The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The truth about Aaron Rodgers

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

Following another episode of HBO's Hard Knocks, Colin discovers he was always right about Aaron Rodgers and the relationship he has had with his wide receivers There is no conspiracy against 49ers QB Trey Lance  See 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.

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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, 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 IHeard Radio app,

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by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. We are live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for Megan us, part of your day.

I'm not sure J-Mack is going to love the show today. We've got a lot of New York stuff. Some San Francisco stuff. HBO, hard knocks. Very interesting last night. What did you make of it? I'm going to go with a no comment to start the show. You know, we'll just, let's just do our thing.

And I'll let you bash the Jets. And I will bask in the glory of the upcoming Aaron Rogers start. I am not bashing anybody. But I do want to start with this. You're a big CEO. You go to a company. What are you going to do? You're going to bring your soldiers, people that know you.

They know your strengths, your team. They know your weaknesses. But really what they can do because you can't be in every meeting room, they're going to carry your message. Remember Brady goes to Tampa, give me gronk. Carry my message. It's very important. HBO hard knocks. Randall Cobb's not in his prime.

But man, did Aaron Rogers want him back with Green Bay? and he really wanted him with the Jets. We don't think he's hyper-productive, but he knows Aaron. He knows what Aaron likes. He knows what Aaron doesn't. And in hard knocks last night, this was a real inside look to what's going on. I was just talking to 12 or 8,

and he was just telling me, you know, we had a lot of mistakes in our room today, just basic stuff, little things, right? Like, we can't have that. And it's all cool right now, but I'm telling you, one day he's going to lose this is going to happen if it continues to go the way it's going right now because if he don't trust you he's not going to throw you the ball i can promise you that

if he don't trust you he don't like throwing interceptions so if he can't trust that you're going to run the right route he's not going to throw it it's just a matter of time continue to work and stay in your book and stay locked in so we can get to where we want to go Aaron doesn't want to offend his young receivers he needs somebody to do it for him randall all get you employment I'll get you on my team. You've got to deliver the message. A real interesting moment. Veteran receiver telling the kids,

don't whine when he doesn't throw it to you. Get your book memorized. Get your routes figured out. Clean up your act. And we've talked about this for years with Aaron Rogers. I've got a decade of evidence here. Joe Burrow, Andrew Luck, and Trevor Lawrence, Mahomes could throw five picks in the first half.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't change their body language. It doesn't change their mood. It doesn't change who they are. Aaron's different. If he throws a second pick, everything. The room changes. Aaron doesn't like to look bad.

I'm not a psychologist, but he gets very prickly, very fast. He shuts down. It's his personality. It is who he is. And we got 15 years of evidence. One guy in the country kept mentioning it 10 years ago. Now most do you agree with me? It's who Aaron is.

He's very aware how. he's viewed, doesn't want to look like the bad guy. Andrew Luck didn't care. Trevor Lawrence doesn't care. You saw that first half against the Chargers in the playoffs. He doesn't care. He's going to come out slinging. Aaron will shut down. And so here's what HBO has showed me about the Jets. So far, a lot of mistakes by the young receivers. And then last week, a lot of mistakes by the young offensive linemen. There's some, there's some beeping red caution lights on this Jets team. and I've always had a theory on this with Aaron. And again, I'm not a psychologist, but generally, if you don't get the rings and the trophies,

stats mean more to you. And so, you know, in his prime, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are getting all the trophies. And so stats, MVP's, passer rating, Aaron's his second all time to Mahomes, tend to mean more. It's not a criticism. It's the way it works in all sports. If you don't get the rings and the trophies, then the stats and the MVP's mean more. Tom Brady's had 12 years of double-digit picks. Nobody cares.

But Tom would if he didn't have a trophy room. Meanwhile, Aaron's only had three years with double-digit picks, much fewer than Tom, more regular season MVP's, also a higher all-time passer rating. It allows Aaron someday to say, hey, if I'd have had Belichick with my talent, look what I have been gives him a little bit of an out in those rankings and lists i don't think erin obsesses over it but we got 12 15 years of evidence here it matters he doesn't like to throw picks andrew luck didn't care burrow doesn't care Trevor Lawrence doesn't care i don't think herbert cares it matters for erin and so and we said this for years you run the wrong route

he won't throw it to you i always thought brady it mattered a little to brady much less so as he stacking trophies. Tom didn't like to throw it if you didn't know the route, but in the end, he had pick sixes and Super Bowls. Tom got over it fast as he started stacking trophies. All right. Here's the other story. I was just talking somebody a couple of nights ago, a woman. And we were talking about some conspiracy theory on the Maui fires, and she grew up in Maui. And I'm like, oh my God, it's a tragedy. It's awful, really? And we kind of came to the conclusion. there are just conspiracy theories now about everything. It's Looney Tunes.

And so it's a small faction of people in the Bay Area, but they believe that Kyle Shanahan has it out for Trey Lance. They seriously believe this. All Kyle Shanahan wants, I can assure you this, is to get a Super Bowl ring like his rival McVeigh. So he's answering questions. Right now there's a small faction of people that cover the Niners. What's going on with Trey Lance?

Is he the backup? They're really pushing for it. Kyle, do you plan on announcing a number two quarterback or are you going to wait till right before the game? And is that something that could rotate week to week throughout the season? How do you see that? Yes, all that.

I mean, I would have thought probably announced it before we play Pittsburgh, but not this game. Do you think you could rotate throughout the week? Definitely. Yeah, definitely. What sense of the order you're going to play the quarterback? I haven't decided. No. Today's a big part of that and tomorrow, but we'll decide after these two practices. We still have preseason games and practices. There's no rush on it. Some kooky San Francisco 49er blogger is absolutely convinced. I'm not going to even say his name. He's absolutely convinced here.

They're trying to sabotage Trey Lance. Folks, talent's not hard to spot. When Nick Wright got hired at FS1, I listened to 90 seconds of his radio tape. And I told our bosses, hire that guy. He's really funny. Now he's on a hit show. It's not that hard. Go watch any talent show on television with music.

I mean, you literally need about three lyrics and you're like, yeah, that person's really, really good. It's not hard. It's called like watching stuff. It's very easy to see that Brock Purdy, based on what my eyes told me last year, is very good at getting the ball out quickly and actually. accurately. And my eyes also tell me very quickly that Sam Darnold has had the best camp of all

their quarterbacks this year. And that train Lance, it just doesn't look pretty. And it's just like not getting much better. Doesn't mean he's a bust, but he doesn't fit on this Super Bowl roster. It's no conspiracy theory. It's right in front of you. And find me all the great quarterbacks who popped in year three. Daniel Jones did not pop. He just got a legitimate coach. Well, Aaron Rogers, different generation. And secondly, Aaron Rogers sat behind a legend. If Trey Lance was great, he'd be starting over Brock Purdy and Sam Darnal. You don't pop in year three.

Trevor Lawrence, Burrow, Mahomes. Now, that doesn't mean you can't have a rocky year one, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts. But once you get the offensive coach that works, Brian Dayball, you know, in Philadelphia, or Brian Dayball in Buffalo, you see it really. really fast. It just doesn't look very good. Trade doesn't throw a great ball. It's not as twitchy as you think. Doesn't have a lot of snaps. It's really raw. It's not getting considerably better. There's no conspiracy here either. We know San Francisco's a little kooky to begin with,

but can we hold off on Kyle Shanahan sabotaging something? He wants to win a Super Bowl. It's the only thing he doesn't have. He's got a great reputation. He's got trips to the Super Bowl. he's got dominance over his rival Sean McVeigh. He's got respect from the industry. He's let coaches under his coaching tree have gone on to be successful. Guy's got everything. Dad's a legend. He's got everything except the ring.

It's all he wants. I don't know, Kyle. I know his dad. I know people close to him. He's obsessed getting a ring. If Trey could get him one, he would get all the snaps and he'd be the backup of the starter. Tom Pellasaro earlier than he. week. The Niners, they just can't wait for Tray to get going.

Tray Lance was always a projection going back to when he was coming out of college because he just hadn't started that many games. He read a pro-style offense, but it was a really run-heavy type of an offense. And in a league where they were physically overmatching everybody that they went up against, I don't know that we really have a full understanding right now of what Tray Lance is going to be. But if you're Kyle Shanahan and you feel like the rest of your roster can win a Super Bowl right now, you frankly don't have a lot of time to be trying to work through some of those basic growing pains. If you gave up the amount of draft capital that the 49ers did to go up and get Trey Lance, right now you are selling at the absolute basement if you move on.

He's going to be number three. Eventually they'd like to move him. It's no conspiracy theory. I know. You go down those rabbit holes. You go down X. You go all these little threads and you're absolutely sure everything is a conspiracy theory. Niners want to win Super Bowls. They got everything else. Division titles, money, legacy, wins, been to a Super Bowl. They just want to ring. And whoever gets them the ring, that's who they're loyal to. That's all it is. It's not more clouded than that. Okay, coming up next, a frightening segment. J. Mack is, first of all, it is, I'm almost ready to predict it, but a frightening segment coming up for you. In advance, I'm warning you.

Does it involve the AFC East? It's got a New York feel to it. I'll say that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the 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 unleashed. Others say it's unleashed. 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. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye They 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 camp?

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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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. It is great to be here today. So this is the time of the year that we're all very emotional about football. And the problem is when you're emotional, I'm emotional about my kids. I'm not overly objective. So I try to keep my distance. Don't overreact on Mondays.

Don't overreact going into games. Your fans, I'm not. Fans short for Fanatic. You should be crazy. You make sports great. It was no fun with COVID. Teams playing in empty stadiums. We like fans to be crazy.

Okay. So what I tend to look for is traits, things that matter in football that win games. So I'm going to put up Team A. I'm not going to tell you what team it is. And here's the traits. They have a quarterback in their prime who had a higher passer rating than Team B will show you. They have a brilliant offensive head coach, a great left tackle, playoff momentum, weaker conference, two proven veteran weapons. And they're being dogged by the media, which we know athletes love to be doubted.

Team B has a quarterback out of his prime, had the lower passer rating, defensive head coach, left tackle issues, chaos momentum, more difficult division and conference, one proven veteran weapon, and they're adored and loved by the media. Hypestorm. What are the teams? Hmm.

For our radio audience, you're all dragging the giants. Say what you want. Higher completion percentage and higher passer rating than Aaron. he's got an offensive coach as the league is pivoted in that direction. One of the best young left tackles, playoff momentum, weaker conference by far, and they've got Darren Waller and Saquan Barkley, proven veteran weapons. The Jets have Garrett Wilson. He's a kid.

According to HBO Hard Knocks, he may not be running the right routes yet. I'm just saying I can see the Jets unraveling. I can't see the Giants unraveling. I can see them being just not dynamic enough on the perimeter offensively to win 10 games. I don't think they're going to unravel. Daniel Jones doesn't beat himself. He has a lower ceiling, but he's not going to unravel. Dayball's not going to unravel.

Their defensive front, they also have Kvon Thibodeau going into a second year, so he's an inexpensive, great young pass rusher. That matters. And I think everybody talked about how hard the giant schedule is. Can I tell you, that is so overplayed. of all, it's considered the 19th easiest schedule. It's kind of in the middle of the league. They also get a scheduling break. They get the Cowboys at home in week one. Why is that a break? Because the Cowboys have a lot of moving parts. They have a new offensive coordinator. No Dalton

Schultz. Brandon Cook is coming in. Okay, so they got a lot of moving parts. Giants get them at home week one. Dallas should have their act together mid-October. They also don't have to face the very physical Philadelphia Eagles till the end of the year, week 16 and 18. That's a huge advantage. Philadelphia, you come out of those Niner Philadelphia games, you're beaten down. The other thing is, they have four games on their schedule for the

Giants that I would consider to kind of go-either-way games. They're all at home. Seattle, New England, Green Bay, Rams. Those are go-either-way close games. They get those all at home. Yes, they've got to go to Arizona. They'll be a big favorite. Should roll them.

Yes, they've got to go to Vegas. Should be a favorite. Could roll them. So I don't know. I just, I think I look for traits and everybody now is dumping on the giants. You don't think Brian Dable and that staff aren't feeding those guys the reports of getting dogged by the media? Same stadium.

Team wearing green? Unbelievable. HBO, star quarterback, 12 wins as possible. Just saying, folks, the left tackle. Quarterback in his prime. Easier division. Easier schedule. Offensive coach.

Playoff momentum. them. Overblown, tough schedule. I think the Giants are going to be in a playoff race when they face the Eagles for the first time. They may lose both of those, and that may knock them out of the playoffs. But I don't buy this team. It's suddenly just going to slump and drop into a gutter. I can't see the Giants unraveling. I can see them just lacking POW on the perimeter and losing some close games because they don't

have a playmaker late. I can see that. But I can see the Jets. Aaron Rogers, they can't figure out left tackle, right tackle, unraveling. Oh, here comes Miami. After Buffalo. Oh, here's New England. Weather gets cold. That stuff, there are blinking lights on the jets. I don't see them on the Giants.

I don't say the blinking light. I just see a team that I wish had one really high-end wide receiver to compliment Sequin Barclay. Listen, they have a second round center. So Thomas is a great left tackle. Neil looks like he's a good right tackle. If the center they drafted this year and I think the second round can play, their all line's fine.

Their all line is fine. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I'm just going to go ahead and sidestep a lot of that. I end up hammering the Giants a lot. Listen, I talked to you in.

Listen, Daniel Jones, in his prime. Like, come on, give me a break. I had one year. Come on. Slow our role on Danny Dimes. Remember a year ago, he was Danny loose change. Remember we were calling him out on the show? First up, Russell Wilson is coming off the worst season of his career

and comes into the season looking to prove he can still be an elite quarterback. Sean Payton will be key to both Russ and the Broncos revival. And Wilson, he's just grateful for the opportunity. Grateful. Coach Payton is done a tremendous job of just bringing us all together and really, you know, getting us to compete at the highest level on your best days or your toughest days, knowing that the best days are ahead. And so I'm just grateful that I've got great people around me, you know, in terms of teammates, the coaching staff and Coach Peyton and the rest of the staff has done a tremendous job of just teaching us every day.

I played a lot of football games. You know, I've been in a lot of moments. And every time I step in between those white lines, you know, you feel like a kid all over again. So I'm just grateful. I like that word. Not enough people use that word in life, J-Mack, grateful for opportunities. It's the first time in probably a decade we've gone into a season with Russell Wilson with a lot of doubts. Even last year, everybody was like, oh, Russell Wilson, Broncos, they're going to be great.

Defense was good. There's legitimate questions about Russ heading into the season. Are there? What do you mean? Of course, they're not even projected as a playoff team. Okay, his pro bowl left tackles back. They went and got one of the best guards in the league. That's a tackle.

Tackle, yeah. When the running back comes back, who's excellent, we do worry about wide receiver. they don't have a ton of depth, like their tight ends, love their coach. Secondaries, excellent, young, talented, not expensive yet. I don't think they have a lot of questions. I really don't. I think they're in absolutely somewhere between 9 and 11 wins. Huh.

So you get ahead of the Chargers or below? I think the Chargers are going to be great. Okay. So we know the Chiefs are going to be great. So you've got the Broncos third in the division. But again, third can make the playoffs. I listen there are questions okay here's a okay there are questions here's a hot take

is that the O line is a work in progress and it's not quite as good as they hoped and that what Sean they get a little finit receiver Russell doesn't quite have the style that

Sean would like you know they don't quite mesh perfectly Sean gets impatient There's a lot of pressure. They go on a three-game losing streak and a tough conference, a tough division. The wolves come out. You know, Sean is a pretty emotional guy. And maybe their personalities don't.

And I can see, you know, there's something there where you could see them at Thanksgiving if they go on a losing streak. Their schedule is not easy. It getting really tense. I mean, because Sean Payton is intense. And you can see it getting tense and having some bad weeks. Man, they got a lot of good dudes. They got a lot of good players.

The problem is you can't like everyone in the AFC. If you've got three teams from that division making the playoffs, great. Then you either have the Dolphins of Jets out or Ravens-Brown Steelers are out. I have the Jets Patriots out. I have the Steelers-Browns out. I've got the Colts and the Texans out. I've got plenty of outs. I'm struggling with a couple ends.

Right, right, right. So quick note on the Broncos. They open versus Raiders versus Washington. Should be a 2-0 start. Well, they get them both at home. And then Chicago week four. So there's a legitimate chance of three and one. Yes.

Heading into that huge game against Aaron Rogers and the Jets. Remember, Denver historically, regardless of team, because of the altitude, Denver is a really tough place to play in September. So you're talking about Washington and the Raiders, teams that have some holes in the roster. Well, Washington defensive line could push around the Broncos. I think they got a bit of a bit. They got a big break, let's just say. They got shafted last year, remember?

The schedule is brutal, like week six to week 12. Whoa, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, let's go with five. Aaron Rogers, Patrick Mahomes, and Patrick Mahomes again in a four-week span. No, I mean, they get Aaron Rogers, Mahomes, twice, and Allen in a five-week stretch. That's rough. So they're tough. Beginnings workable and is totally workable. In the middle, it is a lot.

But they're not going 0 and 5 in those games. They do get Mahomes at home. and they get, you know, the Packers at home. I don't think it's a pretty, it's a workable schedule. It is a workable schedule. I'll just say, I want them in the play. I like Russell Wilson. Not just because we kind of look like each other, but, you know, he's easy to root for.

He's had to slide that in there. All right, let's move on to the Colton, this silly Jonathan Taylor stuff. So they said, hey, J.T., you can go seek a trade if you want one. Jerry Jones has pulled off some big-name trades, including landing, Stefan Gilmore and Brandon Cook's this off season. But it sounds like Jerry and the Cowboys do not. want Jonathan Taylor. I should and I do look at any and every opportunity that's out here and have a great system in place to give it a lot of consideration. The way

our young backs are playing and the way they've some of the good things they've done since you've been here I'm very comfortable with where we are with our backs right now so without getting into specifically addressing the player him or any other running back. I think we saw some good things the other night. We've seen some good things in training camp. I feel good about a running back position if we didn't add anybody.

Well, and Jonathan, if you sign Jonathan, you're going to have to pay him. Yeah, that's why this whole trade thing is nonsense. If it was just trading for him, I think everybody would want him. Don't you love it? Ers say, he's like, hey, we don't value running backs. He's not paramount to us. We'll trade him, yeah.

We won a first round pick. You just said you don't value running backs. So you want someone to give up a first round pick and then pay him his next deal? Well, he was the second round pick. Now I have to give up a first. He's already got mileage on those tires. He runs hard and he's expensive. So you're not going to get a first round pick.

That's just you're not. So Ursa is just full of nonsense. We don't value running backs, but we're demanding a first round pick in return for him. What are you talking about? I said yesterday I think Ursay is dangerously close to being James Dolan up the Knicks, which is Dad gave him a great business. and they've a little undisciplined, unfocused, love their music, that's great. But in the end, stay off Twitter, don't meddle.

It's getting to be a little loony tunes in Indy. And I think GMs are limited on what they can do with owners. I think Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck come into a building, and an owner knows. I mean, the Hunt family is fully aware of how Patrick Mahomes has added $500 million to a billion dollars to their net worth. GMs don't do that. Coaches don't do that. So an owner will absolutely let the quarterback win some arguments and win some debates. When LeBron James went to the Cavs for the second time, that was a $500 million

benefit to Dan Snyder. That franchise, that minute was worth more. That's why you comply with Starp. If Andrew, if Mahomes came out and said, hey, I want this guy on the roster, he's my friend, you got to consider it. Kendall Cobb, you got to consider it. That's the only player in an NFL roster. A GM is hopeless. He's just an employee. It's a rounding error of the contract for a GM. And so it's getting... They can be invaluable if the GM is identifying correct players.

I think GMs are wildly valuable, but they have no power to an owner. The quarterback does. A coach can have a Sean Payton or Andy Reeder of Belichick, Pete Carroll, Tomlin. Well, I'll say that. I'll push back a little. Listen, if you're an owner and you don't think the GM is of high value. Like, you're picking the guy to run the team. That's an owner. You don't know anything about picking players and identifying a infrastructure. I think the GM's huge.

Massive, yeah. But I don't think he has a lot of power vis-a-vis the owner. I think a coach can have some and a quarterback can have some. Because, you know, the coach sets the culture and it's your business. He's setting the culture. And the quarterback is the star. He sells merchandise. He gets you on national TV.

So an owner under, I mean, when Peyton Manning was in Indianapolis, whatever Peyton Manning wanted. I've got great stories. Peyton Manning got. And Peyton Manning's not easy. And I say that as somebody, I love Peyton. I know them both. They're really good guys. But Peyton's be good. I mean, I love Lincoln Riley. I love Nick Saban. They're demanding. Okay. This is what I want in the program. Peyton was like, I need this coach, that coach, this facility. And you give that to that quarterback. So let me be Ursay for a second and you be Chris Baller. Okay. You're Arse. I'm Ursa. Hey, so I want Taylor out of here. Get me.

You know, first round pick. I don't want to pay this guy. I don't want to put up with his shenanigans. He's out of it. We're done with him. Well, I don't think we can get a first round pick. Why not? Because he's a second round pick, and somebody's going to have to pay him,

and the running back analytic market is going to be very, very small. You can't dangle him to one of these dumb GMs who runs their program foolishly. You don't think we can get, I mean, the Giants just gave Daniel. Daniel Jones 39 million. We can find a taker for a first round pick. I will make those calls. I'm not hopeful. That was very politically.

of you. Very nice job. I will make those calls for you, sir. Not hopeful. Hey, by the way, why have we had a starting quarterback on week one, a different one the last seven years? What's that all about? Well, sir, with all due respect, I would have brought Carson Wentz back off a 96 passer rating, 27 TD7 picks, but you wanted him out after a poor performance against Jacksonville. Did you see how bad he was in that week 18, Chris? He was bad, but he was pretty good in weeks one through 16. Sir, respectfully, respectfully, sir. Respectfully, I like him. I don't think Chris Ballard would have run off Carson Wentz. I think he was pissed. I think they were mad.

He didn't look prepared. Carson Wentz had a good year. The data is in front of you, 27 TD, 7 picks, and a 96 passer rating, big, strong, and mobile. They ended up with Philip Rivers, who cannot run you and I. And I love Philip, but it was like, come on, what are you doing? I need to work on my irascible billionaire attitude. I need to be a little harsher. Final story, Packers and Patriots are holding joint practices together.

They both have quarterbacks who have come in to replace the led. Legends under center. Jordan Love was asked about replacing Aaron Rogers heading into the season. Here's what Mr. Love had to say. The standards have been set from quarterbacks that have been here before us. Obviously, we've had some really eight quarterbacks here. The standard's kind of set, and you're trying to just continue to raise your game until you get to that bar and just continue to go past it once you get there. I mean, I think the standards are there, and you try to be yourself, play your game. But that's kind of the goal is you're trying to achieve. But I don't think, you know, with standards, I don't think it means you have to play like somebody else. It's just kind of what's been done here and what's happened in the past.

And you could see something that's been done at a really high level. And that's where you want to take your game to. I'll tell you something. It's very encouraging. Every time Jordan Love talks, he says the right thing. I know you guys don't want to believe this. It matters. Every time I've heard him talk in the preseason.

Perfect. He says the exact thing I want to hear. Very complimentary of the past. I'm not going to copy it. I'm not going to be overwhelmed by it, but there's a standard here. He's really good in front of the mic, and there was maturity issues when he came into the league. I have not seen it at the mic. And I'll tell you this, I've made mistakes on that.

If you can stand in front of 12 people regularly and they ask questions and you give the right answer all the time, then cognitively you're pretty bright. That's interesting to you bring that up. I was just thinking, like, they have to answer questions I think every day after practice. You said 12. It might be more than that market's small, but it might be like 20 guys. guys every day asking you generally the same questions. By the way, I can name guys and you know who they are that could not get through a week without offending somebody in the building.

Well, I can also name you media guys who know that if you don't get a sound bite that's a value, you're not getting clicks. And guess what? You know, your contract's up at the end of the year or whatever they have in newspapers. Hey, we're going to get somebody who can come in here and ruffle some feathers and get people clicking and get their social media. Like, that stuff does matter. You know this, right?

Yeah, it does. I just, I don't think Green Bay's media is. quite as click-starved as other big cities, but I work at Fox. I want Green Bay to be good. Yeah. I got no interest and then being terrible. Green Bay is good for our company. Green Bay gets a rating.

It's one of like the six brands in the NFL that can move the needle. I'm just saying he's big enough, he moves. They're very, very cautious on how they're bringing them along. My take is, am I wrong on this? Are they cautious because they're saying, listen, his, his, Confidence now because of lack of snaps in real games isn't high. There's no reason for us to load him up with 47 throws. They're being a little cautious with him.

The messaging I get is they don't trust him, but that may be wrong. The messaging may be we do trust him, but this is a process. We're not rushing him into, you know, we're not playing the run and shoot next week to see if he can throw 70 times. I'm just saying when I see a young guy talk and DAC did this, over and, Jalen Hertz does this, Herbert does this, Burrow does. this over and over in front of the media. Million questions. You're 23

years old. And you always give a smart, thoughtful answer. You bring the temperature down. There's value in that. I like that a lot. A lot of people will say, oh, that's easy. I cannot imagine what it would be like after a three-hour show every day to

walk off the set. And there was a couple of media members. Hey, J-Mac, that takes second hour was kind of soft. I don't know. You fumbled some stuff. Like, can you imagine that everyday media asking you questions about your practice? That's almost unfathomable to me. Oh, I couldn't handle it at 22. Well, you were handling that in high school as QB1, right?

After the games, the media will come up to you, you know? Yeah, I was, I don't even know if I qualify. I know I was outduling other premier athletes on occasion, but we didn't have that term back then, QB1. J-Mack for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekday.

in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes to not only look back at what happened, what you

need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world. That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. It starts. Fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition.

Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and 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 it. on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say. Yep, that's me,

Clipper 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. 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 crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you 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. Sunday, the NFL is back on Fox in the final week of the preseason. As the Texans take on the Saints, don't miss any of the action Sunday at 8 Eastern on Fox. I don't know if I want to watch too much preseason this weekend because I've made. made my choices. Should I do that? Before I go on vacation next week.

Should like Friday I make my choices and then have a post-vacation final choice? Because I've made my choices. NFC South, I'm not quite sure of the order. I think I know it. Other than that, everybody's selling me Atlanta. I like Carolina. But I know. It's everybody's got to have, it's really easy to just take who everybody likes.

Vegas really likes Atlanta. And maybe I'm wrong. I just don't know what Desmond Ritter is. I think Bryce Young's a better quarterback talent than Desmond Ritter. And I also have an offensive coach, Frank Reich, who I've seen win a lot. But isn't the AFC such a log jam if you remove the bills and the chiefs? There's like six or seven teams that could make the playoffs. You could stretch it to eight or nine. I think the Jaguars are a lock. Okay, fine. You want to do that's three locks. So Chiefs, lock, Jaguars lock. There's no locks after that. Bill's not a lock?

They're really good. But we've both said this. If two is upright for 17 weeks, people do not understand how valuable Vic Fangio is defensively. We have watched this happen before where a great coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, goes to Atlanta, and they end up in a Super Bowl. But it takes a minute for that to bake. You know, Vic's going to look at his guys and be like, ooh, this. This doesn't work. This does.

That takes like half a season, maybe a full season. And Jalen Ramsey, by the way, he's out for 10 games at least. No. I thought they said, like December. I think Jalen Ramsey will be back. Whatever they give you a timeline, six to eight weeks, count on six. Medicine's better. Doctors are better.

Athletes are stronger. People heal fast. Other than concussions, players always come back sooner than you expect. Almost always. Now, I want to talk Pittsburgh. I got into this this morning. And we've gone back and forth on Pittsburgh. He loves, J. Mack loves Pittsburgh.

My takeaway is it's all on Kenny Pickett. And I'll give you an example. You can do everything right in the national football league. Everything. Pittsburgh's a great example. Great ownership. Great culture. Really good coach.

They draft well. They have continuity. Ownership, culture, GM, head coach, continuity. It is a. brilliantly run business for 50 years. They've done everything right, but they've only won Super Bowl since the 70s when they have a great legendary quarterback in his physical prime. Big Ben 2005, 2008, Bradshaw in the 70s.

That's it. They got to another Super Bowl, got blown out, didn't have a great quarterback. They've gotten to AFC championships. Maybe didn't have a great quarterback. That's the only time they win Super Bowl. The only time they host trophies. Great quarterback in its physical prime. Big Ben was young, but he played for a few years in college.

He was moving into for a quarterback, that physical prime is in that 24 to 29 area. That's it. So the whole thing comes down. It doesn't matter how great T.J. Watt is. Cam Hayward, Minka Fitzpatrick. They're all great. It's been set. Pittsburgh does everything right.

It all comes down to Kenny Pickett. I don't see greatness. I see very good maybe. I see, we can blame the offensive coordinator. I think Kenny Pickett has a chance to be a very good quarterback, good B-B-plus guy. Maybe a little more mobile Kirk Cousins, a much more accurate throwing Dack Prescott. Somewhere in that mix. I could be wrong.

Maybe he is great. I mean, he had moments last year. A lot of starts. The good news is, good organization. He's playing in the pros. Same college stadium. Very comfortable. looks like he has a superstar wide receiver.

I think Kenny Pickett could be a really nice NFL quarterback. I don't see great, but I've been wrong before. So it's just, it really goes to show. It's like a restaurant. You can have the location. You can have the staff. It can be well capitalized. You can have the menu.

You lose a great chef. It's not the same experience. It's a different restaurant. So I don't know. I think Pittsburgh fans, I've said before, they think it's like we don't like their team. It's not about not liking the team. Pittsburgh's history is they go to Super Bowls and win them with a great quarterback in his physical prime.

I see Kenny Pickett as a good quarterback about a year away from his physical prime. Usually year two, year three, then you start moving into it. Maybe this year he starts his physical prime. All right. The other thing I want to throw out, just quick. So it's going to be a very good college football season. USC opens up this weekend. Now, many of you are viewing the Jim Harbaugh three-game self-imposed sanction.

A little bit of a controversy. Here's a story that may not happen, but is fascinating to think about. So USC is going to be very dynamic offensively between Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley. Okay. So they're going to get a lot of, they're going to move up the rankings very fast. They're going to score 60 points more than once. They're going to curry a lot of favor when it comes to the college football playoff rankings. right.

And their schedule is tough, so I don't think they're going to go undefeated. My guess is Washington, Oregon, UCLA in a row, November, somebody knocks them off. Either the Huskies, ducks, or Bruins, knock them off. But because they will have built up so much credibility, so many points, schedules, very, very workable early. You know, it's a lot of Arizona State, Stanford, Colorado, Arizona. I don't think Notre Dame's as good. others think, I think they win that game.

But I think at the end of the year, there's too many good games. They'll lose a game. So they will be on the cusp of getting into the playoff with LSU, Georgia, Bama, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, the like. Here's the question. Pac-12 championship, they make it in. Why would they plan it? Why would I risk getting Caleb Williams hurt?

Why would I plan it? The conference is disbanding. we're leaving the conference. I'm going to skip the championship game and take my chances getting in to the playoff. I think it's a fascinating story. If you're USC, you're 11 and 1 and you're ranked third in the country, why would you play in the Pact 12 championship game?

What do you benefit? There's only a losing proposition. If you're in, you're in. And if you're second or third, even if it turns off some of the people who would vote, you probably wouldn't go second to out, third to out. Maybe if you're fourth, you play because there's somebody breathing down your neck. But just ask yourself, well, Colin, it's the integrity of the integrity, college football? What are we talking about here?

They've already said, we're out of here. So it's just, it's a fascinating dilemma. I don't think it's a dilemma. I think if I was the coach, the quarterback, and the AD, and the school president, I'd be like, we're leaving the conference. I'm not going to get my quarterback potentially hurt. I'm not going to get injuries. We're going to the playoff.

to get the payoff. So that to me, Harbaugh is the big controversy early. I think it's a fascinating proposition. I don't think USC is going to go undefeated. I just think the end of this, the Bruins, the ducks, the huskies, there's too many good players there, too many NFL players, back to back to back to back. It's just too many tough games. They're going to get an L somewhere in there.

And they're going to be on the precipice. They're going to be on that number three, two, four spot. They're going to have a decision to make. That to me is fascinating. I know. Oh, the loyalty. They already abandoned the conference. And by the way, I've heard all these Pact 12 schools saying,

we shouldn't give them a payout, we shouldn't do this, we shouldn't do that. Well, USC's been listening to that. Maybe they shouldn't show up for the Pact 12 championship. Hour to 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 Side-Eye.

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. 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 game. and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It 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.