The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 08/04/2021 - HOUR 2 - NBA, Lakers, Colts

Episode Date: August 4, 2021

Grading NBA free agency movesThese Laker moves make LeBron James look desperateThe Colts might draft a QB after this seasonGuest: Thomas Dimitroff Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Just reading all the media, slobbering over the Laker move. I'm like, what? Are people crazy? I mean, they're not going to be good because LeBron and A.D. Have a long off season because they got bounced in the playoffs. So they're going to be good. I mean, LeBron 19th year or not, is a great player, still very, very good.

And A.D., because we've all been ripping him because he wasn't in shape, will come in good shape. So they're going to be a good team. But all this nonsense they added, it's just an antique store. It's just a bunch of old guys, nobody in their prime. Nonsense. sense. Two teams, I thought, crushed it. I said yesterday, I thought the Miami Heat did a great job, not surprising.

Pat Riley is probably the smartest guy in the league. One of them, Spolster was a great coach. You're talking about two high functioning guys, high IQs, no basketball. The scouting staff of the Miami Heat is highly regarded. They did a great job. I think the Chicago Bulls did better. Chicago got Billy Donovan as a coach, who I always thought was good, and they got a guy from the Denver Nuggets, very sharp guy that was part of the,

of that building process. Chicago hit a home run. Zach Levine is hyper-athletic. I don't think he's a winning player, but he's an all-star. Like, he's a great young player. They went out and they added Demar DeRosen, 20-point-a-game guy, again, super athletic. Alex Caruso. Paid more than I would have for Alex Caruso, but that was the market.

LeBron loved him. LeBron loved Caruso. He plays real defense. Lonzo Ball, who got better last year. If he can stay healthy, 15 points seized the floor. And in March, they went and got Nicola Vucevic in March, who gives you 22 a game. He's a legit, modern, big, plus Zach Levine. It's a real team.

It's a real basketball team. In the East, by the way, we have lamented the East for a decade. Miami and Chicago are now fringe Eastern Conference champions. I don't think they're Milwaukee and I don't think they're Brooklyn. But we know how this game works. Janice gets hurt. KD gets hurt. A lot of this is just health.

I thought Chicago hit it out of the park. They're going to be a fun watch. And I'm not sure. We've always known the West, even if the East has the best team, Milwaukee, we kind of acknowledge most of your young stars are in the West. 25 of your best 35 young players. They're in the West. But Miami's better, a lot better.

And Chicago's a lot better. And I like Billy Donovan, their new GM. If I live in Chicago, I get season tickets. This is a real basketball team now. So it's fun. They've got a big man. Caruso is athletic. DeRosin's athletic.

Levine's athletic. Lonzo Ball is sneaky athletic. Defends great passer. And Vucevich is a real big. He'll give you 22 a night. So you look at the NBA right now. There are four teams next year. that I think are going to be in that 60-win category.

Again, with health. I think the Bucks, even though they lost PJ Tucker, that's a 60-win team. They're going to play with confidence. They're the champs. I think the sons, the nets, and the jazz, they're all 60-win teams. I would put Denver in there, but Jamal Murray doesn't come back for a while. If Jamal was back, I'd say they're a 60-win team. I'm not saying to win the championship, but some teams are built to win 60 games.

I think the Bucks, the Sons, the Nets, and the Jazz are. Doesn't mean I think they're all championship contenders. But you look around the league right now, there's a lot of. enigmas, a lot of question marks, clippers. They're not going to have Kauai next year. That's not a championship team. He's a playoff team, not championship team. Dallas. Well, I mean, Luke will get better, but he's already great.

They didn't really get better. Philadelphia. I like him, but they haven't figured out the Ben Simmons thing. Portland. Just lost Enos Canter. Zach Collins, lost their bigs, and they haven't made a move yet. Lakers. Come on. It's the oldest roster in league.

not just in the league, in league history. So Chicago's got a real team. Good for the Bulls. The Bulls front office and the Miami Heat front office, they crushed it. They did. Pat Riley crushed it. Guys in Chicago did a really good job.

Those teams are better by adding pieces. I'm not saying the Lakers are on a playoff team. If LeBron comes back in AD and they're healthy, they're going to win. That's a good team. But LeBron's to a point now. We'd like to play fewer minutes. Westbrook, multiple surgeries, past his prime, AD historically brittle. The guys they brought in, outside of Westbrook, nobody they brought in can give you moments of brilliance.

And I hate this. Whenever NBA teams make trades, Laker fans, stop badmouting all the guys that left. Kyle Kuzma scored 25 or more points 30 times. Dude can ball. He's inconsistent. He drove LeBron crazy. But I never like it. Whenever a team makes wholesale changes, all the guys that left are bums and all the new guys are great.

Dennis Schrooter is better than every single guy they brought in except Westbrook, and he shoots better than Westbrook. Not as good as Westbrook, but he shoots better than Westbrook. All right. So there's a lot of stuff going on in the NFL right now, and it's very fascinating. Thomas Dimitrofts, one of the smartest guys, former GM of the Atlanta Falcons, director of college scouting for the Patriots. He was a scout for four different teams. Had a long, long run rebuilding the Atlanta Falcons.

He now joins us live. Thomas, good to hear you again. Good to see you again. I got some questions here, and I need your brain power. Okay. So I thought it was pretty funny. So Kyle Shanahan said, oh, just the best Garoppolo's ever looked. Here go, my lord.

Well, I'm not stupid. They just want to make sure teams out there in the market know that Garof looks great. And then John Lynch is like, oh, Trey Lance is a mile ahead. So they're also trying to tell the market, don't you try to low ball us on Garoppolo because our other guy's ready to play. So that's pretty obvious stuff. But here's the stuff that's not obvious. So they did very well to get Jimmy Garapolo. Second round pick got him to a Super Bowl. You don't have to win a trade. You did pretty darn good. What would you do here? I would worry as a GM about the locker room. You go five and one, six and one to start, and somebody calls you, desperate in the league for a quarterback,

gives your first round pick for Garoppolo, you're six and one. Thomas, take me through that. The machinations now of what could happen for San Francisco. Yeah, the machinations here are really, really interesting. And as a general manager and a head coach, there is a lot on the table, a lot of discussions at a lot of levels. First of all, you have to remember, no matter how you cut this, Colin, there is no question in my mind that John Lynch and where we are with Shanahan with Kyle, they're very smart guys. They want to come out on top. And coming out on top for them is to make a big time deal for

Garoppolo and have this young stud that they have rise to the occasion and hit it out of the park, not to use a baseball analogy, but I am. That's what ultimately they need to do. So through this whole thing, they need to make sure that it's pumped up that both guys are thriving. They're happy with both, and that's what makes both of them so much more marketable. One to trade, the other for the public, to make them look really astute at what they're doing, and that's very important. Did you like, I like Trey Lance out of college. I worry about the scarcity of games. Would you be concerned at all if you got off to a six-and-one start with Garapolo and you're sitting there thinking, he's ready to play. But boy, Thomas, if it didn't work, if he, in live bullets, it didn't work,

you could really lose a locker room, could you not? Yeah, there's no question. And I would have my concerns. In our league, we try not to use the word scared, right? This is all semantics, I get it. But it's a concern, of course. Trey Lance is a very good talent. He has a long way to go.

Of course, we know that, but he's ostensibly moving along very well. That's really, really important. I think in the end, by having a guy continue to grow like he is quickly, like Trey Lance is, it is very, very important. to make sure that he's hitting on all strides so that he can continue to take the team. I know this from Matt Ryan back in, oh, wait. Yeah, we talked about this and that. Just like my buddies up at Chicago, you know, they're talking about making sure they ease their guy in, make no mistake about it again. As team builders, you want your new guy in there rolling right away,

and it's all forward. And that's, I think, what they're thinking about. You know, I had Nick Wright, a talk show host on earlier. He made a very interesting comment. He goes, I can't have a quarterback that's fragile physically and emotionally. Okay. And I thought, that's an interesting line. You got to, you know, like, if you're a little emotional, you got to be able to play every week. So Carson Wentz is interesting. I said yesterday, this is a Super Bowl roster.

You got, you got star players, Darius Leonard. Quentin Nelson's hurt, but he's great. Jonathan Taylor and Pittman emerged as go-to guys. and everybody says you can't bring Nick Foles in. So Carson can't stay hell physically. You know, I'm sitting there thinking, I pay this a lot of money. You've got to be able to handle Nick Foles in a locker room. Or is that just a non-starter if you're Chris Ballard?

Like, you just can't go there again. You know, I was thinking about this situation a lot. You have two guys who are very adept football men and team builders and Chris Ballard and Howie Roseman, right? Another, make no mistake about it. Both of these guys in this league want to make sure. no one is screwed in the trade. This is very different than 50 years ago, brother. Things are all about making sure that it's win-win out the gate. Now, once the trade is consummated and everything is

together, make no mistake also about it, that these guys want to win this trade. And Howie wants nothing more, I'm sure, than to make sure that he's losing the least amount of a draft pick as possible. Of course, Chris wants to score on Carson. We know that. Again, this is a very, very interesting and intriguing move that was made here. And to watch how this plays out is going to be very, very important. I think once again, you have two guys that are really smart and they're in a really interesting spot to see who's going to thrive in this trade. Do you think Philip Rivers, if you were a GM, would you call Nick Foles?

If I were a GM, I would call Nick Foles. I would always call Nick Folles. Okay. Philip Rivers knows the system was darn good last year. Is he viable option for the? Colts. Pay him a million bucks a game. Come for six weeks. He is definitely viable. I mean, you have to understand, and I know you do, that as a team builder, you better make sure that you think that you can win not only with, again, the great

ones, but that you can win with the good ones as long as you're surrounding in the right ways, scheme-wise, player-wise, et-cetra, et-cetera. You have to feel that you can win with a good quarterback and still, you know, guys that have some age on them, but really, really are smart quarterbacks. That's important. You know, Thomas, it's interesting. The two great quarterbacks that really you've been connected to are Brady when you were in New England for years and Matt Ryan. And there are similarities there where, you know, they're pretty, they're not really needy high maintenance guys. They're quarterbacks. They want to be heard. But I always feel with Matt, you kind of get the same Matt, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Thursday,

Sunday, off season, during the season. You get the same Matt. You get the same Brady. Not everybody's like that. Aaron Rogers is, you know, I don't need to go to detail, but he can at times be a little manipulative. And Brian Gudenkoot said something the other day, and I thought it was interesting. He says, you know, what's, I can tell him what we're going to do, but do I have to do everything he does. Am I not listening if we have an hour meeting? He suggests things, and I take some, but I don't take all. Does that count as I'm listening? And it does, it does bring up an interesting question. Thomas, there's just different personalities at this position. How much responsibility does a GM have to tell his star quarterback about personnel moves? Okay, so this is how I

look at this. This is, again, very interesting. It is, to me, the difference between the integrity of management and coaching within an organization and accommodating the vital cog within your organization in the quarterback. This is complicated, yes. But in the very end, it's very important to make sure that you are communicating with your quarterback. You know that you can't ultimately lose this quarterback. That is, Brian and where they are right now and where Matt LaFleur is right now, this is, again, a very complicated situation. They need to appease their quarterback, who is, again, very smart and understands football and understands the people he wants around him, you know, with the players, the receivers, etc., etc., etc.,

with Cobb, et cetera. Very important. Through Matt, my interaction with Matt Ryan, and I don't want to speak for Bill Belichick because none of us ever want to speak for Bill Belichick. You understand that. The communication with the quarterback is very, very important. Having the conversation and showing the respect to the quarterback is important.

Over the years, I definitely had conversations with Matt Ryan about players and about directions. He never once made the decision far from that, and I think that is vital for everyone to know within the organization. players, coaches, management, and outside the organization. Yeah, yesterday we had somebody on with the Colts, and he said that Peyton Manning, Bill Polion talked to Peyton Manning. He kind of knew the direction.

They were going. I'm not going to guess on Belichick Brady. I mean, let's just ask that. Did Belichick, I mean, you were the director of scouting up there. Did Tom ever suggest anything? Well, I'm sure they had conversations. I don't know that the, you know, the length of them and the depth of them. I just know that there were two men that understood the importance of being together.

Everyone knows in that role, the head coach needs to have a really, really intimate relationship with the quarterback. The GM does at a lesser degree and maybe other levels, of course, but the three need to get along. No question the head coach needs to be in charge of it all, I think, as far as the particulars. And there's no question that he and Tom Brady had a great relationship, a very communicative relationship. great that's not my point to comment on that but it was very very important that they were together you know finally thomas demitroff joining us former GM of the falcons for 13 years and a director of scouting college scouting for the page 13 years a long time to last as a GM in this league it's a long time to last as anybody Brady's just crazy and last 20 because he's Brady

i want to ask you about we see this all the time cultural changes in sports in baseball now it used to be can't strike out now it's all about don't hit a ground ball no double plays. Nobody cares about strikeouts. You know, swing for the fence. Basketball, you can't take a mid-range jumper. It's all about threes, analytically. In football, the cultural change to me is a quarterback. Used to be, Drew Bledsoe, played 20 high school games,

28 pro college games, that's it. But he played basketball. He was in the track team. He wrestled. Now, these kids have coaches at 8,000 snaps by 10. what that means to me, Thomas, is I'm not giving you three years like Eli Manning got with a Giants to show me you can play. I'm going to be more demanding.

I'm going to give you 16 to 24 starts. And if I don't see it, you were way ahead of your predecessors. And I look at Tua. I don't see the arm to size. And I got to be honest. If I'm Thanksgiving, am I nuts, Thomas, with Daniel Jones and Tua that by By Thanksgiving, I've made my mind up. Or am I too impatient?

I think there's an element of impatience there, and yet I understand where you're going. I do understand that because you want to be operating. This is a really, really big year for the dolphins in my mind. I think they're operating really well. Of course, I have a great deal of respect for Brian Flores, having been with them in New England, and Chris Greer, what they're doing is good. They're putting a lot into, too, of course. They know how important it is for him to really start to gel.

But there is no time to wait on this. They need to be, again, hitting on full stride. They need to be operating. They need to be taking control of that division if they can. And this is a time. If by Thanksgiving, they have to seriously look at, you know, what's around the corner for them. And it's impatient and yet today's world, not for long football. These guys understand that.

I mean, they have to capitalize and they have to capitalize now. You had made a mention a little bit earlier quickly. As that quarterback and the GM situation plays out, whether it's Brian Goodikins or other people around the league, when you get general managers who, by the way, are making $2.5 to $3 million a year and you're getting quarterbacks making $40 million a year, that adds to the complication and the dustiness,

so to speak, of a situation with quarterbacks and general managers. Yeah, the best job in sports, GMs and quarterbacks and coaches in the NFL. Thomas Dimitroff, I hope you're having fun. I don't know what you're doing now with your life. You're a sharp guy. What are you doing these days? Look, first time.

47 years, Colin, I haven't been in a training camp from my dad's time coaching, etc. It's complicated. I've been with my kids a lot and my fiancee, everything that way. I've driven around the country, 6,500 miles visiting with a lot of people, and I'm excited about that, trying to take it all in. Well, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. You should go to Seahawk camp. Kirkland's beautiful, you know, in the summer. John Snyder and I spent some time up there. I spent some time up in Bend, Oregon, which was fantastic, getting on my mountain bike, so I'm trying to do all I can. Bend, Oregon, by the way, one of America's great secrets. Bend, Sun River, Oregon.

You know the people there, they don't like you to talk about that, but I said I have to. I know. It's an incredible place in America nobody knows about. Thomas, great seeing you. Thanks. Nice seeing you. Thank you so much, Colin. All right.

So, sharp guy. Yeah, it is, you know, you get into this thing. I do think it's funny. He kind of laugh when I said that. The Niners are really going out of their way. Everybody looks great because they're going to move, Garopolo. And so, I mean, when Kyle Shanahan's telling you, it's the best I've ever seen him, could he take a snap in a game? Could we practice? Some of these aren't even with pads.

We're just walking around here. But there you go. All right. Jimmy Johnson, the Hall of Famer, he's going to be joining us too today. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

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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 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 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,

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Learn the Hardway and listen now. Tomorrow on Fox, the NFL is back. Catch Big Ben and the Steelers as they battle Zeke and the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game. All the action is on Fox and the Fox Sports app. By the way, if Jersey Mike's Turkey had a resume, it would say 99%

fat-free, raised without antibiotics. Jersey Mike's premium meat, a sub above. Jersey Mike's, it's our sub-day. We get one. today. That's good. Jimmy Johnson, the Hall of Famer, is going to be joining us. Next hour, don't go anywhere. He's always a blast to have on the show. And Alex now with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. The best or nothing. Well, the 49ers continue to say that Jimmy Garoppolo is their starting quarterback, but

Trey Lance did get his first snap with the first team at practice yesterday. Kyle Shanahan said that was only so the offensive line could work on our particular play, and GM John Lynch spoke very highly of what they've seen from the rookie so far. He's looked tremendous. He really has, you know, I think what's been most impressive about Trey, everyone wants to talk about physical traits, but the way he approaches his job, he's a pro in its truest sense. And we've got a lot of guys who love the game that are willing to do

the necessary things to prepare. And I think Trey really is an embodiment of that. And he's looking good on the field, too. They're really the most. To me, there are some really good teams in the NFL. There's some really bad teams. There are some really average teams. They're the most interesting team in the league to me because they have a lot of options here.

They can do a lot of things. And as Thomas Dimitrov just said, they want the market. It's going to get desperate here. The culture is already desperate at quarterback. So you can start looking around. I'll say it again. You start looking around at Washington and Miami if things don't go right. Denver to me, everybody talks Aaron Rogers, but Vic Fangio, if they don't get to the playoffs, he's out of work.

He'll never get another head coaching job. So Garoppolo, I would probably just play him until the wheels came off. That's what they did with Alex Smith and Mahomes. I'd play him. But I could see them off to a six-and-one start and able to get a player and a second-round pick. I could see them doing it. The thing is, they have a good problem on their hands. They have two good quarterbacks.

there's not many teams that can say that. At least, you know, they're not the Colts. Yeah. They have two good quarterbacks. But moving to the NBA, the Lakers have been very active in free agency this week. And their latest acquisition will unite LeBron with his good friend, Carmelo Anthony. Mello has agreed to a one-year deal to join the Lakers after spending the last two seasons in Portland. Now, Colin, this kind of feels like LeBron James' real-life space jam Lakers edition.

He's assembling all of his friends. He's bringing them all together. They're great players. little past their prime, but he is creating must watch TV. We will be talking about the Lakers and this lineup probably more than we would have now because of all these names on the roster. You ever have a friend and you see him once or twice a year? And you're like, we got to get together. Yep. Oh, we got to get together. And you never do. And you never do. Right? They never make it near like real friend group. The inner circle. But every time you see them,

you're like, oh my God, we've got to get together. Can I have your number? I think I lost it. There's a reason you don't get together. Carmelo Anthony's been LeBron's guy for 15 years. Why are they just now getting together? Because the Lakers are desperate. I'm excited to see how it's going to unfold.

I'm on Nick Wright's side here. Your banter back and forth was incredible. I'm taking Nick side on this one. Well, the Warriors have locked in Steph Curry for the foreseeable future. he has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $215 million extension with Golden State. This deal makes him the first player in NBA history to sign multiple contracts worth at least $200 million.

Now, the Warriors are currently projected $97 million over the cap for next season, which is the highest in the NBA. No cap space remaining. They'll have to pay the luxury tax, but they had to keep Steph Curry. He is the franchise. Well, he's not only the best player, but he's also, I think, just the cultural glue to the franchise.

He's the soul. Even when KD was the better player, it was Steph's team. Some guys are just, you know, I mean, they're just, there's certain guys when your soul is your best player. Like Kevin Durant's the best player for the Nets, but I don't feel like he, that's going to be the last place he plays. Like to some people, Kyrie Irving, that's not going to be the last place he plays. Like, I just, it Not that Derek Jeter wouldn't have left, it would have been so bizarre to see him in a raised jersey.

It's like Kobe and the Lakers. Yeah, I just, Steph... Yeah, he's got to stay there. He feels like the rebirth of the franchise. Yeah. Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Lie News. So, you know, speaking of Carmelo, I'm not a huge fan, but, you know, he is a Hall of Famer. When you're down to a short stack of chips, you're playing poker and you're down to a small stack, how do you catch up? You put them all in. And that's what LeBron's doing here. So Mello has been attainable for LeBron for the last four years.

He could have had him for four years. Why now? Why now? What are the options? LeBron's in his 19th year. He's been hurt the last two. The Lakers are jammed up against the cap. And deep down, nobody trusts AD's health.

And Mello can make baskets. And LeBron doesn't have to teach him how to play. That's why LeBron now finally is willing to play with Westbrook and Mello. They're great talents, but they're not winning players. They're not. Mello's never been a winning player. Westbrook's not a winning player. almost everybody that plays with Westbrook is better when he leaves or they leave.

That's not a dispute. Any basketball fan knows that. LeBron's had opportunities his whole career to play with a lot of guys. Now he's willing to do it. Why? What else are they going to do? LeBron's Max and AD's Max and their Sports Illustrated ranked the top 50 free agents. They had Kendrick Nunn at 27th.

Malik month 48 out of 50. Wayne Ellington didn't make the list. Mello didn't make the list. Trevor Areza didn't make the list. Dwight Howard didn't make the list. It's just, I say, we all have that friend that you bump into twice a year and you're like, oh my God, we've got to get together. You only do when everybody else cancels the trip to Vegas.

That's when you call them. You run out of options. And the Lakers, this isn't the dream team, folks. They've run out of options. So it's not that they're not going to be a playoff team because I do believe there's a psychology that this team's going to be as good as Anthony Davis. Last year, or this year in the playoffs, they were up on the Phoenix Suns 2 to 1 when Anthony Davis was healthy. So I think the Lakers are going to be good because Anthony Davis has heard the non-stop criticism. He's heard it on TikTok and Instagram and talk.

And, you know, players always say they don't hear stuff. They hear stuff. They hear everything. If they don't hear it, their buddies do and their buddies tell them. They see it on their social. So Anthony Davis has gotten crushed for coming into camp out of shape. And I think he's going to have a great offseason. He's heard it.

He'll rebound and do great. Most players are not self-motivated. Most players aren't LeBron and Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. They get content. you know, by the way, Aaron Rogers, decline, decline, decline, they draft Jordan Love. He has his best year in 10 years. You think that's a coincidence.

Like most players have to be, even a lot of the great ones have to be pushed. There's very few Kobe Bryant's out there. That just the killer instinct on a Tuesday night against Denver, they don't care. That is very rare. I asked Tony Gonzalez one time. I said, how many people are truly committed? Like nutrition, training, he goes like 3%. and I remember Tony Gonzalez when he was in the middle of his career, I'd bring him on talk shows,

and he would be in the off season. He's like, oh, I don't eat red meat. I work out twice a day. Tom Brady doesn't drink a beer during the season. That is very, very rare. Most players have to be, even good ones, have to be kind of pushed. And I think AD is one of those guys where he's going to age quickly because of the injuries and his lack of body commitment. But he's heard the chatter.

He's heard the criticism. and I do think he'll have, he'll come back and have a very good year. And that is what will make the Lakers good. None of this other stuff matters. You're not leaning on Kent Baysmore and Wayne Ellington in the postseason. Those guys, those minutes shrink. They won't be big players in the rotation. I mean, when you look around this league, you've got to have three players in your prime.

Good players, like high-end players. That's what wins championships. At Mercedes AMG, giving 110% isn't just possible. It is mandatory coups, sedans, roadsters, everything they have. Go to MbUSA.com slash AMG, Mercedes AMG, driving performance. 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. 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 huge. human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my

journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 Jett. 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 So Thank you finishing that sentence

I don't think there's a more important Year for Black people Really? Yeah For me it's one of the most important years For Black people in American history Listen to look back at it On the IHeart Radio app

Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcast Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Great to have you in such a pleasure.

Here's a little news. We're going to tell you the story before the story happens. Todd Bowles just signed a three-year extension as the defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That means Todd Bowles is the next coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Bruce Ariens retires. That's why they're giving him a three-year extension because he's going to get a second chance to be a head coach. They don't want him to hit the market because they're going to. He's done an amazing job as a defensive coordinator of Tampa. So Brady has made it sound like 45 maybe the end. Arians will leave when Brady does. He will. Bruce already retired once.

He got a lot of money. And he likes to, he likes his social life. And Bruce is not one of these guys who's desperate. So what that, what that tells you now in Tampa that Todd Bowles will be the next coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It won't be this year, and it may not be the year after, but they're going to give him the gig. He's highly respected, and he'll get a second chance. He did some really good things with the Jets. They just couldn't get it right.

So the fascinating thing, so Carson Wentz is now out from five to 12 weeks from today. Not five weeks out of the NFL season to week 12. He is out from five to 12 weeks from today. Bucky Brooks says don't get Nick Foles, don't get Philip Rivers, go with the kid you have in your roster now. I actually believe that Indianapolis Coast are well positioned to be fine and weather this storm. Because when you look at this team, this team isn't really a quarterback-centric team. It's a team that was built for their offensive line. Their running game, they have three backs that can get it done.

Defensively, I believe they could be a top defense. Matt Iberflus has done a great job of getting this deep. defense to play. And so it will be a more conservative style than the fans are used to seeing in Indianapolis, but running game defense will give them a chance to keep it afloat until Carson Wins returns. Now, again, five to 12 weeks from today. So best case scenario, he could be back for week two against the Rams. We don't think that's going to happen. Worse case scenario, he'd show up Sunday, October 31st against Tennessee. So if you look at the Colt schedule. This is why I think you have to get Foles or Philip Rivers in. The worst case

scenario is that he comes back for the Jets. Well, let's just look at these games. Seattle, that's a loss with Jacob Eason. Rams, that's a loss. At Tennessee loss, at Miami loss, at Baltimore blowout loss. I'll give you a win against Houston at San Francisco loss. Tennessee, I think you're have a hard time beating Mike Vrable and Ryan Tannihil with Jacob Eason. So you could be two and six or one and seven. Season's over. Season is over. And because remember, if you look at the Colt schedule, it's not Cream Puff City the rest of the way.

Yeah, they get Jacksonville and the Jets, but then they're at Buffalo and Tampa. They'll be dogs in both those. They've got to go, they play New England at Arizona. Those are coin flips. Go either way with Carson Wentz. So to me, you know, somebody told me something. years ago. Some of the best advice I ever got. In my business, when you do this for a living, you have to have either an agent or a lawyer, because I don't want to go to my bosses and

negotiate my contract. You know, it sounds real boozy, like, ooh, I've got an agent. There's a reason actors have agents. There's a reason TV people have agents. Otherwise, I'd have to go into a room with an executive, and he tells me how bad I am, and he doesn't want to pay me, and I have to brag how great I am, and it ruins the relationship. So in our business, you get either a lawyer, I've done that before, or you get an agent. And I've had multiples of both. The smartest thing any of my agents have ever said is companies decide a year before you know to get rid of you. They make a decision 12 months out.

You don't know it. They know it. They're not impulsive. They are paid. Executives are paid in all sports to have a plan. I remember when I used to work at the other place, one day I just bumped into a guy named George Bowden. He ran ESPN, very smart guy. And we were just talking one day.

And he knew I like business in the industry. And we were just blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He had a 10-year plan. Because I know what, we've got a 5 and a 10-year plan. So don't kid yourself. If a company wants to get rid of you as a quarterback, they've made their mind up. And that's where I would say this. So Chris Ballard of the Colts is a very conservative guy.

He does not spend a lot of money. And Carson Wentz was a roll of the dice given his injury history. And he just got hurt. Remember, after 2022, Carson Wentz, you can get rid of him. There's no cap hit. None. Even next year, it's not that bad. I think they've made a decision to draft a quarterback next year, first round.

I absolutely believe that. That is not that they don't like Carson Wentz. But when you're, these GMs in this league, these smart guys, they got five-year plans. They're looking at the 2024 high school college class. They're looking at freshmen at Alabama. They are miles ahead of you and me. So you're looking at in two years, there's no cap hit for getting rid of him. We knew it was a risk.

He just got hurt again. And Chris Ballard saying, I don't spend a lot of money. I'm not a guy that just opens up my wallet and buys dinner every night. And you do make a move, and already you're in peril. You're already backed into a corner. Because the Colts roster, to me, is too good. There's no real needs now. There really isn't.

It's good enough to win a Super Bowl. It's not perfect. You know, left tackle, you're taking a guy who's, you know, coming off an injury. I think they could use another corner. You know, you're going to need Jonathan Taylor to keep getting better Michael Pittman. But it's a Super Bowl roster. really good roster, star linebacker, star receiver, star back, O lines without Quentin Nelson is still good, he'll be back, you know, sometime, week five or six. But I do believe that people,

executives make decisions based on a thought, an agent I had years ago. And I've always thought about that, is that they know a year or two out, they're moving off people. You're Chris Ballard today. You've got to draft a quarterback. You've got to get a quarterback next year. You've got to go big. because you've got to give up picks, you got to move up, because without Carson Wentz, the only advantage to not having Carson Wentz, this is a weird advantage, but it is an advantage.

If you get off to a bumpy start, two and six, and you fight and scrap your way and make the playoffs, you're going to draft like 15th. And if you have to get a quarterback, you may only have to go up to like the five spot or the four spot. Because next year's draft, Oregon, Keevon Thebadoe, defensive end is a monster, and there is a corner from LSU that's the best corner since Dion out of college.

So we're not necessarily, there's two or three really good college quarterbacks, there is two superstar defensive players. And I'm talking superstar level defensive players. So the first four picks are not going to be quarterbacks. They're not. We're getting to a saturation point. So if the Colts in a weird way get off to a bad start, but they get into the playoffs, you always want to get into the playoffs, anybody can win. Carson Wentz is back.

In an odd way, you're drafting 14th or 15th and not 28th. Then you'd have to give up a boatload of picks and players to get up to number 5. So there's always a silver lining a little with injuries. Nick Wright defended the Lakers moves. So Nick, Nick loves LeBron and the Lakers. And I said that this is an antique store. You can't win with the oldest roster in league history. And Nick Wright defended all the old guys.

LeBron's going to lead him. You know, the guy who was the league MVP last year until the doofist from Atlanta, Solomon Hill, throttled into his ankle and threw the year off. So, Carmel, yes, is Carmelo old? Yes, he's old. But here's the thing, Colin. Aside from the bucks, like, who's the contender?

That's not old. The Warriors are old. The heats big off-season additions were Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker, who were combined 72 years old. That's old. The net, you were saying the applet, the prime is 25 to 30. Well, then the Nets have three guys out of their prime. So to that, I would say, there is a difference between a season veteran slash old and a mummy.

Ancient. Okay. The Lakers just aren't an old roster. It is the oldest in league history. And what that means is nagging injuries. years ago, Steve Kerr was very funny. I used to cover Steve Kerr and partly had a funny line. He goes, you never wear a second knee brace in the NBA.

If you wear a knee brace, you look vulnerable. If you wear two, you're telling everybody in the NBA, please attack me, score on me, move over and just take me. I have two bad knees. So what happens when you're an older player? You play, you bang knees. For a rookie, you miss a game. You may miss a half.

For a guy in his first five years, you miss a game or two. For an old guy, 14 games, two weeks, I are. So you've got a lot of old bodies. You're going to have a lot of extended injuries. And that means LeBron play more. And I said this yesterday. LeBron's whole career, he's been so great that LeBron's whole career has been this. Eh, LeBron will figure it out.

That's his whole career. Kyrie's difficult. Kevin Love. What do you do? LeBron will figure it out. He'll go to Miami. Well, D. Wade and him play similar games. D. Wade's not a pure point guard.

LeBron will figure it out. Goes to the Lakers with a bunch of kids. Well, we'll trade him. We'll bring an AD. He can't stay healthy. LeBron will figure it out. That's a lot to ask a guy in his 19th year. We just keep making LeBron figure out all these disparate parts.

That's hard in year. Year 10, 12 when you're the world's best player. What happens when you're in almost year 20? All right. Hour 3, the great Jimmy Johnson from Fox Sports is coming up. 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. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a 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. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.