The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - Justin Herbert stops by

Episode Date: August 9, 2023

Chargers QB Justin Herbert joins the show to talk about dealing with injuries last season and what to expect this seasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcasts. 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 on 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. It's so good to have you in. We've had some really good guests in the last couple of days, and Justin Herbert, the Chargers quarterback, who I watched a lot of at Oregon, entering his fourth season with the Chargers, a pro bowler in 21,

an offensive rookie of the year the year before, a Pac-12 champ of Rolls Bowl MVP. And you know what? He's a very humble guy, so he signed a new contract, and he's not into that money stuff. That's not who he is. but I did hear when Patrick Mahomes signed a deal, Justin, that people said it was team friendly.

And Jalen Hertz, people said it was kind of team friendly. And yours, similarly, people said, you know, listen, the chargers will not be, you know, handicapped with it. And I think some people look at that and say, man, you should take every available penny, but it doesn't sound like the negotiations were divisive or difficult. How did you view the whole thing if I can ask the contract? Yeah, from what I heard, you know, the negotiations were pretty friendly on both sides. And I think that's kind of what I wanted it. You know, the Chargers organization, they've done such a great job taking care of us and supporting us.

And I'm so thankful to be a part of it. And, you know, I couldn't be more happy with the outcome of it and being able to take care of this team and going forward. But overall, I think both sides, you know, they worked really well together, got it done, and it's not a distraction anymore. So I think that's a big bonus, too. So Austin Echler said yesterday, he said, listen, Justin's different. It's a different year now. We're going into a fourth season. So I want you to tell me, because you were a kid that was a good student, you were bright,

you knew football. But this game is so fast. And Mahomes had mentioned year three, it's like the light went on. So I don't know if the light went on for you, but do you notice this camp? Does it feel different? It does feel different. You know, especially with the new offense and Kellynne Moore, we've had so much fun putting in this offense so far.

And I've really done my best to take control of this offense and to increase my command over it. And whether it's protections, routes, adjustments, things like that, I feel like we're making it our own. And to have guys like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, they're making plays on the outside. And you just got to let them play ball. And that's what they do best.

And my job is just to get them the ball. So we're having fun at that. Explain how Kellynne Moore is different than your other coordinator. So you had Shane Steichen, Lombardi. Explain to me as a layman terms. Like, what will it look differently? Is it more jumbo sets? Is it more multiple?

No more motions. What will be different, Justin, about it? I think we've done a great job of installing everything so far, whether it's jumbo or whether it's unbalanced or whether we're going tempo or slowing the ball down and getting bigs in there. I think we've done a great job of installing everything and being ready for each situation. Callen's done a great job of having played the position that he really understands, you know, the protection, the time behind the line. You don't have a whole lot of time to get the ball off.

And so he gets that feel. And we've done a great job working with the offensive line, communicating exactly what we want with the protection. So I feel like in that regard, you know, he's done a great job communicating. communicating that with us. Okay, so you had some really interesting rookies. Tom Telesco, your GM is not only a friend, but he's done a very good job in the draft, especially with early picks. But sometimes you get stars in the fifth, six, seventh round. Is there a young player, maybe this draft or the last draft, where you looked at him, Justin, and thought, oh, he's ready to contribute. This guy can really play. I think Josh Palmer over the past couple of years has been

awesome. He's taking so many big strides in the past couple of years, and, you know, he might have been a later draft pick, but he's one of those guys that has really stepped up, especially when Keenan and Mike went down last year, he needed to step up for us big time, and he came through. And I think this year, Q, Quinn Johnson, is going to be an incredible receiver. He's a star already, and he's making huge plays. So I'm going to be really excited to watch him play this year. So Netflix has this new documentary on quarterbacks. Now, I don't know if you've got even a second to watch it, but they've really shown the personal,

the human side, the family, the kids. I'm sure, in fact, I think I've read somebody called you or somebody called your agent, and would you ever be, because you're a pretty quiet guy, would you ever be willing to do that, or is it something that's just kind of a turnoff for you? I have not been approached by it, but I think I'd be pretty boring on the show. I don't do a whole lot outside of football. So most of the footage would probably be just from football practice, meetings, and things like that. And we've kind of done that with hard knock.

So I don't have too much going on outside of football. So I might not be the best candidate for that. You know, it's interesting because the Chargers are in Los Angeles and they obviously, you know, you're doing our show. But you're, and at Oregon, the same thing. You were the face of the franchise. It's not that you're uncomfortable with it, but there is something about you kind of, your own cat.

How do you kind of view the media? Opinionated guys? How do you view it as a franchise quarterback in the NFL? NFL, Netflix, guys, opinionated guys. It could be me. It could be skip bail. Talk radio, how do you view it? I just never want to be distracted. I want to keep my focus on football, and that's the most important thing. And when I wake up in the morning, it's, all right, how can I be a better quarterback, better teammate, better person? And if you listen too much to what's going on in the media or on TV shows or on talk shows, I think you lose that focus. And you can,

you know, you can get swayed one way or another. And I just don't think that's best for me to listen to. And so I've done my best to kind of stay away from it, focus on football, and be a good teammate. So you walked into this team with Canaan and Mike Williams and some veteran guys. Now you're moving into the veteran stage. Are you more comfortable now voicing an opinion, being verbal? Do you feel like now it's kind of your club and these are your guys? It's going by really fast, but I do feel that way. You know, I've gotten so comfortable around these guys and it's such a great locker room and great teammates that, you know, anyone can speak up. Anyone can talk their mind and we can work on something together.

And whether times are good or times are bad, being the same person all the time is huge for us. And I felt like I've had much better command of this team of this offense, especially moving forward. So I'm really looking forward to that this year as well. Okay, you're a PAC 12 guy. You grew up in the shadow, Sheldon High, Eugene, Oregon. Are you bitter about what's happened? Are you excited? What do you make of what's happened to the PAC 12, the top four programs moving to the Midwest and the Big Ten? Yeah, it's going to take some time to get adjusted to that. But I'm excited.

Kind of like we said, it's a great opportunity for them to go play some football. I get some really good football teams. Growing up, a fan of the Pac-10, it's going to be tough, kind of moving on from that. But it's a great opportunity for those guys to go branch out, do something special. So I'm rooting on Oregon. I'm rooting on all those teams. And looking forward to watching some pretty good college football this year. So, Justin, you're about 6-5-ish.

I think you're probably about 2-25. You look leaned up. so I don't know what your weight is. But when you come into the league, obviously as a college player, I watch at the Rose Bowl, you're bigger and stronger than a lot of guys. Then you get to the NFL, everybody's big strong. Kind of a weird question, but in terms of your body, genetically you're a big kid. Are you trying to get bigger, leaner, your arm strength?

Does it change? Like, how are you physically, four years now professional training? How have you changed sort of not just the mentals, but just you physically? What matters now? Do you need to be bigger to take more hits? Take me through that. Yeah, I think that's a really good question. I think for me personally, I started about 240, you know, week one,

and I try and maintain that for as long as I can. It's a long season, and injuries kind of rack up and dings and bruises like that. So you just have to be at your best physically for 17, hopefully, you know, 20 plus weeks. And so for us, it's all about recovery, maintenance, keeping that strength going on as long as you can. But, you know, unfortunately, with those injuries, bruises and things like that. You're not to be able to lift as much. So for me personally, it's just trying to stay on to 240 as long as I can. Justin, you had an injury last year. You didn't talk about it. It was painful. It was ribs.

And by the way, you know, rib injuries don't heal quickly. There's not much you can do. You just got to have to let them heal. Can you now, in hindsight, talk about you played with some pain last year. How long was that stretch where you were just not 100 percent? Yeah, I think it was several. weeks where it affected me and, you know, I had to unfortunately kind of change my mechanics a little bit. And because of the rib injury, I wasn't allowed to throw the ball over the top as well as I would have liked. And so I kind of had to, you know, alter my mechanics a little bit here and there. But I felt comfortable going out there. I thought the training staff did a great job of protecting me and making sure that I was ready to go and safe out there when I stepped foot on the field.

But it was tough. And time, you know, was the best thing for it. And eight or nine weeks down the road, was feeling better, was getting. getting better. But it's never easy. But I was thankful for those training staff watching out for me. Finally, Kenan Allen, Mike Williams, and you have been together now. This will be your fourth year. Without giving away any trade secrets, are there things now, a look, a signal? Are there nonverbal stuff? When you were around these guys constantly, you know, it's just like your brothers, your family. Do you have now like a relationship with those guys, Keenan and Mike, that is grown and developed, that you can sense it's, you can hide stuff from the viewer, from the defense that maybe you couldn't as a rookie? I think big time.

I think that's a great point that you bring up. And being around those guys for so long that you kind of understand the leverage that they get played against. And if a guy's inside leverage, Keenan knows that. Mike knows that. And they're able to kind of beat that and understand where I'm going to try and put the ball. And, you know, the more time we spend together, the more defense that we look and see, against, you know, their knowledge is only going to increase. And they're so smart. They've been around for so long that we've got a great feel for each other. And it doesn't, it doesn't take

long for me to know exactly, hey, this is the route he's going to run. This is how he's going to try and run it. And Keen and Mike, they're always trying to, you know, make things up and create these new routes. And it's a fun, fun experiment to be a part of. Austin Eckler's great. He's been terrific for you. He can catch. He can run. He can block his contract situation. Does it make you anxious? How do you feel about that whole thing? he's the ultimate team. He's an incredible leader of our offense and he's a great guy to have in that locker room and we're pulling for him all the way and as long as he's out on the field, you know, the charges have a good shot of winning. And so to keep getting him the ball, whether it's running,

passing, you know, he's done so much for this offense. So, you know, really thankful that he's on our team, got him figured out this year. So we're looking forward to getting him the ball. All right. Justin Herbert entering his fourth year with a charger, has been an offensive rookie of the year, sixth overall pick, a Pact 12 champ. Taking time, we always appreciate it. Congrats on your new deal. Thank you. Always a pleasure. Thank you, Justin Herbert.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon 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 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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're going to be. 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 know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So the Austin Eckler situation has been, like all the running backs, tenuous and prickly, and nobody's quite sure.

I've said before is he's absolutely fantastic. and certainly valuable, but the greater the quarterback is, the harder it is to rationalize long-term deals for running backs. Now, I think in the case of Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson, there's certainly an argument to be made. You make the deal. Josh Jacobs with the Raiders and Garoppolo's health, there's an argument to be made. Austin Echler is really good, pass catcher.

So what is the latest update on that? Do we have that on Austin Echler's contract situation? He's still, well, he's under contract. He wants a new contract. He's been very outspoken about that. So, yeah, he's shown up for practice. He's sweating. So he's putting the time in, which I've said before when it comes to running backs,

the man upstairs gave you a gift. Keep showing off. Show up, play. Austin wants a new deal because he didn't make any money. They didn't make any money when he entered the league and he hasn't made the big money and he's taking the big hits and running backs wear down. So my takeaway is show off, do what you do. It will increase your value either in the room or around the league.

Also on hard knocks, there was a moment last night, and I've said this about Robert Sala. I think it's going to work. The first thing I look at when a coach, Collegger Pro, takes over a program. The very first thing I look at is, can you master your side of the ball? So the concern with Oklahoma as Brent Venables went to the Sooners and their defense was terrible. Forget about Caleb Williams.

I didn't need you to win 12 games. You got to get the defense right. You can't lose the Texas 45-0. So Brent couldn't get his side of the ball right. Lincoln Riley's defense stunk, but the offense was great year one. You go back to Sabin at Alabama. He got the defense figured out real fast.

Kirby Smart, Georgia, defense fast. Pete Carroll, when he was up in Seattle, took him a year or two to figure out the quarterback stuff, Got the defense good, the draft good real fast. So Sala has figured out the defense. So we know he's good. But Big Fangio did. Mike Zimmer did.

Brian Flores did. Doesn't mean you'll last if you can't get along with the quarterback or can't get productivity from the quarterback spot. But Sala is a big personality. He looks the part. He's an alpha. I think the players buy into him. And on Hard Knocks last night, I don't know what to make of this.

He was telling the team about a story, an eagle and a crow or something and here it is. I was thinking about you guys, I was thinking about all the excitement surrounding us, man. All of it, all of it. Did you know that the only bird, the only bird in the world that will attack an eagle is a crow? It's a crow. That's the only bird that will actually have the balls to attack an eagle. It will perch on the eagle's back and peck at its neck.

So rather than fight back and tearing a crow to pieces, like it can, the eagle spreads its wings and it soars as high as it possibly can. It keeps going and going and going as high as it can. And the higher the eagle flies, the harder it is for the crow to breathe. Eventually the crow suffocates, falls back down the earth and dies. That's what happens. Guys, we got a great deal of hyperounders. We do.

All kinds of expectations. And with great expectations, we know that there's going to be a whole lot of people, a whole lot of crows expecting us to fall on our face. I think I like it. I think that's a good storyteller. Hard knocks with a New York jet streaming on Max, HBO Max. Did you like the story, Ryan? Was that something? Yeah, I like what he's trying to do there. It's become a bit of a trend that the coaches and their opening, inspiring speech may be something that's a little foreign to everyday life and might be hard to relate to. But it seemed like the players seem to be into it. So he's got a good presence. So much of being a coach is spreading the gospel, creating the culture, and getting belief. And so the good news is, when you watch these young coaches, do they get their side of the ball figured out? So Saul has absolutely done that. And now, and some of these defensive coaches, Tomlin, Sean McDermott, Pete Carroll, have not always been great developing, building offensive lines.

Well, that's the Jets primary issue, offensive line. Not blaming the coaches. maybe it's just a coincidence, but Pittsburgh can't figure it out, Buffalo can't figure it out. I think the Seahawks are getting better, but for years they struggled. It was the weakest part of their team, the offensive line. So the Jets have got to figure that out. Dwayne Brown's excellent, but he's right near the end of his career. Mackay Beckton so far has been a bust.

He'll play the right side, weight, knees, and issue. Brown went down. You've got to move him left, and Aaron has never had a bad O-line, ever. Green Bay does a remarkable job to draft and develop O-Linmen, starting with a second. second, third, fourth, fifth round, and it just works. So that's what I'm looking for. O-line. It holds up. Jets are very good.

Ryan with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Speaking of running backs, Jonathan Taylor has reportedly left Colts camp to rehab an ankle injury off site. The 2021 rushing champ is in the middle of a contract dispute with Indy. The Colts are also reportedly meeting with free agent running back Kareem Hunt today.

How do you see this plan out? You think they're going to try and bring in a backup running back or a fill in running back like Kareem Hunt and just let Jonathan Taylor hold out as long as possible? Well, I don't think they view themselves in the AFC as a Super Bowl team. And so there isn't the sense that, and it's not a major market, Anthony Rich, they have a new coach and a new quarterback. So nobody's judging the Colts. You know, like you get Aaron and New York media and the Jets, you better win now. The Colts have the luxury, the ownership, and the GM has the luxury of new coach, new quarterback, very little pressure.

I am very interested. They're one of the more interesting offenses. Do they just let Anthony Richardson become sort of Cam, Big Ben, Josh Allen? Run the offense, wildly productive, 1,100 to 1,200 rushing yards, 10 to 12 touchdowns and kind of feel their way through it. Because I think what they worry about is that if Anthony Richardson is as dynamic and successful running the ball as many project, he's going to gobble up 25% of Jonathan Taylor's yards. So why get him involved in a four-and-five-year deal?

So I think the advantage for the Colts, this is rarely an advantage in sports, is they're not going to be that great. And they got rookies everywhere, coach quarterback. So I think they just want to let it develop, see how it comes out. But I think, listen, Jonathan Taylor's really good. But it's like the Austin Echler thing. The Chargers love Austin Echler. But why sign them early?

Justin Herbert, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, how valuable is that position going to be for a second contract? So I think the culture is going to set, play this out, let it watch it, see what develops. And I don't think, Jonathan, Taylor, though, has a market. There's no doubt in my mind, he's absolutely got a market somewhere. It may not be this market, it may be that market, but Great always has a market. Absolutely. And to your point about Anthony Richardson and what we've seen with Shane Steichen during his time in Philadelphia, they can develop a system for a quarterback that's mobile

and they don't necessarily have to be married to just one Belcow running back handing the ball off 35 times a game. Yeah. DeAndre Hopkins is at Titans training camp two weeks after signing with the team. Ryan Tannehill apparently played a big role in recruiting Hopkins to Tennessee. Yesterday, Tannahill talked about what they've seen from Hopkins in practice so far. He's been a big addition. You know, there's been a lot of those same things we've been talking about with everyone else, but we've seen some huge plays from him, you know, vintage Hopkins that you've seen

across his career of tight contested catches and he's able to elevate or make the extended catch. So as a quarterback, it's been a lot of fun to find those areas where I can put the ball, where only he can get it and then he's making the play. He's not known, I don't think, is later in his career is a great route runner. He's a good contested catch guy. He's good underneath and then yards after the catch.

But the truth is with them is they have a hole in their roster. It's a pretty good roster. They need dynamic wide receiver talent. They have, is it, Alex Burks? Trelaumbris. Yeah, Tray Berks from Arkansas. Really nice emerging player. I'm not sure if he's a one, probably will be. So I think for two years, this is

the organization where I thought New England, and Tennessee were the two places it made sense. Absolutely. We try to help add a little bit of juice to that offense. One thing we've seen from Mike Vrable so far in his career as the head coach of the Titans is they always end up winning more games than you'd expect. CJ Stroud is set to make his preseason debut tomorrow for the Texans. The second overall pick was named the starter by head coach Demiko Ryans. His backup veteran Case Keenum spoke about how impressed he is with Stroud's progress.

I think his confidence, his unwavering mindset of just trying to get better, trying to put the team in the best possible situation, the ball where it needs to go with a lot of pressures. You know, I've never been drafted as high as he was. You know, I've never been drafted. So I don't know, you know, some of the pressures that go on there and other things that he's dealing with. So I've been very impressed with his unwavering focus on getting better every day and his confidence in that. So he's done a great job.

Just don't know. He overcome the Texans nonsense. And there's heaping spoonfuls every year of it. I think D'Amico Ryans will tighten the ship. But again, it's not a shot. When I say the greatest 10 quarterbacks of all time, whoever they are, Terry Bradshaw. Oh, he had Chuck Knoll.

And Troy Aikman, had Jimmy Johnson. Joe Montana, Steve Young, had Bill Walsh. Like, it's very rare. Dan Marino, John Elway. Or Dan Marino, Don Shula. John Elway, Mike Shanahan. Big Ben, Mike Tomlin. Like, you don't find a lot of great quarterback, 13 coaches.

So, yeah, I mean, Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Drew Brees, Sean Payton. So it matters. Like, almost every quarterback that succeeds at a high level has got really good structure and a brilliant guy behind him. I mean, Matt Stafford, huge talent. The minute he gets an elite coach, first year wins the Super Bowl. Like it's not, this stuff's not coincidental. So I think CJ is good. And I think if he went to Kansas City and had Andy Reid, I'd be like, oh yeah, that's going to work.

It's not my homes. It's going to work. I don't think he, I think he's very much, Jared Goff. Jared Goff could not overcome Jeff Fisher and that staff and then flourish with McVeigh. Jared's the same guy. But I don't think Jared or Stroud have enough juice to just overcome average game plans and an average infrastructure. They need help. Ryan with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. The superbly versatile all-electric EQB from Mercedes-Bens, impressively techie, surprisingly roomy, available seating for up to seven. The vehicle's all-electric. The feeling is all Mercedes. Learn more at MBUSA.com slash EQB.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard radio app. Listen to comeback stories. I'm Darren Waller. You may know me best as a tied in for the New York Giants. You may also know me for my story of overcoming addiction and alcoholism. You may have heard a few of my tracks as an artist or a producer. You may have seen the work that I've done through my foundation. And you may know my friend and co-hosts Donnie Starkens as well. He's a mindfulness teacher, a yoga instructor, a life coach, a man fully invested in seeing people reach their fullest potential. And we've come to form this platform

of comeback stories to really highlight not only our own adversity, but adversity in the lives of well-known guests with amazing stories. Catch us every week on comeback stories on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care

Yep, that's me, Clipper 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, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 there's a through line We also have AIDS

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

it's one of the most important years for black people in American history Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Saturday, it's baseball night in America on Fox as Ronald Acuna Jr. and the NL. East leading Braves take on the Mets or Shohei Otani and the Angels battle division rival, Astros, or Brewers, White Sox. Saturday, 7 Eastern, 4 Pacific on Fox. Check for the game in your area.

I'm just looking at the, on my phone, I'm looking at the Major League Baseball standards. Braves are the best team in baseball. Then there's a series of Baltimore, Dodgers, you know, Giants. There's some good teams, brewers. The Mets are 21 games out of first place. Lost eight of their last 10. What a disastrous season. What a mess. And they just gave up.

They traded everybody, seemingly. Cubs are interesting. Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks. The National League West is pretty good. It is, I just can't buy. The Orioles are 70 and 43 and remain hot. When was the last time the Orioles were great? Not good, great. It's hard to buy into that. You've got to see them in the postseason.

Yankees, 11 and a half back, Red Sox, 12, back. How the world has changed. It doesn't feel that long ago that the Tigers, the Yankees, the Red Sox were just powerful. And tigers have been on a 10-year circle the drain. Yankees, Red Sox not the same franchises. All right, time to play. Yay or nay. Would you, would I play? these quarterbacks in the preseason. I feel differently than I usually do about this preseason because there's so many unanswered questions. All right, let's start up. First, should Aaron Rogers

play in the preseason? I actually think he should. New team, new coach, new system. Garrett Wilson, McCull Hardman, are new guys. I don't think he has to play a ton. But I'd like to see some live bullets. I'd like to see 15 snaps. I mean, Aaron's in good shape. Aaron's also good enough that he'll get rid of the ball fast. You're going to get vanilla defenses.

I don't worry about that. Some scheme, some blitz. But I don't think it's a terrible thing to play a couple series and a couple games. I really don't. Should Tuatunga Vailoa play in the preseason? No, we got concussion concerns. Also same system, same offensive core. There's no radical additions.

I don't think there's any reason to play them. And let's be honest about it. If he got dinged up, he's out for a month and a half. And this team in this division can ill afford not to be full steam ahead week. I think they open up with the chargers. Like they get no breaks. Miami's schedule is rough. One of the tougher schedules in the league.

And they open with Justin Herbert on the road right out of the gate. Should Russell Wilson play in the preseason? So I would play him. New coach, new system. He's got to build trust. They also have a new offensive line. Mike McGlinchie now at right tackle. Ben Powers at Guard.

And also he was tied for the most sacks, I think last year in the NFL. So again, I think he and Aaron should play a little. I don't have a problem with it. What I'm interested is that he has lost weight. That's been, you know, well documented. I get a little twitchier Russell Wilson. I hope I get the mid-career Seattle, Russell Wilson, where he moves a lot, basketball, kind of football on grass, basketball on grass.

I hope it looks like that. Should Jimmy Garoppolo play in the preseason? Up and down, probably say yeah, because he's building a relationship with a bunch of really good offensive players, including Devante Adams. So even though he knows this offense, he threw the other day there was a story that he threw like four picks in practice. So he's obviously, he's not all in on all the timing here. So I think I'd probably play him. And if he's going to break, he's going to break. At some point, you've got to play guys.

Should the Mar Jackson play in the preseason? No. They've won 23 straight preseason games in Baltimore, and he's only played in four of them. He does not need to play. Now, again, you could say, well, he's got all these new pieces. Absolutely does. But when you look at the last two years how they've ended and his injuries, what's the point? I got no interest. It's like Tua.

Like Tua. What's the point? Should C.J. Stroud play in the preseason? Yeah, because actually, yes, because wasn't he splitting time with Davis Mills? I think he shared snaps. so I'm going to see him play. And again, he's a rookie. Get him out there.

I want to see the gap. I'm really actually, I want to see the gap between C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills. Is there one? Mills is not a franchise guy, but he's got stuff. He played Power 5 football. So I want to see the gap. I want to see him play. Should Trevor Lawrence play in the preseason?

No. He played extensively in the first two. One with Urban, one with Doug Peterson. I don't see the point. I got coaching and mostly roster continuity. They've added Ridley, Calvin Ridley. But I think at this point, again, it would be like Justin Herbert. What's the point?

Just because you got one new wide receiver. I got coach system, mostly roster continuity. They spent a ton on free agents last year in the offseason, so what's the point? Should Anthony Richardson play in the preseason? Hell yeah. One year at Florida, completed 54% of his throws there. I got to see him. this dude is big.

You watch some of the YouTube stuff in the practice video. This dude is yoked. He is big. And I just think he's got a huge upside. But the question about him at Florida was consistency. You can't get that at practice. I mean, you can't get that at inter squad games. You got to go play people.

Even if it's vanilla defensive schemes, you got to get out there. Should Dak Prescott play in the preseason? No, he hasn't played in the preseason in years. I wouldn't play him. I mean, they added Brandon Cooks, but he's the longest tenured starting quarterback with one team in the league at seven years. You kind of know what you get. I did think it was interesting, though. The three picks yesterday, that's not good.

And we got video. One of them was a bad pick. Should Brock Purdy play in the preseason? No, because of the elbow stuff. And also, they got to figure out, I think they have to show off Trey Lance. So to me, I don't need to see a lot of Aaron Rogers. show off Zach Wilson, but if you have three quarterbacks battling for it, I wouldn't play pretty, I would get Darnold.

I want to see Darnold and Trey Lance get a ton of snaps because I think they're going to move Trey Lance and he also needs the snaps. Should Justin Fields play in the preseason? Yes, because, yay, because they had so much turnover. DJ Moore, Robert Tonion, Chase Claypool came last year at the end of the year. They got a lot of moving parts. Also, they drafted Darnel Wright, the offensive. tackle so they've got some movement on the offensive line.

I'd want some snaps. I think his in-pocket growth is the story this year. I think the roster's much better. They just added a rush end for a year. I want to see him in the pocket. I think more snaps the better for him. Should Jordan Love play in the preseason? Yeah, I'd like to see anything. First of all, they have a very young, they have two

rookie tight ends, Christian Watson and Romeo Dobbs. And according to the stories, must grave the the tight end from Oregon State's crushing it. They got a bunch of kids. And by the way, Christian Watson Young and now has a different quarterback. So Jordan Love, I'd play every snap I could. Every snap I could. Last one, should Bryce Young play in the preseason?

Yeah, and I can't wait to watch him. New coach, rookie quarterback, some size concerns. Everybody worries about that. But again, if you're going to get hurt, you're going to get hurt if you're small. I think he's – they're my surprise team in the NFL. My surprise team in the league is a Carolina Panthers. I think they're going to be really interesting. That kid upstairs learns offenses really fast, accurate, growth, leadership, smarts.

I think they're going to be good, and I think you're going to make the playoffs. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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, unfilled 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.