The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 09/22/2021 - HOUR 1 - Rodgers, Steelers, Simmons, Cowboys

Episode Date: September 22, 2021

Aaron Rodgers continues to fire back at the mediaThe Steelers saw the issues with Big Ben for years and ignored themBen Simmons doesn't want to be coached hardEzekiel Elliott is no longer a starGuest: Nick Wright Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. We are live in Los Angeles, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It is great to have you in today. One hour from now, Joel Clad on Wednesday. We'll talk college football some massive, massive games this week, including Wisconsin and Notre Dame. updates on the USC job.

Two or three names are now surfacing. Joy, you know, Joy, it's Wednesday, and so that is us reacting to Aaron Rogers' weekly grievance. I mean, is that what today means? That's what it means. You know, it's interesting. I find Aaron fascinating because he, in the offseason, the quote he had, which was beautiful mystery.

Right. And then the second quote was, silence is often wisdom. yet there's no mystery and no silence. He literally is driving all these stories because he won't stop talking. It's interesting. He's a lot of work. So let's just start with that. Nate Burleson, former NFL player, Bill Cower, legendary coach on CBS.

We're very critical of Aaron Rogers. Apparently I didn't see it this past week. Aaron, by the way, watches and hears everything. Not married, no kids, Green Bay, small town, can't go out publicly. like one restaurant he goes to legendarily. He sits home and consumes a lot of what people say about him. This is not a guy with kids and a family and Aaron's not overly close to his family. A lot of time consuming stuff about you and it gets in your head and you create these little

minefield. So apparently Bill Cower, and I read the quotes, Cower said stuff like, you know, he comes out kind of selfish. Nate Burleson said, you know, it feels like it's a little. bit about himself. These are not zany opinions. These are shared by almost everybody. Apparently, a former teammate who knows him well, Jermichael Finley, you know, went out and just basically said, you know, he's not really committed. He doesn't look like he was committed against the Saints. These are not out of left field. A lot of people were saying a lot of things. And Nate Burleson

and Bill Cower and Jermichael Finley, I don't know, they played the game at a pretty high level. So Aaron had a couple of comments firing back on the Pat McAfee show. We like Pat. Here's the first one. What's crazy to me is to let one storyline by a person who has no contact with me, has zero relationship. So that becomes some sort of narrative that's out there, that now I somehow don't care about ball because of my just.

in attitude in the off season. Yeah, Jermichael Finley actually did have a relationship with you, but you ghosted him, like you do to many people. I've got seven I counted this morning that have told me that, Aaron. If anybody's ever critical of Aaron, he ghosts them. He ignores them. Aaron likes relationships that he can control and that people just say nice things about him. Aaron's complaining about don't know me.

Jer Michael Finley knows you, and that's who you're talking about, has no relationship with me. Well, that's because you won't have any relationship with anybody who pushes back. It's you and your Hollywood friends and people who suck up to you. By the way, you don't have a relationship with your family, Aaron, because they won't suck up to you. So this idea that Jermichael Finley's opinion has no credibility, he played in the NFL at a high level. He was a teammate. But I've had multiple people tell me that if you don't suck up to Aaron, Aaron. He'll only go on shows where you just, you know, you let him say what he wants to say. And that's fine. But let's not pretend that Jermichael Finley is a nobody didn't play football, never played with you because that's who you're addressing. You don't have a lot of relationships, Aaron. You don't have a lot of people outside of your little football teammates. Here's the second comment from Aaron Rogers.

It's absolute horsesh to give a platform to people who have no idea what they're talking about as far as. My mental. state and you know my focus my work habits people that have not been around me they're not in my life i don't have communication with them or not in the locker room i mean that's that's just that's just this chicken you know it's it's so ridiculous that people give get a platform to do this and it's the same type of people um your work habits Aaron they're well documented you skipped all of your off-season program. You admitted that. You didn't work out with your receivers all year.

Russell Wilson did. Brady did. These are public. These aren't reaches by Bill Cowr. Or Jermichael Finley or Nate Burleson. These aren't reaches. This is all public. They commented on that.

By the way, if these people don't deserve a platform, if these people don't know anything, why does it so deeply bother you? Why are you making these insignificant people so significant? Brough, you're a public figure. Quarterbacks in America are royalty. You're a public figure. These people that aren't qualified, Bill Cower, Nate Burleson,

Jim Michael Finley aren't qualified? I don't know. You don't want a Super Bowl, pretty good players. Again, I don't comment on bloggers. If I don't think people have really any access or insight, I don't comment on them. Why are you elevating people and simultaneously saying they have no credibility? Then why are you talking about that? You know, it's so funny when I look at the NFL right now in quarterbacks.

This is so beneath Tom Brady. Can you imagine Tom Brady weekly going out and whining and complaining and being this high maintenance? Like Brady now with seven Super Bowls when he won in Tampa, he's like the dad of all the quarterbacks. He like offers wisdom, you know, keeps his cool. He's sort of above the fray. And Aaron who can't get to any more Super Bowls is the bratty kid that won't listen to Dad. And it gets very defensive if anybody offers criticism.

But I look at this situation now. And it's kind of, Aaron's kind of unraveling. He is, he's in a really, really weird space that he spent the offseason demanding power. This is not my opinion. We all know that. And yet he doesn't like the responsibility that comes with power, which is criticism. And then he spent the off-season talking about beautiful mysteries and the wisdom of silence, and he won't shut up.

He's driving all this stuff. And I'll go back to it. Never married, no kids, not close with family, in a town he can't go outside that's cold and wet by mid-October. It's in his head. He's reading too much. This stuff is just insignificant. You're Aaron Rogers. You're the reigning MVP.

CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, they're not going to talk about you when you get blown out, when you won't work out. I mean, he's unraveling. And can you imagine Tom Brady wasting this kind of time, how small it would look to be bothered by a former tight end? By the way, Brady gets along, you know, with his former teammate. He doesn't ghost them. Heard brought to you by Jersey Mike's subs. BUS of above. So I said this. When quarterbacks get old, you know, we've seen this with a breeze,

Brady's December record the last few years in New England wasn't quite as good as stats went down a little bit. We arm fatigue for older players. We get that. Everybody's fresh in September, but for an older quarterback, you know, it gets to be November and in December. And, you know, you've thrown 600 passes and all those practices. But what happens when the quarterback looks really old in week two, and that's Ben Rothlisberger. And now in week two, here's the latest, according to his coach. Ben has a peck injury of some kind on his left peck. That could affect him from a preparation standpoint. Don't have an idea how much as I sit here right now, but we better be ready to be adjustable and deal with that. I believe, and I said this before the

season that Pittsburgh's in a very, very bad place. They have a quarterback that was shot by the end of last year. He comes back. They give him more money. They've got no succession plan. They're rebuilding the offensive line and the division is getting much, much better. Succession plans are hard, but Bill Belichick had one until he was forced to move Garoppolo. The Colts had to make tough decisions.

They had one with Peyton Manning. Give the Packers credit. Aaron Rogers sat and watched far for years. Alex Smith to Mahomes. These are difficult. I'm not saying they're easy. You got to draft somebody. Hopefully the quarterback understands the business of it.

But I mean, give Philadelphia credit. The minute Carson Wentz appeared to be brittle. Second round. They went out and got Jalen Hertz. I don't know if Jalen Hertz is good. But they got a quarterback and he's committed and he's young. and he's mobile. Pittsburgh, the most disappointing part about this is you saw it coming for a decade.

Like, COVID caught the country off guard, right? Like there are certain things like, whoa, whoa, whoa, we're kind of bailing water here on what today. I understand situations like that. Or if Russell Wilson tomorrow just retired. Whoa. But when you have a quarterback like Dak or Brady or Breeze or Russell Wilson and you get this offseason commitment, leadership commitment, great with teammates, total team guy. If you got caught off guard with them, if DAC announced retirement tomorrow,

I'll give you a total pass. It may take you five years to figure it out. But Pittsburgh saw this coming for years. They've got an antiquated audible system. It's just simplistic. He didn't work out in the off season. There was constant drama. He was never the greatest teammate.

Leadership, very debatable. This was the classic case. And Ben is aging like everybody ages in any industry when they don't commit to something. You can't eat like crap. And then all of a sudden at 62 say, you know what? I'm going to go into vegetables and yoga. Brut, it's too late. It's too late.

But the disappointing part of this, Ben is what Ben is. And the Steelers allowed it. Again, if the Seahawks didn't have a succession plan today or Dallas and they got caught off guard. I get it. Because the traits of Russell Wilson, of a Brady in his prime, you know, the traits are totally committed. It's a 24-7 job. Football and family. Ben's been telling you for 12 years, diet, off-season, audible system, leadership. This morning you wake up, I think they're in a really bad spot. Would not be surprised. at all. I'll tell you right now, one of my blazing five picks, Cincinnati plus three and a half at Pittsburgh.

This Steeler team and this dealer franchise, not good. Say what you want about the Packers drafting Jordan Love. Had they given Aaron a heads up? I said, I didn't have a problem drafting him. Moving up, I don't know. Not giving him a text, I don't know. But it's hard. The succession plan thing, every quarterback gets really in secure. I get it. Pittsburgh's got none. Dwayne Haskins is not really a succession plan. It's a finger cross. He didn't work at the other place. All right. By the way, Bruce Ariens criticizing Tom Brady, and I actually like it a lot. And I'll talk about that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the

enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 fourth. 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.

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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. 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, 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, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we

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Joel Clat Top of the Hour, Nick Wright, too. So, you know, one of the things that is understood, great players want to be coached hard. I've never met a great player. They want to be pushed. I talked to Tony Dungey recently about Peyton Manning. Peyton wanted to be coached hard. Brady wanted to be coached hard. Kobe Bryant wanted to be coached hard.

All great players do. The rest of the guys are insecure. If you're really great, you want people to get the most out of you. And so Bruce Ariens, and I love this, is criticizing Tom Brady, the goat, but said this week there was a moment that ticked him on. off. The sack fumble, he just should have got that out of his hand. He was getting a little greedy and he should have got that ball out of his hand. And we got a field goal. Of all the drives in the game, that was the one I was most disappointed in because that was when we got

the penalty. We're going into score. We get the penalty for rough and then we get to sack fumble. It should have been 14-0. That put me in a bad mood for the rest of the guy. I'm totally okay with that. Sean McVeigh got very frustrated with Jared Gough. Started holding him accountable for all the turnovers, not knowing the playbook, not having the ability to go deeper into the playbook. He had to call Jared Goff's audibles for him. He held him accountable. Sean McVeigh should, and the Rams today are better for it.

The Steelers, by the way, have never held Ben accountable. What are they today? Rams look great to me. Steelers look like they could fold fast. By the way, the Philadelphia 76ers have never held Ben Simmons accountable. Now I think he's got all the leverage. Sean Payton came out and publicly criticized Michael Thomas. Sean Payton is largely considered, along with Andy Reid, the best offensive coach since Bill Walsh.

And Michael Thomas, I've been told this by a Saints longtime employee, is difficult and is hard to coach. And Sean Payton came out and said, you're hard to coach. This is on you. It's okay. The reason the NFL ratings this year, have you seen them? They're going through the roof. any show, including ours that is connected to the NFL. Up, up, up. Why?

Because it's like a real workplace. You can hold people accountable. The NBA, in my opinion, is panders too often to stars. The great players want to be coached hard. You know, Ben Simmons doesn't want to be great. He doesn't want to be coached hard. All right. He's just going to make a lot of money.

That's fine. But I love that Goff holds or McVeigh holds golf. responsible. I like that Bruce Ariens goes out. I'd love to see more of this in the NBA, but if an NBA coach to even a marginal player says anything, he's in big trouble. But this is okay. This is fine. Bruce Ariens is a coach. He's earned the right to criticize even the goat. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores announced this morning that Tua Tua Tua Tanya Viloa will miss

this week's game against the Raiders. Here's coach. Tua is he'll be out this week. He has fractured ribs. So obviously he's in a lot of pain. So he'll be out this week. Jacobi'll start. And we're just going to take it week to week. Really, you know, let's call it day to day. And week to week. But he'll be out this week. All right. Well, I mean, I can't fractured ribs hurt. Can't blame him. No. No. No.

And look, the offensive line did not do him any favors in that game. But Tua is injured a lot. And that's not unfair to say. It's not his fault. Actually, in this situation, I would put the blame on the offensive line. But he is injured again. Yeah, well, he is a smaller player. I mean, think about, and I think we agree on this.

If you look at the shots that Cam Newton and Ben took for like seven years. Yeah. Okay, I would be in a hospital. But bigger athletes can generally almost always take more hits. I mean, LeBron James, if you go to an NBA game, I've seen LeBron pay seven or eight times live. There's a reason his body lasts at a long time. He's really strong. Michael Jordan was lifting weights every day.

Like bigger, stronger bodies generally last longer to his small. He's always been small. And he's not terribly elusive like Kyler or Russell Wilson or Steve Young where he moves around and avoids a lot of that stuff. So, you know, this was when he got drafted, the critics were injuries. That was the criticism. It wasn't even his play. It was my main concern with Tua in the draft because he had ankle issues in college. And then that was before the hip.

The hip. Yes. And he missed the game last year due to injury. I mean, he's hurt again. Now he's hurt again. Jacoby Reset will get the starting nod. He was. Are people still, are you still getting heat from Miami fans or are the fan boys

come to terms with the fact that you and I, our criticism was reasonable. No, they're not. So it's still, okay. The fan boys are still wearing their dolphin jerseys and can't acknowledge that your criticism was really more reporting than criticism, although we're in the opinion business. I mean, it's just my evaluation of the situation based off of what I saw with my eyeballs. And I mean, I've been a Dolphins fan, my, essentially my entire life.

So I just think I'm a little bit more realistic. I don't know when this tide turned. or what happens, what Super Bowl we won or something, where it was like off the board to be critical of what was going on there. And again, like this is not to his fault, but it is what it is, and he's out again. So Jacoby Percept will start. He had 169 passing yards, no touchdowns, one interception. He was also sacked four times.

So I think it's also safe to say, offensive line is a little bit of an issue if Jacoby is also getting sacked. Now, Will Fuller is expected to return to practice today. missed Thursday and Friday for personal issues. Okay. So kind of a weird situation. So he is back. So he's expected to be back at practice today. And I think I saw someone tweeted that he was out there.

So that's good news. Oh, no, no, that's good. Listen, they're going on the road against the Raiders. And there are a three and a half point underdog. And I think they're going to give a supreme effort. Jacoby Brissette, again, is a good backup. He is a good backup. Yeah.

Jacoby's a top five or six backup. You can win games. You're not going to go on a nine-game winning streak, but you can win a game with Jacoby Brissette. He's a grown-up. He'll get you in and out of plays. He can audible in and out of stuff. He can make the throw.

He's got a pretty darn good arm. He's a lot of experience in multiple organizations. Now, this game's been taken off the board of Fox Bet, so there's no current odds for it. I was going to bet Miami to win. With that news. I really did. Even with the Tua news, not out. No, because I think Jacoby Brissette, I don't think there's any difference between

Jacoby Brissette and Tua. I think there's not a single point difference. In fact, I'd make the argument. argument, Brissette throws a stronger ball. I don't think there's any gap at all. I don't think Andy Dalton backing up, or I don't think Nick Foll's backing up Andy Dalton. I don't think there's a point difference. Not a single point. You got a problem when that's the case. I mean, Seattle's backup. Can we any of us name it? I mean, so I don't. I mean, I always say that. Is it Geno Smith still? He'll forever. Wow. So, Cleave, speaking of

injuries. Jarvis Landry is on injured reserve. He was placed on that Tuesday due to a knee injury. So that means he will miss a minimum of three gains. He played two snaps and Sundays went over Houston before suffering an MCL sprain. He caught a screen pass from Baker and then hurt his knee at the end of the play. This is a he's good. This is bad news for the Browns. Yeah, no, he's he is one of the most underrated players in the league because O'Dell and Baker and Chubb get all the credit. Jarvis Landry, he's a great football player. Very consistent. And he's, according to everything I read, he's part of the soul of the team. Like he is a... Well, yeah. I mean, even when we were watching hard knocks, you could see that he was

incredibly vocal. This is not, this is not, I mean, the line is not as big as you'd think for a messy Chicago team in Cleveland. They're favored by seven. I know. And you'd think Cleveland's a much better team than Chicago. But I think that is, that, that line started, it was higher. So I think this is, That is respect that one player Jarvis Landry leaves and the line moves. I think it moved a point. That is respect. Very few players outside of a quarterback are worth a point in this league. Jarvis Landry, to me, the line moved because a team, by the way, that has OBJs coming back.

OBJ is back and they have an incredible running game. And it's still moved. That tells you the value of the Vegas is reacting to a receiver we never talk about on this show or any show. that's your classic underrated player in the league. Their next three games are the Bears at the Vikings and at the Chargers. And by the way, the Chargers can't mess around. They just gave away a game. And if Seattle beats Minnesota, the entire season for the Vikings will come down to that game with no Jarvis Landry.

That schedule for Cleveland, it looks tougher this morning than it did before the season. They got some desperate teams coming up and they're there. Isn't that what's great about the NFL though? I love it. As soon as we get going, stuff gets crazy. So the Warriors have been tied to Ben Simmons since word came out that he might be on the trade markets. In a recent interview, the owner Joe Lacob talked about why he's not sure getting Simmons makes the most sense. He said we would always look in some ways it doesn't really fit what we're doing.

He makes a lot of money. And can he finish games? I don't know. He's very talented. The problem is we have Draymond. Dramon and him are very similar in the sense that neither one really shoots and they do a lot of playmaking. That's one issue. The salary structure is another.

Well, that is not an endorsement at all. Well, he, I will say this. He's like a nice, like, you know, he's talented in there, but. Yeah, I mean, so you can't have Draymond and Ben Simmons, and I would take Draymond over Ben Simmons, because I think Draymond in big spots generally delivers. For this team, absolutely. Not even close, yeah.

Not even going on any question. Drayon's a champion. Yeah, and Draymond. He's the heart of that team. Yeah, and he's also a guy historically that I trust Draymond late. Yeah, and he will take shots and hit them. Yes. He's not a shooter, obviously.

but he's not afraid to shoot the ball. So this goes back to when that goes public, you know who it screws, is the Sixers. Yeah. Because now there's a team that we all thought was the leader. They're not interested. That is the owner talking. There was nothing in there endorsing that happening. So Philadelphia, part of when you negotiate with teams is the fear by teams that, oh,

the Warriors want him. The Blazers want. Cross the Warriors out. Now it looks like the Blazers fit. If they're not interested, you're down to what? Bad teams? You want people to feel like there's a market. Of course.

And people are vying for. That's what gives you leverage. You just took out a big chunk of the market. It's a wild situation there. It is. And they're a good team. Philadelphia's got a good roster. Joy with the News.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. A very painful week for Nick Wright. Very, very painful. Lamar Jackson, now king of AFC quarterbacks. That's very painful. Nick Wright joining me, brought to you by

Mercedes Ben's the best or nothing? I don't want to get into that. There's no reason for me to pounce on a wounded man. What does that even mean? What does king of AFC quarterbacks mean? It means. You're so fickle, Colin. You're sending mean when the Chiefs are rolling and you thought,

and I thought the whole world thought they were going to win, you tweet, I like Nick Wright, but I could never watch a Chiefs game with him. 90 minutes later, there's a new King of AFC quarterbacks. Okay, good to know. we talking about today, buddy? First of all, congratulations. I once made my university's newsletter for a parking ticket. You actually got voted into the Hall of Fame at W-A-E-R. It's the number one college radio station in America at Syracuse, and you are their youngest Hall of Fame ever. So take the floor for a minute here. I'm very proud of you. Very proud of you.

Oh, thank you. Yes, Colin. If you have taught me anything in your mentorship of me, it's if you write a big enough check, anything is in fact, Bob. No, I'm kidding. Listen, it's the greatest honor of my professional career. There's now 25 people in it. Bob Costas, Lou Reed, Mark Albert, Mike Tariko. It's a lot of people, and the fact that I made it, it's unfathomable to me. So thank you for that. I appreciate that. And now we can talk about things the audience cares about. It's very kind of me. Okay. Listen, we're talking about Aaron Rogers. It's his weekly grievance session. And I said he's in a weird place right now. He sought power in the offseason, publicly. He wanted more power, but doesn't want what comes with it, which is, you know, criticism. Secondly, he talked about silence is often wisdom.

Yeah, but you won't stop talking. Like, you're the least silent guy in the order. I've not heard Brian Gutigan say anything for two months. So it's like he's in a weird space. Part of me, honestly, Nick, part of me thinks he's kind of unraveling a little. I mean, this weekly nonsense is a little over the top, is it not? Well, listen, you know I tend to defend Aaron more than you. And I think some of his general media criticisms that everyone is a brand now and the way social media has made a lot of us at least a little more crazy than we once were.

Yeah. I think all of that is actually kind of fair points in general. where I would push back on Aaron is while I understand his frustration with folks trying to be inside his head or talking about relationships he does or doesn't have with his family, I understand his frustration with that. He doesn't in my, he's the one that told us I was 50, 50 on retiring. So then it is not ridiculous at all for folks to say, well, it looks like he might not be as invested as he once was. Like I thought that press conference he gave when he came to training camp and kind of bared his soul. I thought it was really informative.

But there is a cost of that, which is when you are that open and honest and let people in, we now do have a window into what you were going through in the offseason, what you felt in the off season. And then if in your first game of the year, you have what is, at least in the running, for worst game of your career, that's going to come, some criticism's going to come with that. So in general, I understand the points he was making and I understand the frustration, but I also, I think he did open himself up to this

and a little sidebar on it. I did think some of the commentary where he's like, these media guys think they're celebrities. I thought the subtext of that was like, you know who's a celebrity, my fiance, and my ex-girlfriend, and the guy I vacationed within Hawaii. Like, we're celebrities.

You jokers with a checkmark on Twitter to think you're celebrities now. I thought he was saying that, and to which I would say, you know what, fair point. Media can be a little self-important. I just got inducted into a college radio hall of fame. So yeah, we can be a little self-important. So I understand that, I understand that criticism by here. So on Wednesdays, you come out with your, your TIRs, your NFL tiers, your pyramid, Kansas City on top. Okay. Rams, 49ers. Tampa moves down. Okay. It's interesting. your top team lost to the king of the AFC Lamar Jackson. You're not concerned at all about that game.

Well, so listen, so this is not a standings. Standings are simple. Standings have Carolina tied for the best in the NFL. This is a tiers. And Tampa didn't move down. They stayed where they are. I would ask you, are you not at all concerned about, you know, Dallas move the ball at will on Tampa that vaunted defense.

But then Dallas plays the Chargers. They have 17 points with a second left in the game. Atlanta moves the ball at will. previous week, they played Philly and they scored six points. Here's the thing about where we're at. The Chiefs are literally the favorites. That's not my opinion. That's Fox Bet. That's every sports book in Vegas because they don't overreact the way I don't overreact. They don't send out tweets saying, Lamar Jackson King of the AFC quarterbacks. They're like, no, probably still moans. And if you look at the second and third levels, what I would say is

this. We're going to get to see it this weekend. The Rams play the bucks. The 9.5. play the Packers. I think the Rams and Niners are going to win those two games, and I think everyone will come along. You know, Colin, I try to be ahead of the curve, a little cutting edge. I think this will be everyone's power rankings next week, but right now, I know it looks a little goofy to have a one-and-one team at the top, but in everybody's heart of hearts, they know the chiefs are the best team, and they know that what happening against the Ravens was an anomaly. Okay. All right. Finally, so the Warriors owner is like, yeah, I'm not really interested in Ben Simmons, so that's a big chunk of the market. And as much as we can like Darry,

time is not serving the Sixers particularly well. Ben Simmons appears to be indifferent. He's really expensive. He's not going to report to camp. What do they do? Where do you land today on this? Oh, I think what they do is nothing. And I think that this potentially gets a little ugly. But right now is the worst time to trade a star in the NBA. And why? I mean not, I don't mean 2021, I mean where we're at in the calendar, because everyone's off-season moves are going to work. Everyone loves their team. Everyone's draft picks are going to hit. We're just full of optimism.

And so what you need in order to get a good return on Ben Simmons is a team to falter, is a team to suffer an injury, is a team to realize, oh, what we put together in the off-season doesn't quite fit. You need Michael Porter Jr. to maybe want a bigger role than he's going to get in Denver. You need Portland to start two and seven. So I believe Ben that he's not reporting. And I believe the Sixers that they are not trading him for the time being. And what Philly has that Houston did not have last year, Colin, and I think you'll agree with me, is if they have to go a month of basketball without Ben Simmons, they'll be fine. Yeah.

Like they have a good enough roster and in Bede that it's not going to just crush them from a seating perspective. So I don't think Rich Paul and Ben Simmons are bluffing, but I also think this is going to turn into a staring contest because right now, if I know Daryl Morey at all, I know he is not trading Ben Simmons for Dejante Murray and Picks. He is going to get a real package, and right now that package isn't available. Also, if I'm Bob Myers running the Warriors, I'm like, Joe Lacob, I know you want to be famous, man, but can you not do this? Like, this doesn't help anybody. Like, the owner being like, by the way, not interested in the trade. It's like, okay. All right, man.

Like, let me run the team, please, Mr. Lake of Light Years. But that's a sidebar. All right. Congratulations to our own Hall of Famer, the great Nick Wright. Thanks. Very proud of Nick Wright. Thank you, Colin. That's very nice of you.

Congratulations, Nick. I'll unblock you on Twitter now. Okay. Thank you, Joy. I'll talk to you guys later. Unblock me on Twitter. His favorites, my biggest disagreement is I would have Baltimore is a, yeah, I was telling somebody, I think Baltimore is a real contender.

Part of me selfishly, the reason I like Lamar Jackson, he just looks different and plays different. And then there's so much status quo. I mean, Daniel Jones looks like every quarterback that was average I watched for 30 years. Lamar's just different. I can't wait to watch the Raven games. They do different plays. It's a different offense. It's fun.

Yeah, it's why I'm rooting for Kyle Murray and the Cardinals. It's just different. It's a different watch. It's a different watch. Arizona is a great watch. Baltimore's a great watch. Daniel Jones, even if he wins, I've seen that a thousand times. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington,

and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up On Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences, loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the 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-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 Jay. 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.

a 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. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. You know, one of the things that you rarely see in the NFL is a lousy contract. You know, in baseball, you sign these stars to 10-year deals. Even the stars, like you're like four years in and you're like, oh, this doesn't feel right. You see that a lot in baseball. There are a lot of bad contracts because the contracts are so long and guaranteed. In the NBA right now, Ben Simmons is a terrible contract. And remember, in the NBA, you have to spend a certain amount.

And so sometimes you're just given huge contracts to Otto Porter, who's a nice player a few years ago. He got a contract. There are a lot of guys in this league paid like stars, and they're C players. And in the NFL, you don't see it a lot. I mean, you could cut Tom Brady today. He's not much of a cap hit. You could literally cut the goat.

You couldn't cut Russell Wilson. You wouldn't want to, and you couldn't because he's a huge cap. hit. But I mean, think about the Rams right now. They're paying Jared Goff 13% of their cap. We consider them first, second, or third best team in the league. Because there's not a lot of bad contracts. If you're in a bad contract, you can get out of it very quickly. The NFL union, players union, is the weakest union, which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. What happens is as a fan, your team is rarely trapped. And that's why I'm not a big believer in baseball and basketball, just giving the player what they want.

In the NFL, I can appease a player and I can eventually move off him, draft his replacement. One of the few bad contracts in the NFL, and it's awful now, and it's looking worse every month is Zechiel Elliott and the Cowboys. Jerry Jones got worked. He got completely worked. Right now, Pollard is averaging double, almost double per carry what Zeke is. Now, Jerry was talking on Dallas radio about how he just loves the running back group. The facts are that we really have an outstanding situation here

that Pollard gets up on him so fast and can really surprise the defense. He's stronger than he looks, but he just has got so sudden and got such a burst. And then Zique, you know, he needs to describe him. He's as powerful in terms of, I'm going to overuse the word, but his burst, I mean, to tell you, he punishes the hell out of those defenders. And both of those are going to be a real staple for us as we get into the season. Zeke is averaging 74 yards rushing since he signed two years ago that massive contract. That's with a good offensive line.

That's an above-average offensive line. He's averaging 4.3 yards a carry since he signed that contract. Again, you can't jam your safeties down in the box against that. The receivers are too good. They have a good offensive line. This is a terrible contract. The only thing that makes it palatable is that Tony Pollard's a fourth rounder and you're not paying him anything. So the running back unit as a whole, Tony Pollard saves it.

Or it would be one of the most overpaid groups, position groups in the league. Jerry got worked. Next year, Zeeke is an $18.2 million cap hit. next year. The year after that, he's a $16.7 million cap hit. He looks, if not washed, clearly the second best running back on this team. And so this is what I've said for Dallas. By the way, they have arguably the second worst contract in the league with Jalen Smith, the linebacker, great kid who's now a backup because of Michael Parsons. They try to trade Jalen Smith in the preseason, no takers. So this has been my knock on Dallas.

it's a family business, you give your son, you give your daughter. And I think Charlotte Jones and Stephen Jones are very capable. That's not the issue. The issue is Dallas, Jerry does not allow outside voices, outside ears and eyes to have strong opinions. Jimmy Johnson tried to, ran him off. Parcells tried to. Outsider, ran him off.

Since then it's been friends of Jerry and people that agree with Jerry. They have the worst skiff. contract in the league with Zeke. And Jalen Smith, again, good guy as a bad contract. He's not starting and he's being paid like a high-end starter. And now the Cowboys have an extra linebacker because Michael Parsons appears to be, you know, really, really good player. Dallas's first and second round picks in the last 10 years have been good.

It's not like they don't do anything right. But this is what I always worry about. If you go look at Kansas City and Tampa, Seattle, the L.A. Rams, their best players aren't all theirs. They have no, they have an incredible willingness to just go out and say, yeah, we made a mistake there. We're going to take that. We're going to take that. Dallas, except Amari Cooper, all their top players are their draft picks. Why? It's a family business. We know what we're doing. Our players are the best. And then they overpay them to validate their players. Just because you pay a guy like a star doesn't mean he's a star. Zeech's no longer a star in this lead.

He's averaging 4.3 yards of carry. This year, this year, here, he's averaging 3.9 yards of carry. Well, the offensive line. Well, Pollard's averaging 7.3 yards of carry. And again, this is not a team you can jam safeties down in the box and stop the run. CD Lamb is a touchdown waiting to happen. Amari Cooper is a top 15 receiver. Escape QuickBooks, quicksand with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one financial system.

Right now, special financing available. Go to netsuite.com slash herd right now. visibility control over your HR, your financials, and more. Joel Clats around the corner. In L.A., it's the herd. 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. People are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

stopping the muscle growth Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts On the Look Back at it podcast 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 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 I mean It was a wild

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 Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with. athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.