The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 06/24/2021 - HOUR 3 - Suns, NFL

Episode Date: June 24, 2021

The reasons why the Suns are playing so well in the playoffsColin lists his 10 best NFL playersGuest: Olden Polynice Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J.

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

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hi, here we go. Hour number three live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

I was not watching baseball last night. Did they do the frisking thing again last night? Was that all over baseball? I did not see a baseball game last night. I did not see a baseball game either, but from what I am hearing and reading, the frisking will continue because it was effective. Yeah, I mean... I don't know. I disagree.

At this point, if you're willing to go out to the mound with that tack, it's fascinating story, is that, you know, the steroid thing lasted forever. Baseball put their head in the sand. Baseball denied it. Then they did it, and they did a poor job. The tack thing got a lot of talk early this year, and they have gone right after it. No, I mean, I don't think that they should ignore it or not be aggressive about trying to stop it.

You shouldn't allow, you know, cheating or, you know, just unfair advantages in a sport. But can you do it in a way where we're not de-pantsing in the middle of the field? Yeah, the aesthetics are not good. It's a bad look for baseball. I mean. Yeah. Shaking their pants off in the middle of the field. It's happening.

It's embarrassing. And the players are sort of, it's insane. The players are essentially mocking the sport. The players are making. Okay, but listen, it looks ridiculous, but they're not wrong. Like you have umpires going up and like frisking them in the middle of the field. Like can you do it in the dugout? Can you find a more effective way to check them?

And you can do it multiple times. A manager can say multiple times he's touching his belt, he's touching this and that. So it's just not great. But the thing is, is because of the decade-long steroid cheating and because of the Astros scandal. There were rumors about both and nobody did anything. So this, the minute, like the Wall Street Journal came out and there were stories about it, baseball was like, okay, we're stopping it right now.

And we're going to throw all of our law enforcement at it in the middle of a season. We're not waiting. And I think a lot of that is because baseball was more, they weren't quite as aggressive with the astro rumors and with the steroid rumors. So now they're not going to make that same mistake a third time. And they're going all in. And when you react to something quickly, it's a little. little clunky, and right now baseball is going through the clunky stage of policing their pitchers.

It is clunky. But the tech stuff does work. Yeah, no, they should be aggressive about it. But just not in the way that, you know, might result in us having indecent exposure during a game. That's a great point. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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. Cliver 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 a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 y'allon, 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. 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. Olden Paulinease played in the NBA for 15 years.

actually one of his teammates was Nate McMillan who is now coaching the Atlanta Hawks. And Olden has had a camp down in Long Beach. It's called Olden Paulinease's pro camp. And Javelle McGee, when he was a little kid, a little younger kid, went to that camp. And he was wearing Olden's shoes not long after that, Javelle McGee. So I had just talked to him during the break and say, ever have any really good players? And Javelle McGee is one of those guys.

So Olden Paulynees now joining us from Long Beach just down the road here, about 49. You know, it is funny. You played. I remember Nate McMillan. He was a defensive-minded guy. He was scrappy. He was tough. He was out of North Carolina State.

And it's funny, they gave him the Atlanta job, Olden. And Atlanta wasn't a great defensive team earlier in the year, and they become a better defensive team. And, I mean, obviously we're all talking about Trey Young. But Nate McMillan, they were a sub-500 team, basically. When he got the job, they weren't very good. Talk a little about Nate and what he had. adds to a locker room? Well, Nate has been a coach, even when he was playing, he was a coach, and that's the one thing we loved about Nate being his teammate. He knew the other team's

plays. He knew how to get guys in position. He wouldn't start to play unless everybody was in their spots. And I think the toughness and tenacity that he brings, also the fact that he is a really good coach as far as, like, communicating with these players. And a lot of times, we forget that the generations change and you can't stay your same individual self. You have to change and morph into what it is. You may not like it or agree with it, but you do have to change. And I think that's what he's done. Perfect example is what he's done with Trey Young. He didn't tell Trey Young not to shoot long threes. He just said, hey, there's a time and a place for it. And Trayon bought into that.

Yeah, no, it's a really good point. You've got to be able to, we've seen this in the NFL with Bill Belichick. He, with Cam Newton, he put his arms around him. Cam's the opposite of Brady, but he's like, listen, these are new players. They have new attitudes. I've got to put my arms around him, to your point. It is, it's funny. You played with the Clippers on two different occasions, and you've been in these

playoff wars before. The sons, Chris Paul's just sitting around rested. The sons got rid of the Lakers. fast, rested. The Clippers are now in a seven-gamer, in a seven-gamer. Now, Kauai's out. Paul George, you are a clippers guy, but

do they or do they not look exhausted at times at the end of these games? They do look very exhausted, specifically, Paul George. You know, he's logging a lot, a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibility. And it kind of showed, I thought, in the free throws.

He's a 90% free throw shooter, but I think it was just him being tired more than anything else. He didn't choke like a lot of people are saying. I think he was just really tired. So when he missed the first one, he tried to overcompensate the second one and then brick into McEl Bridges' hands.

And that's when you know that he was tired because the force of that second shot. And normally it's just a soft hit, but it really ricocheted long. So I know he's exhausted. You know, you called the sons earlier, we had talked about this. You know, it's really interesting, Olden.

You've got all these young players, and they're all like peaking. And so, you know, like last year, Miami, the Miami Heat get to the finals, and you're like, it was a little lightning in the bottle. The Easter's weaker. They were just kind of really hot,

but I don't know if we bought into Miami long term. I watch Phoenix, and I'm like, oh, this is sustainable. These guys, like Booker's a star. You tapped into this about a month ago. You were big on the sons. Why? I was big on the sons because of Devin Booker, DeAndra Aiton, and Chris Hall.

Chris Hall was that missing piece, that stable veteran leadership. But I looked around and saw what they needed and how this NBA game is played. Deontra Aitin is a prototypical big. He can make threes, but he does not rely on it. He doesn't shoot them at a convention. system level like Janice or some of these other guys Embed who wants to stand out there and shoot

threes so he's taking the route of I'm dominating inside so now it's putting pressure on defenses Devon Booker is an all-star he's a superstar in the making and McCall Bridges, Jay Crotter give him toughness on the wings

which is what you need in the NBA long-armed wing defenders that can also score but again Chris Hall was the key. He was the difference maker. You know, olden, a lot of guys, a lot of veteran players say he's a pain in the butt. But every time he plays with young guys, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Phoenix, young guys,

they gravitate to him. Is it possible that Chris is just his personality? He's built to be a mentor for younger rosters. Of course he is. And that's what the older guys get mad about because Chris Paul's a leader. But they want him because you got to remember Chris came into different situations when he went into Houston. So now James Harden was the leader of that team supposedly. But Chris Paul is a natural born leader.

And so for him to take a back seat to James Harden, it was not conducive to that team. And so they started budding heads. And to me, it happened also with OKC. So it's like it's just situations like that. Born leader wants to leave. And when he has the younger players, they gravitate towards him, and he does a heck of a job. You know, you played on the Kings, the Sonics, Clippers, twice, jazz pistons. We were talking about Steph Curry.

He's a free agent. He could leave, right, pretty quickly here. And it's funny, even though you bounced around, you probably, ideally, would have preferred to stay with it, like, the Kings or a SuperPsonics. When you look at a Steph Curry, what would you tell a young player? I saw a story last week. Zion, his family wants. him out of New Orleans. And Luca's all feisty in Dallas.

All your experience, what would you tell a Luca or a Zion or an older player, Steph? Because you were the classic NBA player. You moved around for teams who needed you. Yes. And it was a great situation.

It's funny, at the camp, one of the kids asked me, what was your favorite team? I said, every last one of them, because it meant I was in the NBA. You know, and as long as I'm playing in the NBA, it didn't matter. what team I was on. I enjoyed all of them. Now for Zion and Luca, remember this.

Family and business do not mix at all. At all. Tell them to stay out of your business. Bottom line is you're getting paid to work, do your job. If you're not happy, figure it out. But that's between you and your representative.

Don't let your family get involved in the basketball business. Because everybody wants to think they know everything about the game. And honestly, they don't. So those guys need to settle down. Try to be like, you know, Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant, those guys, Tim Duncan, who play with one organization.

Build that team into your likeness if you want to, but don't grovel, don't complain. Don't make a mess out of your career. Because you could end up, you could end up somewhere which is worse than where you are. So you liked

every play. You never had a situation where you were like, ah, get me out of here. No. I loved them all because I was, like I said, I was playing. And so did I have problems? Yes. Was I not happy sometimes? Of course. But that comes with like playing time and everything else because I want to play. So what did I do? I go to a job manager. I talk to him. If he doesn't want to deal with it, you know, then I go to a coach. But there's a way to deal with this stuff. You just try to make the best of it because, again, it's still the best job in the world.

you get to play basketball for a living. Guys need to relax. It's not that big of a deal. Okay, it's called Pro Camp. Show your shirt there with Olden Paulinez in Long Beach. Fifteen years, my friend. Oh, this way. I can tell your voice is hoarse from yelling at those kids.

Yes, I'm done. Get in the chair position, play defense. Not all about shooting threes. Good seeing you, man. Oh, my goodness. Thank you, Colin. All right. Olden Paulineese.

He told us during the break. He said, I've been yelling at kids all day. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Nothing better than kids' sports camps. Oh, they're crazy.

I used to love going to camps. Popsicles. Soccer camp, basketball camp. You went to all of, yeah, but you were like a, weren't you the, you won most likely to succeed, best athlete in your school and something out. No, I won best athlete in Homecoming Queen. that doesn't know what that doesn't that's never happened before in the history of american high school that's not the way it works homecoming queen does not win best athlete how big was your school it was a big school so in the whole 700 kids you got queen and sports queen uh well i didn't i didn't actually care about homecoming queen i was i mean it was cool um but i didn't care about that but winning i was like i wanted to win most athletic i was going to be upset you're a track person track basketball volleyball soccer

Did you, how do you do that? Like, you're the Peyton Manning of Women. I loved being at practice. And I loved being at games. Like, that's just what I did every day after school. What did you do in track? Sprints. I hated distance.

Sprints. All right. I did hurdles when I was younger and then I realized that was not my thing. I was going to say high jump. They actually, they put me in high jump and like, because they make you try every event. And they put me in high jump, like, in practice in like seventh grade. And I was like, I mean. What's the point?

Do I look like a high jumper to you? No. So a little bit of news before we get to the updates. Chris Paul available tonight. So he will be playing. So the line on this is like one. It was one and a half. The sun's are favored by on Fox Bet.

So I don't know if that changes. Well, I mean, I think the Clippers win tonight, but this could change everything. You have a tired LA team and a well-rested. Chris Paul. This is going to be the only hope for the... Yeah, because he's not injured. No, he's just sitting home, having Gatorade. I mean, seriously, Clippers are worn out. Here comes healthy. By the way, Phoenix's roster is also younger. So these guys... And they've had a lot more rest than the Clippers had. This is a handful for the Clippers. So Steph Curry has one year left on his contract with the Warriors. And if an extension is not agreed upon, he'll be a free agent next summer.

There were some rumors that LeBron was trying to recruit him. He was speaking very highly of Steph Curry lately. Yes, hasn't he? Well, Warriors owner Joe Lacob is not worried about LeBron trying to take his star player away. My full expectation is that Steph will be with us for the remainder of his career. I think he wants that. We want that. I think we all want to see what it looks like right now with the drafting free agency first. I think that just makes sense. See where we're going and Steph sees where we're going. Yeah, I'm kind of with Mark Medina. I don't think that you can eliminate anything in today's NBA, but it does feel like Steph

is going to finish his career. And also, he's going to age well. You know, like, we've seen Westbrook age kind of poorly because it's a shooter's leave. He's not a shooter. He relied on athletic ability. But like when you watch, like Dame is going to age well. And Steph's going age well. When you can shoot like that, you guys can shoot forever. Well, also, if it was a situation where, you know, you kind of felt like, oh, the ownership, it's a little uneasy. That's good. They're making a lot of moves that you can't expect. Blaine. He's having to carry everybody. Like, that's not the case.

Warriors are very well run. It's his city. It's his organization. He's the face. What are you going to get by leaving? And they got two draft picks, as we noted, 7 and 14 in a good draft. I don't know that they'll win another championship, but why not?

Like, they're in the playing game with just Steph last year. They're getting everybody back. They're going to continue to make moves. They have two picks, seven and 14 in this year's first round of the draft. They can make moves. why would you leave? Unless he just has a desire to see what another experience is like, which what is the value in that,

I don't see him leaving. Like there are situations where, you're like, okay, like Dame, okay. It's Dame City, it's Dame's team, he's the star, but they can't get him what he needs to get to a championship. Like there's no question that Dame is not the problem there. So if Dame left, even though it would be sad for the organization and sad for the fans,

it would be understandable. Like, okay, no, I don't think game will leave either, but we will see that. Yeah, you can see that possibly happen. But the Warriors, they're not that far away. No, it just doesn't make any sense. So the Patriots drafted Mack Jones, expecting him to be the team's quarterback of the future. Obviously, they have Cam Newton returning in his second year with the team. And Dion Sanders believes this is Cam's last chance to win a starting role in the league.

If I know Cam, though, he's going to be ready to compete. I don't know how long are they going to give him. But Cam is going to be ready to compete. Because this is it. This is it. This is it. You don't get this one. It's a wrap.

And I think Cam is ready to compete. I don't necessarily disagree with him. No, I mean, I always said Cam is a little bit like Westbrook. He would age poorly because the league has been built differently. NBA built for shooters. Westbrook does everything well but that. The NFL has become a high efficiency league. You complete 67, 68 percent of your throws.

Cam complete 60. And he was a power running quarterback. And so he's not, you know, there's value to him, but he had a very small market the last time. He's off a bad year. I do think, I think New England would love to play Mac Jones if they saw it. But I just think there's going to be such a gap between Cam and Mac for such a part of this season. And then all of a sudden you wake up and you're in a playoff race. And do you want to insert Mac Jones in week 13?

New England is very interesting because they're not, I don't think, as far off as people think they are. Now, generally, when you spend a lot of money in free agency, it tends to be fools gold. But they had eight players opt out last year. Cam got there very late. We know what happened with COVID. So it was a very clunky year for New England. I don't think that's going to be the case. Cam has a whole off season now.

He's healthy. He was 68% completion percentage. two and one record before he got COVID and was out, five and seven record when he came back. Like it's not like he didn't have a great year, but there are lots of reasons, not excuses reasons why it went the way it did. If Justin Fields was who the Patriots drafted.

Yeah. Trevor Lawrence. Then I think Cam would be in trouble for his starting job. Yeah. He is at this moment a great power-running quarterback for a team with a good old line, capable backs, that has complementary tight ends and wide receivers. He actually fits this offense.

Yes. Ball control, and that's what he does. But I think to Deon's point, if he loses his job to Mac Jones not due to injury this year, because that's the only way I see Mac Jones getting out there this year, then he will probably be a backup moving forward. Yeah, I think that's. Yeah. wasn't that big before coming. Yeah, he'll be a backup. And you're not going to build your

franchise around him at this point. So Justin Fields, speaking of Justin Fields, is going on vacation with his family before training camp starts next month, but he's taking no days off. He wants to keep preparing for his rookie season during his time away. For me, it's like if I go a day without getting better in one way, whether it's, you know, mentally, physically, I feel lazy and I feel like I'm not, you know, doing enough to, you know, accomplish what I accomplish. So for me personally, I have to do something, you know, football related, whether you're studying my plays for 45 minutes an hour, working out, I have to do something to feel like I'm just, you know, being productive. Football guy. Looks so young.

He is young. I know. He looks so young. I don't like to think about it. You know, speaking of like me being in high school, I don't like to think about how much older I am than these guys. It's crazy. Like I'm coming up on my, almost my 20th reunion. He looks 17.

I know. It's crazy. I can't wait. Cannot wait to watch him. And they're just walking right into the NFL, killing the mic. It's great. Face of organizations. I love it.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, F.S1 and the I Heart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the

fifth hour with Ben Mallor, along with my trusty sidekick, David Gascon, would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR. Why should you

listen? Picture, if you will, a world, when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the Fifth Hour with Ben Mather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, 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 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, Cliver 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 Clivert 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 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 a here.

unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, 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.

Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. 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 iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Summers here. Get active. Shed pounds. MDrive, boost and burn. Free shipping. MDrive for men.com. I just found out Kenny Main is older than me and I'm shocked by it. I have no, I cannot believe Kenny Maine is older than me.

And he's going to be like, how did I get involved in this? Poor Kenny Maine. He's sitting back. Somebody's going to walk up to him today in Seattle. You're a coward's banging. You say you're an old man. Didn't say that. All right.

So pro football focus is doing the best 50 players in the NFL. It's positionless. Yes. Just who's the best players in the league dominant for their position? I disagree with a lot of what they have. Russell Wilson and Josh Allen too low, DAC too high, blah, blah, blah. So they haven't gotten to their final 10 yet.

So before they did. tomorrow morning. I'm going to give you my 10 best football players in the NFL. Number 10. Kaleel Mack. We think he's a sack guy. He actually has forced 23 fumbles since he entered the league. That's

number one. And you get the sacks. And he's been a pro bowler every year in the NFL. I didn't think he was at his best last year. 10th best player in the league, Khalil Mack. Number nine. Quentin Nelson in 1,100 snaps.

allowed one sack. And that's with Philip Rivers as your quarterback, who has the mobility of this water bottle. So he is the best interior offensive lineman, I believe in the NFL, pro bowler all three years in the league. Number eight. Aaron Rogers, most seasons with 40 plus touchdown passes. He was the highest graded passer last year.

Now, I have his issue sometimes with his personality. He's prickly. He's not always the easiest guy to coach. but I have him at eight. Number seven. I think Devante Adams is the second best receiver in the NFL. I do not believe Aaron Rogers is the second best quarterback in the NFL. Devante Adams led the NFL in touchdowns, receiving yards, receptions per game.

He was the highest-squitted wide receiver in the NFL last year. I think the best packer is actually Devonte Adams. Number six. DeAndre Hopkins. by an inch, an inch over Devante Adams. He's the only player in the NFL, over 100 catches, 1,000 yards in each of his last three seasons, and he's done it with some dysfunction. Devante Adams has had a great organization, great old lines, Aaron Rogers.

D'Andre's put up those numbers with a mess, you know, or a team like Arizona that's still building. So I give him a little break for that. Number five. Travis Kelsey, I think, is on his way to be in the greatest tight end. of all time. He was the highest graded player in the NFL last year, any position. Five straight years with over 1,000 yards. That's most NFL history for a tight end, most receiving yards in a season by a tight end in NFL history. I think he's as great as any tight end I've ever seen in the league. He can go vertical on safeties, backers,

and a handful of corners. Number four. Russell Wilson, nine years in the league, eight playoffs. And most of it, unlike Aaron Rogers, behind a below-average offensive line. He has not had the protection of Aaron Rogers. He's generally had a better defense, but he's also in a much tougher division than Aaron Rogers. First quarterback in league history, winning record in each of his first nine years in the NFL. Number three. Patrick Mahomes, highest passer rating, a little banged up from time to time, got overwhelmed in the Super Bowl.

Highest winning percentage of any quarterback. Now, he did inherit. Andy Reid, great owner, great GM, good old line, best tight end ever. Some of that gifting, I'm just, I'm downgrading a smidge. Number two. Well, Tom Brady keeps beating him three straight games, so winning matters. I think Tom's the best pre-snap guy in the league right now, best film guy. I think he orchestrates the pocket.

I think he's the best team it. I think he's the best leader. I think he's the best clutch quarterback. I think Brady is the second best player in the NFL. Number one. Aaron Donald is the best defensive lineman I've ever seen. Reggie White's close. This is an interior defensive lineman, an interior defensive lineman.

As an interior defensive lineman, he leads the NFL in Saxon, quarterback hits and quarterback pressures since entering the league. As an interior defensive lineman, they put the pass rushers on the edge. He's like, now I'll go inside. He gets doubled on every snap. And still, un- blockable. And what's amazing about him, it's not just, I mean, you watch this film, it's cartoonish.

It doesn't even look right. Realize every offensive coordinator on every snap says, all we got to do is block Aaron Donald. Because he hasn't really had a superstar on that D-line beyond him. Everybody doubles him. Unstoppable. Mahomes without protection is stoppable. Aaron Donald is unstoppable in the NFL. Go ask Russell Wilson.

He has been running from that. He's got more sacks on Russell than any... Yeah, I feel like a lot of those highlights we've shown him against the Seahawks. There you go. Aaron, Tom, Patrick Russell, Kelsey, D'Andre, Devante, Aaron, Quentin Nelson, Cleolmac. That's a pretty good list. Someone say you're leaning a little quarterback heavy, but I wouldn't disagree. Hot water that never runs out go tankless.

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