The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Warriors Are Struggling, The Lakers Are Rising and Dan White

Episode Date: December 28, 2018

Doug Gottlieb sits in for Colin Cowherd and breaks down a wild night in the NBA and how the night showed you the NBA is closer than you think to catching up to the Golden State Warriors and how the Los Angeles Lakers are inching closer to being a complete team and threat to the league. Doug also tries to figure out who is hurting who. Is Tom Brady hurting Rob Gronkowski, or is the other way around? Also, UFC President Dana White sits down to explain why UFC 232 was moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and tells you which fight on Saturdays’ card will be better than Jones vs Gustafsson. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark, keep coming to him. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What up? Welcome in. This is the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening to the show. Thanks so much for making this part of your day. I'm Doug Gottlie, filling in for Colin Calhard.

whether you're watching on FS1, you're listening on the IHeart radio app or our hundreds of Fox Sports Radio affiliates nationwide. Thank you so much for spending your time leading up to New Year's talking sports and some other stuff with us here in the herd. Man, we've got a great show for you. Greg Jennings going to join us. I got the Blazing Five for you, Colin on fire all year, so he decided to drop the mic this week, not make any picks.

Don't worry, I'll pick up the baton. My picks have been quite good. on the Doug Gottlieb show, which follows this show on most Fox Sports Radio affiliates and on the IHeart Radio app nationwide. James Harrison's going to join us. Dana White's going to join us. We got a metric ton to get to. I'm going to tell you I'm coming in 15 minutes why Kirk Cousins is not overpaid. He is rightfully compensated and worth every penny, even with this Prove-It weekend in the National Football League, Week 17.

Week 17, eight games on our Fox Broadcast Network. Well, let's get to what we saw last night. Sure, the Lakers lost a game they should have won, and Lanzo ball played about as well as he's played as a pro before asking out because of cramps, and they lose in Sacramento on a game-winning three-point shot. But I think more interesting is a couple hours away in Oakland, where the Warriors lose again at home.

Now, they lose to Damien Lillard, But I think the bigger, more interesting part is not just that they lost or how they lost, where Kevin Durant misses a couple of what could have been game ceiling or game winning shots. Steph Curry with the ball in his hands up to, turns it over, and Damien Lillard hits a huge three in his hometown to win the thing for Portland. It's not just that they lost to the Portland Trailblazers. It's not just that Clay Thompson's struggles continue or that Dreyman. Amon Green continues to be unguarded. It's that we operate under this, I think, dated narrative in the NBA, right?

A dated narrative. Like, we are so slow to react to things, but we're reacting in things because of last year or the year before that. The idea that the Warriors will be fine in the playoffs. But let's look at it in reality. in reality last year in the playoffs they beat the Houston Rockets in five games and the Rockets were missing Chris Paul

and the Rockets missed what was it 27 consecutive threes something we had never seen before like all of these things had to go wrong for the Rockets in order for it to go right for the Warriors and you can point out that Andre Godala was injured much of that series and that's a huge piece for how the Warriors like to play and that would be fair.

Though I'm not equating the value of Iguodala to Chris Paul, I do think that having Igodala dramatically changes the warriors. The bigger point is, as close as the rockets were last year, and I understand that it looked on paper, and maybe in reality to start the years like the rockets have gotten worse, and maybe they have. The rest of the West seems to have gotten better. The Lakers are pronouncedly better than they were last year.

I would make the case to the thunder when fully healthy. Even without Andre Robertson are better than they were last year. Paul George, much more comfortable and he's frankly been their best player. You look around the Western Conference and it feels like four legit competitors and we're not even pointing out Portland who of course overachieved last year and that's why they got dusted out of the playoffs. If Portland is your fourth to sixth best team, you got a pretty good side of the bracket there. right like the West is good but more importantly we're dealing with dated data that data is not accurate Draymond Green is not the player that he was he's not an all-star he's not an all-pro he's not playing like a Hall of Fame player is it injuries probably some of it is it a lack of confidence because

of those injuries probably some of it and remember Draymond Green is going to have to change positions when DeMarcus Cousins becomes healthy or healthy enough to play. When the Warriors have won any of these three titles, their death lineup has had Draymond Green at the center position. And I don't know if they can or will still do that, considering you have DeMarcus Cousins. It'll change the way they play defensively, and then offensively, that'll dramatically change their spacing

and how you use Draymond Green. Right now, he's still playing as their de facto center, and he's not playing well. by the fact that he's wide open offensively. Combine that with the fact that he's in a contract year, wants a max contract, and at some point he tries to prove his value, and Draymond Green is a mess.

A mess. Then you got Clay Thompson, who has hidden the fact that he's having an awful year with a couple of outlier performances like old Clay has had. Clay Thompson's shooting second worst from field goal range, worst three-point percentage of his career. He's even struggling for Clay Thompson,

one of the great shooters in the history of the game at the Frito line. And he too is in a walk year. And then you got Kevin Durant. He's had no missteps in terms of things he said off the basketball floor, has he? It always feels like Steph Curry's a turned ankle away from missing a month, and their bench is a disaster. Sean Livingston finally looks old. Andre Goddala has looked old, has been off.

injured. And then news today that Pat McCall, who'd been holding out as a restricted free agent, signed for $800,000 more with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And of course, the Warriors can match that, but McCall hasn't played all year. And if they match it, it costs them $9 million more in luxury tax. They have a bad bench, can add Pat McCall, who's played for them at before mid-season. And yet, we don't know what kind of shape he's in. And we know how to be. And we know how to that hurts them in terms of the luxury tax. You look at what they needed last year in order to win

27 consecutive missed threes. Chris Paul getting hurt, which does feel like it's going to happen in the future and has happened recently for the Houston Rockets, but still, Chris Paul ain't hurt and make one or two of those threes, and we might have a different NBA champion today. And oh yeah, by the way, everybody's acting like that

73 win team of a couple years ago was what was added to Kevin Durant. They changed. They lost Bogot. They changed the bench. They changed the rotation. And the league has caught up to what they do. And the league has mimicked and mirrored many of the things that they do. We operate with dated data.

This isn't last year. This isn't the year before. This isn't what gamblers do when they go like, hey, you know, Andrew luck, 10 times in a row, he's beating the Tennessee Titans. No, one time this year he's beaten the Tennessee Titans. The construct of the team, the construct of the league, the way in which it's officiated changes year to year. And this Warriors team losing two consecutive home games, that never happened. That never happened. Losing at home is one thing. Losing back-to-back home games against playoff teams, they usually play to their level of

competition. This idea that the Warriors can be team Clapper. You remember the Clapper? Clap on. Clap of the clapper. That they can get to the playoffs and go like, all right, we're going to play. The league is closer than you would think. Most people don't pay a ton of attention to regular season NBA outside of Christmas Day. And Steph Curry has played poorly before on Christmas Day. He shot poorly on Christmas Day again. But the turnover that Steph had, the over-dependence on Kevin Durant to bail them out, the lack of bench depth of any kind, Draymond Green being an almost non-factor outside of being a passer on offense, and Clay Thompson suddenly struggling to make shots that he has always made in the NBA.

Before you put in pencil, or definitely before you put in Penn, that the Warriors are going to win the NBA championship, and then we'll figure out what happens with KD, with Clay, and with Draymond Green. This thing is closer. The league catches up. The league will figure you out.

There are more challenges by day. Look at any business leader. Any business leader. The first in, first in always crushes it, right? But you've got to continue to evolve. You've got to continue to change. Look at those Bulls teams with two different runs.

Yes, Jordan, remain the same and Pippin remained the same. Outside of that, everything else changed. Everything else changed. First, it was Horace Grant and John Paxson and Medical Bill Cartwright. And by the end, they had Steve Kerr, they had Will Perdue, they had Dennis Rodman, they had Luke Longley. They cycled through a bunch of different guys who, one, were hungry, but two, because they were different, stages in their career, they provided different things. This Warriors team looks a little bit tired, a little bit annoyed with each other, overly dependent on Kevin Durant to bail them out because he is and has been that good of an offensive

player. And those things they were able to get away with a couple years ago, throwing the ball into the stands, behind the back passes, turning it over against the double team. Clay Thompson will bail us out with five threes when the game is tight and we'll just boat race people. Hey, guess what? Now everybody's shooting threes. Everybody's playing small. Everybody knows what you do, how you do it, and how to take it away. Close than you think. All right, some super interesting games upcoming this weekend, week 17 in the National Football League. I'm Doug Gottlieb filling in for Colin. Vikings Bears to me most interesting, right? Because they have Kirk Cousins,

who many of you, if not a super high percentage, you would say, wow, massively overpaid. How much he's paid is the number one determinant in how you view him. And oh yeah, by the way, he's rightfully, if not undercompensated. I'll prove it to you next. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is the herd. If you've got the dreaded stuff he knows, this cold and flu season, try Vix Synex nasal spray. A couple of Synex nasal sprays, and it works in seconds to clear your nose and last up to 12 hours.

Be ready when congestion strikes. Sinex nasal spray use as directed. Doug Gottlieb in for Colin. This is the herd. Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports One, the Iheart radio app. Big game this weekend, a bunch of big games this weekend, the National Football League. Greg Jennings is going to join us momentarily. The former Packer and former Viking-wide receiver will be our guest. Also, former Dolphin.

I know what he thinks is going to happen in Miami. It's always fascinating to me on how you get these false narratives, right? one of the false narratives are NFL contracts are not guaranteed. That's not true. They may not be fully guaranteed based upon what agents put out there as the value,

but whatever is guaranteed is in fact guaranteed. Like Matt Ryan's deal is what, $94 million in guaranteed money. He is going to get every penny of that. Aaron Rogers, 79.2, and some of the reported non-guaranteed money is really guaranteed.

All he has to do is have a roster bonus, right? All he has to do is show up at workouts. There are makeable bonuses in there. So NFL players may not like the amount of money that they're guaranteed, but the idea that they're not guaranteed is laughable because it's a lie. And if you don't like the terms of the,

well, the last two years the deal aren't guaranteed, don't ask for a five-year deal and be willing to take slightly less money. one of the other false narratives is that Kirk Cousins is overpaid. He signed a three-year $84 million deal, fully guaranteed. Now remember, Kirk Cousins was a fourth round pick when RG3 was the first round pick. So his first couple years in the league, he made Bubkiss. He was like Dak Prescott, where the first three years you can't renegotiate your deal.

Then when he became a franchise taggie, he made somewhere in the neighborhood of $44 million over two years of being a guaranteed franchise tag guy. Those were one year guaranteed deals. He made back to back. So you do the math. 44 plus 84. 44 plus 84 is what? $130 million.

All guaranteed. Now, he had to not get hurt for either of those two years, but he's going to make $130 million or so in five years. That's not bad. But to the person who says, the Vikings, what a joke contract, it reminds me of, and I don't know how many of you still get a newspaper, let alone a Sunday paper. If you didn't get the Sunday paper, the Sunday paper was like three times as thick as a regular newspaper. I had all kinds of different pullouts.

And one of the pullouts was a magazine inside. They still have. It's called Parade Magazine. and the parade magazine had some usefulness most of the year, but the most useful edition once year was how much people make. It was awesome. Still is awesome. You pull it out and you just, you can't take your eyes off it.

It's like a viral video. You sit there and wait, postal worker in Des Moines, Iowa makes $73,000. I'm in the wrong profession. right medical sales in minneapolis $175,000 I'm in the wrong profession school teacher in Enid Oklahoma makes $35,000

I'm in the right profession I do not want to do I cannot imagine working with kids for $35,000 and you look at it and the person who makes $35,000 is the school teacher who just started in Enid Oklahoma you have sympathy for the postal worker who makes $74,000 in Des Moines, Iowa, you're like, man, are you kidding me? We used to call it going postal. Why would anyone have anything, any gripe if you're making $74,000?

What it lacked was context. What it lacked was context. How many years had you worked? Or if you're in medical sales, it's not just what product you sell, what region you have, or how many reasons you have, How many years have you been with the company? And, holy, hey, here's another part to it. Were you killing it? And then somebody tried to come steal you.

They offered you a boatload more money, and your current company decided to match. Or they didn't decide to match. And you got a bunch of money to switch companies. Right? It's called leverage. And once you have it, you use it. And guess who had it? Kirk, don't call me Kurt Cousins.

He had leverage. And he used it. He rolled the dice as a friend. taggy for two years, and then because it's way too expensive to tag him for a third year and that thing was done, he became a free agent. This never happens in the NFL. Never. It doesn't. You're only a free agent when your team is done with you and nobody. Blake Bortles could be a free agent. They might have to pay Blake Bortles $18 million to not be quarterback. James Winston, who of course was suspended earlier this year for yet another day.

dumb thing he did off the football field. Granted, it was two years ago. And even he says he doesn't know what happened, but it was enough for the NFL to go, dude, really? Something else with women? Enough. But last year, it's about the market. And people in real estate maybe know this the best.

Right? Over the last five or six years, especially in Southern California, real estate market's been on fire. On fire. Is it the economy? Sure. but the big thing was a scarcity of goods, a scarcity of, of, of, of houses. That's really what comes down to. It just wasn't anything in the market.

And so the market kept going up because people said, you know, that house really isn't worth a million dollars. It's really worth, but you're worth what somebody's willing to pay. And a house is worth what somebody's willing to pay for it. and if you have to have a house in Southern California in order to live in order to breathe and you move in, you're like, man, I got to get a house and I don't know, this is the going right.

What were your options if you were in Minnesota? And again, here's the context of it. They had Teddy Bridgewater, who they had managed a game and got them to the playoffs before they missed a field goal you could kick with your left foot against the Seattle Seahawks. in their last practice of training camp, he blows out his knee. And because they thought they had a playoff team, maybe a Super Bowl team,

they gave a first round pick to go and get Sam Bradford. And everybody in their offensive line got hurt. And so Sam Bradford had the highest completion percentage for one season in the history of the National Football League, but most of it was because, one, he doesn't have a lot of fortitude to stand in there. He's been injured a bunch. And two, he had to get rid of it quick because he was facing live bullets every moment. This is a franchise that had a plan.

Their plan was Teddy Bridgewater, young quarterback, making young quarterback money. Let's build the whole thing around him. And then plans change when Teddy blew out his knee. And then Teddy comes back last year, but he's not really ready to play. They get Case Keenham and they got Sam Bradford. And things are going swimmingly until San Bradford has one great game. And then because of the years of abuse to that knee and all of the different injuries, it just hurts.

So he played like a game and a half. And then he was done. And then they get all the way to the NFC championship game. People are, wow, you know, they got the NFC championship game with Case Keenham. So, you know, cousins making this much more money has to be better. Again, no context. The Packers lost Aaron Rogers last year. That's why the Packers were bad.

The Bears were in the last year the John Fox regime. This year they went out and added a great play caller as head coach, some other vital pieces. And oh yeah, by the way, they trade away two first round draft picks for Khalil Mack. That's why they're better. Forget about the fact that around the league, injuries were the story of last year from Carson Wentz going down or suspensions to Ezekielion. The NFC, more than any other, more than the AFC, was decimated by injuries or suspensions. Zeeke doesn't play six games, Cowboys not in the playoffs. Cam Newton gets hurt.

You look around the league and the New York Giants last year lost all of their wide receivers in one game. Does that mean they would have been good? No, but they would have been a lot more competitive if they had Sterling Shepard, if they had Odell Beckham Jr., if they had their tied end as well, Evan Ingram. And oh yeah, by the way, if you remember, the Vikings were dead. to rights beaten by the Saints at home, if not for a miracle finish. And so, look, once they hit the end of the season and Case Keenham got exposed against the

Philadelphia Eagles with a backup quarterback, they're like, look, we got to go get the best guy available. Their choices were Lamar Jackson, when you have Adam Thielen, when you have Stefan Dillon, when you have Stefan Diggs, when you have Kyle Rudolph, you don't want a guy who's going to run the ball 15 times a game and complete 15 passes. You need a stable,

viable starting quarterback. And the market was this. A.J. McCarran, Terrod Taylor, Case Keenham, Teddy Bridgewater, or Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins making $84 million

over the next three years. He's second in completion percentage. He's seventh in pass yards. He's eighth in passing TDs. He's eighth in passerating. He's above middle of the road in every statistical category. He doesn't get hurt. He shows up to work.

There's no off-the-field drama. Even when they fired his offensive coordinator, you never heard a negative word from Kirk Cousins. Not one. That has value. But more than anything, he was the only nice house on the market. And they weren't even the highest bidder the Jets were. And if you want to say, look, they should have just held on to Cousins and saved the money.

I'm assuming to Keenham and save the money. Cousins has 12 more touchdowns, four few interceptions, 43 more yards per game, second in the NFL and completion percentage. Meanwhile, Denver has a solid running game. Third in the National Football League and Russian TDs. Average is 26 more yards a game as opposed to Vikings are 30th in running. And the Broncos are going to fire their head coach and are in the market for a a quarterback with the guy that you had that some people are like, you should have saved money.

You save money, there's a reason you would have saved money on them. The Vikings knew. Keenna wasn't good enough. Cousins is. The Vikings defense isn't as good this year as it was last year. The competition with a first place schedule and with healthier teams that you're going against is tougher than it was last year. And has he performed like a superstar in the biggest of games? No. But he's not making that money. because he's a superstar. He's making that money because he's stable and because he was the only one on the market. And so while you look at the parade magazine, you go, Kirk Cousins, $84 million, I'm in the wrong profession. I should be a marginal starting

quarterback. There's not 30 of them. There was only one available, and the Vikings got him. So while some of you might think he's overpaid, they actually paid below market value compared to what the Jets offered. He's rightfully, if not undercompensated in terms of what he was actually worth. Let's get to Ryan Music with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Doug, you do a lot of talking. I'm sure you've said something that you've regretted in your life, right? Something you wish you could take back? Several. Several things? Yesterday. Okay, well, Alabama, star defensive lineman, Quinn and Williams, almost said something he really, almost. I can't wait.

This video is amazing. Take a listen. Have you gone up against any quarterback that slightly resembles Kyler Murray? No, I don't feel like I have going against a quarterback, so I resemble Kyle Murray. But I feel like Kyle Murray is not aware about it. It's okay. The clearing of the throat was the best part.

Do you know what that reminded me of? What? You might be too young. Have you watched Star Wars? Yes, I've watched Star Wars. Okay. when the guy who's he's he's apologizing to Lord Vader for losing the rebels. Oh, and he does the choke.

Yeah. That's actually really good. Pretty accurate. That's exactly what happened. But any of us be surprised. I mean, right? You'd have to imagine. It was a Lord Vader using the dark side of the force moment.

You have to imagine he's still going to get in a little bit of trouble. Not as much trouble, but he walked far enough down the line. to where people knew where he was going. You know Saban's still going to talk to him. Let me, let me support the kid here, okay? And this is really important. Okay, one, he's a kid. Okay, I mean, I don't, he didn't say anything stupid he was about to.

It wasn't about to say something stupid, but he's about to go like, all right, you know, whatever. This is the go to the Baker Mayfield. I guarantee every, in sports, and this is what we do, especially when you're in the SEC and Alabama, like, look, dude, we have two great quarterbacks. We got, he's no different than James. who's our backup, and then Tua, who's bigger and we think better. You know, but, you know, is there anything you've seen? Yeah, I see it in practice every day.

We go against two dudes that have won SEC championships. One that's one national championship, one that's won several SEC championships. Like, yeah, we've seen crazy athletic quarterbacks who can throw. But I don't, I don't think there's, I don't think he's going to be punished for it. I just think the actual visual of a guy, mid-sentence, suddenly like almost, choking on his words was amazing. So good. Can I see it one more time?

Can I let me just, can we cue that up? Just one more. Have you gone up against any quarterback that slightly resembles Kyler Murray? No, I don't feel like I have going against a quarterback. So I resembling Kyle Murray, but I feel like Calamara is not aware about. I'm good. I'm good. You all right?

Need some water. I'm good. That's Lord Vader choking him out. All right, what else you got? All right, so speaking to Kyler Murray, yesterday you made a pretty compelling case in order for him to choose the NFL over Major League Baseball, and he was asked about his future.

Take a listen to what he said. Right now, obviously, I'm going to play baseball, but, I mean, I'm not focused on any of that right now. My main focus is Saturday, getting ready to play this game. Obviously, you know, it's... I've always been, you know... It's never bad to have options, but... Yeah, right now, my main focus is this game.

Another long pause there trying to decide what makes the most sense for his future going forward. I think it's important to point this out. Everybody's saying, like, look, in baseball, you can make $200, $300 million. Who's the last 5'9 second baseman that makes $300 million? Is there one? Well, he's not a second baseman, but the smallest guy that I can think of that's going to eventually kill it in the market is Muky Betts, right? like Mookie Betz is the is the small guy that has that that just but Kyle Murray was he's it's not like he's a baseball prodigy like the the again misreported why did Kylea Murray sign for over

$4 million in a guaranteed deal with the Oakland A's because he has the threat of football because he has Scott Boris as his agent because he had leverage and by the way he's going to go to the A's organization yes no one overpays you in baseball like the A's organization here's something that no one's talking about everybody in baseball is getting lowballed because they're splitting tea they're they're platooning guys the days of the three hundred and four hundred million dollar contract may never come to fruition ever even bryce harper oh bryce harper has a deal it's done that was two months ago where's brice harper's deal where's where's his deal scott boris told us he has a deal done with a team can't tell you

who it is but it's already done he's been a free agent on the market for three months now there's been no deal done why because they're trying to we got to get some mystery team to offer 300 million like all this stuff is misreported. He's super keep your options open, kid. If you can be a first round draft pick, go do it because you'll make more money in football. And you can, in fact, always go to baseball. He may not live up to his potential in baseball, but he may not live up to his potential in baseball anyway.

Always good to keep your options open. Correct. Always gives you better leveraging. And last one here, Doug, Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers. He's getting up there in age, but he still needs to be able to relate to his younger teammates. However, there's one thing he won't do. When asked about relating to those teammates, he said, well,

I'm not going to start playing Fortnite. So no video games for Aaron Rogers. No, he said no Fortnite. He didn't say no video games. Fair enough. Right? Like my son, we're kind of an anti-Fortnight family. We decided to not like son will complain at somebody else's house. We do Rocket League. Rocket League, I encourage people to play. There's no guns,

no shooting. It's just cars playing soccer against each other. I don't know. Cars that are rockets. Okay. Anyway. Sounds entertaining. But yes, the anti-Fortnight thing. Like, dude, Fortnite is a time sucker. And I get the...

This is about the dances. You're still shooting, Killian's shooting other people in the game. Like, look, this is actually a question a lot of parents have. And Aaron Rogers, I know not a parent yet. That do you buy the Fortnite thing, which is like a free download to start? Or do you wait until the fad passes? And we're just like hoping there's another fad that passes. We're sticking with Madden.

We're sticking with 2K. We still have old school NBA jam, and we've gone to Rocket League. So I support Aaron Rogers' decision wholeheartedly. That's the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. All right, coming up next, Greg Jennings is going to join us.

I'll ask him about the pressure on Kirk Cousins facing the Bears in a must-win game. Plus, we'll ask him about Andrew Luck and the Colts. Is this team really as good as they have played? And should Andrew Luck be in that MVP discussion? That's upcoming next in The Hurt. Doug Gottlieman for Colin, this is The Horde. Let's bring him on. He's a two-time pro bowler.

He's an NFL analyst for NFL games on Fox. He's Greg Jennings, who joins us here in the Hurt. On a football Friday, G, Vikings at home against the Bears, and the Bears would likely play the Vikings in the playoffs. So it all sets up. Okay, so look, the Bears, if they play, they can eliminate the Vikings, right? or if they get down early, they can pack it in and get ready for the playoffs. I was talking about Kirk Cousins and I was like, look, people don't understand the market,

the context of he was the best guy available. And though he's not Aaron Rogers, he's not Tom Brady, he's not superstar, he's been quite good. What have you seen from their offense since the coordinator change? Kurt Cousins has been really good this year. Since the coordinator change, they started running the football. They've given him another option offensively to turn around, hand the ball off to Dalvin Cook and company and be effective doing that, taking some of the pressure off of his arm in that receiving unit. What I like about what Kirk Cousins has been able to do this year is take that passing game to another level. And what I mean by that is we've seen Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs and Kyle Rudolph and these guys make plays years prior.

But this year we've seen more run after to catch opportunities. And it's because he's getting them the ball where they need it to make those extra plays and get those extra yards. All right. But you've been in Minnesota. You've been with the Vikings. Heckham. He played long enough in the NFL to know that it is a results-oriented league. If they don't make the playoffs, what is this offseason going to be like in Minnesota?

It's devastating. This is the biggest game of Kirk Cousin's career. Period. Period. He's been in the playoffs before he's lost to the Packers. this right now this is the biggest game of his career because of the money

that he was given and what comes with that simple simple it's simple no more needs to be said he has to win come Sunday against the Bears do they have is what they're doing you look the pass rush isn't the same on the road as it is at home

on the other hand it's on that fast fast track of playing in the dome on that turf the way in which they play can it stymie the rush of the Bears. Because that's the whole thing, right? The Bears' back end is okay, but that front seven is nasty and they get after you. It's not just Khalil Mack.

They've got a bunch of dudes that get after you. The way in which the Vikings usually attack it, their new running game, will it work? It will if they continue to run the ball, effectively the way that they did last week. The number one thing that can eliminate a pass rush is to keep them off balance. Running the football keeps you off balance. being effective in running the football is what keeps your offense. Greg Jennings joining us here in the herd. Your MVP in the NFL is?

Patrick Mahomes. There's no... I respect all of what Drew Brees has been able to do for the city of New Orleans, for the National Football League. For small quarterbacks everywhere. Everywhere. Everything. Coming back from a shoulder injury

that people thought would end his career. Special, special human being out even beyond the game. Right. but what Patrick Mahomes has been able to do this is just where the league is going with these quarterbacks that can do it all. I mean, he can throw, make every single throw effortlessly. The way I look at Patrick McHombs is how everyone

used to and still at times look at Aaron Rogers. Like, man, he just flicks the ball. Yeah. Like everything is effortless. And he has guys around him that can, make plays for him. But the reason why I give it to him is because he's really doing it on the offensive side.

Drew Breeze has a lot of help on that defense. If you say, if I were to ask you, has a Kansas City Chiefs defense won them a single game this year? What would your answer be? Answer be no. Exactly. Even their first win of the year over the charges, the charges dropped four balls that would have been touchdown. Yeah. Four ball.

Like Philip Rivers threw for, I think, 500 yards in that game. And in their losses, Mahomes' is offenses average, they put up 37 and a half points per game, which is the highest in modern era football for losses ever. They're going to have the number one seed in the AFC. So it's, look, as

Norlands had a great year, yes. Is Drew Breeze a Hall of Fame or a first ballot hall of favor? No question about it. Absolutely. But that's not what the award is. The award is, who's been the best player for one of the best teams in football? And it's been Pat Mahomes, and I don't think

it's all that close. Do you? I don't think it's close. That's what's bothering me as everyone's trying everyone wants it to be close but he's he's just ran out with this were you before the season were you an andrew luck guy i've always been an andrew luck guy what what is impressed you like just to me if you remember i was sitting in this chair in august and we were like wait he hasn't thrown the duke yet he hasn't thrown an NFL football like they started training camp and he was still working with a smaller football to go from there and the start of this year where even when they gave away a game to the Texans,

people like, ah, Colts aren't playing for the playoffs this year. They just want to get through the year healthy. To now being on the doorstep of the playoffs, having beaten some really good teams to get to this place, what's impressed you about luck? I think everything, the process, him understanding what was most important in getting healthy, coming against the organization,

not playing, making sure that he was ready to be able to do what he's doing right now. But what's impressed me most is for him, to have missed the amount of time that he's missed and to come out and play this season the way he has, it's almost like he just picked right back up where he left off and he's just blowing everyone's mind. It's just really amazing.

And I actually think there's been a progression. Remember the first couple weeks they're like, well, he's not throwing the ball downfield. And much like he's had a progression in terms of throwing with different sized footballs, he's now throwing the ball downfield, taking more chances. But they've also developed a running game

and a defense around him. Let's go to the Patriots where all of a sudden their two superstars look old. Is Brady making Granc look old? Is Grants making Gromk look old? Help me out. Like you know, I'm not like you were in a tight end, but you know about how the age of one affects the other. You played obviously with Favre at the end with the Packers,

not the end to end. Who is more to blame in terms of whose age is more to blame for the fall off of the Patriots? I'll say this first. They're both to blame. But when I look at what Tom Brady is doing, he is definitely more to blame. And here's why. When I look at the New England Patriots, what they've always been able to do is to get away with good personnel, quality personnel, because of Tom Brady.

Right now, where he is and his level of play, they're not able to get away with that anymore because, of Tom Brady and what he's incapable of doing. I shouldn't say incapable, what he has not done this year. When I say that, I'm not saying he can't do it, but on a consistent basis, what we are used to seeing, he has not been able to do

the things that we have become accustomed to seeing a Tom Brady do, elevating the guys around him. I think their personnel hurts them because their personnel isn't good enough to carry Tom Brady like Tom Brady was to carry the personnel. But the personnel wasn't that good last year, right? Like, they didn't have Edelman

last year. But Tom was great. He was great. Like, he still was older, but he wasn't doing these things. He wasn't making these types of throw. It should also be pointed out that they ran the benefit, and this is sometimes, I thought,

look, the Chargers should have been the playoffs last year. They were a playoff caliber team, if not for the field goal issues, and some of the losses early in the season, the Jacksonville loss. The Ravens should have been the playoffs last year. They just gave it away. And that allowed the Texans and the bills in the playoffs. And so

remember, they played the Titans, they played the Jaguars to get to a Super Bowl. That's all they had to play. They didn't play the Steelers. If they played the Steelers, or maybe they played this year's Texans, I know they beat the Texans, or they played the Chiefs at full strength, or maybe even the Chiefs last year, maybe they don't make it to

a Super Bowl. But instead, they benefited, and so it hid some of the warts and some of the age. Can you get it back? Let's say they have a week off. Can you Can he get it back in that week off? Do you think the Patriots will actually win a playoff game? It depends on who they have to go up against.

And for me, you're exactly right. I don't like them playing in the wild card with Tom Brady looking the way he's looked, with this team looking the way that they look. I think that going on the road and having to play somewhere else versus playing at Gillette Stadium, completely different New England Patriots team, something that they typically don't have to do in this part of the season in January. So I just, I think he can pull it together. I think they can win a playoff game.

Really quickly, the Rams are a team that even though they're going to get to the playoffs, Jared Goff has not played well. Is it the line? Is it the play calling? Is it golf? Why has their offense now suddenly stalled out? That's a great question. And honestly, I don't have an answer for that.

When I look at, I know the play calling, it's not the play calling. I'm just going to say that. I think people take for granted sometimes what guys mean to teams. Cooper Cup, him going down, he means a lot to that team. He's a weapon that was always open, always available, and he was a very reliable weapon for Jared Goff and consistent guy for even Sean McVeigh to where he can put him anywhere within the offense and it opens things up. A stunning remark from a wide receiver.

It's a wide receiver who's most missed by the other Rams. I kid. That's Greg Jennings. Happy New Year to you. Thanks for joining us. Coming up next to Blazing Five and Joel Klat will be our guest. Next, I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is The Hurd.

What up? Welcome in. This is the Her. What's that calling always says, wherever you may be and however you may be listening to this show. Thanks so much for making us part of your day on IHeart Radio app, Fox Sports Radio, and of course, here TV-wise, on Foxx. Sports One. Happy holidays to everybody, hardworking through. That clocks in three hours before the show begins, clocks out, well after the show ends. My heartfelt thanks, every time I fill in, I made it feel like I'm calling Cowherd, which means I do not like the coffee they bring me at all. I just don't get his parking spot. It's the only thing I don't get. I hope you're having a great holiday season. Joel Clack, just around the corner, we will talk some of the bowl games. I have a theory, maybe a hypothesis on why Big Ten teams.

teams and why SEC teams will perform very, very well this, and Big 12 teams will perform very, very well this bowl season. But look, it's Friday. It's Friday. We got to get to the Blazing Five, which is sponsored by Chili's 3 for $10 to go. Get a starter entree and Coke for just $10. Just order from the app, pull up at Chili's, and then take it home for a quick and easy score. Go to Chili's three, four, $10 to go. Perfect play for the busy holiday. and your hungry family. Let's get to the blue. Let's blaze it up.

Fire it up. It's Collins blazing fire. Eagles and Redskins. All right, let's start with the Eagles and the Redskins. Eagles clinch a playoff berth with a win and a Vikings lost to the Bears. You can't control what happens with the Vikings, but you can't control what happens on the football field. Remember, this is a first, let's talk about the Redskins.

It's a Redskins team which has been decimated by injuries. And then after the loss last week, DJ Sweringer, who is probably their best defensive back, he called out the defensive coordinator's play calling, and he got himself cut. So in addition to injuries, they actually jettisoned one of their best defensive players the week before this game, and Josh Johnson still their quarterback. Meanwhile, the Eagles have won four out of the last five. They're actually scoring more points for game with Nick Foles as their quarterback as opposed to Carson Went. They seem to figure things out.

And look, the Eagles already beat the Redskins going back to week 13. I like the Eagles laying six and a half points to win 24 to 6. You know, the Bengals were on a course to have statistically the worst defense in the history of the national football league. In the history of that's football league. So what they do, they fired the defense coordinator, Marvin Lewis, who's a former defense coordinator with the Ravens said, I'll call the defense plays. You know what? They haven't been terrible. They haven't been terrible. Nearly beat the chargers on the road. They've been much, much more competitive. Meanwhile, the Steelers can clinch the AFC North with a win and a Ravens

loss to the Browns. Steelers have lost four in the last five games. Look, when you're consistently inconsistent, you're just inconsistent for a reason. This is a Steelers team that has a tendency to play down to their competition. The Steelers have the fifth worst turnover differential of the season. Only the 49ers who stink, the Buccaneers who stink, the Jaguars who stink, and the Cardinals who stink have a worse turnover differential than the Steelers. That's what's hurting them. And it's because Big Ben, Rothesburg has thrown 15 interceptions. Now, they should get healthy at running back. They should win the game. But this is a 14 and a half point line at home. Steelers beat the Bengals in week seven. This is with the old defensive coordinator for the Bengals, 28 to 21.

I'll grant you no Andy Dalton. So you're talking about Jeff Driscoll. But Jeff Driscoll, they're going to shorten the game. Steelers win by 10, 2717. Bears and Vikings. Bears at Vikings. Vikings can clinch a playoff berth with a win or an Eagles loss. That means, again, must win.

They're four and a half point favorites. They won back-to-back games by 15 plus points. They start to figure out offensively. Their defense leads the league in sacks with 50 this season. and if they get a lead, expect the Bears to pack it in. The most important stat in the NFL is what do you do on third down? Can you get off the field? And there's nobody better in the NFL than the Minnesota Vikings.

Red Zone TD percentage allowed first. Sacks first. That's better than the Bears. So do I think their offense lights it up? No, but they only have to win by four and a half points or more. Mitch Chibisky has one or fewer touchdown passes in four of five road starts this season. So I don't think he throws a touchdown pass. I think they kick a couple field goals.

I think the Vikings win 17 to 6. Chargers at Broncos. All right, the Broncos have lost three consecutive games. It feels like Vance Joseph is going to get fired. Philip Lindsay's had an amazing year. This year is an undrafted rookie. But, of course, injury has shortened his season. The Broncos beat the Chargers 23, 22,

and the real story of why the Chargers don't have the number one scene in the AFC. They just gave that one away. Chargers, six and a half point favorites, they still have to play to win. Because if they win and somehow the Chiefs lose to the Oakland Raiders, then the Chargers get the number one seed in the AFC. Broncos come home off a Monday night loss. They're already beaten up in case Keeney isn't particularly good. Chargers' offense is the third most big plays in the NFL this season.

They are playing. They are playing to win. They will win on the road by more than six and a half points. 23-9. Give it to the bolts. Colts at Titans. All right, let's go to the Colts Titans. Maybe the game of the week. Winner of this advances to the playoffs. Colts have won eight out of nine. Andrew Luck, of course, as you know, 10 and 0 against the Titans. The Colts beat the Titans 38 to 10. It's not a great matchup for the Titans. Plus Marcus Mario, Mario if he plays, is banged up.

Otherwise, you're depending on Blaine Gabbert to win you the game. The Titans have the NFL's 29th ranked pass offense this year, and your facing a very good run defense and third down offense of the Colts. Colts win 2717 and crush the heart and mind of Clay Travis. And that's our Blazing Five brought to you by the good folks at Chili's 3 for $10. There's your Blazing Five. It'll be up. It will live in infamy.

We can only hope it matches up to the numbers of Colin Coward. Let's bring him in. He's the lead college football analyst for the NFL on Fox. He's got better hair than any human being should ever be allowed to have. his age with that many kids. He's the one and only Joel Clack. What's up, man? How are you? I'm great. I hope you had a great Christmas. I did. I really did. Let's start. You are a proponent or not a proponent of expanding the college football playoff? Not a proponent. I've said many times that I still believe that we need to have one less playoff teams than we have number of power conferences

because I'm a firm believer that as soon as you have an automatic bid, you ruin the regular season. At that point, I think that the regular season, in particular the non-conference means very little, and teams with three and four losses have a legitimate opportunity to play themselves into the playoff. And I don't want to avoid that. You know, I think that there's little tweaks that you can do to it,

but I would like to avoid that. I would actually disagree with you in just, do I think we need to expand the playoff? Probably not. Maybe we could go to six if we did it. But I actually disagree with you in terms of the regular season doesn't matter. I think the conference season would matter more.

If you said, hey, look, we don't care what you do. You win your league, you get to go to the playoff, right? You win your league, because that's what you have in every other sport. Sure. Is you win your league, and that would make those long-standing 100-year rivalries matter even more because all you got to do is win your league

and you can get in. You would also have had a Northwestern team this year, for example, that did not win a non-league game. Didn't win one. Lost to Ackles. Lost to Notre Dame. Lost to Duke. And they would have had 60 minutes to play themselves into the playoff. There's no perfect

system. There's no perfect system. I agree with that. I can actually help you out, though, with your argument. They're both two touchdown lines. Like this idea that we need more teams. Like this is a year in which it's not every year where the Notre Dame argument

would be the only thing that would take us away from. We all known that Alabama and Clemson seem to be the two best teams. And look at how thoroughly dominant they are. But there was ever an argument that we should have old BCS system. It's this year. This feels like USC Texas of 05, right? When it's like, I don't care who number three was. I just want to see that game. I think this year and to your point, I think what you're trying to say is like, listen, the argument between Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma was somewhat riveting. I think they all had flaws. You could have made an

argument for any one of them. The argument between UCF, Florida and I mean, who else? LSU, that doesn't interest me at all because I don't think those teams are particularly good in terms of a national championship conversation. I think they've had phenomenal seasons, but I don't think that we should be trying to include them into any sort of conversation for the national championship. I think that there's a difference between teams that have had great seasons and teams that should be allowed to compete for the national championship. But some have called me an elitist, like a big conference snob, but I guess I got to wear that.

Well, you are elite, and if that makes you an elitist, so help you. Okay, let's go to the Notre Dame Clemson matchup. I think it's fascinating. I do too. In any other year, okay, if you take Strip Notre Dame's name off it, but maybe if you don't, right? Okay. Notre Dame beats Michigan.

Yes. USC, Florida State, Virginia Tech on the road. Yep. Stanford. Any other year, you'd be like, no way they survived that schedule. If they do, put them in, they're having to defend themselves. Meanwhile, meanwhile, Clemson, who has a ridiculous amount of talent and wiped the field. with the ACC, right after the Syracuse game.

Which the ACC was so bad. Awful. But they lost their best interior defensive linemen to PED suspension. And oh yeah, by the way, they do have a freshman quarterback. If there's a game which could be close, I think this is the game which could be super interesting. I agree. I think actually both of them could be close. I think you can make a case for both underdogs,

albeit a slim case. Now, I think that Notre Dame's case happens when you talk about the past defense of Clemson. Clemson, when they have faced any type of attack from the passing side of the opposition, Jake Bentley from South Carolina, Kellamon from Texas A&M had 400 yards passing. South Carolina had 500 yards passing. So there are some holes in the secondary for the Clemson Tigers. And if you take away any sort of prowess on that defensive line, which now they're going to be without one of their best, I would maybe argue he is their best in particular on the interior, now all of a sudden you don't get to the quarterback all that often.

just per se right you have you have more opportunities to double team the other great players on the defensive line what's to hold notre dame from throwing the ball for 350 yards i think that that's totally legitimate the way that ian book has played this season the way that notre dame has been efficient once he got into the lineup the way that they've scored with the football once he got into the lineup he's been one of the most efficient player right around 70% completion percentage i think notre dame's going to be able to score some points on clemson because of those reasons and i think they're pretty good defensively up front. Some of us were dealing with this dated data of Notre Dame when they had Mantei Tao and there was a Lanai Kakua thing. And they go out there and like, man,

Notre Dame doesn't look like they belong, right? They got in there on reputation. This is a Notre Dame team. Granted, it was a long time ago. They thrashed that Michigan offensive line. They got, they're pretty good defensively up front. They're good offensively up front. And they got some dudes at skill positions. Like it's not crazy to think athletically. This is not a total mismatch. Yeah, and you have to wonder how a true freshman is going to react, in particular against a very good front seven. What's to say, like let's say Notre Dame and their front seven, they hold ETI in check.

And it's all on Trevor Lawrence. And he's all of a sudden getting a little bit of rush. What's to keep him from throwing the football to Notre Dame once or twice? Now all of a sudden you're in a game, maybe you're down. Any number of things can happen. I think Notre Dame's got a shot. I don't think that they blow me out of the water, but they're a very good football team.

They're a very sound football team defensively. they're very tough up front. You and Gus called the Red River rivalry. Of course, if people forgot, Texas was up, what, three touchdowns. Yeah, 21 in the fourth quarter. And it was a wrap, and some people clicked off the TV, and then you turn around like, whoa, wait a second, Kyler Murray decided it's not over yet. My issue with that is, I just, Oklahoma's defense is so bad.

I don't think you can give up that many points. And this is a better offense than anyone will rightfully give it credit. Sure. I just, I don't see it. I think Oklahoma is. Alabama is much better than anything they've seen in the Big 12, and I'm a Big 12 homer. So I've heard this argument that, like,

OU's defense is better than people give it credit for. And I've tried to make that case in the past. I don't see that this year, not this year. After they made the change at defense of coordinator, they got worse, much worse. You look at the, they've given up 40 points five times this year, 40 or more points. I think that there's a really good change.

that they give up 40 or more points again in this game. They're the last ranked past defense in the country. And then you go over to the other side and you say, okay, what if two is not totally healthy? I think two at 80, 85, 90 percent can still put up a huge day. And here's why. If you look at where two has struggled and you can't even really call it struggling, it was against the three best defenses that he faced.

You got Mississippi State in there, LSU in there. He was four touchdowns, four interceptions in those three games. The three, the bottom 10 defenses he faced. guess what you did. 33 rips, zero interceptions. 33 touchdowns, zero interceptions. Oklahoma is the last ranked past defense in the country. This is one of the deepest and best wide receiver course that we've got in college football.

Speaking of Alabama, they've got two running backs that can run it. Oklahoma struggles immensely tackling in space. I don't know if Oklahoma can hold them under 50 points. I really don't, Doug. I don't either. Okay, so then there's Kyler Murray. Now look, you're... You're a guy who was a baseball player

that came back and played football. Yes, that's right. But you've experienced life in the minor leagues. It's awful. And so I've experienced life in the minor leagues in basketball. I think it's worse. I actually think it's worse. But I could be wrong.

There is this assumption that, hey, baseball is a pot of gold, man. You get there, you're going to play for 20 years. You're going to make 100, 200, 300, 300, million dollars. But people forget, like, you don't make real money in baseball until your fifth year as a pro. And that's if you make it during that time. And oh, yeah, by the way, by the way, guys are now platoon. Everybody's a platoon guy. Right. They're cutting everybody's salary. And so I'm sitting there going like, look, the number one quarterback prospect in the draft decided to go back to Oregon. So that bumps everybody else who will declare up. If I'm Kyler

Murray, while right now the air raid offense is all the rage and people are overlooking the fact that I'm 5 foot 9, I go. I take it. If I'm a first round traffic, I go play football. Okay. Listen, I think that there's two ways you can make the argument that he should go play football. And let me just talk about the financial one that you were originally making. You're absolutely right about the financial windfall that is a misconception about baseball. Yes, he signed a $4.6 million contract. And I don't want to scoff at that. That's real money. That is real money. He's been paid one and a half of that, and he's due 3.16 in March.

If he goes and plays football, he's got to pay back the $1.5 million. Here's the difference, though. After that 4.6, he's really done making money until I'd say at the earliest five years from now, because he's got to get to the big leagues, start his

arbitration clock, and in his pre-arb years, he's going to be making less than $700,000. And everyone's thinking like, wait, less than $700,000? Yes, here are the numbers, actually. In In 2017, there were 399 of 963 big leaguers, 40% of the league making $700,000 or less. Aaron Judge made $600,000. Exactly, because he's a pre-arbitration player.

So you don't even get to arbitration. By the way, once you're in arbitration, it's not like you're going to make a ton of money. You're going to make between $2 to $4.5 million. You're not making $16. That comes when you're 28, 29 years old. Unless you're Mike Trout, unless you're mooky bets, unless you're, and a Again, those are the exception. Right.

Okay, here's the big question. Here's the big question. But let me just say the NFL, you go, let's say you get into the first round. Lamar Jackson's got a nine and a half million dollar contract. And he's playing in the pros. And he's playing in the pros now, as opposed to he won't play in the pros immediately or maybe even the near future for the A's. And then the second part of the argument is just a sentimental part. I believe that if he loved baseball more than football, football would already be done and he would be a minor leagueer right now.

because he could have done that last summer. I think he's got some sentimental tie and love affair with the game of football. And I don't think that that can be overstated. I love football more than baseball. And that's why I came back to it. Okay. Last thing. And this is really important.

He's going to be drafted late first, second, maybe even early first round. Realistically, is he an NFL starting quarterback? I think that question is so much harder to answer now than it ever has been. Three areas which we would knock. him five years ago that now all of a sudden maybe you can't knock him. One, the offensive system. Now we've seen Jared Gough, Pat Mahomes, Baker Mayfield,

come out of that system and have huge success in the National Football League, partly because of the evolution of the game towards this system at the next level. Then you've got young quarterbacks. You could say, well, young guys don't generally have success in this league. It's all about Brady Manning, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's not necessarily the case. Look at all the young quarterbacks

having success now. And then the short factor. Is the height going to be an issue? Well, you got Drew Breeze. You got Russell Wilson and you got guys like Case Keenum having success. I know that Kyler is shorter than all of those guys, but if you put his combination of running ability and the ability to throw the ball, I think he can have success. I don't want to put it past him. I really don't. I think today's NFL is almost tailor made for a guy like him to come into the league and really change the league. He's on his way to call the Red Box Bowl, right? Red Box Bowl. I'm a holiday bowl.

Oh, you're holiday. You're a holiday bowl. So that's just a little scoot down down the I-5, Utah, taking on Northwestern, who you love. You thought you should have been in the college football playoff. He's the one and only Joel Clatt. Thanks so much, Joel. Have a good one. A huge weekend for UFC, and I'll talk to Dana White about the John Jones controversy. That's upcoming next in the herd.

Blazoned 5 is sponsored by Chili's. Take your three for 10 to go. A starter, an entree and a Coke for just 10 bucks. There's my Blazine 5. You like it? Good. Now call your guy. Text your guy.

Go to Vegas and make some money. Speaking of Vegas, UFC thought, and Vegas thought they got UFC this weekend. John Bones-Jones and the steroid controversy, which continues to trail him, is the number one, maybe only reason they're in L.A. this weekend. We'll catch up with the president of USC, Dana White.

He'll join us right here on the couch. We're actually in the chairs now on the set in a second. But first, let's get to Ryan Music with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Doug, you and Joel Klach, just discuss both of your, thoughts on expanding the college football

playoff. Well, Alabama head coach Nick Sabin has a little bit of a different perspective on what that would happen with if they expanded the playoff games. The playoff has become and will continue to become as

it expands, if it's expanded, to minimize the importance of those games. Maybe to the point where those games won't even exist. And I'm not sure that that is the best thing overall for college football. Agreed.

Agreed. Listen, we've already, there's already a narrative on social media that these bowl games don't matter. They do. They really do. There's a bunch of different levels to it. Obviously, they help with the younger players getting a chance to play. With the older players, it's one last, like, spring break trip with your boys to play football. A lot of these guys, 95% of the guys, is the last time they put on a helmet and shoulder.

pads in a real game. It also helps the coaches. Half the teams end their season with a win. When you've had a long, tough season playing in parts of the Midwest, the Northeast, or whatever, you go down somewhere warm, you bring in your donors, you raise a little bit of money. Everybody's left feeling good

about themselves. I just, I understand that we think you should only play when playing for a championship, but the bowl season is different. It is special. It does mean something they are cool. Like the Rose Bowl is still really, really cool. It's still really cool. Holiday Bowl, which Joe Clats going to do, that's a cool ball game, right?

And the more college from all playoff games we have, the less importance there is to those bowl games, and they may go away, which, by the way, is one of the big reasons that the other network doesn't want an expansion, right? Because if they expand it, the other bowl games become less important and maybe go away. Who do you think owns 85, 90% of the bowl games? They do. It's called conflicting alliances. It's what led to World War I, and it's what is going to delay what people feel is inevitable in the expansion of the college football playoff. All right, Doug, it's time now for the fantasy headline to look out for, sponsored by Draft Kings.

Freddie Kitchens has seemed to have, I don't know if you'd say resurrected, but really given Baker Mayfield. Zerected. Sort of launched Baker Mayfield. It's actually erected. Let's not giggle. The word is actually erected. They didn't have a good offense, and now they have a really good offense. Your words, not mine, Doug.

But take a listen to what Freddie Kitchens had to say. I don't understand what he did wrong. I don't understand what the big deal is. He's in the middle of a football game in a national football league. There's great emotion in a game of football. And whatever he does on the football field is on the football field. So I don't know. I like guys that have a relentless pursuit of competition,

and they rally around the competition. Sometimes when you're in competition, some things you do, you just do. You don't even know why the hell you do it. But, you know, I don't have a problem with Baker. And if I did, I'd talk to him about it. Freddie Kitchens, no problem with Baker Mayfield in the antics. He's his guy. He's forever tied to him, right?

And look, I don't think we have a problem with a little trash talk, a little stare down your own coach. But, again, it falls in line with this is who Baker is. Kansas deserved every bit of the crotch grab that they got, considering the shots they were taking. at him, but you just don't do it, right? There's a, just like, look, the reason people are bothered by the president's tweets is not because of the tweets, but it's because the office that he holds is a certain amount of decorum where you're supposed to carry yourself represent all of us. He's supposed to represent an NFL football team, right?

This is not, we're going to talk with Dana White. Like, that's a gladiator sport. That's a, like, when they're at weigh-ins, like, they're supposed to be a face-off. They're supposed to be trash-shock. There's supposed to be hatred there. Like, the NFL, you can hate a guy. You can talk trash to a guy, but there's a limit there, and he's gone over the line. Everybody in the league knows it, and the only people excusing it are people in Cleveland because they're tied to Baker.

I do think it works in Cleveland, but eventually, eventually, it will in some ways come back to bite him, whether it's guys he used to play with, or whether it's coaches he used to coach with, or just karma coming back. You don't need it. You're a good enough football player on your own instead of staring down a guy who got fired, because he wasn't good enough as a head coach. Baker Mayfield potentially could set the record for touchdown passes by a rookie. Another record that could be broken is Michael Strayhan's single season sack record by Aaron Donald of the Rams.

And Michael Strayhan actually said he doesn't have a problem with it. So he was asked about it. He said the sack record is fantastic and it's great. And I hope Aaron does break it. There have been guys who have gotten close, but I just wanted to be a good guy who breaks it, not some jerk or some guy who doesn't care about it or take. pride in what he does and just kind of luckily he rolls through.

Yeah, my big question, here's what, here's the irony to it. The Rams play who? The 49ers? Who's the quarterback? The Nick Mullen? Yes. Who is the quarterback when Michael Strayhan set the record? Brett Favreve?

Yeah. Where Brett Favre go to school? Southern Miss. Where Nick Mullen's go to school? I'm going to guess Southern Miss. He did. Okay. Here's what it would be interesting.

Is Nick Mullen's going to take a dive the way that Brett Fav took a dive? I'm going to go with no. Probably not. And that's Rhyme Music with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. He's the president of UFC.

UFC 232 coming to L.A. to the forum. He's Dana White. He joins us now in the herd. Kind of slow moving there. We're excited. All right. For people who parachuted in and they had Christmas and they were, wait, I thought 232 was in Vegas.

now it's in LA. In, you know, like a Reader's Digest version. Yeah. What the hell happened? So we had a situation in Nevada where John Jones had a metabolite in his system from his previous drug, you know, violation in 2016 or whenever it was. That was, Anaheim, I was there when he beat Daniel Cormat, beat D.C., right? And he won the belt.

And then, what, a week later, he had to give back the belt. and he was suspended. After testing positive, exactly. So it's still in his system? Yeah, so they're finding the experts and USADA and people who have done this thing are finding that this type of steroid stays inside your body for a long time. And we're talking picogram levels. And I don't know if you heard, if you even know what a picogram is,

but the way it was explained is if you take a grain of salt and you split it up 50 million times, a pica gram is one of those 50 million pieces. So they're saying that this steroid gets stored inside the liver and spits, you know, picograms out every once in a while that if you're going through the type of testing that John Jones is going through, it will. But even if you were, it's impossible for you to take that amount, you know. So they have said, all the experts say he did not use again. This is left over from them. That would be double jeopardy. You can't punish the guy twice for the same violation.

So Nevada didn't have time to deal with this right now. First of all, it's the holidays. Four of the commissioners weren't even in the state. So we had to make a move. And we called venues out here. The forum in L.A. was available. And we moved the entire event. Have you ever done this before?

You've done some wild stuff all over the world with this thing. We have. But in the process of, was like a week? Yeah. Moving from Vegas to L.A., It sounds like a Southwest flight, but that sounds like so many different things to juggle. Not just the week, but the week of Christmas. You know what I mean?

And, you know, a lot of our staff was out of town for Christmas and things like that. We moved this thing. So tickets went on sale the day after Christmas. We sold over 10,000 tickets in four hours. In the last two days, we've sold the event out. Incredible. All right. So how does it affect the actual fight?

Doesn't. Everybody weighed in today. Everybody made weight. everybody's ready to roll. We'll do the ceremonial weigh-ins today, and the fight happens tomorrow. All right, here's the biggest problem. Bone Jones, anybody who's watch it knows he's one of the most freak athletes we've ever seen. Exactly.

I mean, he's remarkable things that he can do. Correct. Twice now. Twice he's tested positive after winning the belt, and twice he's been stripped of it. So I know it's just a picogram, but it's hard to even what you watch this weekend to take it as real, to not go like, well, you know, if he wins, like, yeah, he won't, but he's going to get stripped of it later on. Yeah, well, he won't.

He should not get stripped of this title. Listen, they don't test for recreational drugs until the fight. Yeah. You know, the only way John Jones test positive or something after this fight if it's recreational, which would be cocaine or marijuana or any of those type of drugs, because they've been testing him like crazy. When we made the decision to move to California,

California said pending a drug test. So he did a drug test with California too and passed. So the only way this guy gets, you know, if he wins and gets stripped or any of that, it's recreational drugs. Listen, you said it yourself. John Jones is one of the greatest athletes in all of sports, period, let alone probably the greatest fighter of all time, but he's also the greatest screw up. Well, you've had some pretty, you've had some guys that like this is kind of part of the business you run, right? I don't think we've ever had guys at the level of John Jones. John Jones is the greatest of all time and the greatest screw-up of all time.

That is, there's going to be interesting lists put out on the Internet as we speak. Now, he's lost to Gustafsson before, right? Like this is... No, no, he beat Gustavson. Their first fight was an absolute war. It's the greatest light heavyweight title fight and the history of the sport. And, you know, I expect this one to be good, too. Style-wise, what would you expect to say?

Well, here's the thing. You have a guy. John Jones is massive. Right. So when John Jones goes in, he has huge reach, size, advantage, everything. He doesn't have those things against Gustafson. Both of these guys have great chins. They both hit hard.

The first time John Jones was ever taken down in a fight was by Gustafson, which people didn't see that coming either. You know, but John Jones claims I was at my worst when it came to partying and abusing myself leading up to the Gustaf's. Gustafson fight. Gustafson doesn't realize that and I'm going to destroy him this time. Now, obviously, no more rousy in the sport. She's gone to WWE. But the Cyborg fight should be one, which I know you've piped it as the greatest women's fight that you've ever had. How much different, though, is the attention on Cyborg when, and her fight when there was this massive media following.

There was the mainstream sports fan became so into the Rhonda thing. and then when Rhonda left the sport, suddenly some of that fanfare went away. Yeah, no, I don't disagree. Rhonda was such a huge superstar. You know, you expect that to happen. But this fight right here needed to happen. This is a true super fight. You have the 135-pound champion versus the 145-pound champion.

Two of the baddest women in the world fighting in their prime, when they should be fighting. I expect this fight to be extremely violent. Yeah. No, listen, Cyborg is crazy violent. I almost felt like there's been other fights where she's almost not, you know, not tapped out somebody just because she wants to make a point with how physically dominant and physical that she can be. And both of these women hit hard. They're both very technical.

I expect this. I actually expect this. Even though Jones Gustafson is incredible in the main event, the first one, I expect this to be the fight of the night. Is this, what's the order? Where is it in the order? Co-Maine and Maine. So it's Co-Maine? Yeah, Co-Maine, two baddest women in the world.

Main event, greatest light, heavyweight title fight in history. My favorite part of going to one of your events is that right before they get into the octagon, they like check them for like knives and ships. Right? Actually, they're checking their fingernails. Yes. Yeah, but they do like kind of like pat them down. It does look that way.

It's like, TSA is like, wow, that's a little bit, that's a little bit decalibated. need Kevin even for... That's funny. Okay. What's the status of Connor? Connor is probably going to be back this summer, I would say. How big will that be? Like, there's some that think, all right, once you go boxing, it's hard.

It's a step back. How big will it be his return this summer? Yeah, I think his return will be big because he's going to end up fighting one of the guys in the top three. And Habib and Tony, what will happen to? so it's almost going to be this little tournament between the best four or five fighters in the world in that division. Max Holloway will see what happens with him.

If he moves the 55, there's a lot of interesting fights in that division. It'll be big. It's UFC 232, of course, on pay-per-view. Prelims on Fox Sports 1, and he's the one and only president, Dana White. I'm glad that you didn't treat me like you treated Oscar on TV about a week ago.

Well, you're not an idiot. No, well, thank you, at least this particular day. You're not a liar. either. Well, I haven't always told the truth, but not. You've never lied to me. I have not. Norve I openly lied about money, which is, I think, one of the things that I was just as a fascinating watch, do yourself favor, Google search it, and you're like, wow, that's a, that's a bike drop moment. Dana White, thanks so much. Happy holidays to you. Best of luck this weekend. The Patriots look mortal for the first time in a long time, and one of the main reasons is Gronk looks old, why Gronk reminds me

of an NBA player. I'll share it with you next in the herd. But first, getting tickets online can be far too complicated. With hundreds of sites, varying levels of reliability, it's hard to know who to trust. That's why Seat Geek is the way to go. Seat Geek pulls millions of tickets into one place so you can easily find seats you want the price you're willing to pay. Seat Geek is designed to make your ticket buying experience even easier. It searches multiple ticket sites grading every ticket based upon value. Seat Geek helps you immediately.

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This is The Hurt on Fox Sports One, Fox Sports Radio, and the I-Heart Radio app. man, we got a great third and final hour of the show for you. We'll talk about this upcoming Prove It weekend. James Harrison will join us as well here on set. The New England Patriots obviously have been hit by a double whammy of age. And I don't know, like, look, I'm not smart enough to know who's more to blame. Is it gronk making Brady look old or Brady making gronk look old or both are old?

and not surrounded by enough talent, and so their age has been exposed. But the 29-year-old tight end looks like a shell of his former self. He was asked about next year. Here's the quote. I haven't been thinking about it at all, Grankowski said yesterday. We're on the last game. We're in week 17. We got the Jets.

That's all I'm really worried about as of now. And look, that's a Belichickian, we're on to the Jets, sort of remark. But the truth is that every NFL player you've ever heard talk about retirement says, once you start thinking about retirement, you are in fact retired. It's just hard to get out of that mental space. And the Patriots, of course, tried to trade him to the Detroit Lions, meaning they knew. What do they do? What is classic Patriots trade you a year before you're done?

Because they know it's better to do it too early than too late. And now it looks like it's too late. And whether it was the miracle in Miami where he looked like he was on stilts, right? That's what it looked like. It was painful to watch him run there. Like his knee braces look like, what they look like? They look like Forrest Gump's knee braces at the beginning of Forrest Gump. Or he just stiff-legged running around.

It was awful. His yards per game are the second worst in his career. yards after the catch are the worst in his career. He's got three touchdown receptions, which is tied for the worst of his career, and we're going into week 17. You know who he reminds me of? It reminds me of Derek Rose.

Not Derek Rose we're watching now, but Derek Rose. Derek Rose is 30, Gronka is 29. Derek Rose, when he first got in the league, couldn't shoot, but it didn't matter. Because you couldn't keep him in front of you. And he was so explosive in the mid-range, and at the rim.

He was the MVP of the league. It doesn't mean he was the best player in the NBA, but he was the MVP of the league, which is what Granc was. Granc was too big, too strong, too fast. There was no good matchup for Rob Grankowski. None.

Double team, it didn't matter. He was too big. You put a linebacker on him, he's too fast. Put a corner on him, too strong. But because his gifts of size, and mix of athleticism with that size were so profound that as he's lost that athleticism, he didn't really develop kind of what Antonio Gates has or what Jason Whitten had. Like look, Jason Whitten looked like he was dragging a dead body during his last year playing

for the Dallas Cowboys. But the Cowboys have been devastated and decimated, at least early in the season, by his departure. or why? He didn't outrun anybody, but against the zone, he knew how to find just the right pocket. Against man to man, he understood option routes and how to read a guy and where to push off. Same thing with Antonio Gates. Like, look, I know Antonio Gates fumbled last week, and the Chargers essentially retired him before Hunter Henry got hurt. But he's still an effective player, even though he has no speed left in the tank. Why? Because in the continuum of athleticism and football intelligence, he's gained enough football intelligence.

Gronk didn't have to develop that. That's the same thing with Derek Rose. It took Derek Rose essentially three years, three years to rework his body, to rework his game to where he's like, hey, guess what? I can't blow by everybody anymore. I got to shoot three pointers. That's why he's shooting 45% from three. Just a ton of work reforming and refining and completely changing who he is.

But Gronk has been this guy, his entire career, and it doesn't feel like he has much life left to relearn or rethink. That's not the way the NFL works. It's not like he's Larry Fitzgerald and he'd go from out wide to in the slot. You know, could he essentially beat single coverage at some point? Maybe. But it feels like, but at that point, he'll be out of the league because he's had so many surgeries and so many injuries

that it's taking years off of his football life. Derek Rose gets the benefit of the NBA, which you can play into your mid-30s, and you can lose some athleticism and gain that basketball skill that he's gained. I don't know if Gronk has that clock or has that in him. Keep in mind, the last two years, he's held out and thought about the idea of retiring, and the NFL is just far different.

Once you think about it, you kind of are retired. Feels like this is the end, and the Patriots knew it going back to last offseason. All right, coming up next, James Harrison is going to join us. We will talk about Prove it weekend. but the Lakers lost the game last night, lost in Sacramento, gave away a big lead, but might have won the war. I'll explain why next. I'm Doug Gottlieb.

This is The Herd. What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd, wherever you may be. And however, you may be listening to show in for Colin Cowherd and Joy Taylor. I'm Doug Gottlieb. We got a great third and final hour on a, Football Friday here in the herd.

Got a little hoop for you. Got a bunch of football for you. Both NFL variety with James Harrison. Is he going to like pull in a 18-wheeler with his teeth just at some point to do that just to show off? Remember his workout videos live in YouTube lore. One of the strongest toughest men to ever play in the National Football League. We'll join us on set here. We'll talk about the Steelers in must-win situation.

But then they need help. They need help from the Browns of all people to go in and beat the Ravens, just to get into the playoffs. Plus, a team he played with last year, the New England Patriots, are they suddenly old? Are they suddenly over the hill? I know they're in the playoffs, but it just doesn't feel like the Patriots teams

of the past couple of years. Plus, I give you my thoughts on Kyler Murray and kind of the interesting place where we are in the NFL in relation to the college game. All right, all of that is upcoming. Last night, we had some interesting goings on in the NBA. The Warriors lost at home. again this time to the Portland Trailblazers. Damian Lillard from Oakland, not sure if you

heard, right? Like the things you know the most, Paul Pierce is from L.A., Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard, Jerome Bennis is from Detroit, and did you know that Damien Lillard was from Oakland? Yes, apparently. Damian Lillard hits the game-winning three. Kevin Durant has a chance to win it, misses. Durant missed two shots down the stretch. Steph Curry with a bad turnover down the stretch, and the Warriors lose for the second consecutive time. It's living unheard of during this run, second consecutive time at home, granted to another playoff team. And then a couple hours away, hour and a half away, in Sacramento, the Kings come from 15 down to beat the Lakers. And so when you don't have Rajan Rondo, who, by the way, was reported today, is going to have surgery out probably a month from the Lakers, for the Lakers.

You don't have LeBron James, who's going to be out for a couple of games with a groin pull. one, there is some expectations that obviously you're not as good a team, right? You lose your superstar, your alpha, and you lose your starting or backup point guard who can close out games who's won an NBA championship before. You're not going to be as good. That's just the reality of it. Plus, the Lakers are the biggest game. Lakers and the Warriors are the two biggest games in Sacramento in their new arena.

The Lakers are historic rivals, not just because of their success, but because of late 1990s, early 21st century. were in fact rivals to get to the NBA final, something the Kings never did. And then, of course, the Warriors, because they've won three of the last four NBA titles. But the Lakers, I don't know if they gave away a game. Brandon Ingram missed a free throw. Kyle Kuzma gave up the ball when he should have held on to it. The team just surrendered a couple of easy buckets when they had a 15-point lead.

Lonzo Ball missed the end of the game because he was cramping. And losing a game that you have one that you have in the bag feels like a loss. and it was. It's losing the battle. But I kind of think they won the war last night. Lonzo Ball had arguably his best game as a pro in a huge game for him as a pro, not just because there was no Rondo, but because he's going against the Aaron Fox, who took him completely out of the game last time these two teams matched up,

who the Lakers drafted Lonzo instead of, and as a contemporary, as a second-year point guard, that's a pretty fair, you know, litmus test for Lonzo. And Lonzo was terrific, especially in the first half. Nearly had a triple double. Now, should he be in better shape? Should he hydrate himself more, especially knowing he's going to play 40 minutes, knowing that Rondo's out, knowing that this is a battle,

should he, frankly, it's not like it's 95 degrees outside in Sacramento in the summer. We're talking about dead of winter. It's a nice, cool, crisp night. in the state capital, it's not a night where he should be cramping up. But he did, and he did play well, and though he couldn't finish, it was enough to see, hey, he's really, really improved.

And that when given the opportunity, he can lead this team. And then if you watch the game, you'll notice that Kyle Kuzma look like an alpha. You have to have somebody else who can get a bucket. You have to have somebody else who people respect, especially as LeBron, the age and where, and tear is going to take down his ability to take a guy off the dribble.

It's going to be more from the elbow and at times from the post and finding mismatches. Kuzma took over that game offensively. Give me the ball. Get out of the way. Everybody else spread out. And it's not just the desire to take those shots. It's the skill to make them. Was Ingram great? No.

And he did miss that second free throw. Did Lonzo cramp up? Yes. And they could have used him down the stretch. Does Kuzma guard well enough? Not really. He's getting better, but he's not great. Is he a top five score in the league?

No, but you can see he has the ability to carry a team offensively. And just a weaponry, too. You put a big guy on him. He takes him outside. You put a guard on him. He scores over them in the mid-range and down the post. Like, Kuz is all-star level offensive score. That good.

When given the opportunity. and he took advantage of it. Lost the battle, no question. Good win for Sacramento to come back and win on, was it Bogdanovich, right? He hit the game winner? Right? Like, take a listen.

Here's the win for Sacramento. Bogdanovich, three seconds. Bogdan Bogdanovich, the name's so nice, they named him twice. He hits the stepback jumper in the eye of Tyson Chandler as the king's got the switch they wanted. But like, this is not hand-down, man. down. This is not wide open, you know, defensive missed assignment. This is good defense, better offense. Three-pointer fading away, step back, going to his right, and it ends up finding

the bottom of the net as the game expires and the place goes crazy. But instead of being result-oriented, look, the whole world is result-oriented. There's winners and there's losers. The truth is that watching the growth of the young L.A. Lakers, you have to be process-oriented. And the process, seems to be working, right? They withstood a run from the Warriors and then beat them 127, 1.10, 2 nights ago. They had a 15-point lead that they couldn't hold on the lead

against the Sacramento Kings. But if you watch, Josh Hartz figured it out, Kyle Kuzman's figured out where he fits in. Lonzo Ball's improved. Brandon Ingram is, he's not Kevin Durant, and he may never be what his athletes

athletic gifts hope you can be. It's a pretty good player. You know, look, and they're, by the way, the Lakers are without two and a half starters. Think whatever you want of Javelle McGee, but Javelle McGee is, in fact, their starting center. And he's without LeBron James and without Rondo, who's not a full-time starter, but sometimes a full-time finisher. So you're without two and a half starters. You played really well. And he lost on a step back three over the extended hand of Tyson Chan. Sometimes you tip your cap and say, that was just a really good shot. Lost the battle, but I think they're winning the war, proving to the league that the young players are, in fact, good enough if you add one more piece and one more shooter.

You got yourself a really good ball club. You know, it's fascinating. Your depth becomes challenged because this is like something no one gets, no one ever talks about in the NBA. There's such a difference between being a starter and being a six man. When you're playing a six-man, you're playing against other people's bench players. When you're playing starters against starters. And then when you're missing essentially three starters, that means that, you know, now Lonzo's playing starters minutes against starters. You know, that means that, you know, you have Zubach who's coming in.

He's playing against starters. And Brandon Ingram, who had to play a bunch of points. I mean, really, by the end of the game, there were that three and a half starters. You don't have Zos. So you have no true starting point guard. you got Ingram bringing it up. And now Josh Hart has to be a full-time kind of started without LeBron James. It's a completely different team.

You have to watch the process and the growth of young players and understand what you're seeing and how the pieces will fit into place when LeBron and Rondo return, assuming they add a shooter and a star. Kind of feel like it's working. James Harrison joins the show upcoming next. Is this the last we'll see of Rob Grunkowski this season? I'll ask him next. NFL Week 17 is on Fox with huge games with playoff implications as the Vikings take on the bears.

The Eagles battle the Redskins or the Rams host the 49ers. It's all on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Check your local listings. Welcome in the herd. Doug Gottliebin for Colin. And if you're watching on Fox Sports 1, that is in fact the Steelers all-time sacks leader, two-time all-pro. James Harrison joining me as we're almost to the eve of the last. football weekend of the

regular season. Week 17 in the National Football League. Let's start by talking about the Steelers. Steelers got to win. Need the Ravens to lose. This is a Steelers team that all of a sudden kind of bowed up against the Patriots and showed what they

can do, but the losses to Oakland and the loss to Denver may end up coming back to bite them. What's your assessment of if they get into the playoffs, how good they actually are? If they get into the playoffs, I believe the Steelers have a team

that can make a Super Bowl run and win the Super Bowl. It's just that they have to get to where they're consistently playing at that level that they're capable of. Why are they so inconsistent? Look, I know Ben was hurt against the Raiders, and I know it's kind of a fluky play

with how they lost the Broncos, but those games shouldn't be close, right? And look, there are a couple calls away from beating the Saints, but the Saints game, you can lose that game still win your division, win the playoffs. Why do they seem to play up and down to the level of competition?

That I don't know. Even, you know, when I was there, we had times where we lost to, you know, sub-500 teams. It's just, I don't know what it is. Rather, you get more relaxed. I don't even believe that, you know, we have won in Oakland, you know, since, what, 2000, oh, it might have been since 2002, three, something like that. So I think it leads down to, you know, like I said before, I think that the person that has to take the most blame is your head coach.

has to get your team prepared and ready to go out there and play at your top level, no matter what the opponent is. You know, it is interesting because Leveon seemed to lose his support in the locker room, then he lost his support really on TV and on radio. But it should be pointed out, like, look, James Conner's had a great year. It's been really good. Oh, yeah. But if they have Leveon Bell, they're in the playoffs.

Like, he's a tremendous back. I'm not saying he's worth what he wants to be paid, right? Oh, well, I think he is. Okay. But whatever anybody thinks his value is, remember, you could have had Lavian and James Conner if they could find a way to work it out. This would be a far better football team, wouldn't it? I think it would be better, but that's still, you know, even with what they have now.

And the numbers that, you know, James has put up, they're comparable to Lavion's. It's no reason that, you know, they shouldn't be, you know, that top in the AFC North easily. Who is your? James Harrison joining us in the herd, Doug Gottlieb filling in for Colin. Of course, James, all-time sacks later in Pittsburgh Steelers history and a two-time All-Pro. Forget about all the Pro Bowls that he was in, 2008 defensive player of the year. If you had a vote for MVP, who would it be? You know what?

I was fighting the whole time yesterday, and I'm like it's Breeze, you know, and I went back home. I went back to my room, and I started looking at, you know, how you get to a little 10-and-12-minute, you know, 15-minute breakdowns of highlights of all games. So I started looking at my homes, and I started looking at Breezes. and I don't switch trains. I'm with my homes. I mean, once you look at what he's doing, the big plays that he's made, the numbers that he's putting up,

even in their losses, you know, it's 40 and 50 points. 37.5 points a game in their losses. Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, he's 16, you know, touchdowns more than Breeze, almost a little over 1,000 yards. It's, you know, or close to 1,000.

so I can't deny it anymore. I have to give it to him. I'm with it. The guy with the biggest bullseye on his chest this weekend is Kirk Cousins. Got the bears coming in to their place. Bears do have something to play for, but not a ton to play for. Vikings have everything to play for. Do you think Kirk Cousins gets the job done?

No. How come? I haven't seen him get a job done in any big games his whole career. So I don't think he's going to get it done now. And from what the bears say, they're playing to win. he's not going to pull anybody and they have a good defense, they have a good offense, and I just haven't seen Kurt Cousins go out there and do the job for the money that he's being paid.

If he does do the job, does that change some of the... No, he still got to get into the playoffs and win a game. James Harrison joining us here in the herd. You played for the Patriots last, right? That was your last go-round. Did you think Grunk, like, I'm trying to figure, we're trying to figure out who's, who's, aged more? Like is Brady hurting gronk? From what I've seen

this year of gronk and what I saw last year actually being there at gronk is two totally different players. Why do you say that? Is that age? Is it injury? I believe it's injury. I believe it's from his back surgeries, to be honest, because I had that same back surgery. And the running and the way he's moving now is how I moved when I first came

back within those first like six to eight months. It is like grinding. Every movement hurts. Like when you hit the ground, you're trying to brace yourself for the hit of coming to the ground. Getting up, you're getting up slower because you're like, I felt that, but you're trying not to show it. So you're getting up slower.

You're rolling over the two knees just to stand up on one foot. It's things like that, you know. Okay, but then afterwards, you came back and you got better. Like, you worked through it. I mean, like, look, obviously your videos go down in infamy as the most impressive displays of strength for an NFL player that anyone has ever seen. So it is something that if he had the work ethic, if he wants to work through the pain, he can't. It's not even the work.

You have to get the body work, the treatment. Like I spent a whole lot of money. I mean, a whole lot of time on my own, you know, on the treatment and care for my body and especially my back after my surgery. Even after my surgery, you know, my therapy, I didn't do with my actual training stuff. I did with my own people because at that time they ended up locking us out. And to be honest with you, I feel like that was probably one. the better things to happen to me because I was going at my own pace at a pace that they felt

was necessary and I wasn't trying to be sped back to get to playing, you know, a game or getting back to, you know, being able to play at the start of the season or whatever it may be. I went at a pace that was comfortable for me and even at that pace, you know, six months later when I was able to go and participate, I mean, I was still feeling the pains of just normal aches and pains just from, coming back to playing football and getting that contact. And now you have where he's having, you know, issues here, where he's out here for his back. He's out there for his back.

So that could be a flare-up of what is, you know, there. It could be doing the same thing it did before he ended up having to have the surgery again. And right now I think he's just fighting through that and doing the best that he can. Yeah, but I think, and you might be underselling your own work ethic and dedication there. like, right? Like, yes, you hired, you got the body work, but you were willing to go through it, right? Whereas there is a thought that Gronk, like, look, Gronk wants to go into entertainment, where he wants to go to wrestling or acting. He has other things. Like, it takes a lot to put your body through that to fix it to where you can get somewhere back to where you were. And I don't think anyone, I don't really know. I don't think anybody really knows if he wants to do that in the office. Is that a fair way to look at it?

I mean, you could say that. Like I said, I can't read his mind. So I haven't talked to him in detail about, you know, that situation. you could say that. James Harrison joining us here in the herd. I'm Doug Gottliebilling in for Colin. Aaron Donald has a chance to break Michael Strayhan's record, and it's obviously different, right? Like, Strayhan's on the outside. Donald's on the inside.

Feels to me way more impressive. Like, that's not taken away from Strayhand, but to do it on the inside feels crazy, impressive. It almost impossible if you would have looked at it before the season. Yeah, I would have never thought anybody would have been able to get the numbers that he has put up. So for those of us who have not lined up in the trenches and try to tackle the quarterback for a living. When you watch, what about Aaron Donald impresses you specifically?

His speed and his power. Like his speed and power off the line. Like if you don't double him, and even instances where he's doubled, he's still beating these guys. Like if you don't double him, you don't have a chance of literally blocking him by itself and thinking that he's not either one going to push the one man that's trying to block him straight into the quarterback or just beat him off the gate within the first step or two.

What's I think Melvin Ingram, the Chargers guys told me this about him. They were like, look, dude, what's impressive about him was we gave money last offseason, and he was better the next season. And you could say the same about Khalil Mack, but you can definitely say it about Aaron Donald. Like some dudes, the fear that teams have always had is we give you this big check, this big guarantee, and you're going to hit cruise control because you don't want to get hurt. You know, you fought for all that money, and you'll play hard. Aaron Donald's team.

I don't think guys fear that. once you get that big contract and now you have that guarantee now to me it's I can let loose no longer am I holding back because I know I have this guarantee money if I get hurt

they're going to allow me the time to come back because they're invested in me now so now I could go out here and play like a wild man that was how I looked at things no I it's interesting I was thinking it might be positionally dependent right because look OBJ signs this huge deal and maybe that's why they're letting

him take his time and come back from the thigh. But they seem to be outwardly frustrated that here's a guy who he had three months of good behavior, he gave him a big deal and he doesn't go after a ball and a kickoff and then suddenly he's too banged up to play at the end of the season and finish up strong. Whereas it seems like when you give it to a lineback or a defensive lineman, those guys do perform as well or better after they get the check as opposed to some maybe skill position guys, some not all, Gurley hasn't, but some will take that. more plays off or even games off in terms of protecting their body?

No, I would disagree with you on that. I think to each individual in situation, you may have a circumstance where it may look like, oh, he may be trying to save itself. I don't think that's the case. Like for me, and even, you know, offensive defense is no matter what those guys are, it's, dude, I just got this money. I'm paid. I ain't got worried about nothing.

I can go out here and I can play balls to the wall and not have to worry about anything. because I know if I go out here today and I tear up something, they're going to give me the opportunity to come back because they're fully invested in me. They can't just release me and let me go because they still owe me $40, $60, $50 million. The Ravens have been super impressive defensively. I mean, really, really impressive.

I watched them in person against the Chargers last week, and they just dominated that Chargers offensive line. They got the Browns coming in. Baker hasn't talked any trash to the Ravens. It was only to really to Hugh. and people's reaction to how he's handled himself. Does any of that, he says, like, look, is this a game of competitive dudes, it doesn't matter.

Does any of that, I mean, you were one of the nastiest, toughest dudes to play in the league. Does any of that stuff actually matter on an NFL Sunday? Like you said, he only did it to Hugh. So if I'm a guy that's a, you know, I'm a Hugh fan. I play for him, you know, I represent the Bengals. I would be one of those guys that's like, you know, if I get a chance, I'm going ahead and give him everything. guy and let him know that you go chill or you go get punished every game every play every time

I step on the field but I don't I don't like I said I don't I don't have a like if he's my quarterback yeah and he's he's doing that like I'm rocking with him like he confident he cocky with it like it especially with them it's giving them a different field you know they're they're playing a different way yeah it fits the Browns because the Browns have been browns have been the butt of every punchline for the last couple of years winning only one game in two years. That's what I said yesterday, which is like, look, it might not work in New England. It might not work in other

places, but considering it's the Browns, and the fact that he's playing well, it does in fact work. James Harrison. James, have a happy new year. Thanks so much for joining us. Of course, the all-time sax leader in Steelers history, the two-time All-Pro. You can see him on Speak for yourself upcoming on Fox Sports One. Let's get to rhyme music with the news.

No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. What are you on, right? Well, as you and James Harrison were just discussing, Doug, big game for the Steelers. Got to get a win over the Bengals, which should be easy, but we never really know with the Steelers and how they play based on who their competition is. But they also need the Ravens to lose to the Browns. And so Big Ben was asked if he's going to be paying attention, maybe keeping his eye on the scoreboard a little bit because both games are going on at the same time. Here's what he said.

I don't care I don't really care what's going on outside of Heinz Field because that's all I can control so it's all the matters to me So Big Ben doesn't really care What's going on other than the game that he's playing I don't know if I believe him

I think I don't obviously I don't think Big Ben's going to have his cell phone on the sideline But it's going to be a score It's going to be a score in the stadium Right exactly And I absolutely think he's going to be paying attention I do too But I think the

idea that you're solely like look you just got to go and play they're not good enough that's the big deal the Steelers just aren't good enough to go like hey well listen we're going to get a big lead and then we're going to scoreboard watch like they just that's kind of what he's saying like the second second you take it for granted

this is Steelers team I think Antonio Brown's as good as anybody I've ever seen play wide receiver like Steve Smith had that ability to always see but he's bigger than Steve Smith like when is Antonio Brown who's double covered every time not open he feels like he's always opening.

Even as not he makes catches. So they have a great playmaker. Jujer Smith-Schuster is like the team's MVP. And James Conner is going to be back. Like, they have dudes, but for whatever reason, and some of it's Big Ben in his age, and he's a little bit turnover prone. They just haven't been able to go out and score 45.

They haven't been able to do at Kansas City, make people play catch-up to them. So I do think that part of what he's saying, while not completely accurate, like, right, it's Big Ben, right? And he got to take it with a grain of itself. There is a certain like, hey, look, we're just not good enough to worry about the scoreboard. We've got to worry about this other team.

The Bengals who, you know, look, the Bengals are their rival. The Bengals would want nothing more. Makes their season to beat the Steelers and keep them out of the playoffs, especially considering what happened a couple of years ago. One nothing more for that to have. Right, yeah. That, by the way, I forgot, I should ask James about it. That's the most violent playoff game I've ever seen.

and it wasn't just Burfax, Burfix antics. Like that was, that game was unbelievable. Look, the Steelers essentially stole it. It was a gift, but that was an amazing football game. And there's some Bengals that were still on that roster. Marvin Lewis was there, and they won. Their whole thing is like, hey,

our season's over today, let's make sure their seasons over today. And I think, Balthamberg's not dumb enough to think, like, this team can beat us. Yeah, I don't think Big Ben's dumb enough to think that, but I also think the idea that they're not going to be somewhat aware of what else is going on. And if they see that somehow the Browns are up by two or three touchdowns, very small chance, but I think they would feel deflated hearing that news if it was at halftime or whatever. The Browns were up?

The Browns were beating the Ravens. The Browns were beating the Ravens. That's not deflating. That's inflating. Because Browns beat the Ravens, they go to the playoffs. So the Ravens are up three touchdowns. That's what, yes, correct. Right, then it's like what the hell are we doing?

What's the likelihood of the Ravens are up three touchdowns? Possible. And like, look, none of these games were ever over. Like, all right, so Baker gets down a couple touchdowns. Spread them out and let them run around and sling it back there. I just, I'm with you. Do I think they glance at the scoreboard? Yes.

Do I think it has an overall effect in how they're playing? No, they've got to take care of business. Not that the Bengals are going to march some terrific comeback, but this is the Bengals Super Bowl this weekend. Right. Fair enough. And plus, we never really know what the Steelers knows. They are like a box of chocolates.

You never know what you're going to get. So everybody in the NFL seemingly is looking for their next, and everybody who has a head coach opening is looking for the next Sean McVeigh, maybe their next Mat Nagy. Everyone thinks that perhaps Lincoln Riley, head coach of Oklahoma, could be that next person. Unless he's not interested in going to the NFL, he was asked about the idea of potentially leaving Oklahoma

and taking one of these head coaching jobs. He said, I can't tell you how I'm going to feel in 10 years, but no, not right now. If I wasn't at one of the elite programs in the country, maybe, but no, I'm very happy where I'm at right now. So, Lincoln Riley, happy staying in college? I think so. I think he, I mean, look, I take him at his word. I mean, one of the things with being in college that no one ever points, it seems to point out, is if you're out Alabama, you're out Oklahoma, you're at Texas. you have better players than 90% of your opponents, right?

That's a good thing. Additionally, I don't know, there's part of college that you just like. You know, you just like. You can go out and recruit your players, create your own culture. You're not dealing with grown men. Look, there's some bad to it.

The recruiting, some people aren't into it. You know, the dealing with 18, 19-year-old, some guys aren't into it. But it does, it just feels younger, feels better, feels more fun, fight songs seem more interesting. And it's all he's ever known. Like he's not a pro

guy. He didn't come up in a pro. It wasn't like he was an NFL quarterback, an NFL assistant who went back. He doesn't know what he doesn't know. And what he does know is like, look dude, I've been in some, when he was at East Carolina. Like, I've been in East Carolina. Now I'm in Oklahoma like I'm driving a nice car. I want to drive this a while

and see how it goes. I also think he wants to finish the task. I think he wants to win national championship. And then maybe. Like, let's Let's see what happens when I win a national championship. And then maybe you get greedy to win a second one. And then you decide. There have been plenty of college head coaches that have failed in the NFL. And some of them have come back.

There's been a couple that have succeeded. But when you're a college guy, you like the college thing. College fans are no different. There's not all, but there's a percentage of college fans. Like, look, I only watch college football. I like it. I like it better. I do it.

Like, the players are better in the NFL. Yeah, but they care more in college. If you know what you like and you're, and you're in a place you like, don't screw with happy. Right. I do think it seems a bit inevitable at some point, because I can't imagine he's only 35. Well, he's also at this perfect stage. One of the other issues that NFL coaches, a college coaches struggle with when they get to the NFL is dealing with men, right?

You're disciplined. You're a judge, jury, your executioner, you're everything. It's a small town, and you're the biggest fish in a small pond in most of these places. You go to the NFL, and you're just a head coach. You just kind of, hey, people only point it out when you throw the challenge flag at the wrong time or you make a gutsy call on for it down to go for it. Otherwise, it's the quarterback's team. It's the logos team.

It's the former players team. You know, there's a lot more arrows coming at you from local media as well as opposed to when you're college. And Dallas, it's Jerry's team. Correct. Correct. All right, let's wrap up with some NBA here, Doug. You mentioned earlier some of the struggles that the Warriors have been having, one of those being Clay Thompson and his shooting slump.

Take a listen to what he said when he's discussing how to get out of that slump. What is someone going to tell me about my jump shot that I can't fix at this point? Unless it's Reggie Miller or Ray out, I don't know who I'm supposed to listen to. Larry Bird. Steve Kerr, I'll listen to Steve. Steve shot 45%. A little salty there. No, look, I think he's right. I mean, I think it's the idea of like, do I need a guru to come and fix my shot?

You know? And look, part of it is no one is ever going to give him any air. It's a little bit of his respect for him to where like every shot he takes is contested. He's tried to roll in the post some and guys are bodding up to him. His inability to create off the dribble, his inability to kind of evolve to where a guy can get fouled. Here's what's interesting about Ray Allen. Ray Allen was not a spot-up shooter for the first 10 years in his career. He was a great score who evolved into a great spot shooter.

That's like the difference in the two, whereas Clay has been and continues to be one of the all-time great pure shooters more than scores in terms of kind of going to the basket and putting the ball on the deck. But he does, his way of saying it comes across super arrogant and defiant. He has been struggling from the free throw line as well. Again, struggling is 80% for Clay Thompson. But it's still at a decline. No question. I'm not saying you're wrong.

I just want to make sure that people like, Russell Westbrook stepped up to the free throw. Russell Westbrook's shooting like 60 and shot an air ball at the free throw line, okay, which is he's struggling at the free throw line. Clay Thompson struggling shooting 80%, which I would kill for, kill for. So you have to be confident, boarding on arrogant, to take the kind of shots and shoot the percentage that he takes. And I'm sure he's a water's going to find his level guy.

My question to Clay would be, is he still putting in the time? Right? Is he fully healthy? Are there some shot clock shots that he's taking that's hurting his percentage? Or is it just a bad slump? You know, take all the chains in his left pocket, put it into his right pocket sort of thing. Could I, can I fix his form? No.

He knows that no one else can fix. but there's got to be something else going on. You know, is he getting his rest? Does he got something going on in his personal life? Is there anything that he's doing differently now than what he's done previously in his career? His former teammate, Zasa Petulia, has noticed his apparent struggles at the free throw line.

Last night during the game against the Trailblazers, he tweeted, hack at Clay Thompson. Clay Thompson finished one for four from the free throw line. Yeah, and it's weird, man. It's a bold strategy. Yes, bold strategy, Cotton. How does that work out for it? That's Ryan Music with the News.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. I'm going to say something here that I think is, I don't know if it's going to down as controversial. But Russell Wilson feels like a Hall of Famer to me. And I don't think he's going to go in the Hall of Fame. He might. Might not.

He wants to be able to put up in two. But it's not as much about his play, as much about what he's done. for the game and what he's done for others. Right? Like, Baker Mayfield was taken number one overall, really because of Russell Wilson. Baker Mayfield's not the athlete of Russell Wilson. I think he has some of the same arm strength,

although not the same arm as Russell Wilson, some of the same pocket mobility, although not as mobile. But if not for Russell Wilson, there would be no Baker Mayfield. Not for Baker Mayfield, there would be no, I'll tell you who. Upcoming next in the herd.

Coming up on New Year's Eve, the Red Box Bowl kicks off between Oregon and Michigan State at 2.30 Eastern on Fox. Then flip over to FS1 as number 17, Utah, battles number 22 Northwestern in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at 630 Eastern, or catch it all on the Fox Sports app. If you've got the dreaded stuff, he knows this cold and flu season,

try Vix Sinex nasal spray, a couple of Sinex sprays, and it works in seconds. To clear your nose, it lasts up to 12 hours. Be ready when congestion strikes. Sinex nasal spray use as directed. Look, it's a proven weekend in the NFL, but I also think it's a proven weekend in college football. I'll get to the NFL in a second.

Kyla Murray has rightfully gotten a ton of hype. He won the Heisman trophy and kind of come from behind fashion, right? Like, to it to Viologa won this thing up until the SEC championship game. when all of a sudden he didn't. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray, who I do feel like Brought Moore had to do more for Oklahoma. Granted against inferior defenses and a higher usage rating, right? Completion percentage second. Pass yards per attempt first. Like throwing the ball down for you. 40 touchdown passes in a college season. A combination of passing in rush yards. Part of it is the makeup of their offense. Part of it is more possessions is more stats against inferior defenses. And even they,

own poorest defense actually helped him get the ball more to score more points. But like, look, I thought to it to Viologa was the better player, might have had the better season, didn't have the greater impact, because he didn't have to, as opposed to Kyla Murray had to carry that team. But like, think about it. If not for Russell Wilson, there is no Baker Mayfield. And if not for Russell Wilson, there is no Kyler Murray discussion in the NFL. He's not small.

He's tiny. Okay, he's tiny. He's five foot nine. He's not like Russell Wilson's like 5-11 with big hands and long arms. Like, no, he's really that little. Now, you can, he's been described to me by an NFL GM as, you know, he's Mike Vic, a combination of Mike Vic and Doug Flutty. Like the creativity and intelligence and, and ability as an undersized player to make plays like Doug Flutie,

but then the athletic ability to just run away from people like Mike Vuc. here's Kyler Murray giving his thoughts on his potential future in the NFL I've always felt like I can play in the NFL I mean I'm a confident guy you know there's not a lot of short quarterbacks in the league but I think there's more guys paving the way for you know the transition of you know not really caring how big you are how tall you are but for me yeah I mean I've I've played this game my whole life and I've always felt like I could do it yeah look Russell Wilson is the Steph Curry of the NFL

right when Steph Curry came out people liked to roast me like dude you didn't think he'd be that good. No, because he was a combo guard who didn't look like he could guard anybody defensively. He was really thin. He'd only played point guard one year in college. And, you know, usually you have to be able to defend your position better. And he was a high turnover guy, even though he was a very good passer. He's still kind of a high turnover guy. High volume shooter, even though now he's a high volume maker, it was just like, you know, they used to post guys. They used to expose guys because of the rule changes, the style changes now small is in small is in and small is in in in in the NFL like look do i do i think that brandon

cooks is worth the money that he was given by the rams no and that's been exposed some since cooper cups been out but but you look at at tyreek hill and how they're they're able to use tyreek heels speed speed that's at it that's at a wide receiver and sometimes at a running back position look at tarry kohen and how they're using him with the bears and then you look at the quarterback position and it used to be, hey, you're too small to see over the line of scrimmage. But now they're too small to see him. I wouldn't want my team drafting him.

Not because there's no baggage there, just the chances of it working are very, very slim. It has worked for Russell Wilson, but it took years before he became more of a productive pastor and the best defense we've seen maybe in the last half century. That's how good that Legion of Boom was when he first got to league. It's working for Baker Mayfield, but some of it is our expectations surrounding talent. And look, there's 7, 7 and 1. And let's see how it works this weekend against the legit defenses. Defense, they played some of the worst defense in the league.

But the air raid offense is in, speed, athleticism, football intelligence, skill in and outside of the pocket. Especially, you know, he can throw. He's not Lamar Jackson, who's in an accurate thrower. He's got a spectacular arm and is accurate and does have a high football IQ. It's just, he's tiny. And that road was paved by Russell Wilson, more so than Drew Breeze, but a little bit by Drew Breeze. And the Drew Breeze to the Russell Wilson, to the Baker Mayfield, to now Kyla Murray, is fascinating. The NFL has trends.

Wildcat was a trend. It lasted a year and a half. And now the Saints are running at some, but now it's just a series you put in. The 4-6 defense, right? 85 Bears. Couldn't play now. Couldn't play now. No, no.

You know, used to be about running backs, used to be about linebackers. Now you better have linebackers that can run. Right? Roquan Smith type of athletes. You know, Layton Van der Leyen Wendresch, who are the two rookie defensive players? Derwin James, because he can cover as a cornerback, covers a safety, come down to the box like a linebacker. Like speed is in. I talked to Josh Rosen before one of their games.

Josh Rosen is like, I don't care about the numbers. They all look the same now. He's like, that's the difference in the NFL, is that everybody is 6-1 to 6-4, somewhere in the 215 to 230 pounds. Because the only way to differentiate a guy is his number. It used to be, you know, 250, 260-pound linebackers. They don't exist anymore because you've got to have speed.

So the defenses are mirroring the offenses, and that speed, not size, is in fact in. Got to be tough. You got to be strong, but speed more than size is in. We'll see how long that lasts. Same thing in the NBA. the NBA used to be about the center. The power forward.

Now Stanley Johnson, who was kind of a point guard growing up, is a backup power forward for the Detroit Pistons. It's an amazing trend. And we'll see if it continues with Kyle Murray, who's got a huge game against Alabama. Look, this weekend in the NFL, week 17, obviously we'll get a possible defining moment for Kirk Cousins. That's a great defense, a team that says they want to win,

a team they may well play in the playoffs, the division rival. We've seen them before. Could be the last go-round for the Jets coaching staff, for the Buccaneers coaching staff, for Vance Joseph and the Broncos coaching staff. But above all else, it's prove it we can for these young quarterbacks. Let's link Kirk Cousins in there. Let's link to Sean Watson there.

Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariotta. Like if you don't think Week 17 matters, and I'm not saying those early games, betting on those early games is only slightly better or easier than betting. on preseason football. But there's a bunch of games that matter. Lamar Jackson versus Baker Mayfield.

Right? Like the Cleveland Browns have a legit good defense, especially good defensive line. Can they run the football? What happens if they get behind? Lamar Jackson completed two at really good throws, but still 54% last week. He's still inaccurate.

And Baker is trying to walk it like he talks. Can he against one of the elite defense in the NFL? These young quarterback, now it gets real. Now you're like a sophomore as a freshman, right? You've played a whole season. You've seen some of the, you're allowed to change playing, getting in and out of plays.

It's a fascinating weekend for all these young guys. Some matching up against each other, like the matchup in Tennessee where it's a Thunderdome game. Two-team enter, one team leaves. All right, my Blazing Five is up on the Hurd's Twitter page. I'm fascinated to see if Pat Mahomes is, in fact, the NFL's MVP. I think he'll pass 50 touchdown passes. And will Aaron Donald break Michael Strayhan's record sacking another Southern Miss product? I'm Doug Gottlieb. Have a great weekend.

This is The Hurt. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports. and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

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