The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - Are there any NFL surprises in the standings?

Episode Date: October 18, 2023

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt joins the show in studio to explain what the difference is with this year's Michigan team under Jim Harbaugh Looking at the NFL standingsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thanks for making us part of your day. Very excited. By the way, there's a, J-MAC, there's a rumor. I'm not going to say who started it, who extended it. It's a prominent media person in America. Let's just say North America. It could be some guy in Ottawa. A prominent media member in North America has noted or mentioned something that Lincoln Riley has put out feelers for the NFL.

I was around somebody at USC last night. That's not true. Now, I will say, do I think seven to eight coaches will be fired this year in the NFL? Yes. Do I think Lincoln's representative will be called? Yes. do I believe there's tension at USC among boosters in Lincoln? Lincoln wants new facilities, 3, 350 million, and boosters are like, I thought we were spending

on NIL, which is where I think the money should always go. NIL. I think facility race, that's like the 80s, 90s. I don't think that, I don't think athletes care about that. They want to get paid. They want pizza money. They want car money. They don't care about facilities.

So do I think there's some tension at USC boosters Lincoln? Yes, this is Los Angeles. It's not rural Oklahoma. We got pro teams all over the place. These are billionaires and 800 millionaires with a lot of things on their table. They don't live, breathe, eat, sleep, a college football team. This is not Auburn, Alabama, or Tuscaloosa or Norman, Oklahoma. So the boosters will give, but they got other things to do here in town.

This is a big city with eight pro teams and 31 music venues and movie stars and there's options. So when you're a college coach and you live on this power and I get what I want, It ain't going to work that way in Los Angeles. It just doesn't work that way in this city. By the way, I was up in Seattle this weekend. As big as the Huskies are, it's a Seahawk town. And the Huskies are wildly popular. The Mariners this year, look what they drew.

The MLS team, the new hockey team. You got the Puget Sound. There were boats everywhere. So it's like when you, it's a big difference here. So is there some stress with Lincoln and the boosters? It's not overwhelming, but there's a little tension. And eight coaches will get fired in the NFL. And Lincoln will be.

contacted. I've been told he's not initiating anything. He likes it. They're going to turn around this weekend against Utah probably play a really good football game. College football is so embedded with emotion. Everybody, including myself, we go crazy on a play, a moment, a bad game, a good game, a touchdown. Take a deep breath. Caleb's great. Lincoln's outstanding. They'll be fine. But I do think when I hear people extending rumors and talking about that stuff, there's a big difference between me getting called and me calling. My agents get called. I don't call.

I like where I'm at. People get called. You don't think the claster's getting called? People get called all the time. It's a difference between you initiating the call. So, yes, Lincoln does get called. There's a big world going on in college football and basketball. Jimmy Sexton's one of the big agents out there.

Trace Armstrong, you know, the former Chicago Bear. There's about four agents in college football. They run the sport. Remember when Alabama and Nick Saban got beat up a little bit. They lost to Auburn on that wild kick return. Remember they missed a field goal at short. And one of the boosters got a little sassy, and Nick was in Austin an hour later. He called Jimmy Sexton, and he said, let's get our name out.

They go there. His wife, Miss Terry, looks at a home or two. They put the heat on Alabama. An hour later, they paid his mortgage and gave him a Mercedes dealership. So there's a game being played behind the game. Lincoln's not initiating any of it. But people are calling. I mean, there's a team in Los Angeles that could really use an offensive coach.

You don't think the Chargers would make a call if they lose their next two games? To go back to your theory yesterday, Colin, I liked it about invest in the program. Oregon and Washington are building a program. Colorado and USC are a lot of flash and substance. So I almost want to side with Lincoln and say, hey, some NIL, but let's improve the facilities and make it about the program, not the stars. Yeah, but the facilities are fine. I haven't been to them, so I don't know.

Yeah, they're beautiful. I think facilities, they're just, it's very, in Oklahoma, if you ask a big car dealer for money, you get it. In Los Angeles, if you ask a billionaire who's got 32 other investments, NIL money for a tight end and facilities, he's going to say, pick one, champ, and he's got twice the money to eight times the money is the car dealer. That's the way it works in these big city programs.

They've got a zillion investments. They don't live and breathe the college football game on Saturday. They have lives. Speaking of lives, I'd love to live the life of Joel Clatt, the voice of college football. Boy, does he get a humdinger this weekend. Right? This is a game, my friend. I know.

Man, I can't wait for this one. This one's going to be great. It's the kind of game you've earned. No regional matchups. What do you mean? This is the game of the weekend. No doubt. So we're going to get to Penn State, Ohio State in a second, because I think Penn State's better.

By the way, two of the last three times the Buckeyes have faced the top 10 team. L. Penn State's on an 11-game winning streak, has a better quarterback. I think they have better energy in the program. I'm not going to wait until later. Let's talk about it. Yeah, I guess. I mean, we're just going to dive in.

Let's dive in. Let's be honest about it. I talked about a little tension at USC, which is healthy. You and I have tension. Healthy. My wife argues healthy. I like tension. I like conflict.

There is this thing, though, with Ohio State. If Penn State lost 2724, it'd be like, heck of an effort. If Ohio State loses this weekend, you go to that Reddit board, Buckeye.com. Sure. It's man over. Yeah, no, that's not wrong. Some of the stuff you said was wrong, but that sentiment is not wrong. You are correct.

The pressure and the stress brought forth by that fan base. at Ohio State is immense. And Ryan has been under it. And yet he really shouldn't be. He's 51 and 6 as a head coach. The only coach to reach 51 wins faster in college football history is Chris Peterson at Boise State. So he's been outstanding there.

In fact, his only losses are in those big top 10 games. And yet he still won nine top 10 matchups. Like, he wins those games. It's a little less miles. He couldn't beat Nick and they ran him out of town. I mean, not personal. But I mean, in terms of less. smiles could beat everybody but Bama. There is a lot of tension and stress and pressure because,

in particular for this game, because, well, really three reasons. Okay, number one, you're at home. It's like, hey, protect the shoe and we're not going to lose at the shoe. The second one is that there's this sentiment that Michigan is still the top dog right now because of what they've done over the last couple of years, you can't lose to Penn State and put yourself in third position in the division. That doesn't, like, for an Ohio State fan, that's just like, nope. We can't have that. Okay, so there's that sentiment. And then there's also, they're older than Penn State.

They're more veteran. Good point. Quarterbacks are the same age. So they both have young quarterbacks, but the defense is a veteran defense at Ohio State. They've got veterans on the outside, in particular Marvin Harrison, Jr. The core for Penn State is really sophomores.

Their year is really next year. Penn State. They'll be a pre-season one, two, or three with Drew Allen. Yeah, I would guess. And they would still have Abdul Carter, the linebacker. or both of those running backs. Nick Singleton and Ketron Allen, they would both be back because they're sophomores.

So there's this sense that Penn State is still building, whereas Ohio State it's like, we want it now. Yes. And to be fair, Ohio State fans feel like that every day of the year. But I can argue this for Ohio State fans. Michigan's better now and Penn State's better next year. And you're right in the middle, and the middle child's got all the therapy issues.

Maybe, I mean, teams can transform so quickly in this day and age, right, with NIL and transfer. So it's hard to, it's hard to just say exactly what a team is going to be next year or this year. I will say this, though, like, this game screams to me, like, heavy pressure. And yet, in my mind, Ryan always answers the bell with great game plans and this type of environment. Think about some of the playoff games, even the one that he lost. Clemson and Trevor Lawrence, they had a great offensive game plan. Well, the Georgia game, they outplayed Georgia. When they get put in a corner, when they get backed into a corner, which there is a little

narrative about that, you have to win, you got to do this or that. The pressures on Ohio State. The pressures on the side, they tend to deliver in those moments. Now, they didn't against Michigan in the last couple of years, but this feels like a game that you're going to get the very best from Ohio State. Now, we'll say this about Kyle McCourt, their young quarterback. He's outplayed Drew Aller to this point in the last. season. He's been in a bigger stage now on the road at Notre Dame, whereas Alar is really making

his first real road start of his career. He started at Illinois and Northwestern in his career. I mean, I don't know if there were total fans in both of those games, the number of fans that are going to be in the shoe on Saturday. In fact, I know that's the first top 10 team he's ever played. That's right. It's very excited. Need a spotter? No, no. Who's your spotter? You got it. You know what? Need a second? Me and myself. I mean, this, folks, this is going to be. So speaking of that, I was at the best game in the country last week. That's right.

You told America, I was invited. I took the invitation. May have been the governor. May have been a friend. Either one. Or both. Point. Here's what I loved about it.

You know, LSU, Colorado, USC, a lot of transfers, a lot of flash. I watched two foundational programs, great coaches, great players. Here's my question. Really? know the tackle for Oregon was a transfer from Washington. You can have one. No, just continue. That's fine.

Here's my thing about Washington. Michael Pennix. Wasn't he a transfer? Oh, that's right. Go ahead. Well, Kalen had it. Wait, wasn't Bo Nix a trip? Oh, that's, okay.

No, no, no, no. Continue. No, go ahead. But you're right. They were foundationally built not through the transfer porter except for their quarterbacks. That said, when you watch Washington's playmakers, first round quarterback, first round receiver,

they didn't even have McMillan. That team's got, it's an offensive sport. How good is Washington? Really, really good. This is a national championship caliber team. When I was watching them, I'm like, I don't think people, they have a left tackle who's going to the NFL. If you can't get to panics, you can't guard that offense.

And generally, you can't get to pinnics. And Oregon did a great job, by the way. I'm impressed with both teams coming out of that game. So was I. So was I. So you were there. You felt the environment. I thought Oregon was deeper and bigger. I thought Washington had more playmakers.

And more skill. And in the end, they leaned into that skill. So a couple of thoughts on this game. I don't think anybody in America was going to beat Washington in that building Saturday. You were there. It was magic. It was magic. Pinnix was playing great.

I mean, even Georgia goes up there. Michigan goes up there. So because of that sentiment, I actually come away thoroughly impressed also with Oregon because of the way that they played and performed. Even my Husky friends were like, I don't want to play Oregon again. That's right. There's a sentiment of like, boy, I don't want to see that team again. again. At one point in the second half, Bo Nix was 20 of 24. You know, he's experienced. He wasn't

threatened by that environment. At all. Having said that, if you take a look at this game, here's what I loved about Washington and what they did and what I loved about their head coach, Caelin DeBore. Kaelin DeBore has been with Pinnock for a long time. And in the most crucial times, he went NFL style, which is, I'm going to let my guy do what he does best. I'm not going to sit there and say, like, this is what I want to do. This is what my scheme suggest. I'm going to say like he knows that he's got, you know, Pinnix in this instance. He knows that he's got matchups that he can exploit and he's going to find those and then throw with great leverage to those one-on-ones and he did so and he found it Dunzee and he won the game because of it.

On the other side, you had Dan Lannning, who doesn't have the same history with Bow Nix that DeBore does with Pinnix. Landing also has a first year coordinator that he just hired from UTSA, Will Stein. Very bright guy. Great future in this. sport. But while DeBore gives Pinnick's the keys to go do what he does best in the two fourth downs that are very controversial before the half for Oregon and at the end of the game,

they took a guy in Bow Nix whose strength is operating a system inefficiency and has 53 starts under his belt and they roll them out to basically cut off three quarters of the field. Oregon's going to learn from that and get better from

that. So the questioning of Dan Landing about why go for it, this or that. To me, it wasn't about going for the fourth downs. It was the execution and the play call of what they tried to do. That is really smart. I hear this all the time. Is that execution, it's like when business people say, I've got an idea.

Mark Cuban taught me this one time. Everybody's got an idea. That's right. Do you have the people to execute it? I didn't have a problem with the calls. I had a problem with their execution. Well, to me it was the calls. You put them in position to where half the field is.

I didn't. I didn't. Before the half, you could say like, hey, listen, you don't have the advantage of getting possible field position if you fail. You know, so before the half, would I have taken the three points? Yes. If I was in the same position at the end of the game, I would have gone for it as well. He's got one snap to win the game and not give the ball back to Michael Pinnock's,

and I would have taken it. Navy Seals talk about this all the time. You can have the greatest plan in the world, but what does it come down to when the team leader in the heat of the moment says and gives the order, execute execute execute execute it's all about execution in those moments so i um i don't know i like uh my wife's likes to cook and she'll have a glass of white wine and she'll cook sounds lovely we'll discuss the day's events yeah how are you honey wonderful and i'm sure a discussion with you is lovely at the end of the day we break down the bc s standings and so from eight years ago yeah we were early on it

we've been together 17 years we were early on it so So the point is that we don't do microwaves much. Oh, okay. I've always had a thing about it. I think we're going to know in 100 years. It killed us all microwaves, but that's not here or there. I've always feared microwaves. Where's the tinfoil?

The rays coming out into my food. I'm not into it at all. But I don't want to get into that now. I know I'm right, but I don't want to get into it. But here's my point. USC in Colorado. Okay. Little bit LSU.

You're trying to microwave your program. What do you want them to do? Well, all I'm saying is I was unrealistic. USC has five starters on defense that are transfers. Okay. Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State Michigan combined have five. Time out. There's too many transfers.

Time out. First year, first year, first year. Time out. Too much microwaving. Colorado. I disagree completely. Oklahoma just had to micro- way of their defense. It's the only reason they just beat Texas. Do you know why? Six of their seven

and they're too deep on their defensive line transfers this year. Six of seven this year on their defensive line. Why? They had no competitive depth on their defensive line last year. That's why they gave up 40 points and 400 yards a game. You can say the same thing about like, what is USC and Colorado supposed to do with what the defense is. No, it's not what they're not supposed to do. But what we're seeing is an unraveling of LSU, transfer heavy, USC Colorado. After about six weeks,

five weeks, they're unraveling because the best year for Mack Brown was year eight. But Michigan's also got great transfers that have added the death. But Harbaugh has been there. Josh Wallace is his corner.

He's starting right now at corner. Yeah, but he's been there for nine years. Housman is adding their linebacker depth. Josiah Stewart, I believe he's their best pass rush. But USC Colorado and LSU, brand new coaches, putting in a system,

transfer. system transfers are great. I just disagree because I like what do you want sometimes you have to use a microwave like sometimes to use your analogy you don't have two hours to cook dinner and enjoy a glass of white wine and talk about the BCS standings from 2013. Yeah. Sometimes you're like hey I got you know like I got three kids like I got 11, 9 and 6 year old boy and it's like we got flag football in 37 seconds microwave the pizza babe, babe the pizza now. Like sometimes you just got to use a a microwave, and Colorado and USC and LSU to a certain extent, they had flagged football in 37 seconds, and they needed their slice of pizza right now, or else there was just no chance

to be competitive. Another thing that I would say is, like, when you're talking about USC, a lot of people look at this defense and defense and the problem wasn't the defense against Notre Dame. Well, against Notre Dame, it wasn't. And Notre Dame's offense is a BB gun. Come on. Wait until they face Washington and Oregon. Well, they're not going to face Washington, Oregon, because they're probably not going to be into the playoffs. Well, no, Washington's coming up in a couple of weeks. Oh, you're talking about USC. Yeah, I mean, those are real offenses.

But right now, USC's offense is a BB gun because they can't protect Caleb Williams. If anything, they should have been deeper into the transfer portal to try to build their offensive line. See, Colin, it's the only way that you can actually improve yourself year over year quickly. It's a known commodity. I'm not. I can't wait three years for Caleb. Williams needs some protection now. Did you know he's been pressured 58 times in the last four weeks? That's fifth in college football. They can't block any. They couldn't block Arizona's defense. So shouldn't they have gone out and gotten the three transfers that Michigan got on their offensive line that they're starting this year?

I'm not denying that transfers make you better. What I'm saying is we were all unrealistic on Colorado, LSU, and USC. Because if you don't have foundational years in, Mac, D, Dabo, Michigan. Brian Kelly's best team at Notre Dame wasn't the Manteau years. It was eight years later when they went toe to toe with Georgia, is that I think I fell for the, oh look at all the five-star guys at USC. And they're just, it's just, they don't have a foundation to go with the transfers.

I just don't like, are you suggesting that they should be okay with being a worst team? No, I'm suggesting that I overshot my expectations. I'm blaming me. I see. Yeah. I'm not blaming the program for getting good fast,

but I was unrealistic on LSU. I called them a national championship. So did I. It was unrealistic about that as well. And the problem, I want to be crystal clear about this. The problem with USC last week was their offensive line. Terrible. And if Lincoln doesn't get the run game going, this is a problem down the stretch

because they face way too many good and physical teams. Washington, Oregon. They'll get dog by all of them. That's right. And I'll just point to one stat. And far be it for me to like criticize his play calling, because I think he's one of the best play callers in college football that I've really ever seen. But Marshawn Lloyd's only getting the ball 10 times a game.

10 carries a game. He's leading college football in yards per carry. He needs the ball more. Because this, in its foundation, if you go back to what Lincoln did really well at Oklahoma, when they run the ball, that's when they're best. It's not an air raid system. They have air raid principles in their passing game, but it's not an air raid philosophy.

So they've got to run the ball better. He only got eight carries against Notre Dame. I think it needs to be at 15 to 18 against Utah this weekend. All right. Clats top 10 before I talk to Michigan, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, State, Oklahoma, Ohio. I think you have Ohio State too high. Penn State, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Texas. I think Oklahoma's a tad high, but whatever.

Ohio State's a tad high, but whatever. I'm okay with it. I haven't watched enough Florida State. I was a little frustrated that I didn't put Washington higher because of that great game and performance. I think that'll play out. The problem is that everybody ahead of them took care of their business. you're like, you know, like, well, I wasn't high on Oklahoma. What do you want me to do?

They just beat Texas, and that was an incredible game, and then they were on an off week. By the way, Ohio State played their best game against Purdue. No one probably cared to notice. But Kyle McCord's playing great football right before their biggest test of the year as Penn State comes to town. Like, watch out like Ohio State. Once Ryan gets a beat on what his system is and what his guys can do,

they usually take off. This is the point in the season where the Buckeyes, really start playing really well. Well, they did last year. Then they got whacked by Michigan. And in 19. Oh, and they went to the National Championship of 20. How many of those big games they're winning?

So let's talk Michigan. So I hear a lot about NFL stuff. And I think to myself, it actually make more sense eventually for Lincoln Riley, an offensive coach in what has become an offensive sport. Okay. NFL. I actually think, because of his

ability to recruit and manufacture headlines, Harbaugh's a better fit in college. I think he means more. When I look at Harbaugh, I'm going to make the argument because all of us hit a point in age. Saban's about 70. We all hit a point in age where, you know, the synapses don't fire. Watch politics. So look at Harbaugh's age. Harbaugh is the best coaching college football today. Prove me wrong. I mean, it's hard to say that when Nick Sabin and Kirby Smart are still doing with their business. You can argue, but Kirby's in a state that produces 95 Division 1 athletes. Jim State produces 12. Jim has built a great program, and he's done it in a unique way, in a day and age in which

the sport is built around offense and tempo and volume. He's gone the opposite direction and built his program about culture and toughness and power. Yeah, and grittiness and I've referred to them as like the boa constrictor of college football. They just kind of squeeze you to death. And they don't really panic. This is his deepest team that he's ever had. I will not be shocked if Michigan breaks the record of players drafted in one single draft next spring. Listen, I honestly believe this, what I'm about to say.

I think they blow out everybody, including Georgia. I don't know. Don't think this is a 1988 Big Ten team that can't move. This team can do everything. They're so complimentary. The problem is that they don't care if they're blowing you out. That's the difference, though, right? So, like, will they blow everybody out?

I don't know. Maybe they could. But they're not trying to do that. They're just trying to win the game. Now, are they blowing some teams out? Yes. The key that people are missing with Michigan is that think of this as the traditional Harbaugh team, methodical, physical, all of them are.

Run oriented. Now, J.J. McCarthy takes them to a different level when he needs to or wants to. Look at that. When he can get outside of the pocket, and when he can make plays outside of the pocket. So now they have a different level.

They saw it last year against Ohio State when on the road, JJ elevated their team in the second quarter, got big plays down the field. He did elevate their team against TCU to a certain extent, but this is where I think that they're a little bit different, is they are fundamentally the deepest, Most physical team in college football currently.

And then they also have a quarterback that can take them above the X's and O's. I think they're probably the best team in college football. I still have Georgia ranked number one right now, only because they've kind of earned that spot. But, boy, it's going to be tough to beat that team. Of all the teams that I've covered this year live, they're by far the best. And I've seen Penn State. I've seen Ohio State.

I've seen Michigan. Two different coaches, PJ Fleck, and there was another one that have said, that's the best college team I've ever faced. I mean, they are that deep. When I watch them play, you know what's interesting, is that not only are they good, but Harbaugh's always had, not a conservative nature, but I think he kind of gets something out of grinding you.

Sure. Boa constrictor. Now they're just a little saucier because their defense. Well, because McCarthy can do that. That's right. And so Jim's like, take a few more chances now. A, my defense will hold, and my offense is capable of scoring quickly.

So you get all the upside of a Harbaugh. team, even those Stanford teams, when he had when he had luck, he had so much confidence in his quarterback, Jim takes pride, foundation, repetition. I think he's got a little sauce and juice on this team that you get a little more aggressive, Jim, willing to take more chances with all that foundational excellence. Am I not? That's what I see. I don't think that you're wrong. I would just say this from a, on a personal standpoint, I've met with Jim now for a long time. I did his first game at Michigan, by the way. Remember?

He wouldn't talk to me at that point. Now we're friends. That was your first week at FS1. Couldn't even get my hair right. So I remember that. I remember those pictures. That's all right. It's better now.

I just, from the moment, that gym that I met with that week before the Utah game, walking through those subsequent years to the gym I just met with last week before the Indiana game, is he. He'll say he hasn't changed. I'm here to tell you he is wildly different, wildly different. He is more approachable. He's more personable.

He talks about his players in the most glowing way of any coach that I sit with. Okay. And this is something that I really respect. I sit with coaches sometimes that take shots at their players. And he doesn't do that. And he talks about how much he loves them and how much, how much he cares for what they have done to build the program the right way. He talks about how much fun he has coaching them. Then they come up and they talk about how much they love him

and how much they love playing for him. I'm getting goosebumps. It's crazy because it wasn't always this way. The culture of that program and his personality has changed dramatically in the last four or five years. And when I sit now with that organization, it's, Like, it's going to be really tough to beat Michigan this year, just for anybody. Duly noted, how he talks to his players is how I talk about you behind your back. Oh, well, that's not. I'll tell you what? Lovingly. Same. Same.

Everyone's like, tell me about your sons. And I was like, well, I have four. Okay, I'm way late. Let's take a break. In L.A., buddy, it's the herd. All right. I got a parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook, new users use the code heard when you download the app.

Now for my parlay pick of the week via Draft King Sportsbook, I'll take bills minus nine. They play terribly against the New York Giants at New England. Swallow the points. Bills have a better roster, more to play for. As Miami and the Jets now are charging fast, chargers at the Chiefs all take the Chargers plus five and a half. Why? Chiefs are not a big favorite, still struggling offensively,

connectability between Mahomes and that young receiving group. And I'll take the Eagles minus two hosting the Dolphins. When you punch back at Miami, they can fold. Not a physical team. I think they'll struggle to slow down the Eagles offense. I like the Bills minus nine, chargers plus five and a half, Eagles minus two. You want to take the herd parlay. Check out Draft King Sportsbook.

New users code heard 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-Wire. Text Hope and Y 4667-369.

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 is. 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 which I'm saying. 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 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 kill? 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 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. October, yep, but the holidays are coming fast. Before your life goes into overdrive,

protect your home with Simply Safe, Simplysafecollin.com. No safe like Simply Save 40% off any new system on their fast protect plan. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So this developing situation for Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence did practice yesterday wearing a chunky knee brace. He suffered that sprain late in the blowout of the Colts.

Lawrence was limited to practice. The backup, Bethard, I believe is his name. C.J. Bethard took like all. all the first team snaps. But Trevor Lourdes is saying all the right things about playing against the Saints on Thursday. I'm going to do everything I can to be out there. You know, I feel a lot better today than I would have thought. So I like how I'm progressing.

And, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to be out there on Thursday. You know, it's progressed really well, though, the past 24, 48 hours. So really, really like where it's at now. But whether you decide to play or not, you've got to feel comfortable with what you're doing and confident. You've got to go play because you can't play this game hesitating at all. So I think that's a question that obviously everyone asks themselves when you're dealing with anything. So the Jags announced they signed Nathan O'Rourke to the 53-man roster today? Unwatchable.

Unwatchable game on Amazon if he doesn't play. Not watching the game. You're not interested in CJ Bethard versus Derek Carr? No. Stars Matter in the NFL, too. I'm watching the Phillies. I'm not watching the race in the regular season. Who did I predict would win the World Series in June?

Was it Atlanta Braves? No, I didn't. Oh, who was it? Philly. Oh, what's nice? Yeah, congrats. Ryan, could you Ryan's thumbs up?

I just know you would like the Braves a lot. I think it matters. That's a good call. In every sport, it's not my job to watch your boring team. Be interesting. Jacksonville with a backup quarterback, I'm not watching. That's not my job. Alvin Kamara's interesting.

Maybe I'll watch the first half of Derek Carr on the offense. Watch them sputter in the red zone. They will win this game. Mark my words. If Trevor Lawrence doesn't play, the Saints will win. Yes, Trevor Lawrence against Derek Carr. that's a really good game. Yeah.

Derek Carr against the backup, unwatchable. That's the star power of even the NFL. So back-to-back weeks in London, they come home, the offense kind of sputters. They did not play well against the Colts. They blew out the Colts. Well, because the Colts handed them the game, mined you with the turnovers. They didn't play great. And now a short week, and your quarterback's dinged up, this is a lot on Jacksonville.

Not a great spot for them. We talk about a spot a lot. I've never seen a team that wins more and you like less than Jacksonville. No, I like them. You bet the Colts last week Yeah I would maintain the Colts Were the right side

I know they lost my 17 I would do it again Look at the numbers The Colts move the ball Minshoe You can't account for him Just vomiting all over himself Throwing the ball to me

He's a backup on the road Well he's starting the rest of the season So uh And a lot of things There's Colts money this week Against the Browns I don't think we'll get to that game Because that's against the Browns defense

There's Colts money Yeah I'm tough NFL's wacky man Crazy. Speaking of crazy, are you ready for this? Kyler Murray is recovering from the ACLTere. He just tweeted he's practicing today. Kyler Murray, sound the alarm.

Wait a minute. He is practicing today. Well, that's not a shock, though. We thought he'd be back by Thanksgiving. Well, it's just practiced. There's apparently a 21-day window. He's probably not going to be active. So what do you mean a 21-day window that he has to play once you practice?

I'm not exactly sure what the rule is. What does that mean? He's got this window where he's eligible to return from the IR. So he's at practice. This is exciting. Kind of exciting. Timing is interesting. Cardinals kind of bottomed out this past weekend.

They did. They did. James Conner's gone. Offense just, they could do, I mean, they couldn't move the football against the Rams who don't have a great defense. So energy and the vibes are not great around Arizona right now. That's fair. They're like, oh, this is who we thought they were. The Cardinals or the D-backs. It's over for both.

Accurate. Arizona's going to Seattle this week. Okay. You know, I've announced, so far I'm two and one on play of the year or whatever they call it. Seattle is a big one of my- That line's going up. We're not going to get the good line on. We're not going to get the good number on that game, but Seattle's the side.

This is looking bad for- By the way, Seattle seems like one of the more undervalued team in the league. I wonder if Kyler's just trying to get, hey, guys, it's okay. It's going to be fine. We're going to be good. Doing it Aaron Rogers. Hey, I'm coming back in the building. I'm a leader. We don't need this, Caleb Williams guy.

I'm back. back, baby. I think it's Kyler Kailer Murray. Like, this is a good leadership thing. I mean, he doesn't do the homework, but he can, you know, type a good tweak game, right? Well, let me tell you something. He took Arizona to the playoffs. We can all crap on him, but the dude's got talent.

I just want to go on the record. I was a huge Kyler Murray guy, then I heard some stuff, and then you see tapping out against the Rams and Aaron Donald. Well, I didn't love that, but he's a lot of young people play video games. I'm not one of them. The teammates have not loved him historically. We'll see if this new group likes him, but he's

rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Well, he's different. Aaron's different. All these quarterbacks are just, you know, nice. Imagine if I, if I went home every day and didn't do any homework and just showed up at the facility, I could buy on talent. Well, if you got us to the playoffs, I'd be okay with it. We're not in the playoffs. We're a Super Bowl contend. We're fighting our way for a

wild card. We are not a wildcard team, baby. We're the Niders. All right, let's go to the final story. LeBron James. This is, oh boy, I'm going to let you take this one. So, you know, LeBron played, I think, in the first half. And then in the second half, he kind of showered and came out to the bench. And he was pulling a Mark Sanchez, although Mark Sanchez, when he was with the Jets,

ate a hot dog while fully dressed. So LeBron is getting static now from people. And Michael Cooper, the Lakers legend. Ah, I love Michael Cooper back in the day. He took issue with LeBron eating on the bench of a pre-season game. I didn't like that. I didn't like that. I didn't either, bro.

That, you know, about him, you know, he's LeBron changed. But still, you got to have respect for the game, man. You sit over there. You know, I don't mind the guy eating. But go ahead and eat in the locker room. And then when you come out, then you come out and, you know, be part of the team. Sit on the end of the bench eating. Yeah, I didn't love it either.

What? It's preseason, so I didn't care. You're asking me if I loved it. I'm not outraged by it. Okay. I didn't love it. But I don't think it's a – I didn't do it as a topic. It's a nothing burger.

It's a nothing burger. I didn't love it. I didn't love Shaduro. Sanders going up to the crowd at Arizona State. Look at my watch. Yeah, I didn't. I didn't like that. But I didn't make it a topic.

That wasn't outrage. That's like flexing. That's kind of a... What kids do. It's... Yeah. This is... He's eating at halftime.

Who cares? Again, that's why I never made it a topic. It's not a big deal. But I can get an older player saying, don't love it. I mean, Mark Sanchez got crap for having a bite of a hot dog once. Sometimes you're hungry. You're playing a professional athlete.

Who cares? For the record, these guys in the NFL, at least, do eat at halftime. You know, they'll have power bars and stuff like that. So, I don't know. This didn't rise to a segment. But when I saw it, I thought, oh, my first take was, as a bunch of old timers, not going to like that. Basically, if you don't like LeBron, this is ammo.

Go ahead. Go fire. Go, go crazy. Go off, as they say. Go off. I was at an event last night. I'm not going to get into particulars. But it is amazing when you live in Los Angeles.

half the Laker fans are not LeBron fans. It's really interesting to just hear somebody made a comment about LeBron that was positive. And like all the people around were like, ugh. You know, you are looking a little bleary-eyed today. Was it a late night? No, I was in bed by 840. I was home by 8.10. You left when they started besmirching LeBron's name, right?

No, but it's interesting. Everybody in town love Kobe, love Gasol, love Shaq, love Magic, love Jerry West. but we have such a mobile basketball world society now, that it's interesting when I'm around other people that are Laker fans. It's a 50. Young people like LeBron, over 50, not fans. And I don't know if it's the mobility, it's his politics, but it's really, in most places in America,

if you let a team to a title and you're the best player, you're beloved. I always find it fascinating that LeBron is not my Laker fans. Now, under 30, hero worship, absolutely. But man, you get around my age group, and I like LeBron, but I'm sitting there in an event. His name is mentioned positively, and everybody groaned. I was like, you guys, he won your title. Yeah. The best player on your team.

I'm of the belief. If you are around people and they start just bashing LeBron James, a guy who's never run afoul of the law, build schools in Ohio for kids. it says more about you than it does about LeBron. Like, you're the one with the problem if you got an issue with LeBron. Honestly. Like, he is not a bad human being yet. He didn't show up in the finals against the Mavericks a decade ago.

Well, I think he had a terrible series. Something was going on. Well, you know, he called, uh, didn't he call like one of the conservatives a bum? That probably brought people the wrong way. Okay. It doesn't make him a bad person. Not that I disagreed with him. Yeah, you might agree with him.

Who knows? But like, again, I just think when you hear these people on. on radio, TV, social media, bashing LeBron, just consider the source. Like, why are they just blasting LeBron James? There's got to be a reason. I think some of it is politics.

I feel like that. Okay. I mean, again, do I care about the politics of everybody at Apple? I'm on my Apple phone, you know, a lot of the day? Well, no, no, that's a good point. The jeans I wear, do I not wear jeans if they were made in a certain country? Like, the lack of consistency from these clowns is just annoying. Like, I can't deal with a lot of people.

I saw Bud Lightlight. night. I don't drink Bud Light, but if I was thirsty, I would have had a sip. Does that make me awoke? Oh, no, oh no. You said the double you word. Oh my gosh. It's just like, if I wanted if I wanted a beer, I would have had it. I didn't even think about it. How about this? Let's not be outraged over someone eating on a bench during a sporting event. Less outrage. Could we just dial it down a little? Oh, I'm for less outrage. I couldn't tell the last time I was outraged. Well, I mean, I remember when the Chargers didn't cover the spread against a Cowboys on Monday night. Probably doesn't qualify as an.

outrage moment. Hi, Jay Mack with the news. That's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hi, this is Jay Glazer, and you may know me for the world of football or fighting or even shows like HBO's ballers. What you don't know is for my entire life, I have lived in something I refer to as the Grey, depression, anxiety. So now I'm coming out with a new podcast. Unbreakable, a mental health podcast. with Jay Glazer, where each week, while we talk about mental health, I hope to describe it.

Give it words. Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer 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 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 it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. So, 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. Start Saturday strong as seventh ranked Penn State battles number three Ohio State on Big Noon Saturday. Then eighth ranked Texas takes on Houston. and in prime time, Utah clashes with Caleb Williams and 18th ranked USC. I'm going to...

I think Ohio State is going to go to the air. A lot of throwing by Ohio State. Very close game. Buckeyes at home probably win 24, 23, something like that. So I would look this morning, here are the AFC and NFC standings, apologize for the radio audience because it's a nice graphic. But if you go to the AFC NFC standings,

there's only one surprise. And we're a third through the C standings. season. I think the league's getting much more easy to predict in terms of playoff teams, not week-to-week betting. Chiefs, Dolphins, Ravens, Jags, Bill, Steeders, Browns. No surprises. Now, I have Cincinnati in and not the Ravens, and I still think they'll make it in. But that's, I mean, Baltimore making the playoffs is never a shock. That's a really great division. No surprises in the AFC of any note. In the NFC, Niners, Eagles, Lions, I all picked, we all picked them.

Bucks, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams. So Rams are a little bit of a, a little bit of a surprise. I didn't think they'd be as bad as everybody else did, but they've been better than most people thought. The only surprise is Tampa, and they lead the Saints by half a game, and that may be all evened up by Thursday night. Somebody's got to win that crappy division, and my guess is they're all going to go down to about week 15,

all be tied. I don't think any of those teams are great, but there are no surprises. would say this, Sean McVeigh, if I said code to the year, who would you take? I would say it's a coin flip between Dan Campbell and Mike McDaniel, lions and dolphins. Not bad picks. What McVeigh's done, though, it's Aaron Donald and no pro bowlers, and their three losses are to Philly, Cincinnati outplayed him, and San Francisco. What he is doing totally rebuilt the offensive.

line, all their running backs are hurt, made a star out of a fifth round wide receiver. I mean, he is a make, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. They are viable. Philadelphia is the only team that controlled them. San Francisco, Cincinnati outplayed the Bengals. I think McVeigh is head eight unbelievable year as a coach, hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to

David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart 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 is big to me. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 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.