The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The new look Lions

Episode Date: September 29, 2023

Colin loves the new look Lions improving to 3-1 after their win over the Packers and why the constant disrespect has fueled them to take control of the NFC North The support for Bears QB Justin Fields seems to be gone from the front office Thoughts on Colorado vs USC tomorrowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It is a Friday. We are live in Los Angeles, and this is the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening or watching. Thanks for Megan House part of your day. It is a Friday, one hour from now, up a hot week, blazing five picks. Can't wait for that. Jay Mack joining me as all. Always? Well, tomorrow it's Colorado USC. Two of the great quarterbacks in college football. Both should come out. Neither may come out. Hearing all sorts of crazy stuff.

But how about the Detroit Lions last night? That wasn't even as close as the 3420 score. Yeah, I was so off picking the Packers, I decided to go with a mustache. And I'm going to be French today. You can call me Jess Sond from now on because it was such a bad call. Well, Detroit's better than Green Bay. Even with Aaron Rogers, they were better than Green Bay. But Aaron was good enough to keep the games in suspense. Jordan Love's not there yet. This was a blowout. This was ugly.

So you give Detroit the better quarterback in this matchup with the better roster, yet it's not close. Also, Detroit, both their coordinators are going to get interviewed for head coaching jobs next year. Their O-line, top three or four in the NFL. what you're seeing with Detroit, and this is what good businesses do and good teams do. They had a vision, and they're patiently putting it together. So first thing, they moved off Matt Stafford, got a little younger at quarterback. Went and got another number one pick, Jared Goff, got younger at quarterback, acquired picks. And then they get Dan Campbell, offensive leaning is the NFL pivots to offense,

players coach, physical presence, very optimistic, very positive guy. that's what Detroit needs. Then they rebuild the offensive line. They go get a great tackle. They extend their center. Offense, offense, offense, offense. New quarterback, offensive coach. Rebuild the O line.

And then defense wasn't very good. They've had to add edge rushers, get some free agents on defense. They started last year, one in six, lost a lot of close games. Then they won a few close games, and now here they are. And I think Dan Campbell and Jared Goff work well together. Neither's ever been given the respect. Dan Campbell, let's be honest, that opening press conference came across, a bit of a semi-meathead, and people kind of roll their eyes at Dan Campbell.

But when you talk to people close to the organization and you watch the team play, they play really smart football. It looks like a smart football team. Well-prepared, finish strong, add the pieces they need to. Then there's Jared Goff. Do you know Jared Goff against the spread is the best quarterback in the NFL last six years? Why? Because he doesn't get any respect.

And yet he's really, really good. He's the best quarterback in the league against the spread. spread. So Campbell and Goff are two talented guys who don't get a ton of respect and they use that as jet fuel. And that's fine to have a chip on your shoulder. That'll win you some games if you don't have a great roster. But what happens now with Detroit is they've got a really good roster. It's young in spots, but the O line's excellent. Defensive line now feels good. Weapons, I like them. So they have this energy that they've been doubted, mocked, the butt of jokes, and then combine that with a really, really good roster, especially in that division.

What do they say? Preparation meets opportunity. This is their opportunity. Chicago's a mess at quarterback. Green Bay doesn't know what they are at quarterback. Minnesota is probably moving off their quarterback. And the best quarterback in the NFL, four to five years, usually wins their division. And Jared Goff is now the best quarterback in that division. He's always been a good prime time quarterback. You know, he's 14 and 8 in prime time. Kirk Cousin shrinks. Jordan Love is whatever he is, and Justin Fields isn't good anytime.

So now you have Jared Goff, not respected, chip on his shoulder. Dan Campbell, not respected, chip on his shoulder, add that jet fuel to actually a really good roster. And so I think there's this moment in time. Minnesota, we talked about before the season, we kind of feel like they're going to move. off Kirk Cousins. It wouldn't break their heart to have a top 12 draft pick. Chicago probably redos quarterback in the draft. Green Bay, they don't know what they have. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it over its head? They don't know. But here's what Detroit is. They know what they are. Good coordinators. Great O line. Run game works. Improving their defense. Good primetime quarterback

who throws a beautiful football. They had a plan. They had a vision. step by step, patiently implemented it. And I said yesterday I thought Detroit was the better team. Now in that division they have, in my opinion, the best big, prime time level quarterback in a prime time game. And here was the coach after. We have our own standards, our own goals of what we wanted to do. And certainly one of those is one division.

You know it's not the end-all be-all, but it is important. And so to be able to get a division win, it's also a conference win, that's also two wins in a row. It's on the road. You know, puts us three and one at the quarter. I just, I'm really happy with where we're at. I'm proud of the guys, the staff, everybody. I mean, that was outstanding.

The better team, the better roster, the better all line, and the better quarterback, won in a route on the road. It's not fools gold. It's a real thing. Detroit's here, and they're going to win this division. So what do we make a Jordan love? Okay, so in first half numbers, he's been awful. He's been absolutely awful.

Jordan loved first half stats. 47% completion percentage, 66 passer rating. He's awful. He's the opposite, though, of Russell Wilson. He's been good in the second half. So it's weird. Why? Usually a young quarterback could be good on script and deteriorate.

He's apparently terrible on script, but he can make plays happen. So my takeaway watching Jordan. love, and I said before the season, give me until Thanksgiving. He's been sitting in the system, good coach, good online, although David Boktiari's out. Give me about Thanksgiving. I'll have a feel. He doesn't look panicky. He doesn't look overwhelmed.

He moves well. Nice athlete. How about that left hand or out of the end zone? He's got a little it, a little clever play. Right now, running back, Aaron Jones, not 100%. Left tackle, David Bocciari, not playing. Interior old lineman banged up, too. Those are crucial pieces.

so let's be fair. But you do get to week four, five, six in the NFL and everybody's banged up. So here's what I would say. I don't understand quite. The first half is bad. The second half is good. My guess is he just has no feel for the game because he's been sitting for three years and hasn't played. Right?

Like he just doesn't have any feel for it. Burroughs got great feel. Mahomes got great feel. Caleb Williams, you're watching this weekend. Great feel for it. Those guys have played a lot of football. high school, college, and pro. This guy played at small Utah State, sat in the bench for three years.

He hasn't played. He doesn't have any pocket awareness. Sometimes he's got open receivers and he sales it. He just doesn't have enough reps. And the problem is, now he does miss some open throws, but I don't feel like he doesn't have good mechanics. I like his mechanics. I like his size.

I like the way he moves. I like his temperament. I like him at the podium. He could be better with a left tackle, an interior offensive lineman, and a healthy or Jones, but Aaron Jones, running backs get hurt. So there's a lot of moving parts here. I'm going to wait, but I do think there's something to be said. It is interesting that he's awful in the first half and good in the second.

And that tells me is he just doesn't have a ton of pocket awareness. He doesn't have a feel for the game right now. And, you know, they always, great quarterbacks always talk about. You can kind of sense stuff and feel stuff. He doesn't have that. Right? Like sometimes he throws a little early, not panicking, throw. it early, sometimes high, sometimes wide, guys are open, he misses stuff.

Some of that, I think, is just the talent's there. The feel isn't there. And so let's wait until Thanksgiving. But, you know, it's like they say about golf tournaments. You can't be bad consistently in the first half. They say about golf events. You're not going to win them on Thursday, but you can lose them on Thursday. So the last two weeks, he's lost the game for the team.

He just got really lucky. Derek Carr got hurt and the Saints couldn't move the ball. But he has played himself and that offense out of these games. They got a huge break with Derek Carr. But, you know, Detroit, Jared Goff playing four quarters. It wasn't particularly close. It was never really a threat. So, again, I don't have a definitive opinion.

He doesn't look scared or overwhelmed. He doesn't have bad mechanics. The ball sails on him from time to time. I just think it's a – he doesn't have a feel for the game at all. He just – you know, with Tray Lance, we talked about this, but Trey had some mechanic throwing issues. I don't see those with Jordan Love. I see a lot of stuff I like, pre-snap stuff over time,

but there is an awareness feel thing to this sport and that position. And that's what we talk about Brock Purdy at San Francisco. Four years starting in high school, four years starting in college. He's got a feel right out of the gate for the position. Trey Lance didn't play, and there was this, he didn't have a feel for it. It matters. Reps. Malcolm Gladwell. Raps, wraps, wraps.

So I think Jordan Love has a chance to get there. He's been just so bad early, and he talked about the game after. That was a very hard first half. You know, like you said, just nothing. We weren't executing. We weren't moving the ball. And we weren't taking advantage of the opportunities that, you know, the defense was given us early.

So we've got to find out what that is. And I think everybody just has to play better, starting the game, me included. Just, you know, got to be able to come out, start fast and put a point. So we're not playing. behind and not just making it harder on the defense. Yeah, listen, I like him at the podium. I like his temperament. I like his size. I like the way he moves. He's an easy thrower. Not terribly accurate all the time. Again, it's not a mechanical issue. So which, and there are guys, Sam Darnold had a slower motion. Tebow, slower motion. Justin Fields doesn't feel like a natural

thrower. It looks good. But I think I just, this is one of these. I don't have a strong opinion. I don't feel he's overwhelmed. We should panic. But it's pretty ugly early. And some of this, though, is just this. Detroit's really good. And they have a better roster and a better O-line, and they control the clock. And that made Jordan Love sit longer and watch the game. Some of this is, most of this is Detroit's better than Green Bay. They were better with Aaron Rogers, both times last year. But Aaron's so gifted, he kept us in suspense. Jordan Love's not there yet. Last night, there was no suspense. J. Mack Blazing Five, top of next hour. Interesting game. There's a lot. You know, it's funny. To 17 game season, but this is the

quarter mark. So Detroit, three and one at the quarter mark, they feel great about it. Jordan Love, they're getting there. They feel okay about it. There's games like Chicago, Denver. It feels like the season for those teams. Yeah. Oh, and four, it's over. Quick thing on Jordan Love. You know, first impressions matter in life in sports. First game against the Bears, he throws these three touchdown passes. Hey, Jordan Love, he's got something. So now we have three games. the tape on him. And he looked, I mean, you're being generous from last night, okay? Like, he was putrid. Played them out of the game. He was terrible for three quarters against the Saints last week. He couldn't do anything. Couldn't move the football in the fourth quarter.

Like, Colin, it looks like a below average quarterback to me. Again, like, well, I said, I had heard from a home game last night. Yeah, I said from a source I trusted, I was told there wasn't a ton of juice. There wasn't like the second gear, which is, by the way, about 80% of the league. So there wasn't like, he doesn't shift to a different gear. He can move. You know, like there's stuff. I don't feel like he's overwhelmed. Like, you watch Zach Wilson. It's like, this doesn't work at all. You know, you watch Justin Fields. I'm like, this isn't going to work. I don't feel that with him at all. Now, part of that is Green Bay is a well-run organization. He's missing a left tackle. It'll get better. Aaron Jones. Christian Watson, if you get him. Like, I think when he gets a more

full implement, but it should be noted, is that you don't always get those. I mean, opening game of the season, Mahomes didn't have Travis Kelsey or Chris Jones. You don't get this point forward a full roster, and you just have to make it work. He's not good enough now to make that work. No. Quick thing on the Lions, you know we'd like to say Belichick Brady, what was it, 50, 50, 60, 40, who got more credit? I look at this Lions, I'm like, hmm, Jared Goff's making plays.

But wait a minute, Ben Johnson's calling some incredible stuff. Yeah, no, they're very clever. in the first half, I watched it with my kids. And you could just see it develop right out of the gate. I was like, oh, my gosh, Packers are screwed. Yeah. And I just wonder, Ben Johnson's going to get a head coaching job. He's got to be the number one target of everybody, right?

Yes. Okay. So if he leaves, what do we do with the lines? Well, by the way, Shane Stuyke and leaves Philadelphia, they don't look the same. Like, coordinators matter, especially on that side of the ball. So do I think Jared Goff would be as good? Probably not. So, I mean, listen, we've got to be honest about this.

There's 10% of every job in America is great. And then 90% of people are good, okay, competent, bad, like Ben Johnson's elite, and he's taking golf in the lion's offense to a new level. And by the way, golf throws that interception, right, early. Came right back. You're like, oh, it's over. Ben Johnson trusts him, calls the right place. Next series touchdown.

This guy, Ben Johnson. Very good. Jets, hope he's at the top of your list, Jets. Come on, slow down. I have a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code heard, H-E-R-D when you download the app. All right, here's my parlay pick of the week via Draft King Sportsbook. Commanders plus eight at the Eagles.

Philly on a short week due to Monday Night Football, commanders division game, they run the ball, humiliated by Buffalo, teams humiliated, play better the next week. Eagles may win, I'll take the eight. Browns at home minus two and a half against the injury riddled Ravens. Browns, the best team in the league nobody's watching or cares about. I don't know how Baltimore moves the ball consistently. I'll take the Browns minus two and a half. I'll take the Rams plus one against the Colts.

Gardner Minshu feels good. What a story. Rams played very poorly. They'll get the details and the run game back. They're a better team than the Colts. Rams plus one. If you want to take the herd parlay, check out drafts. King Sportsbook, new users. Use the code, hurt, H-E-R-D when you download the app.

21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler. In New York. Call 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope and Y 467-369. See show notes for full details. 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, 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 a little count? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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. Well, we've all been driving down a freeway. There's a little bit of a car wreck, and everybody slows, looks out. their window, slows traffic.

You know, it happens. I feel like there's an NFL game this weekend that feels like a bit of a car wreck. Denver and Chicago, two oh and three teams. I cannot wait to watch it. I just can't wait to watch it. I'm going to slow down, sit in front of a TV and watch it. Peter King was on Chicago radio and says Justin Fields probably doesn't have a lot of time left to be the starter.

So he never said this job is his forever. He said, we are going to give him every. opportunity to win this job forever. Justin Fields probably has a few weeks because if you're the Bears, you basically say, hey, listen, we always knew that the biggest thing about this season is we needed by the end of 2023. We have to know who our quarterback is going to be for 2024. Well, here's the thing you learn in the NFL. There are agendas and people have favorites and they protect themselves. So if you look at Justin Fields' career numbers through 28 starts, they're not good. Completes 59% of his throws. Passer rating is 79,

almost has as many picks as touchdowns. Okay, that's not good. Can you go from bad to successful? Well, yes, you can. It's called Eli Manning. So Eli Manning through 28 starts. he won a few more games but was bad passer rating was lower completion percentage was lower some of that is defense now has limitations but eli manning had a couple of things going in his favor he's a manning there was a sense in new york you know he's a manning he'll figure it also they were winning some games i think it was like the second year they won 11 games and chicago's losing and chicago's losing and chicago is also not doing anything well. The defense is bad. The coaching is suspect. The drafting has been

meh. Justin Fields hasn't been good. So nothing's working. So it's a lot of finger pointing. Those New York teams with Eli, they started winning games. And yes, he was a Manning. But here's the other thing. And this is a real thing. Eli Manning was drafted by Ernie Akorsi. Ernie was a legend. The Bears GM is not a legend. The previous GM wasn't a legend. The previous GM wasn't a legend. So Ernie was a legend. People trusted Ernie. And then Ernie retired three years later and they gave the job to Jerry Reese. Well, Jerry worked right under Ernie, director of scouting personnel, right? So they both were huge Eli Manning advocates. Ernie was, he left, handed to Jerry was, and he runs it. So Eli Manning was never on an island.

The GM loved him. Eli's a very very. very likable guy. Jerry Reese got the job for Ernie. He was all in on Eli Manning. So when Eli struggled, he threw a lot of picks, he had no mobility. There were a lot of things not to like. Eli always had a support group in the building. The GM who drafted Justin Fields is long gone. And the GM and coach now want to keep their gigs. Easiest way, blame the kid. Now I'm not saying Justin Fields has been good. But I watched Eli Manning's career. And the difference is Eli in the building had support.

I'm not saying anybody's rooting against Justin Fields. Everybody wants to make it work. But there's a big difference when you're struggling. I've bounced around the country, three coasts, right? Three times I've moved coasts all over the place. I generally follow people, not money. Because the people I follow have my back if you're struggle early, which almost everybody with a new job in a new place, a new quarterback.

Chicago didn't exactly have a history of getting quarterback right. So I think a lot of this is Eli Manning, through 28 starts, was not good. But in the building, there was a sense, give him time, he'll get it right. Because the guys who picked him, football 101, business 101, if they bailed, they look like they were incompetent at the most important position. And again, well, I mean, Eli Manning through 28 starts was not good. Justin Fields, more athletic, as big an arm, doesn't look good. He just doesn't have Eli's coaching at this point, the Manning name, and the sport in the building.

So Justin Fields is on an island. What, do they want to admit it or not? J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the. The herd line news. It's a crummy feeling.

You're Justin Fields. The guy who drafted you is long gone. You're struggling. These new guys. The new guys are rooting for you. Everybody wants to win. But it is different. Who hired you?

From a football standpoint, I get it. He's been bad. But from like a human standpoint, this guy worked his entire life in football, Justin Fields. Probably what, since he was like 11 years old being a quarterback 12? For this moment to get to the league.

And you get, you know, two years to maybe. two and a half years starting and it's over. Yep. It's over. Very few guys, Drew Brees, injured, get a second chance. It's very rare. Very rare.

Sam Darnold did in Carolina. Couldn't do it. Now he's a backup. And he's talented, but he's a backup. Like, he just don't get. And the other thing is, the NFL is so rich and so big and there's so much money, people are more impatient. Owners now are all billionaires.

You used to be able to own an NBA team and be a car dealer. You could own a baseball team and be a car dealer. This stuff now, you're talking about MLS teams cost $200 plus million. So these NFL teams cost $10 billion. You're talking about it's a rounding here. These owners now have no problem writing a $40 million check and flushing out a staff. You used to keep a coach around for another year because the owner's net worth was $240 million, and you didn't want to write a $9 million check for the staff.

So everybody, the stakes are bigger, the owners are richer, People want to get it right. And for the record, there are more good young quarterback talents college than ever before. That's some of it. If it was a terrible quarterback class next year, but it may be the best quarterback class we've ever seen in college. That just adds another layer of let's get a new guy. Yeah, I mean, do you see Fields being a Baker-Mayfield-type backup or he gets thrust into like Baker was with Carolina, the Rams when they were garbage? He's too gifted.

Some offensive coach. Some offensive coach will say if he completed 59% with a defensive staff, can I get him to 62? Well, they had a bad O line. We have a good one. I think you'll get a second chance. He is, Darnold did because Sam had some hero ball qualities. Sam was so athletic.

It's like, let's just give him one more shot with an offensive coach, right? Like with Matt Rule. I think Justin, somebody will look at his numbers and go, well, 59% isn't 53. It's not like a Tebow thing. He doesn't have, like, there's too much there not for somebody not to say, kid, we drafted a quarterback, but it's your team for a year. If I'm fields, I start kissing up to McVeigh, all the smart coaches, the guy at the Vikings, O'Connell, Mike McDaniel. Hey, I know you saw Mike White, but love a shot at his backup.

Shanahan, that's where you want to go. I think offensive coaches look at Chicago and say, we're not. could take 25 to 30% improvement on Justin Fields. We get his legs, we get his size, he appears to be coachable. So again, there's a lot of blame to go around. He hasn't been great. But I do think an offensive coach would look at that and go, 6'4 runs like that, lively arm.

Chicago's a mess. They've never even, they can't get quarterback right for anybody. I think somebody would give him a shot. All right, let's start with a quarterback who probably won't get a shot. Zach Wilson, he's taken some heat from Hall of Famer Joe Namath. And listen, Zach Wilson got in front of the podium and addressed Namath comments.

Listen to this, just take a deep breath and listen. All right. He's passionate. He obviously was one of the greats. And so, you know, that's as an offense. We've got to do everything we can just to try and prove them all and keep doing what we can. I mean, obviously, Joe was an unbelievable player.

But this locker room is very tight-knit and we're working to get better. I'm working and get better. I know I need to improve. And I promise I'm doing everything I can to keep trying to get better. Well, I can't pull the trigger on it, but the wise guys love the Jets to cover this week. It's a big storyline among Vegas wise guys. Let's just take a second, Colin, and address Zach Wilson and what he just said, okay? You know how tough it must be eating him up inside to know he's letting down the entire locker room,

letting down a stadium a thing. That takes a lot. I got to applaud Wilson for that. We admit he's not a great quarterback. And like I said about fields, like Zach Wilson's working his entire. life leading up to this opportunity. It's pretty clear he's not the guy. Right.

Is it over for, like, is he even I don't want to be overly harsh? Is he in the league next year? Because Josh Rosen, as best I know, he'll be a backup. Yeah, he'll be a backup. I don't think I don't know if anybody will give him a run. But I do think, you know, let me throw a team. I thought it's team to you before. Where he actually could work because of his style is backing up

Kyler Murray. Closer to home, moves well, nice arm. He'd be a nice Kyler Murray backup. Now, I think Josh Dobbs is an excellent backup. Mature. Whereas Zach, there's some questions about that. I think he'll be a backup.

I think Justin Fields will get one more year with somebody else. One year with an offensive coach. The problem is, Zach says he's doing the best he can. And you know, Colin, sometimes the best just isn't good. That's right. And that sucks. Well, yeah, it doesn't.

That's life, though. You know, us mere mortals, we try to do the best we can. You look at Patrick Mahomes, he's an immortal. Tom Brady, these guys can take it to a level that the rest of us can't. 50% of first-round quarterbacks fail. It's hard. And so when guys fail, it's like, you're not a loser. You're not a failure.

You're the league average. I mean, look at that draft a couple years ago. Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields. I mean, there wasn't, who was Trevor Lawrence in that draft? I forget. Yeah, he won't number one. And he now is struggling in year three. Like, it's hard in this league.

You got to get the coach right, the O-line right, the coordinator right? The thing I don't like, and that's because of a personal experience is like you get your shot in the limelight. You get your chance. And then it doesn't go well. And everybody thinks this guy's a bust. Listen, it happened to me. I came out here to do TV. I was on a show with a knucklehead.

And I got run off. I thought like, it's over for me. It's over. And then I get my chance here. And you know. things are going good. I feel like everybody deserves a second chance. Is that fair?

I hope Zach Wilson gets another chance. Almost everybody does get a second chance. Sam Darnold got a second chance. He did Baker got a second chance. Baker got a second chance. Everybody gets a second chance. Zach Wilson will make seven figures for the rest of his life, well, athletic life for seven years, probably being a backup.

That's not the worst thing in the world. Well, this Trevor Simeon thing, by the way, if Zach gets benched against the Chiefs. Oh, boy. I think that's it. You can't put him back on the field, can you? Like, it's at Trevor Simeon time. If he's even active for this. Let's wait to see what happens.

Final story is Bill's Dolphins. Colin, some injury news this morning. Good for the Dolphins is Jalen Waddle has cleared concussion protocol. He's back. The bad news for the Buffalo Bills, they just ruled out safety. Jordan Poyer, seven-year veteran. He's not going to play this weekend. Safety, we saw what the Patriots did to slow the dolphins with multiple defensive backs.

Waddle in, Poir out. We might see DeMarne Hamlin. Oh, that'd be great. He might be. I don't think he's been active yet this season. Is the Poirer, Waddle stuff? Does that shift any in? I think this game's going to be about the Bill's defensive front. If they can get pressure with four, Buffalo wins the game.

I think Buffalo to me is the side. I like Buffalo this week. I mean, I like them as well. I bet them, but is that a blazing five pick? It's a very, it's one of the better, I think it's one of the better values of the weekend. We'll see if it is a pick. Blazing five picks in 30 minutes. I had a guy on my podcast said,

last year in the playoff game with the backup quarterback from Miami. Skyler Thompson. The line was like 12 or 13 or somewhere up there. And now it's down to two and a half. I think you're right. I think the bills are the side here. But it's tough to get in front of a train. J-Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. It is one of those things you talk about getting first, second, third chances. You know, everybody needs a kingmaker, right? Like you start looking at Eli Manning, he had Ernie a Corsey, because he didn't win a bunch of games down in Ole Miss, right? He was the second most talented Manning brother, but he had Ernie A Corsey, and then you get Tom Coughlin, and then, you know, one of them leaves, but then they insert the guy who was under Ernie a Corsey. A lot of this stuff for young people in life in any field is just getting support, getting a kingmaker.

It's hard. It's a battle. Colorado USC this weekend, blazing five top of the hour, where Caleb Williams and Shadour Sanders have one thing really in common. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Paulie Fusco here with Tony Fusco. Yo, of course you know us as the host of the number one rated show and all of sports talk, the Polly and Tony Fusco show. Yeah. Now, the suits at Fox Sports Radio gave us this air time, because they wanted us to tell you how great our show is. Why? Yeah, instead of us doing that,

let our millions of fans do the talking. Yeah, play the tape. You don't know crap about sports. Why am I even on this crap? Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's the wrong tape. Wrong tape. Just forget that.

Look, listen to the Pauli and Tony Fuscoe show on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcast, Or ever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Cliverts 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 Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're 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 Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so 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. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back. So Colorado hosts USC tomorrow. USC should win. I don't see Colorado being able to stop them over the course of 14 or 15 possessions. I do think Colorado is going to put some points up. They're a little banged up, and they just don't have the offensive line, kind of the trench ability that, you know, like an Oregon had or a USC has. but it does really show how fast a great quarterback with the right coach can turn it around.

So if these two quarterbacks both came back next year, Shadour Sanders probably is, Dad says he is. Caleb probably is not, but there's rumors and rumblings that he could make a lot of money if he stayed and he doesn't want to go to certain teams. They would be the two highest paid college athletes NIL and their salaries or their revenue would be somewhere between 7 and 10 million, which is more than 90% of college football coaches, and I'm okay with it. Both should go pro. Both, one, will go pro, I think.

But what we know to be true is that a lot of NFL teams are poorly run. Ask yourself this. Who do we know in the NFL that's absolutely well run? So I wrote San Francisco, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Rams, Seattle, Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore, Buffalo Green Bay, mostly Pittsburgh. That's like 10. Now, we think Detroit's headed in the right direction. The chargers do a lot well, but we don't trust them.

Miami, Cincinnati are winning, but I'm not sure if they're well run. Tennessee is stable, but they're mostly well run. That means about 65% of the league isn't. And you are a quarterback that will change the net worth of the owner. the value of the franchise. A star college quarterback is worth of fortune. I got into a discussion this week with Nick Wright on my podcast. And if you took like Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and a Justin Herbert, I'm not so sure Caleb Williams isn't the fifth or sixth most valuable quarterback on the planet. I mean, I think there's only

about five teams that wouldn't move off their quarterback for him. So if he gets 10 million next year and doesn't want to go to Chicago that can't get quarterbacks right since, I don't know, forever. Do you blame him? These quarterbacks, because of NIL, because of the world-changing, Shadour Sanders, Caleb Williams, now finally have the leverage, and it's reasonable leverage. They're not saying, I have to play for this team, or I have to play in this city. They're just saying, yeah, I don't want to play for that bad organization who ruined the last

seven quarterbacks. Joel Clatt loved Caleb Williams last year, likes them even more this year. The thing about Caleb that I marvel at, Caleb, his superpower is what he does outside of the pocket. Yeah. The big plays. His ability to throw the ball with velocity and accuracy off platform running around. Remarkable.

He's grown and developed, and he controls the game from the pocket as well as anybody in the sport right now. Yeah. And so like this guy's ceiling, which I already thought was high, is even higher. So ask yourself this. If 50% some years higher of first round quarterbacks are failing, what does that tell you? Right. If 50% of the cars on a car lot didn't run after a year, It's a car lot full of lemons, right? Something's wrong on the factory line. It's not the car salesman's fault. It's not even the car's fault.

It's the people putting it together. So if 50% of first-round quarterbacks don't work, we know they're talented, we know they were great in high school and college, why don't they work in pro football? It's a system's failure of the franchise. So if I was the NFL and could choose where Caleb Williams and Shadour Sanders could go, I wouldn't pick Chicago either. I wouldn't pick Arizona or Washington either.

So a lot of people will bristle at this. Remember when a couple of players in college football said, we're not going to play in the bowl games. I'm going first round. People are like, whoa, didn't change a thing, didn't hurt football. NIL didn't hurt football. Transfer Portal didn't hurt football. But NFL football is better when the success rate for first round

quarterbacks is like 75, 80 percent. But it's always lower than that. Some years it's like one-for-five work. It can't all be on the kids. Caleb Williams is can't miss. And then I think about Chicago and I think, yeah, can't miss except Chicago. Shadour Sanders looks can't miss to me. Trevor, listen, Andrew Luck, is the best, most sure fire quarterback 10 years.

He's out of the sport. He couldn't protect him. Wrong GM, wrong coach, bad old line. couldn't protect him. Trevor Lawrence, first year. Mass. Like, so, like, I know people bristle at, like, potential college quarterback saying, I'm not going to go play for that franchise or that one. Isn't that reasonable leverage for an athlete that would go to a franchise and make it worth three, four, six, $900 million more?

Chicago's a huge market. It's a big city. lot of money, lot of tradition. Right now, you could buy it and get a bargain. In three years of Caleb Williams is getting you to the NFC championship, it's worth probably 40 to 50% more as a franchise. It's time that Star College quarterbacks had a little leverage. Manning said no thanks.

Eli said no thanks. I don't have a problem if Shadur, Sanders, or Caleb Williams for a bad franchise. franchise said, I'm staying college. Make some money. Take my chances next year. All right. So this story is interesting. The Portland Trailblazers committed a major rules violation.

Chris Haynes reports. Portland asked Lillard to sit out the final 10 games of last year to help the franchise improve its lottery odds. Lillard's camp likely made the revelation to Haines, probably because they were upset with the Blazers for not accommodating the Star's trade request. So I read this, and from what I take of it is, Dame went along with it. So Portland's like, hey, and this happens a lot, if you're not feeling great, let's not risk an injury.

You want you sit the last 10 games? And then Dame went along with it. Okay. I'll sit. The Blazers may have initiated it. They initiated it. Didn't Dame and his agent go along with it? I mean, it's Portland asked, according to the story.

Portland didn't demand. Portland asked, hey, you're older, you've been banged up, set out 10 games. All right. People ask me to do a lot of things. I don't have to do them. So divorces get ugly almost all the time. I'm not really into the settling scores part, like when it's done. First of all, I think Dame is going to crush it, Milwaukee.

I think he's going to crush it. I think it's a better fit than Miami. He just doesn't know it yet. Happens to a lot of us. It's a better fit. The second school. The safety school in college is actually a better school for you than the first perceived prestigious school. So I think Dame's going to crush in Milwaukee.

But ask yourself this. Would this story of Leat if Dame got sent to Miami? Nope. So Damon and his agent aren't really outraged by the ask. They're outraged by the result. That's why I don't lose any sleep on this. They're not outraged by the ask. Not at all.

This story doesn't get out if they go to Miami. And an ugly ending was inevitable. Ten years won Western Conference final. Dame aging, missing more games. Portland wanted to reboot. Happens. It just so happens that when Scoot Henderson became the number three pick and they have their star guard.

Now we can move, Dame. But this was inevitable. The writing was on the wall. They were going to move off. It's a bit of an ugly divorce. I think Dame and the Bucks are going to be a wonderful pairing. But I don't think Dame and his agent are outraged or were by the ask if indeed it happened. I just don't think they like the result.

And so that's why it gets out. Rick Buecker on Dame now to the Bucks. He and Janice have been friendly for quite some time and are basically cut from the same cloth as two stars who were not seen as stars coming into the league. Went to small markets and said, no, I'm not going to go join forces with somebody else. I'm going to try to get it done here. Don't undersell the gesture of Janice taking him first in the All-Star draft over Drew Holiday and everybody else. what that means to Damien Lillard. Yeah, it's going to work.

And here's the other thing. This idea that player empowerment, it's over in the NBA, is utter nonsense. Why did Dame end up in Milwaukee? Because Janus basically told the fellas upstairs and ownership, I'm getting out of here if you don't get me a number two star. And so they acquiesced,

moved pieces they didn't want to, remained old to get them Dame. The star got exactly what he wanted. wanted. And the biggest star in all of this is not Jimmy Butler, Bam out of Bayou, Dame, Lillard, Brooke Lopez. The biggest star in all of this is Janus. So player empowerment was not only initiated, it was demanded, and it got a result. Between Miami, Portland, and Milwaukee, the biggest star easily, the best player is Janus. And he got exactly what he wanted. So don't tell me, stars don't get what they want. The biggest star, not Jimmy Butler, Janus is a better player. It's not Bamatabaiou,

not Dame. The biggest star is Janus. And he got a star. Quiet, under the radar, didn't talk about it. But if you think star player empowerment's dead, this is an example how it works. The star is like, I'm leaving, get me a dude. And Milwaukee gave up stuff they didn't want to to get the dude on the market. NBA's fine. It'll be glorious. I can't wait to watch. And Dame, Milwaukee, Giannis, Brooke Lopez, Chris Middleton are going to crush. Blaz and 5 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. It's Michael 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.

On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.