The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/15/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: July 15, 2021

Colin explains why the Suns should still feel good about their chances to win the NBA Championship despite the Bucks tying up the series. He believes it’s time for Aaron Rodgers to accept some culpability for his role in the standoff between him and the Packers organization. He also shares his 2021 predictions for the NFC and why Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are set up for another season of domination. Plus, NFL Insider Kevin Clark joins the show to give the latest on Rodgers and if he will return to the Packers this season. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 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. 84 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard 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. Thanks for listening to The Best of 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 Heard. This is the best of the Heard. with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Here we are on a Thursday, live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

I was nervous watching the fourth quarter last night. The intensity, the desperation was fantastic. hour from now. Yesterday I delivered my AFC predictions. Today, I deliver my NFC predictions. A lot more drama,

a lot more questions in the NFC where the AFC has really dominant teams at the top in their division. Buffalo, Kansas City, Colts. Joy Taylor is joining me. That last night is between the home run derby and the intensity in the All-Star game and the NBA

finals, not only do we miss sports, athletes miss the fans. Like the fans last night, that thing is, that building is shaking. The fans are totally into it. The teams are totally into it. I loved how much that game mattered to the Milwaukee box last night. You know, I don't think we will ever not appreciate a rocking building again. Because I thought the Phoenix fans showed out all throughout the playoffs,

but the Bucks are giving them a run for their money. in that Deer District thing. Oh, it's incredible. It's not for me. Way too many people. But I'm sure for everyone there, it's a good time. Well, it was a great game last night. So listen, this is what happens.

This is what American sportscasters do. Whoever wins the game, that team's great and their team stinks. I still like Phoenix in the series. Chris Paul played his worst game. And they led by seven with about eight minutes to go. And that's with one guy actually hitting shots for the entire roster, Devin Booker. But I think what you're seeing, what I witnessed last. night. Here's what I witnessed. Ever since the Milwaukee Bucks put Drew Holiday on Chris Paul,

it's felt different for Chris Paul. Drew Holiday is big. He is 6-3-205 pounds. He is big and he's physical. Chris Paul is barely six feet tall and 175 pounds. And his production has fallen off a cliff over the last three games, 23 points to 19 points to 10 points. And in those games, he's got 15 turnovers in the last games. Big physical, strong, Drew Holiday on Chris Paul is showing Chris Paul's age. And we told you, a week ago, the Bucks are the older, bigger, stronger, more physical team. If this was in an octagon, it would not last around. They're starting to wear down the finesse,

the thin, the quick, the younger Phoenix Suns. Now remember, Chris Paul did not play for a couple of games. games in that Clipper series, right? The COVID protocol. So he came into this series fresh, energized, rested. And the Bucks then decided to put Drew Holiday on him, who's a big, physical, tough guy who plays defense. And Chris Paul looked old last night. We'll get into that more in about 15 minutes. But what you're seeing is the classic NBA chess match. A big physical team with mostly one shooter, Chris Middleton, you trust, against a young athletic finesse team, Phoenix with a lot of shooters, although only one hit last night.

And what's critical here is in the NBA history, the 40 years I've been watching, old teams beat young teams, almost always. Even that Warriors team, which we consider young, you know, Steph was only in year six and Clay was young and Drayman was young, Andre Aguadala won an MVP. Remember that? Old Andre Agua Adela. And Kevin Durant's got some years on him. So even when you have a young team, veteran players are so crucial. Why? Because when you get laid into games and laid into series, it's decision-making time. And the young kids get tight. Remember Phoenix against the Clippers? Remember they led three to one in that series? Went back home to Phoenix.

How tight Phoenix was. Now, they won the series. That moment, that night, it was too much. They just were. And last night, Phoenix was great until about three minutes to go. And Phoenix got sloppy and a little tight. This is part of the process. So NBA history tells you the old guys beat the young guys. Last year in the bubble, we remarked that it was the only time in my life I'd ever seen old teams peeling off and young teams flourishing. But that was explainable.

The bubble had all these old veteran guys away from their kids and families getting depressed. Many players acknowledge that. And the young teams loved it because they were just going and playing video games. It's like, A.U basketball, playing hoop, going back to their room. They didn't have the big families. They didn't have a lot of kids. So last year was a weird playoff year. The kids beat the old guys until LeBron and A.D. won the finals.

Miami is a bunch of kids. And then Miami essentially this year reverts back to what happens the young teams. They're hot and cold up and down. So the history tells you Milwaukee should win this series. But I think Phoenix is a better team. I think Phoenix is going home. I think this morning, it depends on what fan base you are. If you're Milwaukee's fan base, this morning you're thinking, we're wearing these guys out,

and we figured them out. And this morning, if you're a Phoenix fan base, you're thinking yourself, hell, we were up by seven, and one guy of the entire roster was hitting shots. And that's what I believe. I think Phoenix was up to one. They were up by seven points last night. One guy, Devin Booker, was playing well. and Chris Paul was to be awful.

It was the worst playoff game he's played. The other thing with Phoenix is they've only got two veterans here, Chris Paul and Jay Crowder. Crowder couldn't shoot last night, although I thought he played well. He couldn't shoot, and Chris Paul was terrible. Phoenix is going to have a hard time beating Milwaukee and winning this championship.

Now, Crowder played well but didn't hit his shots. Chris and Jay Crowder need to be really good in these key spots. You cannot rely on kids. This is not the way. the league works. Everybody gets tight and you start looking at that Bucks roster and Brooke Lopez been in this league over 10 years. Yonis 8, Middleton 8, they're old. They have been through a lot of war. I mean, Janus and Middleton have been playing together for how many years, seven, eight years? So, but I will tell you this. Um, sons had 17 turnovers,

Bucks had five. I do not think that'll happen again, but we have to be fair here. A lot of those turnovers is because if the sons are fatigued from the bucks leaning on them, and frankly, the bucks are physical. And you turn the ball over when people pressurize you and push you and make you uncomfortable. So we've got a chess match the last four minutes, the veteran team that trailed all night, you know, they were behind and they're playing catch up. The veteran team jumped over the young team because that's what veteran teams do at home in big spots.

I still like Phoenix, but Chris Paul, the pressure officially on his shoulders. Here's Chris. Yeah, I have five of them. You know what I mean? It was bad decision making. They got, you know, a significant amount, more shots than us. And so, you know, for me, I got to take care of the ball. If we got 17 turnoff, we shoot the ball too well not to have those opportunities to score.

All right. I still like the sons, but I think in seven, not six. All right. We've been talking a lot about the Aaron Rogers situation, and as we said before, he's going to play this year. What are his options? Hold out and lose a small fortune or play. A.J. Hawks' friend.

A.J. Hawk recently spent a week with Aaron Rogers in Montana. This has been the summer of Aaron. Aaron's just doing his own thing. Nothing wrong with that. Totally defend him. I think it's good for his mental health. He's gotten away. He's been frustrated, so he hung out with AJ Hawk.

And AJ Hawk continues to believe Aaron's coming back soon. He likes to compete. Does that look like a guy that's going to sit out and retire to you? Aaron looks great. He seems mentally in a good spot. What have I said from the start? I said, I don't see him playing anywhere else. That's what I said, right?

Day one, you said that. Yeah, I said, I don't see. Green Bay trading him. I don't see that happening. I don't know how it has to work. But yeah, I still feel like he's going to be in Green Bay. You know, Aaron's a smart, thoughtful guy. High IQ, pretty high EQ. It appears. I don't know him. Would it kill him to just once? Admit, I'm a little difficult. I'm a little needy. You all realize the Jordan love pick made him upset. But eight years ago, he had teammates and family members calling him out.

Remember years ago when he would do Monday night football or Sunday night football? And he wouldn't mention his alma mater, Cal. He would mention his junior college. I was told, and people believe inside the building at Cal, it was because Cal fired Jeff Tedford seven years after Aaron left. Seven years. Like coaches get fired. Seven years after Aaron left, they fired him.

He held the garage. Now, I can't prove that. There's a story about it I read this morning. But like, let's not just make this out to be the Jordan love pick is what set him off. Aaron's been set off for years. He's been difficult for years. Just once, I wish he took that high-powered intellect, that high-powered radar and turned it on himself. Does everybody realize since Aaron Rogers took over as a starting quarterback, Green Bay has given him eight players who have been pro bowlers on the offensive line?

tops in the NFL. He's been given two offensive coaches. He's always had a star receiver. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, now Devante Adams may be the best receiver in the league. He's got a star running back. Yes, Green Bay can be stuck in its ways. Aren't we all a little?

Yes, they can be a little rigid on free agency. Aaron's not rigid. I'm not rigid. let's not make this about an abusive relationship. I will defend to the end, and I have quarterbacks who are treated poorly. Matt Stafford, 12 years of dysfunction in Detroit, I'll defend him. Andrew Luck, his first general manager, lost. I defended him.

Like, I'll defend that guy. Carson Wentz, I've defended. It appears, although I didn't know it initially, the owner, the GM, the coach, It was a mess in Philadelphia. I spend a lot of days defending quarterbacks who are having to overcome dysfunction. Carson Wentz, Andrew Luck, Matt Stafford. Green Bay is highly functional. Eight pro bowlers or all pros on the offensive line.

The number one ally of a quarterback since Aaron started playing. I'm not even counting the first few years where he sat in the bench behind Brett Farr. They've given him number one receivers. They've given him offensive coaches. They're always, you know, and they've paid him top of the market. Unlike Brady, he's not taking pay cuts here. He's always paid top of the market. There is a lot of dysfunction in this league.

Green Bay is not dysfunctional. They're limited because most pro athletes don't want to live in a tiny, tiny town when you can live in Philadelphia or Los Angeles or Dallas or Atlanta as a single pro athlete. But that's not really their fault. It's just a Packer's reality. But do we all believe if Aaron went to another franchise, he'd suddenly be Mr. optimistic, Mr. positivity. We've got to be fair here.

As smart and as thoughtful as Aaron Rogers is, could he just once turn that high-powered perception on himself and go, I'm not the easiest guy to get along with. I'll defend Carson Palmer, Matt Stafford. I'll defend these guys in bad situations. That's not the Green Bay situation. And the Jordan love pick, I said it when they did it. I probably wouldn't have done it.

But Bill Belichick drafted like eight quarterbacks, some in the second round during Tom Brady's tenure. Even when Tom was still in his prime, even when Tom was young. You've got to have backups. You've got to have quarterbacks. I mean, Aaron was 35. Aaron had been hurt a couple of times. Aaron could be difficult.

But we, just one time. Once, that's all I'm asking. Not twice, three, four, five times. Aaron's not the easiest guy either. Not saying I am. Not saying everybody is. But let's put this in context. This is not a highly dysfunctional organization.

Nor was the Jordan loved pick the first time Aaron had been difficult. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, 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 Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And now the PodMeets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV,

who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts.

I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough.

Did people not like it? Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate pleas of finalists

to a bunch of ha, ooh, ha, ha, o. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune at a Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Tworold on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Joe Rodano.

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. 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 Hippocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. 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. Oh, 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 My Cultura podcast available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is something we have talked about on this show for the last three weeks. Everybody is fawning over Chris Paul, who I had as league MVP. He, Steph Curry, I thought were remarkable, right? Yokic in Denver. But four years, no, three years, I'm not happy.

Two years, I'd say okay. in that Devin Booker is great and getting better, DeAndre Aiton is really good and getting better, and McHale Bridges is solid and turning into a good player. That's the future of the franchise. What you want to do in pro sports is pay a player, pay a player based on what they will do, not on what they've done. Okay.

In Hollywood, they give lifetime achievement awards. you can't do that in sports. We have salary caps. You've got to pay a player for what he's going to give you, not for what he's done. Plenty of people have paid Chris Paul, including State Farm. He's fine. As the sons' players age, we talked about this.

DeAndre Aiton gets paid. Booker becomes a household name and a star, bigger shoe deal. Do they want older 37, 38-year-old Chris Paul barking at them? the media and most media people have ever never owned a business right so they're always like just run it back you got to let those guys defend their title the phoenix one yeah at a price at a price all run the tampa bay buccaneers and tom brady back because his salary cap hit this year is 10.5 million if you pay chris paul 28 to 32 million it creates a different set of issues your bench won't nearly be as strong because you've got to pay D'Andre Aiton, and you're already paying Devin

Booker. So I'm not running it back just to run it back. That's not the way businesses go. And there are also instances in sports where they call it lightning in a bottle, the 2011 Dallas Mavericks. There's no reason to run it back. It was a weird roster. It didn't look like it would work. And it suddenly didn't they want. And the Miami Heat and LeBron James and D. Wade and Chris Bosch got tight and they won. That's it. That, that, that's it. I have, how many playoff series of the Mavericks won since then? I believe it's zero.

Okay. You don't have to run everything back. I mean, remember when the Jags got to the A.F.C. Championship with Blake Bortles. And like most lousy franchises, they freaked out and went, let's play, let's pay Blake Bortles a bunch of money. He had 23 touchdowns and 11 picks that year. He was still a C-minus quarterback.

What are you doing? It was a lightning in a bottle year. There weren't a lot of good teams at the top of the A. The defense, because you weren't paying Bortles anything, was totally stacked. And the Jags made a big mistake. We're going to run this thing back. Nobody at that point thought Blake Bortles was a championship level quarterback. We've had teams like that.

You know, Baker Mayfield right now. They have an all-star team around him. I don't know how good it'll be this year. Baker's not Josh Allen. He's not Bajor. He's not Justin Herbert. I don't think he's Joe Burrow. But you got an all-star team around him because you're not paying him anything.

And they weren't paying anybody around Bortles didn't make any money. So he had an all-star defense around him. So you start looking at Chris Paul and let's be honest. There's also the buy, low, sell high belief system. He's finally healthy. Everybody in the West isn't and wasn't. Kauai Leonard got hurt. Anthony Davis got hurt.

Jamal Murray got hurt. So there's a lot of things at play here for the Phoenix Suns. I like Chris Paul. I would bring him back. I would love a one-year deal. I would stomach a two-year deal. But the idea is. if the sons win, you've got to bring it back. That sounds like somebody who's never owned a business.

Sometimes stuff works just in a moment. How many dynasties has the NBA had? Six in the history of the league, like six? And the dynasties now don't even last very long. We consider, I mean, the heat are called a dynasty. Four years, they won two titles. Aren't they really just a good team? I mean, the Warriors kind of felt like a dynasty more so because they won before Kevin Durant. They won after Kevin Durant. It only lasts a few years. NFL really outside of the Patriots, those things last about three or four years. The Seahawks never won a second title.

So the Chris Paul component here is we may just be looking at a perfect year for Phoenix. In fact, they will not be favored next year in the West. As this series progresses, it'll be interesting. interesting to see how Chris Paul plays, because I'm watching that last night, and I'm thinking, there is no way if I own the Phoenix Suns I'm giving him four or giving him three. Two I deal with. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. Hey, I'm John Middukoff, and I host the three-and-out podcast. Do you like football? Do you like the NFL? Do you like the NFL draft? Quarterbacks, coaches. Well, I talk about it all on the show. I used to work for Andy Reid as a scout. Now I give you my unfiltered and raw opinions on everything that goes on the NFL. And you know we're talking college football because of how important the draft is year round.

Listen at the three and out podcast with me, John Middlecombe, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 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. 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 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. Hey everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast.

We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor.

I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Like what was... Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season

from the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of... Ha, ooh. Ha ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune in to Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes.

Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew.

Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. 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, and the team,

everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home,

they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. So I think the NFC is much harder to predict, but this is what we do.

Our NFC predictions, let's unveil them first with the NFC East. I think Washington has the best coach and easily the best defense. I'll pick them to win the division. I do worry that Ryan Fitzpatrick, I believe it's his ninth team in 17 years, will play them out of wins. He's just a gunslinger. There's very few left in the NFL that play like him,

or for that matter with a beard look like him. But I do believe the culture, Ron Rivera, he's creating in the defense 10 and 7. Dallas is going to be a playoff team to me at 9 and 8. If you look at their schedule, with the exception of a game against Tampa Bay early, I don't believe they play another playoff team until week 11. There's a lot of average defenses on that schedule, and I pick the Cowboys at 9 and 8 to finish second, the Giants 8, 9 3rd, and it's really a vote for Dak Prescott.

I trust Dak Prescott taking care of the football more than I do, turnover prone Daniel Jones taking care of the football. Now the Giants have a much better defense than Dallas, but I do believe the Cowboys offense is more grooved. They've played together now. The defense will be better. So those are go-either-way teams. I trust Dak more than Daniel Jones. The Eagles may have the worst quarterback coaching combo in the league. We don't know, but I don't trust Nick Siriani. It's a rebuilding mess. To the NFC North, Packers at 10 and 7. win it, I have pulled back for obvious reasons. This is the year of simmering resentment in Green Bay, both from the front office and Aaron. It's going to be a little bit of a reality show, the impending divorce.

Minnesota doubles their wins. They fell apart physically last year. I love Mike Zimmer as a coach. They have a lot of big television games against the Packers and the Niners and the Cowboys, and you know how I feel about Kirk Cousins. He shrinks in those games. So I have him at nine and eight. The Bears, I believe Justin Fields will look very good in camp. He will pop athletically in the preseason and they'll play him week one or week two. I think it's simply asking too much as much as I like Justin Fields to go in and be a playoff team. Hell, look how good Justin Herbert was.

Look at the final record. The Lions, not a fan of anything there. I'm rooting for Jared Goff. Don't love the coach, the front office or the owner. Let's move on. NFC. South. Tampa Bay is the clear favorite and my number one seat. I do not for a second buy into this nonsense about 17 and no.

Bruce Ariens and Tom Brady are smart enough to know. It's not about the regular season. What it's about is being fresh. This is a league of attrition. I think Bruce Ariens will give veteran players weeks off, looser practices, lighter practice load. They want a Super Bowl. It's not about getting to the playoffs.

It's not about perfect records. They're going to lose a game. Give up on that late. And rest starters, 13 and 4 Tampa Bay. I'm going to give the Saints 9 and 8 second. Basically, I'm betting on culture, their GM, and their coach. I don't know who their quarterback is. I'd go with James Winston.

I don't think you can have kind of a gimmicky quarterback, be a franchise quarterback. I think they're an interesting team. They were over the cap, and they had to peel back on some talent. So I think the Super Bowl window has closed for them. Carolina is still in a rebuilding mode, at least defensively. Now, I do think Sam Darnold adds an athleticism. and with DJ Moore and Christian McCaffrey, they went and got the left tackle out of BYU,

he'll start. They really solved a lot of their issues, but they're still rebuilding on the defensive end. But I love the coach. I love the coordinator. I love the receivers, Christian McCaffrey and Chuba Hubbard out of Oklahoma State. They will be very explosive.

Robbie Anderson over the top. They'll be a big playoffence. Donald can make mistakes, but he can make plays. Atlanta, 7 and 10. Now, I like Arthur Smith. I thought he was a great coordinator. I have no idea if he's a head coach. This is still an egregiously bad defense.

Also, Matt Ryan tends to be a guy that flourishes in the second year with a new system. Listen, Kyle Pitts, probably going to win rookie of the year. They're going to score a bunch of points, but they've been scoring a bunch of points for the last three years. They don't win enough football games. They're last at 7 and 10. NFC West, easily the best division in football. Rams 11 and 6, Seahawks 11 and 6. I think Los Angeles with Matt Stafford will be better in division, so I have them winning the division.

Seahawks 11 and 6, again, they've got some new pieces here. This is a team that wants to win a Super Bowl as well. I can see they've got some new pieces at tight end, offensive line, kind of trying to figure it out early. I have San Francisco, the mystery team in the NFC at 9 and 8. Now, why would I say that? You know I think they're capable of winning the Super Bowl. I do. But I've got to hedge my bet here.

Garoppolo's recent history is he's not playing 17 games. That means you'll hand the starting role over to 20-year-old Trey Lance, who by the time the season starts, has one start in a football game in two years. In this division, that is a huge ask. That is an unbelievable ask. I mean, Justin Fields will struggle. Try being Trey Lance against Pete Carroll and Sean McVeigh and getting into track meets against Arizona. I got the Cardinals at eight and nine, and I like them. I really do, but I think the division's ridiculous. And, you know, Arizona is going to be the best eight and nine team in the NFL. I'll leave it at that.

So here's my seating. Bucks are a clear number one. I have the Rams as a number two. Again, they'll be better in division than Seattle will, so the Rams are my two. Green Bay is a pretty weak three. I don't know if Matt Lefleur and Aaron Rogers are good now. The last play they had together, he pulled him off the field. I don't even know how that relationship is.

Washington is a scary four seed because you watched them against Brady last year in the playoffs with Taylor Haneke. That defense is no joke and they've gotten better offensively with some of their additions on the perimeter. Seattle will be an unbelievably good wildcard team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I had the Brown yesterday as a five seat in the AFC. So the number one wildcard teams, Cleveland and the AFC, Seattle and the NFC are great. Those are great wildcard teams. I've got Dallas. They've got a big game against Minnesota in week eight.

I think they win that game. Dack out plays Kirk Cousins. There it is a wild card team. And I have San Francisco, who also plays the Vikings and will win that defense. It'll give Kirk Cousin nightmares, making it as a wild card team. So I believe the AFC is better at the top than the NFC. I think the NFC is better at the bottom of the playoffs with Seattle, Dallas's offense, and the Niners as well. 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.

Kevin Clark at the ringer had to sit, regrettably sit through that, whatever that was just called. He is now joining us live, host of Slow News Day. All right. Let's just give me two or three bullet points on what you just viewed. So, first of all, pray for Cliff Kingsbury, because that's a coach who's. should be making the leap with a nice quarterback who I think could be a franchise quarterback at some point, but he's going to lose a lot of games this year. And so, yeah, prayer is up for Cliff. I would say the two teams that I think you're a little bit underselling Dallas with Dak Prescott, I really think, and I'm going to regret saying this, but we're not talking

enough about how good the Cowboys can be with Dak Prescott. I mean, you were seeing in November of last year, Dak Prescott had thrown for so many yards in the beginning of the season, he was still on some top 10 leaderboards as far as total yardage and stuff like that. So I think if he's held I think there's a pretty high floor there. And what they do with their draft and going defense only and getting some young athletes over on the defensive side of the ball, I think it's going to be really impressive. I would also say if Aaron Rogers is in Green Bay, they're going to win a lot of games.

I joke a lot about how last year Jordan Love should have been the rookie of the year because who had a bigger impact on their franchise than Jordan Love? Because Aaron Rogers got so angry. Well, this is another year of Aaron Rogers being really angry. He shows up for training camp. I expect him. He doesn't have a lot of options at this point. I think he will play for the Packers this year. He's going to be doubly angry. And maybe this is last year in Green Bay. They still have a great coach. They still have a great roster, great infrastructure. If he plays, he's angry. We know what that can look like. He'll be motivated. Maybe he'll be, you know, disputing with the front office during the season. I think that's a lot of wins when you factored that all together, Colin. Yeah, I don't disagree with you at all. I really don't. I said, I don't know. Generally speaking, my theory is the end The NBA stars are always noisy, so you can be a noisy NBA team. Brooklyn was noisy and they were still great.

In the NFL, a lot of it's choreography, it's belief in each other. Noisy teams tend to erode. They've been incredibly noisy. But to your point, they've got the best players, and Aaron plays well when he's disgruntled and unhappy. Now, you had an article yesterday detailing your interview with Russell Wilson, and I actually used it on the air because it was so funny. I juxtaposed Aaron Rogers snippiness and Russell Wilson's optimism. I think he used the word amazing 13 times in two sentences. But it did feel authentic in that he does feel like he complained and they listened. And it does feel like, and he's always been like a little over the top,

but that was my takeaway reading it like he complained, first time, they listened. And it really does matter. Like it does feel like Pete and Russell, Wilson Potico here, right? I totally agree. The relationship is on the same page at this point. And he was in total optimist mode when we talked on Tuesday. And it's funny to me now because now any team that gives their quarterback a say is almost taking a shot at Aaron Rogers, right? Like that's the joke around the league that Bruce Ariens is letting everybody know that Tom Brady gets all this input because he wants to maybe needle the Packers a little bit. When the Vikings drafted Kellyn Mond in April, they let everybody in the world know that Kirk Cousins had been informed. was on board because again that is the opposite of what happened in green bay and what made Aaron Rogers so upset and so yeah I think they're on the same page and I think vibes and cohesion and chemistry is always the biggest part of Seattle um that locker room has had a lot of healthy disagreements I remember going there when they were at their heyday remember this is a franchise

where there I think where there were two fist fights the week they won the Super Bowl okay um percy harvin was just going around punching everybody and then on Sunday they blew out the Broncos So I think that there's, it's really easy for them to get back on the same page. And I wasn't surprised when I talked to Russ and he's in full optimist mode. He's talking about how much he loves Gabe Jackson. He's talking about the collaboration with the new officer of coroner, Shade Waldron. I think that there's going to be very little problems in Seattle with that regard. I think he explored it.

I think you wanted more say. I think that franchise quarterbacks, there's no way to get fair value for them at all. And so they know they're kind of stuck on a year-to-year basis if they're under contract. And so I think this is the model. And you complain a little bit. Maybe you leak that you might want to go somewhere else. And you get more say in the organization. I think Russ played exactly right.

So yesterday I had the Steelers at 8 and 9, and I think the windows closed. And I, you know, I said snarkly yesterday, I said, you know, I'm sorry. But the fact that now Big Ben's only doing two Natty lights after dinner in the summer, not six, like, spare me. It's a little late to. First of all, when I hear he's losing weight. Well, why did he need to lose weight? So I am being cynical on this, the news that Big Ben's in, quote, the greatest shape of his career. What was your initial impression?

Well, first of all, that's a pretty low bar to clear. But second of all, any young quarterback watching right now, whether you're in college or high school, here's my advice. Start the TB12 method in the first year of your career or not the last year of your career. It's a little too little too late. I think he's just totally past. I think he doesn't have any arm strength. I think that him losing weight isn't going to matter just because it looked like at stretches last year, he just was incapable of throwing the football in any meaningful way.

And so I don't think that this is going to matter. I'm happy for him. He's getting healthy and getting healthier than he has been. But I think this is kind of the epitome of a non-event July NFL story. By the way, I want to go back to Aaron Rogers, because I threw this out yesterday. The way to solve this issue is Jordan Love can play. That Jordan Love is a good preseason, and they look at it and go, all right, this is okay. Now, I don't have, I don't think that'll happen.

I think Aaron will play this season. Is there any scenario? He's dismissive. He is difficult. Any scenario, trade deadline week eight or nine, Jordans look pretty good, and they're just over it. Green Bay, we saw the draft room, Kevin, after they got that, you know, that story came out that, you know, Aaron was ticked off.

And you could palpably sense how fatigued they were. Is there any scenario in which you think Green Bay, before the deadline would just say, this is ruining the temperature in the rooms here. We're moving off him. It's a great question. I think the problem they face in dealing Aaron Rogers at all is, I don't know what fair value is for a franchise quarterback because we haven't seen it.

The NBA, we saw the Anthony Davis trade and we kind of know what it looks like when a superstar gets dealt. In soccer, you know, you see $300 million price tags on guys, right? But in the NFL, okay, Jamal Adams or Jalen Ramsey go for two first. But I'll tell you what, Aaron Rogers or Russell Wilson are a heck of a lot more important to their franchises than those two guys, even though they're terrific players. And so I think that that would change the paradigm of the entire NFL if you actually put a price tag on the reigning MVP. But no, I don't think there is a scenario. Brian Gugnickin said the timeline hasn't changed.

And I talked to him last year when Aaron Rogers was having this MVP season. I said, does this change your outlook and your quarterback plan? And he said, no. And Jordan Love is an example of what happens when you actually do best player available. Everybody's, every GM says we're taking best player available. We're taking the number one guy on our board. The Packers actually did it and everybody hated it, right? So I think that they like to play the long game.

Total Ron Wolf, the sort of system set up there 25 years ago. I think that they would stand pat and say to Aaron Rogers, you're either playing for us or you're not playing football in 2021. And I do not see a scenario which he's dealt, even in the middle of the season, even if Jordan Love is better than we think. All right. Kevin Clark, the ringer, NFL writer, host of Slow Newsday videocast. Great seeing you as always, Kev. Appreciate it. Anytime, Colin. Thanks for having it. We all have heard the saying, instant gratification society. And, you know, I can see it with my kids sometimes. I want what I want. I don't want to wait for it. And a lot of it's because of the phones we have now. I find myself as somebody in their 50s that I want stuff now.

And I'm hungry. I would order DoorDash. There's a Mediterranean place by my house. Ten minutes. Foods there. I mean, that's just the way that we work now. All these apps and all these devices and phones, you just get information when you want it. You can call wherever you want.

I can FaceTime to Beijing. It doesn't matter. I can get what I want when I want. And because of that, it's made us less patient as a society. young old people. People always say, oh, the young kids, not just young kids. We're all less patient because we've had these devices created that give us everything we want from information to maps to a flight to an Uber to a meal within minutes. But Milwaukee is not a microwave. They are the oven. This is a slow roast. It's an old team. And last night, it's a great example. They've just put their head down and they're just powering through it. Boonehouser gets ripped. He doesn't make, they struggle early in every series, and then they kind of overcome and adjust.

And Chris Middleton last night was bad early, and then he was sensational late. And then Janus can't hit free throws. He just puts his head down and burrows through it. It's the opposite of Ben Simmons who tried to hide on the floor, the young player. I'm just going to, I don't want to deal with the drum. I'm going to hide. Janice is like, no, now I'm going to burrow through it. I'm going to get through these free throws.

I'm going to be aggressive, get to the line, and it's up to me, like last night, to hit 50% of these minimum. Chris Middleton. Lucas unhappy in year three, and Zion's family's unhappy in year three, and Ben Simmons wants a do-over. And the reality is playoffs are about will and belief and determination. This crap isn't easy. It is hard. I mean, you're watching that thing last night. Just arbitrary calls can decide world champion and forgettable runner-up.

gold and silver, and nobody cares about silver. Can you name the swimmers that finish second to Michael Phelps? Nor can I. And the reality is, some of this stuff, players can't even control. So you've got to be strong-willed. That's why veteran teams historically beat the younger teams. It's not just talent. You've got to just meet your problems, get over them, fight through it.

Middleton couldn't hit a shot last night. He just kept shooting because he's had 150 games. like that. You just deal with it and get through it. And I thought in the last four minutes of the game, that Milwaukee team with a bunch of veterans, Lopez 13th year, PJ Tucker year 10, Drew Holiday Year 12, Middleton, year 9, Janus, year 8. I thought they just had more composure. They made more big plays, big blocks, big shots over the younger, you know, athletic sons. And that can be, that can be a series. Will, belief, determination, and an understanding

you're not going to get everything you want when you want it in the playoffs. Think about how good those Kareem-worthy Byron Scott Laker teams were. Every couple years, they were losing in the finals to the Celtics. That's the reality. And I also think these two teams understand

they may not be here next year. There's no guarantees. This is not a dynasty. These don't feel like dynasties. and the intensity. Like, who can handle the intensity? Last night, Milwaukee, last four minutes, could handle it. Phoenix couldn't.

That was it. That was the game last night. Like 98-94 Sun's lead. Next four or five minutes, Milwaukee was great with the intensity. The old veteran players who didn't play well early in the game, who missed free throws early in the game, they just overcame it. And that is so much of the NBA.

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. 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. A win is a win. 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 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. For 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. 84 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.