels Jordan Love a bust as the future QB for the Packers replacing Aaron Rodgers. Thoughts on the Ravens dominating the LionsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, 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 Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSRour.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday. What a weekend. So many topics. So many teams to discuss. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. One hour from now, plenty of both.

Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. Terry Bradshaw, Michael Vic, big show plan. J-Mack has a lot of moving parts. Congrats. Both of us had a very good weekend on our picks. Very good weekend. Second best weekend of the season. Riding high, Cowherd.

I'm fired up. This is going to be a big show. Okay. So one of the things, there's a couple of things I like. If you've listened to me for long enough, you know I like new stuff, innovation. And you know I'm willing to evolve. and give you a new opinion on something. I'm not embedded to anything, really.

I mean, new information, I'll have a new opinion. So I didn't like to tush push, the brotherly shove when it started. It's just aesthetically, guys get hurt. I'll get to that in a second. But I've come full circle on it because it defines Philadelphia. It's not cheating. It's not using illegal equipment. What it is is a coaching staff that says we have two unique athletes,

a quarterback that can deadlift 600 pounds, and the best center in football, Jason Kelsey, in over a decade, top two or three center of all time. And we're going to use these super talented players because they can do things. Other people can't. The rest of the league is trying this thing. It's not working. It's innovation.

It's ingenuity. Nobody else can do it this well. It gets three yards, sometimes four. They could use this. If you think about it, they could use this as their offense. If they get three yards of play, that's 12 yards over four plays. and that sort of defines Philadelphia, doesn't it? Think about this.

It is a copycat league, and yet nobody in the NFL invents and re-invents itself more than Philadelphia. They won a bunch of games with Carson Wentz. They moved off him. They won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles. They moved off him. Chip Kelly won 10 games twice. They moved off him. Nobody does that in the NFL.

Half of the dumb general managers would assign Nick Foles to a monster contract or kept Chip Kelly in, even though players sort of push back on it. They're the only franchise in this entire sport that regularly moves off winning coaches, Super Bowl coaches. I love Andy Reid. They moved off him. I love Doug Peterson. They moved off him. I defended Chip Kelly. They moved off him.

All three won. That never happens in the NFL. People are terrified. Fear drives the league. He's got a winning record. Give him a new contract. They just did that New England with Belichick. What are they doing?

Quarterbacks, Foles wins a Super Bowl. Some quarterbacks under Chip Kelly and Andy Reid had their best years. They move off them, all of them, all the time. And the ones like Andy Reid, who are truly brilliant, land somewhere else and have great success. But Doug Peterson got to the playoffs in three of five years. had a winning record. Offensive coach in an offensive league. They moved off him.

Nick Foles, Super Bowl. Yeah, see you later. It's really, really unique. The Tush Push defines Philadelphia. If the NFL outlawed it, don't you have this feeling? They would just figure out a new play? Yes, it's ugly.

And I thought about that. It's bad television. But so is every quarterback sneak. They're all ugly. At least this is innovative. Well, people could get hurt, I argued. It's the NFL. People get hurt on punts, kicks, screenplays, slants.

People get hurt all game. So the two arguments I used against it fall flat. It's the NFL. You're going to get hurt if you play long enough. I mean, New York Giants can't do much right. Shocker, they got hurt doing it. And the other thing is, nobody else can do it. That's what bothers people that they found these two unique, a player, a quarterback, and a center.

And at this particular skill, at this particular power moment, they're the best in the world ever at it. And I sat there and I thought, time out. I like innovation. I like new stuff. I don't like copycats. This is great. Do I think the league will step in? One of the reasons the league didn't?

Because they're not sure what to do with it. If you were a baseball team and you had these two lead-off hitters, and you decided we're going to have two lead-off hitters. They'll just go back and forth. And they got on base a lot and they were really fast and they double steal over and over and over like three times a game and nobody can stop it. Should you ban it? It's just two great players doing something nobody else can do. And so I think the league is looking at this thinking they'd like to ban it,

but it's not the Houston Astros. It's not illegal equipment. it's a coaching staff that said, we got two guys that are best in the world at something. No other quarterback dead left 600 pounds. No other center plays like Kelsey. How do you ban innovation? The Wildcat offense didn't work. People figured it out.

Nobody can figure this out. Nick Seriani, after the game, had a great bite defending it. Jason Kelsey starts it off. Jalen Hertz, you know, is right there, you know, having been able to drive, because you've seen it. You've seen it across the league that people can't do it like we can do it. They can't do it like we can do it. And so I'm making my plug right there. Don't ban this play.

Like, if everyone could do it, everybody would. Where's the camera? If everybody could do it, everybody would do it. And they can't. Very hard to ban innovation and ingenuity. Now, in the history of our government and business, people have tried to over and over and they've made arguments for it. But I hated this thing. And now I kind of embrace it because I think it defines Philadelphia. A great big game team who always shows up,

win or lose always shows up with a lot of passion, a lot of creativity on the biggest nights. We'll get to more of the game later. So, all right, we're six games into Jordan Love, Packers' new quarterback. The only people defending him are adults. men who wear cheeseheads in the fall. It's obstructing your view. Get another hat. He can't play. Watch how Matt LaFleur calls a game.

He doesn't trust him to throw the ball down the field. He's just not accurate. I mean, his big play yesterday was a dump off to a running back. He can't play. Listen, Jordan Love on throws just 10 plus yards down the field. That's not a big threshold. just 10 plus yards has a completion percentage of 38% and a pass rating of 50. I'm not going to get into his decision making and pick on the kid.

That ain't great. But this was an easy one against a terrible, historically terrible defense with a clever offensive coach with a winning record. With two weeks to prepare, Green Bay didn't score until the third quarter. he can't do scripted plays. Listen, you and I can argue about Justin Fields, Sam Darnold. But there were moments I could put together a six-minute YouTube clip with Justin Fields and Darnold and you'd go, wow.

Even backups, I've seen Josh Dobbs, Gardner Minchew against the Cleveland Browns defense. You got quarters and moments. Down the field throws. This doesn't work. I know it bothers you. You think I'm picking on him. But Green Bay's got really, really talented running backs and young, talented wide receivers and tight ends.

And the offense has been reduced to screenplays and Jordan loves scrambling. You got to take the cheese hats off, guys. It's not a good look. And it's worse defending Jordan Love. It's not close. On throws, just 10 plus yards down the field. A 38% completion percent.

Come on. He misses badly. He really struggles. Maybe a great kid, but it's year four in the building. And when you listen to Matt LaFleur, he's a nice guy. I don't know Matt. I know people that know Matt. Matt's a really nice guy. He doesn't want to be mean-spirited. He doesn't want to be harsh. But with a week of extra prep against that defense, that was it. With extra time to prepare against the Raiders' crappy defense that a backup from the Chicago Bears had success with. Look at what the kid in Chicago did yesterday against that Raider defense. Here's Matt after. Extremely disappointed. You know, we just, we keep digging ourselves in a hole and give credit to Denver. They did enough to win, but, you know, it's just, it's disappointing to have no points at the half. It's just way too fragmented and just not consistent execution.

He knows. And so do you, Packer fans. You know too. All right. A lot of stuff to talk about. 50 minutes from now, Colin Wright, Colin wrong, lots of both. Mar Jackson is crazy. I will defend those who are on Justin Herbert. I know there's a lot of critics. I'll make it real clear on why it's not him. The Chicago Bears, was it a good weekend or a bad weekend? It was a weekend that created some clarity, that's for sure. 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. is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. 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, 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 a 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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, 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. Got into this discussion with somebody recently is, you know, you get into your feels and

your emotions, just look at the data, the data that tells you the truth. You don't need to invest in Bitcoin or NFTs. It's called real estate and the stock market. It's worked for 75 to 100 years. Everybody gets into their emotion. Just look at the data. And I'll get to this in a second. I don't think less of the Detroit Lions today.

They got Lamard. NFC teams that don't see him regularly are one in 16 against him. You have no idea how athletic, how fast, how crazy good he is until you face him. The only people that have ever beaten Lamar Jackson consistently in this league, and there aren't many, have seen him for a second, third, fourth, fifth time. The first time you face him, he's 16 and 1 against NFC teams. You have nobody in practice that can duplicate Lamar Jackson. So I don't think less of the Lions.

They're going to win 11, 12 games, win their division, probably win a playoff game or two in the NFC. But what I do think is Lamar Jackson is now number two in the league behind Patrick Mahomes in terms of how do you prepare for a player? Mahomes is the only player in the league that's harder to prepare for. Is he the second best quarterback? I don't know. He's the second hardest player in this entire sport to prepare for. And here's the thing I love about Lamar.

Money changes people. They think they're smarter than they are, more successful than they are. Money changes people. And he got the bag. And he's actually changed for the better. Lamar no longer plays to protect his body, which I understood I get. He's out to prove he's worth the money. Not sitting back telling you how much he's worth.

He's out here to prove that he's worth it. He finally got wide receivers. I love the Ravens organization. I didn't think they did him. well with wide receivers until now. There is something about his work ethic, his competitiveness, and his personality that is jet fuel. He is so good for all the doubters.

He is so good at so many things. I'm just trying to find one thing Jordan Love is good at. This kid is crazy competitive, crazy athletic. His efficiency numbers are off the chart, second in the league in completion percentage. So I get efficiency, which is always nice, not a lot of mistakes, Mahomes. And then crazy athletic, crazy accurate, crazy movement, crazy competitiveness. The Lions got avalanched. NFC teams and teams that don't face Lamar regularly.

They have no idea what it's like to face him. The sidearm stuff, the moving, left, right. His accuracy doesn't dip when he moves. the only team, Steelers, Bengals, Browns, Chiefs, Chargers a couple times. You see him a second, a third, a fourth time. It's not like you solve him, but you have some idea about the lightning you're going to face. And so when I'm watching right now, yesterday wasn't about Detroit. He's 16 and 1 against NFC teams.

It was about Baltimore's Super Bowl good enough defense and about having to face Lamar Jackson for the first time. people just don't you can't prepare for Lamar Jackson you can even probably prepare a little for Mahomes he'll beat you either way but Detroit it was like they were observing Lamar Jackson certainly couldn't stop him but he put on a clinic Dan Campbell after they played well they kicked their ass

and it's a credit to them Lamar beat us he hammered us with his arm he ran when he needed to and we did not handle it well. Our energy was good, which is crazy. You come out of a game like that, and you look to score it. Our energy was good. But our detail and discipline, which has been so good over the last four or five weeks, was not good enough.

So self-induced, that was a combination of a lot of different things, you know. And just like we win as a team, we lose as a team. And that was one of those. Just look at the data. Lamar is 16 and 1 against the NFC. That's the game. That's why I said Baltimore was my favorite pick. If you've never faced Lamar, you have no idea what you're in for.

And this Lamar is the best Lamar. I thought his first half against the Titans in London was the best half of football I've seen any quarterback play this year. And he wasn't perfect yesterday. But between the coaching, that defense and Lamar and those receivers this morning, that's the best team in the NFL. That's the best team in the NFL right there. Not San Francisco, not Kansas City. That is the best team in the NFL.

Everything is working. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know, we didn't start the show talking about Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Boy, what a game against the bills. Just a stunning, stunning game.

Buffalo with a phenomenal comeback, and they end up just short, losing late. Matt Jones. Mac Jones, your guy. I saw your tweet. Well, it's divisional rivals. So New England faces this team so often, five years, ten times, or more if you face them in a playoff game, that there is some continuity, some understanding. That's why you see the Giants knock off Washington, why you see New England knock off Buffalo. When you face teams over and over and over, that's why the Jets knocked off Buffalo.

They know their players. Right? Like, it's different than like Miami, Philadelphia. Miami had, they weren't. They weren't used to facing that offense and defensive line. They don't face that team ever. One of the problems for the Buffalo Bills is a slow start. McDermott does not seem happy, but Bill's dropped the four and three.

Here's the coach on the loss. We talk about it. You know, we talk about being, you know, more detailed, getting into a rhythm early, playing complimentary football, and, you know, all three phases working together. And, you know, we just, we haven't, we haven't got, you know, been able to get into a good rhythm, obviously. Well, we've got to continue to find answers to some of the reasons why we're stubbing our toe, whether it's the first half of the game. We're not playing complimentary football.

We're beating ourselves at times, and we're not linking up all three phases to control a game. Can I throw this out there? So in the off-season, the bills made a point of being less Josh Allen dependent. They wanted to run the ball more with people not named Josh Allen. And so in the first four or five games, you saw that. But in the last two weeks, they've reverted back to what they were last year. Totally Josh Allen dependent. This is not a creative staff.

It's a defensive head coach. They're not creative. They're not. So this offseason, they really tried, and it worked. We noticed it in the first three to four games. We're not going to be as Josh Allen reliant. But people revert back and teams revert back to what they are. And now, what do they do well on offense besides Josh Allen making a bunch of great plays?

This is not a Super Bowl team. I don't think it's a conference championship team as currently constructed. So the Ken Dorsey situation is definitely bubbling. It's moved from a low simmer to, like, boiling. They don't like him in Buffalo right now. The slow starts are killing him. Colin, last three games, Jags, Giants, and Patriots, Bills have been outscored 30 to 10 in the first half. These slow starts can't run the ball.

I mean, Josh Allen threw a pick on the first play from. scrimmage when they're down 3-0. Patriot scored, now you're 10-0 and you haven't run a second play yet. And by the way, Belichick knows you have to throw. They don't run consistently. So it just, you could tell very early in that game, you're six minutes into that game and you're like, oh, this is going to be really close. You could just, you could tell Buffalo just dug a hole. And I'll say, you know, remember we had a Buffalo Bill's offensive lineman here and we were asking him in the commercial break, hey, what happened with Leslie Frazier, defensive coordinator, just gone. And McDermott?

I know he wants to throw Dorsey under the bus, but he's got to own some of this. How do you not stop the Patriots on that final drive? You've got a Buffalo Bill's defense. I know they're banged up, no Milano, no Trayboy, Tradavius White. But Matt Jones went down the field with ease. He was 25 of 30 against the Bill's defense. A legend is born.

Stop. I mean, now playing with the lead all game, no turnovers. Patriots 6.6 yards per play. The Buffalo defense got torched by Mack Jones. Just like let that sink in for a moment. Same Trevor Lawrence. They got problems in Buffalo. Colin?

I said the Super Bowl window had closed. You were right. It looks like it. I don't want to be too harsh. Are the Buffalo Bills right now a playoff team in the AFC? Take your time on this one. AFC's loaded all of a sudden. Steelers getting healthy.

Well, I think. Bengals getting healthy. My feeling is they will get in as a wild card team, but that's a one-and-done team. I'm sorry. I watch Pittsburgh. I got to give Mike Tomlin credit. Mike Tomlin wins more games ugly

than any coach in this league. And you know what? So does Pete Carroll. There is a way to win these games. When the Chiefs don't play well, they still win. Okay. When Buffalo doesn't play well, they lose.

So these are some of the Buffalo. I'm not going to go through the whole schedule. They play at Cincinnati in two weeks. That's a toss-up probably a loss. They still have to play the Jets again. The Jets give them problems. They've got to play Philadelphia and Kansas City. That's two more losses.

They've got to play Dallas. The Chargers are not dead yet, and they still have to go to Miami. That could easily be six more losses, and now you're looking at an 8-9, 9, and 18. Okay? Just sell your Buffalo Bill stock if you haven't already. Let's get to the Steelers, Colin. How about that game yesterday? Awesome game at So-5.

Pittsburgh Steelers rally behind Kenny Pickett. Look at Jalen Warren. He could scoot. We said this in the offseason. Pittsburgh's got a top five roster. I don't love Kenny Pickett. He did make some big throws down the field. Back shoulder stuff, Kenny Pickett.

But I will tell you this. You know what this game was? It was a rebuilding roster against the great roster, and it looked like it was even for two and a half quarters. And then by the late third, you could see the better roster just where. On the Rams had to try to play perfect to win. The Steeler team, Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll,

And this is what a lot of veteran coaches do. Andy Reid does this. Their teams don't have to play well. And they win. Okay. Buffalo doesn't play well. They lose. And Pittsburgh, first half.

They had 91 yards in the first half. No, they were a mess. And then all of a sudden, you're just like, they're just, the Rubik's Cube, they just sort of figure out ways to win. That's a more impressive win than people are giving it credit for. People are all hung up on the controversial spot on the Kenny Pickett snap. And listen, that was kind of crap. I disagree with it. I didn't love it.

But that's not how you should be analyzing football. Don't look at that one point. Look at the entire game and Pittsburgh's comeback. I'm just telling you, Deontay Johnson, back with that offense. They now have Pickens and Johnson who are spicy on the outside. Those guys are tough to man. Hey, hey, I thought this was a way more impressive win. You're on the road, despite the crowd dynamics.

You're on the road. This is a team, the Rams. that dominated Seattle that went toe to toe with San Francisco. If you go look at Pittsburgh in week one, they were awful. You look at the Pittsburgh Steelers today. Listen, Mike Tomlin can drive me crazy. They can't figure out the run game consistently. Matt, Canada still got problems.

By the way, three for three in the red zone. This team is significantly better today than six weeks ago. You know who Jalen Warren? Maybe the running back he wears, I think, number 30. Reminds me of Austin Echler. Does he not? He's fast. He's shifty.

He's super tough. Kind of Pacheco-like of the Chiefs. Final note, have you ever seen a game where two receivers on the same team got flags for taunting? You know Mike Tomlin is going to like those guys. Pickings and Johnson are awesome. But why are they flexing after every catch? I mean, it's a little much. I know.

Listen, I sound like an old head here. I'm not a big fan of in-game play celebrate. Touchdowns, do whatever you got to do. First downs, get over yourself. You get 30. You can get 24 and again. game. Get over yourself.

They had a matchup with the kid who used to be in the Steelers secondary, so there was a lot of jawing going on. But Deonti Johnson, you've missed like four games. You come back and you're getting a flag for taunting. Like, don't, that's just, oof, not good. Final story, New York Giants, you nailed this one. Tyrod Taylor. What a performance from the young quarterback.

Maybe there's a controversy at quarterback in New York. They took a 14-0 lead and held on. Now, they did nothing in the final, like, 35 minutes. Sam Howell and Washington just disgusting. Isn't it funny, though, when Tyrod Taylor plays, he's more natural than Daniel Jones, who's more mechanical. You know, Daniel's bigger. But when you watch Tyrod play, he got the bills to the playoffs pre-Josh Allen. Doesn't make a lot of mistakes.

Doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Reads the field. Suddenly, Darren Waller's getting the ball. Suddenly, they're throwing down the field to their rookie. And I said this Friday, I prefer the Tyrod Taylor Giants to the Daniel Jones Giants. because Tyrod Taylor's a smart veteran player who, and this is a real thing, he knows who to get the ball to. During the offseason, what did we say?

Ooh, Waller, they got real tight in. Why weren't they getting it to him? So Tyrod comes in and makes a point of, oh, I've got to get it to him. Hyatt, the really talented young guy, why weren't they getting the ball to him? Tyrod Taylor gets the ball to him. Some of this is just, when you go into a game as a quarterback, who are the two guys you got to get it to? Mahomes yesterday. I got to get it to Kelsey.

How many times was he targeted? Like, you think that sounds obvious. When you watch some of these games, you're like, why aren't these coaches getting the ball to blank receiver? And I know Giants fans are screaming right now. Well, the offensive line, dude, Tyrod Taylor's playing behind the same beat-up offensive line that Daniel Jones did. Okay, so we talked about the Giants.

We need to talk about Washington. And I think this was the soundbite of the weekend. Jonathan Allen, defensive lineman, extremely frustrated. cover your ears if you got kids in the car. They whipped our ass, plain and simple. Gotta be better. Anything they did that surprised you guys early on? No, I want to say so.

I think it's just a lack of focus on our part, a lack of attention to detail, not starting fast, and creating holes that are too big for us to overcome the second half. Does it get frustrating when the... Yes, it does. I'm tired of the shit.

It's been seven fucking years of the same shit. Tired of this. I love that guy. There's two teams in the league, right now, and I'm not forgetting coach is fired. But there are two teams in this league that I see so much inconsistency. The Chargers in Washington, I just, I don't know what I get Washington half to half week to week, and you know how I feel about the Chargers situation. But Washington

right now, they've got to move on. I want an offensive coach. I don't think Sam Howl's it. You could do another year with them. But no, I know you can't. You don't know. I have seen them play great halves, awful halves, great series, bad series. One of the signs that always concerns me about coaching. Like McVeigh yesterday. McVeigh didn't have as many good players. The Steelers have way more good players in their prime. Tell me a great Rams player in their prime.

Aaron Donald. Well, no, he's not in his prime. Cooper Cups at the end of his... Cooper Cups had two drops yesterday. The Rams don't have a single great player in their prime. Steelers have nine. So McVeigh, the fact that he could stay in the game was coaching. Washington's got dudes

and they're week to week. Series to series. They're a mess. You want some numbers here? Washington, one for 15 on third down. One for 15. Sam Howell's sacked six times. He's on pace. I don't know how this is accurate. He's on pace to be sacked 96 times,

which would blow away any record. Howell's holding the ball too long. Colin, I know you said last week, Ben Johnson, right, of the Lions OC, he's going to get whatever job he wants. I don't think you want this job. This Washington job, like, oh, no, there's better job. Oh, no, no, this is not a good job because I don't think you're going to get a top pick. And then you're like, well, do we do Howell again?

and it's like, please stop. Washington, I don't know, man. Now, the Giants defense, do we need to, I mean, three weeks in a row. Like shut down Buffalo Bills, totally on Sunday Night Football. Good performance here. Trending well. They got to face Zach Wilson this week in the Battle of New York.

I know we're going to talk Giants Jets probably every day this week. No. It's a big game. What are you talking about? Come on. We have a lot to talk about today. There is a lot, yes. We have so many things to talk about today.

Is it a power hour going to become the Caleb Williams hour? No, no, it's not. That's a branch off hour. All right, J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. So this one's interesting.

So you know I like Justin Herbert. That's fine. There's a lot of people I've liked and move off. I love Sam Darnel. I moved off him. Like it didn't work. So a lot of people are saying, well, I don't know about Justin Herbert.

All right, time out. He's got a new coordinator. It's not like you get a new coordinator and the next day you're great. He's got a new coordinator. It's his third coordinator in four years. He's on his second coach and this coach isn't working either. This is the chargers historically. Ownership can be a tad frugal.

The roster's good. Maybe I'm overvaluing it. But here's what we know to be true. with two coaches, one's been fired and one could be. He's set NFL records. He's also big, strong, a 4-2 biology major, accurate, mobile. He checks every box. For those questioning him, ask yourself a question.

What away from Justin Herbert do they do well? Run game? No. 16th. Special teams. No, they had a huge gaffe yesterday. Defense, terrible. 31st and yards, 25th and points.

So let's look at what they do well. All right. Oh, they're great in the red zone offensively. Tied to Justin Herbert. Third fewest giveaways. They don't turn the ball over. Tied to Justin Herbert. They have the number eight passing offense with no deep threat now that Mike

Williams is hurt tied to Justin Herbert. It's funny, all the things they do well to very well are tied to Justin Herbert on his second coach and his third coordinator, his third new offense he has to learn in his fourth season. This crap's hard. It's a new playbook, a new language. So yesterday, Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City's offense, we would all acknowledge this, has struggled this year.

They have no number one receiver. The Chiefs have no number two receiver. And Travis Kelsey is getting older. And yet they set a record this year for the most yards passing by any team in the first half. Against the defense that's the highest paid in the league. It's not a Justin Herbert issue. There's only one team in this league that has allowed multiple 400-yard passing games. I'll give you one guess on who it is.

The Chargers that have Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa as edge rushers. Listen, Tom Hanks, even Tom Hanks will have an occasional bad movie. Apple will occasionally have a bad product. We don't doubt Tom Hanks or Apple, right? Like we know who can act and we know the companies are good. Justin Herbert's career has been elevating and overcoming new coordinating. Nader's injured receivers, Alan Mike Williams, inconsistent moves by ownership. Since he entered the league, think about this, he is second in passing yards and sixth in

passing touchdowns with two coaches that don't work. Generally, if the coach is off, it doesn't matter how good the quarterback is. We know coaches matter. We know that Mahomes is better and Andy Reid is part of it. We know that Brady won Super Bowls and Belichick was part of of it. Nobody denies the quarterback is a bigger part of it, 70, 30, 65, 35, whatever number you want. But if you look at a team and they don't do a lot well and the Chargers don't, except for everything tied to like one player, if you had a bit, like the Raiders defense, it's not very good, but it's funny, they get some sacks because Max Crosby is great. That's why their sack numbers are not heinous.

Like, that's a bad defense with a great player. So you can blame all you want. But Brandon Staley is a defensive coach. Yesterday again, a big third and long. Now it's Mahomes, but he finds a way to get a first. At least now Staley is acknowledging it's not Justin Herbert. The blame is mine. No one else's.

So I just got to do a better job of getting us off to a good start in the game. And that's not what happened, you know, where we just didn't execute very well in the first half. And we didn't rush them or cover them well enough. And a lot of, it was both things happening at the same time. And like I said, it's my responsibility. I like that. But if I had my third lead producer in four years, it would make this show harder. Not saying you couldn't do a show.

And I'm not saying Justin Herbert doesn't produce big numbers. We all thought he had a pretty good year last year. They've actually scored more than last year. year. But it is another coordinator and the same coach, and I'm not sure what they do well. It's not a Justin Herbert issue. He's setting records, right? Like he's second in passing yards since he entered the league with two receivers, Keenan and Mike Williams, that struggle to stay healthy. It's not on him. All right, Colin Wright, Colin wrong, top of the hour. You know, sometimes you may not have the answer in the building, but you have a

clarity, and that's important. You may not have the employees yet you need, but you know what you need. That's important, too. And we'll talk about that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great fight. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haynes and me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to this league uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein on the IHeart 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 documentation. 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. 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 a little?

to Kim. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. 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 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. 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. Tonight on FS1, it's a winner take-all game seven of the ALCS with the Rangers looking to clinch their third pennant in team history. while the Astros try to continue their run to a back-to-back World Series title. It all begins tonight at 730 Eastern on both Fox and FS1.

So I've said this for years. I am a member of the media. What's the line I always use? Austin is in Texas, but it's not of Texas. It's a very liberal artsy city. Park City is in Utah. It's not of Utah. It's a party city in a conservative state.

I'm in the media, but I don't think sometimes I'm of the media. I like boring. I don't get emotional. I don't fall for like, wow stuff. That's not quarterback play. Really great quarterback play is boring. Mahomes, two to three times a game, will do something and you'll be like, whoa! Lamar may be unique historically that it feels like every third play for Lamar is incredible.

But mostly, it's just hit the layups, three or four times a game, be great. And that's quarterback play. And that's where I struggled with Sam Darnold. Firework show! Or who's going to clean up this mess? But the media falls for spectacular. Russell Westbrook can't shoot or catch. MVP!

No, he's just really talented. There's a difference. And Justin Fields is Sam Darnold. Wildly talented. But you've got to clean up a lot of messes with Sam and Justin. A backup, undrafted, division two school rookie walked in yesterday with Justin Fields out. There were no highs and lows. He moved well enough.

He was efficient. There were no mistakes. And they snapped a 10-game home losing streak. There were no highs and lows. Nothing spectacular, no great to awful, no roller coaster. It was sustained drives. Yes, they were 61% on third down with Justin, it's 40%. They played keepaway.

They dominated time of possession. It was just picking up four yards when you needed three. It was picking up five when you needed four. I don't want a quarterback that goes from wow to ugg. amazing to embarrassing. That was cool. It's a brutal. The turnover differential

when Justin Fields plays, since he's played, is minus 17 for the Bears. Minus 17. Do you know what the turnover differential is in the 10 games he hasn't played? Minus 1. It's even.

They take it away. They give it up at the same rate. So I think when you start defending your quarterback and you say, well, he didn't have a lot to work with. A rookie from a Division II school undrafted, same head coach, same coordinator, same players, wasn't a star, but he was efficient. He just picked up first downs. He was good on third down.

He moved well enough. None of it was jaw dropping. None of it was embarrassing. It was just moved the chains. It's kind of clear. And I know, I know, I hear this all the time. Well, let me tell you something. It was the Raiders.

It was an NFL franchise, and Justin Fields is 6 and 25 against those. Since he has taken over as a starter, he is 6 and 25. In the 10 games he hasn't played, they're 5 and 5. Third down, better without him. Passing yards per game, better without him. Highs won't be as high. Lows, there won't be as many. What do they always say in this league?

You lose a lot more than you win. Justin Fields loses games. It's hard to win games. Lamar wouldn't be winning 77% of his games if he didn't have this coach and this defense. Justin Herbert's great. Josh Allen's great. You need help. Patrick Mahomes is the best player on the planet.

He would win games regardless. But he wouldn't win as many, right? Without Chris Jones on defense. Without Travis Kelsey? without good offensive linemen. So whenever I watch Justin Fields, I feel it's very Sam Darnold, where I'm like, wow, ugh, amazing, brutal, firework show, who's going to clean it up.

And yesterday I thought there was some clarity that if you have two of the top five, six picks, and I think the Bears will, I think you have to draft the quarterback. Now, you can bring him in and have him sit behind Justin for a year. You can move, Jeff. You do whatever you want. But the Bears yesterday were just like, official. not sexy, not wow, they just picked up first downs and they just moved the clock and they played keep away. I know it's the Raiders. I know it's the Raiders. But guess what? The Raiders went to Denver

and won. The Raiders beat the Packers. They've got NFL players, Devanti Adams, Max Crosby, Jacobs. They got players. It's the NFL. It's not college ball where the margins are massive. Anybody can almost beat anybody. Yesterday, the Patriots beat the bills. I just got clear. It's. It's not. It's Clarity yesterday. Hour two next. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. I mean, 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.