The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - Caleb Williams will be fine

Episode Date: November 20, 2023

2-time All Pro Steve Smith joins the show to tell Colin why there's no reason to worry about Caleb Williams as an NFL prospect despite having a disappointing final season at USCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Chiefs hosting the Eagles tonight. Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. So I like Philadelphia tonight. J-Mack, to you, I like the Eagles and the points. Sorry, buddy. I'm on the Chiefs in the contest.

Three and one. Could use a four-in-one to get inching closer to 60%. Probably won't cash, but I need the chiefs. I mean, Pat Mahomes under a field goal. Come on. Andy Reid off a buy. You've seen all these trends. Well, but Nick Seriani's undefeated off a buy too.

Is that 3-0? Well, I mean, it's just, I think offensive coaches, Sean McVey off a buy won yesterday. I mean, I think offensive coaches off a buy are different. Remember when Kyle Shanahan off a buy against Jacksonville? Again, Andy Reid has more wins off-a-by than all those guys combined, okay? I mean, he's been doing it for a while. He is a great coach, an offensive genius. But they don't score in the second half.

This is not a good sheet. They haven't scored in the second half, mostly because they're just playing with their food and nursing a lead. What's going to happen if they lose tonight? They have lost to the lions at home. They've lost to the Broncos, and they lose to the Philadelphia Eagles at home. What happens? What is a shame in losing to the Eagles? Come on.

By the way, who's the number one scene in the AFC if they lose tonight? Who's taking it? Well, Baltimore, I think, is the most dynamic team. I just think that Mark Andrew's loss is significant. It matters. But Zay Flowers has, they found that running back late in the draft who's excellent. Zay Flowers. Undrafted.

Yeah. Oh, was he an undrafted guy? So is what all these draft Nicks know. Undrafted dude dominated. You don't necessarily. I mean, I would say this. It's not that you don't know things. This is one of the things.

It's not like everybody had tape on Brock Purdy. But if you look at the historical precedent, Brock Purdy, small hands, small, didn't have a big arm. So even though somebody drafted him, and I'm sure more than the 9. looked at drafting him, the takeaway is if you look at historical precedence, there used to be a GM in the NFL called George Young of the New York Giants. And he had what he would call the world theory, the planet theory, which is the planet only gives you so many big men with good feet and that can move. And so if you can find those basically in the first round is where you get your left tackles. If you look at the history of the NFL, the best left tackles, almost all

or first round. Almost all. There's exceptions, obviously, everything and some internet nerd will probably go find it. But the truth is, there's only so many six-foot-seven men that weigh 340 pounds and have good feet. And it was called the planet theory or the world theory. There's just only so many. So if you look

at most of your great players in the NFL, not all of them, but if I say Marino, first round, Elway, first round. There's a lot of first round stars. Payton Manning, first round. Yes, you're going to have outliers. Brady developed later. Brady's not super-athlet. You saw the T-shirts off, you know, the Combine stuff.

So you do get, and running back's weird because a lot of running back is, there's not a lot of run-centric systems anymore. So, and there's also a feeling, and that with the running back, for instance, there's a feeling that you can get them in later rounds. So Bejohn Robinson last year was literally the only player in the first round. I had two GMs tell me this that literally didn't. have a ding, didn't have a knock. He was a perfect player. Could block, good teammate, could run, didn't fumble, could catch. He was Ladanian Tomlinson. But yet there was a question, the hell, what do you draft in a running back in first round? So some of these running backs drop because the overall feeling in the league is we can get a running back later. Whereas a team

will reach on a quarterback and a left tackle on an edge rusher because of sort of the world theory. If you got a guy that 6'5 and can sling it, you're not going to let him drop to the second round. You're going to draft him. Brock Osweiler. Wasn't he like a... There's not many guys. And so same with left tackle. This is probably going to have four or five left tackles taken first round. Two will be busts. But if a guy's six,

six and a half, three-thirty and moves well, there's just that the planet doesn't deliver those. So running backs often fall in the draft simply because, well, we'll get one later. And Brock Purdy fell in the draft, not because he wasn't a good player, but it's like he just doesn't fit the

historical precedent for greatness. How many guys who are underserved aren't super mobile average arms end up hoisting a trophy so that's why you can always argue for a josh allen josh allen may be flawed but it's like good god six six two you can argue for a cam you can argue for a big ben you can argue for a manning they're big they're strong they can throw it so you know that's kind of my takeaway on on when i watch brock purdy every we should talk about this but you and i both like brock purdy people are going crazy on brock perdy and My takeaway is he didn't drop because everybody's dumb, but there's these slots. I mean, like, I've talked to GMs about this.

There are just certain lengths where you don't draft certain positions based on length. You know a guy can play, but you're not going to draft certain guys in the first or early second because they don't fit a historical precedent. I'll give you an example, Tua. My guys like Tua better than Justin Herbert, but what they were concerned with is that Herbert was six, five and a half, half, never been dinged up, big and could move. And so the take was, historically, Herbert's a safer pick than Tua, though Tua threw a more accurate ball, had a quicker release, one more in college.

But the tough part about those two, the history told you take the bigger, stronger guy that can move better. But when guys were watching film, all my executives were like, we like the way Tua throws the way. We like his accuracy. We like his release. We like his quickness. So a lot of this stuff in the draft is you can like a guy, but like right now, remember when Kyle Hamilton got picked first round by the Ravens at safety?

At a Notre Dame, yes, yes, yes, yes. And people were like, well, it's a safety. Everybody knew Kyle Hamilton was excellent, but the feeling is you can get a safety third round on. That same draft, the Ravens took a center from, I think, Iowa. So that draft, they took a center and a safety. most teams would rather not do that, but they've both been excellent players, and the Ravens are like, listen, they're excellent,

we need the positions. So I'm always, whenever anybody gets drafted late and everybody goes, oh, I don't know, there's a lot that goes into it. Like, Zach Wilson, I didn't buy him at all. I thought he was Johnny Mansell with a better arm. I thought he was small shoulders, small hips. He doesn't look like a franchise guy.

But the way he could throw the ball and move, people were kind of suckers for it. But if you look at what CJ Stroud right now, one of the reasons why CJ, and I didn't see a ton of juice, but he's big. He's big and throws an accurate ball with velocity. So you're like, yeah, that's a first round quarterback. Like Kenny Pickett, I watched, I didn't see a lot of velocity. I didn't think he was super athletic. He played forever at Pitt, and I just, I.

But what about Stroud? He blew off the Peyton Manning camp and the S2 test. But we got all wrapped up in the narrative. Jay Stroud was a better high school college recruit. He went to Ohio State. So C.J. Stroud was considered bigger, more naturally gifted than Kenny Pickett, who stayed in college forever and was okay. So it just the funny thing, like when you watch the night, Jalen Hertz fell to the second round. People liked him, but historically, Jalen's smaller.

And so people are like, I don't know. I just think fans look at stuff. That's why I always want to give a strong opinion on a quarterback. So tonight we have Jalen Hurt, second round. Mahomes didn't even go top, what did he go, 11? 10 or 11, something like that. Yeah, and it's like, how in the world does Mahomes go? There were things about Mahomes that people worry about.

Big 12 was a joke. Big 12, he couldn't trust it. He was sometimes kind of unraveled. He didn't have a winning record. This stuff is not easy. Listen, if you go back to Josh Allen, Mel Kuyper said he's one of the 10 best quarterback prospects ever. I watched them twice in college.

I watched them against Oregon and Iowa. He was terrible. And I was like, that's the top 10 guy. Contextually, who'd he play with, who'd he play against, what was his coaching? Stuff is hard. I like, one of the things I like, I'll tell you, one of the things I like about tonight, let's talk Philadelphia, Kansas City. One of the things I really like about Philadelphia is that, and I think this is Jalen Hertz,

I think they are so good situationally. Like Seattle right now has got talent. they're terrible situationally. Philadelphia's got talent. They're great situationally. That's the difference. Philadelphia knows what they are. I feel like Kansas City wants to know what they are,

but they don't quite know what they are offensively yet. The receivers are getting better, but they're not great. Philadelphia, more than any team in the league this morning, more than any NFL team, knows exactly what they are. Detroit knows what they are. Dallas thinks they knows what they are. Philadelphia, more than any franchise, knows exactly what they are. On fourth down, everybody in the room knows the play.

On third and short, everybody in the room knows the play. If they're throwing a deep ball, everybody knows who it goes to. If you look at, Philadelphia knows they're built on the lines with interesting perimeter weapons and a mobile quarterback. There's never any question. Everybody in Philadelphia knows third and two what play they're running. Fourth and one, one play. That is what Seattle's not.

know what the hell they are. They don't know. Like, what's our strength? What's our weakness? We think we're a run team, but we kind of like Gino. We love our young receivers. Seattle can't figure out what they are. Philadelphia has an absolute understanding. And my take on Kansas City is, I think they're in an argument for the best team. I don't think there's a breakaway best team. But what I worry about Kansas City is they don't, if it's third and six, and they take Travis Kelsey out, who are you throwing to? What are you? What are you third and six for Kansas City tonight. If I roll, if I double Travis,

you have no idea what they're doing. I know what they're doing. They're just trusting Patrick Mahomes to make a play and read the defense. And like, everything you're saying ties into that drafting. You could sum it up in one line. In the NFL draft, you're not drafting for what somebody is. It's what they can be.

And I would argue, like Rishi Rice and all these receivers they've got who have just been middling, it's not what they are or have been. It's what they're going to do against this Eagle's secondary Colin, it has not been great. We saw Dak Prescott move up and down the field. True or false? Dallas was the better team in Philadelphia a couple weeks ago.

Well, no, false. They dominated the fourth quarter. I think they had like 13 first downs of them. Went up and down the field, just two mistakes. Two tiny mistakes. Typical of the Cowboys, a team that struggles situationally in big key situational moments, Dallas doesn't know really what they are. Well, also, this was Dak Prescott on the road, hostile environment.

Now you shift the venue to Arrowhead. And it's like, well, if Dak can go up and down the field in Philly, why can't Patrick Mahomes do the same thing against the Eagles? Because the Cowboys have C.D. Lamb, and they don't have anything resembling C.D. Kelsey? No, that's a tied-in. Still, he's going to have like eight catches for 115 yards. No?

I think C.D. Lamb is a perimeter weapon that Kansas City doesn't have anything close to. Again, Dallas, Philadelphia is a great example. Dallas is good, but they don't really know what they are on third and four. If you double C.D. Lamb, they don't Tony Pollard, their tight ends. Philadelphia knows what they are in third and short, fourth and short. A.J. Brown is on third and seven their target. They've always been above average tight ends, or they can run it with Jalen Hertz. They have so many options. They're so good situationally.

I'll tell you a team that knows what they are, is Detroit. Detroit has some flaws. Detroit knows absolutely what they are. It all starts with a dominant offensive line, and they can play power football. Detroit knows what they are. They're better playing with a lead than from behind, but they can play from behind because Jared Goff gets good protection.

But they know they're a physical football team. They've got a pass rush. They can lean on you. They can run it. Detroit knows what they are. They are better ahead than behind. but we've seen now against the chargers, against the lines, they can play from behind now. They're probably better indoors and out, but they can win out.

But I've always said this. I have a little company. You've had companies. You have to be something, and everybody in the room has to know what you are. Because when you get into crisis, when you get into chaos, what do you lean on? Yesterday, the Rams leaned on McVeigh's play calling and Stafford's talent. Seattle didn't know what they were. So tonight, and it's going to be close, the reason I like Philip, now if it's a blowout, it's a blowout.

But if it's close, I think Philadelphia has a much greater sense of what they are. And that's why I think they're the best situational team in football. Kansas City's developing that, but they're not there yet. Are you falling into recency bias that last game case he had in Germany against Miami? First half lights out. Second half did absolutely nothing. That is what, by the way, that is what Kansas City. is. What are the chiefs and what do they know they are? Smarter than you, more clever than you

with a brilliant offensive coach. So what is Kansas City? Tremendous on script first half. That's what they know they're good at. But games against Philadelphia, Kansas City are decided in the fourth quarter. Script is done. Kansas City is struggling in the fourth quarter. They're not in the first quarter because they know what they are early. Smart, scripted, they know where they're going. They're going to fool you. In the fourth quarter, you're done with all the scripted stuff. They're struggling to define in their own rooms. What are we?

Philadelphia knows exactly what they are. No, tonight, Kansas City may win by 30 and I look stupid. But that's my takeaway on the Eagles. They're not playing well. You've got a sandpaper some stuff, but I like them in close games. Yeah, it doesn't look like Goddard to go tonight. I'm thinking both teams off the buy. I think this probably isn't under.

I would take Kansas City leads in the first half. Philadelphia pulls away second. Pulls away. Oh, spicy. McDuffie on A.J. Brown. I'm fired up, man. This is a great game tonight. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. That's correct. 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.

Boy, you and Nick Wright love the chiefs tonight. I'll take Philadelphia. Steve Smith, five-time pro bowler, NFL Network. joining us live. For the record, who do you like tonight? I like Philadelphia. I think they understand what they are. I think they're really good situationally with Jalen Hertz.

They know what they are on third down. I think Kansas City is a developing offense that doesn't quite know what they are yet. I like Philly tonight. What say you? Who do you like? I mean, I like Philly as well. But every time I pick against Patrick Mahomes, he always shows me how incorrect I am.

So I'm not going to go against Patrick Mahomes. I think, or my humble opinion would be for both teams, Brian Johnson, the new offensive coordinator, who was formerly the quarterback coach, and Matt Nagy, who was formerly the quarterback coach as well. These are two guys who, like anything else, they have the job. It's their job to lose.

But I think they're still figuring out what it is like to be a offensive coordinators, whether you have a lot of great weapons like the Philadelphia Eagles, or you have some guys who are still figuring it out, like the Kansas City Chiefs. But both teams have looked a shell of what they looked like last year, obviously in the playoff runs and also in the Super Bowl. and I think people are discounting that new offensive coordinators affect a lot of things and you don't always see the success immediately and people are experiencing that with the Eagles and Chiefs when sometimes you say, hey, what's going on this week or what happened offensively?

So Russell Wilson looks to be about 90% of Seattle, Russ, but he's moving, he's lateraling, he's making plays. I was saying earlier that, you know, the internet doesn't allow you to take. take time to solve problems. You've got to solve it tomorrow. It's like, that's not the way it works. It's really hard to start a business or reboot your marriage or like it's hard. Are you surprised it took so long or are you surprised that it's this good right now? What do you make at Denver, Russell, Peyton, and all of it? I mean, Payton is, Sean Payton, you know, when he got the job, we assumed that we will see immediate results with Russell Wilson just because of what

Russell Wilson did in Seattle, but I think it shows you what Russell Wilson was able to do in Seattle and what has transpired with Russell Wilson is a telltale sign that, you know, it's two individuals trying to figure out one quarterback who is a little bit different compared to what he was prior to the trade. And I think Sean will figure it out. And I think hopefully Russell will continue to keep playing pretty good football right now, and they have turned things around. I'm not sure if people think they've turned it around so much that they'll mess around and be some teams possibly or head to the playoffs.

I'm not sure. I think that's a stretch as of right now. So with Jordan Love, I can see growth. With Mack Jones, Zach Wilson, Kenny, Kenny, Pickett, I can't. And Kenny Pickett's interesting because Tomlin keeps defending him, but Naji Harris is fine like, like I'm over it. I don't think you can fool players.

Whereas with Jordan Love, I think the guys are buying into him going, there's stuff there. There's moments there. I don't think you can sell Mack, Zach, or Kenny to those locker rooms. I don't think guys buy, am I wrong? Do you think Pittsburgh players still buy Kenny Pickett who has regressed the last seven games? You know, I'm not in that locker room. I haven't spoken to anyone at locker room at least deliberately about, you know, how and what do they feel about Kenny Pickett.

I will tell you I was that I had the opportunity to go down to their training camp. And I would give a little bit of grace to Kenny Pickett because I do believe that offense scheme doesn't play to Kenny Pickett's strength. That's what I would say. When you look at this offense or you look at how they do things, I've never been a fan of this offense under Matt Canada, and I've expressed that, and I think we're starting to see it. It's hard to say that it's all on Kenny Pickett, but I do got to throw a little bit, you know, whether if this is a cookie,

I mean, I don't know if Matt Canada is the melted butter or margin or if he's the, you know, dab of salt, the cinnamon stick, but he is something in this recipe that's a little off. Yeah. Yeah. It tastes a little different. Brandon Staley, my takeaway is if you get a coaching job, it's not wins and losses necessarily I'm going to judge on early.

But if you're an offensive coach, McVeigh solved the Rams offense, about five games into his tenure. Brian Flores may have been fired in Miami, but he figured out the defense really quickly, about seven weeks. I watched the Chargers. This is a defensive coach. They're last in everything. 10 plus yards, 20 plus catches, blowing leads. Steve, at some point, you've got to master your side of the ball, don't you?

Yes. I mean, it's, I even think Matt Iverflusin is right there. You can throw him in that category, too. Yeah. You can't be known for being an offensive guy in your offense isn't very good or a defensive guy in your defenses isn't very good or, you know, heck, you can't be a special team coach and be dead last and special team. Right.

So you got to have some kind of identity when you are hired as a specialist, as a specialist of something. When I look at the Los Angeles Chargers, I always write on my notes which Chargers team is going to show up. And I think a lot of that has to do with the head coach, just how he does things. And there's a lot of question marks, his analytics, the risk that he takes defensively, offensively, it just doesn't seem to make sense a lot of the times. And so I think, I believe that when the opportunity comes, when they have to evaluate, should they, you know, keep Brandon Staley or not, I think they're probably going to lean on letting them go.

Or as they say, it's not you, it's me. Yeah. Finally, Caleb Williams did not have a very good second half of the season. We know he's talented. But he can be an emotional player. I didn't think he was very engaged this weekend against UCLA. Do you think less of him? Is he still your number one pick if you were a GM?

What are you? He's clearly talented. That's not even an argument. And I think he's the number one pick. But there's a lot of people out there saying he's very emotional. He's erratic. His mechanics have regressed. You've watched him.

What do you make of him today compared to maybe a year ago? Well, before I answer, I would say this. You know, I heard a lot of people have comments on Caleb Williams, you know, after the loss, you know, and him getting emotional with his parents. I think sometimes people don't even necessarily can read the room. Think about it. Kalyn Williams loses that game. He gets emotional and the question is never asked why. Well, why is because he realizes that his collegiate career is over. He doesn't have an opportunity to play for a Pac-12 championship and eventually possibly pay, play for getting into the college playoffs.

And all of a sudden, people are expecting him not to be a young teenager, a young man who's knows pretty much after this. college season, he's a adult. He has responsibilities. He's expected to work on holidays, right? You know, 401k, 1099, W2, W9, like he's going into real life. And for him to get emotional or he's erratic, my answer to that is, so you're telling me he's a college student. Huh, he's a young man. That's what I hear. Like, I, Right, I have, I got four kids. I got a 26 year old who's doing his master's program who's figuring out what life is really like, right? Working and managing his time for his master's. I got a daughter who just graduated from a cosmetology school doing our own business and then I have an 18 year old son who's in college.

He's a freshman and he's figuring out how to wash his own clothes at a laundromat with a coin machine right in college That's not to say that he's irresponsible. That's just to say that life has stolen him things that he's not expected. And he's in and unlike everyone else, you get to see how he responds, how he reacts, what he thinks, what he, how he's feeling. Where most people are not filmed at the height of emotion, they're generally, you see them after the fact or you hear about it, but you don't get to physically see it live as it comes in. comes in and so to evaluate a young kid like that and anyone else by watching him he didn't jump off the top rope and drop kick somebody he was emotional he doesn't like losing well so you want a kid that is is okay with losing who looks forward to losing i mean you got to

pick you got to pick and choose what are you looking for you looking for passion or or are you looking for what makes you feel good and and that's called selective hearing and selective, you know, outcome desire. That's a good answer. I like that answer. It's got the old school. Is that a Dodger hat on? Old school.

Or is that a... Oh, of course. I'm always... As someone point out, I'm always pointing west. Because that's where I'm from. Good seeing you, my man. Good seeing you, Steve. Appreciate you.

That was a good answer. I like that. He personalized it. I got kids. That was. Yeah, it was. I like that answer. I never did long.

in high school. Then I went to college and messed up. You grew up with big money. No, I did. Absolutely not. Rest of us were using. Firmly middle class. I had a car catch fire on the freeway. I was coddled by my parents, that's for sure. This guy, hard scrabble.

First born in the country in my entire family. It was a little different. Yeah, I wasn't. Car caught on fire. Vegas. Pulled off on Mount Charleston Road to a Texaco and put my car out. It was on fire. Like fire like your NFL picks or like actual blazing fire? Exactly what I was going to say.

Now my picks are on fire. It used to be my pacer. I was driving. All of a sudden it's hot in here. Oh, there's a flame. My car's on fire. And look at me now. Jay Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I'm just wondering if Taylor Swift's going to show up tonight. I know she's doing concerts in South America, But is she going to be there for Eagles Chiefs? I don't know. You know the league would love that.

My gosh, massive Super Bowl. Isn't she in, like, Buenos Aires or something? She was, but who knows? She's got private jets like you and all. No, she's got, I mean, she, she, like, is part of a, her entourage would be several. I think wouldn't she fly in like a 747 with her entire ensemble? That's a, I mean, she, they, that's a big road crew. That is a big road crew.

I once was at an airport and saw Judas Priest, a rock band. You should see what they fly in. They flew in a giant. Oh, no, he's 747. That's a rock band? I feel like I've heard that somewhere before. Yeah, Andy Reid's trying to go 5 and O against his former team. Oh, really? That's what it says here in the notes.

He's 5 and 0 against the Eagles? I guess. Andy Reid dominates off a buy in the regular season. I don't like to hear that. I don't like picking against Andy Reid. Andy's my guy. I just think this is a rough spot. How is it a rough spot? Philadelphia. knows what they are. Kansas City doesn't yet.

Now, I think Kansas City there's an argument because of what they've done. They're the best team in the league by an inch. But I don't know. I'm having weird vibes tonight that Philadelphia takes control of the second half. I think you're just too caught up in that Broncos disaster at Mile High or whatever they call that Denver Field. And then the Germany game. You're just like recency bias.

Like, this is the Chiefs. How do they not know what they are with Andy Reed and Patrick Gahom? We'll see. Maybe I'm just wrong. Listen, it wouldn't be the first time. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I doubt it. Next up, yesterday on the Fox NFL pregame show, Jerry Jones made a special announcement, along with Fox's very own Jimmy Johnson. 30 years after Johnson coached the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl titles,

Dallas will induct him into the ring of honor. That's nice. I will say this, it was magical the time we had together. And I want you to know something. On December the 30th of 1923, you're going in the Dallas Cowboy of Honor. Texas. I hope it's 20. I hope it's 20.

I hope it's 2023. Yeah, he said, Jerry said 1923. It was 2023. It was 100 years off, but that's okay. We get the point. You know my Cowboys hot take?

Yeah, I want to hear it. What is your Cowboys? We didn't spend any time talking Cowboys today because it's like when they play legit teams, we'll talk about them. I think this injury in the 49er secondary is massive to the point where it helps Dallas immensely. A safety?

That guy's everywhere. who plays in the back, interceptions, breaks up plays, can play in the box, he's so good. And Dallas has shown me something. Brandon Cooks is starting to cook. Like, this Dallas team. Against the Giants and the Panthers. They're beating up on bad teams. So you're saying safeties worth 32 points.

I'm not saying that. I do believe that just keep an eye on this 49 or second day. It was not good yesterday. I bet them and Tampa kept coming down the field with Baker Mayfield, kept coming down the field. Tampa should have covered that. San Fran's secondary is susceptible. Okay, we saw Kirk Cousins. So is Philadelphia.

So Detroit. Also true. Everybody. I'm almost every team in the league. Dallas secondary. Well, they're playing very well. And you know I like the Niners. I'm not a huge Dallas guy, but that's my take anyways.

Final story is Trevor Lawrence and the Jags. They look good yesterday, dispatching the hapless Tennessee Titans. Trevor Lawrence, you know, it's weird. I keep reading about this potential injury. he's wearing a brace. Why is he running inside the 10-yard line so much? He had two rushing touchdowns, two passing. He's good.

Risky. They have a massive game this week against the Houston Texans. Like, might be the game of Sunday. Well, it's a very good spot. This is a very good betting opportunity on Jacksonville. You sure? What's the number? I saw one.

Houston smoked them last time, and I had Jacksonville on that one. It was like 37-13. No, it was a beat. Stroud, that was the game where Stroud was like, ooh, okay. All right. I want to take Jags, but I'm just telling you, something feels off with Trevor Lawrence. He made a couple nice throws, but he does not look 100%, Colin. It feels like an underplayed story.

Who's 100% at this point in the season? Oh, Patrick LaHolmes? Yeah. CJ Stroud. Well, CJ got smoke yesterday. He left for a play, I think, and came back. He got smoked. They're not a lot of healthy guys.

He feels like bionic, man. That guy, you can't, you could slow him down. and then he just keeps coming back. Something about this Stroud kid. It's interesting. There's only one, on average, one star quarterback per draft. Now, L.A. Marino, we're in the same draft, but it's one. And so, listen, Bryce Young doesn't look great.

Anthony Richardson got hurt multiple times. I mean, hurt early, hurt often as a pro athlete. I love how nice you're being to Bryce Young. Doesn't look great. Not so far. Bro, they traded up for him out one. I know. I will say this about CJ Strach.

He looked incompetent. If I said to you, C. J. Stroud, if I said to you, remember, the higher you get drafted, it usually means the bigger the train wreck, the franchise is. Bo Nix, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, Drake, Mae, Caleb Williams. Hey, Hay, Hayden, Daniels. LSU's good. I watched it at Arizona State. I like him. But also, you know what's funny? The Michael Pennock stuff because of his injuries, he may drop out of the top 10 and go like 14 or 15. You know? You know who's drafting around there?

Sean McVan the Rams They're going quarterback? If Michael Penix was available at the 16th pick Everybody says Michael Pennix injuries Watch him drop I'm telling you I've watched that kid Road home, bad weather, good weather, pressure, time to throw Maybe it's just as coach and receivers

But he makes big boy throws In crucial spots Like he has ice water in his veins That kid is not He never feels pressure He's the classic golfer. He's better putting at the Masters on Sunday than at the Buick Open on Thursday. Like, he is better in crisis.

That kid's interesting. Penix. Interesting. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Gats. What is up on game, you ask? Along with my fellow pro bowler, T.J. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it.

Up on game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque

others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast's superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth listen to Superhuman on the iHeart radio app Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Once your business reaches a certain scale, challenges begin to surface. You deserve a tailored solution. That's net suite.com slash heard. KPI checklist, absolutely free. So we're going to do our Y chart. You've heard of an I chart? This is a Y chart, J-Mack. You give me the team, who's to blame?

The quarterback of the coach. Now, those are the two, you know, games. changers in this league. It's the quarterback number one and the coach second generally. So it's our Y chart. I like this. I've never played this game before. I like games. All right, who deserves the bigger percentage of why the bills have underperformed? Sean McDermott or Josh Allen? The Y chart. I would say McDermott. Josh Allen still leads the NFL with 22 touchdown passes and 29 total TV. So let's not kid ourselves. This is a really real.

great quarterback talent. The team can't get the O-line right. They're the fourth most penalized team in the NFL. I think when Brian Daybull was there, this team had a Super Bowl aspirations. Day Bowl left. Frazier left. Dorsey hasn't been a great fit. This is on the coach. I would have totally agreed. Now, this one's tougher. Take your time. Who deserves a bigger percentage of why the Jets have underperformed Robert Sala or Zach Wilson? percent on Zach Wilson. Oh, come on. The defense is still

top five in the league against the pass. Still has a tremendous pass rush. Now, you're going to blame Sala for Nathaniel Hackett? He was forced to make that higher. Alan Lazzard, that wasn't his call. The truth is Zach Wilson is on pace

to be the quarterback of the worst third down offense of all time. He didn't draft him. He didn't necessarily want Hackett. Aaron did. I think Sala an easy scapegoat for major problems within the organization. It's unfortunate we should be able to add like GM because I think the GM bears a huge responsibility in New York. All right, this one's an easy one.

Who deserves a bigger percentage of why the Patriots have underperformed Bill Belichick or Mac Jones? I think it's 50-50. Belichick hired Matt Patricia. Belichick lost Adams, was it Ernie Adams, Dante Scarnacia, Tom Brady, and Josh McDaniels. It was a brain drain and he's a defensive coach. I don't blame him all for it. Mack Jones obviously has, you know, 10 TDs, 10 pecks this year. But Bill at Belichick, since Tom Brady left is 27 and 34.

More penalties, more mistakes, special teams aren't as good as they once were. Bill Belichick has a losing record without Brady. We have to acknowledge that he has not made it easy for Mac Jones with some of his hires and complete whiffs unlike the 2022 draft class, one starter, and like six whiffs. That's on Bill. I go 90-10. Mack.

Who deserves the bigger percentage of why the Chargers have underperformed, Staley or Herbert? 95% on Staley. Yeah. Justin Herbert has 19 TDs and five picks this year and 100-passer rating. If you think Herbert's the issue with some of his throws yesterday and some of his runs, you're not paying attention. This defense is, it's brutal. I don't even know what to say.

Worst pass defense in the league. How? They have three legitimate pass rushers. How is that possible? And one really good corner. It's on the coach. Jordan Love has one 300 game in his career. It's against Brandon Staley, the defense of James.

Who deserves a bigger percentage of why the Titans have underperformed? Mike Vrable or Titans quarterbacks? Quarterbacks. I like Frable. Listen. I mean, the bottom line is this offense averages 16 a game. He didn't draft Willevis. He didn't draft

Malik Willis. I mean, at some point, it's bad quarterback play. I think everybody acknowledges that he got Ryan Tannahill to a number one seed. From that point forward, I knew Mike Frable and the AFC

was a really good coach. He's the only connection to Belichick, who's proven he's a great coach. He wasn't an assist and he was a player. But when you can be a number one seed with Tannahill in the AFC, you're showing me something.

How about the dopy GM who traded AJ Brown? They have been going directly downhill since they moved on from him. Next up, who deserves a bigger percentage of why the commanders have underperformed? Ron Rivera or Sam Howell? I'd put it 80% on the coach. Yeah. I mean, we're scoring defense in the league. How?

You're a defensive coach, and you've got some nice defensive pieces. Also, Sam Howell's the most sack guy in the league. You know what I've said about defensive coaches and offensive line play. They struggle. Tomlin, McDermott, they struggle to get the offensive lines right. So I don't think Sam Hal's great. I think there are moments that lead me to believe he deserves one more year with an offensive-leaning culture. But I mean, I'm going to be honest with you.

Even in Carolina, and I like Ron, but in Carolina, you never knew what team you were getting week to week year to year. Cam never had back-to-back winning seasons. Isn't that weird? Yeah. Who deserves a bigger percentage of wife? The Giants of underperform. Brian Daibel or the Giants' quarterbacks. 5% on Davel, 95% on the quarterbacks.

Let's be honest. They were 9, 7, and 1 with Daniel Jones, so they overperform last year, and everybody's like, you know, they're pretty good. You didn't buy that. But I was kind of like, well, maybe they'll be better. Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, both hurt. Nothing he can do.

He actually is a victim of himself. He got Daniel Jones to the, you know, to a playoff because they beat the Vikings, you know, like, and everybody goes, oh, if you go back to last season, take out the Viking games for Daniel Jones, go look at the numbers. He fooled people into believing Daniel Jones could get you to the playoffs consistently, and he can't. How about the owner?

He's the one you said who wanted to pay Daniels. What a disaster. Who deserves a bigger percentage of why the Packers have underperformed? Matt Lefleur or Jordan Love? I think it's mostly on Jordan Love. Jordan Love misses a lot of open receivers. They're bad in the red zone. That's on the quarterback.

I mean, Jordan Love's completing 59% of his throws. He's had one great game yesterday against Brannan Staley. Nothing against Jordan Love. He shows some growth, but he's not a very accurate deliverer of the football. He's a 59% completion percentage in a bad division in the weaker conference. And again, take out that game yesterday. Intramental growth, but I... The Bears, who deserves a bigger percentage of why they've underperformed?

Matt Eberfluse or Justin Fields? I don't know. I have no idea. 50-50. I don't know. This is a mystery. I think Justin has talent. But again, I question his consistency and his accuracy and his health.

I would probably, if I had to, if I had to lean, I'd say Iber Fluse is more to blame. But this isn't an organization. I don't like anything. So I can't blame it all on fields, although he just doesn't win enough or stay healthy enough. And he's not consistent enough. Iber Fluse has made the defense a little better, but I don't like the draft picks necessarily. So to me, this is the question mark franchise. What do they do well?

I don't love the ownership. I don't love the front office. I don't love the coach. The quarterback to me is there's something there, but not enough. They got to go get Jim Harbaugh. NFC could use it. The franchise is a train wreck. I think Harbaugh makes a lot of sense.

He's a Michigan man. Not an Illinois man. He's a Michigan man. We'll see you tomorrow. It's the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.