The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - The top of the AFC

Episode Date: September 7, 2023

Colin tells you how close each AFC team is to winning a Super Bowl   Guest: Mitchell SchwartzSee 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.

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Listen to look back at it 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, 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, unfiltered 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 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. 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 SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. He played almost a decade. It was a Pro Bowl or four times.

134 consecutive regular season starts, which is almost unheard of for an offensive lineman, a four-time all-pro, and a Super Bowl champ. Mitchell Schwartz, former Chiefs, Browns and Chiefs, is joining us. So the numbers almost don't make sense that Andy Reid is so good in September. It's like almost Nick Saban's openers in college.

It's like how in the world's as possible. So you were there for years. You saw the intelligence. You saw the preparation. What is it? I mean, he's the greatest September opening coach or September coach ever. Mitchell, what is it with Andy Reed in September? Well, it's a combination of, you know, we know his bi-week record, so we know that he's so smart and he's good with any extra time against an opponent.

So that's part of it. But I think it's the training camp he runs and the way he kind of operates because, you know, training camp's gotten a lot easier. Pretty much every year gets easier across the board. And then us as players, we fought for a lot of rule reductions on how much time you're allowed out there. And coach still runs a tough camp. He's one of the few programs that actually tackles live. He has his own players tackle each other during training camp.

He plays his guys in all the games, you know, aside from Mahomes not playing that third game, but the starting offensive line was out there, the starting defense line was out there. So he plays his guys. He runs things in a difficult manner on purpose. And the purpose is to hit the ground running in September. And the numbers bear it out that he just knows what he's doing. So we now know how valuable tackle is. We always understood left tackle was important.

But most reasonable people think left tackles the second or third most important position. And the chiefs are starting Donovan Smith and Joanne Taylor. So they have two new tackles. So having been a great tackle, this stuff is hard. the cohesion on the offensive front. It's the hardest unit in the team. It's usually the smartest players. It's a lot of work.

You're dealing with the best, biggest athletes. Are you a little concerned two new tackles for a highly complex fluid system? So I'm not because of the two guys that are playing. You know, you've got Donovan who has played in a bunch of different schemes and has played at a pretty high level.

You know, I know people kind of look at the holding stats or maybe look at last year when he was injured. but he's played some really good football. So you got a veteran guy who understands it. He looked awesome in preseason action. I follow obviously a lot of cheese people on Twitter and all the clips of him just manhandling guys were going around. And it doesn't matter who the competition is.

Like if you look like a beast and you're just kind of thrown guys left and right, that's the kind of thing that travels. So I feel pretty good about him. And then Juan Taylor comes from Jacksonville. I mean, Doug Peterson, it's pretty much the same scheme. It's the same base. So you're speaking a lot of the same language. You've been familiarized with the Andy Reid way of doing things.

And so I think you just kind of plop them in and you're talking about probably the best interior offensive line in the NFL. So it's not like you've got two guys who are maybe newer who don't quite understand things. You know, you've got two veterans who played a lot of good football. They're going into a system that Coach Reid's definitely going to have some things to protect them if he feels like they need it. And then they've got the best interior playing with them. So it's very advantageous for Mr. Mahomes up front. And obviously the organization has put a lot of resources into that group for him. You could make an argument because you'll get extra prep time.

because you're playing on Thursday, that you should just sit Travis Kelsey. Just sit him. That's something we've talked about today. What do you think Andy's mindset? Andy likes September. Andy likes Quickstarts. Andy loves national TV games to show off and have fun. What do you think he's thinking about Travis Kelsey if he comes in after warm-ups

and is not 100 percent? I think he won't jeopardize the season and especially what the playoffs will look like for this first game. But to your point, I do think he's going to. kind of go right up against that line. You know, if there's a question one way or another, he's going to trust in Travis to tell him honestly, like, hey, can you do this? Are you going to be okay?

You know, Coach Reed and Rick Berkholder, the head athletic trainer, have a great relationship. And Rick has pretty much seen it and done it and been through every injury you can possibly imagine. So Rick has a really good idea of, you know, what Travis's specific injury will look like recovery-wise and what today, if he does play, will do to it. But I do think he's going to want him out there. And to me, the bigger.

question becomes not necessarily if Travis plays, but if he is playing, are they going to play him and just utilize him as Travis Kelsey, you know, best side in the football? Or do you almost play him hoping that the lions are going to treat that as, oh, Travis is healthy? So we're going to double cover him and you kind of unlock what you're expecting from their defense. So I think that's going to be the interesting piece of the puzzle. So Detroit's interesting tonight because Detroit's been a losing franchise and then they get a little momentum. But we have to, acknowledge they didn't make the playoffs last year in the weaker NFC. And now you go to Kansas City, one of the loudest stadiums, and it's, they're hanging

banners and it's a big moment. Go to your NFL. You played on the Chiefs, but you also played on the Browns, a losing franchise. So to pivot, a lot of this league is cultural, right? To pivot from loser to winner, it's not just personnel. Maybe you saw some of that in Cleveland. Detroit's that team. We're just sitting there talking a month.

up and I think, yeah, let me see it first. Talk about your Cleveland experience and the difference between winning regularly and knowing you're going to win, thinking you're going to win. Oh, it's a big difference. And I think it all starts at the top with Dan Campbell. That's why they brought him aboard because of that belief and that trust that he has and how he instills it into his players. You know, we kind of started off talking about those great head coaches.

And Campbell, to me, is at his core motivator. You know, he gets the best out of his guys and they're going to fight hard every single game. And I think that's maybe one of the things you look towards in terms of a franchise that's not winning as much. And maybe, like you said, they didn't go to the playoffs last year. But that week 18 game was pretty cool to see that they technically didn't have anything to fight for. But they wanted to beat their division rival and they wanted to put on a good show. And they did it. And they played really hard.

And when you're playing hard in games that don't matter, when you're playing hard in the fourth quarter of games that maybe you're behind a couple touchdowns and you're trying to come back, I think those are what you look towards for seeing a culture change that a team's not. giving up. It's not, oh, well, we're losing again, whatever, let's just get on and be healthy and go to the half season. You're seeing that fight. You're seeing that responsibility to each other as teammates. And I think that is the first sign. And you match up that kind of attitude with the talent that they have, and especially me being an offensive line guy, seeing what they've built up front. You know, that's one of the key success in this league, especially nowadays with all these pass rushers that are now making 34 million a year. And they've built this thing the right way.

They've got the team. They've got the culture. And like you said, now the last point is not necessarily hoping that you're going to win, but knowing when you get off the bus, like, I don't care if it's Kansas City. I don't care if they're hanging a banner. We're walking in here and we're going to beat the crap out of them. And I do think they have that attitude. And we'll see what they can do over the season with it.

Listen, you were a second round pick. Most great left tackles in league history have been first round picks. You know what I mean? It's one of those positions. We have quarterbacks who have been great in the sixth. right undrafted quarterbacks Kurt Warner but a lot I've thought about this a lot of the great left tackles and I have been first round picks I mean it's it's it's really hard to play and and I and I say that because of course there's been players that get drafted later but brock pretty is the last

player taken everybody passed on him including San Francisco five six seven times and there's part of me that thinks okay now everybody's got film on him and he is a seventh round pick you're right I'm not saying there's not Cam chancellors and Richard Sherman's. Everybody gets overlooked, but you were a second round pick and a multiple pro bowler. When you look at Brock Purdy going 7 and 0 or 8 and 0, do you think to yourself, lightning in a bottle, it's a great roster, he's not that great. It's going to come back, he's going to regress. Or do you think maybe he just got overlooked?

I do think maybe he got overlooked, and he's obviously in as good of a situation as you can ask out of a quarterback, not just, you know, Kyle Shanahan and the offenses that he builds, but all the skilled position players around him. And you can say on one hand, well, the Niners don't know how to evaluate quarterbacks. They screwed up with Trey Lance. But the flip side is they trust in Purdy enough to move on from that and to admit defeat that, hey, we give up three first for a guy and it didn't work out. And we're going to roll with this, you know, back of the seventh round guy who's coming

off a UCL injury. And we're not exactly sure how healthy that elbow is going to be throughout the course of the year. So I think they're showing a faith in him. And the way the roster is built as well, you know, just touched on the boss assigning. They've got a bunch of big contract guys. It almost works better to have a guy a quarterback who maybe is 75 or 80% of what Mahomes can be or a top quarterback. But he's making 2%, 3%.

And so you're looking at that salary cap and this gets back into that team building philosophy of needing a, you know, quarterback on a first contract. But I do think there's something too pretty that you can tell that team. bought in almost immediately when he stepped on the field. Yeah. And they didn't skip a beat. And there's just that camaraderie, you know, it falls under the can't really measure it category. But I think we all saw it last year.

We all felt it the way they rallied around him. It wasn't just like, hey, this is pretty cool. We like this guy and we're doing well. Like there was a full buy-in from everyone and a full confidence and trust like almost immediately. And I think the buy-in from his peers and his teammates to know that that immediately. I mean, there are guys that are drafted. I mean, even first round, honestly, you see them in OTAs.

You're like, I don't know about that. We might have screwed up there. So there's just like immediate, yeah, he's got it. And everyone in the organization can feel it. And it does seem like Purdy has that. So most of the, you know, all 32 teams, maybe you could take the chief side of that. But all these other franchises, I think maybe missed something, Sam Fran included. But they did get him and they are capitalizing on it now.

You went to Cal's USC was a rival. But I will say. I've never seen more good college quarterbacks coming out. This class is going to be insane. Caleb Williams, head of the class. His dad and him and a GQ article both intimated at the discomfort of not being able to pick where you go. I thought it was a vague shot at Arizona, basically saying, we're not going to Arizona. Outside of Arizona, Houston, I think he would go to D.C., for instance, new owner.

He's from there. Indianapolis coach GM he'd go there despite ursay being a little quirky that was my takeaway that he and his dad were just saying we may not go to Arizona but my takeaway is if you represented him Eli Manning John Elway dad stepped in we're not going there how do you feel about that a transformative talent and an ownership space in Arizona that is at best tenuous at worst problematic What if he said I'm not playing for Arizona? Would it bother you? No, and this is where I think most players come down on their fellow player's side.

We're seeing this, you know, especially in the NBA, but players are kind of realizing the power that they have throughout all the sports and they're taking advantage of it. And if you're this Heisman winning quarterback who's looking like he's going to have another awesome year and you have that kind of power to choose your own destiny or to make a team, make a decision to say, well, we really don't think he's going to come here and we have to move on and maybe we take Drake May instead and we flip the picks or whatever. I'm all for a guy using his power if he has it in that regard and I do think he has it.

Now the posturing, it's starting a little bit early. I'm not sure why that necessarily needs to be said now. And I just, I think if you look, you know, four or five years ago, we would have probably said similar things about Cincinnati. You know, maybe ownership's not quite in disarray, but just in the sense of how that organization is viewed from a, you know, top-down perspective. and Burrow gets there and now it's completely flipped and now pretty much everything about the organization has changed. They're signing guys to a free agency where they didn't do it in the past. They're kind of giving in a little bit on how they did things financially

in terms of contracts and other things. So yeah, he might be able to kind of choose where he goes or at least veto one specific location. But the flip side is he also could be the person that changes the franchise. And that could be pretty cool as well. So I'm awful or whatever he wants to do. You know, I'd say based on what he's, accomplished so far in college. He's earned that right.

You know, as we see obviously Kansas City right now, Chris Jones, there's an impasse. You know, sometimes two sides don't agree on something. Right. It becomes a bit of an impasse. But I think both sides are right to do whatever they think is best for them. Mitchell Schwartz, nine years, the Super Bowl champ, Chiefs tonight in Detroit. As always, great seeing you. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.

Same. Thanks for having me. You bet. Brother of Jeff Schwartz, Mitchell Schwartz, great tackle. Good guy, smart guy. Be sure to catch live editions of the weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart 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'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 I'm 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 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. 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. J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right. Listen, it's not until Monday night, but we're going to talk about it. The Jets and Air Rogers, his big debut.

is against the Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott's first game taking back defensive play calling. Remember the Leslie Frazier Weirdness? He spoke about how difficult it'll be to get ready for the addition of Aaron Rogers. They've already had a talented roster, as I mentioned, and

now they added a Hall of Fame, future Hall of Fame quarterback, a guy who we have a lot of respect for. He's extremely smart, veteran, as we all know, and and he's tough to go against. It's been a little bit of a challenge for us in terms of trying to find, you know,

what we should watch and how long we should watch it. So just trying to, again, you know, be fundamentally sound on what we do and know that we're up for a big challenge. Can't wait. I like Buffalo. Well, during the commercial break, I went, I've been, I'm getting really nerdy. You do this, too. Pro football focus, like matches up.

the offense against the defense. I'm just telling you right now, the bill's offensive line is going to get just pancake left and right by this Jets pass rush. Now, the opposite is true as well, right? The bills should push on Beckton and come. Bet the under.

I just did. Under 46. Now, it looks, I don't think I'm moving the line, but it looks like 45 and a half now a lot of places. I think the under is the Monday night play, right? Roger's a little nervous with the spotlight. The Jets last year, by the way, held the bills to 20 points and 17 points.

Cover the spread both times I think this is a low-scoring game I obviously I could root for the Jets By the way, are you What's your level of excitement for? Obviously Monday's show is exciting But Tuesday's show Win or a lose

Because you'll make fun of me And not the Jets It would be the greatest show in the history of the herd Tuesday? Yeah either you'll be So obnoxious The audience will turn off eight minutes in Very out of character

Or the audience will pour in to watch your devastation and reaction to a 4317 loss. 4317? Oh, my God. Are you crazy? No, you know me. I have a lot of stuff going on, so I'll be upset if the Jets Lose, but I'm not going to show it on air. Oh, yes, you are.

You're going to totally be an emotional wreck. What if Rogers is sacked like seven times? That could very well happen. Like, I'm ready for that. That could easily happen. I was Stop, I hear it's going to happen All right, let's go to the next one

And the Patriots Patriots and this is interesting Patriots against Jalen Hertz and the Eagles Hertz has quickly proven himself As one of the best QBs in the game Was phenomenal last year Bill Belichick was asked About how his team is preparing

For this dynamic player The best player in the league Or one of the top two or three best players in the league Nobody has anybody that can be him And if they do, that guys are playing on a scout team for that team anyway. You know, you do the best you can. But, yeah, we'll have somebody to try to simulate the best we can what Hurts does.

But, you know, anybody like Hertz and probably neither is anybody else. It's just a really tough game to handicap. Well, here's what worries me. There's a little O-line issue in New England. A little? It looks like, and again, it's not done. They're going to be starting a fourth-round rookie at Wright Tackle. I don't love that.

But I will tell you, all. All this negativity around McEnroe Jones. He is a buy on the marketplace. By, according to who? You're me. You're saying buy Mac Jones. You think, give me a break. You think they're going to win three games.

They are favored in three games. I am bet in New England against the spread all year. I don't know how many games are going to win. The disrespect is insane. Favorite three wins. I'm taking the points with New England all year. Have you run this by Ann? just wanted to make sure.

Anne controls real estate. I control betting. Betting the Patriots all year. Well, it's going to be a rough year. I'm not saying they're winning. They have the second toughest schedule in the league, according to many metrics, after the Dolphins. AFC East is scheduled. Brutal. Final story.

A lot of hype surrounding the Lions this season. They got hot at the end of last year, winning eight of their last 10, but left tackle. Taylor Decker says Detroit still has to prove they deserve the praise. having the perspective of knowing we haven't done anything yet is important. There's a lot of promise from how we finished last year, but that was half a season. It could be a good franchise and establish a winning identity. You have to do it year after year. Having a great nine-game stretch doesn't make your winner, but it is great.

I've been here during years when you're getting bleeped on and you're the butt of the jokes. To have a little bit of respect going into the season is cool. Taylor Decker, sell, you know, smart guys. It's nice to be respected. You don't want to go overboard. They've been a nice mix. I've seen a lot of lions. Multiple lion players have shown, have contextualized all this, and have been grownups.

And they've said, hey, man, we've got to show it. We've got to show it. I like that. I've got to tell you, everybody in the league plays hard. Detroit plays so hard, they're impossible not to root for. Unless you're playing them. I mean, they just play. No quit.

They are all gas, no breaks into the final whistle. Is the biggest coaching mismatch of week one? Dan Campbell against Andy Reed? Well, first of all, the whole league outside of Belichick and Peyton and about three others is a coaching mismatch against Andy Reid. About seven, eight guys in the league, maybe. Pete Carroll, Tomlin, maybe eight guys in the league. Other than that, Andy's a better coach, in most instances, by a little bit. Okay, but if you're ranking the coach as one to 32, Dan Campbell's near the bottom.

You just hasn't done anything. Come on. Somebody's got to be near the bottom. Well, but it's worked there. We've got to be fair on him. It's worked. Okay. Interim guy in Miami didn't work.

It's worked in Detroit. You can't say that. Real? So where's Dan Campbell's an NFL coach? League average? He's somewhere between 13 and 17-ish. Wow. You have him near the bottom?

There's eight guys going to lose their job next year. By the way, you can say what you want. The proof is what I see when I turn the TV on. He took a mess. He lost Stafford. They play their butt off. They protect the home field. He's got golf playing well.

Well, wait, does he have golf playing well or Ben Johnson the O.C.? It's like the president. If the stock market's up, you got to give the president some credit. If the team is playing their arse off, it's his staff. Everybody loves his OC. He hired him. Lions fans are going to think I'm crushing Campbell. I'm not killing him.

I'm just like his record. Like, okay, fine, I'll name some coaches. We got a second year. Dennis Allen? I would take Dan Campbell. Easily. Easily? Eously?

Frank Reich or Dan Campbell? I like Frank Reich. Robert Sala or Dan Campbell? It's a coin flip. I'd say, well, I mean, there's going to the playoffs. Yeah, it's a coin. Well, your reaction is like I said, Andy Reed and, you know. Sala is a coin flip with him.

Well, I think Sala's shown promise and Campbell's shown promise. Dan Campbell's had a winning season. Dufansky or Dan Campbell? Don't you, do. dare. I like the current momentum of Dan Campbell. I think we just got a segment for whenever there's an open. I'm not going to.

You just said Campbell's at the bottom of the league. He's in like the bottom six. No way. Six coaches? Wow. Ron Rivera or Dan Campbell. Dan Campbell. He's an offense.

I like the way his team plays. He's not. Give me another one. Mike McCarthy or Dan Campbell. Dan Campbell. Stop it. I know you're not being serious. McCarthy won 12 games the last two years.

We're talking about. Come on. Wes, clip this off and put it online right now. That's your social guy. He's got to put that on. Dan Campbell over Mike McCarthy? Who's the Bears coach? You ask Cowboy fans.

They don't want McCarthy as coach. They want the defensive coordinator as coach. Everybody in Detroit loves Dan Campbell. Wow. I'm just telling you, I don't care about resumes. Dan Campbell's put together a great staff. It's like when people say McIntyre's good. I say, forget him. I hired him. I get the credit for you. Lafleur or Dan Campbell? Well, Lefleur right now is, I think Lefleur I would give the edge to.

You're the one that started this by saying Dan Campbell, bottom of the league. He's bottom, he's bottom six or seven among head coach. If you're ranking them one to 32, come on, dude. He ended the season strong and you're in love with this stuff? First of all, You win every argument where the comeback is, come on dude. I just won the argument. All right, okay. On come on dude. You win.

Take a victory lap. Good, disgrace. Are you done? Jay Mack with the news. You're darn right, I'm done. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd Lie News. Coming up next, how close is each AFC team to the Super Bowl? We did NFC yesterday. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. This is Steve Covino and Rich Davis. And together, we are Covino and Rich. Covino and Rich.

Thanks, buddy. That's right, Covino and Rich, Fox Sports Radio's newest hit show. Heard weekdays from 5 to 7 Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Every Covino and Rich show is available as a podcast. Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and subscribe. I'm such a rockin dude. The show features our unique take on sports, injected with some fun, humor, and Relatability.

Listen to Kavino and Rich five days a week on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Kovino and Rich, give me a hell, yeah. 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 put on 10. 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now

I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, This is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. 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. Once your business gets to a certain size, crack start to emerge. Get a customized solution from net suite.com slash her. Their KPI checklist is free. Okay, J-Mack. if the end zone was the Super Bowl.

We did the NFC yesterday. We do the AFC today. If the end zone is the Super Bowl, how close are AFC teams to the goal line slash the Super Bowl, the end zone? All right, we'll start with a layup. The Chargers, how close are they to the Super Bowl end zone? We both like them, loaded roster. One of six teams entering the year, though, with new coordinators. It does worry me.

I have him at the five years. yard line. New coordinators doesn't necessarily mean bad news, but I think this roster top to bottom is very close to the Eagles, is very close to the Niners in terms of just dudes everywhere. How close are the Chiefs to the Super Bowl end zone? Okay, right now with Chris Jones, that worries me. Okay. But two new tackles, they'll get over it. I say goal line, Reed, Mahomes, Kelsey, and that defense, remember, all those rookies. They should get better in year two under Spags. So the defense last year was surprisingly good.

I think they'll be better. All right, let's go to a divisive team. The Denver Broncos with your boy, Sean Payton. A lot of asks, change rush, change the culture, change the staff. I have the Broncos at the 40-yard line. Remember, Sean Payton, that's field goal range with a good leg in mind. In the altitude. Maybe at Alton's.

Remember, he won coach of the year, first year with the Saints. So he turns this stuff around very quickly. All right, let's get to a team that's no way. close to the Super Bowl, the Raiders. Well, they're out of field goal range, their own 40-yard line. The Chandler Jones drama, which you pointed out yesterday, that's no good. Darren Waller's gone when healthy, very valuable. And Josh McDaniels on the hot seat.

You start one and four. You're going to hear those headlines. That's an underplayed story. If they start poorly and I think they're going to lose their opener to Denver, all of a sudden you got Mark Davis having private meetings with the coach. Let's go to the Pittsburgh Steelers. sneaky Super Bowl team, Colin? I don't know. I haven't at the 30-yard line,

an makeable field goal. They won six to seven games at the end of the year. Their defense has led the sacks in the NFL, five of the last six years. I just think tight-end, wide-receiving core, the ability to create pressure. I love their roster.

I even like their backup running back. I think their roster's top five or six in the league. All right, let's go with the Cincinnati Bungles. How close are they to the Super Bowl? Goal line upgraded at left tackle. Don't worry about Burrow. Has he ever played a preseason?

Zach Taylor last two years, 22 and 11. They've been very, very good situationally. Is that Zach Taylor or Burrow? They moved off safeties. Tells me the organization understands the value of the right positions. Goal line for the bingles. Cleveland Browns? They in field goal range?

Too talented not to be in field goal range, but it would be a tough one. 40-yard line. Listen. last three seasons under Stefansky they have the worst record in their division and why you asked if I like Dan Campbell or Stefansky

win games they got too much talent they're not winning games they're not winning games all right what about the Baltimore Ravens how close are they to the end zone 30 yard line love it new coordinator but we got OBJ

Zay Flowers Mark Andrews Rashad Bateman Lamar Jackson crossed your fingers on his health he's won 74% of his games As a starter, I like this team a lot, but I do worry about their health. A lot of guys on that roster have a history of injuries. All right. Derek Henry and the Titans, they close to the end zone?

50-yard line, not a makeable field goal. Bottom line ended last year in a seven-game losing streak. 0-19 last year against teams that reach the playoffs. They beat up on bad teams. That's what they did. They beat up on bad teams. Kind of like the New York Giants. Okay, how close are the Texans to the Super Bowl end zone?

No, there's nothing here. Demico Ryan's cross your fingers, their own. 25-yard line. Fourth head coach in four years. Average 16 points a game. Have a rookie quarterback. They won't be good. I do like some of their off-season moves, though.

All right. The Jacksonville Jaguars is a tricky one. No, it's not. Five-yard line. Wow. They have to learn how to win big games. They're still not there yet, but this is a really good team. Return 20 to 22 starters.

One of the great young quarterback, smart offensive coach, Calvin Ridley, like him. Five yards. That's a stunner. Okay, Indianapolis Colts. Own 25-yard line. Eighth straight year. They have a different quarterback week one. The owner's gotten more meddling. I don't like it.

We need to get to the Jets quickly. So how close are the bills? Just to be wrapped this one up, quickly. I don't like Leslie Frazier and their top tackler being gone. I don't like Vaughn Miller in week one being gone, but they're at the 20-yard line. This is a really good roster with a lot of continuity and a lot of returning starters. Very good upfront defensively. O-line's better than you.

you're giving them credit for. New England Patriots. 40-yard line. Bill O'Brien's a functional offensive coordinator. Sneakily, sneakily interesting. 19 of 22 starters return for a complex coach. They'll be better than you think. Now, close to the Dolphins to the Super Bowl end zone.

Vic Fangio, best coaching move at the off season. I have them at the 20-yard line. Now, I worry about their O-line. Reasonably fair point. They didn't upgrade there. I worry about Tuas health with that O-line. that's a fair concern. Most importantly, the New York Jets.

How close are they to the Super Bowl end zone? 30-yard line. Nathaniel Hackett. Has anybody brought that up? You think he's a great O.C.? No. Okay. So the teams I have in front of the jets are the Bills, Dolphins, if two is healthy,

Chargers, Chiefs, Jags, Bengals, and I have the Jets in line, a lot of it due to Aaron Rogers, in line with the Ravens and Steelers. What's staggering is you have the Jags closer to the Super Bowl. Bowl than Josh Allen and Aaron Rogers. I'm floored at that. Well, that's because, first of all, Jets O'Line

with an old quarterback's is concerned. And this Stefan Diggs drama is a thing. They don't have a number two receiver. I mean, the Jags don't have a defense. They got tackle issues. One guy suspended. I don't know. Jags, that, you're high on the Jags, huh? Are they getting the number one scene in the

AFC? Trevor Lawrence is your guy, huh? You really like I like them. We have a relation. Okay. They're playing football tonight and I'm watching. Clear-eyed watching. Grape juice, maybe some pasta. Tomorrow's the picks? Blazing 5 tomorrow.

Had a winning week we called last year. I think you do a blazing four because you don't like any games. That'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 helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. Eighty-four is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it 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. 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, 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 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 Podcast, 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.