The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - Best For Last

Episode Date: August 18, 2023

Can the Jets OL block well for Aaron Rodgers? Best For Last: The top 5 best sports video games of all time   Guest: Jeff Howe   #douggottliebshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. 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. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd, where you may be, and however you may be making us part of your day.

Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottlieb in for Colin. It's a Friday where, um, Southern California is expecting a hurricane late Saturday night into Sunday. It's a real thing. Real thing. Southern swell, bro. Southern swell.

Music, you're grabbing the board? You're running out to Donini? Listen, Doug, if there's NAR to be shredded, I could be somewhere in the area. Then it will be NAR and it will be shredded. I would love to see you shred the NAR and post that like on Collins' page. That would be, that would be impressive. Did my... We haven't gotten a...

chance. Maybe we did and we didn't take advantage of it. Did we get the breakdown of the Sean Merriman, what I was saying and what he was saying? They were like, I just, I got to tell you, I understand his perspective is that if Jordan Love is the dude, if he's as good as they thought he could be, then you would be hearing that from the Packers. You would have, they wouldn't have even had to worry about Rogers and holding on to Aaron Rogers. there wouldn't have been this, they would have picked up his fifth year option instead, sign him to a deal, which is like a backup level contract. My point is when they drafted him, like context has completely gone out the window with it.

Aaron Rogers was coming off a bit of a down year. He wasn't showing great interest in adjusting the Matlifluor system. Some people thought that, and you go back and you can Google and read articles. I was a, as you know, Ryan, you and I worked together. I've always been a defender of Aaron Rogers when he was bad, even when he was bad. But when you have a guy who's declining a bit and you're the package, you're like, as long as we have Aaron Rogers, we're not going to be in the top, the bottom 10 or the top 10 of the NFL draft. So we got a chance to get a guy stash him, develop him.

And then as Aaron Rogers' career winds down, we have the next guy. That was the plan. And Aaron Rogers' play changed the plan. but it was a completely reasonable draft pick. Could they have taken a wide receiver? Sure. But if you get a starting caliber quarterback in the late 20s in the draft, that's kind of a win.

Doesn't cost you a lot of money. It just costs you some draft capital. So then Aaron has a couple of great years. It makes it a lot harder to play Jordan Love. But we're all making these statements about who he is. Like, if you want to say he's played poorly in the, dual scrimmages. Brock Purdy's throwing 10 picks in these scrimmages.

Go around the league. There's plenty of guys that have bad scrimmages and bad games. I don't know how good Jordan Love is, but you're any of you. But I'll defend the Packers trying to find the next guy when they had the guy, especially considering taking into account that the year he was selected was coming up a year where Aaron Rogers' attitude wasn't great towards the floor and his play wasn't great. and then he had two incredible years after that. All right, let's get to this.

So Dalvin Cook is officially a New York jet. Here's what Dalvin Cook said about their potential as a team. Being on the other side of that for the last six years, you know, I couldn't be on the other side no more. So it was just like being, I got the chance to go join them and help him win again. You know, that was a big thing to come over here. When you dig deep and look into the roster,

I think all the pieces are put together. I think I could come help these guys. And you look at the runnerback room with MC, Breach, B, Bham, and all those guys with me just adding into it, I think it could be something special. But you got a block. You know? And when you build a team from the outside in,

there's going to be shortfalls. When you're depending on Mackay Beckton, who his play hasn't been as good as had hoped, he wasn't drafted by this regime, they moved him over from left to right tackle to try and find somewhere to play him. Plus, his weight has fluctuated greatly. Now it's way down.

It looks a lot better. but their offensive lines kind of a mess. And then there's the, well, they should trade for David Bacchari. Like, why would the Packers trade for David Bacchari right now? See what we got? We can always trade him if we want to trade him. If this is a lost season, we'll trade him when it's a lost season. But making a determination about what something is before we actually see it,

that feels flawed. It feels very flawed. As it does with the jets. Don't get me wrong. Roger still has it and based upon his kind of persona attitude, like I would not bet against that guy being in incredible shape, being ready to go, being comfortable in the system,

you know what the guy who was calling plays for him, like all of that stuff. And he's got guys to catch it and guys to run it. But do you have guys that can block for you? And we can say, well, you know, Aaron Rogers, when he gets hit back there, he changes. Guess what?

They all change. You hit any of these quarterbacks early, they all change. They don't like to get hit. And the older you are, the less you like to get hit, right? I mean, who likes to get, no one likes to get hit. But I liken that too. Do you guys remember some of the discussion about LeBron James? Well, LeBron James wouldn't be a great football player because he doesn't want to get hit.

I've yet to see a wide receiver go, you know what I really like to do? I love to get earhold. Could somebody just hit me so that when I get up, I know he's T-Stars, but I actually think I'm back. Batman. I think Aaron Rogers is tough. It's not like he can't take a hit, but there does come a point to where

when there's guys in your lap on just about every throw, that's a problem. It was such a big deal that Robert Sala talked about it in a team meeting that he knew would be broadcast on hard knocks,

called out his entire offensive line. Which, I know you can do it. And you can do it in football and it can motivate guys, but this is like the old Chris Rock. Like, you can drive a car with your feet. That doesn't make a good idea. They already know they're not playing well.

They already know that they are seen as the weakness. Did you really need to point it out? Did you? I don't know. I just, I look at this Jets team and there's a multitude of reasons for the hype. The first thing is they do have good players. and they have been poorly quarterbacked. And there's the parallel for some people,

there's the parallel to the Tampa Buccaneers in that, hey, they had everything, James Winston threw too many picks. You get rid of Winston, you're replacing with Tom Brady, you win a Super Bowl. Should be pointed out, they also drafted Tristan Worf's,

the top left tackle that year. Should be pointed out that, yes, Aaroners took a pay cup, but it's still $75 million. As opposed, you know, there's still some money on the books, whereas Tom Brady was never making that sort of money. and look, Tom Brady, they wouldn't have gone to the playoffs had they not.

Everybody talks about the late, remember they had the late by that year, and then they won four in a row, then they went four in a row on the road. If you go back, the four teams they beat along the way to the playoffs with the four worst teams of football. They got a great schedule. And survive the Packers, survived the Saints with a bad fumble by the Saints when they had to leave in the third quarter. Like a lot of things went in their way. And they had Tom Brady. So there's reason for the hype.

Now there's also the, I don't know how many of you know this, but there's a substantial of the people who are mid to high level broadcasters, not former players. I'm talking about, not analysts, mid to four. There's a substantial number of Jets fans, like Mike Greenberg, most of Jets fan. They like the Mets, they like the Jets. they went to Syracuse. A good number of. So the Jets have always been

probably over-discussed in comparison to how the rest of the league talks about them. Plus they're in New York. Now you add in Aaron Rogers that's a weird parallel to Aaron Rogers and Brett Farr, like that's weird.

Super weird. They needed him. Rogers has done like a 180 in terms of some of the likability when he moved to New York being a man about town. constantly smiling, positive energy, whereas it just felt like drudgery, misery when he was in Green Bay.

And Daven Cook's a big name. I mean, just so we're aware, like Daven Cook can say, man, I really wanted to play with Aaron Rogers, but part of it was they're probably the highest bidder. You know, at like $7 million and guaranteed, potentially up to $8.5 million. I always want to play with Aaron Rogers, but I also went where they gave me the most money. So there's a substantial reason for the hype. You know, people don't, they want to see the Patriots fail. They're tired of the Bill Belichick Act.

Anybody but the Patriots. It's in New York. There's a lot of Jets fan boys. There's the Rogers factor. There's a lot to it. And I don't think hype or lack of hype helps you win even one game. But we are paying attention and that line's a mess. It's a, it's an absolute mess.

All right, coming up next, I'm Doug Gottlieb in for Colin Cowher. herd. Is there any fixing that offensive line? Is it? Any way to fix it? Or is it just good enough to let Aaron be Aaron? Plus, why don't we talk about the Browns anymore? Is it the elephant in the room? We'll discuss next in the herd. 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. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in Moon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 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 Podcast, you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you 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.

Doug Galdon for Colin, this is The Herd on Fox Sports Radio, the IHart Radio app. Football fans, the return of our popular Saturday and Sunday pregame shows. Countdown to kickoff, presented by BetMGM, returns this weekend. Be sure to tune in to Fox Sports Radio every Saturday and Sunday, three hours for kickoff. From now, all the way through Super Bowl Sunday on Saturdays, Brian No, former Penn State All-American Rich Ornberger, betting analyst Jared Spitz. Smith will walk you right up to college football kickoffs. And on Sundays, Brian, no, a year NFL vet, Jeff Schwartz and professional sports better.

Bill Krakkenberg will lead you right up to early NFL kickoffs as well. You can listen to Kemp down to kickoff weekday morning starting this Saturday right here in Fox Sports Radio on the IHeart Radio app. Let's continue the NFL conversation. Jeff Howe joins us. Of course, works for the athletic. He's their NFL national insider. Let's go to the Jets. There's this discussion about, well, the Jets would love to get David Bactiari in a trade.

Why would the Packers want to trade David Bactiari before they've played a game with Jordan Love? I don't think they're going to trade them, and the GM came out this morning and said as much. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that a trade is completely on the table. We've heard that about a lot of stars recently and for years. You know, this guy is not getting traded whatsoever, and then you find out that a deal has been completed in the midnight hour, whatever. But yeah, I mean, everybody's always looking for a lot of help. You look at the Bactiary situation, you wonder if that would, he'd be a fit for virtually every team in the league. Packers just aren't going to do that. I mean, they're resetting in a major way,

obviously. Jordan Love has looked pretty good so far the last few weeks, and the Packers have a lot of confidence in him, so taking away a piece like Bacchiari wouldn't make any sense, and that's why they're saying it's not going to happen. Okay. So obviously everybody's looking for line help. There's just nobody out there with the Jets. How dire is the situation with the line? What are people in the league saying about that offensive line? Yeah, I mean, it's trouble. But the one counterpoint there is you've got Aaron Rogers, who knows how to navigate through trouble like that. I mean, Rogers is smart enough to assess this situation. And if he knows that he's going to have a matchup disadvantages based on what the rush on the officer, what side can do, he's going to get rid of the ball quicker,

or he's going to do things to evade that rush. Now, he's not Superman. He can't, he can't cure everything, but he covered Tom Brady for 12 years, and he was able to navigate some of the same issues. So every team in the league. So the problem, but when you've got a better quarterback, and...

There are some ways I'll set it, but, man, it's really hard when you don't have the protection up front, and you have a team kind of built around your skill position, skill position players. What's your read on what's going on in San Francisco with the quarterback room? It's always been Brock Party, and I'm sure the Niners would have liked

Trey Lance to make a better push this off season. You know, the health situation has been tough for Lance. I thought it's highly a Trey Lance coming out of the draft as anybody, and I kind of trumpeted how much I thought he was going to be, that he had a chance to be a great NFL quarterback. Obviously, the injuries have been a major part of that story and why it hasn't happened, but it's going to be Brock Purdy, and the 49ers haven't been shy about admitting that.

There is, of course, some concern with him coming off of the elbow. And, you know, speaking of teams around the league, there is some question as to whether, you know, what will happen with Brock Purdy over the course of the full season? Will defenses be able to do a better job of game planning for him now that they kind of know what he likes to do. You know, the counterpoint to that one is Kyle Shanahan's as good of a play caller as there has been in quite a while.

We'll really see what Brock Purdy is made out this season. I mean, he was terrific than the stretch run last year. One of the cool stories in the league. But with the game on the line, you know, if there's, the 49ers were good enough that they didn't play a lot of close games, didn't put Purdy in a lot of clutch or crunch time situations. You know, what happens? And he has to lead them down for a game-winning drive.

a game time score, anything like that. I mean, that's certainly something that I've heard a lot of, both the Niners and what their potential could be due to help. What is the talk around the league in regards to Russell Wilson and whether or not he can get back to the form he had in Seattle? Well, the Sean Payton marriage is, there have been well documented. We know how much of a disaster that was for everything possible to a complete 180.

So there was some concern a year ago. you know, what the way Russell Wilson has played in his last year in Seattle wasn't as good as it had been, you know, finally for the first time really dealt with an injury that knocked him out for a little while. And you could kind of see a tail off coming and then it, you know, it fell completely off a cliff because of how, how bad the situation was in Denver last season. So, you know, there's some optimism that the Broncos will be better, but that division's really good. The AFC as a whole is really good. and there's not a lot of room for error.

I mean, you've got the elite in the AFC with the Chiefs, the Bills, the Bengals, and then you've got maybe like a 10 or 12 team middle class where you're going to have some really talented teams maybe they don't have one injury or they just don't manage situations as well in a few games and cost you some wins and losses here. You could be a team that has very little room for error

from being a four or five seed to being like 13th or 14th in the conference. And I think Denver could be, lumped in to that group. It's going to be, you know, the defense is good. It really is going to come down to the offense. They have their own offensive line, kind of

offensive line issues. I think there's there is a team that it feels like it's not getting discussed. And I think most of it is the fact locationally, but some of it is they haven't been good for so long. Jaguars got to the playoffs, won a game, and were competitive against Kansas City.

Where are they in the pecking order in the FACC? they should be the favorite to win the aFC South yet again and you know does that put them at the four seat again possibly but they are a team that's absolutely on the rise i've seen quite a bit of them this summer i saw them early in jacksonville i saw them just a couple days ago in detroit and true law is absolutely ready to take a big jump and he has he really gained control of that offensive system along with you know the receivers i mean the skill players are around him way through last season when they started to catch fire. And you could see Trevor Lawrence started to see some fire with the guys around him,

the actual genuine belief that Trevor Lawrence can get them out of just about any hole. And of course, they tested that limit in the playoff game against the Chargers. So they are at Trevor Lawrence's work ethic last year and how committed he was. Doug Peterson, his teammates have told me this offseason, and Trevor Lawrence actually took it to another level. In a story I just wrote that today, he's to hear a guy that young, that committed, try to find new ways to make himself a better player.

And when again, the reviews around him have been so hot. You know, he just, he wants to be great. And he's kind of been put on that. Patsy is going to help immensely. And now we'll see how long it takes for them to get their timing together in terms of regular season, game speed and that stuff. But my goodness, Calvin Ridley looks really good and explosive and it's going to give that offense watching him practice.

He's a different type of player than everything else they have, and they've got some good ones the receiver. You know, the question for me is, what's going to happen at the two tackle spots, getting back to that old line topic, and then the defense, are you going to have enough on pass rush? I mean, they're relying tremendously on Walker

and Josh Allen take another step. They don't have a lot of depth in terms of the pass rushers. That was what bit them in the game against the Chiefs, and they really let one slip away, in the divisional round there. They couldn't get after Mahomes, even though he was hobbled. So, you know, can you protect Lawrence?

Can you get enough of a pass rush that when you get to the playoffs and you do have to knock off, solidified top-tier teams? You know, can you rattle Joe Barrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, enough to get to ask you over the hump? Those are the two biggest questions. I think those are gigantic questions, but one in which I think they'll, we'll find out answers not until January.

That's probably a very strong likelihood, especially considering that division. Speaking of the division, Anthony Richardson making news in that he's already been named the starter. Plus, he's throwing, you know, one-leg jump passes 50 yards on a dime on social media. But the bigger thing is Jonathan Taylor and what was the back-and-forth team, Heneman Erse. He's in camp out for personal reasons, right? Feels like kind of the hold in, not the hold out. How does that play out in the season?

you know the Colts desperately want to get this result but how far is Jonathan Taylor willing to push this thing and it's just you know I could talk to you for four hours about the running back market and how fascinating the story is it's the numbers aren't the right back favor and the teams have the leverage but when the running back if it's in Taylor's case says, look, I'm not playing without a deal. And it's really only so much you can do. The Colts don't want to trade him. Teams I've spoken to around the league, whether they need a running back or not, don't believe the Colts are going to be able to trade him

because the price is going to be high on the Colts side and on Jonathan Taylor's side because you're not going to want to trade a quality draft pick for a guy that you can't keep under contract for more than potentially the franchise tag a year from now. And we all know, I think we can all assume how Jonathan Taylor would feel about the franchise tag. So there's a lot of unknown here. I think the best case for both sides is to just get through this season and figure out in the off season because it's just an impossible market for a running back and a guy like Taylor.

But they need him to help out Anthony Richardson. And I was in town there a couple weeks ago, and I thought Richardson had a fantastic day. He's a physically impressive guy. He made some really good throws down the field. and accurate, threw some accurate balls to catch guys on the run so they could make plays after the catch. I mean, he's going to have some moments when he's erratic with his accuracy. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's similar to the start that Josh Allen had to his career, where, you know, you're just going to move some of those easy throws because you're still trying to work on the mechanics and the footwork

and trying to get yourself set to be more consistent. But he can throw a really good ball, gravitating toward him. It looks, or I know they just named him the starter a few days ago, It looked pretty early on that this was impacted that room and the way that he's performed on the field. Again, they're going to be growing people, but he's a kid whose potential certainly continues to match what we all sort of thought going into the draft.

Jake Blaston, who's the most, how many teams you've been to? I don't know how many teams that's been. I know I've seen 13 teams. Most impressive team. There was a joint practice in there. Most impressive team you've seen. Oh, boy. I mean, I think the Bengals, I don't know if it was because of that day or anything.

I mean, I saw them about two days after Joe Burrow went down. But I just, I think so highly of that team, I thought, you know, they made some mistakes in the playoffs, but they were a team that absolutely could have won the Super Bowl last year. They were good enough to do that. We know they were on the doorstep and lost a Super Bowl the year before that. But I think they're a team that is certainly able and in position to make that jump and to win the Super Bowl this year. I haven't made a prediction in that regard, but I think the Bengals are right there. Awesome stuff.

Thanks so much for joining us. I really appreciate it. Of course. Thanks for having me. All right, that's Jeff Howell, from the Athletic. They're National Football League and National Insider. Let's get to Ryan Music with the news. This is the Hurdline News.

Well, it is that time of the year. So as you're discussing football with Jeff Howe, you get one guest. What do you think we're going to discuss here in Hurdline News? line news. Football. That's right. Football, football and more football. So let's kick it off then. Patriots and Packers having joint practices leading up to tomorrow's preseason game. Patriots four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon had this to say about what he's seen from Jordan Love stepping into the starting role for the first time in his career with the Packers. Quote, he's a good kid, very calm, composed. I think he's going to be a great leader for this

organization, a good player. We can all see the armed talent. He's got some nice arm talent. I just accuracy is everything, right? And it's not what you do, but it's when you do it. But all reports are, there's, there is a lot of talent. You know, the interesting thing that I've sort of observed from all of this discourse surrounding Jordan Love, you could also say perhaps all of the arguments surrounding Jordan Love, as you and Sean Merriman displayed earlier an hour two over a very lively discussion on this very subject. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks about Jordan Love, not rival teams, not you, not anyone in the media, even rival coaches.

All that really comes down to is the Packers are a different organization. They don't have any owner to report to. So the GM Brian Gutakuntz, his entire career, is being staked on this Jordan Love play. So even if we don't think that Jordan Love is the guy, they are absolutely 100% giving him this full season and likely next season to prove that he can play. Now, anything short of him being a complete and total disaster,

he's very luckily going to be the quarterback of the Packers for the next two years as long as Brian Gutakunz is calling the shots. I don't know. I mean, he doesn't have his, it's not huge money that he signed for for next year. Sure, but what are they going to do? Are they? Is that a quarterback? Okay, but that's what I'm saying.

That's if Jordan Love is a complete disaster, then, yeah, of course you're going to move off him. But if he's anywhere close to just even average, what are you going to do? You're going to take the fifth best quarterback out of last year's draft? Well, now you're right back with another Jordan Love type prospect. Yeah. Well, again, but if Jordan lives a disaster, you're going to get a top pick and you're going to trade away David Bacdiari for another pick and you're going to try and move up and move out and get Caleb Williams. We've never seen that out of the Packers.

Right. Again, that's because they nailed the succession plan once upon a time. If they can nail it again. But because they weren't necessarily. I'm talking about Rogers of Harvard Rogers. They weren't necessarily good in Rogers' first year. They lost a lot of games late. They weren't terrible.

They were very competitive. But that's my point, is like, there's only one scenario where Jordan Love is not the quarterback next season. And it's if he's a complete and utter disaster, which, based off of everything that we've seen from him, he's not a disaster. I think the roster is good. It's young at some spots.

I think those wide receivers are going to come along. I think they have a good running game. I think they have a – I mean, it does feel like they're kind of a quarterback away from being really. really, really good, and we'll see how much of a drop-off it is. It's like they play the Bears' first game of the season on the road in Chicago. You win that game, they have some winnable games to get it going here. I think we wait and sit.

We're talking about things before they actually happen, and let's see. We will know, you know, three-quarters of the way into the year what he's like. It doesn't mean that's the definition of who he's always going to be, but we'll get a pretty good sense. The Packers are just a different organization. There's no owner to report to. So the idea that the front office is going to get blown out for missing this quarterback draft transition is at very, very low probability. All right, let's, speaking to the Patriots, that team that has been going up against the Packers this week. They brought in Zechal Elliott and Bill Belichick was asked about Zekele Elliott's progress since joining the team.

And, well, as only Bill Belichick could have said, I mean, he's been here for two days. We haven't really been able to practice with him, so not much teamwork. He's done things. He worked out with the strength staff on Wednesday, so it's coming along. Definitely not there yet. We're getting there. So, Ezekiel Elliott, doing things for the Patriots, according to Bill Belichick, it's official. Well, I mean, look, it's better than not doing things.

That's true. That's a good way to put it. I think that's a big thing. Doing things is always better than not doing things. And in this case, he's doing some things. Which is good. I mean, at least he's Bill Belichick's consistent in saying nothing while saying something while saying nothing while saying something. Yeah, I don't have high expectations that Zika Elliott is somehow going to remake the playmaking ability of what we can expect out of the Patriots offense.

I think bringing in Bill O'Brien is the difference maker versus somewhat of a mess of what we saw from the Patriots offense. Patriots last year. It looks like the only issue I would have, and it's not a high cost thing, right, it's like $3 million. The only issue I would have with Zeke is, I mean, Ramon J. Stevenson's, you're starting running back and he's kind of a power back. It feels like a copy of a copy. Instead of somebody who has a different skill set, somebody who you can line up out wide,

you can run jit sweeps with, you know, you can have a little bit of creativity with. So that would be, on the other hand, because of the running back position, this is the way it works, right? You can spend $7, $8 million and have two really good between the tackles starting running backs who can both block and pass protection instead of, you know, loading up on one and making it into the $10 to $15 million range. We'll wrap up with this, Doug. It's year two for Kenny Pickett as a starting quarterback of the Steelers this time around. He is the unquestioned starter after initially sitting behind Mitchell Tribisky last year. Tomlin said Pickett and the starters will play in their second preseason game, and they will play more than they did last week.

Last week, Pickett and the offense did look relatively sharp, six of seven passing, 70 yards, finishing off with a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver George Pickens. What do you think of Pickett and the Steelers this year? Colin likes the Steelers. Everyone I've talked to said that they've got a good club. I mean, that division is crazy. crazy because, I mean, the Browns super talented weren't good last year,

and we'll talk in a second about why nobody talks about them. But Ravens talented, obviously, and we know the Bengals, and we just, Jeff Howe just said, like, they were the best team that he's seen. They've been in a Super Bowl and been deep in the playoffs, and been a couple of plays away from beating the Chiefs on the road last year. So, yeah, we know the Steelers are going to have a good year. They're going to have a great year.

That's going to depend on Pickett and his improvement. Yeah, it's interesting. If you sort of look at it and, you know, maybe you have some disagreements here, but I think we all think chiefs are going to win the AFC West. You expect probably... We do? Really? You're going to deep into that Kool-Aid again, Doug.

Fool me once. Fool me twice. You're going to drink that Kool-Aid? All right. Listen, if you don't want to, then you at least expect them to make a wild card spot? Yes, Chiefs will make the playoffs. Yeah. General point is if you have the Chief Spangles-Jags,

bills as either your division winners or likely somehow contending for a playoff spot that means you have at minimum these five teams fighting for the final wildcard spots which is the Chargers, Broncos, Jets, Dolphins and Steelers. I mean the

AFC is just so stacked from top to bottom at some point there's going to be that this team is so talented and finished with 10 wins but was left on the outside looking in and I feel like the Steelers are probably going to be one of those teams. And for the record, I would always take the Chiefs to win the division until proven otherwise, right?

Like, I think the Chargers probably have a better overall roster, and they've always been competitive with the Chiefs since they've had Justin Herbert, but you're going to take, it's on Kansas basketball. Like, until somebody dethrones them and does it more than once, like you're taking them, and that's what I would do with the Chiefs. That's right. Music with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. I know they weren't good last year, but isn't it?

interesting how no one wants to do the lifting of trying to talk about the Browns and Deshaun Watson because of his off-the-field issues going back to when he's in Houston. They went from the most discussed team in the last four off-season. Don't get me wrong. When Brady went to the Buccaneers, like they were the most discussed team that year, but the Browns were probably second. And then you had the Aaron Rogers thing, but the Browns were in any discussion. I'm telling you like nobody talks about it's like they don't even exist anymore

and I would guess it's two things they weren't very good and two who really wants to talk about that one you know do I talk about DeShan Singh do I not talk about it that thing's so weird let's just move on to the teams that we can we can care about come up next Tyreek Hill has said he plays madden instead of watching film the night before NFL games which leads us to our best for last what is it you'll have to find out next in the herd Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of Pipeen Hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob. Mark Parker on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 IHeard 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. 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. This is the heart. Fox Sports Radio. The IHeart Radio app. Hope you're having a great weekend. You go out to see a show.

My guy, Darius Ruckers in Irvine. and then of course you got preseason football. We're a week away from college football kicking off. There's Major League Baseball well underway. A lot of stuff going on. Speaking of the NFL, which is still a couple weeks away, here's Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins talking about what he does the night before games. I feel like Madden has a good tale of how good players are.

So I just played Madden the night before, and I go look at all their ratings. So let's say, for instance, they have Steve Nelson and Derek Stingley over there. Two phenomenal players, by the way. I just go get on Madden. I go to the EA rosters, then I scroll down and see what their awareness is, their speed is, and they sprint, and that's how I get a good tail on them.

You know, you have an entire department of scouting with the dolphins who could give you a little bit more insight and depth into that. But, hey, you do you, Tyreek. I mean, does it really matter for Tyreek Hill, right? Get the ball run fast. But he actually is technically a very good wide receiver. Gassie fast.

which brings us to our best for last It's almost the end of the show But that doesn't mean we're phoning it in Nope we grind to the very last segment It's time for best for last Ah, best for last Which brings us to our top five video games So here's what we're going to do

Normally Colin gives the list Okay I think we should all give our list Two, are you down for that? I am down for that Ryan, you down for that Doug if you're asking I'm down for it Okay. All right.

Let's everybody search into their... Now, here's the thing. You don't need a specific year of Madden. Oh, no, we're not doing that. You can just give me that. No, no. Right. All right.

Two, you can give me one to your top five. Okay. One, my top five is number one, RBI baseball, the original. Techmobile, Mike Tyson. I said one. Oh, I'm sorry. You want to give all of them. It's fine.

You have Timble Bowl, Mike Tyson. punch out. Yeah, M&Bita show and NBA Jam. Try to save time here, sorry. Okay, what about you, Rames? Five to one. Number five, FIFA, then Madden,

NCAA football, NBA Jam, and number one NFL Blitz. I will tell you that I think NCAA football is the most overrated of all the games. Wow. Oh, man.

I have a reason behind it. The gameplay wasn't great. The thing you could do is you could run an option, which you couldn't, right? So it was like, but the gameplay wasn't great. It was just that it was, Reggie Bush was just unbelievable.

Right. Okay, but Lamar Jackson's unbelievable in Last Bad, and I know my son plays strictly as the Ravens and I can't beat him because. Okay, so you have to have FIFA on there. Okay. You have to have FIFA on there. So two, you already lost.

I mean, you don't have to. I like the sprinting around of sports. Interesting that Tiger Woods Golf didn't make any of your guys list. Oh, that's a good one. Didn't make any of you guys this. I would do Tiger Woods Golf. personally, like, I was old school Nintendo blades of steel. But I also liked EA Sports NHL games.

So I'll go to EA Sports NHL. All right. So then I got soccer. I got golf. I got, what did I just say? I have hockey. Hockey, correct.

And then you got to have, you got to have baseball. I would agree RBI baseball. The show in RBI baseball is awesome. I mean, by far, yeah. The original was. incredible. It was so basic, but it was so great. And then my basketball game was, you know, I used to live in the arcade to play arch rivals. It wasn't, it didn't translate as well in the video game. Lakers versus Celtics in the NBA playoffs was the first like NBA jam or excuse me,

it was the first like, what do they have, NBA live. But I think, I think NBA jam is the best. So I'll do NBA, although I was great at double dribble. Yeah, we got all the same ones. I don't think it's a great way to get a scanner reporting guy. Like, I went into Madden and checking at the ratings, and he's got really good awareness. So that made me aware of his awareness. I mean, it's clearly not hurting him, is it? No, but the more Tyreek Hill speaks, the more you're like, boy, he's a good football player. You know, I mean, that one's an odd one.

He felt like he wasn't getting the ball enough when he was in Kansas City. Like, did you see the ratio of times you touched the football? the problem is you were getting the ball too much, they're forcing it to you. But yeah, he actually is wrong. EA sports guys do a great job of trying to establish somebody's awareness. He has people whose sole job it is to prepare players for the game by telling them what the other guy does best poorly if you want to just say awareness. And yet he chooses the video game as opposed to the guys who are paid by the organization that pays him

to prep him for the game. Seems like a flawed. Do we think there's a chance that Tyreek Hill could be even better if he didn't rely so much on playing Madden and instead read the scouting reports? Yeah, of course. Of course. I mean, he basically said the Johnny Mansell thing, right?

How much did you check out your iPad and whatever? Zero. I played Madden. I played Madden. Yeah. I think the Johnny thing was I didn't play Madden either, but I get your point. Yeah.

And that's the best for last. You know, Mike Tyson's Punch out is great. There's so many good sports video games. I don't know if I've told you guys. I've never told this one on air. When I was, I think it was sixth grade, maybe seventh. Miles Simon and I were best friends. By the way, congrats to Miles.

He's one of the new assistants with the Phoenix Suns. And we used to play Nintendo all the time. And we sat down with a couple of our buddies and we were trying to come up with a video game that had not yet been made. and we came up with the idea. This is back when track and field was big on the Nintendo where you had to press the buttons right

to go really fast to run with track and field. I think children of the 80s remember this. So we came up with the idea of a fishing game with kind of the same concept of reeling it in. And we wrote it all down on paper. We had this whole idea and like a week later one of us was walking through. I think it was the warehouse.

It was back where you'd buy DVDs, but you could also get video games. And like sure enough, there was a fishing video game. And none of those fished, we were just trying to figure out like, what's the game that hasn't been made yet? There's one that hasn't been made yet. Big football weekend in terms of preseason games, the only thing I can tell you is more important than how your team looks is that no one gets hurt. Nothing determines a team's success or failure more than major injuries to important positions. And frankly, all the positions are kind of important.

So the best to you, your football team and your fantasy football team in regards to health. We're a week away from week zero. Colin is back on Monday. And have a great and safe weekend. Your last free weekend before there is meaningful football games on TV. I'm Doug Gottlie. This is the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, Street or 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, 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that experience.

excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of 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.