The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 05/26/2021 - HOUR 2 - Packers

Episode Date: May 26, 2021

More on the lack of communication between Aaron Rodgers and the PackersWhy a lot of players agree with Rodgers' issues with Green BayGuest: Alex Smith Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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radio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, Hour 2 live in Los Angeles. It's the Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Heard brought to you by Jersey Mike's subs, be a sub above.

In a couple of minutes, we'll bring on Alex Smith. 16 years, multiple Pro Bowls, comeback player of the year, just stepped away from the NFL. Lucky us we get him today. And I can't wait. Joy Taylor is always is joining me as we embark into Hour 2. How are you? I'm great.

That was a great basketball night. Los Angeles. The center of it. Five hours. Clipper season appears to be done, put a fork in it. Lakers season by a thread holding on. I'm telling you, if Chris Paul's not hurt, I think. He looks very.

Oh, he's in pain. Much like he's in pain, yes. And frustrated. Like, they would show him on the sidelines. Like, he's very frustrated. He's not out there. Well, he was my MVP. He's my MVP as well.

Yeah, he didn't get nominated, but he was my thought is the most valuable player in the NBA. Sons. By the way, it is, I grew up when Phoenix was great. It's so nice to see basketball, meaningful basketball in Phoenix again. It's always been, it was the first pro sport in Phoenix, long before the NFL. You know, it was Arizona State football with Frank Cush in the 70s, yelling and screaming at people, and the sons with Paul Westball and Alvin Adams. So it's like, it's good to see meaningful basketball in They showed a little boy going crazy on one of those shots. I was so cute.

I'm like, I love that because he's going to remember that. And that's like the next generation of Sun's fans. And it's great. Yeah. So momentum's a powerful thing. Now because of social media, now more so than ever. Something with a grain of truth, but not necessarily truthful, gain some steam. It's an avalanche on social media.

And people think, oh, that's the truth. LeBron has played basketball mostly in the social media generation. People don't want to do homework. I miss the days of data and truth. We are now in a post-truth society. There's always been this thing with LeBron. He's not clutch. It is, of course, utter nonsense.

People believe in UFOs and there's grainy footage. We have real footage of LeBron winning multiple games in championships with clutch shots, and still people want to believe he's not clutch. did it again last night. Biggest shot of the game. 255 left. Lakers up one. Game can go either way. Here's what transpires. And LeBron, 18, 4 and 8 for him. Carving his way.

LeBron James puts in a beautiful fadeaway. Man, oh man, that is straight butter there by LeBron James. We've got about 50 pieces of video like that. He's clutch. Two others that always stick out to me is, Tom Brady was a system quarterback. They won 11 games with Matt Castle. Okay.

They won 18 the year before, 14 with a blowout, and had a point differential of 315. They looked like a college team. Tom gets hurt. Matt Castle, good dude comes in. They win 11. That's seven less wins. They were blown out multiple times. They did not make the playoffs.

And the point differential was 100. It's Google. You could look it up. He's not a system quarterback. How's the system working this morning in New England? The second thing is Tony Romo's bad in the fourth quarter. He has the second highest fourth quarter passer rating to Russell Wilson in the history football. He has seven more fourth quarter combacks than Aaron Rogers.

But he fumbled that snap on a drizzly day in Seattle and Bill Parcells retired. And everybody thought, look at that. I got a guy's not clutch. Tony Romo was great in the fourth quarter. The highest fourth quarter passer ratings ever. Russell Wilson, Romo Rogers, Young Brady. Yeah, that means that's not one of those bizarre stats that like a journeyman leads a sport. Romo is great in the fourth quarter.

Tom Brady's not a system quarterback. And LeBron James is really, really clutch. It's called Google. You can look up each one. And with that, how lucky are we today? 16 years, three Pro Bowls, multiple awards. Alex Smith suddenly retired is our guest now joining us live. We don't get many live guests since the pandemic.

We've got Alex Smith today. How are you, Alex Smith? You look fantastic. Thank you. Yeah, thank you for having me. It is good to be in person live. It is. Rolling.

Yeah, good to be here. And so let's just talk, first of all. Joy and I had said this because we like you. And I said last year, okay, Alex Smith was on television and I had knots in my stomach. We said this. We're like, okay, this is hard. And I'm thinking, you didn't. You were obviously, but was there a moment for you?

Did you sense the anxiety based on your comeback and the structure of your leg? Did you sense there were a lot of us going, all right, slide, Alex, throw it out of abounds. Did you sense that? You know, first off, I never fully imagined or expected to be in that situation. You know, honestly, I think throughout the recovery, I really thought I'd never get there. I thought the journey would end, you know, the pursuit's great, like, but I'm not actually going to get there. It's just, it's impossible. And, you know, I'm so lucky you just kept going. And then those final steps, though, absolutely were terrifying. I mean, to make the conscious decision when I got the approval to play,

when I got the bill of health, and it's like, well, I'm going to go step back out on a football field deliberately. And when you play quarterback, it's not like a matter of if I get tackled again. I mean, you're going out there to play quarterback. Like, it's going to happen. And then the uniqueness of the year with no preseason,

so I didn't get to do any preseason to kind of test it. In camp, you wear a jersey. So you have this like cape of invincibility out there, you know, like you talk. hard to know what's realistic. It always changes a little bit when you get out there and the bullets are flying. So no doubt, the combination of exhilaration and that feeling of being alive, which is part of the reason I pursued this, you know, to get back to that, but also the just sheer terror, you know, to be out there, I'm going back out and my leg snapped the last time I was out there,

like literally. And, you know, I'm running back out into that environment. So a little crazy, you know, honestly. But an amazing feeling. and the best feeling of all is obviously to get tackled and get back up and know I was okay. To conquer that mentally, you know, the walls that I had built up and really playing football again at the NFL level to be the, you know, for me, my Everest. And to go back and to do that and to really have, you know, to deal with my own kind of self-tout in that moment. It was amazing to kind of push through that and work through that. I love sports. I admit

the only thing I don't like about sports is to see players hurt. So I have never watched your video for the second time. The Tim Crumry video, Joe Thaisman, I refuse to watch it. I can't watch the Louisville basketball player. I can't watch it. I just,

nothing is sadder to me. So your documentary, it's on the shelf. And I keep thinking, no, I don't want to watch it. I don't want to go through that. I don't want to see him hurt. You're a family guy, great family, great kids, great wife.

There had to have been a moment where she's like, honey, no. Like were there really, really deep conversations? Oh, without a doubt, really deep conversations about what do I really want, what do we really want, and why? I'm incredibly lucky because to be honest, when that conversation happened, and, you know, for a long time, football was a thousand steps away. I might as well have been like going to Mars, you know, so sure, like, hey, babe, you're doing great. Let me go, go try. You know, this is great.

And obviously, that was amazing. The real gut check came in those last moments. When I got cleared to play, which I never thought I would get. Where were you? Oh, we had just gotten back. This is in the midst of COVID, you know, there was no off season. So I'd been away still kind of just doing my rehab on my own quietly. No one expected me.

I hadn't had any imaging done in a long time on my leg. We didn't know where I was at from a healing process, my bone. And I go back, this is on the doorstep of camp. You know, a couple weeks before training camp, we go back to D.C. And I get a bunch of imaging done. And I'm really kind of expecting, it had kind of been not great news all along with my actual, my tibia healing. And I'm expecting to hear, you know, it's not in the cards. It's over.

And, you know, expected to walk into that. And then I hear the news. It's the exact opposite. They're incomplete. The team of surgeons and doctors. doctors all were in agreement that I could go play, that I could do anything. And I had never heard those words that like, a clean bill health, you can go do whatever you want from a health standpoint. And I'm like, I can go, I can go ski, snowboard. And they're like, yeah. I'm like,

I can go mountain bike. Yeah, I'm like trying to think of these crazy things. Because for two years, I'd walked around on eggshells, you know, trying not to even slip and fall in the kitchen or getting, you know, out of the shower. And all of a sudden, I'm like, well, I can play tackle football. And they're like, yeah, you want to play. You can play. So leaving that meeting, You know, my wife and I were sitting in there, and then we go sit in the car. And, I mean, yeah, one of the most intimate conversations I've ever had with my wife here. And I'm so excited. I can't get the grin on my face because I've got this clean-bill health that I never thought I'd get again.

At the same time, I'm terrified because football's right there. I mean, that line's right there. And there's the next step. And I just got the green light to take that step. And I'm really scared, and I really want my wife to tell me. what you just said. You know what, babe? Life is good. We're so lucky to be back here. We got your health back. Kids are great. Let's just get on with our life and be done. And for me, mind you, my wife nurse me back to health. The number of hats she wore over this two-year process is crazy. And then in

that moment for her to have the strength to give me the nudge I needed. It's like, no, babe, I think you need to do this. I think for you. I think you're going to have regret if you don't see this through, you know, for two years you've been working your tail off to get to this position. And we're so lucky to be here now. And I think you've got to go do this. And meanwhile, I'm hoping she tells me, let's go, let's be done, retire, you know? And I'm like so. But I needed that. I needed that nudge. So lucky that my wife, to have that kind of strength, I'm not sure I could have done it if the roles were reversed. So thankful for her to kind to kind of give me that push. And, you know, there's been people throughout my recovery process

that have helped me with that kind of continue to keep pushing me when I needed it. All the awards you've won multiple Pro Bowls, what did comeback player of the year award mean? Yeah, I mean, I think the award was special. It's not something I set out to do. Again, I never thought it was realistic. I never thought I'd actually make it back out on a field. What did players say to you during the season?

You know, it was so weird, a ton of support. It was COVID, so there's no fans. So going back to when I played, there was no heightened energy. There were no fans in any of the stadiums, Especially at home games. So it was always a little different from an energy standpoint. But definitely it was amazing to get a lot of the love from, you know, even the opposing teams when I did get to visit with them.

Obviously, I have over 16 years you accumulate a lot of friends across the league. And then my own teammates, you know, they were so amazing throughout that process, supporting me and all the steps, you know, from my first practice rep, you know, to them like the game when I first got the dress and all the way to, you know, obviously getting to start six games. and my teammates there to be with me and to really kind of to be that energy for me and, you know, support me along the way was amazing. And that's also, you know, the big reason you come back is for that

camaraderie. You just can't get that. You can't get that bond anywhere else. And so for me, it was really special. And obviously, the entire year to get to get all of that back and something I never thought I could do again. Alex Smith, joining us for our radio audience. So a couple of questions here. You've had so many connections through the years. Let's start with this one.

This will be a fun one. We both know Urban Meyer. You know him really well. I know him pretty well. What's going to be the hardest part of college to pro? He was your college coach. Yeah, I mean, I think a couple things. The big one's getting everybody to buy in.

You go from dealing with 18 to 20-year-old kids who, and in college football, you're Urban Meyer. You're this big persona. You know, and really you got a lot of control. over these kids, and they're at a pivotal age, and really you can really kind of dictate a lot about these kids buying in and being a part of the program or go packing, you know?

It's not like that the NFL, you know? No, that guy's signed on for five years. 148 million. Hey, that guy's 33, grown, you know, 12-year vet with three kids. Like, you are going to handle guys differently. I don't think that's going to be a problem for Urban. I think he's spent a lot of time studying this. I even think his progression as a college coach,

you know, Utah to Florida and then retiring and then going to Ohio State. I mean, that was a quasi minor league team anyway. Right. So I think he's dealt with those personalities and I think he'll be fine with that. I think guys want to buy in. You know, it's Jacksonville. They were one in 15. Guys want to win.

They want to be a part of the change. It's going to be able to get that momentum going. And the proof is in the pudding. I mean, you got to start winning games and build it. And that's how you keep guys on board. You know, and then a little transition. This is less so. I think this has to do with the timing is the game has changed at the NFL level from an X's no standpoint. When I got drafted, it was a gimmicky college offense that I ran. I was in the shotgun. I was in the shotgun every play. We were running the spread option. I'm reading a defensive end on a run play. That can't be done in the NFL. That was question about you. Yeah. I got to be a pro style quarterback. I mean, now it's like, let's go. What team's not doing that? What team isn't living in the shotgun? Obviously, the timing to get Trevor Lawrence. I think, you know, about as bona fide of a prospect as you can get.

I think all that said, I think that's all stuff that I think Urban's got on his side. So I'm excited for him. He's got, I had a chance to visit with him here since he took the job, and he's got so much energy. I think he's got a plan laid out. I think he's been thinking about this for a long time.

He's not a guy that makes rash decisions. He's incredibly smart, incredibly thoughtful. I'm so excited to see what he's going to do. That was probably the hardest part with me stepping away, potentially was, you know, that excited me to potentially go down there and be a part of that, you know, but I'm excited to watch what happens. I think he's got a great plan and a good shot at it. He's the best offensive coach in college football history, in my opinion, the most creative.

Then you go to the NFL with Andy Reid, who is, to me, the best play designer in league history. give me the moment, the epiphany, the car ride, the connection to Andy Reid, and you're like, oh, so this is what it's all about. This guy really is different as an offensive coach. Yeah, there were probably a couple times, you know, forever from the outside. I'm like, oh, he's this traditional West Coast offense. You know, he runs the West Coast. And I'd been in the West Coast before I got in Andy, and a lot of times it's very stringent. Like, here's your playbook.

This is what we're running. Right. And we're trying to get players to match this playbook. you know like it got formed obviously in the in the nineer days we need a guy to play z like jerry rice and we need a guy to play x like john taylor and you know like we got to get the pieces to fit into this playbook because this is what we're running and we've been running it for 20 plus years you know it works and then you get there with with andy and he i mean obviously he knows his ball but yeah we're running these core west coast principles but i mean we're doing them all

over the place and shifts in motions and he's he is fearless in constant and he's he is fearless in constantly evolving. And for me, that was like a huge wake-up call. I mean, I know we're saying this is West Coast. We're not in a shotgun. We got a fly sweep guy. We got, you know, Tyree Kills running this, and Kelsey's running this, and how much fun that was, you know, and I think how much coach loves teaching. Like at his core, he's a teacher. Yes, he is. And he loves that. And I know that was a big thing, obviously, is he came from Philly, you know, wearing kind of multiple hats as a GM and doing the roster stuff, really stepping away from that because he wanted to get back to teaching, you know, And to hear my first install, when Coach Reid does the install, he's a head coach, he's installing the plays in front of the entire offense.

And this guy can coach the left tackle, the center, the quarterback, the running back, the stance and route running of the receivers. I mean, there's not a position on offense that Coach Reed can't coach and knows his stuff about, the fundamentals, the things that actually make a difference. You know, and for me, forever as a quarterback, you throw a ball high, the course you're going to hear, you got to get it down. you know and I'm like I'm an NFL quarterback like of course I know I got to get down you know you throw it out in front you got to put it on him yeah thanks you know like I knew that already coach Reid is one of the first guys to constantly be like well well why was that ball high you know maybe you were you were a little too spread apart right here with your legs let's be getting back into a lot of position teaching constantly like well helping me helping me get the ball down you know

like not just stating the obvious so uh that's what I loved about him and he loves ball I mean that's contagious when your when your head coach just loves football he loves coming to work. He loves being around the guys. That feeds out throughout the building. So Alex Smith, joining us if you're listening on radio. What a pleasure for us. It could take you for next four hours. We should just cancel the rest of the programming today. Let's talk to Alex Smith. So, you know, we've been talking about the Jordan Love situation. There was a pandemic, no preseason. I have no idea what he looks like. But I do believe that if somebody is special, you see glimpses of it. So Peter Schrager had told me a year and a half. Mahomes was like in camp, like the first

OTA, and he's like, I'm hearing stuff about Mahomes. And I'm like, well, he better be pretty good because Alex Smith has made the playoffs. So go back to the first couple of practices with Mahomes. Did you see the magic? Oh, without a doubt that year, you knew he could play football. I think again, going back, it's hard as a quarterback when you got the jersey on. and you're in practice and you're untouchable to really kind of fully see how that translates at the field, especially with Patrick, who a lot of the play, a lot of the magic happens for him, off script,

and he's so good at it and has such great instinct. So you could see that on the field. And then he saw the confidence, I think. For me, I remember like midway through the year, and we would compete at everything, like quarterbacks. It was a fun, fun time there. Coach Nagy was still there, and we're rolling. We would compete hard.

You know, we'd be doing an individual drill and just, you know, it was like who could beat who over there. And I remember, you know, he jumps in for some reps running scout team against our defense. And we had a good defense at the time. And like, I remember the first couple of times he starts whipping around no look passes. And you're like, that's not, that's not normal. You know, like just from a confidence standpoint, like who has the confidence to this like whipping in no look slants? Like, the only guy I've ever seen that's Brett Farr, ever do something like that. And really then, you know, that final game, week 17, to watch him. You know, we have.

clenched and we couldn't we couldn't do any better so I wasn't playing and he got he got to go out and play and to see it live in action I mean it was like yeah this kid's got it because I don't care what your physical tools are at the NFL level and obviously his are special but you you got to have you got have it up here you got to be able to process fast you got to be able to play fast and and really it's a mental game at the NFL level and and Patrick had it and you know and that was clear I think throughout the season his work habits he could process it and information and then you know you you obviously pair that with like a crazy skill set and you know this is what we've gotten the guy that i really think one of the unique players in NFL history especially to

today you know winning the MVP that early on and in a super bowl so uh fun it's fun to watch i mean even for me just to have like a little sliver to have been there with it with him in his rookie year it's it's fun i'm such a big fan of patrick's and also just because of the person he is he's such a great dude i mean especially in the face of this kind of limelight um and stardom to have maintained the good person that he is is even, you know, I think makes it more special. Final question. How surprised are you how ugly Aaron Rogers and the Packers has become?

Surprised? It's inexcusable. It's absolutely, I think. What do you mean? How they ever got to this point. I mean, Aaron's been there 16 years what he's given to that organization and been there. and for them, I think, to what happened last year during the draft, and I haven't talked to Aaron about this,

so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but clearly to watch the interview and him talk about, it's about the people. And it is, and Aaron's been there that long, and I don't think it was the fact that they drafted Jordan Love in the first round. I mean, I think of the fact that you just, how do you have a guy like Aaron, and you don't go make sure beforehand you aren't going out of your way

to make sure that he knows that he's loved, that they want him there, that we may be taking a question, quarterback in the first round. We want to make sure you're okay with it. This is maybe what we're doing. We're thinking, I mean, how you haven't treated him the right way leading up to that? And the fact that, from my understanding, it's kind of like it was a bit of an unknown, a bit blindsided. You go from potentially thinking you may be taking a receiver, you know, you're thinking you're a move away from the Super Bowl. Right. And then blindsided with a pick.

I just don't understand an organization. How is he, you haven't, how are you having addressed that beforehand when you make a move like that and really made sure that everything is tightened up and everybody's feeling good about that because if it's not, you're not doing it in my opinion. You're just not. It's just not the way you run a business. It's not

the way you're treating people. 16 years this guy's been there. You were on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and you don't go out of your way to communicate that and to show that he's, you know, that hey, you're wanted. This may be something we're doing, sorry. And, you know, but like, you don't make sure that everybody's on the same page and

feeling good about that? I think, you know, it's not just football. That's any business or team. Yeah. Did Kansas City give you a heads up on the homes? Yes, without a doubt. With 100%. That's something that was talked about throughout the draft process, not just by Coach Reed, everybody involved in the personnel apartment. Yeah, with, and I mean, and I'm talking multiple times, hey, this really might be something we're doing. Are you okay with it? This is going to be the situation. This is, I mean, you know, like, there were no surprises. I mean, it was, it was absolutely laid out for me. And I think that all helps. You know, that when that stuff's communicated, it does make a difference how you treat people. Yeah. Hey, what a pleasure to have you today.

Yeah, thanks for having me. It's good to be here. It feels so lucky to have you. You've been such a credit to the league. And whether you go to a front office or a broadcaster or coaching, don't go to coaching. You own life. Your kids are at the person. I'm not sure my wife would let me. But Alex, thank you so much. Yeah, thanks for having me. Thanks, thanks Colin. You bet. Good stuff. Hard to follow that. We will try. Want 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, Clipper 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 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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you 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 Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

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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? Or 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, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. The Uso's face the street profits for the first time ever. Will Jimmy and Jay be able to get on the same page or will they get the smoke? It's an all-new Friday nights back down. Live at 8 Eastern 7 Central on Fox. How great was that Alex Smith, I think, endeared himself to Aaron Rogers a little bit, saying how the Packers are treating him and the lack of communication is just totally unacceptable.

I haven't talked to a pro athlete yet, texted one or talked to one that doesn't agree. So I think Alex Smith put it out there. And that's why the media has overwhelmingly supported Aaron. You get rid of his quarterback coach, you don't tell him. Jordy Nelson, he asked to read about it on a blog. You've got to talk to stars. They're stars, they're important. Aaron Rogers has sold so many seats and gotten you on so many games.

The Packers were not on TV much in the 80s. And then Farvin Aaron Rogers happened. And they built that brand, which had kind of died. Nobody. Green Bay wasn't even on television when I was a kid. They were so bad in the 80s. It was Cowboys and Niners and Bears and Bears. And these organizations that get like a Tim Duncan or San Antonio's not on TV anymore.

Nobody cares. You know how many jerseys, Duncan and Rogers and Farve and Brady can sell? God take care of them a little bit. It's not babying somebody to communicate with them. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Sponsored by Mercedes-Bets, the best or nothing. I'm glad Alex said that. Yeah. Because he'd be the one person you'd want to ask about that, really. He is the example that everybody points to about why that's successful with Patrick Mahomes. And he said there was ultimate communication. The only reason you wouldn't communicate is if you're insecure and you feel like star player thinks he's better than me. Be like, yeah, he is.

Or you just want to try. want to try the, you know, ask for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. Because maybe this is something you really want to do. And you're afraid if you talk to Aaron Rogers about it and he says no, then you are going to lose the power to be able to do it. Then you're going to, then if you do it, then it's really a problem. Yeah. So you weigh the risk of maybe he'll be cool with it.

And he wasn't. That's why you need to communicate. So Chris Paul battled through the shoulder injury. He's sustained in game one against the Lakers to play in game two. But he's clearly not 100% right now. He started the game, but only played 23 minutes and scored only six points in the loss. And after the game, head coach Monty Williams said CP3 was laboring through the injury. And it was obvious he was not able to play at the level he wanted to.

He did have three rebounds and five assists as well. I mean, he's 36 years old in the 16th season. So as we know, those bumps that you take during these big time games are a little harder to come back to after you have the miles on. you and this is his only health issue. So it's not like he's laboring through other injuries that we know of at least as well. So they have until Thursday to try and get him back up and running, but they really obviously needed him last night down the stretch. It was a great game and very competitive.

But, I mean, at the end of the game, Lakers defense kicked in. And that's what ended up winning them, winning them the game in a very close game. I still think it's going to be a long. series, but them not having Chris Paul out there, obviously hurt them. So Aaron Rogers is not in Green Bay for the Packers OTAs this week, has tensions between the two sides continue to rise, but despite all of the drama off the field, Matt Lathor is still hoping the team can work things out with Rogers. Right now, there's things that are in your control and there's certain things that are out of your control. Aaron definitely knows how we feel about him, you know, how he's such an important

part to our football team, such an important part to our organization. And, you know, we're just going to continue to try to work through this and hopefully can get them back in the building at some point. I know that fans are going to side with the team, especially when you're talking about the Packers, you know, some other organizations or some other fan bases, you know, say like the Patriots might be a little more inclined to be the fan of an individual over the team. And I do think as a society, that's something that has changed because, you know, growing up, you watch the team that was on TV. Like, you didn't have Sunday tickets. You didn't have the NBA League pass, MLB network. Like, you couldn't just watch teams in other cities. You watch what you were given.

Right. Exactly. So you were a fan of that organization. Like, if a player left, you may never see them play again, like ever. So there is a bit of a shift in society where people are of fans of more of individuals than they are of the actual organizations. Yeah. But in a place like Green Bay, that loyalty is going to lie with the organization. So from the fan basis perspective, I understand why they would feel upset or burned. And it's a different mentality. You know, it's not Los Angeles where everybody's on to the next opportunity.

It's not New York where everything's moving and shaking. You know, it is a different place. Like there's different loyalties. Pittsburgh is different loyalties like than other places. So I get it from the family. perspective. From the organization's perspective, I do not. Because as Alex said, you just communicate and don't get so, don't get so conceited to think that you're the reason, that the organization is the reason why you're having success. Everything, one hand shakes the other, but the talent on the

field is what makes this engine go. Steve Jobs was at Apple. Top of the world. They left. All those engineers in the building, all those geniuses in the building, Apple plummets. Steve comes back takes it to the top. Even at a company with Stanford grads and MIT grads and Caltech grads and Princeton grads, the world's best engineers, one guy left wasn't the same company. There's just not much great in the world in any sector. Yes. Yes. And that is what I keep screaming about. There's not a lot of great. Talent is important. You can have the structure. You can have the platform. You can have the organization. You can have the culture. At the end of the day, if you don't have that special talent, you're just going to be good, not great. And if your aim is to be good,

happy for you. Like, people are comfortable with that. In a competitive business, though, good is not good enough. You have to be great. There's like six people on earth, and that's debatable that can do what Aaron Rogers does. So you're just going to have to work it out. That's the way it goes. So Tray Lance is already proving to his new 49ers teammates that he was the right choice, my third overall pick in the draft. George Kittle has been keeping an eye on the rookie's performance during OTAs this week. Kittle, who's very fond of Jimmy Gropolo and always speaks very glowingly of him. And he said he's impressed so far. He looks a little bit better than a rookie quarterback. You know, he's out there. He's slinging it. I was really excited yesterday. He made like,

he made an awesome throw on a play action. You know, he found, uh, he found my rookie Josh Peterson on a, on a, on a far corner is what we call it on a rollout, which is like the last guy you'd throw it to on the play. And the fact that he found him in his first ever rollout was pretty cool. We ask guys all the time, when did you see the spark? When did you, when could you tell? How early could you tell if this guy could play? So I don't want to make too much of it, but that is a promising comment by George Kittle. So Trey Lance played 17 college games, has played one game a year and a half, second, third practice, who!

Jordan Love played 31 college games, was already in the organization for a year. And yesterday, Matt LaFleur said, a long way off, that would leave me with anxiety if I was a fan of the Packers in Lambo. Right? Like I, you can't, you can't fool players. Coaches fall in love with guys, front offices fall in love with guys. Players don't. Players don't care. You can play or you can't. It's just as simple as that. I think it's a big compliment by George Kittle. Yeah. And again, talent pops. We said the American Idol. You. You know, used to be on Fox for a decade. I'm not a music exec.

You could watch 10 seconds of somebody and go, that is a recording artist. Or he is not. That is a lounge singer. 10 seconds. You could see it. A year at Green Bay practices. And it's, well, he's got a little zip on it,

but a long way off. When I say the ball's jumping out of his hand? Firework show. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. If you didn't hear it,

Alex Smith was on our show, talked about the Packer situation. I'll replay that 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 I-Hard Radio app. What's up, everyone?

It's me, three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Murray. And I have a new sports podcast called the Lights Out Podcast with Sean Murray. This podcast, This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, 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 you're just so you're not. But just so you 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 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. Limited time shopped the Memorial Day sale, 15% off everything you need for cooler, better sleep, including the new Casper Cooling Collection. Go to casper.com slash promo for details. So Alex Smith was on for 25 minutes earlier and we talked about a variety of things. His health, his comeback. Urban Meyer, who was his college coach, Andy Reed, didn't have time to ask him about Jim Harbaugh. I wanted to get to that but didn't have time.

And then we asked him if he was surprised with the animosity and kind of the angst suddenly around Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers. It's inexcusable. It's absolutely, I think. How they ever got to this point. I mean, Aaron's been there 16 years what he's given to that organization. been there. And for them, I think, to what happened last year during the draft, and I haven't talked to Aaron about this, so I don't want to put words in his mouth,

but clearly to watch the interview and him talk about it, it's about the people. And it is, and Aaron's been there that long, and I don't think it was the fact that they drafted Jordan Love in the first round. I mean, I think of the fact that you just, how do you have a guy like Aaron, and you don't go make sure beforehand you aren't going out of your way

to make sure that he knows that he's loved, that they want him there, that we may be taking a quarterback in the first round. We want to make sure you're okay with it. This is maybe what we're doing. We're thinking, I mean, how you haven't treated him the right way leading up to that? And the fact that, from my understanding, it's kind of like it was a bit of an unknown, a bit blindsided.

How you haven't addressed that beforehand when you make a move like that and really made sure that everything is tightened up and everybody's feeling good about that? Because if it's not, you're not doing it. In my opinion, you're just not. It's just not the way you run a business. It's not the way you're treating people. Alex Smith acknowledged after that that the chiefs multiple times, multiple times gave Alex a heads up.

We may move up to get a quarterback. He said it happened. Personnel people, coaches, front office, probably even the Hunt family. Hey, we may do this, just simple communication. You know, it's interesting. Having worked in the corporate world for now, you know, 25 years is corporations always use this phrase. Well, we don't want to set a precedent.

Well, Aaron Rogers is the precedent. Russell Wilson is the precedent. No other Seahawks can go, well, whoa, well, you paid Russell Wilson that. What about me? Well, you're not Russell Wilson. No other Packer, including Devante Adams. Aaron Jones, great players, can go, well, why you let Aaron do this? Well, he's Aaron.

He's Aaron Rogers. You need to treat Troy Aikman different. Remember what Jimmy Johnson's great quote? There were rules. Somebody once fell asleep in a team meeting and he was cut. And somebody said, well, what happens if Troy Aikman would have fallen asleep in a team meeting? And Jimmy said, I'd just woken him up. Make sure he'd pay attention because he was Troy Akeman.

like corporations get real well there's a precedent sometimes you have employees that you have to break precedent and and i've watched it happen 10 times in 25 years like just pony it up just do it there is no again even when farve left the feeling is well you had rogers but rogers had sat for three years and I think went six and ten in his first year. So Fav is great as Aaron Rogers is. It was hard

that first year without Brett Fav. So you think Jordan loves as good as Aaron Rogers? Aaron could sit for three years, still struggled as a rookie quarterback. I mean, not rookie being first year he played. So,

you know, I think you just, you just change rules for certain people. He's Interen Rogers. Just make it. I said this about Russell Wilson. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks were more known for their fans than any of their players. Pete Carroll had been fired twice, 7 to 9, 7 and 9.

Had to win or he was out. Fired third time NFL. Russell Wilson arrived. He was a team Kai, go Hawks for seven, six years. Finally, he said, get me better players. and Pete Carroll is smart enough to go, let's get him better players. That's what you've got to do.

I don't understand the pushback on it. And it's this idea that you're going to make an exception for something or you're going to expand how you do something for one particular player and all of a sudden it's going to be the floodgates. Everybody's not that great. So to your point, how can it be the floodgates? How is everyone going to start asking for that? Everybody is not Aaron Rogers.

That's the reason you treat Aaron Rogers like Aaron Rogers. That's the reason why Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, are now good because they were smart enough to realize, oh, wait a minute. It's just like pump the brakes a little bit. This is Russell Wilson. There's no other Russell Wilson. There's no other Aaron Rogers. Sometimes people aren't replaceable.

This idea that you're just supposed to just cattle push everybody through. That's not the reality. Howard Stern left FM radio. It died. Like it died. Like now it's like you just go listen to music on Sirius XM. Or wherever you want to listen to it. I mean, wherever that place is you want to listen to it, you know, any eye heart, Spotify,

wherever you want to go. Like, there are people that you just have to bend the rules. It's okay. Owners bend the rules for themselves all the time. It's okay. We know how the game works. All right. Hour number three.

Around the corner, it's the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman 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 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. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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. Before it was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fourth.

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, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.