The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - Looking at QBs

Episode Date: September 15, 2023

Greg Cosell from NFL Films joins the show to breakdown what he saw from Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Brock PurdySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the hurt. Wherever you may be. However you may be watching, viewing, whatever it is. Thanks for making us part of your day. A lot of choices out there. J-Mack, Greg CoSell in about five minutes. So good. Bet football, fantasy football, want to get smarter at football.

Greg CoSell. Love it. 15 minutes. I can't wait to see what the film has said. totally objective. Sometimes you and I tend to have angles or feelings, emotions. Greg keeps that away.

The film speaks. Well, you ask him about Vikings' Eagles tonight. Some interesting line movement on this game. Some wacky injuries. Well, I would, last week, we gave a free muffin to the audience. A free, freshly

baked oven for a muffin for free. We gave him the lions plus the points. I thought we called it pizza money, remember? Well, yeah, that too. In my college, we called it muffin money. Anyway, so tonight I would probably take Philadelphia to bounce back, but I want to listen to Greg. What did the film say?

Because Philadelphia in the second half just looked bad. Jaylon Hertz looked bad. So I don't know. I don't know what the line's saying, but I listen to the expert. Overreaction, week one. That's what they call it. So I would take Philly tonight minus six. What would you do?

Yeah, I bet Philly. Okay, so we're both giving the audience a chance for pizza or a fresh muffin. Yeah, not, the primetime games you got to be careful with, you know? We're not going to heavy. You know, heavy. I do 50 bucks, that's it.

All right, a little heavier. Buy it a free margarita. Margarita? Yeah, that's all I mean. You were making fun of my drink choice yesterday. Nobody, no adult has Sprite with her cocktail. Vodka Sprite? Let's not even get into it.

It's literally a head. It's just not, let's not get into it. You're drinking straight liquor. I'm not doing that. Okay. So Kyle Shanahan was talking about Brock Purdy. And people are, well, Brock Purdy, it's all the players around him. It's not Brock Purdy. It's Kidlet's Debo. And Kyle Shanahan's thoughts on his starting quarterback who never loses.

He's playing at a high level because he's good at quarterback. You never know the next level, but that's, I mean, that's how he played in college. You know, he did it a lot. And I think it's one of his first games, he had his own replay for like 60 yards or something. So Brock's always had a knack for making plays with his feet. He has the quickness to do it. You never know how to equate at this level, but look that way in practice and stuff,

and he's carried it over to games. Listen, his last two years at Iowa State, Iowa State's not a football power. Not a lot of NFL guys around him. There were some. Had a good running back. Last two years at Iowa State completed 69% of his throws,

38 touchdown passes, six touchdown runs on a 16 and 9 record at Iowa State. That's really good. He left with a good coach, Matt Campbell. He left. They went one and eight in the Big 12. They caved. Brock Purdy's good.

Now, he's a little bit of an old-school point guard in the NBA. He's a 15-9 guy. He can get you 28, maybe 26 a few times a year. He can run around and make a play. But he's an old-school guy. And don't forget, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Debo Samuel, maybe the best in the NFL at their position, yards after the catch. He gets them the ball accurately and quickly.

Jordan Palmer yesterday on Brock. There's something that happens in the, draft. We get so caught up and we spent all this time, those couple of months talking about it, and then the draft happens. And then this guy, and you're labeled from the media and fans perspective, that guy's a third round pick. That guy's the top 10 pick. That guy's Mr. Irrelevant. When you get in the locker room, you're in the huddle, you're just a niner. Your brand or whatever you are is what you're doing right now. It's not what happened in the draft. People get drafted too high. People get drafted too late. And so I think we've all made a big deal about

because it was such an incredible story last year. Yeah, Kyle Shanahan, he's good because he's good at quarterback. He plays the position well. With that, 44 years NFL films Greg Kosso. We'll circle back to that game in a second. Listen, I did say, considering the emotion, Aaron Rogers flag running out in the tunnel, the stadium, it felt like a Super Bowl. And then Aaron gets hurt. Zach Wilson comes in.

And I thought the team played inspired football. could have been a chaotic moment. It wasn't. What did the film say about Zach Wilson? I mean, I didn't ask him to do a ton. What did the film say? Well, you used the term old school a moment ago, and not speaking about this. I think that's what you're going to see the Jets do. Zach Wilson still struggles to see it the way you need to see it. You start to wonder if that can get better. You don't know. There are a lot of quarterbacks, Colin, you know this. You're a quarterback guy that have really good talent, big arm, excellent mobility. But when all said and done, for whatever reason,

they just don't see what they're supposed to see at the speed with which they're supposed to see it. And there's not a lot of time, as you know. We'll come back to Brock Purdy, but we'll talk about that at a minute. But, you know, Wilson just struggles with that. So you're going to see old school football. You're going to see 80s NFL football and 90s Big 10 football with the Jets. They're going to play to their defense. they're going to run the ball. When it gets to be third and nine, they're going to have draws and

screens because they're not likely to be down 24-3 in the second quarter in any game in which they're playing. So they're going to play the way in which maximizes their ability to compete and win. And unless Zach Wilson shows incremental improvement over a number of weeks, they are certainly not going to put him in difficult third and nine situations, and they'll have third nine's, obviously, but they're not going to ask him to drop back and have to scan the field, read a defense, you know, go through progression reads. He's not really ready to do that. So I defended Josh Allen about 30 minutes ago, and I said, when you have an inept run game again, you do tend to press and think you have to make a play. And when I see Josh Allen,

we're five years now with Buffalo, can't get their run game in their own line right. And I feel like he's pressing. He's feeling like psychological. logically, I got to do something here. And so some of it's like, well, if you don't give a quarterback a run game, don't be shocked. If their quarterback DNA is already a little loose and wild to begin with, don't be surprised if they press. That's what I see. What does the film say?

Yeah, I did a deep dive into Josh this summer, probably watched about 300 dropbacks, and he's not a precision player. He's kind of a knockout artist. And obviously, they've won a lot of games. and he's played really, really well in playoff games. We know that. He's capable of playing at an extremely high level. This team, contrary to what many believe, is not really that good on offense.

You've nailed it. They don't run the ball. They're O-line. They're trying to address it, but it's probably average at best by NFL standards. They really have one quality receiver in digs. We'll see what Kincaid brings to them. But really, they just have one quality wide out. So it's been the Josh Allen show, and they've won a lot of games.

games. He plays a certain way. What happened the other night's not defensive ball. I think we would all agree with that. And he's going to have to get better just at playing with some sense of precision in the pocket. He bails out of the pocket column too soon, and the film shows that. He leaves plays on the field. Then, of course, he'll make a spectacular play that only Josh Allen can make. But just the details and nuances of playing the position at the highest level in the NFL, he needs to work on a lot of that. And again, I don't know how he's coach, so I don't want to address that, but that needs to happen. All right, let's talk Steelers getting whacked by Pittsburgh, or by San Francisco. So I watched the game plan by the Niners coaches for Brock Purdy, and it felt fairly aggressive

considering you're facing a team that's led the league in Sacks several years. Now, this offense is very much about getting the ball to Debo and Kittle and Christian. It is. But I do Now quick. Yeah, but I do think Brock's a bit more athletic than I give him credit for. How did you think he played? I think he played well. I agree with the more athletic part. He gives the 49er something they did not have with Garapolo, which is the second reaction

movement ability to make plays outside of the structure. But I tell you, what struck me, and I watched this summer every one of Purdy's dropbacks from a year ago, and obviously watched the game this past week on the tape. Here's what really stands out to me about Purdy. He shows an excellent feel. Maybe it's innate. Maybe you can teach it. Maybe you can't.

But an excellent feel for what defender or defenders to read and control on specific route concepts. He's very, very good, Colin, at mentally simplifying the reads and the throws based on the route concept versus the coverage. Because keep in mind, you know this. Quarterbacks are never asked to read six or seven guys. That's not humanly possible. They're asked basically to read.

read a player or two based on the route concept versus what coverage they're seeing. And I just think he has a really strong feel for understanding that within that one and a half two second, three second at most timeframe. Yeah. I thought Kenny Pickett, conversely, looked rushed, a little lost. It could have been the lack of protection. What did the film say on the second year quarterback for Pittsburgh? Yeah, certainly Pickett did not play well.

And I agree with that. I thought that, you know, their old line got manhandled. by a really, really good D-line pass rush. I mean, Hargrave gives them so much inside. He's just so strong as an inside pass rusher. And then you have both on the outside. Armstead's really good. He never really got comfortable in this game.

And I think it affected his ball location because he just, he rushed himself quite a bit in this game. And so he missed some throws with poor ball placement. And that cannot be an issue for him. Because even though he's got mobility, and we've talked about it, this and I like Kenny Pickett, we've discussed that, he's certainly at his core is going to have to become, if he's to become a really good quarterback, it's going to be from the pocket. So he can't miss throws that are clean. All right, Tua looked like Dan Marino against Air.

I mean, he was insane. I don't think there's a team that gives up more third and longs the last two years than the Chargers. They're paying a lot for that defense. They've got a Bosa. I think they've got some coaching situations here. I don't love. but let's talk to a

on third down so many times he also loves the middle of the field and he had that it felt to me whenever he kind of wanted it why was he so effective is it just Tyreek Hill well first of all there's a couple of factors in this particular game

I'll make a comment about this game and then be a little more general in this game against the Chargers the Chargers played high high percentage man coverage both cover one and two men and they pressed a lot they tried to press a lot and they really got burned but on a more general level and you're seeing this around the league more and more and I actually have a theory about receivers as we move forward in the draft and down the road it's motion they use motion as well as any team in the league and you're seeing it more and more and more and the whole idea

behind motion or one of the main ideas is free access off the ball because now you take someone like Tyreek Hill, who you're concerned about his speed to begin with, and now he motions, and now you have to back off, or they line him up in a spot, held motion to a spot where a corner is in an uncomfortable position, maybe closer to the formation or in the formation. And they scream off the line, and all you're thinking about is I cannot get beat over the top. So you turn your body, and whatever way you turn your body, you can't play the other way. It's just not, the body doesn't do that. I'll give you an example, too, of another team that did a ton of it, and I doubt there'll be a great team this year.

But what the Rams did with Tutu Atwell, a ton of motion. That guy's probably five, six, and 150 pounds. And yet, when you put him in motion and you can't press him, he gets on your corner and into your secondary so fast. Yeah. I want to go, a lot of this, Greg, I've told you this before. I watch a game, and I watch the first 15 plays. And coaches will tell me what they're trying to do or what they think their quarterback can and can't do. Denver was very conservative. Denver was very conservative, not a lot down the field.

I got to tell you, that contract kicks in next year and is punitive for five years. I watched that game and I thought, I don't know with Russell. I don't know. What do you know after watch? I know it's one week, but what did you see? You know, it's funny you say that. I said the Broncos past game was condensed with few throws at the intermediate and deeper levels of the coverage. There wasn't much verticality by design.

Wilson is not a patient laid in the down quarterback. He doesn't work effectively from money pockets, obviously, because he's too small. He misses a lot of throws, Colin. And when I say misses, not with inaccuracy, but he just doesn't turn it loose on throws that you have to make. And you know that that's not going to sit well with Sean Payton, who's so much. meticulous in how he puts together an offense and certainly with his career with Drew Brees, who did not miss those throws. And this was a little bit of a tough watch because I wasn't sure what to expect. And I saw some good things from a conceptual standpoint, but Russell Wilson has got

to turn the ball loose. He has got to play with a better sense of timing and rhythm and get the ball out. All right. Well, I may have not been good with my picks, but we did predict that Jalen Hertz was going to Ms. Shane Steichen. I did not think he played well all second half. And we know they have good offensive line, effective protection. I just didn't think he played particularly well. They played tonight on a short week. What did the film say? What was happening? What were my eyes seeing with Jalen Hertz and the Eagles last year's robust offense? Yeah, well, two things stood out to me. One, I almost fell off my chair because Lane Johnson got beat once or twice. And I think that last happened when I was about five years old, Colin. So, you know, their offensive line did not play real

well. And Hertz did not have a sharp mental game. He didn't seek coverage with clarity. He didn't control or manipulate defenders. We can sit here and say it's lack of preseason football, but, you know, these games count now. I thought he had some misreads as well, particularly in the second half. Short week, we'll see if that gets cleaned up. I think most of us would agree that that's not going to be the way the season is. But that's what the tape showed week one, and we'll see what happens tonight. By the way, against the defense that's hard to play against. Brian Flores, he's one of those guys that what you see before the snap is not what you

see after the snap. And if you're not sharp mentally, if it takes an extra second, and you know in this league fractions matter, if it takes an extra second, then that can hurt an offense, obviously. Yeah, Brian's a great coach. And I thought he did a great job in Miami early. he just struggled with Tua. And, you know, it's an offensive quarterback league, so McDaniels has elevated that spot. So I don't want to talk too much about the young quarterbacks.

I want to give this three or four weeks until we dive into it. I will say this. I agree. I will say this, though. Anthony Richardson jumps off the television. He is just a man. He is big and explosive. What did you see from him?

Yeah, I thought that, you know, for the most part, there was a certain sense of poised to his game. He missed a couple of things with, you know, none of this is unexpected, by the way, and you know how it is. People want to make a definitive judgment off 40 dropbacks or one game. You know, I thought he settled into the game reasonably well. He looked relatively composed. There were a couple of obvious things that he missed that ideally he gets to see better. You know, there were times he didn't work the progression, the way it needed to be worked based on the route concept and the coverage. He certainly had some throws that we expected where he was scattershot,

but that's the way he was at Florida, as you well know. That has to be cleaned up. But overall, I would say it was more positive than negative. Yeah, yeah. Of all the rookie quarterbacks, he'll be the most fun to watch to me, because there's so much dynamic potential with him, big, strong moves. And Shane Steichen, as I think we both agree,

Shane Steichen with young quarterbacks, has quite a track record. Okay. So now let's take some time and talk Packers, Chicago. So when I watched, it's a little Josh Allen, though I don't think he's Josh Allen, a lot of times Justin Fields, with his defensive coach in line play, feels frenetic. It feels very frenetic. I just watch him, and it's like, first read, second, boom, I'm out of here. I don't trust the O line. I've been hit too much. I'm getting out of here.

That's what it feels like to me is he's losing trust. You take hits in this league for a couple years, Greg, and it wears. on you. You don't just see ghosts. You hear him. What do you see on film? Well, I don't know what's in his head. None of us know that. So, you know, we can't answer that question. Obviously, if you get hit a lot, you're very conscious of getting hit and you start to anticipate pressure. And obviously, no quarterback loads to get hit. So if that starts happening a lot, I'm sure it does affect them. But I think Justin Fields is another quarterback that doesn't see things with the speed with which he needs to. He misses things. There are a certain concept he just really struggles with. He struggles

with what we call the flood concept. It's a three-level concept to one side of the field. He struggles with what we call the mesh concept, where there's two receivers cross each other on shallow crosses, and there's a route right behind them that's kind of a sit route that's meant for zone coverage, if it's not man coverage. He just doesn't see these things at the necessary speed. Now, obviously, he can run, so he'll make some plays. But at some point, and the thing is, I thought toward the end of last season, because I spent a lot of time watching him this summer as well, I thought he showed flashes at the end of last season making me think,

okay, if there's improvement, he's got a chance. And again, it's one game this year, so I don't want to, you know, paint him with the big broad picture and say he stinks, and I wouldn't talk like that anyway. But, you know, he just, he needs to be quicker, much quicker with what he sees. Jordan Love looked really comfortable in the preseason. And I said, slow down. It's the preseason.

And then Jordan Love looked really comfortable against the Bears. And I'm like, the O line is your typical Packer O line. A good left tackle, protection in the middle. He looked, I don't know, he looked comfy. He has not looked uncomfortable. Preseason bears, he looks like he's been doing this a while. Yeah, don't forget, he is a veteran. been in the league. He just hasn't played a lot of football. But he's so clean and efficient on his

drop and set in the pocket. I love the way he holds the ball. He sets. He's firm. He has really good knee bend. It allows him to work from the ground up and deliver the ball with such an easy motion. I thought he saw things well. He was outstanding on third down, which is a combination of the concepts, but he has to read it out. And I thought he did a really, really good job doing that. You know, keep in mind, too, they played with three rookie wide receivers, and then Dobbs is a second year receiver. Then Watson will be back. He's a second year receiver. They're playing with a rookie tight end.

So this is a young, young offense. They'll make mistakes. And there might be some weeks where, you know, you say to me, oh, they didn't look real good. And that'll probably be the case. But I think that Love is a talented guy. He throws the ball well. He can move a little bit. But yet he has a pocket mentality.

He does not look to get out of the pocket. Yeah, no, I like that. And he could, by the way, because he moves. So let's do the big play of the week by Greg Kosell. It's a Jordan Love moment. Yeah, and actually, as we go to the play, this was the touchdown. I believe it ended the first possession of the game. And this was the touchdown that he hit to Romeo Dobbs.

And you can see just by watching Love before we break down the specifics that Dobbs was obviously not his first read. Yeah. You can see that just by looking at Love's body language. So let's walk through this. So what we're going to get is we're going to see Love in the gun here. And by the way, this was a third down play. And he was seven for nine, I believe. Yeah, he was great on third down.

Yeah, the first read on this play was Jones in the flat. The second read was Musgrave on the crosser from the backside. Dobbs was the third read on this play, Colin. So let's just walk through this and you'll see how all this played out. You can see he looks right away to the flat. And you see that Jones is not going to be there because the corner is sitting there. So that throws gone. So what's the next read, as I said?

It's Musgrave on the crosser. That's where his eyes go. But you'll see that Musgrave is not there either because there's two defenders there. So you don't want to throw that ball. So the third read now is Dobbs. And Dobbs ran the route in a way that made him the third read. He didn't race into the middle. He took his time.

Wow. So then Love, what does he do? He climbs the pocket. and he hits Dobbs. This was outstanding quarterbacking in the low red zone. And you can see here, you can see him go through everything. And he hits them. And this was the, I believe that ended the first possession.

So you're talking about playing his first game of the season, and he does that in the first possession. That was really good quarterbacking. Yeah, if I'm a Packer fan and I watch your description of that, I feel really good. You know, I've got to tell you, offensive coach, run game protection. I said this last, I said it earlier this week.

Playing quarterback in the NFL is calculus, everybody's better with a good tutor when it comes to calculus. Couldn't agree more. Yeah, I think LaFleur's done a very nice job. I thought that screen, that double screen look, I thought was brilliant. Clever, clever play. So that's exciting for Packer fans. Greg CoSell 44 years NFL films as always smart stuff. Thanks, Greg.

Thanks, Colin. Appreciate it. You know, on this show, J-Mack, we say this all the time. we don't burrow a mile deep on opinions. If something changes, I said it before, if you have a flight plan, you get on it and they say, yeah, lightning storm moved in. You don't fly into it.

If there's alternative medicine that can save a kid, you use it. Like, my takeaway on Jordan Love is, man, they're just protecting him. Are they coddling him? Well, then you watch them against the bears, and you're like, it worked. Like, he looks, I mean, the Packers,

they got Aaron in House three years before he really played. They got Jordan in three years before he played. They always have good O-line play. I mean, second big start, he looked completely comfortable. 26th start with a defensive coach, right? Most of them with a defensive coach for Justin Fields. He looks totally uncomfortable. He just doesn't, his feet, he's moving.

He's, you know, I just say this ad nauseum. It matters. The offensive coaches are better with quarterbacks and all lines. It's interesting you bring that game up. Here in the last hour, the line has swung toward the Packers are now. Now underdogs in this game. I know. Atlanta minus one and a half.

It's not a big move through zero, but still, Atlanta's now favorite. Why? And I think somebody has some intel on what's happening at Packers practice right now. Because Aaron Jones was banged up with the hamstring. Christian Watson, there was some chatter that he was like, I don't think I'm going on the IR. You hear IR and you're like, oh, that's Cooper Cup type stuff. Yeah, I had four weeks or something. Right.

So if Watson's out and Aaron Jones is out, I think the Falcons probably become the side here. Like you said it. Jordan Love, he was very coddled in week one. Very simple stuff. I don't know. When I watched, all I know is I tend to watch feet, hit, Jordan seemed very, I mean, that touchdown throw for our radio audience, you couldn't see it. He was net, the pocket collapsed.

It was what they call a muddy pocket. They were all around him on him. His feet were good. He didn't rush it. That was an impressive, impressive piece of video. And the Bears played like they were feeling themselves off the summer. We got all these free. agents, McIntyre and Cowherd love us. You know, the Bears played like they were.

McIntyre loved him. Oh, sorry, just me. But again, I'm not just trying to hype our show, but yesterday, Jordan Palmer, when he was sitting here, said some interesting stuff about Ritter who's going to be facing the Packers. And he's like, Ritter's first throw looked like it was going to be picked off, pick six. And instantly, let's dial it down. Let's not risk anything. So all these people taking shots at Ritter, he stinks, including me, we might see a a different Desmond Ritter this week against the Packers. I think it's a great game.

Oh, yeah. I said last week, Packers, Bears may not be pretty, but I couldn't wait to watch it. And I feel that way, Jordan Love, week two, road game Atlanta that's got some offensive firepower. By the way, Jordan Love, back-to-back road games to start last week,

Chicago now Atlanta. And one of these teams is going to be 2-0, and I think you had this stat on social media, where if you start 2-0, chances of going to make the playoffs go through the roof. Yeah. It is amazing. go, I don't have the numbers.

I think if you're 0 and 3, it's like you can make the 11% chance to just make the playoffs. So like people say, I always hear this, don't overreact. No, do overreact. If you're 0 and 2, you're in trouble. There's only 17 games. And if the Vikings lose tonight and the Packers go 2 and O, I don't want to say wrap up the division, but it's a wrap. People always say that don't overreact.

It's not overreacting. if you go 0-2, you're the Chicago Bears, you just lost your rival at home. You have to go play them now at Lambo. The Bears have to win this weekend. In Tampa. The Lions come down. Lines come down off three, down to two and a half. The Bears have to win.

Absolutely panic. Overreact. urgency. You know what Justin Fields does when he's overreacting in the pocket, nervous? He tucks and runs. I just looked at his rushing prop, 61 and a half. I think that's a hit for me.

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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 AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Week two of the NFL season is here, and I have a great pick for you this week thanks to Draft Kings. But first, wanted to let you know that customers can bet five bucks on football at Draft King's Sportsbook and get $200 instantly in bonus bets. Download the app now. Use the code. Hurd to get it. H-E-R-D to sign up. Code Hurd. Now for my pick of the week via Draft King

Sportsbook, I like the New York Giants minus five and a half at Arizona. Arizona lost to a bad team in the commanders. I don't think it's a great locker room. I think the rookie head coach is limited. The Giants got embarrassed by the Cowboys, so most people will flee the Giants. Historically, good coaches and capable quarterbacks who are embarrassed on national TV bounce back. I'll take the Giants to win minus five and a half. Football's back in full swing with another week of great games and

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In New York, call 8778-Hop-N-Y or text Hope in Y-467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for Problem Gambling. Call 888-88-889-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and resort in Kansas, 21-plus age varies by jurisdiction. Boyd in Ontario. See dkng.com slash football for eligibility terms and responsible gaming resources. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance, eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. So good to have you in. Don't forget NetSuite. Your business gets older. Cracks start to emerge. NetSuite. Customized solutions. Check out their KPI checklist.

Absolutely free. Go to netsuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D-J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

We both have Philly tonight, right? I do. Let's start with, not Thursday, net football. Let's start with Lamar Jackson. We'll get to Philly shortly. Okay. Lamar, it's kind of rusty, as we talked about yesterday.

Yeah. In the season opener. Did get the dub. and they face the Bengals in a divisional matchup. A team Lamar is 6-1 against as a starter in his career. Wow, 6-1 owns the Bengals. But he's a three-point dog because of Baltimore's injuries. Here's what Lamar had to say.

You know, we all got guys in the NFL, you know, who was getting paid to bust their behind. So it is what it is. It's tough, you know, just because they're a key player. But, you know, we've got guys who are going to step up, you know, and lead us, you know, out down the field. And, dude, they're supposed to do what they're supposed to do. Love being an underdog.

I really don't care to be hyped up for, you know, people just saying, just playing like we're on top of the league or anything like that. You know, I'd rather be the underdog because we all got something to prove. We've always got a chip on our shoulder to ride down one game. I stay away from this game. Is Ronnie Stanley playing? We're waiting for today's practice. Okay, so if he plays...

Well, the center, Lyndonbaum also heard. He's excellent, young guy. So I worry about that. If both those guys played, if Stanley plays, I think Baltimore can win. I mean, this game is really interesting to me. It is. Because they have so many new pieces, including Lamar, because he didn't play last year. I think Baltimore's first half against Houston, they looked a little out of sorts.

Yeah. And all of a sudden they catch fire and you're like, I don't know. Maybe it was a lukewarm fire, not a blazing fire. But just a couple quick things. Number one, Lamar Jackson, 10 and 1 against the spread as an underdog in his career. Yeah. 10 and 1. Yeah.

Pretty impressive. And somebody reminded me, Latcher the Bengals. Remember they lost in the opener to the Steelers, Joe Burrow coming off the appendectomy? So week two, they went to Dallas, I think, and they were facing Cooper Rush because Dak got the injury. And the Bengals lost outright. And they started 0-and-2, and it was like, oh, ooh. So I'm thinking there's no way that Bengals start 0-2 again.

I don't know. If I had a lean, I'd go Baltimore here. Baltimore getting points. This was the first game I bet this week, and Bengals three. But then I went to three and a half, and now it's down to three. And, like, three and a half, I'd take Baltimore for shit. I think you have to in the divisional matchup. Justin Tucker, you can never underestimate one of the great kickers of all time.

Right. I know we have a producer here who's diehard Bengals fan doesn't want to start O-W-2. This guy's very nervous back here. Oh, Ryan's a... By the way, are you from Ohio? Where are you from? No, I'm from L.A. How in the world are you a Bengals?

I loved Carson Palmer. Well, okay. I get it. That's the power of... I mean, nobody cared about Colorado football until Dion. I mean, seriously. It's like that's the power of stars. All right, let's go to the next story, the Jets. Zach Wilson is back at quarterback after the Achilles' injury. Oh, you snap one off there. You see that?

Mr. Roger J. He's got that can. He's got a hose. Robert Sala is defending his quarterback, and he's very solid. And so is Delvin Cook, who had glowing reports, Delvin Cook, about Zach Wilson. That's going to be Zach. He's going to pay the game. But one thing I do like a bottle, I don't like his operation. He come in a huddle with a lot of confidence. Ready to deliver. No panic in him.

And I got a lot of confidence. Confidence in him. You know, the pass is the past. And from what I've seen, Zach, is that got got, man. We got to rock out with him. We got to go do what we need to do. We got to be better around him. And I feel like we will, you know, just helping him make some plays and taking a lot off him.

Let me tell you something. This could be the best Jets run game. When's the last time they had a great run game? Breeze Hall and Alvin Coo. I mean, seriously, it's like this, this. Everybody talks defense. If this run game is as good as I think it could be, this team can control the clock a little bit and take it off, Zach.

Well, the Giants' run game was working against Dallas for like, you know, three minutes to start the game and then they couldn't do anything. The problem is if you get behind against this Cowboys team. Well, if you get behind a pass rush team, the Jets, the Cowboys, then you're in big trouble. You need some luck. The Jets fell behind 13-3 to the Bills who have a good pass rush. They got a break, a fumble.

Well, the defense got a little lucky. I'm so excited for this game, Colin. If the Jets get the win, can I do the first Herdline News Monday wearing a green ski mask? Because we went into Dallas and store. No, that's not professional. I don't let quarterbacks wear their hat on backwards. Well, I just felt like the ski mask element stealing a win in Dallas that could, no.

No, that's not. We're not on cable access. We're on cable TV. Fair enough. Disappointed. But okay. Final story. Eagles, six. It looks like the line six and a half now. Favored over the Vikings, they'll be down with three key players who have been ruled out. Kenneth Gainwell, I thought a surprise starter in the opener.

Corner James Bradbury, which is a big, big loss. Are these key people? What do you mean? Kenneth Gable started over Penny who was inactive? They got sleigh on the other corner. James Bradbury is in key. Okay, well, you know what? Fine.

We'll just move Justin Jefferson to face cornerback number three. We'll just move them around. And that's the problem. Key people. Yeah. A safety. Read Blankenship is starting. So here's the big problem.

Nikobe Dean was the starter last week, calling the defensive plays. He gets hurt. So then they hand over the duties to Reed Blankenship who called plays in the second half. He's now out. I don't know who's calling the flakes on the defense. So there are some questions, and that's why the over is ticking up. People think the Vikings just going to move the football. You're laughing?

Kirk Cousins in Primetime. You don't think he can move the ball? Have you watched Kirk Cousins in Primetime? I have, yes. Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

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

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scene, of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

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

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

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big two, me not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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. You watch Jalen Hertz and Primetime. Jalen Hertz and Primetime is a big bag of money. Yeah. Kirk Cousins, teeth clencher. Philadelphia is the side here.

I've already spent my money. I bought some jet skis. Look, you see how he's doing that so confidently? Just drinking. No, Philadelphia. No, seriously. I'm flying to Chicago this weekend. I may just detour it and go to Philadelphia and celebrate with the fans.

Philadelphia's going to win tonight. You know, the best restaurant I've ever been to is in Philadelphia. Alinea, it's one of those Michelin restaurants. restaurants, they bring you like nine. Oh, Alinea's supposed to be great. I spent way too much funny. I was a young, dumb idiot, but it was the greatest meal I've ever had. Yeah.

I went to TGIFs the other night. It was sweet. Yeah, I shouldn't drop Michelin star restaurants on the show, right? I'm going to do Applees. Try to connect if you could with the people, not just the rich people. Vodka Sprite, baby. Come on. Alinia's like a restaurant you can't get into in Chicago and Philly.

You've got to book that like five months in a instance. Yeah, that's not like relatable. Well, there's a lot of guys out there who want to do it up occasionally for the wife and like splurge and, you know, be a baller? You know what? She likes Applebee's too. Your kind of woman loves Applebee's. Hey, no reason to commit until it's official.

When you're dating, Applebee's is just fun. Blumen onion, or is that somewhere else? Oh, that sounds dirty. I don't know. We better get to commercial you. Okay, Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

I don't even know where. I don't even know what restaurant chain that comes from. Sorry about that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific On Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey.

You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever

you get your podcast. I thought one of the really interesting things is that Greg Kosell said with both Zach Wilson of the Jets and Justin Fields of the Bears, you got to make this thing work two, three seconds, very quick. They don't see things fast enough. And yet, when he's... talked about Brock Purdy being able to mentally simplify things very quickly. See, identify, go.

Process. Mahomes, maybe the fastest I've ever seen. Mahomes can see something and that ball is out in a half second. Mahomes sees, identifies, release. I think Mahomes is the best I've ever seen at it. Is it coached? He's got Andy Reid. Here is Greg Coasell on Brock Purdy, a seventh round pick year two.

Here's what really stands out to me about Purdy. He shows an excellent feel. Maybe it's innate. Maybe you can teach it. Maybe you can't. But an excellent feel for what defender or defenders to read and control on specific route concepts. He's very, very good, Colin, at mentally simplifying the reads and the throws

based on the route concept versus the coverage. And I just think he has a really strong. feel for understanding that within that one and a half two second, three second at most timeframe. It's weird about this. Is it coaching? Is it reps? I'll give an example. So when I used to, when I broke into this business, I was on the air immediately. And I was doing Monday through Friday, I was doing a million shows and making a million mistakes. And then by about 30 years old, 31, 32, I'd been on the air so much and talk so much. I could start to I just had so many reps.

I'd made a ton of mistakes. Don't make mistakes. But there was something about the reps. And I knew people in my business who went to big markets or ESPN and they didn't really get the reps. They'd be the weekend guy or the third reporter. But they didn't get reps of talking live. Go.

Phil shows. Go. And I always used to tell I tell young broadcasters, go to Midland, Texas. Get on the air and talk, talk, talk, talk, make mistakes. 10 years of it. They call it like it's the 10,000 hour rule that if you've got 10,000 hours by the time you're like 17, 18, Bill Gates has talked about this. You're going to be so mentally ahead of the game. Make mistakes 16 to 26.

By 27, you've got so many hours doing something. Skating is a hockey player. Batting practice. Broadcasting quarterback. If you go back to Brock Purdy, was he a four-year starter in high school? A four-year starter in college? By the time he gets to the NFL, he has got so many mental reps of doing this. And if he had good coaches, Matt Campbell at Iowa, he really is an older quarterback.

Justin Fields transferred this. Justin Fields may have, you know, 800 fewer snaps. Maybe he didn't have the coaching. Maybe Zach Wilson didn't have the coaching. If you deep dive on it, it is interesting to me that when I watch Brock Purdy play. Now, again, I know he's got George Kittle, Kyle Shanahan. It can very well be coaching. I've always been better with better bosses and better coaches.

But there is something about it that, like, Zasman. When I watch Zach Wilson, he doesn't see the field. Justin, I didn't know Justin Fields. He panics. You can watch him. Greg's like the film says he doesn't see stuff. Zach and John, why does Brock Purdy see it? Is it innate?

You know, a lot of this stuff, you have to go way back. Brock Purdy may have had a great high school coach, been a three-year starter. Then he goes to college. I think he played as a freshman that he's a three- or a four-year starter. He's got so many reps. all these kids now in these seven-on-seven camps, Drew Bledso said, by the time I was in the NFL, I'd only started like blank number of games. Kids now are there by 12 summer camps, seven-on-seven reps, reps, reps. And you're doing this. So it's like motor skills. You learn it wrote. You memorize

stuff. And when I watch Brock Purdy, he does not look like a seventh-round pick who just got out of college. He's very comfortable. And Zach Wilson never feels comfortable. I feel like Zach Wilson is rushing and panicked and bad feet and hero ball and moving. And I don't know what it is. But I think Greg, when Greg Kossel talked about that, that Zach and Justin, they're just not seeing stuff. It's there. So why can Brock Pretty see it? Now, you could just say it's coaching.

You know, you could just, well, it's because the other guys have defensive coaches. And maybe it's just that simple. But Greg also said, or maybe it's innate, some people can just in our business fill space. Guess doesn't show up. ramble for eight minutes. Some can, some can't. I don't know what it is. But there is something about Brock Purdy.

I'm not saying he runs fabulously or throws fabulously, but he sees that game quick. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

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

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.