The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-2-Herd Hierarchy, Bears

Episode Date: September 29, 2020

Colin's new Herd HierarchyColin comments on the Bears making Nick Foles the starterGuests: Peter King, Marcedes Lewis Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Peter King's going to be joining us. Mercedes-Lewis of the Packers joined us later this hour. Brian Billick will be joining us last hour with the Super Bowl winning coach. Got a new book out for Baltimore Ravens. They looked a little off last night. Baltimore did not score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. And as Doug Gottlieb had said, it looked worse than it was. It was 20 to 10, and it felt like a complete blowout. And I posted that. I said on Twitter, I said, this is the closest blowout I've ever seen.

The very next play, they went over the top. It was 2710. It was really not a competitive football game. It could have been far worse. But, you know, again, Monday Night Football is very unique. It's the only game played. We overreact every week to it. Stephen Goskowski, week one, was a mess.

He was six for six Sunday. He's fine. The Raiders looked unbeatable. They got crushed. You just can't, you know, last night, it looks like Baltimore is terrible, and nobody's going to beat Patrick Mahomes. Yet the chiefs are only favored at home by seven over New England, a team that gets a pass rush without blitzing. And by the way, Baltimore, go look at their schedule in the next month. A lot of Ws.

A lot of blowout wins. So here we go. It's the herd hierarchy on a Tuesday 10 best team. in the league. Heard hierarchy. Time is now, let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10.

Tennessee Titans may have limitations, but they have an identity. They've won six of their last seven dating back to last year. Derek Henry, they're 15 and 0 when Derek Henry has 100 plus rushing yards. And Ryan Tannahill, what do you know? Once he left Miami and Adam Gase, he's pretty darn good. He's a top 15 quarterback if you look at the numbers since he arrived and started in Tennessee

and Steven Goskowski, as we said a moment ago, six for six last weekend, their special teams will not hurt them. Number 10. Number nine. L.A. Rams. Listen, they're next to opponents of the Giants in Washington. And they, outside of a bad call at the end,

had Buffalo beat. I am concerned that they got pushed around for the first half of the game, but the Bill's defense is excellent. they trailed 28 to 3 and we're out of it. But they have the third best offense and the third best rushing offense in the league. And this is what McVeigh is. For all the multiple sets and the movement and the passing, he's really a power running coach like Kyle Shanahan.

And they are running the football and they've got three different backs to choose from. I like the Rams. Number eight. Buffalo's one spot ahead because they beat the Rams. And the story here is Josh Allen. great job of the coaching staff. His first 15 games in the NFL, he completed 55% of his throws with a passer rating in the 60s. He is now a pro-bowl-level quarterback in his last 15 games.

He's not only 10 and 5, but his quarterback passer rating is over 100. This is a very good staff that has developed a talented young quarterback who looks like a very young Ben Rothersberger, Buffalo at 8. Number 7. Pittsburgh Steelers. Listen, this is the best front seven in football, in my opinion. You can't run on them. Best run defense in the league, and they have 15 sacks. So good luck passing.

This is a team that could give Kansas City some pushback. They don't have to bring people to get pressure on you. And their offense, which always drives me nuts, because they leave a lot on the dance floor. No turnovers last week. I still have my question sometimes about being buttoned up in big games. But this defense, veteran staff, veteran quarterback is a top seven team. Number six. Green Bay Packers, I think they're better at quarterback, not as good defensively as Pittsburgh.

They have not had a turnover this season, so they're really smart and efficient. I like the fact that Drew, Aaron Rogers completed balls to eight different receivers last week, or eight different targets. They're the highest scoring team in the NFL. Now, I'd love to see them be a little less dependent on Aaron Rogers, so that's why I have them at six. number five. And why I have Seattle at five. They feel so dependent on Russell Wilson.

They have no pass rush. It's the worst defense in the league. And I feel Green Bay is very dependent on Aaron. I think Seattle, and I like them slightly more, because I think Russell is the world's best football player. He and Mahomes is better than Aaron by an inch. But this is no pass rush, terrible pass defense. But Russell is doing stuff now.

every single player they draft that can catch a football, Russell makes work instantly. And D.K. Metcalf now has become a legitimate deep threat in this league. Number four. Baltimore. Listen, they're really, really good. I always say my top four teams feel like Super Bowl teams. But they're 0 and 3 against the Chiefs.

And they're 0.5. This worries me more. They're 0.5 when trailing by 10 plus points. that you know that doesn't you know Mahomes Russell Wilson Aaron Rogers trailing at half is not the end game I do feel like a little bit

now we're getting a narrative that they're not the same they don't call the plays the same they don't play with the same velocity when they trail now the good news is they're not going to trail much for the rest of the season and they're going to win their division probably and they're going to win at least

14 13 games so that's not a problem most weeks but it does feel like a roadblock to beat the teams above them. Number three. The Patriots, pass rush without blitzing. Right now, the Patriots are the best rushing team in the NFL and have forced the most turnovers, tied with seven.

What does that tell you? They play real fast defensively. They get you out of sorts defensively and you make mistakes, and they run the football and eat the clock. That is the way to beat good teams. We know Belichick's a great coach. I think they make a move at the trading deadline. They are a piece away.

If you gave them an OBJ or you gave them an element over the top, I don't think Kansas City wants any piece of them. That would be a really interesting matchup, Patriots at 3. Number 2. Tampa Bay, this defense is fantastic. Since the beginning of last year, it's the best rushing defense in the NFL. Can't run on them. Can't.

They're just too fast and athletic. They have four guys, Sue, JPP, Shack Barrett, Vitavilla, they get a pass rush without blitzing, and their offense is getting better every Sunday. They've held the last nine opponents to under 100 rushing yards. So when you give me a pass rush without blitzing and you can't run on them, you're in every football game. And oh, by the way, they're running game with Leonard Fernette's getting better every week. Now they're throwing to the tight ends. I think this is the team that can beat Kansas City. Number one. But they wouldn't today. They would not beat him today. Maybe at Thanksgiving,

maybe in January. They're not beating them now or February. Three words, Monday night football. That game was not even close. It was not as close as the score would tell you. If not for a Raven special teams touchdown, that thing's a blowout at halftime.

It is totally absolutely over. And the thing I like about Kansas City right now is that Andy Reid is coaching with no limitations. It doesn't even matter if they're in the red zone. They are doings. they're throwing to linemen, they're doing shuffle passes. When you can coach with absolute trust in your quarterback, leading, trailing, red zone, midfield, deep in your own territory, I think they're really special.

And I don't think anybody can beat them right now. So there we go. Kansas City won, Buccaneers 2, Patriots 3, Ravens 4, and again, inches not feet with most of those teams. Seattle Green Bay feel like the same team to me. I like them both. I just think Russell right now is playing the best football. in the world with Mahomes. Then it's Pittsburgh slightly over two teams that we saw last Sunday

be very even Buffalo in the Rams. And I will say an identity matters. Tennessee has an identity. Peter King not quite done that. We're going to do them after the break. All right, that's fair. I will say this. Did everybody see the Chicago move? So I said this before the season. when you draft a quarterback as a general manager, you never want to give up on the quarterback. You never want to give up on the quarterback. A coach doesn't care. He didn't draft him.

Coach wants to play the best quarterback. I thought it was very interesting. Nick Foles is the new bear starting quarterback. And I just want you to think about this. A general manager can put the pressure on a coach to start a quarterback that he desires. But when a game's going on and the quarterback that the coach doesn't like stinks, there's nothing the GM can do. You can pull them out and play the new guy.

I really thought this weekend it told you everything you needed to know. I think Matt Nagy is doing something that is virtually impossible in the NFL. If you don't have a great GM and a great quarterback, you can't win games. They're winning games. And they don't have the right quarterback. Maybe they do now, but not a great quarterback. And the GM, I don't think, I think he's a little over his head. Ryan Pace.

But I thought it was interesting. Foles has now been named the starter. Is that before the season, Joey, we said that Ryan Pace is going to want Trabiski to start because the bare schedule early is bad teams. And so if Trabisky wins, it validates the pick. But the minute, the minute Matt Nagy could pull the plug on him in a game, and the GM is powerless in the middle of a game, they pulled the plug. That tells you that Matt Nagy has been rolling his eyes for a year,

but sometimes general managers have powers before games and before seasons, and they have whims and wishes and they get those satisfied. But the minute they could pull Trubisky, they did and they have named officially Nick Foles the starter. Peter King is coming up next. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart 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 podcast. 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,

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Sunday on Fox is a star-studded showdown in Big D as Baker Mayfield and the Browns take on Dax, Zeke, and the Cowboys, or you may catch the Giants against the Rams. Check local listings for the game in your area or watch it on the Fox Sports app.

I really like Dallas in that game. Really, I'm giving away my blazing fire. I really like Dallas in that game. There's something about urgency in the NFL. Like watch Baltimore next week. Oh, yeah. Be great. They'll be fantastic.

There's New England after losing to Seattle comes back home against the Raiders. Well, that's one of your theories, right? A great team gets embarrassed on a national stage. This has always been my big betting thing. Find a capable team, often a good team that gets humiliated on a standalone national TV game. They always play great. Baltimore is going to roll next week. I mean, they're going to win by 40.

Watch. Peter King now joining us. Football Morning in America, his column NBC Sports. You know, it's perspective and context are in short supply after a Monday night football butt whipping. But I do think this is something, Peter. I said earlier, Mahomes feels like he's on an escalator. He's gradually moving up and ascending. And I wonder if Lamar is on one of those things you say.

see at the airport, the people movers where it's not going up, but it does get you there faster, and it is efficient, and I love getting on them. But do you worry that Lamar has a little bit of a ceiling, Peter, that we know what he is now, and we know what he's not, and he's not good playing from behind. You know, Colin, I'm not exactly sure what this means, but I think it means something. Lamar Jackson has played 27 games in his NFL career, including playoffs. He has been behind at half time of six of those games. He's lost all six. Yeah. And he's won all 21 of the other ones. Now, so that's a, that's a kind of a funny stat. Okay. But when you think about it, honestly, I think it's meaningful. And I think, but I'll tell you what I think about the game last night. He got zero help from his teammates.

Right. Do you, I mean, you know, first of all, Mark Andrews has great hands. Three seconds left in the first half, a ball right in his chest, and he drops it. The tough catch in the end zone, he misses that one. You know, how about on the first snap of the second half? First snap for the Ravens of the second half. It's a vital series. They're down 17.

You've got to get something going. your most important series of the year so far. Screen pass to Mark Ingram. And, you know, the left tackle, Stanley, just stands there and watches Anthony Hitchens, the linebacker, who was his assignment, you know, from Kansas City, blow up Mark Ingram incomplete pass. And I mean, there were so many examples of that last night where the Ravens, a lot of them, not just listen. You can say a lot to criticize Lamar Jackson. I can say a lot to criticize

about a lot of Baltimore Ravens. I think that's fair. So a game that people didn't watch, at least in mass this weekend, was Tampa Bay at Denver because we were all watching Russell against Dak, Seattle against Dallas. So I, on my second screen, I'm watching Tampa Bay. And we always forget, whenever there's a great coordinator and he gets a head coaching job and gets fired, we forget how great a coordinator he was. I watch that Tampa Bay defense. I think it's the best defense in the league. I think they get a pass rush without blitzing. You can't run on them.

They're secondaries young, but hyper athletic. And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking to myself last night watching the Chiefs. I'm thinking there's two teams in this league that have veteran quarterbacks that have defenses that can get a pass rush on Mahomes without blitzing. New England and Cam and Brady and the Buccaneers. And we're not watching the Buccaneers since the opening week, right? But I got to tell you, I make them number two in the league right now. What do you make of their progression? I like their defense, too.

I like it a lot. I think you're forgetting the Pittsburgh Steelers, who so far this year have gotten a great early season from both T.J. Watt and from Bud Dupree. And look, I'll say this. I watched a lot of that Bucks game. It's funny you say that. I had that game on my second screen in the late window. and I looked up, I didn't watch it regularly, but I watched a lot of that game.

And what was so interesting about the game is that I really thought the bucks might put up 35 or 40. So did I. But the fact is, the fact is, over the last 35 minutes of the game or so, their defense won the game for him. And nothing against Brady. You know, he played well. He threw the ball well downfield.

and I think they're, but I, you know, it's so funny with the Achilles heels right now that the New Orleans Saints are showing, you know, the NFC South is no lock at all. And I kind of like what I've seen in the last two weeks. I even liked a bunch of what I saw in the first week, really, with Tampa. It was, you know, a hellscape for them to go into one month after Tom Brady first huddled with his team, he's got to go play at New Orleans in the opening game of the season. So I think that's going to be a dogfight in that division. You know, it's interesting. I posed this question yesterday is I believe the difference between the great young coaches and the great old coaches

is half time, is that I think even very, very good young coaches are good on the script. But I think what separates Belichick and Pete Carroll and Andy Reid is their ability in 15 minutes to go into a room, make adjustments and come out. And last year, Green Bay, with Matt Lafleur and his first head coaching job, were a very good first half team. I did not like them at all after half. I didn't think they adjusted. It's funny, Peter.

They're now a great second half team. That tells me the improvement may not be Aaron. It may be as coach. Any insight on LaFleur's off season and kind of rebooting what he was doing at halftime because they look like, this is a Super Bowl-level team to me now, because they're good after half. I think that's a really interesting point. I think the big difference, though,

and again, I don't deny it. I mean, look, this guy is 17 and 4 now as an NFL head coach, and two of the four were when they were completely outclassed by San Francisco. And so to come back this year and to play as well as this team has done, there's no question you've got a lift in coaching. But the biggest thing I think that happened is Aaron Rogers did not get a mat on coming into training camp. Shouldn't he have been ticked off coming into training camp about not getting one of the really good young receivers in this draft? And I think Aaron Rogers coming in with the attitude of, hey, it is what it is.

I'm going to come in here and I'm going to try everything I can to win. because at the end of the day, that's going to be great for me too. And I think even that even not having Devante Adams fully healthy, I think what Aaron Rogers Summer did, his five weeks in training camp, with the lesser wide receivers who we criticize all the time, the Lazards, you know, the Valdez Scantlings, you know, the St. Browns, those guys, they have become good pieces. on a very good team.

You know, I want to circle back to the Kansas City Chiefs and talk Patrick Mahomes. You know, when I watch him play, I was always a huge fan of Andy Reed. And Pete Carroll, Belichick got fired too, Andy got run out. It's pretty remarkable. And I want to have some perspective here and not go crazy.

But last year, what's interesting, Mahomes was only 11th in the NFL, I think in either pass or completions. And he admitted as a quarterback. He goes, I didn't really learn to read a defense till the second half of the season. When I watched that last night, my takeaway was, oh boy, this, this, he is just, like, this isn't the top end of it. And I wonder, I mean, you can go back to the 40 years you've been covering this sport. Did you, was this Marino, was this Elway, or is Mahomes now more refined early?

than the all-time greats you've seen. Dan Marino was incredibly refined early. He was a different player, but Dan Marino walked into the NFL ready to go. I mean, you know, he was so terrific early on. He made the Super Bowl in his second year. But what I think is so interesting about Mahomes, I recorded Ryan Fitzpatrick yesterday, Colin, for my podcast.

and which is going to drop tomorrow. And one of the, I asked them, I said, why are there 16 quarterbacks in the NFL right now over 95 quarterback rating? You realize that in the year 2000, there were only five quarterbacks who were over 95. And we can criticize quarterback rating all we want. It's not the greatest stat in the world, I understand. But it says something. And the first thing that Ryan Fitzpatrick said is he goes, hey, these,

quarterbacks are coming into the league and they are so ready to play right now. They're ready to play a lot earlier than they used to be. And so let's get to Mahomes. Mahomes says I wasn't really great at reading defenses. I get that. I think that's a little bit of a self-effacing comment, quite honestly, because I think he was really good at it in his first start in the NFL in Denver in 2017. But let me just say one thing about Mahomes. Colin, I'm going to, this is going to sound idiotic, okay? And it's going to sound way too early. I thought we were watching the Michael Jordan of football last night.

I don't think it's nice. That was, that's an unbelievable performance by Patrick Mahomes against, honestly, against one of the best defenses in the league easily, a defense that had smothered two teams. And I just was extremely impressed with Mahomes. And I think imagine how much better he's going to be with Andy Reid. He's really something. I remember sitting on a couch in Las Vegas, Michael Jordan was playing Charles Barkley in the finals.

And I turned to who I was with. And I said, you know, there's 70 guys in the league that are six, six and look like Michael. Why is it so easy for him? The league's all six six. There's a few centers and a few point guards. And I'm watching Mahomes last night. And to your point, Peter, it's the first time ever with any quarterback that down and distance doesn't matter.

I don't even think about it. Third and 12 is third and four. It doesn't mean anything. Even Russell Wilson, I'm like, third and 11, that off, that's not, that's a tough get. I don't think you're nuts. I'm going to tell you how baseball has really helped him. Everybody talks about, you know, all these various things in baseball. But here's how baseball helps them.

Okay. If you're a shortstop, if you're a middle infielder in baseball, you have to throw from three or four different arm slots every single game. Okay, you've got to throw sidearm, you've got to throw three quarters. You've got to throw overhand. And last night, Patrick Mahomes made two or three completions, throwing it bizarre. bizarre arm angles, including the underhand touchdown pass. Yeah.

How many underhand touchdown passes have their bid? Yeah. And all I'm saying, all I'm saying is that he does things, and I love Russell Wilson. Patrick Holmes does things that even Russell Wilson doesn't do. No, totally agree. And I love him too. Peter King, Football Morning in America, NBC, great seeing you, Peter. Thank you so much.

Thanks, Colin. You bet Mercedes-Louis of the Packers will go inside that team coming up. Time to upgrade your wiper blades only available at Walmart. Michelin Endurance XT silicone wiper blades built real world tough. Two times longer, they'll last than every other blade. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Carson Wince's rocky start to the 2020 season has made him a target of a lot of criticism, rightfully so. But Doug Peterson said he's not going to bench him after three games. No, no, you don't go there. That's a knee-jerk reaction. That's a reaction. to the aura that's out there, right?

That's not what we believe internally, and we're going to continue to get better. Carson's our quarterback. We're going to get it fixed. He's going to get it fixed, and we've got a long... Listen, we're only a half game out of first place, for goodness sake. The whole division right now is not playing very good football, so we're not that far off.

Totally agree. It's insanity. You know, listen, I will say this in defensive fans who say, replace them. We are living in an age where these young quarterbacks come in, like Joe Burrell, I watched them again this week, and I'm like Burrell looks like he's been in the league 10 years. I mean, get some backbone.

Please. What are you talking about? Carson Wentz was in the MVP conversation two years ago. And he was great in December last year. Carried his team to a playoff. Carried them with practice squad receivers. Yeah. Three games into the season,

you want to bench him? Well, this is America. Oh. Debates. This is what we do. We got a national one tonight. We debate. It's a country. of, you know, debaters. I mean, say things that are rational before we can have a conversation. This is ridiculous. There'll be things that tonight that are not rational. I'm sure of it.

This really does bother me, though, because, look, there comes a point where it's very obvious, right? Like, okay, the guy's done Trubisky. Yeah, like, he can't make certain throws. And I didn't even really love the Trubisky thing, because even though we all knew that was going to happen, I mean, like, just make a decision and stick with it, right? So I don't even know if that's a good, example. But Carson Wentz, all

we can ever talk about is how great Carson Wentz is. Three games into the season, now you want to bench him for Jalen Hertz? He's also lost an offensive lineman and their wide receivers shocked her in Philadelphia are hurt once again. So it's not like he does. They're half a game out of first place. I know. It's not like he has Dallas receivers or RAM receivers or Kansas City weapons either. I mean, guys, you got to get together. Settled down. It's really, I don't know.

Like, there's certain criticism. Then I'm like, okay, that's fair. And look, I mean, we're very hard on quarterbacks as we should be because when they're great, they get all the praise. So when they're not, they should get as much criticism. But if you're Carson Wentz, you have to hear that and be like, give me a break. Is this a joke? Yeah. I don't know. It's, it's disturbing.

Joe Burrow has been stacked 14 times already, which is the most of any quarterback in the league. And I mean hit hard. Yes. Pair that with a winless season and he's having a rough start with the Bengals. Even though he's showing a lot of promise, he is running around a lot back there. And Bengals receiver, Tyler Boyd, says the rest of the team needs to step up and help their rookie quarterback finally get some wins. It hurts me because I know how much Joe wants to win. I know how much he dedicate himself to this game and the pressure that he has, you know, coming on to this team.

Just to see him take those hits and for him to go down and for him to get injured, you know, it hurts. It makes me want to want to fight whoever done anything to him. You know, so, I mean, like I said, we've got to figure a way to protect him and we've got to figure a way to make tough catches on our end as well. He has definitely won over the locker room. And let me say this. There's a couple of things I like about Cincinnati. Burrell's really good. I think they have really interesting young wide receivers,

and they have a couple defensive linemen. So all is not lost. I mean, the good news is Burrow has some really good young targets. Cincinnati can move the ball. And he's looked good. Oh, God. I think this isn't really a shocking outcome. We knew that he was going to be running around back there.

Yeah, and it's as bad as we thought. What we're hoping is that it doesn't turn into an Andrew Luck situation. Right. That's exactly what it looks like. And Andrew Luck was a much thicker physical presence. You just don't want your quarterback getting hit that much. Sean Watson's been sacked 13 times. We know where that leads.

And Carson Wentz and Jeff Driscoll are tied with 11. And if you look at the outcome, those team seasons so far, it pretty much reflects that. Yeah, when the quarterback gets hit in the face all the time, he's not as good. It's amazing. He also had to sit out for a play Sunday after taking an illegal hit from Malik Jackson, which was a really rough hit. But he's looked good. It's just like, what do you expect from your quarterback?

I mean, I think he, I watched Sunday's game. I thought he looked great. For a rookie, I thought he looked great. And there's not much more you can ask for when you have no protection. So Andre Aguadalla went head to head with LeBron James in four straight NBA finals when they were with the Warriors and the Cavs. And now as a member of the Heat, he knows how difficult it will be to stop LeBron. He said, you just have to go, you just got to have that will that understand that you're

guarding the top talent ever. He's going to make you pay when you make mistakes. You just try to play mistake-free basketball, put him in vulnerable situations where you feel like you got the advantage, whether it's a shot or a pass or where he is defensively. Good luck. It's not worked for 17 years. Well, Iguadolla did do a good job on him before, but that was several years ago. LeBron is looking for his fourth NBA title in his 17th season, this 10th trip to the NBA finals. I thought he had weaknesses halfway through his career. The Dallas series in the finals, I thought, oh, his low post game, he doesn't have any confidence.

I don't see weaknesses anymore. I did think halfway through his career, he had needed to develop eight feet in, back to the basket, something. LeBron is not going to be the key to the finals. Like, we know exactly what LeBron is going to bring in the NBA final. Can anybody... It's going to be the rest of his supporting cats. KCP, be nice.

If KCP had a couple of games, dropped 18, can Kuzma hit some big corner jumpers, doesn't they have a shot? I'm no longer doubting the heat. Yeah. I don't think there's a reason to do that at this point. took down the bucks. They're in the NBA finals.

They deserve to be there. So we know what the heat are. They're a collective team. I don't even know who I like. I don't know who I like yet. I think I like LeBron. I think I like LeBron. Well, I mean, obviously I like the heat.

But I look, like I'm saying, we know what LeBron is going to bring. We know what he's capable of. We've seen how he's playing in his 17th season. I'll predict lower scoring games. It'll be a defensive finals. As much as NBA could be a defensive finals. You have very good defense, very good defensive coaches. Yeah.

It's going to be fun. A lot of length. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. Let's go inside the Packers huddle and locker room with Mercedes-Lewis. Former UCLA Bruin now with the Packers.

He'll join us live next. 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. 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. Yep, that's me.

Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, 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 a 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 picket here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you're going to be. Literally, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me. your host and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Geico offering an extra 15% credit and car motorcycle RV policy. He's got to switch by October 7th.

Geico.com. Mercedes-Luels, 15 years in the NFL, a decade and a half. Nice landing spot, though, with Aaron Rogers in Green Bay, and he is now joining us live from the facility. He's tested every day, and he's ready to go. So I said last year, Mercedes, I said I thought Green Bay was a very good first-half team. But they had a rookie coach.

I didn't think it was a team that adjusted well at half. This year, I think you're a good. a great second half team. So it feels like the improvement when I watch the Packers, all the guys that can play can still play. But for some reason, you are a much better team after half. Why? Explain that to me.

What's happening at half? I just think that, you know, obviously it been in the floor second year and then Aaron's second year with him. I just think that, you know, I'm familiarity with the offense is just a little better now. So, you know, when it comes to making adjustments throughout the game and then going in at halftime and coming back out, you know, Aaron knows exactly what's going on before the coach even gets to him and has his own corrections and adjustments that he wants to make too. So it just becomes an easier process once we get back out there. Did you realize that very early? Did you sense last year sometimes it wasn't quite as smooth as it needed to be at half?

I don't think it was a glaring situation because we were sure. still doing so well as far as, you know, how many games we won last year and, you know, being able to win a lot of close games. But I just think that, you know, with the parity in this league being so good, the margin for error is super small. And I just feel like, you know, we may have closed that gap this year. You know, it's interesting. Devante Adams is a remarkable player. He's had a couple of injuries. Sunday, he's out. You still were very pro-lawful. offensively. How does the offense change when Devonte Adams is out? Yeah, well, obviously, Devonte Adams, being as dynamic as he is,

you know, what he does. I just think, you know, in the NFL, you know how it is, just the next man up. He does a great job with that receiver room, with being the leader, even though he's not in there. He's helping those guys prepare. Aaron Rogers expects you to, you know, if you're out there, you know, your expect to make plays and lead the way. And I think, you know, Devonthe did a great job of, you know, when he's not in the game, just being on the sideline, making sure those guys were prepared and ready to go.

Mercedes-Lewis, 15 years in the league. Last year, Green Bay was a good team. But I had said, I watched the Philadelphia game, the Charger game, and the San Francisco game in the regular season. And my knock on the Packers was last year, they're not physical enough at the point of attack. They feel too finesse. So the team goes out in drafts a blocking tight end, a power running back, three interior offensive linemen.

Have you noticed this team? Does it feel like a more physically capable team at point of attack this year? I think we're more physical at the point of attack, but I think it's more of a mindset in general. You know, you could be a tight end as 240 pounds, but if you got the mindset to go hit somebody in the mouth, then it's not going to matter if you're 265 pounds or $2,30. 35 pounds. It's all a mindset and I think, you know, with this abbreviated camp that we had in this, you know, weird situation that we were in, that was the focus of being more physical, being tougher at the point of contact and understanding that we're not going to go anywhere

that the line doesn't take us. And whether that's the defense line or the offensive line, it all starts there. You know, some people speculated, you know, they draft Jordan Love just to kind of motivate Aaron Rogers. Do you see it? Do you buy into that? I mean, it sounds good, but when you've got a guy that's won MVP's won a Super Bowl, you know, there's no, you don't need motivation to be that guy. At the end of the day, you're in control of your own process and can't nobody slow it down and speed it up.

But you, A-Rod understands that. He's doing such a remarkable job to start this year, and that's the reason why he's our leader. There are only three players left from your draft class in the NFL. Well, Andrew Whitworth is one of those guys left. Jonathan Jotha is one of those guys left. 15 years in the league. This has been a very unique year with COVID, with no preseason.

Could I make the argument that this has actually benefited you? You didn't have preseason. You can't have as many practices and that you're probably as fresh as you've been in years. Yeah, I mean, it definitely benefited the vets because, I mean, preseason we really don't. we don't like preseason. I mean, you're going out there with the same intent, taking the same risk, but not getting compensated the same.

So obviously, that's always a little different because you're not sure what guys are going full speed and what guys aren't, and then that's how you get hurt. And so the fact that we had an abbreviated camp and we weren't here for the off-season stuff, and we actually got to stay home and work out and just try to gauge where you want to be coming in the camp, you know, it definitely helped me out a lot.

And, you know, it's definitely a blessing things. Work out how they will and, you know, praying that everybody stays safe. And we continue to keep this thing rolling. By the way, you got a pretty good quarterback. Do you watch Patrick Mahomes last night? Yeah, he's something else, man. The jump pass, rollout, rolling out, rolling out. to the left, throw it back to the right.

Like, that's ridiculous. Well, the good news is you got a quarterback that can do about 99% of that stuff. It must be nice. Aaron Rogers must be nice. The ball's always right there in practice, isn't it? Just nice, easy throw, right? Right in the bread basket. You don't really got to do too much to catch one of the A-Ride passes, man.

He's from no looks to rolling all the way out to the left and throwing it to the right, but it looks like he's throwing in the middle of the field. I mean, he's just different, man. Generation of talent, definitely a blessing for me to be here and just enjoying this time and sharing this stage with him. Yeah, and he loves having you, a veteran who gets the Playbook fast, teaming up with the Ready Games for an exclusive competitive mobile game competition launching today. We got about a minute and a half left. What are the Ready Games? So the Ready Games, I teamed up with the Ready Games to come out with an app. and it's basically to raise money for my foundation,

but also continue to raise awareness for the Black Lives Matters. So really it starts out with me on the field. I'm in my football uniform. We're on the field, dodging different obstacles, collecting coins. And at the end, whoever has the highest points, Ready Games is going to donate $25,000 to my foundation and whoever has the highest points.

They'll get a FaceTime call with me or sign memorabilia. So Ready Games, the ready games, look it up, swipe up. It's ready to go now. I love seeing you, man. Love having you come on the show. You're a good dude. Appreciate it. 15 years in the NFL and still make him plays. Good seeing you, Mercedes. Thank you. You bet. I appreciate it. Thank you. You bet. He was a great tied end out of UCLA. And by the way, you want to know why he lasted and Tony Gonzalez lasted? Because they'll block. It's why Gronk lasts. That's why Gronk's still around. That's why he's in the league for 15 years. And that's why Tony Gonzalez is in the league for 15 years.

If you'll block, it's always like basketball. If you're willing to rebound, it's hard to get you off the floor. If you're willing to block as a tight end, a lot of guys don't want to block. A lot of basketball players play tight end. No interest. You block, you stay in the game because you help the pass game and the run game and protect the quarterback. When it comes to reaching health goals, it's about changing the mindset and habits. It's about Noam.

Get a free trial today. Go to N-O-O-M.com slash heard. N-O-O-M-com slash heard. By the way, I have my quarterback tiers. I've made some changes. Remember I did the Tier 1, tier through? Yep. Tier 2.

There was the oh my God guys. And then there was the special guys. And so I'm making several changes. I'm making more. So the last two Monday nights, I've watched Monday night football, and I've made changes. So we got more changes on my quarterback tier 1. This was the first one. Wilson Mahomes, Jackson, Rogers, Breeze, Brady, Big Ben, Watson,

Wentz. The second one, as you know, I got rid of Breece. He stunk, and I elevated Derek Carr because he was so good on Monday Night Football. Yes. And here's my next change. Carson Wentz is out of there. Aaron's in the top group, and Lamar now goes to the special group. Of one game? Well, you've got to make changes. So it's Mahalms, Russell, and Aaron. Lamar, Brady, Ben Watson, Derek Carr.

You can't live in the past, Joy. You got to make changes. That's true. Don't live in the rear of the mirror. That's right. So maybe Lamar can get back there if you can win two more games this year. I think next week again, Washington, against Washington's a good start. I just became a fan. Howard three, we'll have in LA next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 home. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you not to be played with, And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed human.