The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - Herd Hierarchy after week 13

Episode Date: December 6, 2022

Colin's new Herd Hierarchy after week 13 of the NFL Nick Wright from First Things First joins the show to explain why he's still not buying Jalen Hurts and the Eagles as legitimate Super Bowl contenders The Patriots offense without Josh McDaniels   Guest: Nick WrightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. It's been a really, really fun last three weeks. We get World Cup a couple of weeks ago, college football, the playoff is set, NFL. I do feel like, I kind of feel like there's about four. Four teams that can win the Super Bowl, about four, and then about three or four on the outside. San Francisco feels like they've gone from inside the bubble to just just an inch outside the bubble.

Fun though, J. Mack? World Cup has been tremendous. Morocco just registered the biggest win in the country's history over Spain and penalty kicks. Wow. I lost some money on Spain. It's a tough one. But these stories that the World Cup are just incredible color. It's been really the story of upsets.

Oh, yeah. A lot of underdogs. Folks, for American fans, we did not lose England. Many thought that was a top six team, right? Like, it was really, you can argue about some substitution patterns. Our corner kicks were not very strong. Didn't do a lot of creating off the set place. Yeah, our set plays were weak.

And our substitution patterns, but every country is complaining about substitution patterns. If you don't win the World Cup, everybody's coach stinks. So in the end, there's been a, the world's great soccer teams are getting closer. The countries are getting closer and closer. Yeah. Like it feels like college football this year. 100%. It feels like everybody's getting a, with a transfer portal, everybody's getting the top 12 teams

are old. It's not Alabama here. It's like, no, Georgia's struggled should have lost to Missouri. By the way, no college football Saturday, but we get France versus England and what is going to be a tremendous much-watch, must-watch game. Like schedule your morning around that. All right. Nick right in about five minutes.

Here we go. The herd hierarchy. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. This was the hardest spot for me.

I'm going to take the Seahawks for two reasons. One, the offensive line in Gino Smith. This is an offensive league, and he is number two in the NFL and passer rating. I kind of know what I get from their quarterback every week. that was it. They also are second in takeaways. They're a little young. You worry about them peaking.

Can they hit the wall? But they've won five of seven. And, you know, they're winning these close games, which is harder for young teams. But when I look at that O line, I look at Gino Smith, I look at them move the chains. I'll put Seattle at number 10. Number nine. The Titans. Listen, it's the first time they allowed over 20 points since week three.

They had a stinker. This is still one of the top five coaches, a great defensive front. They do have a bad point differential because they can't blow you out offensively. But Tanna Hills had a bad, he had a bad game, they had a bad week. This is still a really good team that's going to win their division. They're going to have a home playoff game. We love Vrable. We like their defense.

They just got boat race by a really good team on the road. It happens. I still trust the organization. They're ticked off. They just fired their GM. I'll put the Titans at nine. Number eight. Listen, I'll take the Vikings.

They've won nine of their last 10 games. They beat the Jets. They probably shouldn't have, but they keep winning games. At some point, W's matter. Their defense is not very good. You can move the ball on this team, though they did keep the Jets late in the game out of the red zone. You know, at some point, Ws matter. And they just keep winning most of these close games.

Number seven. I still like the dolphins a lot. We've got to be fair here. They were missing their tackles against the best defense in the league. But Tua still leads the NFL in passer rating. It was Tua's first loss on the year when he's healthy. He also had three turnovers against the Niners. And he's, I mean, he had very few turnovers all season.

So this was a Sunday where the circumstances on the road, you start trailing, you have to throw, you're missing your left tackle, you're missing your right tackle. Miami is still going to be a playoff team capable of winning a playoff game or two. Number six. But the Niners, even with Brock Purdy, still have the best defense in the league. I think the best young offensive

coach in the league. They've got weapons everywhere. They've got a remarkable run game. Listen, they have the number one scoring defense. They forced four turnovers. Miami doesn't turn the ball over. They forced four out of Miami. And by the way, say what

you want about Brock Purdy. Kyle Shanahan has never asked his quarterbacks to be Burrow and Mahomes. That's not what they asked their quarterback to be. It's like the Phoenix Suns and Chris Paul. They don't need him to score 30. The Warriors need Steph to score 30. It's not what the sons do. I think they're going to win a lot of games, including playoff games with Brock Purdy.

Number five. The Cowboys, they're playing very, very well. 40 points plus in three of their last five games. They've got six or seven great world-class athletes. C.D. Lambs having a season. Tony Pollard's emerged as a star running back. There's a lot to like about Dallas. I worry about the margins in the playoffs where you have to have great play from your

quarterback. You have to have a great coach. But they lead the NFL and sack differential. They protect their quarterback and they go get yours, the Cowboys at 5. Number four. The Buffalo Bills, they're back. And they're back because they have now built a more consistent run game. They're now the number one seed, which is an advantage when you play in Buffalo without

weather. 130 yards of rushing plus in six straight games. It's not about Josh Allen. I said it all year when I doubted them. You've got to develop a run game before the playoffs. You're going to be playing in windy, snowy, wet weather. You can't rely on Josh Allen to throw it 45 times. I'll put the bills at four.

Number three. I'd still take Kansas City situationally over them, but I am worried about the Chief's missing Tyreek Hill. Listen, we said they'd be productive without Tyreek. They would score a lot of points. But he is lightning, and he did force double teams, and he does tilt the field, and they don't offensively feel quite the same. Very reliant in key spots on Travis Kelsey, also outscored by Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter.

I like Kansas City a lot. I think they can win the Super Bowl. But the Tyreek situation, now as the season goes on, everybody gets filled. What can Juju Smith-Schuster do? What can he do? I have him at three. Number two. The Bengals.

Do you realize that Joe Burrow has only been sacked five times over the last four games? And at that same time, they've developed a run game. The offensive line has finally come together. You don't get to Burrow, you don't hit Burrow, and Burrough's got a run game. Watch out. Don't even have Joe Mixing back. So the key to this thing, not that Burroughs better, it's the offensive line has come together. He's not getting hit.

He's not getting sacked. And now he's throwing on second and five and third and two. That's what beats Kansas City. There's an element of surprise to the offense. They did not have in the first month because he was throwing on third and 11. He was trailing in games. He was trailing by double digits. That's done.

Number one. I think we have to give it to Philadelphia. They're blowing people out. If you go look at Super Bowl winners the last 10 years, they always have like seven or eight blowouts. So Philadelphia, I bought in this weekend. I was on the fence. After they blew out Tennessee, I'm in. A.J. Brown has been one of the great acquisitions of the year.

They can beat you over the top. They can beat you time of possession. I think the improvement of Jalen Hertz is unbelievable. I think it's unbelievable. He may be the opposite of Josh Allen. Josh is big and jumping over people. If you go look at this kid in the biggest, games this year against Tennessee and Minnesota, he's given you 300 yards throwing. He's giving

you 74% completion percentage. If we're going to embrace Josh Allen's massive growth, then we've got to embrace Jalen Hertz because this kid in the biggest stages is wildly productive. He has made massive leaps in production that I didn't think were there. I never saw him as this kind of quarterback in the NFL. He has been fantastic in big spots. With that, I bring on Nick Wright co-hosts First Things First. He is joining us now live. By the way, I'll just start with that. Listen, sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong.

I am shocked by Jalen Hertz. I did not see this in the NFL. Your takeaway on what you're seeing from him. Is it okay if I still am a little skeptical? I'm going to be the last one on board. And that's not necessarily in Jalen. It's just the Eagles as the best team in football. the Eagles as a juggernaut.

I've said this before, and Eagles fans will get mad at me, but all I owe you is honesty. That playoff performance last year was so bad that I can't get it out of my mind until I see that coach and that quarterback in the playoffs again. I'm holding them to the same standard I would have held Arizona. If Arizona were 11 and 1 this year, after what I saw from them in the playoffs last year. It's fun, it's nice, it's good, I need to see you in the postseason. So I am still a little skeptical of them overall as a team. I think you can get to them through the air vertically if you have time to throw the football.

Something Tennessee obviously couldn't do in Tennessee once Trailing Berks went out doesn't have the weapons to do. But I think Philadelphia is very good. I also would not be surprised if they lose their first playoff game. But the rest of the hierarchy, I'm not going to, listen, Cincinnati, you know what's nice, Colin? after so long people trying to create a fake rival for Kansas City, now they have a real one. The Bengals have earned it. Unlike Buffalo, which was anointed by losing to the Chiefs,

the Bengals have earned it. And your guy, Joe Burrow, who I will say, you know, because you've been much higher on Cincinnati than almost anyone else. And, you know, I follow all your ventures, and I know you have a nice relationship with Joe Burrow. And I was like, is my buddy Colin getting a little polluted in his brain? I was, nope, he was right. They're really good, man.

And the Chiefs couldn't get off the field, or they couldn't get them off the field, and I give the Bengals immense credit. They've now beat him three times in a row. No one's ever come close to that. I give him massive credit. So two things I'm really interested in, and I want to talk about here, is Harbaugh. So Harbaugh's quirky, he's different. I had a disastrous interview with him once.

I apologized. You have to handle him differently. He's got a different personality. There are, in my opinion, about four colleges. jobs, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, USC, where I get to live in a really cool town and I have a massive brand and I control personnel. There's a lot of college jobs. I couldn't convince my wife to move to the town. Those are awesome places to live and big brands. So that's the second best job. If you have one of those jobs, it's the second best football job in America. The best job

is coaching. Any team with Mahomes, Josh Allen, Herbert, Burrow. Those are the best jobs. So I wouldn't leave if I was Harbaugh for like the Colts. Would you? Well, here's the counter argument. So I'm going to tell you something that you probably don't know. Six years ago, it was one of my very first times filling in for you, Colin, on this show. And I don't know why Harbaugh was a topic, but he was. It was one of his first really good years at Michigan, if I remember correctly. And I said that I thought if the question was who is my number one pick in the world to coach my football team, and you were not going to tell me was it college or pro,

I said the answer has to be Jim Harbaugh, because he did it at Stanford, got him to a top five program, then he almost won a Super Bowl San Francisco, and then he got it. Michigan back to more than respectability. And then Harbaugh obviously had some rough years. And, I mean, 13 months ago, Jim Harbaugh, lost to Michigan State, and some of his most ardent supporters were like, we're done with him. Hey, he can't do it. Since then, he's 18 and 1, and the only loss came against Georgia.

So here's what I would, so I say all that to say this. Let's say they win the title, Colin. And that would have mean he beat Ohio State, then he beat T.C. then he beat this budding dynasty in Georgia, one of the best college football start-to-finish seasons in recent memory. If he does that, if he were to go to the NFL and win a Super Bowl, does he have one of the greatest football coaching resumes of anyone in history? Yes, absolutely.

Make Stanford a contender, almost win a Super Bowl with the Niners who were more abundant with Tom Sula before he got there, go to Michigan, revive them win a title. and then if he goes and wins a Super Bowl, it's not only that his brother has won, but it's like, hold on a second. You know, our friend and colleague Jimmy Johnson obviously did it at both levels, but with just one program at each level

in a dominant fashion. So I think he's such a unique character that that challenge and that ability to say, wait, do I have overall the best and most unique coaching resume in the history of American football? If he wins this national championship this year, he'd be one checkmark away from it, so I wouldn't be shocked if you went to go pursue.

That's a really interesting take. And we know he tends to be aspirational. We know that. He likes it's part of it. He's very competitive. By the way, his brother's got a Super Bowl. Well, that's the thing. So the brother having a Super Bowl is such a unique factor in this.

And who did the brother beat to win the Super Bowl? Him. So like, he's in this weird place. where everyone is finally giving him his flowers, particularly if they're able to finish this thing off. Yet, do, like, his cousins think he's the second best coach in his own family? Maybe. I don't know. So, like, it's a weird spot to be in.

And so I think he's more likely to leave, Colin, if he wins, than if they lose. I think if they lose, he comes back almost assuredly. If he wins the whole thing, especially since Michigan kind of made him eat it and take a pay cut, not that long ago. Maybe he says, okay, did what I said I was going to do, try to go finish it off in the NFL. So I, you know, you and I both, we have, we take sides on quarterbacks. You know, I've always said with two, he's small, he's brittle, this isn't it. But when you give him a genius offensive coach and weapons, I've seen this with DAC.

Of course it can be successful. This is a dumb question. But as I watched Sunday, I was like, okay, now this left. tackles out, maybe, you know, now you've got to overcome. I watched Burrow get to a Super Bowl with an atrocious offensive line. That's overcoming. I'm watching Justin Herbert win football games. I'm not sure the coach knows what he's doing.

Like, overcoming matters to me. Do you feel like Sunday was a moment where we could all go, those of us who doubted too, it could go, see, we told you. Well, I'm going to hold off on the full victory lap. until this coming Sunday. Okay. Because it has become very in vogue on, you know, with some of our best friends, Colin,

you and me on this network, to talk about Tua versus Justin Herbert as if, oh, it's clear, Tua was the right pick. Everyone mocked the dolphins, but they got it right. No, they didn't. And I don't, it's unfathomable to me that people can't get past the quarterback wins, you know, religion that some people had.

It even infects you a bit with some of the Jimmy G commentary, which is why I am praying, speaking of religion, that Brock Purdy goes on a run, because then maybe that will finally put to rest the quarterback win stuff. But listen, both of these things can be true. I think that the extremes on the two of discussion were probably both wrong at least a bit. I said going into this year that I thought this was going to be

his last year as a starter. I clearly was wrong about this. that. Now, the only reason I said that was because his own team tried to replace him twice. Once with a 45-year-old and once with a guy who they didn't even know it was going to be suspended for the year. But I was wrong about that. The folks who are acting like he's league MVP when he's not even Dolphins team MVP, that's Tyree Kill, they also need to pump the brakes a bit. And I am concerned a bit about the cold and about the schedule. And while I don't think the Dolphins have any real risk of missing the playoffs, would it shock me if an 8 and 3 start

turned into a 10 and 7 season? No, it would not. It's given what they have coming up. And so I think that, I can have the humility to acknowledge he is better than I thought he was, but I will not join anyone in acting like him versus Herbert or him versus Burrow is a real discussion. To me, those two guys are in a totally different tier. So this one's going to be interesting. I would be, I would regret not asking you an NBA question, is that I said before the season, I said, here's what going to. You're still selling Anthony on Anthony Davis? Is that what we're talking about? He's averaging 50 a night, I think. Go ahead. Sorry. I said, but unfortunately, because of salary caps is that players do become like commodities and a little bit like chess pieces. There is a buy, low, sell high component to this stuff. Sure. And I said, watch Anthony Davis be a monster in the first half. A, this is not a championship team, and B, he will get hurt. I know that's sort of dark and macabre.

He is playing even better than I thought. But I want to ask you, because they played great against Milwaukee. You know, the veterans all played a million minutes. What would you do with Anthony Davis? Do you just sit here, ride it out, cross your fingers on his health? What do you do? Yeah, I mean, I don't think you can move on from Anthony Davis. And I think that is a basketball reason and a non-basketball reason.

The basketball reason is you can say flatly this is not a championship team and you're almost assuredly correct. However, if we are in a world where LeBron James is clearly your second to best guy and that is because, not because LeBron has fallen off a cliff, but because AD is playing the best basketball of his life and is back in the argument for one of the four. four or five best players in the world, well, we saw a flawed Lakers team win a title with that recipe except LeBron and AD's roles were flipped, and we saw it happen just two years ago. So I'm not going to give them a 0% chance to win the title. That's the basketball reason. The non-basketball reason is this.

LeBron James signed that extension with this team, and I am not reporting this, but it would be shocking to me if part of the negotiation and agreeing to sign that extension was not him going to the front office and saying you guys will make win now moves if we show

we have the ability to compete and I believe LeBron got that got that what's the word promise I guess from them or commitment from them for them to then go the other way and when LeBron is signing the extension and then trade away Anthony

Davis to start a rebuild when he's in year 20, I think would be a betrayal that the Lakers don't do a lot of things right business-wise, but at the very least, they do have a good reputation still for treating their stars well that I think is one they couldn't overcome. So if this team was going to be four and 21 and one of the worst teams in basketball, which was looking like for a bit, then everything's on the board. Because all of a sudden, they look like at the worst a play-in team and at best, a dangerous team in a up and down Western Conference. I don't think you can trade Anthony Davis. That was really good.

That was a good point. You made me think. You'll make me. You know, think about that. And I want you to think about it. Can I tell you one thing before I go? I know it's late. And we only have, you know, a few hours till the deadline.

Yeah. But if there's a, if there is a sports god, can the Niners please claim Baker Mayfield and go on a playoff run? Please. Please. Can that happen? it would just be one of the greatest moments of Colin Goward has had a 20-plus year Hall of Fame media career.

Him having on a daily basis for three hours to deal with Baker falling bass backwards into a Super Bowl ready team would be a get all the Marcones ready. So come on, Niners, make it happen. I don't even, yeah, you and J. Mack, he's all on this. You know what? It's just I'm going to, I'm not going to pick. aside. If it happens, it happens. I won't play favorites. Okay.

Okay. All right. See you, buddy. First thing's first great show after ours. That is just crazy. It's crazy world, man. You never know. Everything that happens in sports, KD to the Warriors, I was like, what? I mean, Brady to the Bucks, what? Big stuff has happening all the time and coming from nowhere. I'm surprised you're not taking credit for Anthony Davis putting on a jetpack and becoming an MVP candidate. You were ready to ship him out of town.

And now he's like, wait, don't trade me. I'm putting up 50 a game with the Lakers. I said, because he got ripped by L.A. media fans were ripping him. He was going to have a big year. But now it's just, I don't like being in situations in anything where I'm crossing my fingers. I feel like, as a Laker fan, every time he hits the floor, you're like, is he okay? Is he okay?

Every time Luca hits the floor, do you feel that way? Yonis hits the floor. I don't like finger crossing. Those guys don't have injury histories like AD. That's right. And so, you know, the past gives you a pretty good indication of what's going to happen in the future. So, you know, but the argument he made, which I think is a really strong one, the one thing the Lakers still have a great reputation of is they treat their stars right. And this is a star-driven league.

It's a very good point. I never thought of that. That is a really big component here. The Lakers treat their stars like stars. Well, they couldn't get stars for like the longest time. remember they were whiffing on every free agent. Hey, can we go back to Herd Hierarchy for five seconds? So the Tennessee Titans check in at, I believe, number nine.

I don't feel great about it. I would hope not. They've lost two games in a row, and they've looked terrible in both of them. They lost and choked at home against the bagels, and they got smashed by the Eagles by 25 points. I don't have to love everybody on the list. I know, but why would they be it? What have they done to be worthy of number? They just fired their GM today.

Because I love their coach. I love their culture. I like their toughness. And they've had, like, and this happens all the time. They've had a little speed bump. So this is basically a participation trophy. Let's just throw them in there, make them feel good about themselves. They're not good, but I need to give them a quick shout out.

I have pulled back on them every week. They were ranked higher several weeks ago. I keep pulling back. Hey, you can't be perfect every week. A couple whiffs this week. It happens. All right. It's like two a tongue by lower.

We did consider both the Packers and the Jets at 10. Both. Thank you for the consideration for five straight weeks on the Jets. You're like honorable mention all league. That's so disrespectful. You're the last guy to miss the cut. Well, by the way, I was the last guy cut from my tennis team in high school. It stung a little bit.

All my friends were on the team. I thought I was a lock. I'm better now than I was. Remember what I beat you badly a couple years back? Don't remember. Don't remember that, okay. At all, fuzzy. It happened.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeard radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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 what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 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

Brazil began its knockout stage in style with the return of star forward Neymar. The Brazilians piled it on in the first half. Venetius Jr., Ritielsen, Lucas Paqueta, and Neymar himself all scored before the break on the way to a decisive 4-1 victory over South Korea. The quarterfinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup get underway Friday with a pair of blockbuster matchups. First, Croatia takes on Namar and the unstoppable Offensive Brazil. Then the Netherlands battle, Lionel Messi and Argentina. Coverage begins at 9 Eastern

on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Brazil plays with such confidence. They play soccer like heavyweight champ boxes or Aaron Judge hits or Burrow plays quarterback. I've talked to executives in the NFL about this before is so much of a young player is confidence. Very few like Burrow walk in and feel they're great. Even the great college players come in and there's apprehension. When you watch Brazil play, they know they're the most talented soccer players in the world. They play with an absolute confidence, never bending, never, never for a second, any self-doubt. And they can do that because they are great. Yeah, they're awesome. Yeah, J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Why aren't the American players that

aggressive because we're not that great. And our players know they're not that great. Remember early Mike Tyson like in the 80s? He would walk into the ring and you would see the opponent being like, damn, I'm in trouble. That's what Brazil's like. Yesterday against South Korea was a bloodbath. Awesome. Awesome matchup. All right, let's get started

here. Baker Mayfield, released obviously by the Panthers yesterday, waiting now to see if he's claimed off waivers. We'll know in a couple hours. There's a report from Albert Rear, regular guest on the show. The Rams could be looking into adding Baker. Now, that makes sense to me because Stafford's done with the spinal bruise.

John Wolford played admirably. That last throw. Ankle injury. Some other injury. So they're down to Bryce Perkins. So maybe they add Baker. But according to Fox Bet, the Rams only have the fifth best odds to sign him at plus 750. Fox Betts odd makers believe the most likely is that he's unsigned.

49ers are second at plus 300. Well, his accuracy, which we thought out of college, that was the big sales pitch. Yeah, he's small. Yeah, he's cocky, but man, he's accurate. It was never as good as we thought, and it is regressed badly once he lost Cleveland's protection. And the Niners, for all their strengths, their old lines, their weakness. So Brock Purdy, who's got limitations, moves really well. You know, that's, that's, I don't think it's a fit. I don't.

Just hypothetically. Did Baker Mayfield say, man, is it, worth it being like going to practice. Maybe I don't, maybe I'm inactive. And I got the holidays coming up. I want to be with my friends and my family. And I don't want to sit on some bench and not play and have to practice and be out of town. And Darnel gets the job.

Yeah. And Baker's not going to be there next year. He already knows that. So maybe the coach was just like, listen, sure, you want to be released, go for it. So if he lands with the Niners great, otherwise, he gets the holidays off. He's still getting his $18 million or whatever the number is. I totally get why I get it. Absolutely.

Next up, the big news today in the NFL is the Titans fire their GM John Robinson. He's been with them since 2016. They've never had a losing season with him as GM. Titans are on a two-game losing streak, but they still made the herd hierarchy somehow. Yeah, I had to get that dig in there. Now, obviously the big stories, they've just faced A.J. Brown of the Eagles. A.J. Brown, I think if I'm remembering this correctly, he wanted big money, and the Titans are like, we're not doing that.

So they trade him to the Eagles. and, of course, he plays for the Eagles. He's putting up monster numbers. In fairness, they drafted a receiver who's had a, when he's healthy, he's very good. Traylon Burks, he's been excellent, yeah. But he's not A.J. Brown, who is putting on monster numbers. So, Colin, listen, Tennessee's first in the AFC South. I just wonder, like, what does this do internally, or does firing a GM not mean really anything?

Sometimes things seem obvious, right? Aaron Rogers to Tennessee seems incredibly obvious. Hold on again. Aaron Rogers, going from no receivers and Christian Watson to Tennessee? So, Vrabel's like a guy's guy.

Okay. So Vrable's sales pitch to Aaron, very, I mean, very alpha, very much a guy's guy played in the league as Aaron's taken the lumps this year instead of what I believe is an average coach in Matt LaFleur.

Aaron has a, not an underachieving defense in Green Bay, but a great defense in Tennessee. So Aaron gets a legit defense, a legit big time coach, an emerging star at receiver, which he has in Green Bay, and a division in which

Houston's a mess. The Jags are surging, but they're the Jags, and the Colts don't have a quarterback. So, I mean, if I'm Tennessee, I'm looking at Burroughs. I'm looking at Mahomes. I'm looking at Allen. And I got Tannihil? It's not a fair fight. So I think Tennessee is going to go, and you can say, oh, what about

what they pay him? The reality, here is Aaron's salary is going to be tough for wherever he goes. Like, everywhere he goes, it's going to be kind of tough. But again, if Tennessee can move, they have a lot of defensive pieces. It's a high functioning organization. I think Aaron is, and I think Green Bay, if they get a picker to, they now have Christian Watson's a star, Aaron Jones is a star, the offensive line is great. If you're ever going to have Jordan Love Work, this is it.

The most interesting thing you said there that I didn't really think about. So Ryan Tannihill is going to be a cap casualty. All the capologists have looked. He's going to be done in Tennessee after the future. So they will be in the market for a quarterback. They just drafted Willis, but he hasn't looked like he's remotely closed. You don't go from like first place two years in a row in the division to let's just throw Malik Willis in and see what he's got. So maybe there is some credence there.

I just don't see why the Packers would let him walk away. Well, they're not going to let him walk away. they're going to let his salary go, and they're going to get draft. Now, there'll be a dead cap hit for two years, but if you're not paying Jordan anything, it's a wash. You're not paying Jordan anything. So the bottom line is they're not, they're getting stuff for it. You're going to get a first, you may get two first, a first and a second. Look what Seattle did.

Look how great Seattle looks today with Gino Smith and all that cap space and draft hits. All you have to do is hit on draft pick. It looks like Romeo Dobbs and Christian. Watson both looked like they were hits. Did you see Denver has basically the number three pick in the draft which conveys to Seattle right now? I mean, it's bad. All right, final story, and this is just breaking in the last 15 minutes.

Portugal has announced that Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, will not start against Switzerland. Kickoff here in like 25 minutes. Ronaldo has been benched. Now, when he came off in the last match, apparently the manager was unhappy. Ronaldo was pouting. He was really ticked off and he had to come out. He can do that. Well, I don't know if he can't anymore. Listen, man, he had burned all his bridges in club soccer. Manchester United, get the hell out. Like, nobody wants to be in his business, but the Saudis are going to be paying him $200 million, rumor to come play with them.

And now, you know, Ronaldo's practicing leading up and he has a look on his face like he wants to kill someone. I think it's hard to be him. If I was that good looking, had a $200 million a year job staring me in the face, was the best soccer player in the world. how do you not have a little attitude? I think he is literally the best-looking athlete in the world. He's going to be the richest athlete in the world. He's the best in the world at what he plays. The average loser whose anonymous troll on Twitter's got an ego. This guy doesn't get one.

If I look like that and was going to make $200 million, my last contract here, I'd be a nightmare to deal with. You already are a nightmare for some people. Not me, though. Christiana Ronaldo, by the way, have you seen the guy's shirtless? This is not like... Again, he's an underwear model. I don't know how that dude gets so ripped.

Underware model, best soccer player, 200 million Saudi Arabia, best player in his country. You know these scripts write themselves. If they're down one-nothing to Switzerland, Ronald, can you go and he's going to get a goal, and it's going to be quite the celebration. I'm just saying it's easy to take shots at him, but my takeaway is, this guy is literally, he's Brady. If Brady was as good as Mahal's. LeBron stuff.

Remember the Lakers dealing with LeBron and he's a headache? This is what Ronaldo is for Portugal. This is what we've done to superstars. He is, I think, 37 years old. He has the most followers on Instagram, whatever that way. He is one of one in the world. In the history of the world. I mean, it's just like, the guy's like a model.

Fox cannot get enough of this story. Obviously, it's great. You know, Ronaldo Bench's like, oh, my gosh, the drama on social media. If Fox came up to me tomorrow and said, we're replacing you with Ronaldo, I'd be like, I get it. I hope you can talk NFL. I totally get it. I mean, I just think this guy is literally A-plus, A-plus. A plus, A plus. He's got a little bit of an ego.

A little bit of an ego? I think it comes with a territory. Messi doesn't act like this. Messy's not getting bent. Messy's not an underwear model. And not making $200 million a year next year for Saudi Arabia. I mean, that was just like adding. Now you're going to pay him that.

It's like a shit. You should just come to the MLS, take a pay cut, and then come after some Coopers out here in L.A. Okay, whatever. Jay Mack for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. This is Steve Kavino and Rich. And together we are Kavino and Rich. Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio's newest hit show. Heard weekdays from 5 to 7 Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app. Every Kvino and Rich shows available as a podcast. Just search Kovino. and Rich, wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe. I'm such a rocking dude. The show features our unique take on sports,

injected with some fun, humor, and relatability. Listen to Covino and Rich five days a week on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Covino and Rich, give me a hell, yeah. 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.

way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college 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 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. You know, one of the things that's fascinating, the media does this all the time, and it kind of drives me crazy.

and maybe it's because I started a business about 18 months ago, and it's hard. And nothing happens overnight, right? It's just, it's hard. You make a lot of decisions. You hire some work, some don't. It's hard. So in the media, we do this all the time. When a coach leaves a place, all we pay attention to is the place he goes to.

And if he doesn't rebuild it immediately, we crush him. Lincoln Riley lost to Utah. Have you looked at Oklahoma since he left? They're in the Cheez-It Bowl. Harbaugh was getting ripped at Michigan for years. Pay attention. What happened to the Niners an hour after he left? What happened to Stanford?

Two hours after he left. Josh McDaniels goes to the Raiders and gets nothing but crap from people. Have you watched the Patriots offense since he left? Matt Jones as a rookie. engineered the number six scoring offense in the league. This year, he should be better. They're like 20th. And Devante Adams is about to have more yards with Josh McDaniels

than he did in any single year with Aaron Rogers. Josh Jacobs is already having his greatest year and adding to it. Josh McDaniels, go look at what happened to the place he left. The Patriots are unwatchable. They're going to finish fourth. They're bad, and it's because their offense is embarrassing and unimaginative. We do this all the time. We watch where somebody goes and judge them harshly if they don't win immediately.

These are all small companies. I'm doing it now, except with a really small company. All these NFL teams, you're building a business. It's hard, really hard. Look how much better the Eagles are with Nick Cerell. Ariani in year two, then year one. You make mistakes. You have bad press conferences.

You make a bad draft pick. Some of your culture changing moves don't work. Like, when everybody was banging on Josh McDaniels, I'm like, I can see his fingerprints all over the Raiders. Jacobs is having an amazing year, and they don't even have a good offensive line. Devante Adams is getting the ball in his hands for more yards than he's ever going to get in Green Bay with Aaron Rogers. That is coaching in a better.

conference. The AFC is much better than the NFC. So we do this repeatedly over and over and over and over and over that we judge coaches or sometimes players, but mostly coaches. We judge them harshly only on where they land and what they're doing now. Lincoln Riley went 11 and 2. They were 4 and 8 last year. Oklahoma is now in a cheese at bowl. That's what you've got to look at, not just where you go, what happens to the place when you leave. So for all of those, the Raiders have gone from 18th in offense to 9th. And they've done it without their number two and number three targets. Hunter Renfro and Darren Waller have been out.

How do they do that? How did they get significantly better on offense without two of their three top players? I mean, I like Devonte Adams, but you can roll the coverage over. You can double team him now. There is no other target of note. So it's all you have to do is go look at New England right now and how much Mack Jones has regressed. He was complaining about this in preseason, in camp that he didn't like it.

And think about this. Buffalo is going to win the division. Miami is second. And right now the jets are better than New England. Did Belichick forget how to coach? No. Did Mac Jones forget how to play? No.

Did they lose superstar receivers? No. Look at them. Look at the offensive numbers for the TV viewers. They've all plummeted off of one reason. It's not Mac Jones. They had Jacoby Myers last year. They had Stevenson last year.

They had this O-line last year. Not just what you're doing at the new place. What happens to the old place? everywhere Harbaugh leaves disintegrates. And his first six, seven years at Michigan, he doesn't know what he's doing. Looks like Ohio State doesn't know what they're doing against him.

All right. Fired up. This World Cup has been, you know, what I love about the World Cup is it humbled us, not if you were realistic, but for the unrealistic American soccer fan. It humbled you.

You needed to be. humbled. We're not Brazil. Hour 3 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 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 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.