The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 08/03/2021 - HOUR 2 - Zion, Paul, Prescott

Episode Date: August 3, 2021

Are the Pelicans doing everything they can to keep Zion Williamson happy?Chris Paul is the right fit for the SunsUpdate on Dak PrescottGuests: Dwight Freeney, Jane Slater 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert 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, 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 IHard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. I mean, 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. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Ah, here we go. It is hour two. First hour flew by live in beautiful Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be. And however, you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. If you think I'm tanned, you're right. I sat out yesterday for an hour and a half. Good for you.

Took a nap in the sun. I'm team no sun, so it's something I would never do. but good for you. Fantastic. Had a dog next to me? Well, that makes it that much better. Anything with the dogs. I got two dogs too, so happy camper with the dogs.

It was very, very nice. Good to have you, and that's the voice of Alex Curry for those listening on radio. Dwight Breeney is going to be joining us in a couple of minutes. So, you know, there was one move in NBA free agency yesterday, and I was kind of surprised by the reaction

that, oh, the pelicans are screwing it up with Zion Williamson. And I don't think they've made every right move, but they basically got Lonzo ball out of town to Chicago. Good for the Bulls, good pickup. But what the Pelicans are basically saying is Zion's our best athlete. We're just going to give him the point guard. We're just going to let him have the ball more. 6-7, 280, in transition, unstoppable.

Nobody in this league. It's a skinny jeans league now. Nobody's getting in his way. You know, in the NFL, 25, 30 years ago, quarterbacks mostly looked and played the same. They were 6-3, they were 220, never too tall, never too short. They distributed the ball. They were coaches on the field. Don't run around.

Don't run out of the call that's already been played by the man with a headset. And then Michael Vick happened and Russell Wilson happened. And now you're just looking for somebody that could be tall, they could be short, they could be fast, they could be wiry, they could be thick. You just want somebody with juice. Lamar Jackson, stop criticizing him. He's juice. He makes stuff happen. He's won 80% of his games.

Justin Herbert's juice, different kind. But he's juice. He can just do stuff. He could play tight end in the NFL. He decided five years ago we wanted to play that. Point guards the same thing. I grew up 30 years ago. Point guards were 6 foot 2.

You didn't really want him to be scores. Distributor, coach on the floor, mature, get the ball to the right guy. hit an occasional mid-range jumper. And Steph Curry happens. And then LeBron James happened. And now you can take all the shots. I know you're a forward, play a guard. The Pelicans are 16 and 8 when Zion has five or more assists.

When he's the guard, they're at their best. Quarterback now in high school or junior high. Who's the best athlete? Can you throw? Go play quarterback. And in basketball, KD, Paul George, Yokic, Janus, LeBron, you're the best player. Just give him the ball more. He's juice.

He makes stuff happen. You can't stop him. I mean, Janus, you don't even trust at the free throw line, can't really shoot beyond like eight feet. He's got the ball all the time. All the time. And he's not even a guy that can pull up and hit a three. So, you know, years and years ago, when I was covering, this league. There was a GM for the Blazers named Bob Witts. He was a smart guy. We didn't

know his agree, but he was smart guy. And Bob said this to me like 20 years ago when I was covering the Blazers and always stuck with me. He said, you media guys are into labels, point guard, shooting guard. He goes, I'm looking for guys that can play. Guys that can handle the ball and shoot and defend. I always want athletes. Just give me guys that are athletes. You guys are into four and three and one and five. And he was right. Bob was ahead of his time. Just get me playing. I don't even know what position LeBron is. What position is Zion? Hell if I know.

I mean, I remember watching Charles Barkley. Years ago, I worked in Tampa, and I was the only guy in the office that loved the NBA, and the Orlando Magic had Shaq and Penny. So I would go cover, I would lobby to go cover the Orlando Magic. And I went down there and Orlando was very good. Penny was, that was pre-injury. Shaq was like skinny. They were fantastic.

And Charles Barkley played for the Phoenix Suns, and he came in and I got really good seats. At that time, I was not known as America's honesty broker, so it was hard to get good seats. So I got good seats. And I remember watching Charles Barkley in the first quarter put on a clinic. He shot a left-handed hook. He shot threes, twos. He used his big butt to get dunks. And I remember thinking, I didn't have seen anything like this.

Like, I don't even know. I thought it was a forward. He just took the game over. He nudged KG and Marley out of the way. KJ and Marley, he had the ball. He had it in transition. He took threes. He was the point.

He was the rebounder. He was the center. It was the first time I was like, he doesn't have a position. He's just Charles Barkley. He's just the best basketball player in the four. I think he scored like 16 points in the first quarter or 12. At one point, the Orlando players waved a white flag. We surrender.

I mean, he put on a clinic, threes, twos, dunks, left-handed hooks. It was insane. and it was like, oh, let's get out of labels. Barkley was just great. He could score in transition, score at the rim. He could shoot a three. He could shoot a two. He had this, you know, he was only about six, four and a half.

Barkley was a four, and it was six, four and a half, and he could handle the ball like a point guard. A lot of these great, I mean, Michael Jordan, if I say, who was the point for the Bulls? You say, well, BJ Armstrong, for a while, but a lot of times in big spots, it was Michael. He just gave Michael the ball. You know, Phil Jackson of the triangle offense. Oh, the triangle offense is great.

You know what the triangle offense was? Give it to Michael and Kobe. They'll figure it out. You know, that's why nobody ever copied the triangle offense. You ever noticed that? In the NFL, they copied that goofy wildcat offense. Even Belichick did. In the NBA, the greatest coach ever has something called a triangle offense.

Nobody ever copied it. Why? Because they didn't have Kobe or Jordan. Pimia doesn't work very good without them. So I am for less labels on players. Get good players. Get them on the field. Give me a quarterback.

I don't care if they look like Josh Allen or Cesar. 6-6 or Kyler Murray. Give me a guy. Give me Lamar Jackson. He's got juice. He just makes stuff happen. That's what I want. You're a high school coach and a kid walks in.

He's a freshman. He's 6'2. He can run around. And years ago, you would have thought he was a receiver. Ask him if he can throw. That's the game. That's what's happening. Dwight Freeney, 16 NFL seasons.

A Super Bowl champ. A seven-time pro bowler is now joining us live. Dwight, good to be. talk to you again. Hey man, how you doing? I'm doing great. So I love, I said this yesterday, Dwight, I support competent people, athletes that work hard, GMs that are smart.

I get really frustrated with meddling owners, with incompetent GMs, and players that don't put the time in. I support the Colts. I love their commitment. I love Frank Reich. I love Chris Ballard. It makes me sick to my stomach that Carson, Wentz and now Quentin Nelson are hurt. But let me ask you, I know of the, I know of all the

Wents Nick Fulls stuff. But Dwight, this is a Super Bowl roster. We can't worry about feelings here. If Nick Foles is the best guy available, Dwight, do you get him on the phone if you're Chris Ballard? That's a tough one. I would say, you know, because I've been through this just a little bit, when Peyton Manning in my last year was hurt, you know, and couldn't play because of the neck injury. And then we had the call Kerry Collins in from the New York Giants and come over. We thought, oh, you know what? This is going to be the perfect fit he can throw the ball.

But the thing is, he didn't know the system. He didn't know what was going on, all the intricate details that we needed to know to be a quarterback for the Indianapolis coach. Yeah, sure. He was a great quarterback for other teams. Right. You know, when he was with the Titans and other teams like that. But when he was with us, he couldn't get on the same page with the offense and the receivers.

And that's no, you know, nothing against him. He just didn't have enough time. All right. So if you try to bring somebody in, you don't know how it's going to go. So I would say stay in house. I defended them going and getting Carson Wentz, but he has a litany of injury. Let's go back. Did you think Wentz was too big of a risk, or did you understand it when they went and got him?

I completely understood it, you know, because of how him and Frank, how those guys could ping pong back and forth with each other as far as what they should do on the field. You've seen so much success from Carson when he was with him. So you have to think, hey, you know what? There's a chance to kind of get that light from that bubble again. and all of a sudden explode into big things like he did back when he was in Philadelphia. We were in need in the Indian office of a quarterback who has experience and who actually can do it in those big moments. Carson's that guy. So honestly, I think it was a good move. You know what? We'll see what happens. You know, I think that he has, you know, sky's the limit. He's still young.

All right. And Frank, you know, Frank, how Frank does. You see what he did with Philip last year. You know, Philip supposedly was supposed to be done. had a pretty good year last year. All right, I think it's going to be the same thing with cars. By the way, you played, when are you eligible for the Hall of Fame, by the way? I think in about a couple years. I was going to say, because it doesn't say Hall of Fame here. And I'm like, well, yeah, you're going to make the Hall of Fame.

I didn't see that in your little resume here. You'll be there. Hopefully, hopefully. Yeah, you will. So you played for the Colts for 11 years, and I don't have this resume in front of you. How long had Peyton Manning been there before you got there? Let's see. I think Peyton got there in the 98 season.

All right. So he was there probably four years before me. Okay. So by the time you got there, he was established. And I look at you, played for the Chargers, Cardinals, Falcons, Seahawks. And I asked this because in San Francisco, Garapolo got him to a Super Bowl, but Tray Lance looks really good in camp. And I want to take you to all your years of experience. When you have a starter and he's older and the veterans like Dwight-Freen, he trusts him.

but the team goes and drafts a young guy in the first round and he's really good but he's got no you know he's not no pelts on that belt man he hadn't played yeah yeah would you be concerned and and the reports are dwight lance looks really good would you be concerned starting him in week one because veterans in the locker room may be like whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa we got to a Super Bowl with Jimmy G. Like, how do you play that if trade does look great in camp? Tell me, as a former guy in those rooms, how that would play? Well, for one, you know, experience counts double in the NFL.

The more experience you have, the more times you actually go through something, the better you're going to be at it when you see it again. You know, you'll be able to get out in real tough situations. Look, I think that he will eventually be the starting quarterback. I think that Garapolo will be on a short leash. If he starts to stumble early, I think he's going to be in there. Trey's going to be in there. All right?

But I don't think it's the move in the very beginning, all right, just because of all the things that you said. You know what? Barapola got us here. He's a veteran guy. You know what? We trust him. We know exactly what we're going to get for him. him, right? So you have to go with that. There has to be a little bit of a loyalty thing from that

perspective, all right? But that being said, Jimmy is going to have to perform and at a high level and they're going to have to win some games. And I can honestly see after four or five games, if Jimmy isn't playing too good, I can see Trey Lance is stepping right in there. Right now. We don't know how that's going to be because rookie quarterbacks, they have a rough time in a national football. They do. They do. Yes, yes. But I think because of the surrounding support that he has in San Francisco, it's a best case scenario for a rookie quarterback. All right. It's different in Chicago. But here, I think it's, you know, hey, if they decide to go Trey Lance's way, then, you know what, they might be better off, maybe, but he has the best opportunity and chance to be great.

So, you know, it's funny. I've tried to be fair on the Packer, Aaron Rogers thing, and I do think the organization should make, you know, if you get rid of his quarterback coach, tell him. If you're going to draft a quarterback, tell him. I think that's the smart, prudent thing to do. And the criticism is fair. But I also think Aaron has shown me over the course of his career that he can be a little bit of a grudge holder, McCarthy, Farr, Greg Jennings, like, he can go some people that even if

you had told him, wouldn't have made him happier. So who cares? You got to do what you've got to do. When you were with Peyton Manning, because I've been said this, Tom Brady had no say in personnel with New England. From my understanding, he had no say. And Bill Polion, who is a friend that I know well, I doubt he gave Peyton Manning heads up on every draft pick. So, you know, there's part of me that says, hey, the world's changed, Dwight, and athletes want more of a say, I get that, and I do think there have been times Green Bay has really butcher this. Just give guy a heads up. But go back to your time with Peyton Manning. Did Peyton Manning just feel like another guy with a Colts, or did he feel like he was treated special?

Oh, I mean, listen, I love Payton, but you know what? Payton was a great player and much deserved for all the little extra benefits he got, all right? Listen, Payan, he, he, knew exactly what was happening. Okay, that doesn't mean that, you know, Bill said, hey, Payton, is this okay? I won't go as far as to say that. Now, I didn't know what was really going on, but from my perspective, okay, what was going on, Peyton was informed definitely on any offensive type of situation who they were going to bring in, not to say that he could say, hey, I don't want that guy, don't bring him in.

Right. You know, I'm not going to say it's going that far. I would have a hard time believing, you know, Hall of Fame, Bill Pollan would allow that, all right. But I think that definitely Peyton had some say if, you know, he wanted to keep a guy maybe, that he felt comfortable with something. Yeah. Offensively, decision-making how the plays were being called. For sure, Peyton had his say in all of that. But personnel, who you bring in, who you draft, I'm not so sure about that. Finally, Tom Brady's 44 today.

Listen, you went against Tom a lot. If I said to you, Dwight, just a memory of Brady that maybe I couldn't, you know, that's more personal or I can't see during a game or a conversation you had or an audible that drove you nuts. When you think of Brady, are there a couple of things that if somebody came up to you and said, hey, like Brady's not that athletic, Dwight, blah, blah, blah. I mean, come on, give me a break. What made him so special? And all the times you faced him, it wasn't that he had the best arm. It wasn't that he wasn't Big Ben as an athlete. Give me a couple or an example of when you knew very early when you faced him,

this guy's a little different. Because Peyton Manning was such a, you know, Peyton Manning, we all knew when he was in high school. Brady was a late bloomer. When did you first know this dude, this cat is different? Well, you know what it was is that what makes Brady so good is that you can't rattle the guy. Okay. It's like you said, he doesn't have the best arm. You know, maybe he might be one of the most accurate guys or in that conversation,

but maybe we can pick people who are a little bit more accurate, right? But what makes him so good is his pocket presence, his awareness, and is just his feel for the game and how it's going. Okay. And that's the thing for a defensive line guy who loved hitting quarterbacks and completely just ruining their game plans and their life and causing tremendous anxiety for them. It was very, very hard to get to Tom.

For one, structurally, they weren't allowing a lot of guys to hit Tom. Okay? They knew when I'm going to throw the ball down, down the field, we're going to max protect, we're going to play action, we're not going to give you an opportunity to get there. All right. And when they didn't max protect, what did they do? Throw the ball pretty quickly.

Yeah. Right? On three step drops. And because they knew that Brady knew where to throw the ball from a timing perspective and a place perspective to where those quick throws turn into long runs by the receivers. And that stuff is just, it's what kills you. So he just does the little things great all of the time. Yeah.

All right. You rarely, rarely see him take a really bad, you know, chuck at it, throw into double coverage. You know, you may see a little bit that now, you know, but when he was in his heyday, no, never. Yeah. Great seeing you, Dwight. You look fantastic.

You're going to be in the Hall of Fame here on the ballot in a couple of years and get in. absolute pleasure seeing you again. Hey man, thank you for having me. I appreciate it, hopefully one day. Yeah, yeah, it'll be soon. Dwight Frini, one of the all-time great pass rushers, 16 years in the NFL. He was a good college player, but, you know,

that's the funny thing about great players. Like, you knew Michael Jordan was going to be good, but he was the third pick. It's like I listened to some of the training camp stuff, and some of these rookies now, these teams drafted these rookies, and they obviously thought they were good or they weren't drafting them.

And I was reading some stuff this morning where the lions are like, Yeah, that third round pick is, oh, he's better than we thought. Because you can't, you can see, film shows you one thing. But how verbal is a guy? Is he, does he lubricate the locker room? Is he a little quicker than you thought? Even in the SEC, most of the time, most players in the SEC are not NFL players.

If Kentucky plays Old Miss, 90% of those guys aren't pro players. Alabama may have a lot. LSU and Georgia may have a lot, but most of the programs in the SEC don't have 25, NFL guys on the roster. So there's a lot of this stuff that is, let's see him in pads at practice. How is he going to go up against the nine-year veteran offensive linemen when he dominated guys in the SEC? Dwight Frini was a really good college player, but I think his career was insanely good.

Jane Slater will go to Cowboys Camp later this hour. Justin Herbert likes me. He'll be joining the show later. DoorDash is here. Get more from your neighborhood. It's the summer of Dash Pass. Members get $10 off groceries, alcohol, pet food, because summer. Try Dash Pass.

For free, year-round savings, they have a cool app. Go to the Door Dash app. Stay cool out there. Terms and conditions apply. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you'll say. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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. Thursday on Fox. The NFL is bad. Catch Big Ben and the Steelers as a battle. Zeke in the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game.

All the action is on Fox and the Fox Sports app. I just saw this morning HBO on Twitter. It was promoting hard knocks with the Cowboys. It's going to be fun. I love hard knocks. It got me in the mood. I'm not going to lie. Some hard knocks are interesting.

The Jets with Rex Ryan when he was inhaling M&Ms at every turn. He'd literally have him when he was on the treadmill. He knocked down M&Ms. So we'll see how it goes, by the way. Jersey Mike's Day tomorrow on the herd. They have a new grilled portabella mushroom in Swiss. Fresh ingredients, never pre-slice or packaged. Jersey mics be a sub above.

Alex with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Tom Brady is celebrating his 44th birthday today, but things weren't so great for him at practice over the weekend. He appeared to be extremely frustrated with how the offense was performing on Sunday. He was seen punting the football and slamming his helmet into the ground.

He also yelled at teammates saying, you got to make a bleeping play when you're tired, fellas. Now, it is the first week of training camp. I know it. And Tom Brady expects excellence. Well, and also, it would be hard to do that if he was second year in the league. But the fact that he's gone there and won, he's got even more leverage. And I also think he has the respect.

and trust the teammates. You can't do that for about 90% of the quarterbacks in this league. Guys will roll their eyes. But I think Brady's gotten to the point where guys know, listen, if Tom's upset, we've got to get our stuff right. Yeah. I mean, that's what it takes to be a seven-time Super Bowl champion. He's 44 years old. He's the goat. Listen to Tom Brady. Be excellent. Moving on. Nick Foles is third on the bear's depth chart behind Andy Dalton and Justin Fields right now. And he could be a top trip. target for a team in need of quarterback depth. Now one of those teams is the Colts following Carson Wentz's foot injury and Foles would definitely be open to returning with his old coach.

Frank Reich is one of my favorite if not favorite coaches at all time. He understands me as a player. He understands me as a person. But you know, right, I haven't had any talks with them. I don't know. I'm a Chicago bear right now. But I think he knows me. He understands. I mean, y'all watched the 2017 season in the playoffs where he changed the offense and built it around me and y'all saw what happened. I don't know if I've ever heard a player make a plea for himself so hard while he's on another team. In fairness to Nick Foles, Dalton was promised to start and it's Justin Fields team. So, folks, the best third-string quarterback in the league by a mile is Nick Foll.

So the Bears, Matt and Aggie said this today, we fully expect somebody to make a trade for Nick Foles at some point in this season. Nick's not going to be there the entire year. And if you go look at his career, he's been as good as his environment. When he had Andy Reed in Philly, he had a 27 TD two-pick year. And with Frank Reich in Philly, he was fantastic. So he's not the kind of guy athletically that can overcome a bad old line or a bad

coordinator. And I'm not knocking anybody who's played with. But with Andy and Frank Reich, when he's had the right environment, he's been terrific. He's got a better than average arm. Remember, he was a great high school basketball player. Texas and Georgetown recruited him. He was more of a basketball guy than a football guy. And then his last two years of high school, he got into football.

And I watched him. I remember watching him at Arizona. I was at a game in Los Angeles. He came to the Coliseum against USC through for 440 yards, four touchdowns. They could not stop him. So he's always had talent. But he's not talented enough to overcome the wrong system. Like, you know, and Andrew Luck gets you to the playoffs,

regardless of O'Line coach or Russell Wilson. But the Colts have a lot of pieces in place where you'd have to at least sit down as an organization and contemplate bringing Nick Foles in. But you have to think of the mind game that it would play on Carson Wentz. He's kind of been his lingering better shadow. He stepped in, helped bring Philly a Super Bowl win. he was a Super Bowl MVP. He got the statue in Philly. And if Carson Wentz is your long-term play,

is it worth it to mess them up that much to bring him in for a little bit of help for half a season? Yeah. I see both sides. So it's going to be interesting to see how that one plays out. Yeah. Well, moving on to free agency because there was a lot of movement yesterday. The Lakers brought back four of their former players, Dwight Howard, Trevor Reza, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Baysmore. But they lost Alex Caruso, who signed with the Bulls and, Instead, Chicago also got Lons of Ball and a sign and a sign and trade from New Orleans, but the heat may have had the best free agency so far adding Kyle Lowry from the Raptors, PJ Tucker from the Bucks, and giving new deals to both Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson.

There was a lot of action yesterday. There was. It felt like every 10 minutes. But when you look at the Lakers right now, okay, of their eight players currently under contract, their average age on their team is 33 and a half right now. Yes. And their two best players have a recent injury history. So that's one of the things, even though Kuzma or Caruso or young, there is value in youth in this league because you have to get to the playoffs and those guys play 35 minutes in the regular season. So even though the Lakers are constructed for the playoffs, you got to get there.

I mean, just ask yourself, do you think LeBron's going to make it through the season without, you know, a tweak? Do you think A.D. is going to make it through the season without a visit to the IR? The answer is no. And so it's old. I mean, I'm not trying to be negative here, but. For an athlete, that's old. That's old. That's a lot of wear.

And LeBron's played almost two full NBA years of just playoff game. So that's intense minutes. So they took a, the Lakers took a huge swing from a little. I mean, they were old to begin with, but they got rid of four pair of legs that played a lot of minutes and made a lot of shots. We're good shooters, good defense. Yep. Yeah. And Alex with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. One of my favorite point guards of all time, I mean, the best is Magic Johnson, without question. But I like Chris Paul, and I like what he stands for. And I've thought for years and years, I said, year, I would have given him the MVP vote or second. I thought Steph Curry was great, Yokic too.

But he was overlooked, but he's never been overlooked by the right people. I tell young people broadcasters all the time. I said, don't listen to the noise. I'll go talk to a college or a mom will call me up and say, can you talk to my son or my daughter? She wants to be a sportscaster. And I say there's a lot of voices out there. Few deserve to be listened. to the right people get Chris Paul.

Chris Paul signed a contract $120 million. I talked to my friend Bobby Marks yesterday at another network. Nineties guaranteed the first two years after that. It's partial non-guaranteed. Thanks, Bobby, for the heads up. He's great for information. Shout out to Bobby Marks. He may not have the rings, but he will have made $440 million playing basketball.

And the reason is. isn't because of Twitter or Instagram or fanboys. It's because smart people in the league get him. And that's what matters in your job, and it's what matters in mine, and it's what matters for your kids. Everybody's got an opinion. How many should you listen to? From TV commercials to businesses outside of basketball to relationships

to player mobility, opting in and opting out. Chris Paul, not a winner, you're out of your mind. He and LeBron James, by the end of next year, will have made the most money playing basketball in the history of America. He doesn't dunk. He's not flashy. His highlights aren't on Instagram. But if you're a young basketball player,

go have lunch with Chris Paul, figure out a way to meet Chris Paul. on Twitter, ask Chris Paul a question. He's a voice you should listen to. We spend so much time trying to be popular, and that's never been Chris Paul's thing. He's wanted to be shrewd and savvy and smart. And every damn team he's on,

everybody plays their best. The old guys, the average guys, the young guys, and it's why he should have stayed in. Phoenix. He's a perfect fit. I love everything Chris Paul's about. And yeah, he's difficult. So is every smart person I've ever listened to. And I don't listen to that many. They're complex. They're difficult. They demand a lot. Yeah. But he doesn't dunk and he's not lit and he's not

the most athletic and he's not, he's not all over Instagram because of his plays. But don't tell me he's not a winner. 440 million to play basketball. He made a great decision to sign with Phoenix, and they, for two years guaranteed, made a great decision to keep him. One of my favorite guys ever. Maybe somebody will come on the show. Now he's got his kids in his commercials. Only Chris Paul. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.

This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book, and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliford 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, Untax. filtered 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 Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what we. went down and tried 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 crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for 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. 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, Keir Gaines, is we have real.

conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. DoorDash, get some. $10 off all summer. Get more from your neighborhood. Pet food, groceries, alcohol.

Dash pass. Check it out on the DoorDash app. DashPash. Check it out for free. All right, we got some breaking news here. Let's bring in Jane Slater, reporter NFL Network, covering the California. covering the Cowboys for a long time now. She does inside training camp every day starting at 10 a.m. Eastern and Jane is joining us

live now. All right. So Jane, we've got some breaking news on the Cowboys, and I'm going to let you serve it up to the audience. What is the latest Mike McCarthy is saying on DAC? Yeah, Mike McCarthy just on the podium there in Oxnard, California, saying that Dak Prescott, they're going to take a step back, but it's not a setback. In other words, they just want to be a lot more conservative.

with this throwing shoulder. What does that mean? That means we're not going to see him in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, and we're not going to see him throwing at practice today. And I can tell you I was there on the first pad of practice when it felt like a fairly innocuous injury, Colin. We saw him go off to the side, talk to trainers right before they got to team drills. And after that, he was jogging off the football field.

And it was strange at the time that we're sitting around waiting for him to do what was a scheduled interview with a bunch of the local media. And that thing got pushed back a couple of hours. And we had a former player out there. and I said, do they normally take a player somewhere else if they need an MRI of some sort? And I was told yes. And then around 6 o'clock, we got this update that he did, in fact, have an MRI that showed the strain. It was a latiss muscle in his throwing shoulder.

And so since then, we've seen him at practice. He's going through the drills. He's showing a lot of strength in his lower legs. And, of course, that ankle looks like it's been doing just fine because he's been working on the resistance cords, lateral moves. But every time we've seen him sort of marking plays or going through the motions of quarterbacks, He's not using that throwing shoulder. Anytime he gets the ball back to someone, it's with the non-throwing hand, and it's sort of an underhand throw.

So it doesn't sound like we haven't been given any indication that we should be concerned about this, but we haven't seen him throwing since that first padded practice back on the 28th calling. You know, it's interesting. I saw a promo this morning or last night for hard knocks on HBO. So I watched it, and of course it sucks me in. I love football and it's cowboys. When you're there, because I've always said, that ideally distractions are bad for this league.

Now, the Cowboys, because they're so popular, and Dallas is a major market, so you've got the NFL network's there, and there's always an NFL reporter, and Jane Slater's there, and Peter Schragher's there. So it's not the Jags. But this is a layer of a bunch of cameras.

When you were there, did you sense the cameras? I mean, give me an idea what it's like when the Hard Knocks crew is around football. I'm just, I wasn't there. I'd like to hear that. Yeah, it's so different than when the cameras were last. I think the last time the cameras were there for Hard Knocks was back in either 08 or

03, don't quote me on that. But even ahead of it, I asked, you know, someone within the building, I said, are you guys at all concerned about it? Because it's not like you get a choice when Hard Knocks comes knocking on your door. Not a lot of people get to pull the Urban Meyer and say, we're not going to have them in our building. They said when the All or Nothing cameras were there, they didn't really notice them because the cameras had gotten so much smaller from the last time that Hard Knocks was there. And honestly, that was sort of my feeling when I was there too. Now, keep in mind, I'm sort of used to the pomp and circumstance in Dallas.

It really is different when I go and cover, say, the Saints in New Orleans or the Titans in Tennessee. Even Randall Cobb went said to me when he was in the locker room, just for a regular season game, it always felt like it was playoff media coverage. And so this was an outsider coming in to the locker room. And so I think if you're used to it, and a lot of these guys are a little bit like Tinkerbell. They sort of dive without applause. That's what we're used to here in Dallas. I don't think it bothers them.

If anything, I think it's given this group the sort of. of energy that they've needed. And there's a lot of guys with big personalities on the defensive side of the ball. I feel like it's sort of energized them a little bit, a little bit of a way. You know, there's, I see pictures, memes or whatever they call them. And I saw one about a week ago. And it showed Zeke in some picture where he looked heavy and that like really heavy. Like, almost.

That was Joe Looney. That was Joe Looney, Colin. Okay. Okay. And then I saw him in the camp and I'm like, oh, he looked cut. So was that ever, I mean, does, there are a lot of people now that are saying, okay, he's slowly declining, he has no has been in the great shape. Is that talked about in the circles?

Is that like an issue that Zieg's as good as Zik wants to be in shape? So I will explain the meme. Joe Looney was a center here for Dallas that just signed with the Cowboys. And he came out one day at training camp with the cutoff shirt. And it looked like a very large Zieg. So a lot of people had fun with that. Zeeke did look like he just wasn't in the best of shape. I do think that a lot of people don't realize that connection that he and Dack had.

And then you lost, of course, both of your tackles and Lyle Collins and Tyron Smith. And I think Zieg was to do a lot last year. And even he said, I'm not a fumbler. And I think it's something that he took to heart. I don't think he enjoyed being a punchline in the media or with the fans last year, a guy that, you know, it performed so admirably the first couple of years. But I like to remind people, keep in mind who your offensive line was when he started. you had Travis Frederick at Center.

It felt like when Travis Frederick went out with Gian Bore syndrome, this one started to see this O-line start to fall apart of it, this great wall of Dallas that you've gotten so used to. I think it was significant that he spent this off-season really putting in the work with a guy that's worked out with guys like Leonard Fournette and Melvin Gordon in the off-season. And even he said he's the lives that he's been since his freshman year in Ohio State. But when you look at the numbers, it was one of his worst years since that freshman year

in Ohio State. In fact, he was behind Carlos Hyde when he put up this sort of number. So I think that we've even talked to Mike McCarthy about this. Do you want this to be a running football team? He says he wants it to be a winning football team. And there's a lot of guys to feed when you look at, you know, a guy like Cedie Lamb last year. You've got Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and then you're seeing the Titans come along again, Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz. How do you possibly feed all these guys? What we saw when this team was successful was you had to pick your poison. I think that's what they're hoping to go back to. But that starts with ball protection. And even I thought it was interesting that Zeeke said that.

He said the hopes of your team ride on that football and not dropping. Well, the hopes of the Cowboy fans wrote on it too this year. So I think it's significant for him, more importantly, because he got paid two years earlier. And a lot of the fans haven't let him forget that. But when you talk to Mike McCarthy, it does seem like he's got a great amount of respect for Zique. A lot of people don't see the Zique that a lot of his teammates do, which is the guy that's at the front of the class. He's a quiet leader. But I do get the sense that he's taken a lot in this stuff to heart, and it's really showed with the way that he showed up training camp calling. By the way, Mike McCarthy at practice, do you sense the leadership? Last year, you couldn't go

to camp. There wasn't a camp. Your takeaway in McCarthy in a couple of minutes, your takeaway on his presence as the coach of the Cowboys. He says this feels a little bit like the first year, and we were able to be at practice in sort of a limited capacity. We were pretty far removed from them, but it just felt flat last year. And, you know, I was able to dump out a little bit of my reporter notebook when I told you about how the player spelled about this defensive staff last year, there was just a failure to connect. In other words, I don't think a lot of these coaches like Jim Thompson and Mike Nolan were adequately prepared for COVID, which happened two years and in Mike McCarthy's, you know, being named the head coach here. And I was told that when, you know, the Zoom would sort of

spark out and the players weren't able to get online, they were, they were checking out. And you're trying to introduce this new scheme and the guys just weren't feeling it. There wasn't the music at practice. Now we've got Mike McCarthy over a loudspeaker. We were kind of cracking up during many camps in OTAs. Where is that that sound coming from is that Mike? He's literally miced up at practice. So you see him barking out things. They're doing a lot of down and distance. They're focusing on situational awareness. And I think he sort of went back to the drawing board himself. And I think Dan Quinn really helps him. In other words, well, he's focusing on the offense. And of course, he's got Ben McAdoo there helping him out as well this year. You've got Dan Quinn that's

gotten these guys to buy in so much to his system. I mean, it was even reported and he, players talked about this. He had players listening to run DMC lyrics and it was a lesson in note taking. He wanted them to take away the most important things from that song. And so he's connecting with these players. Now, a lot of these guys weren't born when the run DMC song came out, but he's trying to get on their level. And when you see him out there literally going bull in the ring with these guys and working with them like, you know, out there on their technique and he's got his jays on. and the backward hat, I think it resonates with the guys. Even seeing Randy Greg Gregory really perk up, someone that connected with them during his pro day back at Nebraska,

having these guys volunteer how much they love Dan Quinn this early. They weren't saying that about Mike Nolan and Jim Tom Sula last year. Good stuff. Jane Slater, NFL Network. She just reported the story that DAC has had not necessarily a setback, but they're going to, you know, probably fewer reps over the next few days. Jane, great stuff. Great stuff as always. Thank you so much.

And congrats on your ads. They're almost visible. We're just a couple of days away from them being visible. All right. Justin Herbert of the Chargers will be joining us next hour. Maintain your edge with MDrive. The supplement for driven men supports healthy T levels, approves performance.

Go to MDrive for Men.com. Free shipping 60-day. Money back guarantee that is M-Drive. Yeah, I mean, like I wouldn't want my team. on hard knocks. I think it's a distraction. It may not be a huge distraction. But I will say this. It's the Yankees and Notre Dame football, and there are some brands where there's just national people covering it. You go to a Yankee game around the batting cage against the Red Sox, and it's not just local reporters. I mean, it's three people deep of national reporters,

so they're used to it. And the Cowboys are used to it. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on humor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliford 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, 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast, Network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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.

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 podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.