The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 02/24/2021 - HOUR 1 - Tiger Woods, Cowboys, Steelers, Zion

Episode Date: February 24, 2021

The impact Tiger Woods has on societyUpdate on Dak Prescott and the Dallas CowboysThe Steelers are telling us they don't want to winThe fact that Zion is an All-Star at 20 should tell you somethingGuest: Nick Wright Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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Joy Taylor is joining me yesterday at the end of the show. The last 10 minutes we heard about the accident for Tiger Woods, which is about 30 minutes from my house on a road I've driven on more than once. That is treacherous. And we crossed our fingers and feel, I think, somewhat fortunate this morning. Tiger Woods has injuries but is in stable condition. Yes, very good news that he is okay. And they also see he's conscious and talking, so hopefully we'll get better news as the day progresses.

All right. Let me start with some Tiger Woods. If you felt sick to your stomach yesterday afternoon, that is okay. so did I. Tiger Woods was different. Tiger Woods was driving way too fast on a road nobody should drive fast on. He has through the years liked driving fast. It mirrors his life. Tiger Woods was on TV by three. I'm told had an agent by 11, was a legend by 15, worshipped by 20 and a hero to many by 25. And as one of the great writers of the 20th centuries once wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald,

find me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy. This morning, fortunately, it's not a tragedy. But Tiger Woods has a special place in a lot of people's lives. He changed the way I looked at golf. It became cool, athletic. Alpha. I wanted to go play. The reality is the only athlete in my life who can say that is Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's last game in the NBA had 36 million viewers.

Last year's finals had eight. The last series Michael Jordan ever played in against Utah averaged 29.5 million viewers. The following year, the finals with a New York Knicks team, was half of that. Tiger Woods first two master's appearances. He didn't have quite a brand yet. Got an NFL playoff rating of 14. That was double the average. They used to call it in sports intelligence, that's a company, they'd Tiger Woods effect. That when he started on the tour, people made $101 million in prize money. By the time he left, they made $300. Tiger Woods would crush and humiliate you, but he doubled your paycheck, and players always understood that.

Think how popular Brett Fav was. He was southern. He had that Midwestern Packer charm, and he was cool enough for the coasts. And he retired in 2010, and the ratings didn't move in 2011. Golf has been around before almost every sport in the world. Half the master's audience left when Tiger did. He made a million dollars early in his career for an appearance fee. Arnold Palmer, in over 50 years, made $3.6 million golfing.

In 1991, pre-Tiger, no golfer, made a million dollars in earnings. Nine years later, 45 did. Tiger was his own economy. Michael Jordan was his own economy. He would crush you, but he doubled everybody's paycheck. He changed our viewing habits. He changed our Sundays. We all bought golf clubs.

We couldn't even sometimes afford them. It made you feel kind of like an athlete. He didn't wear pink pants. He wore a red shirt. He had muscles. He looked like a roll. over back in the NFL that would light you up if you caught a ball and didn't keep your head down. Tiger Woods to me has always been a gift.

A flawed, mesmerizing, gifted, powerful, polarizing gift. But it is always a cautionary trail, isn't it? Find me a hero. I'll write you a tragedy. Thank God. yesterday wasn't. In one hour from now, Tom Rinaldi, one of the great American journalists,

and closer to Tiger than anybody I know will join us. Okay, here's a story I could do without ever hearing again. Dak Prescott's contract. I swore I wasn't going to talk about this a year ago. And I talked about it yesterday, and I talked about it Monday, and it's Wednesday, and I'm talking about it. it again and I'm just ashamed of myself, but we do appear to have some new information.

Jeff Darlington is an excellent reporter. I know him and I have once had beers with him, maybe even six times. And yesterday he reported on a show called, oh, never mind, it's another network. He reported that it looks like DAC is going to be franchised. They call it a franchise tag. It's a financial instrument, kind of like a lease. It's a financial instrument. It's a financial instrument. the NFL uses when they really, really, really like you. You got to really like somebody to franchise tag them because you've got to pay them enormous amounts of money. But you just got a question about durability,

talent, skill. There's just something there you're not sure of. And the Dallas Cowboys a year ago, and we all kind of thought this when they franchised Dak. It was, listen, they just want one year with Dak and Mike McCarthy just to make sure. And then something called a really ugly injury happened. And the Dallas Cowboys a year later,

they want another year to make sure Dak and Mike McCarthy are legitimate. Now, people grumble about this because we like Dak and his injury gave us a lump in our throat and made us feel kind of nauseous and he's a good guy and players like him and he's cool and he's a cowboy quarterback and Staaback and Akeman. They kind of feel like American heroes, right?

That's cowboy quarterbacks feel bigger than everybody else. But players agreed to this, and essentially what it is, it's a lease. I lease everything. Kids' wife excluded. I lease almost everything. I just sold my third house. I've lived in L.A. six years. I'm not even sure how to get to my new place yet.

Ask yourself, how many quarterbacks would you sign to a five-year deal? I mean, we know Mahomes, Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, right? But even Brady now you couldn't because he's 43 and 44 by August. I like Lamar Jackson, but geez, five years. What if he regressed a little this year passing? I like Derek Carr, but doesn't have a huge arm. He's not super mobile. Could I sign Derek Carr to a two-year contract?

Maybe three? Listen, four- and five-year contracts. that is a long time for anything. So this is the financial instrument that the NFL created. Kirk Cousins didn't like being franchised. I don't think Dax's going to like being franchised. But for one year, he'll make, I don't know what the numbers are, $37 million.

I don't know much about the Dallas economy, but if you go to zillow or realtor.com, you can get a mansion there for like a million and a half. That, of course, gets you a garage in Los Angeles, but in Dallas, $37 million on top of the franchise money last year, DAC is set for life. But it's not really about that, right? What it's about is, isn't DAC the right fit for the Dallas Cowboys? Intangible leadership, productivity. I can absolutely make that argument. especially in the NFC East, which is, let's be kind here, awful at quarterback.

But the fear is, of course, if you sign them to a four or five-year deal, then you're stuck with a B-plus guy in a league that rewards A-to-A-plus quarterbacks. So listen, players have agreed to this. Dallas keeps pushing off the wedding, the engagement that lasts forever, and this morning, DAC is going to get paid, whether it's four years or this year, one year, he's set for life. My guess is eventually he's highly productive with Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys have a gifted wide receiving core, Zeke still a top five, six back.

The offensive line, at least early in the year pre- Thanksgiving will be healthy. They're going to draft some players to elevate that. And he's going to win and lose eight and eight. Most of the shootouts, the Cowboys, of course, will be in because they're not very good defensively. And a year from now, I won't have to talk about this because they won't franchise tag him a third time and Dak will be a cowboy for four to five years. I swear to God, I was done talking about it. It's the story that won't go away.

Here's one that appears to be wrapping up. It's on Big Ben and the Steelers and we'll talk about that coming up next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. 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, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Hustler turf equipment. Most complete lineup of residential and commercial zero-turn lawnmores in the industry.

A thousand dealers across America. Go to hustlerturf.com. Hustlerturf.com. You go to their stores. You actually get an expert. Sometimes you go to these retailers and you ask somebody about a lawnmower and they, you know, they know about the hammer. They don't understand the lawnmower.

You go to this company, they know the lawnmower. they know the lawn more. So Big Ben's agent met with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh, and they officially decided the Steelers won't win a Super Bowl next year. Oh, my bad. They decided they're going to sign a contract. Same difference. Of course, the Steelers haven't won a meaningful playoff game in a decade. Oh, they beat Andy Dalton and Matt Moore and Alex Smith, but congratulations to Pittsburgh yesterday meeting with Big Ben and deciding we'd much more rather romanticize the past than when playoff games going forward.

The argument to keep Ben is always an interesting one. Well, well, well, we don't have any other options at quarterbacks. Can you imagine using that in any other part of your life? I mean, I'm going to marry her because, I mean, who else would marry me? I'm going to buy this house because like there's no other house to buy. You see, the Steelers went 11 and 0 to start the season. It's the worst thing that could have happened to them. Because now they're like, man, we're just COVID away from.

the Super Bowl. We're a couple of linebacker injuries away from the Super Bowl. We would have won it all except for global warming. Not really. Half the wins were won possession. At one point, his words not mine, Mike Tomlin said, we suck. I didn't say it. He did. I'm just repeating it. The Steelers are stuck in how the NFL ran operated business in the 70s and 80s. If you made the playoffs, no reason to upgrade, you just bring back the old tired guys. There's this feeling in the city with the franchise, with the owners, with the front office, with the fans. What do we do if Ben leaves? Well, he's left for 41 games, and you've been 23 and 18.

You won with Duck Hodges. Oh, by the way, only three teams down the stretch were as bad as the Steelers. The Falcons, Jags, and Texans. Look where they're drafting. Congratulations on meeting with Ben and deciding you will not be a Super Bowl contender. Hope the high school letterman jacket still fits. Joey Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Sorry if that felt personal, Joy, you being from Pittsburgh and all. Rough year in Pittsburgh. You're right. You're right. You got to keep it real. So Tom Brady completely turned around the Bucks organization in just one season with the

team. He brought decades of knowledge and experience. And Chris Godwin said the most important thing that Brady did was change the mindset in the locker room. I think the biggest thing that he brought was just the mentality of expecting to win over kind of hoping to win. Right. Like we've had a bunch of talented guys, you know, for years, but could never really put it together. And so, you know, like just the history of the team kind of creeps into your mind. You go into games like, you know, as a competitor, you're like, yeah, we can win this. But like, you know, you're really, just kind of hoping to win. But this year, you know, we approached every single game. Like, we damn sure can win this game. You know, like there's no reason why we, why we couldn't.

That's always, when I covered Tampa, they never lacked talent. I covered them for two years. I always thought they were above mid. And even when they weren't good, I was always like, they're a top 12 team talent-wise. And with this new regime, they've drafted incredibly well for the last four to five years. Yeah, most of the time, this like mindset stuff, I think is not, really that much of a percentage of the difference between winning and losing. But when you talk about Tampa Bay, to your point, they're an extremely talented team. I mean, even James Winston, we say all the time, is extremely talented. He just also throws the same amount of touchdowns as he does interceptions, which doesn't work.

So having someone like Tom Brady come in with the experience that he does and set a standard and set an expectation, I think when you have that much talent, the mindset then does play a major role in the outcome. Like we heard the stories of him texting everyone, texting all of his teammates the night before the Super Bowl, like, we're going to win. There is something to an affirmation of, to his point, kind of hoping we'll win. Like, yeah, maybe we can pull this off. We've got enough talent. We got enough guys. And then going in knowing that you're capable of doing it.

They won close early. They won by a touchdown midseason. They won by blowout late. It was the same players. It's like the Tony Robbins thing. The motivational guy. He's not giving you a law degree. or a doctorate, he's not making you a doctor, right?

He's not making you more successful. What he's taking is you in saying, there's some power within you that you're just simply not using. Let me extract it, let you see it, and hopefully it motivates you. That's powerful. That's why people go watch Joel Osteen in Houston sitting in a, it's not like he's, what he's taking is you're better than you're achieving. Let me pull it out, show it to you.

And Tom, I think, said, guys, you're really, really good. Let me pull more out of you, let you see it. And if you watch their season, they won close early by a touchdown midseason, and they started blowing people out late. It's the same playbook. Well, confidence is a funny thing like that, because we kind of shun people that are too confident. Right.

But that's because most people aren't confident. So confidence is kind of scary. I mean, really what Tom Brady did in continuing to play when everyone expected him to just retire in his old age, going to Tampa Bay, leaving a dynasty, I mean, he took a risk on his, on his legacy. We don't know how this was going to turn out. He could have looked crazy.

But he knew what he was capable of and he brought that energy to the team. Because of that, they also have a lot of free agents. Obviously, Chris Gobin is one of them and he said he's not going to put himself in a situation where he's going to be miserable for some years just for a few extra dollars. So he actually wants to stay. I'm very interested to see how many pay cuts are voluntary in this situation to stay in Tampa Bay now with Tom Brady. after last year. It is interesting about this. And I'm not a big fan of guys taking pay cuts, but you do have to consider some stuff. Tampa is one of the cheapest big cities in America to live in.

There's no state tax. Again, million dollars gets a big house on a golf course. Yeah, there's no state tax. And Tampa is different than living in Miami with no state tax. Right. Like it's cheaper. The cost of living is way low. Way down. So it's a quality of life thing. It's a very easy place to play. The media doesn't have sharpened tools. You know, when I live there, I remember thinking I had lived in a much smaller market. at Vegas and I moved to Tampa and I'm like, man, this town shuts down at 7.45 a. Am, like there's nothing going on. So for a lot of players, it's a very comfortable place to coach and live.

And there's value in that. This is not Philadelphia where you have a bad day. You drive home, turn the radio on, and the city's attacking you. That's not, there are cities in this country. I think Aaron Rogers, you know, there's, Green Bay has a feel like it's just a simpler, easier your life. I can go date celebrities somewhere else, but there are places in the NFL and in pro sports to play where it's easy and Tampa's an easy place to play. And if you're thinking long term and quality of life matters when you're talking about driving as you say all the time.

So it's a rough life drive into the facility every day, as Jake Laser says, knowing that you're going to lose. That's right. So Luca Donchich's late heroics lifted Dallas over Boston last night. This was a fun game. Good game. He hit the go-ahead three with 15 seconds left. And after Jayla Brown tied with nine seconds ago, Luca drains another three in the last second to give the Mavs the 110-107 win. While this was really fun to watch, the bigger story here to me is once again Boston. I've been off Boston for a couple years now, but I mean, they just had an overtime loss in New Orleans. They blew a 24-point lead in the second half. They have to play a certain way to win, which is, you know.

usually a recipe for good, not great. You know, I mean, there are teams where you're, like Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. There's a way they play to win. Tennessee with Derek Henry and Tannihill. Tennessee plays this way and wins. Kansas City's like, yeah, nothing that went right. And they can still win almost every game. And I think Boston has to play.

And I think they're like the Warriors were a classic example. I mean, they could just make turnovers. And they just kind of found a way to win. Boston has to play within Brad Stevens system. because late in games, other teams have more quality players. And by the way, they also, again last night, they're not big. They struggle to defend size. I just, I don't love systems in the NBA.

I think systems work in college. I think systems can work in the NFL to some degree. But this is a star-driven league. And there's too many dynamic players now. There's too many big players that can play like they're small and hit threes. and you just have to be more dynamic than that. Systems sound good when you first hire install systems and discipline. It's very Boston, but it's not resulting in what the expectations were for the Celtics.

So the NBA announced the All-Star Reserves yesterday as selected by the league's coaches in the West. Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Zion Williamson, Donovan Mitchell, and Paul George were chosen. Boom. James Hardin, Jalen Brown, Jason Tate. Julius Randall, Nikola Voochovich, and Ben Simmons, and Zach Levine will represent the East. Can we stop belly aching about Devin Booker? Listen, he's a great talent. But the West is so absurdly rich at point, it guard.

It's insane. I mean, the West is... It's tough. I mean, I feel everyone's frustration. LeBron was talking about it. C.J. McCullum was talking about it. They didn't win any games until Chris Paul got there. Chris Paul has been the difference maker.

You have to give him the credit. But Booker is just so, like, he's just, he feels like the All-Star. Okay, but it's like this. If I said, Derek Carr is the third best quarterback in the AFC West. You'd buy, ooh, hater. Yeah, but it's Mahomes and Justin Herbert. So the third best quarterback in the AFC West is arguably easily the best quarterback in like 300 divisions. Like, not making, being the last guy to get cut at guard in the West is like, oh, you'd probably start.

for the east. Well, yeah, I mean, the problem is who are you going to take out, right? Like, if somebody's been snubs, you have to swap them with someone. Would it be Paul George or, you know, he's a forward, but... Yeah, I mean, Chris Paul obviously is going to be the one. There's no way I'm taking Chris Paul. He's a

Hall of Famer. He said that it's bittersweet. Like, it's bittersweet to get it because obviously it's a great honor, but yeah. I mean, look, as like I said, Booker feels like the All-Star. He plays the star and the team. He plays like one. So I get it. But, yeah, with these conversations, you have to take somebody out.

Joy, as long as you or I are on the air, there's a lot of broadcasters not going to make the All-Star team either. Dem to breaks. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News.

All right, he's co-host, first things first. It's my buddy Nick Wright, who just got off a great vacation with his family. It's so great to have him back on FS1, joining us brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing.

So listen, I don't know where Tiger Wood lands for you. My family didn't have money. We didn't golf. I didn't know a lot of golfers. I didn't watch a lot of golf growing up. And then there was Tiger Woods. And I, Tiger Woods felt like us. And he looked like an athlete. And he made it cool. And I had certain shirts I liked to wear when I golfed. And he had muscles and stuff. And he was sort of alpha. And so yesterday, I'm not going to lie. It made me sick to my stomach. I was literally like, oh, no, no, no, no, don't do this. How did it land for you? I refused to process it yesterday, and then this morning, when I did, because I was about to go on the air, I am not ashamed to say it.

I almost cried. Listen, I'm incredibly grateful that he's alive, and it looks like he's going to be able to recover as a human being. But selfishly, as a sports fan, Tiger Woods is one of the two most important athletes of my lifetime. He's one of my two favorite athletes of my life. And I said this this morning. A lot of my life benchmarks, you don't know this about me, Colin, but like I measure them with Tiger's career. Like one of the most memorable conversations I ever had my grandfather, who passed away almost 20 years ago now, was in 96, he called me and said, Nikki, get to a television.

There's a young man playing golf that's going to change the sport. That was when he was going to win his third amateur. And I watched that. I was 11 years old. And from that moment, I was hooked like a drug. And from 96 to when he won his 14th major, the U.S. Open in a playoff with the broken leg, Colin, he was one of the only constants in my life. My parents got divorced.

I had falling outs and then reunited with family. I moved. I went to college. And it was Tiger. It was only Tiger. My team stunk, the Chiefs and the Royals stunk. It was Tiger. And then he was gone like this.

I signed up for Twitter, Colin, to talk about, I looked it up this morning, his first car accident, the one in 2009. And then, like, a godsend, a decade later, I'm watching the Masters with my four-year-old at the time daughter, Deanna, five-year-old at the time. and we watched him together, and now she's hooked. Yeah. And she wants lessons. And she asks me about when's Tiger going to play. And so it's heartbreaking that I think we're never going to get to see him play again. But I am so thankful because there's never been an athlete like him in my lifetime.

And the memories he gave us as a country are unlike any athlete I can remember. Yeah, you know, I've said this before on the air and Joey's been here. about once or twice a year, I'll just go fishing on YouTube. I invariably end up with either my favorite comedians or watching Tiger Woods' greatest moments. And they're just, you cannot. It's incredible. Hitting 270 yards out of, you know, foot high grass. It's hard.

I tell me about this all the time. It's hard to explain to young people what boxing was like in the 70s and 80s, where I watching a cartoon show as a kid in Seattle called J.P. Patches. A cartoon show, a clown show. And they interrupted to tell me that Ollie beat Foreman and Zaire. That's how big boxing was. There are 50 years from now, you will tell people, there's a guy named Tiger Woods. And literally, you waited all weekend to watch Sunday. And you're like, golf? You're like, no, no, no, no, it was like, it was like an NFL player playing golf. And it's, and the other thing is, and this is where life is, I don't know, fair,

unfair, tragic. He was not only unbeatable, but seemingly immortal for a decade. And the decade since he's been nothing but mortal. And it's almost like as per, and you, HBO had that documentary and it was a good, it did the off the course stuff, but it was a good reminder of how insane the run was. It was just, he was a favorite against the field, major after major after major. And I understand he's not going to get Jack's record now. No one can convince me anyone ever played that sport at a higher level than he did. Well, you watch majors today and people win by a stroke and it's thrilling.

He was winning majors by like 12 strokes. And I mean, guys in the majors were like Phil Mickelson in their prime. He was winning by 12 strokes. All right. So the story that won't go away appears to have an ending. Jeff Darlington, legitimate reporter, said today, DAC's going to get a franchise tag. It is essentially a lease.

Players have agreed to it. They hate it. But you get it paid enormous sums of money for a year. And your takeaway on this is what? I don't understand why the Cowboys are insistent on doing business poorly. They pay the wrong guys and don't pay the right guy. You give Zeke, what, six years, 90 million at the most fungible position on the field? And now you are, to me, this guarantee, if they franchise him, it guarantees he either he plays elsewhere in 2022 or they have to give him

and impossible to manage contract. Because I know they say, oh, you can franchise a guy three times. No, you can't. Because the third time, you have to pay him 140% of what you paid in the most recent year. So this will be the last year they have Dak Prescott on anything close to a reasonable deal. And by the way, reasonable this year under the franchise tag becomes the highest paid quarterback in the league. They should take advantage of the fact that every other team in that division has no idea what they're doing at quarterback. Washington doesn't have a quarterback yet.

Daniel Jones is the most fumblingest player I've ever seen, and the Eagles just traded away Carson wins. You can have the best quarterback in this division for the next five years. Is Dak perfect? No. Have I been hot and cold on him? Yes. But is he clearly one of those guys that you can win with? absolutely. Is he a great intangible guy? Absolutely. And the fact that they are potentially going to play this game again is bananas to me. Yeah. So Zion Williamson, I don't recall what you thought about

Zion. I fell in love with his personality and his self-awareness early. And, you know, anybody that's different, whether it's Kyler Murray or Zion physically different, and I'm like this too, I struggle to figure out how it's going to work. Right. And like Zion, though, I said this from the beginning. If he can shoot free throws well, he's Carl Malone, but more explosive. He's going to initiate so much contact. He's just going to live at the free throw line. And that's exactly what has happened. He'll never be a great jump shooter. Maybe he'll never be a great passer. He just he literally could not walk from the end of the bench to the front of it without hitting something. He's just contact and big and thick and bounces. And he's going to live at the free throw line.

So I am overjoyed that he's the fourth youngest guy to make an All-Star team. What did you think he would be, and he surpassed your expectations? I don't know if he surpassed him, but it's because you and I both got a lot of flack when he was at Duke. I was on the same page. When he was at Duke, he was a top 25 player in the NBA. He just wasn't in the NBA yet. People are like, oh, my God, that's saying Alabama can beat the Jags. No, it's not.

It's saying a guy who is a freak athlete will continue to be a freak athlete. And so here's the thing, and this is not an insult. Zion Williamson is not yet a great basketball player. He is living off instincts and athleticism. He one day will be a superb defender. He's not yet. He one day will have more of an intermediate. immediate game. He doesn't have that yet. Despite that, he gives you 25 a night on 60% because

no one can stop him. And so, yeah, I mean, this was to me when they were talking about, should the Pell, you know, if the Knicks get the number one pick, remember, should they trade? No, you don't trade it. Like, this guy is going to win an MVP one day. And that's very, very hard to do. A lot of great players go to their whole career and never do. will. And so I'm glad he's an All-Star, and I'm glad you enjoy correctly. We're not earlier on the All-Star thing saying, just bemoaning Devin Booker's lack of inclusion because the guy who would be taken out would either be Chris Paul, who's more important, or Zion. And Zion's got to be there. Zion's been spectacular, even though the Pelicans haven't been. So you and I are on the same page on

him. By the way, I got to circle back to football. Tom Brady's going to be like 44 in August. You know he's going to sign an extension? He's going to sign an extension. Yeah, I know. An extension. It's not even a question. You're just taunting me. You know what?

You're just trying to end this on a sour note because Tom Brady won't leave my life. Because Tom Brady is just Jason in a number 7, number 12 jersey. So that's fine. So instead I'm going to turn it around. I'm going to end on a very bright note and I'm not going to talk about Tom Brady at all.

I want to tell you something about your co-host the incomparable Joy Taylor, and I want to tell America something about her. I know America, you know Joy Taylor for her hot takes on this show and those just fiery Twitter fingers that she fires out at people. What you do not know about Joy Taylor is the softer side of Joy Taylor. My family, we lost our dog of 16 years recently, and my wife took it very, very hard. Sure. Arrived at our doorstep was a gold personalized bracelet with our dog's name on it, from Joy to my wife. That is the type of incredibly kind person you are working with.

Now, part for the course, I got nothing, not even a text, but my wife got a beautiful piece of jewelry. And so Joy, it was incredibly nice of you. That is the person she is, no matter how mean she is to use simps on Twitter. Colin, Joy, I will talk to you guys later. Thank you, Nick. Nick Wright, first things first, my guy, he is so funny. That is right. I wasn't even asking him a question Brady. I was just taunting him. Yeah. I didn't even ask a question. You know, we, we adore Nick, but he has, he has dug it deep with the Tom Brady takes. So he doesn't wear it for a while. The thing about Nick, he goes all in on his takes. That's why it works. Well, it's not, you know, we talked about this yesterday. It's not really takes. Take has become the replacement word

for opinion. That is his strong opinion. Did Howard Stern have hot takes? He had opinions for 30 years and now he makes $100 million a year. Yeah. That's what Rachel Maddow has. That's what all the commentators have. They're called opinions. Stop calling them takes. Nick has strong opinions. All right. A couple thoughts on Zion. Tom Rinaldi, top of the hour, as close to Tiger Woods as anybody in our business, he'll

be joining us. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits. the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so just so you're not. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host. and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. 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, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Cremot Barber Grade products, soothe and relieved that beard itch comes in Cedar Forest and a mint and cooling. I wear Cedar Forest, of course, available at major retailers and cremocompany.com.

C-R-E-M-O. I'm really getting comfortable with my facial hair. So the NBA named their reserves yesterday in the Eastern and Western Conference. Of course, I was very happy that Zion at 20 made the All-Star team. I think he's one of the top 15 players in the NBA. And I said before he got into the NBA, he would be a top 20 player by the end of his first year. So let's look at who I believe are the top 15 players in the NBA.

And I think he's absolutely one of them. Pretty much in my order of where I think they deserve to be. LeBron, Kevin Durant, Kauai, Anthony Davis, Joel M. Bede, Steph Curry, Janice, Dame, James Hardin, Yokic, Tatum, Luca Dantitch, who had a game winner last night, Zion, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving. You know, people can argue for their Tray Youngs and Paul George and Devin Booker. But I think the most impressive thing about Zion Williamson is 20. Patrick Mahomes said this at the end of his second year.

He said, you know, I really started to feel like by the end of my second year in the league, I could read a defense, meaning Patrick Mahomes couldn't read a defense. and was great in the NFL. That's why everybody kind of freaked out. He acknowledged, I'm not good at that reading the defense thing, and he was winning almost every start. As Nick Wright just pointed out, Zion didn't really have a mid-range game. But he has, I got to be honest, he has missed one game all year.

That's what we worried about, and that was due to COVID protocol. You can look up and around this league, and all these stars missing games. He's missed one. And he simply looks different. If you turn a television on and Zion is playing, he jumps through the TV screen. He is just bigger, more dynamic, faster, stronger. He looks different.

This is why I struggled with Kyler Murray. I'm like, that looks too small to me. I don't understand that. But, you know, the reality is NFL quarterbacks come in all shapes and sizes. And I think the NBA could do itself well to embrace the NBA. The two-point shot and the creators of conflict at the rim, and I think Zion is fantastic. Yesterday we had Antonio Daniels who calls the games for Zion's Pelicans. He's in Lock Forward, you know, sort of like Janus, where Zion's initiating the offense.

I didn't realize that his basketball IQ is what it was, and his skill set with his ability to handle the basketball is what it was as well. So what we're seeing this year is a little bit different Zion, and they're moving him all. all over the floor. A couple nights ago, they beat the Celtics came from, I think, 24 down. He took control of the ball. He took control of the tempo. You know, you forget when leagues lean a certain way. Like right now in baseball, it's a great time to be a home run hitter because it used to be the stigma with home run hitting with strikeouts. I grew up with a guy named Dave Kingman who hit towering blast, but he struck out a lot. Now nobody cares. Now the culture of baseball is, matter if you strikeout. Just don't hit a ground ball and create a double play. Nobody cares.

Dave Kingman now would be proud if he hit 50 jacks and he struck out 200 times. Nobody cares. But the stigma was years ago, Kingman was a liability in your lineup to some degree because he struck out a lot. The culture of basketball now is offensively gifted players, go get them. Kyrie can't defend and James Hardin can't defend and Durant doesn't defend like he used to, and that's the best team in the East. Because the sport has decided Offense is about 80% of it. Offense gets fans in. It's an offensive league.

Zion is atrocious right now defensively. By the way, most young players in the NBA are for an obvious reason. They've never guarded an NBA player before and they just don't know how to defend, but points are, they come easy naturally. And defense is a lot of work. And offense is a lot of natural gifts and hard work. But some guys are just with the ball in their hands, their scores. So I think what he's doing is great.

I think he's fun to watch. and congratulations. 20 years old, I think he's a top 15 NBA player. I don't think he has a mid-range game. I don't think he's very refined. I think he's kind of rough around the edges, but I think he's an unbelievable watch. And this league, by the way, the NBA's had a good year so far.

Most of your stars are playing. They jammed all the games together because they had a short off season. So a lot of stars, you know, like Russell Westbrook, who lives and dies basketball is not playing back-to-back. So a lot of those guys aren't, but Zion's not missing. And he starts. Butcherbox.com, protein to your door, fresh overnight. Go to butcherbox.com slash herd. Get two New York strips and one pack of bacon free in your first box.

So the Tiger Woods story, thankfully, was not a tragedy. It was just frightening. And Tom Rinaldi, who is as close to anybody that I know in our business, two Tiger Woods will be joining us. I said this late yesterday. It just so happened. I was having dinner with a friend last night. And he goes, I've been on that road before.

And I've been on it and thought to myself, man, I've got to slow down. This is dangerous. Tiger Woods is not on that road very much. A lot of people in California have been on that road up in Powell's Verdes. It is scary. And we'll talk to Tom Rinaldi next hour two. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL. Michael's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends

on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's super. Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.