The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 05/18/2021 - HOUR 2 - NBA, starting QBs

Episode Date: May 18, 2021

The top 5 NBA players that have the most to lose in the playoffsRanking the NFL starting QBsGuests: Sean Lee, Bruce Gradkowski Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two, and a Tuesday show is rolling right along. Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, IHartRadio, IHart Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. Sean Lee of the Cowboys in about five minutes. John Lynch of the 49ers, last hour joining us as well. So rambunctious first hour, uh,

I've never heard rambunctious used to describe anything except for a two-year-old. We're just a little loose. We've got big strong opinions today. Now, the NBA playoffs, Joy, they start tonight. Playing games are, you know, they're playoff games. So it's fun. This is what, you know, nothing against the regular season. The NFL is the only sport.

We really watch all the regular season. Like the other stuff, it's like if you have time, you know, you go occasionally watch a baseball game. But playoff baseball, playoff basketball is great. Playing games tonight. Now, I've said with no confidence whatsoever, I like the Lakers and Milwaukee to reach the finals. And one of the reasons I like Milwaukee is we've dismissed them. And there was this two or three year period where Janice is going to be the face of the league. He's on 60 minutes.

And there was a lot of pressure. And I thought it affected him. And they didn't have really a complete roster. But the league's done trying to make him the face of the league. Last year in the bubble, they put Milwaukee playoff games on at noon. You are not the face of the league if they're putting your playoff game. on it noon. That's like the NFL playoff game on Saturday. They're not putting your dynasties on that. Also, he signed an extension, so he's not going anywhere. He had a great year, but wasn't even in the

MVP conversation. Brooklyn should be favored because of their star power and stars matter in the playoffs. So I think Milwaukee, the minute we dismiss NBA teams, you know, like we guarantee the two things about LeBron's teams, they're always better the second year. We think he's going to walk into a place and win titles. It never works that way. It's always the second. year. And we also tend to think when you put a bunch of stars together, like the Clippers, they'll win first year. Now, that's usually second year. And I also think when a team gets dismissed is when they feel less pressure. And I think Milwaukee will play well. LeBron, Lakers, I think they're in the finals. Cross your fingers. LeBron gets hurt. I'm out of there. But I do think,

I don't think there's a lot of pressure on Janus this year in the playoffs. I don't. I think there's five players where there's a lot of pressure and I can feel it. I'll give you my top five. These are the five guys I think face real legacy pressure. Number five. Number five would be Chris Paul. You know I love Chris Paul, but we've got this thing about Chris Paul where he like has been around forever and everybody wants to say his top five point guard and he's not good in the postseason. Let's be honest.

His career postseason winning percentage is 47 percent. And yet he's won 65 percent of his games in the regular season. And now Phoenix has the second best record in the league. You can't do a one and dunner. Like you've got to win some games here. You've got to win some series here. He's got some good young players. He's got to coach Monty William.

everybody likes. He's been a one conference finals in his career, despite the fact he's had a remarkable career. It's a little pressure on Chris now. You got to win a couple of playoffs series. When you got the second best record in the league, you got win a couple of playoffs series. Number four. James Harden. He forced his way out of Houston because he wanted to play for a winner. Okay, it's step up time. Also, you know, we all have this feeling on James Hardin is his game like Carl Malone is kind of relies on the whistle. Carl Malone needed the win. whistle. James Harden needs the whistle. There's no excuses now. You got Kevin Durant, you got Kyrie Irving, the East has only one or two teams that can match up with you physically.

James got to win a couple playoffs series or get to the finals here. Number three. Paul George, stinkeroo last year. Last year, first player since the 60s to shoot under 25% in three straight playoff games. He was awful. And I like Paul. He was awful. And it's time now. And I will say this. what makes it more confusing is there was a point late in the regular season where Paul may have been the best player for about a month. He was unbelievable this year. And then all of a sudden, when you have that, that was the thing they always said about Arod.

Jeter hit 305 in the regular season. Jeter hit 305 in the playoffs. Arod was the best player in the world in the regular season and went down in the playoffs. That's why he got a reputation as he's not a very reliable player, even though Aeron had a lot of good postseason games. Paul George has to at least redeem himself a little. because he was atrocious last year in the playoffs. Number two.

Kauai Leonard. First of all, I missed 20 games again. So what are you? So I can't depend on you in the regular season to play. And now the data says the clippers are an atrocious late game team. Well, if you're a Magic or a Larry Bird or a Dr. J or a LeBron or the late Kobe, we expect you to be good late. You can have a bad first quarter.

I won't discuss it on my show. You've got to be good late. So now I'm not getting Kauai's missing. and 20 games a year, and now he's not good at the end of games. What is he? This is really important because last year, this team fizzled, a favorite and fizzled in the bubble. Number one. Kevin Durant, 2019 finals, missed it mostly hurt.

Last year, hurt. This year hurt. The question for Kevin is, dude, you left an organization where you could have played about 50 games in Golden State with Clay and Steph and won a bunch of titles. I didn't like that judgment, but here's a time to redeem yourself. You win a championship. It's like, all right, my bad, I'm wrong. And I also wonder, what's left in the tank physically? Like, we're not getting, I mean, LeBron's starting to add some injuries to it, but Kevin

can't say healthy, period. Long stretches. So I think there is pressure on Kevin Durant. Otherwise, he's going to become known as like an injury guy, kind of flaky guy, not really a leader guy, can't depend on him guy. and although he'll say that doesn't matter, I think it matters to everybody. Everybody at some level wants to be like. Sean Lee certainly was a four-time Dallas Cowboy tackles leader, a multiple-time pro bowler,

11 years in the NFL out of Penn State. He is now joining us. We don't get many in studio guests these days. He's joining us in studio. Sean Lee, who just announced his retirement. So you were high school football. You were great. College football, NFL.

And now no more football. Is it, when you wake up in the morning, do you just say, I think, I'm a broadcaster? Is it hard? I'm still struggling with it. And it depends on the day. You know, you wake up in the morning and that competitive side of you is saying, what are you doing retiring?

But then when I go and I work out and I hard and I try to wake up from that and I barely can walk, there's a reason why I'm retiring. You know, I said this before. You pour gasoline on the fire for 25 years. It's hard to put it out. So, you know, I love playing for the Cowboys. I love it. But I think it's time to be done and I've enjoyed it.

When you were, when you were, you were a thinking guys player. You were known for having very good instincts. When you were playing, did you think about, were you so all in, you never thought about secondary things? Or when the injury started piling up last three years, did you think as a player, you know, this, this is coming to an end now. I've been doing this for 20 years. It's coming to an end. Did you think about that? You know, you never think of it in the moment because you're so locked in and winning. And it takes so much work to be great. But, you know, slowly and surely, you know, certain days the body doesn't feel right. You know, I had surgery last year. I had to have my eye reconnected to my pelvic bone. I mean, right at the beginning of

the season, having to deal with that in a season. And I think you start to think of your family. You think of the long-term aspect of what you've put your body through. And it's just time. I mean, it's so hard because I love the sport. And I put so much time. And, you know, I grew up. I started when I was nine. And I loved every moment to be able to play. I'm playing linebacker, playing for the Cowboys, putting all that time. in the study, you know, where does that energy go? And that's something that I think a lot of us, you know, we worry about. You know, Dak Prescott's interesting because years ago, I used this as an example, and people just gave me so much crap. There was a, and I thought it just spoke volumes of

him. I don't think he's the most natural thrower. Dan Mullen came on our show, and it's like, we fell in love with him, and we didn't think he was very good at throwing the football, but we fell in love with him. But there was a moment on the cowboy sideline that he threw a paper cup. He was on the sideline, Gatorade Cup, took a sit through it. And it didn't. And it didn't. go in the garbage. And he took a step and he stopped. And he walked by and he went back to the garbage and he got the cup and he put it in the garbage. And I came on the Monday and I said, okay, that's, that's a conscientious guy. Like, that's what quarterbacks have to do. Everything matters. And I thought, and people just said, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And I said,

we know he's not the best thrower, but he's A plus at the podium. And I want you to take me to rookie year, fourth round pick. He has a great game in Los Angeles in the preseason. preseason, yeah. And lit it up. And I mean the world changed. Cowboy fans would not hear it. When was the buy-in for you? Was it practice where you were like, boy, this dude is a leader.

This is our guy. You know, during that training camp, you know, Romo, he would take every couple days off. And DAC was the quarterback back. So normally with a rookie quarterback on defense, we're like, we're getting picks all day to day. We're about to beat the offense up. And so a two-minute drill, late in practice, I'm like, I know the play, I know what's coming. It's a slant to Des. I'm going to go get this. I break on it. I go to get it. He puts it on the back shoulder of Des, perfectly

thrown, no problem. And he had done that all practice. And it wasn't an issue. It was his first time really with the ones against NFL defense. And he made it look easy. I mean, that's been him from the start, is how cool he is, how composed he is. And another thing is how he faces adversity. Anytime there's adversity, he says bring it on. And that's why I know with the injury he has, he's coming back better than he was. So last year was a trying year. Listen, Cowboys' offensive personnel is really good. They have to address the O-line next year.

This year they addressed the defense. But there was a point last year, Sean, where, and I think it's pretty well documented. I mean, Mike McCarthy had to fire the D.C. That tells you where there were times it looked like, I don't like to use the word quit, but there was just no juice defensively. It just wasn't there. Mike Nolan's scheme wasn't working with the players. As you well know, it's all about the buy-in.

If players don't buy in, we see it in the NBA. The Knicks have bought into Tom Fibodeau. They're limited, but they bought into him. Was there a point last year where you just knew this scheme, this team is just not working? Players aren't buying in. Well, I don't know if we didn't buy in, but we knew early that we weren't playing defensive right way. I mean, you look at some of the games and the rush yards we gave up. Some of the times our offense early was playing great.

Dak was playing unbelievable, and we weren't able to support them. I'll say this, though. we did fight as a year went on. And defensively, we slowly got better and better. Now, I think with Dan Quinn, kind of going back to a defense we've played, I think he, Dan, the type of motivate area is, the type of defense he calls, he's won a Super Bowl as a coordinator, he's almost won as a head coach. Just from what I've heard over there, the guys love him.

So I think we'll get back to playing defense the right way. But there's no question. I think scheme-wise, we took a big jump in a different direction. I think we didn't have an off-season. And it showed earlier on. We struggled. but I know a lot of those guys are frustrated with what happened, especially some of our linebackers and they're ready to make plays.

Being a Dallas Cowboy, now, again, that's your career, so you don't have a lot. I mean, Penn State was kind of not great when you got there, better when you left. But to be a cowboy, it's your only NFL life, so there's nothing to compare it to. But you obviously played with guys who came from other organizations. I mean, just give me, could you go to a grocery store? What was it like? It's incredible. I mean, the tradition, walking in there and seeing the tradition that they have and the guys who've won Super Bowls, I mean, I used to get calls from Leveroy Jordan when I was injured, trying to motivate me to come back. And so we saw it as an extreme responsibility to try to live up to what they did in the past. You know, I said, I wore that on my sleeve every day. When I came in this facility, I'm like, I get to be a cowboy. Are you kidding me? In this facility, in this state, with the support that we can get. And even through all my injuries, what I loved was I

got support from so many fans, no matter what I came back from, and teammates and from Mr. Jones. So to me, I probably would have been on the league a long time ago if I wasn't a cowboy. Yeah. What was your relationship? What was, you probably had an agent? What was negotiating like with Jerry Jones? Oh, everybody at some point negotiates with Jerry. You know, you have agents, but the way they run it, it's a family business.

I mean, they treat you like family. And so, yeah, I know this after my surgeries, or after, you know, I did a bunch of injuries, but I had three years in a row where I had to have surgery. And after every surgery, when I knew I had to go in there, Mr. Jones called me, picked me up off the floor and said, hey, listen, you're going to come back from this, you're going to come back better. So the way he treated me, the way Stephen, the whole family,

I mean, they really run it like a family business. And to me, we all want to give back to him and try to win because of it. Yeah. When you look at the cowboys going forward, again, sometimes you have, it's a salary cap league, you have to make choices. I thought this year, and I totally agreed with their perspective this year, they just went defense.

They just said, we're going to go defense. I think next year they have to go, they have to address the offensive line. How concerned are you? There are so many starts and so many years with that offensive line. We've added a game in the NFL. NFC East tends to be a physical division. I just saw Ryan Kerrigan now. He's back in Philadelphia.

Is it a legitimate concern to go? That old line is old. and by week 12, I went and looked the other day, Sean. Their last six games are all good pass rushes. Is that a legitimate concern? Well, I think one of the underrated stories from last year, obviously, DAC went down. But we started the season without our two tackles,

Ty Smith and Lyle Collins. And then at the end of the year, Zach Martin went down with a calf and was gone. So as much as we missed Dak, we miss those guys on the O line. I think they're still great football players. I think they're going to come back and be all right. But we know when they go down,

It changes the type of team we have. But I think when you get all three of those guys back, you get that back back, that offense is going to roll. The question really is, what can we do defensively? We have to play better defensively. Yeah. You know, it's quarterbacks are so, I saw a stat the other day where Dack made $107 million, like international soccer star money.

Yeah, we were killing them about it. We were texting them, letting them know, you know. It's like, wow. Those yogurt commercials really pay. They pay well. The quarterback's different in this league. If Russell, complains, it's different than a safety complaining.

If Aaron Rogers complains or Deshawn Watson, different. I mean, they're $30 million year guys. Did Dak and Jerry have a different relationship than Sean Lee and Jerry? Well, I think Dak, what makes him special is that he leads from the front. He doesn't want a different relationship. He wants to be running with you. He wants to be lifting with you. I mean, that's why I think from day one guys loved him so much is because he's going

around the locker room talking to everybody. The rookies that are in the back locker room, you'll find him back there talking to them. So for him, that never was an issue. And really for our team, that was never an issue. He was always part of the guys, part of us. And so when he did get paid, and when we celebrated, we love it, we reduced because he deserves it. And he's worked for it. You know, the history of the Cowboys is Jerry's not afraid that, you know, as he said once on our show, he never signs up for a bad time.

Jerry loves to talk. He loves to be front and center. That's one of the things we love about him. They took some gambles on draft picks this year. Some guys that had a little bit of luggage. And there's always been this sense, boy, Dallas, a lot of beautiful people, it's easy to get in trouble. That was the reputation, 80s, 90s. I don't know it because I don't live in that world now.

If you're a young player and you come in and you like to have a good time and you're a little loose, and is it easy to get in trouble in Dallas or do they keep their eye on you there? Well, I think we know that the history is there. Everybody's watching it. And I've always said the young guys, we haven't done anything. Those guys are the ones that built this program. You have a responsibility to act the right way, to work every single day. You can't lean on that.

And I think also some of the leaders in the locker room, they know that. They're not going to let certain things slide or things get past. That's when I talk about DAC, Zach Martin, talk about Layton Vanderess, Jalen Smith. I mean, those guys know what it takes to win, and they're not going to allow any of that to really get going. I asked Ray Lewis this one time, one of the great linebackers of all time. I said, who's the toughest guy you ever faced?

And he told me a story about, I think it was Willie Roof, was an old Kansas City offensive linemen. And he's like, it was like blocking a building. Go back to your career. You were a guy would mix it up. You like collisions. And there's got to be one or two offensive linemen or full backs you dealt with. And you're not going to miss them at all. They were just, they were no fun to play.

Who was literally, you're a big guy. Who was physically for you as a football player? Like, this is not going to be a great Sunday. It's going to be, I'm going to wake up Monday sore. I mean, I'm going to go more with the running back. I mean, I'm going to Adrian Peterson. I mean, the first time I played him and I experienced that jump cut he has, I was like, what am I doing here?

I mean, I can't tackle this guy. And then later I play him and I tackle him. And I'm running the sideline and I keep fixing my face mask. My face mask is bent. I'm trying to hit him. So I have to go in the locker room and halftime, change my face mask. And I just knew with him and he's still playing, he still looks unbelievable. But, I mean, he fights for every yard.

He's explosive. He had so much speed. I mean, I just got such immense respect for him with what he's doing now and how he played. The speed, the athleticism, the toughness. I mean, I loved going against them because it pushed you to do your best. But, man, he was a game after him. I was in the ice tub all week. Really?

No doubt. I mean, he brought it every single time. Ice tub all. week. All week. So you like those finesse backs who run out of bounds? Oh, no. Not all the time, too, especially when there's some of those finesse backs, Darren Sproles. Oh, that guy gets up. Trying to guard him in space. I mean, that's the one thing I look back in my career is just I admire so many of these guys watching them, how they play, and being able to play against them was the best. It was the best. So you wake up in the morning, you're out of the NFL.

What's the first thing you do now? Oh, 30 years of playing football. I've been, you know, I loved basketball when I was kid. And, And I got ran off the court because it was very good. But I'm playing every day. You know, and you think that you go back to where you were when you were 18. But now when I'm on the court, I mean, it is airball, clank, clank. I mean, I'm trying to get something competitive going. But, you know, that's the thing, the outlet, where is it and where to find it?

It's hard. It's hard. It's the gym. I'm the gym. You know, I wake up. I say I'm playing basketball and lifting weights, which is fun. But for me, you know, the football, the camaraderie, the meetings, you know, driving us. out to the facility and you know you got the Giants on Sunday night.

I mean, that is the stuff you're going to miss. Good for you. Sean Lee, former Cowboy Pro Bowl linebacker. It's great seeing you. Love having you in today. Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate you guys. Penn State Nittney Lion and Dallas Cowboy, great. Four times led the Cowboys in tackles. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeard 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me.

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I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream.

Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the IFAR Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend, and business manager.

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The Kevin Durant has, I think, as I said earlier, I do think there's some pressure on him in the playoffs. You know, it's funny with the NBA. It's not been a very good last two years in terms of ratings. And it's, there's a little bit of, you ever watch the show Shark Tank where the good news is Mark Cuban's going to buy 15% of your company and help you. The bad news is Mark Cuban now is going to have a big

stay in your company and it's the one you've worked on for eight years. There's a lot of things where it's a cost benefit. Like there's a good and bad. It is interesting. I mean, it's what our government does, by the way, all the time with our interest rates. They want a good housing market but they don't want the housing market too hot. It creates a bubble and then the economy

goes into the tank. And with the Brooklyn Nets, it's interesting. Obviously, the league would love to have Kevin Durant, James Hardin, and Kyrie Irving in the finals. Duh. But what is the message it sends to star players if you can basically join forces with a bunch of good guys? You don't have to develop chemistry. You don't have to really play much.

You still make the same money. You still get to the finals. So there's a little bit of, there's a definite benefit for Brooklyn. But what you want, the NBA was generally concerned two years ago about load. management. I grew up in a small town. When you went to an NBA game as a kid, you had to take the day off school. Like it was a three-hour drive, go to Seattle. And then all of a sudden, what if Kevin Durant and Kyrie decided, that's not going to play tonight? That's not good for the consumer. Like, that's not good. And then the Clippers lost last year in the postseason.

And it was kind of, I think privately, the league kind of liked it. It's like that load management nonsense. Why did the Clippers lose? They had talent. They had a great bench. They had a great coach, they had no chemistry. They didn't form any chemistry. I mean, this team literally KD, Kyrie Hardin, have played like six games. So I think the league, they're good for the league. But there is a message here. And, you know, we all know, sports are all copycat.

You know, it used to be you couldn't, mobility was a bad word. And then LeBron moved and won. And everybody was like, if you don't even consider moving like Bradley Beal, we're all like, are you nuts? You know, in business, you kind of watch what people do. and you kind of jump in and follow. And so if they get to the finals, the message is, yeah, just get a bunch of guys together.

You don't have to play as much. You can save your legs. You get another contract at the end of your career. You don't have to put in the time. You can take 30 games off. And so a little bit of a conflict with the NBA. I don't think the Nets are going to win for two reasons. They don't really have any playoff chemistry.

And I think chemistry matters more in the playoffs than ever. And I also think you can't solve your problems in the postseason. they're not very good defensively, especially stopping bigs. The playoffs are not a place to solve your problems. You've got to solve your problems in the regular season and then hope they're not a big enough liability to curtail your postseason. So I don't see Brooklyn as a finals team. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So LeBron was putting up huge numbers before he got injured back in March, and he seems to believe that he would be. being the running for MVP this season, had he not been sidelined for several weeks? I was playing some of the best basketball of my career before the injury, and it wasn't like a self-afflicted wound. It wasn't something that I could control. It's not like I wasn't putting in the work, and then, you know, my body fell me. I literally had a grown man diving at my

leg for a loose ball, and, you know, and here's the injury, you know, and, you know, so I had to pay the price of that. I didn't take my time. Yeah. Yeah, but that's how it goes with injuries. Like, if you're going to get injured, generally it's not your fault. I think of anyone in the league who's not his fault that he got injured, it would be LeBron because we know what LeBron puts into his body. Some guys, you're like, oh, yeah, like, of course he's injured. Like, he's either always injured or it's very obvious he doesn't take care of his body, so it's not terribly surprising that he has that injury. LeBron's not one of those guys. Well, it's also a recovery time.

As you age, and I can speak from experience, I could twist an ankle in my 20s. I was playing hoop the next day. Right. I can't drink on back-to-back nights. I mean, like two cocktails. Like, I take the next night off. Yeah. The bottom line is LeBron's age, the recovery time is months, not weeks.

I mean, that injury would have knocked him out for six games, you know, and it was 22. I mean, you're in bone growing years in 20s. So now it's just harder. Right. And that's probably also part of his frustration is that that injury took as long as it did to come back. And yeah, it did hurt his MVP type season. But that's how it goes to the MVP. If you're injured and you're out for a certain amount of time, the voters are just going to take that into consideration.

They're going to lean towards someone who was available all year. He was averaging 25.4.7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists in 41 games before his ankle injury. I thought he was the MVP before the injury. Yes, so did I. And I didn't think that the injury was. was going to be that significant. So I thought that he would be back in time to keep that campaign going. But obviously he wasn't. But maybe again next year it's looking like it's slipping as time goes on the idea that LeBron is going to win another MVP, which is probably a shame

and part of the ongoing discussion of what the MVP is. I think LeBron would like to segue. I thought he wanted to segue this year in a 30 minutes a night. I'm going to take 12 games off, 30 minutes a night. That's kind of what he should be doing. But AD hasn't been reliable. So, you know, this was going to be the year, the story that's been lost in all this, this was going to be the year that AD kind of, listen, I'm going to play more minutes. And then AD came in and was not in great shape and was actually bad. Yeah, I don't know who came up with that story because there's nothing about Anthony Davis's career that would point to that being the case. Yeah.

So maybe it was a wishful hope, set out into the universe. But he was not ready to go. But that's not who he is. Yeah. So, I mean, you build the team around a great player like AD and great players like AD. and great players like AD and LeBron, but you have to know what their identity is. Like, they've been in the league long enough to know what they are.

We know LeBron's reliable and he's going to take care of his body, but he is aging, so it's going to take longer if he does have an injury during the season. And one thing you can count on is Anthony Davis is going to be injured for part of the season. Right. It's just what it is. So Bradley Beal returned for the Wizards regular season finale, despite dealing with hamstring strain earlier this month.

He helped the team clinch the eight seed match up with the Celtics and the play-in tournaments, but he said he won't be 100% for the game tonight. as he continues to manage the injury. He also called his decision to play on Sunday hard-headed because he probably shouldn't have been out there. So they play the Celtics at 9 Eastern tonight. The Celtics are favored by two. And according to Fox Bed and the Hornets and Pacers play at 630 Eastern.

Pacers are favored by one and a half. Despite this Bradley Beale injury, I still think I'm going with the Wizards. Yeah, that's how I kind of feel. They're just trending in the right direction. The Bradley Beal injury is obviously tough, but I could see Westbrook going off, and I can see them, even if he is out there,

obviously this is a game that they want and need to win. So I'm going to go with the Wizards in the situation. Yeah, same. And then tomorrow, obviously, Spurs, Grizzlies, 730 Eastern, Grizzlies are favored by four, and the Lakers are favored by four and a half against the Warriors. I thought it was more. I thought, didn't it start more?

I think the Lakers will win handily. Handily? Yeah, I just don't, I think the Lakers are a... I don't know. I don't think Golden State match I mean Golden State's hope is Steph has 50 I mean it seems so dependent on

Steph just yeah we know but they've been dependent on Steph all season they've been double and triple teaming him all season and he's still been putting up the numbers he's been putting up I mean listen the Blazers are dependent on Dame but they do have CJ McCollum they have Nurchitch they have like I just feel like Golden State it's a neat story but

Andrew Wiggins I gotta pray he hits for 30 I think the Lakers will win but I think it's going to be a very close game. So quarterbacks have lately been trying to take more control of their careers and having more say and using their power in the organization. Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolfe is not a fan of this new trend. We've got a lot of divas playing in the league right now. It's an interesting phenomenon as far as I'm concerned.

All these guys that are doing this have long-term deals. I just can't believe that the game has changed that remark, but there's a huge change. Today's quarterbacks want to be more than quarterback. These guys, they want to pick the coach, pick the players. It's an interesting dilemma. And stay off my lawn. It's not that big of a dilemma.

All those guys keep going to the playoffs. Dilemma, you know what a dilemma is? Week 6, Gardner Minshue starts. That's a dilemma. That does sound like a dilemma. Yeah, I mean, a dilemma, there's about eight dilemmas a year in the NFL. and those teams draft quarterbacks. That's a dilemma.

Aaron Rogers in the NFC championship is not much of a dilemma. It's not a dilemma. Didn't Brett Farr hold the Packers hostage for like several years also? I love when old school stuff is like, it's like, oh, it's so much better in the old days. Everything new is just everything so different now. It's actually not that different. This is not that different. Guys wanting say in who gets drafted or, you know, saying that we need to, you know, look

into this position or we you know i want to work with this kind of coach or whatever like i don't i'm sure if we sat down and did the research we'd have plenty of examples over the past 40 years of guys with with some kind of power talent or influence in their uh industry or in with teams flexing that power it's just that we have social media and the internet now a lot is this a lot of the stuff like the same thing with you know people talking about athletes talking about social issues and politics, like that's existed forever. The difference is now everything is available for everyone to see and you have hashtags and you have Instagram. That's what's different. The amount of information you have access to. None of this is really that new. Brett Favre with that same

organization, put them through all kinds of stuff. Like this is why we're even talking about that. Further along in that interview, he talks about how Lambeau Field was still full, even though the the fan base was divided. Was Brett Farr being a diva? Probably, but that was back then. So what's new about what these guys are doing? Troy Aitman got frustrated with Barry Switzer at some point. I mean, Dan Marino had battles with this idea that John Elway got a coach whacked, didn't he?

I mean, do we need to go down the list of players who have gotten coaches fired? No. Over the past 40, 50 years? It's not new. It isn't. but the sport has changed that you have to have a top quarterback, and therefore you have to pay them a lot, and guess what? When you pay somebody $38 million, it empowers them a little,

and the sport has been powering them a lot, and so they have opinions. Deal with it. Also, I mean, look, I hide no bias when I say that I'm on the side of talent, but if I'm one of six people walking planet Earth, and I'm probably being generous there, but we'll say six people, according to pro football focus, top six is the only one we didn't argue about. I want to have six people on earth who can do this.

I'm going to flex a little bit if I feel uncomfortable. And I'm aging and I can't get the pieces that I feel like I need. And I'm pretty smart and I'm pretty competent. And I've done a great job for the organization. And maybe if I don't feel comfortable, it's something I'm going to voice my opinion. Sorry if I'm a divo. Pro talent on this show. Pro.

It's all about that. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. PFF ranks the quarterbacks. Bad news for Steeler fans. 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. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show.

show with that type of talent on it. Up on game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the Iheart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. 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 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky.

best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest

storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jordanano. You might know me as that loud guy. who yells out, help on the internet.

Help! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions.

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So this is interesting. Pro Football Focus ranked all the quarterbacks based on multiple years of data projecting future performance. And Pro Football Focus senior analyst is former NFL quarterback for 11 years. Bruce Radkowski joins us live. So my first takeaway when I looked at this list is Ben Rothlisberger is 16. That means eight AFC quarterbacks are better now and Joe Burrow is close. And yet they keep leaning into him.

He threw it 60 times a game last year a couple of times. I mean, what does the data say? What is Ben now? Today, what is he as a quarterback? Well, I'll tell you what, Colin, I had some response within PFF telling me, man, you put him too high on the list. He should be lower. So I think, you know, with Ben, look, he came back from an injury. So this year, it's going to depend on, is he another year healthier? Or is he really almost done playing? I think they have the weapons around him receiver-wise.

I have some concern with their offensive line. But there's a reason why he had the most of pass attempts from the shotgun. He had the most what, completions under five yards or so, most past attempts under 10 yards, I should say. They were 26 in explosive play percentage. So, I mean, it's going to be a big year. And it was hard for me to have him where he is. But I also got some, you know, feedback that they thought he should have been even lower.

But in my mind, look, Colin, I've been around the guy. He's the most competitive guy I played with. most accurate, as good of a passer if I've ever seen up close and personal. He just makes it happen. And I'm hoping this year he takes some of this with a chip on his shoulder and he can do what he can do because I've seen him execute in the most high-level situations come from behind after throwing three interceptions. So it's tough.

But I think where Ben's at, I think he has the weapons around him. But it's still, it's going to be interesting because that Steelers' offense line, that's going to be a little rebuild. and what does Matt Canada, the new offense coordinator, do to help this offense and have more explosive play? So Baker Mayfield, PFF has him 10, Matt Stafford, 11. How hard is it to grade when Baker has the best O-line? Stafford's got a bad O-line, and now Stafford inherits a better coach, a better culture, better O-Line, better running back? Like I look at Stafford and I think top seven or eight talent, you have them below Baker. Is it hard when one quarterback has a great O-line and great support, great running game, and one quarterback

has none of it. Well, Colin, I'll tell you what, like here, here's all my notes right here. You know, the last few days, last few weeks, I'm going through this because I hate putting rankings together because of just what you said. Everyone's situation is different. Playing the quarterback position, it's more than just having the physical abilities. What do you bring in the locker room, the confidence in the huddle, your coaching staff, the offense, your weapons, everything. So I do take that into consideration. Matthew Stafford, that's a great argument because I think he's going to have an unbelievable year with Sean McBae. It was just hard for me at the time to where do you put them, you know, the consistency.

Like Matt Ryan over the last five years, he has our number six best passing grade. So Matt Ryan's been playing so consistent. So with the addition of Arthur Smith's offense, I think Matt Ryan has another good year. That schedule for Atlanta looks favorable to them. So it was really hard for me when I was looking at the list. And then going back to Baker Mayfield, I mean, look, he had our second best passy grade from week seven through the playoffs. So Mayfield was playing really good football. And it was in dropback type situations, not just play action pass, not just bootleg.

So I really think we have to give Mayfield credit for how we was playing down the stretch. By the way, you have Tua near the bottom. Can a guy go from 29th at pro football focus to 10? top 12. Do you see it as hopeless? 29th for a guy that was on a team that won 10 games, what you're telling me, Bruce, is you don't see a lot of juice there. I mean, not right now, but when you look at that list, I mean, really 7 to 18 can fluctuate so much.

You have guys that have showed really elite level play, but not consistently year over year. You have guys that are on either the decline or you have ascending players. So that list 7 to 18 is kind of like that. It could change around a little bit. And then when you get beyond that, you have Fitzpatrick Garoppolo. I think guys are who they are, right? I love Fitz. Man, he's been great.

He's like the 15th best passing grade since 2018. So the longer he plays, the better he's been playing. And then when you get to Tua Locke Hertz and those guys, it's just tough. I just haven't seen enough from Tua yet. I really hope with them going all in on Tua this year that he doesn't have to look behind, you know, just the reason Jalen Hertz transferred out of Alabama. It's to his team right now. And this is the year he has to step up.

And I just haven't seen enough from him to really be confident to put him in front of the other guys on that list. And I know I have some rookies up there as well. By the way, you don't have Daniel Jones far from Kyler Murray or Joe Burrell. I mean, to me, it seems like at some point pro football focus thinks, Daniel Jones has something there. Well, I love the weapons and what they have done in New York this offseason. Through the draft, through free agency, I think Joe Judge is a really good coach. I think Daniel Jones, if he can eliminate the boneheaded plays, those interceptions, the sack fumbles,

this guy's got talent. He's a smart quarterback. He's tough. He can make plays with his legs. So I do think there's some hope here. And you've got to remember, too, Colin, this is a big year for Daniel Jones. And Daniel Jones, this is the first time in his short NFL career. He's going back into the same offensive system.

So he doesn't have to learn a new system in an offseason. And that's tough. We heard Tom Brady talk about it, how difficult it is. It's like learning a new offense. All right. Pro football focus. Check it out. Bruce Radkowski.

They rank all 32 starters ahead of the 2021 NFL season. It's good stuff. Bruce, appreciate you stopping by. Thanks. Hey, thanks, Colin. He has Daniel Jones, Joe. Borough, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, all grouped in together. Now, our perception is Herbert's way up here, and Kyler's way up there, and Daniel Jones

is way down there. But to me, I talked to a Giants fan a couple days ago. I said, listen, if you go look at his last five or six games, Giants won five of their last eight games. Giants can play. Giants defense is fine. But the Giants is they don't have a ton of juice on the perimeter. But Darius Slayton, now you bring in Kyle Rudolph, Evan.

Ingram, Sequin Barclay, Sterling Shepard. If he cuts down on the turnovers, Giants are a playoff team. That's a pretty good offensive staff or a group of players. Go to MDrive for Men.com, free shipping, 60-day money-back

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

your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land

while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down.

Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances,

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