The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The Chiefs are in phase 2

Episode Date: November 21, 2023

Colin looks at the Chiefs after their narrow loss to the Eagles on Monday night and what this team is missing in order to contend for another Super Bowl He praises Eagles QB Jalen Hurts for his performance in another big game and what he gives Philadelphia that other QBs do not Thoughts on the Steelers firing their OCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Clifers Show.

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It's the herd. Thanksgiving week, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making out as part of your day. Heard hierarchy. Top 10 teams going into Thanksgiving. Very, very interesting. The dynasty is teetering.

does not look the same. J. Mack. Which dynasty is that? Kansas City's dynasty. Right, right, right. Yes, Kansas City. Teacher and indeed, the call bike. Think about this. So Andy Reid off a buy

at home, I mean, just spend the money before the bet. Yet Detroit, first game of the year in Kansas City, lost with all that off-season. Last night, off a buy. Andy reads a guaranteed double-you.

He's got Mahomes. Lost. So the season opener and a home game, and you know Andy reads the greatest coach ever off a buy, and he can't solve the problems. It's bigger than you think. Now, let's start with this. These are very good teams.

If they met in the Super Bowl, we wouldn't be surprised. Neither was great last night. The Eagles O line got worked in the first half. They got too cute. And Kansas City had multiple crucial drops. What's new with that receiving core in the second half? But I said it yesterday. Kansas City's offense doesn't have an identity.

What they are is a great coach and a great quarterback who on script can be magical. If you look at their first half numbers this year, Kansas City's top three. and all the big stuff. And then they plummet in the second half. Why? For the same reason, I preached for five minutes yesterday in the third hour. They don't have an identity. Scripted plays and a really talented quarterback is not an identity.

It's just talent. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has an identity. They got too cute in the first half. I'm screaming at the TV. Get back to who you are. Jalen Hur. moving, running, physical, tush, push, and they took over. You saw it in the fourth quarter.

In the first half, Jalen Hertz, one rushing attempt. They looked awful. In the second half, Jalen Hertz, 11 rushing attempts. They looked like Philadelphia. In crisis, whether it's a marriage, a business, or a football team. In crisis, what is your identity? What do you lean in? What do you know you're always good at?

Kansas City doesn't have one. They just have a great coach, great coach, and a marvelous quarterback. But I mean, what is Kansas City's identity when they needed first downs and to move the chains late? Mahomes running around, throwing it deep, throwing big passes to number three and number four receivers who can't catch, or forcing it to Travis Kelsey,

who's getting old and you can see it. It's why I liked Philadelphia. The best teams in this league, Baltimore's got an identity. Speed in Lamar Jackson's playmaking. San Francisco has an identity. Physical football. Christian McCaffrey, Kittal and Debo.

The dolphins are limited, but they have an identity. Speed and playmakers. Dallas has some limitations. I'm often a cynic of the cowboys, but they have an identity. Take a lead, pin the pass rush ears back, and go get the other guy's quarterback. Philadelphia, you saw their identity. They were getting too cute. Bubble screens off to the side.

Jalen Hertz, ball in hand, run it, use lean on Jason Kelsey and that big offensive line. Okay? Mahomes, to his credit, a true leader, after the game would not bury the wide receivers, would not call out the wide receiving cord, but I have been on this for weeks. The old Kansas City with a 21-0 deficit,

that come roaring back. Those days are over, at least for now. Kansas City that had a second and a third gear. That's over for now. But Mahomes, a true leader, isn't going to call out the clear weakness of this team. It's wide receiver group. Simple is we've got to be better in the second half.

I mean, all season long, we haven't played great football in the second half, so we have to continue to work. They came up and they forced us to throw the football, and we didn't answer the bill. I didn't make good enough passes in certain situations. And we have to prove that we can do both. It can't be just run.

It can't be just passing to prove that we can do both. And that's something we have to continue to work on as the season continues. We'll get more in to the Chiefs moving into phase two. Patriots Dynasty had three phases. Chiefs are out of phase one. They've moved into phase two. We'll get into that later. But I want to talk about Jalen Hertz.

You can say to yourself, Philadelphia was, lucky. They didn't even look that good. Yeah, I've watched every Eagle game. That's exactly what they look like every week. Only had 16 first downs, bad on third down, 124 yards passing, only had the ball 28 minutes. And Philadelphia won on the road. And didn't play well. So if you're a Chiefs fan, how's that feel? They were terrible in the first half and won. But let's talk Jalen Hertz, who to me is one of the most unique quarterbacks in league history. So he can squat 600 pounds. And that allows him to do that tush push. Little Kyler Murray can't. You'd think that would be an advantage. Small, hard to get a shot at him. He can't do it. Justin Herbert, 6'5, 2.45 and strong. He tried it.

He can't do it. So you have a quarterback good enough to throw over the top in a rainstorm and get you to the two-yard line and then be the only quarterback in the league that at the two-yard line has a guaranteed play to get him into the end zone. 13 straight wins against. against teams with a winning record. That's unbelievable. Seven straight wins, trailing by 10 points or more. That's remarkable.

He has the jet fuel, the talent to sit in the pocket, move, throw deep, and overcome deficits, or you can play power football with a lead, eat the clock, and suffocate the other team.

He is the ultimate chess piece as a quarterback. But what's interesting is, when you talk about chess pieces, It's usually like Christian McCaffrey, a running back who could be a receiver. Or Debo Samuel, a receiver who can be a running back. Or Cordell Patterson, who can be a punt returner, a running back, a receiver. That's always been the chess piece until now.

Jalen Hurst, Jalen Hertz, RPO, Tush Push, straight runs, quarterback draws, sit in the pocket, throw deep. again, the Eagles were all sorts of cute in the first half. One rush, awful. Then they said, Jalen, we're going to rush you more in lots of different ways. Quarterback draws, moving the pocket rolling out, push, push. He can do it all. And I don't think I've ever seen a quarterback that has that many dimensions. He's not the best pocket passer, but he's really good.

The Miami Dolphins have all that speed, and the media, fawns over it. All that speed, all those playmakers, all those weapons, the head coach has a high IQ and yet they're 0.3 this year against winning teams. Because the Miami Dolphins have

one gear. Speed. That's it. Philadelphia has 13 straight regular season wins. Dolphins 0 and 3 this year. Philadelphia 13.

straight regular season wins overwinning teams because it's multiple gears power football fancy finesse physical all driven by jalen hertz squatting 600 pounds can do what justin herbert can't at the line of scrimmage can throw like justin herbert or joe burrow from the pocket you can roll it you can draw it you can rpo it you can push it what a chess piece. I remember years ago, the late Aaron Hernandez, I remember being connected to somebody inside the Patriots, and they were like, he's such a chess piece.

You could put him in the backfield. I remember talking to a defensive back, Patrick Chung of the Patriots, and he said, I said, who's the toughest guy you've ever covered? He said, he's on my team. I see him in practice. You can do so many things with him. Imagine if you're quarterback, not a tight end, a quarterback could be that guy.

Oh, wait, he is. Jalen Hertz. and here he is after. I don't think we play clean tonight. I don't think we play to our standard, nowhere near our standard. But I think the thing that you can't test or quantify is the resilience that the team has and the ability to persevere and see through things and overcome things. And this team has that.

And so, you know, we've yet to put up a performance to our standard. but we continue to find ways to win to win. And when you win games, like we've won games, that builds a ton of character. Is he ever not completely buttoned up at the podium? I mean, that guy is, you know, we always talk about Mike Tomlin's

the best coach ever at a podium. My vote is Jalen Hertz is the best player I've ever seen at the podium. It looked like he took two and a half hours to dress. Class, smart, succinct to the point, give others credit. He is an all-time unique chess piece. And even when they were playing poorly in the first half, I was just saying,

stop being so cute. Stop all the stupid bubble screens. Just put the ball in the hands of Jalen Hertz. Let's get physical. Let's play between the tackles. And then he'll hit a couple of deep balls later. That's what he does. And that's what he did.

They didn't play well. and they won. And I've watched every Eagles game this year. And they all look like that. It's not luck. It's their identity. The great teams win imperfectly. And nobody does it like the Eagles.

J-Mack, a lot of people freaking out in Kansas City. Nick writes on in about 50 minutes from now. What are they freaking out about the drops, you know, dominating the Eagles for three-plus? quarters and losing the game? Yeah, I would be freaking out too. I don't think they're the favorites in the AFC anymore. Well, it's interesting. So we don't get a lot of NFL dynasties. In the NBA, you do get if two stars can join, like, you know, KD. and Steph, you get, you get dynasties in basketball, Shaq and Kobe, obviously, Michael Jordan Pippen,

Backele Bird, Magic Kareemworthy. Football dynasties are rare, often very short. The Patriots were the exception. And I do think Kansas. City, because of Reed's brilliance and Mahomes' ability, it's going to be a dynasty for a while. Not 20 years a while, but a while. But coming up next, New England's dynasty has three phases. It did. Kansas City has moved into its second phase, and it's not the best phase. We'll talk about that coming up.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard 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, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the 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 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

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. back at it on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, we've got to be honest about who Kansas City is. Very, very good could play in the Super Bowl, but they lost with extra time to prepare to Detroit and Philadelphia at home and couldn't move the chains against the Broncos.

And Chiefs star, the very famous Travis Kelsey, who's got quite a personal and social life now, admits that retirement is in his thought. As they say, you start talking about it, you're close. He said, more than anyone could ever imagine, that's the only thing I've never really been open about. The discomfort, the pain, the lingering injuries, the 10 surgeries I've had that I still feel every single surgery to this day, Travis Kelsey. So the Patriots dynasty had three phases. The first phase of the Patriots dynasty was suffocating great defenses and an emerging. young franchise quarterback that had the look and feel of a star.

They won Super Bowls. The second phase was Tom Brady is now arguably one of the faces of the league. He is a fantastic star quarterback. Randy Moss, Wes Welker, there's some jet fuel here. Close, but no Super Bowls. The third phase, Brady got his guys, his guys, Gronk, Edelman, Brady, defense still good, special team. exceptional.

Three different phases. Brady and Belichick were the constant. And Mahomes and Reed, barring any setbacks for Andy Reed physically or Patrick Mahomes physically, they'll be the constant. But I think we've moved out of phase one of the Kansas City dynasty.

Phase one is damn! Mahomes is crazy, talented and still cheap. Team could play from 21-0-0-0-down. Playmakers everywhere. Solid defense, but let's just get Mahomes weapons. Who cares about defense? Those days are over. We have moved into phase two. This is the first year of it. Mahomes is now expensive and you have to navigate his contract. His best teammate is aging, Travis Kelsey, and you can see the age. And the defense is actually the best part of the

team. It's almost like it flipped for Brady and Baham's. The defense actually carries him now. This phase does not have multiple gears offensively. They can't be sloppy early and come back off a 24-0 deficit. This is the third straight game they couldn't score a single point in the second half. The New York Giants scored 17 this past weekend in the second half. The end of phase one for the Patriots wasn't just about the Patriots.

Peyton Manning was in his prime, the rival Colts. Big Ben was in his prime, the rival Steelers. The landscape changed. Tom was now making more money. You had to make tough decisions. Let very good players go. Kansas City, the landscape has changed. Joe Burroughs already knocked Mahomes out of one soon.

Super Bowl two years ago. Josh Allen, going nowhere. Lamar Jackson having arguably his best year. And that's just the AFC. Jalen Hertz now moves into his prime. He is now as good as anybody the sport has seen in a decade in big games. So phase two for New England and Kansas City is not about falling off a cliff. It's still capable any year of getting and winning a Super Bowl, but it's different.

And this Kansas City is. different. The defense is the best, most consistent part of the team. Mahalms and Reed are the constant, but Travis Kelsey looks old. He's talking retirement. He's had 10 surgeries. I don't know the last time I watched the Chiefs game that he didn't limp at one point. And they have to make tough decisions on weapons. They'd be better with Juju Smith-Schuster, and maybe they'd be unbeatable with Tyreek Hill. They couldn't afford either. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I like that, the reinvention theme, how the Patriots kept reinventing themselves to keep the dynasty going. Can the chiefs do the same? They're very smart upstairs. I say that, but the hubris to not go after a wide receiver either in the offseason or at the deadline is a little bit, oh, Pat, we'll figure it out. And I'm the idiot who yesterday sat up here saying, second half problems. It's not an issue.

Remember that? It'll be fine. It's Patrick Mahomes. They have not scored a single point in three straight games. Again, the New York Giants, offensively incompetent, had 17. You stumble into points. You just stumble into them in the second half when you have Reed in Mahomes and Kelsey. And they can't score anything.

He's a bigger man than I would have for not throwing MVS under the bus. And we'll get to some comments here in a second. It's funny. But let's start with the L.A. Chargers. Four and six, somehow Brandon Staley still employed. He's had that issue with the reporters after the game Sunday about defensive play calling. But Staley downplayed any pressure on him yesterday, saying, I feel the same every time I've ever coached a game in the NFL.

I feel this is the biggest game of my life, which is how I've approached every game I've competed in my whole life. That's the approach that I've brought my whole life. That's the approach I've brought here. A lot of word salad from an embattled Brandon Staley. Colin, I will just say this. So the Ravens were favored by four going to L.A. this weekend at So-Fy. One of those gambling services I talked about gave out about 90, less than an hour ago.

Chargers plus four. It's down to three and a half. I don't know what anybody's seeing in the Chargers right now against the Ravens. But this feels like a last stand for Brandon Staley, no? Yeah, it does. And, I mean, a heck of a last stand have to host Lamar Jackson and Baltimore. I would hope my last stand would be an easier assignment. Baltimore off extra rest as well.

Yeah, I mean, here's the thing. It's not that the chargers are getting blown out. It's in the details. It's situational. So it's not like this is a reclamation project. And Brandon Staley keeps pointing that out. He keeps saying it's a play here or play there. And my takeaway is,

Brandon, that's what you've been saying for two years. It's a play here or play there. And you consistently don't make those plays defensively. So it's not manual. overboard. This is not somebody that's over his head in terms of there's some things they do pretty well. I do feel like I get the same team, but I get the same inconsistency on the defensive end. They give up too many big run plays. Screen passes look like double reverses. I don't think anything's going to change. The Spanos family does not spend big money on coaches.

The sons are in the front office. They're not given Harbaugh the keys to the kingdom here. It's not happening. They don't do that. And so it's very much a family business and they're the number two team in town. They're getting talked about a ton. Maybe it's good for marketing. But I do think at some point, if you want things to change in business, then you have to make changes. And that's very uncomfortable at Thanksgiving. Did you say number two team in town? I mean, number two NFL, probably number nine on the L.A. last game. I mean, I threw this out there on my podcast. Why don't you just dump Staley and promote Kellen Moore? I said this yesterday. Like,

Just give Kellynne Moore a chance. Maybe he's not the guy. But you know what? He is a very cheap, offensive-minded guy who would fit Spanos perfectly. So I think if they lose to the Ravens, because it's very interesting. Now with Joe Burrow out, that wild card looks more possible. A Pittsburgh can't score, Joe Burrow out. We thought three teams from that division would get in.

But now Deshaun Watson done for the year, Joe Burrow done for the year. Steelers can't score. So if the Chargers win this weekend, they look at it and think, we can go on a four-game heater. They got to pass the Bronzer. Broncos still. Right, right. They can do that.

But I think what they're looking at is, you know, we're in, if we win this Sunday, Buffalo, us, Cleveland, we're all in the same group of teams. Now, if you lose to the Ravens, then all of a sudden you look up and it's like, we're not a playoff team and this isn't going to work. So I think this is this Brandon Staley employment thing. I think it's really game to game week to week. I am surprised that there wasn't a comment from the organization after the Packers' The Spanos's are pretty low profile on like public comments about players and coaches.

That's pretty weak. But I do think what's helped them, Deshawn Watson and Burroughs injuries, Aaron Rogers, it leaves those wild cards. But Miami doesn't look as good as we thought a month ago. Okay, so basically you're giving him a stay of execution because other people are getting injured. That's not what you want. Every close game, Colin, they lose. I think they're 0 and 5 in close games.

Decided by 3 or less. What are we doing? No, I agree. You fired Anthony Lynn for the same damn thing. What I'm saying is I see what they're thinking. They're looking at it and thinking all the quarterbacks in our conference are getting banged up. One more gets banged up. Everybody's using backup quarterbacks in the AFC except the top three or four teams.

And the takeaway is we can go in a three-game winning streak. It can be right back in this. Moving a coach at Thanksgiving, it's disruption, it's chaos. And I think teams would always rather not do it. I mean, there are teams right now that are a mess. They're not doing it. I would be surprised if it's not already chaos behind the scenes in L.A. Disappointment.

Next up, Brock Purdy, coming off that perfect passer rating game. Listen, I have been championing this for weeks on this show. You have. And the Brock Purdy MVP train, I told you 25 to 1, you could have got him earlier this season. Right. Now the athletics, David Lombardi is saying Purdy should be a front runner. Here's what he said. The quarterback is the most important position just by the fundamental nature of football.

And the 49ers quarterback right now, Brock Purdy, is delivering head and shoulders above every other QB in the league. He's not the only guy with weapons. And I will say that he's also doing this behind an offensive line that objectively has been below average in pass protection. So the whole idea that everything is just perfectly set up for him is just unequivocally false. Just look at what is this guy producing. And by every single number, every single metric, every single analysis of tape, he's been the most productive guy in football. Well, what was Jimmy Garoppolo

when he left this coach and these weapons? It was bad fast. So I do think this is an exceptionally gifted coach and an exceptionally gifted roster. I do. And he's also in a division now where the Rams and Cardinals were in a rebuild and Gino Smith isn't...

Last year's Gino Smith. It's a little easier division now. So I think you start looking at what Garapolo did with this same, mostly same roster. He got him to a Jimmy Garoppolo got to a Super Bowl. I'm sorry. I have to contextualize this.

You hold that, did you just so you're holding it against Brock Purdy that Jimmy Garoppel was good with largely the same roster? Don't confuse holding it against somebody and acknowledging context that appears to be clear. Garopolo went to the Raiders and was bad immediately.

He got to a Super Bowl with this group. A Super Bowl. Didn't just play well. Got to a Super Bowl, beat Aaron Rogers, the minute he left this coach in this room, and this roster is bad. Well, he did get to an NFC championship last year and got injured in the game. Again, that's my point. It's the coach and the roster, not the quarterback. Although the quarterback is, like Garoppolo, it's not a stiff, can make throws. There's things about Garoppolo.

I always thought between the numbers, he was a gamer. He made his mind up and let it rip. I always said, Jimmy's a B, B minus, but he wasn't a C or a stiff. Brock is a B, B minus, he's not a stiff. But you have to acknowledge that Garoppolo, the minute he left this building, looked like a shadow of himself. I know you don't love awards, but so give me your top three MVP right now with, what, five or six games? Lamar Jackson would be way up there.

Okay. Jalen Hertz continues to win. He'd be way up there. I mean, the guys won 13 straight games against Winner. teams and Miles Garrett has to be considered. I think Miles Garrett's up there. Is that you don't like the list? I would have Brock Purdy number one. Oh boy. Gosh. Oh boy. I mean, Jalen Hurcher threw for 150 yards against the Chiefs. He didn't win that game. Gosh, Coward, you fire me up early. She goodness. Final story. CD Lamb, he's been on fire of late.

Yes. But he's questionable on the injury report. Holy cow with an ankle injury ahead of the big matchup on Thanksgiving against the commanders. Mike McCarthy downplayed it saying it wasn't of high concern but I think it's probably worth monitoring. CD Lamb. I mean, he's almost the biggest point of failure for this offense.

They don't have a T. Higgins. They don't have that. They need C.D. Lamb. So this line's ballooned out to 10 and a half. Do you have to take a bite of Washington here? Well, isn't the safest bet in the league? Generally, Rams at home is a heavy, cowboys at home,

Dak at home is a heavy favorite. But I will say, it's a pass for me because Dallas is going to win the game. Dallas is a great home favorite with Dak. Dak plays great when he's comfortable, and Sam Howell's going to be running for his life. But I'm passing.

Commanders are a weird team that can play, I mean, they gave Philadelphia fits. They can give, they have these halves. Ron Rivera as a coach, his team's week to week year to year. You don't know what you're getting. And for a rivalry game, Commanders National TV, stand alone off an embarrassing performance. I think I would lay, I think I would take the commanders plus the points, but I'm not touching it because Dallas is the best home favorite bet against bad teams in the league.

That's probably like a turkey sandwich play on Thanksgiving. You're not putting real money on Sam Howell. I'll say this, I saw, and again, these trends are, they're not predictive, they're just trends. DAC 1 and 5 ATS on Thanksgiving. You know, do it with that what you will. So I don't do a blazing five, even though I was four. Yeah, I heard about that. And then they hit me up, Jay.

Look, we're doing headlines tomorrow. I need your picks. I'm like, you want my picks on Tuesday? Okay. But I'm throwing Michigan, Ohio State, in there. That feels like the lock of the weekend. Doesn't it? Doesn't Michigan feel like.

Sorry, I said that out loud. It does. But I didn't say Michigan. I just said it feels like a lock of the weekend. Oh, okay. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lie News. Well, I'll tell you, yesterday, I'll get into it in a second. Jim Harbaugh, he is not going to budge. He's not going to flinch. He's not going to give you anything. He had a response yesterday to a question that was, oh, don't you think Ryan Day is great? Talk about the respect you have for the staff. Harbaugh wouldn't budge an inch.

And I want to talk about that coming up. Plus, the Steelers, loyal to a fault, finally make one of the two moves they need to make. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington,

and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman, and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game.

We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushmanzada and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is a lot of. 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-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win. A win is a win. Okay, where 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 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's 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

this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so 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 Matt Canada. Loyal to a fault. It was not easy for the Steelers. I got to read you this. This made me laugh.

It's the first time they made an in-season coaching change of any note since 1941. The last time the Steelers fired a head coach or a coordinator was 1941 when the team's half owner, Bert Bell, fired himself. That's Pittsburgh. Listen, you can spot excellence very quickly in this league. C.J. Stroud, quarterback Texans. Jordan Addison, wide receiver Vikings. Jemir Gibbs running back Detroit. It takes about two games.

You can also spot over your head very quickly. Nathaniel Hackett, Denver coach, end of game one, didn't understand the clock. Zach Wilson, Jets. Desmond Ritter quarterback Atlanta. You can spot highly effective and ineffective very easily. And Pittsburgh through the years has drafted and developed with few peers. They know talent, they spot it quickly and can develop it. Firing Matt Canada is the first step, but in the last 10 games, Kenny Pickett has six touchdown passes.

As good as they draft and as they draft, and as brilliantly as they have developed, he's getting worse. Nine of his 22 games as an NFL quarterback, he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass with excellent wide receivers and a great young tight end. He's had one of 22 games with multiple touchdown passes. Go ahead and make excuses. Say it's all Matt Canada.

But C.J. Stroud, in an unstable environment in Houston, first-time play caller, rookie coach, four offensive linemen missing week two, threw for 384 yards, two T-Ds and no picks. That's like a month worth of productivity for Kenny Pickett. And the Steelers are stable with a great defense and terrific weapons. And C.J. Stroud did it unstable, new coach, new play caller, battle line.

You can spot ineffective and highly effective very quick. Matt Canada didn't help. The system, the scheme, not perfect. But it's the first of two steps. The other one will be much more difficult moving off the local kid. C.J. Stroud overcomes a lot in Houston. They have no run game. None. Lots of injuries up front. First time play caller. By week two, he was throwing for 384 yards. Jim Harbaugh is really something. A very unique personality. And whereas he makes people very, very uncomfortable. Because one of the reasons I don't put a lot of college football coaches on this show, they're just cliche machines.

And the reporters that interview them set them up to say and spout and spit cliches. So yesterday was your classic question to say. Say something nice about Ryan Day, a coach that he now controls, and here's Harbaugh in action. What would you say as your respect level for Ryan Day and their staff? It's all about our preparation for Ohio. You know, the days, the minutes, the hours, everything leading up to this game. You know, that's where our focus is.

Preparing ourselves and planning. going to practice and then execute. So, I mean, anything else is irrelevant. Would not budge an inch. Harbaugh is completely in Ohio State's head. They are absolutely convinced. He is only winning doing it with cheating, advanced scouting. Nah, bro, that's not it.

Ohio State's run game is eighth in the big 10. Not the country, it's eighth in the big 10. Michigan has one of the nation's best run games. Number two in Power 5 in rushing touchdowns. Why does that matter? The last 21 times Michigan and Ohio State have played. The team that rushed for more yards won. 21 and O Ohio State's offense the last several years has gotten fancy over physical speed over power

the better O line Michigan the coach more convinced you have to run to win Michigan the better running backs they're both good I like Michigan the way they use them the more consistent run game Michigan 21 straight times in this game. Whoever runs for more yards wins. The last two meetings, Michigan has outrushed Ohio State

by 342 yards. And this is the best version of Michigan's run game. It's cheating. It signals. You keep talking about that. You keep believing it. You go to your message boards. You convince yourself.

if that's it. Ohio State's gotten fancy. Michigan's gotten more physical. Ohio State's gotten faster. Michigan's gotten more physical. Ohio State thinks it's cheating. Michigan's got more physical. That's it for this program. They're just more than ever committed to physical football.

They have a first round potential quarterback, and against Penn State, they said, We're not going to attempt a pass. That was a message to the conference, the Big Ten, maybe Fox Sports. We're not going to go fancy. Let Columbus do that. We go physical. Said it last night. Everybody wanted those fancy chiefs.

The physical Eagles pulled away. And I'll also mention this. This seems like something. So we all acknowledge how good C.J. Stroud is. The kid's terrific. they couldn't beat Michigan with C.J. Strout. This quarterback is 14 points less a game than C.J. Stroud. C.J. Stroud is sensational.

This quarterback at Ohio State is not close to C.J. Stroud. And now you go on the road for a Michigan team that's got 20 NFL players. Now, I could be wrong. Maybe it's all about the advanced scouting. I've been wrong before. The line would indicate it's a go-either-way game, three and a half points. In fact, with the hook, the wise guys, the sharps are probably taking Ohio State. I could very well be proven wrong.

It has happened again. 21 straight times. Physical beats everything else in this game. It's a very unique rivalry. Physical always wins. Ohio State is eighth. eighth in the Big Ten in rushing. And if you've watched them over the last three years,

they spread it out more, they're faster, they're more elegant at wide receiver. It's really become wide receiver you. Used to be linebacker you, Penn State and Ohio State were like linebacker you, running back you, O-line you, edge rush you.

Ohio State's got the best receiving core in the country. Them or Alabama like four years in a row. So I think it'll come down. but I go back to Harbaugh. Just another opportunity. He got into Pete Carroll's head at USC. He did. I was there.

He did. And he's in Ohio State's head now. It's not going to give you cliches. He's not going to tell you what he wants or what you want. He's going to just all about Michigan, go blue, all about the men of Michigan. And that answer is just more psychology. That is more Jim Harbaugh psychology. We do not think about it.

them. Get them all worked up. Jemak, this, the last time, I made a huge college football bet. And it just happens to be a coincidence. I took Clemson over Ohio State. A couple years ago, everybody loved Ohio State.

Was that the Trevor Lawrence run game? Yeah, yeah. What a great game that was. And, of course, Ohio State fan said it was a lucky outcome. It had to be officiating. This could be my second big bet. Wow. And it's, by the way, it's not anti-Ohio

State. Ohio State beats virtually everybody. I mean, except, you know, like Georgia and Michigan. Like, so it's not like, it just happens to be when I have a really strong sense of it. That I took Clemson that day, and it's, I'm going to sleep on it. Can I ask a question on Harbaugh? So just to recap, he's not allowed to be at games. He can, can he be at practice or no?

Yeah, he can coach, but he can't be in the facility on game day. Got it. And then when they get to the playoff, he's able to coach those playoff games, right? As of now, yes. And then Bruce Feldman said he might be suspended for much of next season. What on earth is that? There's just no consistency at all. Like, it doesn't really add up.

I don't think. I think if Lincoln Riley was not on the sidelines because he calls the plays, it's different. Jim Harbaugh doesn't. Jim Harbaugh doesn't call the plays. But he can. There's game state. There's flow. There's stuff that he's going to see.

This is a guy who nearly won a Super Bowl. He can watch on TV. I mean, he's, and what, texted it in? Well, I'm just saying, this is not a coach. It's not Kyle Shanahan calling plays. I get that. It's not. It's not what it is.

He is what they call a walk-around coach. He walks around unit to unit, 33,000 feet. He's outside. He's not a play caller. So he is uniquely built to create a company that can work when he's not there. Remember, it's his game plan. It's his film. It's his macro view of the game.

A lot of running the football by Michigan. Hour two. Heard hierarchy. Next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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