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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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A win is a win.
A win is a win. I don't care what y'all say.
Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor IV. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.
Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.
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2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%.
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Chapter 2: What surprising choice did the Rams make in the NFL draft?
So Philadelphia, I said this all week, they had eight picks. There's not eight guys in this draft that can make the Eagles roster. They're too stacked. So what did Philadelphia do? A.J. Brown's going to be going to the Patriots. We've talked about this for two years. So they've got their number one, Devontae Smith. They go get Green Bay's number three receiver, Wicks.
They move up to get Makai Lemon, a very legit number two, day one in the NFL. Is he going to be a one? My people are mixed on it. They think he can get jammed up at the line. You're going to have to put him in motion, not big and strong, although strong hands. But my guys all think 10-year pro, highly productive, very good player. They've got their one. They've got their back.
They've got their offensive line. Now, the Eagles also have to get an offensive lineman, but I think their bigger pressing need is wide receiver, so they moved up. So two teams did what I don't love. The Chiefs got the culture. They win. The quarterback, the coach, we got the running back. We got to get a cornerback. The Chiefs need more high-end talent. They got plenty of players.
The Eagles need a high-end receiver. They got plenty of players. So I liked those two moves. It's like when you go to the doctor. If you're in good shape, the doctor looks at it and goes, you know, you're pretty good, but I think you need to get more sleep. That's the Seahawks, the Chiefs, the Rams, the Eagles. You get a little more sleep.
If you're the Jets, the doctor says, you got to go to a Mediterranean diet. You got to stop smoking. You got to go back to at least just four cocktails a night, not nine. So you can tell me, well, well. Well, the Jets have lost 30 pounds. It's the beginning. Oh, the Jets had a great first round. Congratulations. The coach and the quarterback situation is a hazmat spell.
So, you know, when the Eagles and the Chiefs and the Seahawks and the Rams go into a draft, they're the guy that walks into the doctor and he's like, hey, you're a little low on iron. Why don't you go buy a filet tonight? That's what we're talking about here. The Jets may have aced the first round, and I love two of their three picks. Loved it. They got a million issues.
Here's Brett Veach, the Chiefs GM.
We just decided, and we had Mansour Dolan as a top five guy on our board, and we just made a decision that if we got in striking distance, let's just go up there and not leave it to chance. We felt it would come down to us in New Orleans.
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Chapter 3: How does Colin Cowherd evaluate the Rams' quarterback situation?
I bumped Steve, and I said, we're going to bring our corner, and he's like, don't bring him in. Just don't bring him in. Let's just zoom him. Let's keep it quiet. I thought we did a good job. I think a lot of people thought we might go offensive line there, but this was our guy the whole time.
So the two or three things I said, keep your eye on the Chiefs moving up. They don't need a bunch of picks. Running back, corner, edge, and a defensive tackle. And they're going to get the edge. They got three of those solved already. Running back, corner, defensive tackle. They're going to solve the edge today. Boom. Can battle for a Super Bowl. And Philadelphia. Philadelphia.
Wide receiver tackle. They'll address tackle today. My other favorite bet, so I want to stake dinner because I said Ty Simpson was going to get drafted. I didn't know who he was going to get drafted by, but I said yesterday, Viking fans, clean the ears out. I said the reason Ty Simpson's going to get drafted in the first round, the reason is the Minnesota Vikings.
Not that they're going to draft him, that they do everything right except quarterback and they may finish in fourth place. 60 quarterbacks play in this league. If you're going to take a risk, make it quarterback. That's what Green Bay has done. And here's the other thing you forget about quarterback. I watched Aaron Rodgers at Cal. I watched the Pac-12, right? I watched Aaron Rodgers.
He was mechanical with a good arm. Three years later, Aaron was fluid with a great arm. Ty Simpson is going to be a significantly different player today. in two years. He's like taking a really talented young broadcaster in Iowa, you move him up to do weekends in Philadelphia, and two years later you're like, oh, we have an afternoon host. We got a guy that can really play.
Not everybody that comes to the NFL is a finished product. Hell, Andrew Luck was great. He wasn't a finished product. I mean, Aiden Hutchison was unbelievable. He wasn't a finished product. So it's just this idea that everybody at 22, I mean, you go look at LeBron James, the greatest prospect ever, goes to the NBA. Cleveland, seven years, goes to Miami.
He goes to the finals against Dallas, and he doesn't have a low postgame. Does not have a low post game. Entire offseason works on it. That's LeBron James. So not everything's a finished product.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of drafting Ty Simpson for the Rams?
Now, I would have taken a tackle. And the best tackles were all first round. Now you're getting guys who are, you know, they're backups or they project eventually as they could be a right side guy. But, you know, people just go crazy on this stuff. A lot of these kids, I mean, I looked at what Dallas did. Dallas took a swing.
On a guy that's probably a mid-second round guy, they did it because they have Rashawn Gary and Overshawn. They don't need him to play. They need depth. So the Cowboys actually went and got a guy that won't get a ton of snaps this year.
But I totally understood what they were doing. So do you think McVay understands what they're doing? Because he clearly, if you watch that press conference last night, Cowherd, McVay's ticked off. He admitted that he has not spoken ever to Ty Simpson. He said, oh, yeah, Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett. I mean, he looked ticked off. I mean, the answers are short and crisp.
This is the first time in the McVay era that he and Snead have not been on the same page. And I wonder what Stafford's feeling. Stafford's got to be ticked off, too. Dude, we're on the cusp of a Super Bowl. McIntyre and Cowherd on air saying we got the best team, we got the best roster, we got the best odds, and we got a backup quarterback who's going to help our GM in three years?
I could understand the frustration inside that Rams locker room.
All right. Now, there's two drafts I did not like at all. Talk about those next. It's the Hurd.
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Chapter 5: Why did the Chiefs trade up for Mansoor Delane?
What the hell does George Bush got to do with Lil' Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back At It podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.
To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack.
Yeah.
I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.
We also have AIDS on the table right now.
Thank you for finishing that sentence.
Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.
Listen to Look Back at It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keir Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing...
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Chapter 6: What makes Caleb Downs the steal of the draft for the Cowboys?
Listen to The Clifford Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Lil' Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people? I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Lil' Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back At It podcast. I'm Sam Jay.
And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.
Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.
To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack.
I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.
We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.
Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.
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Chapter 7: How did the Chiefs address their needs in the draft?
Coach, I love this guy. There was debates between Downs and him. I'm telling you now, there were some serious debates who was the best safety because he's got a little bit more range. He got a little bit more range. He doesn't miss tackles like Downs. This kid is tough, smart. I got him in the top 15.
Okay, so it's a great safety draft. It is a great safety draft. Even my Trojans have two draftable guys today on. So I just think what you want to be, the teams at the top are specific drafters.
I mean, you can say what you want about Ty Simpson, but what they need is an offensive tackle and probably a receiver, although Puka, Devontae Adams, Jordan Whittington, all those tight ends, running backs, McVay's brain, Stafford's arm.
I don't think receiver's the need in the first round that people are making it out to be, but let's bring on Albert Breer because the Ty Simpson move by the Rams is getting a lot of heat. Not that I defended it because I would have taken a tackle.
i think but but this is an organization that has two tackles they like one's undrafted one's a fifth rounder they've done amazing things with offensive personnel they really have now their defensive guys that are great are mostly high picks but i'll say this a lot of people are saying mcveigh didn't look that happy what do you what do you make of that suggestion that this was less's pick and mcveigh wanted a receiver a tackle
Well, I know he likes Ty Simpson, so I don't think there's a huge issue there. I mean, I think the question becomes, did you take him too early? I think there's a possibility he falls out of the first round if he's not taken at 13 by the Rams. And to me, this is sort of the price of doing the Trent McDuffie deal.
Because that Trent McDuffie pick, 29 overall, was right in the range where Ty Simpson probably would have been appropriate to draft. So I think there are some moving parts here. And look, the reality is with the quarterback pick, if you get it right, no one cares what you gave up to get him. And if you get it wrong, you're going to be under heavy criticism for it.
So this becomes a yes or no question for the Rams. As for what they did pass on, I think it probably would have been a receiver. And my guess is, you know, it would have been Makai Lemon right there at 13 or Omar Cooper Jr. in a trade down. But obviously, you know, there's relationships with Ty Simpson's family in the building. They did a good amount of vetting on him.
And I will say this, Colin, like. Everyone I talked to over the last couple of months on this kid said he would be best off sitting. He would be best off going to a rhythm and timing offense. He needs to get his confidence back a little bit after the way that last year finished. But he's accurate. He makes NFL type throws and the right system he can grow.
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Chapter 8: What draft strategies did the Eagles and Bears employ?
So it's pretty remarkable. You watch the way he played. He's like a coach in the field. Most people who've been around him say he's going to be the captain of his NFL team in year two. And, you know, obviously there's great lineage there. His dad played in the NFL. His brother, of course, is a receiver for the Colts. So he checks all of those boxes.
You get a guy who's going to be a battleship commander for your secondary. Now, the question is the upside. I talked to a coach yesterday who said to me, if you put the Vegas odds on it, the guy with the best chance to get a gold jacket in this class is Caleb Downs. And so I agree.
look like we can argue over positional value all you want does this guy have the measurables that derwin james or kyle hamilton had coming out no but i mean just from like the standpoint of who played the best football over the last three years of any of the guys in the draft i think you could make a really compelling case that the answer is caleb downs
Okay, so I had somebody I trust tell me two weeks ago, keep your eye on the Chiefs moving up. I thought they would do it for Bailey. That was probably too rich. But this is where I defend. I don't like moving up in most drafts, especially weak drafts. But I do think the Eagles had a specific need. They knew six months ago they were moving off A.J. Brown. They get a third receiver from Green Bay.
They needed a number two guy. I like that. Kansas City's interesting. I think they have great coaches, great quarterback, and I think they have good players. But they needed a pop back, a pop corner, I mean, like high-end guys, and they've got to get a couple of guys in the defensive line. I like Kansas City moving up.
I mean, I think that the difference between the best corner and the second best in this draft, I think there's a lot of good safeties. I don't know if there's that many great corners, and I think maybe they got the only one. How did you view it? Yeah, this to me is the cascading effect of the Jamod McCoy injury situation.
For people who don't know, Colin, I'm sure you're aware of this, but this is a guy... It was McCoy, Delane, 1-2 coming into the process, and then teams got a hold of the medicals for McCoy, and it sucks for the kid. It really does, but this...
like it the knee's bad and it looks like he might be a one contract guy which is why he fell all the way through the first round there were some teams that preferred mccoy to delane coming into the process so that left delane all alone as the number one corner i think most people saw colton hood as number two now chris johnson winds up going yesterday instead and the rest of the corners are on the board and that i mean your point is illustrated there right like
mansour delane was clearly the number one corner and i think the chiefs looked at this and said we have a replacement for trent mcduffie here we can get them financially at a quarter of the price which gives you some insight into the business piece of all of this right maybe the guy has more upside you know than the mcduffie than mcduffie just because he's a bigger longer player smooth explosive all of that um
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