The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - Jim Harbaugh

Episode Date: October 4, 2023

Joel Klatt joins the show in studio to shine some light on the friction between Jim Harbaugh and Michigan athletic department  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer,

Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Live hour number two in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.

Joel Clatt in a couple of minutes stops by. Big college football weekend. Ohio State upset alert. Michigan best team in the country. Nobody in Ohio wants to hear that USC vulnerable Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma battle this weekend. Last year, Texas won that puppy. That 49-0-0. It's just a mess. So I was thinking about this. J-Mac joining us, of course. I said, is one of my lead stories today,

that everybody talks about players in the NBA losing empowerment when Dame didn't go to Miami. And my takeaway is of all the players that got moved in the last two weeks, the best one was Yannis, and he got his way. He got Dave. So player empowerment's alive and well. If you have four different stars, and one of them, happens to be Janice or Yokic, you know, those guys are going to get their way.

Kevin Durant wanted out of Brooklyn. He got his way. That's the way the league works. Dame is not a top six player in the NBA. If Steph Curry had a demand, he would get his way. And so when you're in your prime or still highly productive. So here, by the way, so Yonnas, you know, he basically told the box is, get me a star, I'm out. Well, what do you know? They got him Dame Lillard. They didn't want to give up a draft pick and two swaps. They didn't want to give up Drew Holiday. They didn't want to give up Grace and Allen off the bench because they're an old team.

They needed youth. Here was Janice this week on his upcoming extension. Because money is not important. A lot of money is important. So I'm going to sign it next year. But no, I didn't say again. It doesn't make sense. It does not make sense for me to sign it right now.

I want to be in Milwaukee back for the rest of my career as long as we are winning. It's simple as that. What do you expect him to say? To be the Milwaukee back and be a loser. The commitment for me for the team, it's there. But this year, it did not make sense. Yeah, so now they got Damon makes sense.

So he said, I'm going to start my extension now. I did my power rankings. And one of the things I hear is, well, Milwaukee gave up a lot of bench help. Do the Nuggets have a great bench? Last year, their bench scoring was, I think, 15th, 18th. Do the sons have a great bench? Well, they added Grayson Allen. It's better.

Well, the Celtics gave up. Malcolm Brogden. He's good off the bench. Marcus Smart, Robert Williams. Those are guys that, you know, were not always in late-in games. So the Celtics are a little thin. Milwaukee doesn't have a bench in their old.

Who's the Lakers bench? Jared Vanderbilt. Show me the great benches in the top five in the NBA. Phoenix moved DeAndre Aiton, picked up some draft picks, and got a little better bench. but you can argue they're totally three-player reliant now, and Boston's going to be Jason Tatum, Drew Holiday,

overly, and Jalen Brown, drew, Reliant. You're not winning on benches in this league. Like Miami was a great story last year. The Miami Heat were an outlier. Weren't they the eighth seed or the seventh seed in the east? They shocked everybody. In the end, I thought Miami had some really interesting bench players. They didn't have enough star power.

Jimmy Butler wears down. He's a great playoff player. Bamadabai who can't do it himself. And in the end, they didn't have enough bench player. They didn't have enough star power, excuse me, to get Dame. Where Milwaukee had more to give. So this whole thing about bench scoring and depth, it just doesn't matter. Maybe it matters in football in the offensive line.

But the reason we like the 49ers, you tell me they're backup linebackers. Who's the backup quarterback to USC? Okay, you don't know that either. Yeah, that's funny. Like produce? How do you like that mavils? I'm right on that, you know? All this bench stuff.

By the way, movie studios. Who are you paying the money to do? Mission Impossible. I can't tell you anybody else in the movie. Cruz is in it. The bench scoring stuff is like nonsense. Phoenix last year, you know why they added Bradley Beale? Because Kevin Durant can be hurt.

So Booker, on nights that Durant's outs, got another star. They went and got another star. Milwaukee got another star. Think about bench. And with that, a guy that's never on our bench, Joel Clatt, Fox Sports. Oh, man. This is a, by the way, speaking of star power. No?

So there's a lot, it's an interesting weekend. Okay, let's go. Let's have it. It isn't, I mean, every weekend is interesting. It was last year I'm sitting on the couch in my very regular neighborhood. Palatial. No. I thought that you were about to say palatial.

No. Wait, which house? Secluded Grotto. So anyway, I'm watching Maryland play and it's Tua's brother. And I'm sitting there. It was early last year and I'm like, oh, that dude can play. Yeah. And so they are now undefeated.

They're facing Ohio State who's been in some big emotional games. Yep. I think Ohio State should completely be on upset alert. I mean, that's interesting because. Maryland does throw the ball really well. Talia is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, if not the country, and just no one talks about him. That's right. I didn't know. I didn't honestly know.

I didn't even know the story until last year I'm on my couch, and I'm like, this kid's good. Yeah, that's right. And he's also, he's comfortable there with Coach Loxley. Their relationship goes all the way back to the Bama days. Remember Talia originally it was kind of a Bama recruit, and Loxley was at Bama. now their offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis, also had time at Bama. And it's a little bit of a band-back-together type of deal. Can they compete here?

Yes, they can. Now, they have traditionally, and this is obvious, been better against Ohio State when they're at home and not as good in the shoe. But this team can throw the ball. And this is one of the areas where I would say there's a question about Ohio State. They have been good defensively up to this point, in particular when you're talking about not giving up the big play. They have yet to give up a play of over 40 yards. And last year's Michigan and Georgia game alone, those two, they give up eight plays of 40 yards.

So they're getting better in that area, which was a big area of need. But they haven't been stressed, in particular with a great passing game that can be explosive. Talia is thrown for over 300 yards per game. He doesn't turn it over. They throw for a lot of touchdowns. So this is a game where you're going to really see, is Ohio State better on defense? Do they have a defense that can go and compete with a Penn State or a Michigan or even in the playoff and win? Because that's really where they needed to, I would say, get better from a year ago. Okay, Texas, Oklahoma match.

Man, I like this game. You do. So, listen. You don't? Well, I think Texas is going to win. I think Oklahoma's played Cupcake City. So I think this weekend is a... OU fans.

No, no, I mean, look at the schedule. By the way, they got Panera bread in two weeks. Roast beef tech. Oklahoma's played nobody. Alabama's gone on the road. Bama, they are tested. Okay, Texas is tested. And listen, Michigan hasn't played anybody. Georgia hasn't played anybody. If you're talking about the standards that now you're viewing Oklahoma. Here's what I would say about this game. I believe Texas is rooted more in substance this year than they have been in previous years. Oh, for a long time. They are not a team that is going to play down to the level of their competition. And this is not a game that you would worry about that anyways, right?

This is the height of motivation for each program. Last year, Texas won 49-0-0. Dylan Gabriel for OU did not play in that game. Now, while that can make you feel better if you're an OU fan, the problem is Dylan Gabriel's not worth 49 points. And this Texas team is a lot better than what they were a year ago. And they're older and more seasoned in key spots. I would say at the line of scrimmage, they're real.

Let's go back to the Bama game for an example. Why is Texas so much different this year? They walked onto the field with their offense with seven minutes to play up 10, I think, in that game, didn't leave the field, and didn't throw a pass. They ran nine run plays, including the kneel downs, and ran out the clock on Alabama, on the road. They're real at the line of scrimmage. Jonathan Brooks is a really good player. And by the way, they just found their running back.

They also had two sacks in the fourth quarter. order to close the game out, rushing only four, no blitz. Seven and past defense, rushing only four, get to Jalen Milrow. So you're on the road. You've got to close out Alabama, right? This is going to be the biggest win in your program's history in the last decade, because even the win against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl was kind of just a bowl game, right? Like this is, this is the most important game. And what do they do? They were more rooted in substance. They rushed the passer with four and got to him in the fourth quarter, and they could step on the field in the last seven minutes with their offense and not have to throw a pass. That's why Texas

is different. You've still got Uers and all the flash of Xavier Worthy and all these other guys, but they're more rooted in substance, which makes me believe that this version of Texas is the best version of Texas that we've seen since 2008, five. I know this. I think I have the better coach, the offensive coach, the better quarterback, and the better offensive line, and now they've founder running back. I feel like Texas controls the line of scrimmage. They do. And they're better at the line of scrimmage than Oklahoma is. Oklahoma, I don't know what they have on the offensive line. I don't think we know it a lot with Oklahoma. I will tell you this. OU has great skill on the outside. I really love, they've got tall, big wide receivers. Nick Anderson,

Andrew Anthony, a transfer from Michigan. They always have good receivers. The problem is, is that Dylan Gabriel is not really a deep ball thrower. And that that's kind of what they have from a personnel standpoint. And he's more of a point guard, a short area, quick decision type of a guy. I like Texas in this game. So I'm watching USC Colorado last weekend. I did not turn it off. Loyal to the very end.

Better boy. And Shadoor Sanders, who's amazing, had a good second half. That's all in the back of the end zone was filthy. Yeah, it was terrific. But I actually, I had said, coaches can't solve their issues. even with the transfer portal in a year, give Lincoln another year, and the defense will be fine.

It's not. It's the same. They can't tackle. And in the end, I think one of the hardest things it is to do on a college coaching staff because you recruit together with the car together.

In the NFL guys go their separate way, you've got family. College coaches and staffs can be young. You're often as a star coach bringing up young grad assistants who become position coaches. It's a very close-knit group. You often, as a college coach,

leave. with you. Sure. The Alex Grinch thing's not working. It's not working, and I know they're friends, but now they've got real NFL players in that front seven, and I'm watching their tackling. I think it's getting worse. There's huge gaps in this secondary. The secondary is the issue. I believe that the front seven is decent, even though Colorado ran it fairly well against them. Here's what I'll say. When you struggle or, maybe not even struggle, when you don't, I mean, yes, they don't cover well in the, in the back end. They don't tackle well at the corner position, and they give up way too many big plays because of it.

But if you're just looking at a philosophy, I've talked with a lot of coaches. When you're not playing up to the standard, you believe you think you should be playing. It's like SC's got seven guys on the field. Well, maybe they did. It's three things, Colin. Three things.

It's either coaching, scheme, or personnel. You have to evaluate with clear eyes those three areas, and be honest with yourself about what the issues are. Now, if we're honest with ourselves, the defensive performance right now for USC is exactly the same defensive performance that we've had under Lincoln Riley dating back all the way to his OU days.

There's no dispute. The numbers are staggeringly similar. Yes. Staggeringly similar. So you've got to look at coaching and schematics. Maybe you look at the coaching staff. Maybe you have to look at the scheme. The scheme up front for them has to change their,

two, they've got too many players that are dominant players to be moving as much as they do up front. They've stopped doing that a little bit, but they need to stop doing that even more and allow those guys to really play, guys like Mason Cobb and Bear Alexander. Cobb's good. Now you've got to look at also, and this is, this is the point that no one wants to bring up. They were up 41.14 in the third quarter of that game. They had 20 snaps on offense with the game clock moving. On average, in the second half, I'm saying, 20 snaps. The average number on the play clock during those 20 snaps was 14. They're not eating time. They're not eating time. There's a disconnect between the philosophy to go and win and close out a game

and the philosophy of score now numbers. And I'm not suggesting that Lincoln's got a totally disregard his offensive system, but I am saying that you can buy a lot of time. Let's just say that you took 10 more seconds off on every one of those plays. You burned four minutes off the game. That's exactly right. You're, you are removing 10, 15, 18 plays from the opposition in a half if you just manage the game clock better and the play clock better. And that can be done. What? You can still have the element of tempo and surprise. You can still have the element of getting vanilla looks on defense by holding in a huddle, then rushing to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball. You don't have to give them the formation. This whole notion that you

can't huddle and you have to go fast, Lincoln Riley is one of the best offensive coaches in America. Hands down. If I had one or two guys to pick, like he's going to call my offensive game plan. I got one game. I got to win it for my life is on the line. Lincoln's in that conversation. And he might be the guy, because I think he's brilliant. But the philosophy in the second half of the 41-14 lead has got to change. You've got to take some more time off the clock so that you don't have to recover an on-side kick at the end in order to win.

Let's look at your top 10. I actually agree with it. Wow. No, I'm down the line. I move Georgia down. I think Michigan is the best team in the country. I think Texas is too. I think they're going to control Oklahoma.

I think Georgia, you know, their tight ends when maybe the best college tied-in. I love their tight-in. He may be the best college tight end I've ever seen. Yeah, Brock Bowers is unbelievable. I really like him. Can I give you a quick stab on Georgia and why that's like, hey, there's some caution lights. If there's like a check engine light on the dashboard for Georgia, it's flashing. It's flashing.

Georgia in the last four seasons before this year, last four seasons, they were in the top three in all of college football in defensive yards per carry allowed. They were dominant up front, weren't they? Yes. All those guys are playing for the Eagles. Guess what they are this year? 67th. They're down a full yard and yards per carry on offense.

They are not themselves at the line of scrimmage, which means they're going to continue to be in close games throughout the year. Yeah. I would, I think I really like Penn State. I think Penn State's really interesting. I think they're dangerous. That quarterback is really good. Their defense is good.

I don't know exactly what Lou Holt said. It's getting everybody worked up. I don't love Ohio State. I'd put Penn State above Ohio State. Okay. Florida State will see. I think Washington's good. You know, everybody's sleeping on Oregon because USC and Washington's offenses are so great.

That's right. Bo Nix is going in the first round, folks. And by the way, Franklin, that Tony Franklin kid? He's a good player. Yeah. Bucky Irving. By the way, Oregon is the middle child of the PAC 12. No one talks about them.

And yet they're probably the more balanced, more sound team than either Washington or USC. Go ask Colorado about moving. the ball on Oregon. It's very difficult. In particular, last week, Arizona played a one possession game with Washington. It's kind of a blueprint. How do you slow down Washington? Remove possessions from the game. They didn't allow them

the big plays. They removed snaps. By the way, for the record, Harbaugh's fascinating because he's done everything at Michigan. He's gotten them into the playoffs. He now dominates Ohio State. He's done great in recruiting. He's got one thing left. Win the Natty. I am interested

so we know they're good. just take me inside how, you know, Michigan State's now a mess. Ohio State is behind Michigan. So like he's checked every single box. Yeah, he has. It's just a nattie. And this is the year because Georgia and Bama are down. That's the thing.

So here's my thing. Just throw it out there. I'll throw it out there. Let's say he wins the nattie. I'm rooting for him. I think it's great. I love both him and Sark. I think it would be great.

And I do think they're the best team. Their quarterback's playing. Excellent. He really good plays. Finally got an NFL dude where he goes in the draft. Who knows? does he stay and here's a while

I'll throw it out at you aspirational men may not be grudge holders usually are but they never forget and they made him take a pay cut and they pushed back a couple times if he wins the natty

you don't think he'd get chargers move on you don't think he's getting a phone call the thing is is that every NFL opening I think he's going to be in the top three names on the I would hope. Yeah.

I don't know if Chicago got Caleb Williams. Yeah, exactly. And who knows if Caleb would go there? His personality, what do you think? His father lives right next to him. So the grandkids, there's a lot of family stuff here that works. I hope he doesn't leave because I love him in college football. A lot.

Okay? And so, like, I don't think that just a simple answer will do. Number one is, he is a very competitive person. Very. And he has succeeded everywhere he's been, including the NFL. Including the NFL, obviously. Look at what San Francisco was when he was there. You know, three straight NFC championship games, a loss late in a Super Bowl.

And that's the element of like, as a competitive guy, do you think of the back of his mind? He thinks to himself like, man, we were that close to winning a Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick as a quarterback. And I wonder if the competitive juices would get him to go. Now, I don't want to see him leave college football because I don't know. I don't either. No, I think, listen, the NFL doesn't need him. That's right. That's right.

This is great. Him against USC, him against UCLA. God, I can't wait to watch that. The dynamic with him and his leadership at Michigan is interesting. I don't like that word. I believe that there is some tension. And it's the reason why the president had to jump in and do the new contract. I don't like that at all.

You can find another AD. There's another accountant somewhere in the Midwest. I'm sorry. I'm not getting rid of the president, and I'm not getting rid of hardball. Nothing against ADs, but I can make a few phone calls. I just know that there's some tension. And by the way, it has seeped into this self-imposed suspension to the beginning of this year. Please explain.

Well, he had a self-imposed suspension. Right. Michigan suspended him. Do you think he wanted to do that? Of course not. That's why his players had a free Harbaugh shirt on. Okay. They're not taking a shot at the NCAA.

Think about that. Just read between the lines. Help wanted Ann Arbor. Let's put it on LinkedIn today. Listen, you can't move. This guy has done everything for this program. I don't disagree. I think Michigan, I don't know what the numbers say.

Outside of like Colorado and Dion, to me, Michigan is the watch in college football. Caleb, Michigan, and Dean. That's the watch. I mean, Ohio State has something to say about that. Everyone watches Ohio State games. It's fascinating. You bring up the Dion phenomenon.

Everyone's like, stop talking about Dion. Every game Colorado has played this year, every single game that they've played, breaks the Pac-12 record for television audience. So years ago, everyone that they've played. Years ago, when Tiger Woods was becoming a star and he'd won his juniors in Portland, and at this time I was golfing a lot,

but I'm one handicap, no reason to talk about it. But a little bit of a slice off the tea. But the point being... You never bet a one that has a slice. Maybe a fade or a cut. Okay. So I would go out golfing, and as America's honesty broker in Portland,

people would come up and they would always be going, all you do is talk about Tiger! And I'm like, yeah, because the rest of the dudes in bad slacks ain't moving them either. So my argument was Tiger wasn't over-marketed. he was appropriately marketed. There's a lot of stuff at Fox we promote. Dion's not over-promoted.

He's appropriately. When you break records, you're not over-promoted or over-marketed. I think it would be, I mean, I thought when we were doing the TCU-D-on thing, I'm like, this is a little over the top, it's going to be a blowout. And then I saw the numbers, and I'm like, shame on Fox for not promoting enough. I was like, that is the numbers beat Texas, Bama. Yes, yes. What is going on?

It's wild. There is a bit of a tiger phenomenon in that I believe that he is not just aggregating the existing college football market. He is aggregating a different sector of sport fan that is now interested in not only Colorado, but college football, which is great for the sport. You want to talk about guys like Jim Harbaugh and guys like Dion Sanders. They are unbelievable for the sport writ large of college football. And this is why I actually bristle at some of these coaches that are like, I don't like Jim. like Dion. Why? They're great for you. It's like when Phil Mickelson is like, hey, I love Tiger. Of course. There's nobody that's made me more money in my life than Tiger works.

Marco Mira always got that. The smart guys on the tour were like, yeah, the purses of doubled. Tripled. Quadruple. Of course Tiger was great for golf. Yes. By the way, I got to take a break here. One handicap. That's impressive. Well, it's not on record. I never kept score. I see. It was an estimation from America's honesty broker. We didn't have drones to track it at the time, but nonetheless, many people in the industry were taking note. Pre-shot-link data. By the way, one minute left. Go ahead, 30 seconds.

Okay. If Caleb tells the Bears, I'm not coming. Does it bother you? No. Boom. No, not at all. They haven't proven they can develop a quarterback. There's only nine, maybe 10 organizations in the NFL that are top-to-bottle built to go win a championship.

He wants to go to one of those. And by the way, it's easy to send messages through agents. Don't draft me. I'm not coming. Yeah, I'm not coming. And he can make a lot of money in L.A. A lot. Good to see you, Clatt.

Clats' top 10, by the way. This is the standard. Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, State, Penn State, like it a lot. Florida State, maybe Washington. I think Oregon now is becoming undervalued. Okay. I think what did you call them earlier?

The Pact 12's Middle Child. Yeah, and the middle child ends up thumping. Dominating. in the forehead, the older brother all the time. What were you, by the way? I was the youngest. Basically, God looked at my three siblings and was like, man, I need to correct this. Bam! I came as an accident. You're welcome. Jason, Julie, Jenny, love you.

Good to see you, buddy. You too, buddy. I've got a great parlay for you this weekend. Thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code heard. H-E-R-D when you download the app. Let's have some fun. my parley picks of the week via Draft King Sportsbook. I'm going to take the Eagles minus four at the Rams. The crowd will be 60, 40 Eagles anyway, a semi-home game. They're undefeated for a reason. I don't know how the Rams offensive front matches up with the Eagles defensive front.

I'll take the Eagles minus four. I'll take the Jets Plus 2 at Denver. The Broncos last week had some offensive success because they played the Bears, step up in class, best defense they've faced. Zach Wilson righted the ship a little even though they lost, I'll take the Jets plus two. Cowboys plus three and a half of the Niners, I'll take Dallas. Listen, defensively, opposing quarterbacks have a 55 passer rating. Niners are better, especially in the red zone offensively, but the Cowboys have the better

quarterback, offensive line special teams, and a little revenge, I'll take Dallas. If you want to take the herd parlay, check out Draft King's sportsbook, new users, use the code H-E-R-D-H-R-D-Hard when you download the app. 21-plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 467-369. See Show Notes for full details.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 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 yeah, yeah, literally. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. If I can get Jim Harbaugh against Steve Sarkeesian in the National Championship, I would sign up for that today. That would be one of the biggest ratings in the history of college football.

That would go back to that USC, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinert, Pete Carroll against Mac Brown. They got a 22 rating. That was like an NFL rating. Michigan faces Texas for a Natty. That's getting a 19 to a 20. That's getting a massive. Those are huge brands. They're fresh, right?

Like we've gotten a lot of SEC. I'm not anti-SEC, but I've seen Georgian Bam and LSU and enough of these things. Sark Harbaugh would break decade records. It would be the highest rated natty. since USC and Texas. I don't care who wins. I am totally here for Jay McLem. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Speaking of ratings, Cowboys Niners Sunday, going to be a good one. Dallas is so misguided, Colin. They think that, you know, now they have Trey Lance, who, of course, was in the building for two years.

Sure. In San Francisco, O.C. Brian Schottenheimer's calling him their inside man. Trey knows a little bit about, you know, what they're doing. Yeah, you know, the cool thing is, you know, Like I said, the team knows them well. I know them well from being in Seattle.

Trey knows them well, but like last week, it's kind of in good fun and humor. Like we all use pieces that we have in place, but we don't go too far into it. We can know exactly what they're going to do because they don't do too much, and they're still really, really tough to go against just because they're so talented.

We'll definitely talk to Trey. He knows a lot of the pieces going against them in practice, but it doesn't always be. it doesn't always help as we learned yesterday. What's wrong with that? You don't like that? Colin, so I've been betting on the Niners a lot this year. They've been profitable.

Did you watch the Giants game on Thursday Night Football? They showed nothing. So vanilla, they were just running out the clock the final quarter and a half. And did you watch the Arizona game? Up big? Showed nothing. Shanahan's got some stuff cooked up for this big game.

This will be a close game. But they'll be ready. And Schottenheimer and Dan Quinn, these guys are going to get out-coached. so badly. I mean, it's... So you love Niners? I think the only question is, do the Niners get to 30 points like they do in every other game? And I think that would be the big question. It's going to remind people, Arizona

ran through massive holes. I mean, James Connor looked like Walter Payton against his Dallas defense. I don't see Dallas stopping them. We'll see. Do you like the line move? Because I think they got... I just look, three and a half or four. Okay, if it goes to four... You can get it at four. Well, not in the state of California. but some other places you can get in for. So don't you think Dallas is a side at four? No, I don't think Dallas is a side at all. I don't trust Dak in a big spot.

Wow, okay. All right. And what's happened in the playoffs the last two years? San Frans beat them and covered, whether it was in Dallas or San Fram. All right. I tend to think the one thing I think San Francisco has a big edge. Their red zone offense is so good. It's Kansas City.

You have no idea what's coming. Multiple. and I think Miami's like that. Miami, Dallas's red zone offense is just, I mean, I take C.D. Lamb out. Here's a good note on that. So Dallas started to work in their tight end, the kid Ferguson, Moore, which Schultz is a big loss. And Ferguson got a lot more targets. San Francisco's the best defense covering tight ends the last two years because of the linebackers and the safetys.

So like, where's the edge? Where is that going to go? Well, that's why I think Dallas is going to sell for field goals and the Niners are going to get more. I think that's the difference in the game is they'll both get in the reds. zone, but I think San Francisco is a much better offensive red zone team. All right. Next up, Buffalo Bills, they crushed the dolphins with their defensive head coach leading the way the offense was incredible.

You know, Von Miller has not played yet. He's been on the IR, but he's targeting Sunday for his season debut over in London. Here's what he had to say. I really don't have all the time in the world to, like, figure out out. I get one padded practice. So hopefully I look amazing tomorrow. I feel really strongly that I will. That's just how I think I feel like I will be amazing tomorrow and everybody will give me the green light to go play in the game.

And I feel like the fans, I don't know if the fans can expect to see me yet. But if I was a bad man, I would say, yeah, you can expect to see Von Miller in London. All right. So they're getting a pass rush without Vaughn Miller. Favorites, I think, are now 22 and 9 in London because I took the Jags last week. That was one of my plays of the week. So I think favorites are now 22 and 9 in London. Well, we have something in this game we've never had before.

Jacksonville just played in London, stayed there for the week and is playing there again. Is that a big advantage? Could be apathy, bored out of their mind. London's not a great city? You're not there for the Big Ben. You're there to win a football game. Yeah, but you're still doing taking in the sights and sounds.

You tell me, would you want to be away from your family for two weeks? I wouldn't. Two weeks is nothing. Come on. Really? Oh, two weeks? What about you could, you can, you know, form as a team and hang out and bond and all that stuff.

You've been parts of teams before. You know all that stuff matters? By the way, there's a reason there's a limit on how long the NBA road trips are. 14 days, a lot of days. So here's the thing, if Jacksonville doesn't push Buffalo here, then they play the Giants, double-digit spread, then they play the Patriots, that's a beat down. Tampa Bay, they're going to smash Baker, Cincinnati, which is fading, Denver.

Buffalo could get hot here and be like a 10-1. heading into that Jets clash in mid-November. I don't know. Five and a half? Seems a little light. No? Or is this a trap? Jags? Final story, the Patriots lost two key defensive pieces last week.

Matt Judon and Christian Gonzalez. This is big. They just announced Gonzalez out for the season. Yeah, so they went and got J.C. Jackson, who was amiss by the Chargers. Chargers didn't even... A miss. Didn't suit him up, and he was a healthy scratch, which is bad news. He just didn't work with the Chargers.

By the way, the Patriots got rid of them too, but they're so desperate they're bringing them back. Well, did you hear what the trade was? The Patriots will send a sixth round pick to the Chargers and get back a seventh rounder. That's all they got. The Chargers got nothing, basically. They were like, please take Jayce Jackson off. Well, that people knew. Once he was a healthy scratch, the league knew the Chargers wanted him out of the building.

When you literally have a guy that's a highly paid player, like Randy Gregory just got moved by the Broncos out of town, that's telling you like they're just, they want to. to go with the young guys because Randy Gregory's obviously talented. This guy's super talented. They just wanted him out of the building. So when they didn't play him, it sent a red light to the rest of the league. We want him out of the building. That's why. Had they played him, you maybe have more, a little bit more leverage, but once they didn't, you give him at all. Similar to the Cam Acres with the Rams member you'd been saying for weeks. So they didn't get anything for that. J.C. Jackson was highly paid. Like they gave him so

much money a couple years ago. There's a big whiff for, I think it's your guy, Telesco, right? Yeah, but they also, they've hit on so many draft picks. They don't, they know, that free agent. By the way, Khalil Mack, a lot of people have said was he worth the money. Did you watch him last week? He was the game. So, interesting, this is a buy week for the Chargers. Get J.C. Jackson the heck out of the building, retool the defense.

Yeah. Keep an eye on the Chargers coming out of the buy. Face the Cowboys who will come off this massive game against the Niners. Chargers are the team I would watch to get hot in the AFC going forward. Assuming Herbert's fingers, okay. All right. Good stuff. J. Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. My staff said, they said to me during the commercial break that I was pulling for Texas to beat Oklahoma because they think I have some animus toward the Sooners. And my takeaway is I root for college football because I love it. And the bigger it is, the more I can talk about it. When it became very regionalized over the last 10 years, I didn't talk about it as much. So if you give me Harbaugh, I mean, Brett Venables and Harbaugh, does that, it doesn't sound the same as Sark, Texas, Harbaugh, Michigan. That's a 20 rating.

College football Natty gets about 16. That's a, we would talk about that ad nauseum, right? So like, I root for college football as a whole. I want the biggest brands, the biggest names. And if you look at the top 10 this year, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, USC. this is could be I think we're going to end up being the highest redded college football season. You'd have to ask the guys upstairs in a long time. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Tom Verducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden, and we're going to be around to talk a little bit about managerial decisions and what may have occurred in the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. It's the Book of Joe podcast. I can't wait for this, Joe.

We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League Baseball. Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Yeah, well, there are no boundaries, right? Listen to the Booker Joe podcast on the IHeart Radio app, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

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

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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 eggs on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Start Saturday Strong with Big Noon Saturday on Fox quarterback Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison, Jr.

They have the undefeated Buckeyes against the Terrapids. It all starts at 10 a.m. Eastern with Big Noon kickoff live from Columbus. Then it's Maryland, Ohio State Saturday at noon eastern on five. It's week five of the NFL season, otherwise known as Defend Your Mediocre Quarterback Week. These are the three headlines today. Brian Daibel of the Giant says, hey, don't worry about that tablet toss on the sidelines. I'm on the same page with Daniel Jones. Bill O'Brien says about Mack Jones, very understanding.

characteristic and Aaron Rogers is proud of Zach Williams' performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Wilson, excuse me. So it's kind of the annual game you get week five and six. Everything's good here, nothing to see here. None of these guys are rookies. That's 11 years of NFL experience between Daniel Jones, Mack Jones, and Zach Wilson, 11 years. And we're in week five and their coaches, their teammates are still defending them. We also know the Jets, the Giants, the Patriots, Raiders.

Falcons, Bears, Steelers, they got quarterback issues. And that's about the number of college quarterback, seven-ish, eight-ish, that are graded as first, second, or early third-round pick. So everybody's going to draft a quarterback, right? But I was thinking about this this morning. To be totally honest, Jake Laser said something years ago, and it always stuck with me, is that if you don't have the quarterback right, you are driving to the facility, not just on game day, on practice.

knowing we are going into a game and we probably will have a significant quarterback deficit. And as Glazer said, it's a miserable life in the NFL. It is a miserable life knowing that you go into a game with a quarterback deficit. And by the way, it's never been more quarterback-centric. So I was saying, Jay Mack, I'm going to be trying to be as honest as I can. How many in the happiness meter, how many teams in the NFL, Drive to the facility, day of the game and week, install day. And they've got an authentic smile on their face, knowing at the most important position,

we will, 75% of the time, we've got the better quarterback. So the obvious ones are Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore. So the happiness meter, Baltimore Chargers. So I'll just name the quarterback. Lamar Baltimore. Herbert. Mahalms Hertz. Dak, yes, Dak.

Tuah when he's upright. Burrow and his calf isn't ripped up. Trevor Lawrence. C.J. Stroud. It's early. But I think they love what they have. Jared Goff. Brock Purdy's only, I'm giving Brock Purdy an edge here.

I think they like what they have. Stafford and Josh Allen. So that is how many? 1-2-3-4-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, left 12. 13 of 32 teams. 45% of this league drives. I didn't put Kirk Cousins in there because I think they're going to move off him. You're not driving to the facility with a smile and a happiness meter if you're going to move off a quarterback.

The only one I would ask about. CJ Stroud. No, no, not C.J. They're happy. They just drafted him. He looks good as a rookie. And you're not paying him anything for four years. And listen, I haven't been bashing this guy for years. But here on this network, I've been questioning Dack Prescott for a while. And again, I don't dislike that.

He is paid very handsomely. He has two career playoff wins and more meltdowns in the postseason when it matters. He has a history of beating up on bad teams. Are you sure McCarthy goes in this week? Oh, we got Dak or in great shape. Do you think McCarthy really believes that, given the red zone struggles and how he's performed against the Niners historically? Jerry Jones does and that's what matters. Okay, fair.

But I didn't ask the question about owner. So I think those 13 teams, again, two could get hurt. C. J. Stroud's young. DAC has struggled in big games. But I believe when you have a leader, I think being a quarterback is also being a leader. Jalen Hertz has pulled back. I think Philadelphia loves him.

I think these teams drive to the facility every day knowing. We can go toe to toe. We can do just fine. Dak may be arguably along with C.J. Stroud, one, you doubt. But I think Dax's a very good leader. I think they feel very good about Dack. I do. I think they think there's just because people have, I mean, Tua's got size limitation.

Now, I didn't put Russell Wilson in there, and I think Russell is better than Dack. But the reason I put that is, because of his contract, I think it creates tension in the building. I think there's some real tension in that building because it hasn't started yet and he's 34 years old. Now, I think Russell's better than C.J. Stroud. I think Russell is better than Tua when he's most of the time. I think he's better than Dack. but when you have a 34-year-old and the contract starts next year and it's five years and he has aged quickly over the last, I would say, three years, I think that creates tension.

I think they have not solved the financial Rubik's Cube. I think Peyton and Russell have done a very good job to kind of converge here at what they do. I mean, if you look at his numbers, you wanted more juice from him. I don't see the top six guy in the league juice, but they've solved a lot of. of that issue. Another one just came up into my head. Deshawn Watson in Cleveland. Hasn't been amazing yet. Okay, so why did he set out last week's game as a healthy scratch? I think there's, phenomenal question. I think there's big tension in the building with him. I think they pay him a fortune. It's guaranteed. Last week, he's healthy and doesn't play.

Well, he didn't, I mean, he didn't take many snaps last week at practice. He was medically cleared to play. When's the last quarterback that was medically clear to play and didn't? I mean, I can't even think of one. That's like, unheard. Like, there are defensive ends, oh, tackles that may be medically cleared, but they just, I've heard of that. Quarterback, you play. Always.

You're the only guy nobody can hit in practice. Like, that was a weird situation. Medical staff's like, go ahead and play. Now I'm a whole back. In a big, big, divisional game. Costs me a couple bucks, too, so I'm not thrilled, Deshaun. That something, that doesn't feel right

to me at. There's tension in that building. with that move. Hour three coming up. 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 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 I-Hard Radio app. 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 Fourth. 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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.