The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 07/22/2021 - HOUR 1 - Cowboys, Texas, Steelers

Episode Date: July 22, 2021

The Dallas Cowboys keep shooting themselves in the footThe problems with College football in TexasThe Pittsburgh Steelers didn't take full advantage of their windowGuest: Ryen Russillo 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 IHeart 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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 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 Heard at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart radio app by searching Heard.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Thursday you can feel football, college and pro, seeping into our shows going forward live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be. And however, you may be listening or watching, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS1, NBA season ended gloriously Tuesday. We talked about it all day yesterday. It was so fun.

The draft. Free agencies around the corner. There's going to be some big moves. Today, we got a little bit of football. There's stuff going on, Joy, and I'm very excited about it. Listen, I did not have Jerry Jones expressing remorse about Jimmy Johnson on my 2021 bingo card, but here we are. So Jimmy Johnson has been somebody I've learned a lot of football from, so I've been working on Sundays for a long time at Fox. And one of the reasons I always love working on Sundays because I would come in.

Jimmy was the first one here. He got here before Bradshaw and Howie and everybody and Jimmy would get here and I'd find 15, 20 minutes and ask him 10 football questions. He was so connected, so smart. And I've talked to Jimmy a lot about Jerry Jones over the last two years. And he's always classy about it, but it was really simple, very simple, not complicated. The great coaches, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick, do not like meddling. They're great at what they do. And Jerry Jones started meddling.

And so Jerry yesterday did show remorse for screwing up, and it was Jerry Jones' fault. Absolutely, unequivocally, inarguably, it was Jerry Jones' fault. Jimmy left. They got Barry Sweetser, who took the momentum for a year, won a Super Bowl, but in the end, Barry's not Jimmy. And here's Jerry Jones now acknowledging, yeah, I screwed it up. I go back to what Barry Switzer said. Barry Switzer came in the office, and Jimmy had just left.

And so Barry came down from Norman, Oklahoma to talk about getting the job. And he comes in, and he said, where's Jimmy? I said, Barry, Jimmy's gone. We're sitting here talking about you being the coach. I said, what in the world are you so anxious to talk to Jimmy about? He said, I just wanted to get both you little on this couch and ask you both, how could you this up?

Do you think you could answer Barry's question now? I've never been able to know why. I've f***ed it up. Well, it's not overly complicated. When Jerry Jones bought the team, he pushed all his chips into the table. He didn't have a lot of excess cash. And so, as Jimmy's told me multiple times,

Jimmy was at one end of the building doing football, and Jerry was at the other doing business, and they were both crushing it. They were both crushing it. And then Jimmy started winning a lot of games in Super Bowls, and Jerry at the other end of the business, now with the money flowing, thought, I'm not getting enough attention. How come Jimmy's having all the fun doing football? I played college football too. And then Jerry did what many owners in sports have done.

He started meddling, and one of the greatest football coaches in American history, Jimmy Johnson said, I'm out of here. It's the same reason Parcells left, multiple teams, including, remember, if I'm going to make the dinner, I want to buy the groceries, he said it in New England. That's why Bill Belichick didn't like the Garoppolo moved by Bob Kraft. But in a bigger, more macro sense, the Texas Longhorns and the Cowboys are both in the news today.

And they're the two biggest brands, respectively, NFL and college. in the state. And the brand is way bigger than the success. In 25 years in the Big 12, Texas has three Big 12 titles. How the hell is that possible? And in 25 years, the Cowboys have three playoff wins. How is that possible? Because Texas is about ego.

When I think of Vermont, I think of syrup in the fall. When I think about Colorado, I think about the mountains. When I think about California, I think about the beaches and tech. When I think about Texas, I think about ego. Even their slogans, don't mess with Texas. It's a whole other country, the lone star state. Everything's bigger in Texas. The state of Texas should dominate football in America.

Should absolutely dominate it. They have the stadiums, the resources, the passion. Why don't they? how does Nebraska have more national titles? How? How is that possible? Why can the state of Alabama with Auburn and Alabama have so many more national titles

than a massive, well-capitalized state like Texas, have so few? Because all football in Texas, except for TCU underachieves. TCU doesn't. TCU works hard. Gary Patterson, egos, focused. They take two and three star recruits.

They develop them slowly and patiently. Everything else underachieves. The Cowboys underachieve. The Texans. Remember how embarrassing the Texans were years ago? They were going to play Monday Night Football against the Patriots, and they wore their Letterman's jackets. JJ Watt, Letterman jacket.

And then they were sadly beaten 4214. It was an embarrassing display that I I think I'm mocked for the better part of two years. Texas should dominate football in America. It is a massive state. Incredible camps, incredible high school football, incredible resources. And the longhorns and the cowboys have messed it up. Too much meddling from boosters.

Too much ego from owners. And football, nothing kills dynasties like ego. You know, basketball is a lot of isolation. I mean, Janice essentially was the only guy scoring for Milwaukee in the last game. Baseball, pitcher against batter. But football, they've got a playbook. And if an offensive lineman even moves a hand, penalty! It is an egos, team-oriented sport more than any in America,

where 11 players have to play in absolute unity. If you flinch as a running back, lean forward, it's a penalty. is penalized. When I was in high school football, and I hated this, but if we at practice, if an offensive lineman jumped offside, our coach made the team run. I was always like, what about that guy? I didn't jump off sides. It's not the way football is. It's not the way football. My basketball practice was different. If a player screwed up, the player ran sprints. I didn't have to run for him. But my high school football coach, we all ran if the left guard jumped offside. And that is football. Hard knocks. Guess who's on it again this year? The Dallas

Cowboys for the third time. Yet there's 20 teams that have never been on it once. I wish the Cowboys were better. Be better for my show. I mean, if the Yankees win World Series, the Lakers win titles, the Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowls, my ratings go up. Like, I'm rooting for it. But again, this year, nine and eight, eight and nine. It's where they've been the last almost three decades. All right. Now let's talk Texas Longhorns football. And I have said this before.

When I was a kid growing up, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, that was kind of, that was college football to me, you know. So there's a story that Texas and Oklahoma are going to notify the Big 12. We are leaving at the end of our contract. Be very, very careful, Texas, what you hope for. I've always had a soft spot for Texas because years ago, I always liked their uniforms and their helmets and their brand, and I love Austin, Texas. Great city.

But years ago, I went to a Texas USC game, and it's the single greatest spectacle of any sporting event in the 30 years I've been a sportscaster. And I didn't want to sit in the press box. I sat in the stands right in the middle of the longhorn section. And they were smart and good-looking people. And we sat there and witnessed an incredible sporting event. Reggie Bush, Vince Young. And they were classy.

And the stadium, the Rolls Bowl, was just a wash in, you know, that rust orange, longhorn color. And that, you know, that USC, you know, gold. it was an epic. I mean, it was a photographer's dream. And Roger Clemens is on the sideline and Hollywood stars and Matthew McConaughey. And it is the single greatest three-hour event of my life. And I've always had a soft spot for Texas football, the Longhorns. I just always liked them.

They're just, to me, they're cool. They could go independent. They feel more Pac-12 to me. I mean, they're progressive. They're. cool, they're techy. They feel Pack 12 to me. They don't feel like Starkville. They don't feel like Oxford. They don't feel like Gainesville. They feel kind of like L.A. with cowboy hats. The music, the progressive politics, it's super techy. In fact, San Francisco during COVID, the biggest

exodus of any city in America was Californians moving to Austin, Texas. California's like Austin, Texas. They eat well. They party well. Well, it feels like an extension a little bit of the West. The SEC does not feel like the West. It's cutthroat, it's insular. The recruiting is a pit of cheating and paying off players. Sorry, that's the reality with the SEC. Old Miss is just the one that got caught.

I don't think Texas feels like the SEC. They are a regal glamour brand, a little like USC. I remember talking to a football coach at USC about five, six years ago. And he said, actually it was an administrator. And he said, we want our kids to enjoy this experience. USC is more than football. Look at the Olympics.

It's filled with USC, UCLA athletes. We want our kids to experience college too, not just a weight room. They're not too concerned about that in the SEC. The SEC is a snake pit, it's intense. I don't think Texas fits it. I really don't. Be careful what you wish for. Texas doesn't feel southern.

They don't feel that intense. They feel kind of cool. They feel kind of casual. I'd stay in the Big 12 or I'd go to the PAC 12 or I'd go independent. But be very careful what you wish for. Texas A&M is different. They'd sell their soul to win football games. I have never once thought that about the Longhorns.

Texas Tech, Texas A&M, that's different. I don't like it. It would also, and I love college football, it would be wonderful just once if college football, an $8 billion a year sport just once felt like it had leadership instead of schools and athletic directors and commissioners pretty much controlling everything.

It's a money grab. I get it. There's a lot out there. It'd be nice to have some, you know, CEO. You'd think if you're an $8 billion business. The sport would have, you know, a centralized figure, you know, their version of a, you know, a Roger Goodell or an Adam Silver. Hell, a Dana White, somebody, a Maverick, a leader.

And it doesn't. So here we are today with a great football brand. And I'm not surprised they have suitors. I mean, it's Texas. It's a big state. It's a great brand. It's slick. By the way, they have a great athletic director.

Chris Del Conte is probably the smartest athletic director in the country. That's largely understood within athletic director circles. It's a great university. Be very careful. You are not the South. You are not the SEC. There is a refined polish and progressiveness to Texas. I think you're right where you should be.

All right. I'm sure that'll go over well. Those SEC fans love hearing from me. Emmanuel Ocho went to Texas. He'll join us today. My buddy Ryan Rosillo, Antoine Walker, Brian Billick, good to have you on a Thursday. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor, the podcast. forth. 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 picket 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 all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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 hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. Escape QuickBooks, QuickSand with NetSuite by Oracle. Sign up the number one financial system, one-of-a-kind financing. Go right now, netsuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D. So the Cowboys start camp today. You've got the Steelers, pictures of Big Ben. We'll talk about that later, and the Cowboys are moving into camp, and they'll practice today, and it's a great time of the year.

They're about an hour north of where we sit right here. Just a great time of the year as the NBA is ending, the playoffs are. We got the draft, which is it's supposed to be a very good draft and free agency. Dame Lillard's out there. There's going to be some trades and a lot of suitors for some of these stars like Bradley Beale and Damien Lillard. We are talking about the Cowboys today because Jerry Jones came out and acknowledged that, yeah, I screwed this thing up, which he did. He meddled, as I told you to start the show is, you know, when he bought that show, when he bought that football team, you know, it needed to be rebuilt financially. It needed to

to be rebuilt the roster, and Jimmy and Jerry were on opposite sides of the building, and all of it was great until Jimmy started winning Super Bowls, and Jerry wanted to have some fun, so he screwed it up. And, you know, the loser in that was probably Troy Aikman. Troy Akeman went from Jimmy Johnson to Barry Switzer, and they used the momentum for about a year or two. They were still good, and that's what happens when a great coach leaves. You know, Nick Saban, if he leaves Alabama tomorrow,

they'll still be very good for the next couple of years because he's built his system. there's great internal momentum. But in the end, the Cowboys have never been the same. And the reason they have never been the same, and this is a cautionary tale for all people in business, there are very few outside voices allowed into the Cowboys. They're the most insular NFL franchise, even more than Green Bay. Almost every highly paid player the Cowboys have is theirs. There's this feeling inside the building.

We know what we're doing here. 13 of the top 14 paid players for the Cowboys are theirs. Most overpaid, drafted by them. Most overpaid or they've held onto him too long. The Rams, and they went a lot more than the Cowboys do. Andrew Whitworth, not theirs. Robert Woods, not theirs. Matt Stafford, not theirs.

Jalen Ramsey, not theirs. They don't care. The Rams don't care. They just want the best football players. They can admit, we missed on this. guy we didn't do a good job here. Kansas City Chiefs, three of their four top cap hits. They didn't draft them. Honey Badger. Didn't draft them. Offensive line. Just rebuilt it. None are theirs. Right? If you look at the Buffalo Bills, winning a lot more than Dallas these days,

they have a chance to win multiple Super Bowls the next decades. Stefan Diggs, Cole Beasley, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, you know, three or four of their offensive linemen, not theirs. They just want the best football players. The best teams in the best teams in the United States. The best teams this league, they just want good football players. Wherever they're at, they'll get them, they'll trade for them. Dallas, 13 of their top 14 paid guys, they drafted them. We know what we're doing. We're not interested in outside voices.

We know what we're doing. We're going to pay and draft. And the truth is Dallas has a bunch of good football players. They don't have a lot of great football players. Tyron Smith will go into the Hall of Fame. He's no longer great. The NFL just added a game to the schedule. He's playing fewer and fewer a year.

So Amari Cooper is one of their rare, hey, let's go get somebody else's player. And he's their most dependable wide receiver. But C.D. Lamb and Michael Gallup and just what Dallas does. They fall in love with their own selection and they fall in love with their own opinions. And I do not believe you can build a dynasty in any business without help and outside voices. Okay, if you want to be Walmart, but even Walmart now, doesn't have the market share they used to. The Walton family. Like, I just don't think Dallas brings outside voices in.

They've increasingly taken power away from the coach. They hire the coach they can control Mike McCarthy. They let the coaches they can't Parcells and Jimmy Johnson go. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Janice had an incredible 50-point performance in game six to clinch his first NBA title,

but just a few days earlier, he was dealing with some intense pain. After game five, he had to take a break from his post-game press conference, and according to the athletic during those 30 minutes, he was extremely sick to his stomach from dehydration and had to receive a fluid IV treatment. He had 32 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in game five. So was dehydrated, came back to the press conference, and finished it. and then at 50 points in game six. Nothing really too dramatic,

but it does speak to just the amount of exhaustion and effort that Janus was putting forth in this finals. You remember last year, Boulenhozer was getting a lot of criticism because he didn't play Janus what people felt like enough minutes when they got bounced by the heat. He had a lot more balance with the minutes across the board with the roster this postseason. I mean, he was saying like he wants everybody fresh.

Like, that makes sense during the regular season. season. But in the playoffs, you've got to go all out. Well, I mean, even great players like James Hardin who don't, you know, Hardin and Westbrook tend to sort of, because of their ball-centric style, wear down in the playoffs. And they don't give you the effort on the defensive end, Yonis does. So Yonis is clanging out back there with the biggest guys. He always has to guard the best big. So, yeah, I mean, a couple years ago, LeBron cramped up in a game. And some of the, LeBron, you know, some of the, like LeBron hating media was like ripping LeBron because he cramped and it's like, oh, so you've never more, you've never worked out.

Like when you're, I mean, like, whenever I hear people like rip on athletes for like dehydration, it's like you've done, then you've never worked out because I don't even work out hard and I've dehydrated. Yeah, I mean, and you can be hydrated. Like you can do all of the same things and still get dehydrated because you're exerting that much more effort. I mean, like you're playing more minutes. everything in your body is operating and spinning at a higher level because of the intensity of the situation. Well, in football, there's 11 minutes of action. In baseball, there's less. You're asking the world's best athletes to run up and down the court for three hours.

And by the way, inside, it's hot, get in a plane, go travel. There's a reason a lot of NBA guys put on a lot of weight when they retire. Yeah. Because you're not burning 7,000 calories a night on the floor. Yeah. And no one's going to argue that Janus is not. not in shape. So the Lakers are reportedly on the hunt for a veteran point guard to add to their

roster this offseason. And there are two big names on the list. I didn't get this. According to Mark Spears, LeBron and the Lakers are interested in taking Chris Paul away from the Sons. And they're also looking at Russell Westbrook in a potential sign trade that would include Dennis Schroeder, Kyle Kuzma, and Taylin Horton Tucker. Now, the Chris Paul thing.

There's a little something there. A little. It's something because they've been. friends for a long time and have talked about playing with each other and all of that stuff like they have a relationship. However I don't know what kind of relationship you would have that would cause you to

leave this much money on the table. Chris Paul has a 44.2 million dollar player option for next season. He would become a free agent if he declines it. But because of the over 38 rule, he can only extend his contract for a maximum of two years. So you would basically most of the Lakers can offer him is 9.5

million. Okay, so here's my read. this story was leaked to give Chris Paul leverage and Westbrook leverage. Because people like Westbrook, nobody wants to play with him, but they like him. And LeBron likes him and they work out at UCLA here right around the corner. And so if you leak this that the Lakers are interested, it helps the market for Westbrook. And everybody likes Westbrook. Again, they don't want to play with him. They like him.

And this could be a leak to help Chris Paul have more leverage. If I have to hear another mellow and Westbrook rumor, everybody wants to play with them and nobody ever does. and I'm just guessing I don't have any inside information you're total guess but this could be one of those where somebody in LeBron's camp to do a solid to Westbrook or Chris Paul and maybe it's not LeBron's camp but this feels I look at the salary cap structure

and I'm like this doesn't make any sense the money just doesn't add up you're not going to go from making I don't care how much money you've made in your career you're not going to go from possibly making $44 million to 9.5 just to play with LeBron and the Lakers And is it even a better situation?

Like, yeah, it's LeBron and the Lakers. I get it. But AD is not guaranteed to be healthy. Like, there's no guarantee that just because Chris Paul goes to the Lakers that all of a sudden now they are going to win a championship. By the way, he's old and expensive. They got plenty of that already. Yeah, I mean, they have to essentially rebuild their whole roster. Like, it's not a for sure thing.

If it was a plug-in-play situation and Chris Paul's at the end of his career and he, like, desperately wants a championship. and it's almost a guarantee. I don't know. Okay. But obviously the Lakers are not happy with Dennis Schrooter, which is also an element of this story. I've been told Schroeder's a lot to deal with and they don't want to pay him $120 million.

I don't know. Sometimes I see stories and the story behind the story is somebody is trying to do somebody a solid, get it out there and elevate your worth. Because Westbrook has a, he's entering the fourth year of a five-year contract and he has a $47 million player option for 2022, 23. So the Rams are desperately in need of some depth at the running back position following the Cam Acres' season-ending Achilles injury, and former Ram Eric Dickerson thinks they should bring back Todd Gurley.

No. Come on, that's a no-brainer. That's it. That's a no-brainer. I mean, he knows the offense. He knows this offense. He doesn't have to come in and try to learn it. He knows McBae.

He knows the guys on the team. That would be easy fit. No, that's not. There's a reason they were over Gurley. he was over them. And by the way, running back fortunately, there's a lot of them in the draft, there's a lot of them on the market. There's, there'll be, Cam Acres isn't losing Stafford or Aaron Donald. I don't think the Rams, I think they're perilously thin on the offensive line, Austin Blyth gone, but there's enough, you can get close to Cam Acres on the market, close to

him. They have to do something. I don't know that he, Eric is right about Todd Gurley knowing McVeigh and knowing the system and all those things. But Todd Gurley isn't the same player he was in 2017. And they were, by the way, they had worn each other out. Like when they let him go, it was not good in the locker. Yeah. And I don't think Todd Gurley is done. But remember, it was just such a weird situation. Like, we couldn't figure out what was going on. Is he injured? Is there something going on like personnel-wise? It was just a, it was kind of a weird breakup. So I don't know that it's, it's the best fit. But they do desperately need a running back. So they're going to have to make some kind of move. Yeah, because Malcolm Brown went to Miami. So they like,

their power back and they've lost their like lead back. So they just don't have a go-to running back right now, Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. I was supposed to go to dinner last night with Rosillo and I stiffed him. Very unfortunate. And it was his turn to pay. So, you know, that tells you everything. My buddy Ryan Rosillo, host of the Ryan Rissillo podcast, which is great. One of the few I listened to is now joining us live brought to you by Mercedes Ben's the best or nothing. Yeah. I mean, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't turn down a free meal very often, buddy, so we got to make it up. So I can be a prisoner to the moment.

I can be a prisoner to confirmation bias. Hey, listen, I'd be the first to admit it. I like sports. I get excited. And yesterday I'm like, it does feel like Janus is driving the car and everybody else kind of in the back seat. And then I think to myself, a little hyperbolic. You know, KD did look like a better player against Janus in a series about a month ago.

But let's add some perspective. And you're really good at this stuff, Ryan. Let's just start with this. if you include everything, Ryan, is he the best player, Janus, in the league right now, the best overall player? No, I actually don't think he is.

And it feels like I'm doing something wrong or it's against the rules. Because what he did in game six, I mean, I don't want to knock anything that guy did. He was incredible. And I think the best thing about Janus, too, is that he's this incredible star. Maybe he is the best player in the league.

And he also cares the most. You know, his effort on both ends of the floor every single time. I mean, even the best players find some possessions to coast. And at 26 years old, even though he's coming up kind of this weird knee injury, it looked like every possession he was engaged, he was fighting, and he carried them offensively at other times. So, but, you know, I always have this rule that in the moment we're probably the worst to listen to. Like, we need like a week to cool off.

Right. Like, one of my favorite ever was that Joe Flacco was the best quarterback in the NFL, the Monday after the Super Bowl. Merrill Hodges was on Sports Center and he was like, hearing my top five quarterbacks for next year. And it was like, wait, we're like, he has Flacco won, like, awesome playoff right now. Look, Janus is a hundred times better than I think, you know, to his contemporaries than Flacco was back then. So, you know, look, I've kind of turned this into something else.

My point is this is that when we were watching Durant and the Nets with nobody else go up against the bucks. Yeah. It kind of felt like, you know what, as great as Janus is, and he is great. It felt like there was another level of getting into your offense and shopmaking that Durant has. and possesses. So I don't think it's wrong. Like it feels like it's against the rules, but I'm not going to feel guilty for saying, you know, I'd probably still want Durant in a game. Yeah, no, and that's why you're a good guest today, because I do think I can be a prisoner of the moment because, listen, it's such a great story. He's such a great kid. And to your point, I said yesterday, he plays like

an eight-year-old playing his first game and you want to, hey, slow down. There's two hours to go. Okay, don't play so hard. Here's the other thing, though. And I'm not going to talk dynasty because they never last as long. But there does. feel like a little bit of a San Antonio feel. A grateful, humble, legendary big. I mean, man who was a second round pick, so was Middleton. Tony Parker late first. So was Drew Holiday.

Nice pieces, undervalued with this selfless, coachable, both end of the floor, dominating humble big. And it wasn't good for the NBA rating, San Antonio. But when Kobe and Shaq divorced, it, open the door for it. Well, LeBron Kauai leave the east. Ryan, outside of Brooklyn, that east is really Milwaukee's, is it not for the next half decade? Yeah, but that Brooklyn is a huge if, because I feel like, you know, as much as I was wondering, how it was all going to play out, honestly, Colin, if two of the guys were healthy, I think the Nets are NBA champs. I really do.

I mean, that's how close that Buck's net series was with a diminished Hardin, who Milwaukee didn't even want to attack, and then no Kai Reed. So all three of the those guys. Now, the if question from Brooklyn's health, like no one can just go, oh, they'll be fine, they'll be healthy next year because those guys, I mean, Kyrie hasn't had a normal finish to a season here in years, but there's a couple things you said

there. One, and I think this is the best point to argue Milwaukee maybe having this kind of run, is that Janus is Duncan in the sense that there's absolute buying. Okay? Yeah. There hasn't been, you know how like people work in the media industry and like you're younger and you're like, I'm going to work

so hard and I'm going to call everybody. I'm going to say yes to everything. And then you're like seasoned and you're around for 10 years. You're like, yeah, I'm not doing that. I think that NBA players, much like anybody else in any other industry, you're around long enough, you end up getting a little bitter about things. And like, there's none of that with the honest. But here's my rule about dynasties or even using the D word. Can we get to the second championship before we start throwing this? Can we just get to a second one before we even suggest that we have a dynasty in the making for any of these teams? All right, I want to go to a football question now because you're good at this stuff.

And we had a discussion yesterday. I didn't want to use it anywhere because it's sort of yours and I don't like to hijack. I thought it was going to be your open for today because you were like, that's good. So I called him yesterday and he had a very good point. And I thought it spanned, it transcends Aaron Rogers in Green Bay. But it made me think a lot. And we talked about Green Bay. And I want you to elaborate on this point.

And the point being is, when people are unhappy, they don't give specifics. I'm unhappy with my company. And from there, I want you to take it away on Aaron and Green Bay. If you had a best friend, right, a guy you grew up with and the families are friends, you know, he's married, you're married, everybody gets along. And he said to you, hey, I think I'm going to leave my wife. You're like, whoa, okay. Well, do you have any specifics?

Nah. You know, I'm just not feeling it. And you'd be like, okay, but, you know, if you're going to blow up your family here, like, I need to be convinced a little bit. Like, I'm supporting you. I get it. You know, things change. I just need specifics.

And this entire Aaron Rogers saga has been rather vague. Like, I like Aaron Rogers. I clearly like him more than you. But this Packers team is a Super Bowl contender. It's not like he's been with a team here for a decade plus that's never had any chance. And it's like, you know what I get it. Rogers is really special and now he wants to move on. But this entire saga.

Colin, I feel like, you know, I need to, like, you're playing the victim. Convince me you're the victim, okay? Convince me you're the victim, because just drafting Jordan Love and not getting a heads up is not enough for him to do this to the franchise that's supported him, to do this to his teammates that I think for the most part really like him. So, okay, cool, you want out and you do all these vague things. Like, I need something more specific. He can clearly leak it to anybody in the media that he wants to.

But this entire timeline, Colin, I'm just not all that convinced. convinced, he's as aggrieved as he portrays to be. And finally, listen, I'm viewed as a cowboy hate. You know, funny in our business, you're viewed as a hate. Like for years, I was a Westbrook hater. And I always said, yeah, but I'm accurate. I'm a hater if I was ripping Mahomes. Okay, then I'm a hater.

But if you're accurate, you're not a hater. And so with Dallas, I pick it. You're a truther. That's boom. Thank you. Right. A different kind. A sports truther.

But with Dallas, I always look at the schedule and I'm going, there'll be a game above 500. And this year I'm like, 9 and 8 feels right. So just I want on the record, Ryan, I got Dallas at 9 and 8, and I have them battling for a wild card at the end and probably because I trust Dak more than Daniel Jones getting into the playoffs.

That is my space today. That's where I'm landing on. Where are you on Dallas? Well, I'll admit I'm a little caught up more in the NBA draft. But I think there's a Dallas point here to be made. And that is all of us that have done this at the national level for a long time if we're not from there, we probably all sound like haters because they're so sick of talking about him. Do you remember the summer of Ezekiel Elliott's contract?

That was like three weeks. So I think there's a little human nature that kicks in with all of us where you're just like, you know what, you know, we'll throw a 500 on it. I mean, now instead of eight and eight, we'll say nine and eight because of it. You know, hey, maybe they're 10 and seven. Like, like who cares? And so, you know, it's the Cowboys part of it, like anytime you could talk Cowboys, but it's so excessive, and all of us have had to talk about them way more than we wanted to when they've really done nothing to garner this much attention. So I think that's probably where it comes in from. But as far as Dallas in that division, trying to figure that division out year to year, it's almost impossible. So I could see him winning it. I could see him being disappointing again.

A lot of it's just going to depend on how much DAC can carry them and then a defense that kind of fluctuates every single year. So I think you're probably closer to right, but that division's been so hard to figure out that I give up. Yeah, Philadelphia will be bad. It feels like everybody else depends on the injuries, attrition. Ryan Rosillo, the Ryan Rusillo podcast, great seeing you, man. The house looks great. Everything's good for you. You look fantastic, bud. I feel great. I was in a rut, and I came on the show today, and, you know, sky's the limit for the rest of the day. All right. Ryan Rosillo, good stuff. By the way, Big Ben wore a T-shirt, and I'm looking at the picture now.

Everybody is like, whoa, his weight just falling off him. I don't know. He looks like Big Ben. I don't know. Does he look skinny? I can't figure it out. Why do we do the? Every training camp we do this.

Remember when Tony Romo was like 400 pounds? Because he had like some weird stomach pad thing on and everyone was freaking out. It's funny because you have like, wasn't it Tim Tebow that was like running in the rain? I've never in the last 10 years ever thought, you know, if he was skinnier, they'd be way better. That's just not what I think. Now, I'll address what I think about the Steelers next. But I never want, in fact, I would argue his weight was an advantage because he's like tackling an 18 wheeler. He's just a big guy.

Yeah, I've never been like Ben needs to be in amazing shape. But first of all, quarterbacks don't necessarily, they need to be in shape, but you don't have to look like an adonness. I would argue being ripped. you're too rigid and tight. Like, pliability is way more important than abs. It just is. I want my guy to have a little pudding. That's why I don't have any abs.

Boom. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories.

You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib 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 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, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Batsy, 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 a little kill?

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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks.

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. 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?

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, our heart radio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Simply Save's been making people feel safe at home for the past 15 years. Simply savecollon.com. Customize your system. Get a free security camera. My dad, I remember when I was a kid sitting on the couch, and it's weird the things you remember. And my dad wasn't a big talker. My mom was wittier and funnier. My dad was really very much into business, very reluctant guy, reticent for emotion. But he said two things I remember as a kid. Number one, once I was shooting hook shots out in the yard and my little basketball hoop and just taking crazy shots. And my dad, walked by and he said, Tiger, he called me Tiger. He said, Tiger, why would you ever take a shot in practice that you don't take in a game? He just walked over, grabbed firewood, walked up the hill. I think about that every week. Wasting time. Why are you wasting time? That's all he said. Tiger, why would you ever take a shot out here? You wouldn't take in a game. He didn't even elaborate. He just got firewood and walked up.

And another thing he said to me, I was on the couch. And I remember John Chancellor was the anchor for NBC. My dad liked NBC at the time, like news. And it was such a glib line. It was like he had practiced it or something. And we were watching, it was the economy was bad in the country. It was the mid-70s. And it was a recession.

You know, it was a bad economy. And it was a story about that. And he said, Tiger, he said, recessions are garage. sales for the prepared. Always be ready. When the economy goes in the tank, are you nimble? Do you have cash? Or are you up to your teeth and debt? Be nimble. Be flexible. Be ready to go. Recessions happen about every seven, eight years generally, and they're quick. And we get over them. We bounce out of them. Be nimble. Be flexible. Be ready for when the fit hits the Shan in America. And Big Ben picture came out. He's lost a bunch of weight. And to me, I never worry about Ben's weight.

The Steelers haven't been ready when the fit hit the Shan in the AFC North. Cleveland and Cincinnati now have their act together. They both have their quarterbacks. Cleveland's got an excellent coach, and I think Cincinnati's pretty good. Cleveland's got an excellent GM. The Brown's rosters loaded. So Cleveland and Cincinnati were a clown show for the last 15 years. Let's just talk to the last decade. What does that mean? That Pittsburgh should have owned this division. Now, you won't win it every year because Baltimore is well run. Pittsburgh last decade. Zero number one seeds. Virtually guaranteed to go four and oh against the Bengals Brown. Zero number one seats.

One by New England, when the dolphins went sideways, when the bills were, went sideways. When the Jets for the Jets, New England, won their division, eight buys, Green Bay. Minnesota goes sideways, bears can't find a quarterback, Lions are the Lions. Green Bay, in the last decade, seven division titles, four playoff buys. LeBron James, when everybody was unraveling in the east, all the good teams in the West, LeBron James, in the east, eight straight, finals appearances. Didn't win them all, but he took advantage of the dysfunction in the east. Packers have taken advantage of the dysfunction.

Patriots took advantage. Now, New England, there's not a lot of, Miami and Buffalo have the right coaches, have good rosters. It doesn't last forever. Browns and the Bengals are real football teams, especially the Browns. That are real football team. You blew it. Recessions or garage sales for the prepare.

That division had a, 10-year recession, and the Steelers didn't take advantage of it. That is on them. 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. We perform. 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 and 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, 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 Cliford 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's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 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 here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.