The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Reggie Bush's Punishment Never Fit The Crime; Massive Middlekauff Mailbag

Episode Date: June 12, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff explains why Reggie Bush's punishment never fit the crime, and why he shouldn't have ever had to step away from the program. He also answers listener questions in a massive Middlekauff Mailbag.Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com.

Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. What is going on, everybody? John Middell Cops, 3-and-out podcast. June 11th, beautiful day, about 95 degrees where I'm at. Still no air conditioning. Don't worry, I'm tough.

and it should be here hopefully in three or four days. There's not even a guarantee that the piece that they're missing they're fixing is going to work, but we'll keep our fingers crossed. Either way, I've got to pay for it at this point, so it's better than being hot. Hope you're having a good day. We're kind of in the,

where we would normally be summer break for the NFL. I've seen all around the league teams canceling the remaining zooms that they had, the virtual offseason. Remember, Sean Payton didn't even do it. it. I would imagine by the end of this week, every team in the league will be done with their zooms. Just kind of pull the trigger in no more, no moss. But I do wonder whenever some of these states and restrictions continue to open, if they bring players back early. Now, that might be a little complicated with the CBA, but this would normally be the offseason when we would attack

offseason topics and, you know, get into all that. The reality. is we've been doing that for like two months. So we're just in the home stretch here of the summer break. I feel like we're three months into the summer break. But getting some normalcy back. I'm watching this PGA golf tournament on behind me. You know, I might have snuck down to Pebble Beach on Wednesday because of the virus. They've had really cheap deals on all the courses around that area.

You could play for, you know, almost half off like a month ago. They've gone up a little bit, but relative to what they've. are during normal times when there's no such thing as the corona, they'd be a lot higher. So, you know, starting to get back into the swing of things, and we'll just keep our fingers crossed that, you know, we can get football back as normal here in a couple months. Now, who knows? I haven't made any concrete statements from the jump. I won't continue to do that.

I've always been positive thinking it would happen and everything's slowly coming back, but we'll see. I mean, you see the NBA was really bullish. I mean, it took them three months to say they were two months away, and now players are like, why are we going to go to a bubble? If the rest of America is potentially going to be open by August 1st, what are we doing? Classic Adam Silver, the media's favorite,

who actually doesn't do that much in real life to execute the NBA and take it to another levels. But gets a lot of credit on social media. The reality is the NFL might be back and running before the NBA and baseball. I tapped out of even following it. It's a sad deal. I'm one of the rare guys in my early mid-30s who consumes a lot of Major League Baseball,

and I'm exhausted following the story, the back and forth. I actually think it was insane. I'm talking absolute insanity. The baseball draft is usually 40 rounds. 40 rounds. Now, you could probably argue that's 15 too much, maybe 20. it was five, and it just happened in the last two days. It went from 40 rounds to five.

I did the math. That'd be the equivalent. There were 255 picks this year in the NFL draft if they basically just had the first round, 32 picks. That's what baseball did. And then they cap their ability, all these guys that are undrafted free agents, the max you can pay them was $20,000.

So if you're the Red Sox or you're the Yankees, you can pay the same amount as the Tampa Bay raise or the Oakland A's. And it wasn't really that big of a story. I was watching some stuff on MLB Net. I'm like, this is insane. It also speaks to just how irrelevant baseball is. This is a crazy story. And can you imagine if the NFL somehow,

you're like, hell, they had the draft during the middle of the pandemic. When the pandemic was like feeling like it was reaching its peak and everyone was really freaked out, they had a normal draft. Imagine if they're like, ah, we don't know if we're going to play this fall, just have one round. We've been like one of the biggest sports stories of my lifetime. Went from seven to one round. They just went normally.

They conducted the draft as normal. Baseball, man, they're just consumed. Short-term, their profits. And it's just, it's going to catch up to them. I'm pretty confident. Again, I'm a lover of baseball. I'm a die-hard sports fan. You won't, maybe not as big as maybe I was in my 20s

because I'm less naive to everything. But I still love watching the games. love watching the games. Do I read as many as the puff pieces and think like, oh my God, this player is the coolest dude ever? Or wow, this coach, what a guy. No, I don't do that as much anymore.

I just know too much about all these people and I understand the way it works. But when a game's on, when a golf match is going on, I still like it, and I miss it. And it's sad that it's not going to happen what it feels like. We're going to do a big Middlecoff mailbag today at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire on in there.

And I will answer your questions. I have so many questions I got to answer. And we'll get into that. Also, appreciate everyone that has left their review on Apple and iTunes for three and out. If you could keep doing that, I would greatly appreciate it. Subscribe to that podcast. Obviously, if you're listening to this, but I know some of you subscribe to Collins podcast. also subscribe to that one.

And yeah, subscribe to that podcast and leave a Apple review. I greatly appreciate it. I know a lot of you have. Last time I checked, we were like $1,100. So, tip of my hat. I think when I started really pushing it, we were at like $400. So we've got a lot of reviews. Thanks a lot.

Let's start with this. Reggie Bush was his ban for USC was essentially lifted. He hasn't technically been given his Heisman trophy back. But this is one thing. Listen, I'm not some NCAA hater-truther. Not that I'm like on their side, but I'm not naive enough. Like when you listen to the Jay Billis's

and they act like, the NCAA screwing everybody! It's like, Jay, you're a Duke grad. We all know Duke's paying these players a lot of money. And the college basketball is a lot worse than college football. I think we all acknowledge like, yeah, good players get paid on the table. College basketball loves acting like, no one's getting paid, even though we have now,

the FBI has rated a lot of these programs and we know the going rate for a good player is well over six figures. I was actually told when I was a scout that there was a player on the West Coast, highly touted, and I asked a college basketball coach at another school. I'm like, how much, what's the deal with this guy? He's like, yeah, I heard the number was around four. I'm like, four? He's like, yeah, $400,000.

So listen, the NCAA shady, I think I'd never blame college football coaches for breaking their rules. They're not laws. They're arbitrary rules. But regardless, when you make it to a final four or you win the Heisman trophy in a national championship and then they come back years later and kind of retroactively claim that didn't happen, I've always been like, no, it happened. I watch Calipari's Memphis team go to the finals.

I watch Reggie Bush kick everyone's ass. You know, it wasn't fake, right? Maybe he was getting money under the table. I didn't make him miss a tackle or dunk over a guy. We saw it. We all sat on our couches. and watched. Like to me, fake is like Bernie Madoff. Yeah,

Bernie Madoff was not making any money. He ran a Ponzi scheme or Enron. It wasn't like, yeah, you know, once upon a time, they were like, Bernie Madoff was basically the Warren Buffett. No, it was all fake. He was a great manipulator and marketer, but it

was all fake. Enron, yeah, all fraudulent. That's all it was. It wasn't actually some powerhouse company. It was fake. Reggie Bush was not. Reggie Bush, I think in my lifetime, and I've been watching college football, you know, really, really closely, probably since the late 90s. And definitely the last 20 years been really, really locked in. And I think, for my money, he's the best college player I've ever seen. And there's

a short list of, you know, I think Kellan Moore when he was at Boise State, Cam Newton at Auburn, the one year, Tebow, V-Y. I mean, we all know. the names, right? Adrian Peterson was pretty unreal. We could rattle them off. I mean, there's a group of like 15, 20 guys that you could argue. But I'm pretty confident with my eyes, and

listen, I struggle to remember two days ago, let alone 20 years ago, he's he is entrenched in concrete, in Sharpie Penn in my mind. I'm not going to forget. Reggie was, when you think the USC Pete Carroll era,

I think Reggie Bush. First and foremost. then I think countless other players and the championships and the L.A. and the Hollywood. And creating something on the West Coast that feels so far away from where we're at now. Where the Pact 12 is kind of an afterthought these last couple years relative to the SEC, relative to the Big Ten, the way Clemson's operating. Now Oregon's been really good the last couple years. Washington made the playoffs four or five years ago. But for the most part, the Pact 12, you know, when they were humming six, seven years ago with Chip Kelly,

with David Shaw, it doesn't quite feel the same. Definitely that Pete Carroll era. And that Pete Carroll era is, and it's something that so many people that, you know, root for that are SC fans desperately want to get it back. Because they know the ceiling of that program is like an Alabama, is like an LSU, is like an Ohio State. And Pete had it going to that level. I mean, the countless guys that he produced in the NFL,

and look what he, I mean, Pete's just an all-time great coach. He's a Hall Famer. he's not actually in the Hall of Fame yet, but he should go to the Hall of Fame. Bend a couple Super Bowls, Bill SC, just an elite coach, you know? And for Reggie Bush to think that you can just erase what he did, I always just found it so stupid.

I'm like, how do you just take away his Heisman? I saw him play, he won the Heisman, I don't care that some agent bought him a car. Like, who cares? Why do we get so cut up about that stuff? And the NCAA always does whenever it gets out, and it always felt like, Listen, Cam Newton's dad got hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He built the church. They didn't take his Heisman trophy away. They didn't pretend that Auburn season didn't happen. Remember Johnny Mansell was signing the jerseys and got in trouble and got suspended maybe for a... They didn't take his Heisman trophy away. It never quite added up Reggie Bush's punishment. It didn't quite fit the crime. It almost felt like they viewed as Pete Carroll had been pushing the envelope for a long period of time.

I got news for you. He was. I worked in college football for a couple years in 2008 and 2009. We all talked about it, and it simmered under the surface. They were cheating, right? And I got news for you. Every big time program cheats. I know several people in college football. And I use cheating pretty liberally.

I don't use that as like they deserve to go to jail or get fired. They're doing what they have to do to get the players. It's the going rate and the going market. in college sports because they kind of fall under this umbrella that is the NCAA, yet they answer more to their boosters and their school president and their fan base until they kind of get caught, then they answer to everyone. It's just, it's a weird deal. It really is.

And I never blame any coach for pushing the envelope. Just like I don't blame any coach for following the rules. Though, when you're at a school and you follow the rules to a T, it's going to be really, really difficult to win. And I think a lot of coaches run into that, and that's why eventually they cross the line. You know, I mean, one of my favorite sports movies of all-time Blue Chips is a great example of that.

Nick Nolte in that movie, the movie with Shaq and Penny Hardaway, is a buy-the-book guy, starts getting his ass kicked, and eventually starts cheating. Let's an agent start buying the players. And I think it's kind of symbolic of what happened in college basketball

these last 20 years. And listen, college basketball has been cheating, John Wooden's teams. You know, Google some of those teams. Like I last name with the guy with the last name, Gilbert. See what comes up. So listen, no college basketball or even from the most part, football programs

can say that, you know, we're 100%. That's not how it works. But it never takes away from what we actually saw or see. Like steroids like that's manipulating stuff, right? Even whether I, listen, I don't know. all. I know that it felt like the cheating stuff with Belichick. If you legitimately are stealing someone's signs with a camera,

you know, as the game is going on, that's going to give you a dramatic advantage, right? Or some of the, you know, chicanery that they were listening into the headsets like that. That's legitimate cheating. If I told you that, and I don't think he did this, that Belichick listened to every single team that came into Foxborough's headsets,

I'd like, yeah, that's a big time competitive advantage. Do I think that Reggie Bush getting 100 grand from an agent is a competitive? No, I do not. Do I think that Derek Rose that Memphis paid him to get into school, that's some competitive? No. Like, that's just the going rate for Derek Rose. Someone was going to pay him. And I'm just glad we don't have to pretend that Reggie Bush wasn't a member of this team.

Like he was some, when you get banned, it almost felt like he was a Bernie Madoff. Like he was a complete fraud the whole time. And at least that's the way he was. NCAA kind of paints them. And I'm just glad we don't even have to bring that up anymore. Like Reggie Bush is welcome at USC, as he should have always been. He's arguably, I mean, listen, I'd have to go back and look at the history books, but I'd say one of the three or four best players to ever come from that program.

I'm not talking about it as a pro. I'm just talking about his collegiate career, his impact on the sport. And his impact on the sport, you know, something, as you see like Ohio, state, for the most part, my entire life they've been good. Alabama or LSU or Georgia or Florida, like basically one of those four programs is always kind of good for the last 30 plus years. They kind of rotate. SC, when I was growing up, I remember going to games with my dad at Cal when Kishan Johnson

was on the team in the mid-90s. And SC was, I wouldn't say they were irrelevant, but they were not some powerhouse. Even in the late 90s, my cousin played football at UCLA. In the late 90s and early 2000, before Pete Carroll got there, UCLA was the better program, was producing way more pros. Honestly, it wasn't really a conversation.

I vividly, I was way more of a UCLA fan probably in my junior high to early high school days, late 90s, because they were good. They were sweet. SC was like, oh, that's cool. And then they got really, really cool. And a huge reason of that, for as much credit as Pete Carroll gets,

and he deserves getting credit for, Reggie because he's the guy that recruits him and signs him. I give him credit because once Reggie got there, he just became the dude. And he was remarkable. And the one thing that Tim Tebow and Cam Newton and Johnny Mansell and Vince Young, like those guys are quarterbacks. And I think we see it with the MVP in the NFL. Like, quarterbacks are going to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to awards,

when it comes to fame, when it comes to the money. If you do something truly special as a running back, to me you really stand. out. It's like when Adrian Peterson won the MVP at running back, whatever, with Christian Ponder, I'm trying to think, was that 2011 maybe, 2010, 2012, whatever, you know, eight, nine, 10 years ago, it was just like, this guy is the best player in the league. Quarterback, non-quarterback, I'm watching this, and there's just not a better player. Even though quarterbacks, we know we're more important. College football, somewhat similar. Quarterbacks have a little less impact. They have more now as the game spread out.

but they still tend to win the awards and tend to win that award, the Heisman Trophy. But when you watch Reggie Bush, you just went, yeah, I don't know if I've ever seen this before. And really, I don't know if we've really seen it since. Christian McCaffrey, some levels of that, and he's gone on to have a great career. I think the sad part about Reggie, who, unlike like Tebow or Vince Young or just a lot of highly touted Heisman Trophy winners that don't go and have success in the NFL, that you know play for three or four years and are out of it. Reggie Bush had an 11-year career.

Now, did he live up to being the number two overall pick? No. Would you like more out of the number two overall pick? Of course. You would like, when you draft a guy number two, you're hoping for, I mean, bare minimum, like six, seven Pro Bowls, let alone like a Hall of Famer. That's not what you got.

But what you did get is someone who was probably 15 years before his time. Because Reggie Bush would have dominated college exactly like he did now. But the NFL game would have been so much more suited for him. Got the ball so well out of the backfield. I'd say the one thing Christian McCaffrey has, if you're going to compare those two players, probably a better true in between the tackles runner.

But Reggie's every bit as good in space, every bit as fast, every bit as good catching the ball out of the backfield, every bit as good as an outside runner because of his instincts, because of his moves. And, you know, what's crazy is for a guy that had an 11-year career, you could probably kick him, I would love to play in this era. Kind of like when the NFL draft went on and it might have been the week after the draft

and it might have been on actually day three of this year's NFL draft and it was like Mooch and Rich Eisen and they had on Steve Young. And they're talking to Steve Young about Tua, about Justin Herbert, just about all the young quarterbacks in the league and he's like, I'm going to be honest. I'm a little jealous. I wish I could have played in this era. and he was a guy who was really mobile and really accurate. Steve Young would have eviscerated the NFL in 2020.

Like you think, oh, Jared Goff, he's pretty, Jimmy Garoppolo. Like Steve Young would have, I don't know, one MVP's. I mean, one MVP's in the early 90s when you could legitimately like suplex a quarterback and then come off the top rope and give him an elbow to his throat. Now if you like touch a guy's thigh pad, it's like, flag! kick him out of the game personal foul you know Steve young's got to be thinking oh my god I would have freaking dominated I mean do you guys think Drew Breeze is good imagine Drew Breeze mixed with like Deshawn Watson that's me you know and I wonder if Reggie Bush now he made

money and he actually had some successful years after the Saints one with Detroit and one with Miami last night a blown call changed a game this morning the internet internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls,

we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on The Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we 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. 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, Kier 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys?

This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rep, my mama wants you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Really, really good statistical years. but asked to sit back and think like, God, if I could have been drafted in 2017 or 2016 instead of 2006,

maybe I'm, you know, a consistent pro bowler. But at least we can say now he's welcome at SC. Hopefully one day he can get his Heisman back, you know, from the Heisman committee. And it just justice feels kind of like it came around to the right side on this one. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values.

To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1,800 Flowers.com slash tune in. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about, and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnwity host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit AdoptuS.kids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health at Human Services.

Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest. service and the ad council. Okay, I thought as we headed into the weekend, times are a little slow, that we'd empty out the mailbag. And I'll just fire through the DMs. At John Middlecoff is my Insta.

Same as my Twitter. DM's wide open on my Insta, not my Twitter. Twitter can get a little too negative. You guys are a little more, you guys are positive on Instagram. Honestly, 99.9% of any DM I've ever got on Instagram. Very positive. A lot of

you know, people send compliments, but just good questions. People interact. Twitter, more like a war zone. So we close down the DMs there. And yeah, let's start. From Blake, I'm an Aussie, so good NFL content is hard to find over here. In Australia, we started playing contact sport. We start playing contact sport again tonight.

I'm interested to hear your take on a sport called Rugby League. A few players have left and tried to make it in the NFL with varying degrees of success. You think any of the skills would transfer over, and is there anything the NFL could learn? I believe it's being played on FS1 in the States. Well, I can't pretend to know what rugby league, if that's a different sport than just rugby. I've watched a lot of rugby in my life when I was in college. My roommates played rugby, so I went to their games.

I liked the sport. If Jared Hayne, the guy that made the Niners, played in the rugby league, then I would say, yeah. And I just think in general, some rugby skills relate to the league. And I think as a running back, the way you run in space, avoiding guys, definitely translates. As a tackler, I think it would be a lot different because you're just purely tackling a guy in space. Where in football, you're usually, especially as a linebacker or a defensive back, you're way away from the football. You're coming at different angles. You have a specific defense in an area to cover.

I don't know if those do as much. I've always said this, and I believe this to my core, that if the best athletes in America, I always get pushed back on soccer, it doesn't matter about size and speed. Whatever we've put our mind to, historically, whether it's saving the world in World War II, whether it's having the best basketball players in the world,

like Dream Team, whether it's whatever, we dominate. We just do. And when it comes to athletics, If we put our mind, I've said this always about soccer. If our best athletes cared about soccer like they do, I've been to Europe, Spain, Italy, it's clearly just a way of life, like football or basketball is here. We would be awesome. Now, we don't, so we won't.

Maybe one day, who knows? But if you don't think that if Odell Beckham had grown up in Spain, I mean, enough guys like that would become great soccer players out of your mind. I feel the same thing at rugby. Probably even more so at rugby, because I think the pushback for, soccer is there's a touch and size definitely doesn't matter looking messy he's a midget you know he's five at five or whatever i i get it but you can't convince me that if the ray lewis is that if the ed reads that if the christian mcalfreys that if the trent williams you

name it had cared about rugby from the jump we wouldn't be the best rugby team in the world because i just don't believe it we would be and we'd kill everybody i mean new zealand all I have nothing but respect for him. But if you don't think that like Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman would have been good rugby players, then I just don't think we're living in the same world. Two-part question. Been a fan of the show for a while now.

Great content and see how you've grown more in the future. As a Texans fan, I was as disgusted with the Hopkins trade as anyone else. But after seeing the other acquisitions Bill O'Brien made, I see the plan and vision that he was working toward. with an offensive arsenal of Cooks, Fuller, Stills, Cobb, and Aiken's, along with David Johnson and Duke Johnson, out of the backfield. I mean, Duke Johnson did tear his knee up last year, so who knows. It gives Deshawn more targets than he's ever had before. Earlier, roughly one-third of Deshawn targets went to D'Andre.

Do you see the newly constructed offense helping Deshawn's growth as he's now forced to spread the ball around a lot more? and realistic. Realistically, what are your expectations for the offense this upcoming season? Well, let's just go through those names because I'll be the first to agree with you. On paper, if everyone is healthy, you would rather take that entire group over just having Hopkins, right? Adding Cooks, a healthy stills,

Cobb, David, and Duke Johnson. Here's my problem. Cooks gets concussions like every other game. Will Fuller pulls his hamstring every other go-round. Randall Cobb, coming off a really good year, still has something left. Duke Johnson is coming off a major knee injury. David Johnson has recently always been injured. If those guys are healthy, Deshawn Watson to me is one of the best young players in the league.

I mean, it's not clearly, obviously. I don't need to tell everyone that. We all, I think, agree. Yeah, those guys would be really good. But I think the risk, the one thing you knew with DeAndre, he was going to play and you were going to get 100 catches out of him. Brandon Cooks, on any given moment,

could have experienced headaches just be out for the season. They couldn't give David Johnson away until Bill O'Brien called and wanted him. Because several years ago, David Johnson was sweet. Then he started making huge money and getting her injured all the time. So I just think it's really risky.

I'm not disputing their talent. All those guys can run, their team speed is improved, that if they can keep those guys healthy, I'd say 14 of the 16 games, they'll be a playoff team again. But if cooks misses half the season and David Johnson misses half the season and Fuller pulls his hamstring,

I don't know, it could be tough. I'm with you. On paper, it's easy to see what they're doing. They wanted to improve their team speed. That's not really DeAndre's deal. He's a possession wide receiver. Though a baller, so I get it. You want to improve your team speed.

You just better be right. And that's what I do. don't miss about the NFL. It's like you just keep your fingers crossed. The guy doesn't get hurt. Especially when all those guys consistently get hurt. I think it's just a major, major risk. Where if you just keep DeAndre and use some of your flexibility to sign some other guys,

I think you're a lock playoff team because you've seen Watson and DeAndre an unstoppable force. I think betting on injured guys is just a risky proposition in the sport of football. This might be a hot take, but I believe Lamar Jackson is overrated. He feasted on bad teams like Miami, the Jets, the Rams, Cleveland, while he played horrible against teams like Kansas City, San Francisco, Seattle, New England, Pittsburgh. He's had one career 300-yard passing game. He's never had a fourth quarter come from behind win. Teams have proven all you have to do is to beat him, to beat him,

is get a couple score lead. take away the threat of the run, dare him to pass the ball down the field and watch him struggle. And to top it off, in both playoff games when he got down, did he keep fighting and picking guys up and motivating them?

No. He sat there and moped and sulked like someone stole his lunch money. I don't remember that, but I just think people want to pigeonhole him into the next great quarterback when he hasn't proven anything other than his running ability. Am I crazy or do I have a valid point here? I can't speak to the moping and the playoff games.

I just thought, and I've never been the biggest Lamar guy, though, as I've said, he's completely grown on me because I love his mindset. I didn't see a guy sulking or moping. I just saw a guy that couldn't throw on third down and got his ass kick. I do think there is something, too. Sometimes when you have like a five touchdown game, I think he had against that Monday night game against the Rams, I'd have to look up the exact number, but I'm pretty sure he threw for like 150 yards.

Like that's not a normal game. Some of his three and four touchdown games came with, you know, passing yards well under 200. So I'm with you. A big part of his game, I mean, the majority of his game right now is his running threat. And his running threat is unstoppable. He is an incredible runner. I think Michael Vic, think Pete Cam Newton, like it's RG3 is rookie year. It's elite.

But to be a great quarterback, it is not about running. And as I've said, over and over and over again. Stiffs are done in the NFL. But you don't need to be Lamar Jackson. Now you have to be mobile like a Deshawn, like a Mahomes, like a Russell Wilson, younger Rogers, right? Throw the ball in the move. Carson Wentz, Jimmy Garoppel. I need to be able to move behind the line of scrimmage.

Like you said, the two playoff games, he got housed. Because right now, if he's down 10 points in the second half and they got to throw, it's a rap. He doesn't have a shot. now where I'm going to stop being critical of he has the mindset where he has admitted over and over this is such that this is a fact and he needs to improve he doesn't complain he doesn't pretend that he's maxed out it's the media that's anointed him right as and he deserved the MVP but i mean the majority reason he won the MVP last year was his feet not his arm now he's improved his accuracy but in big games and like you

said against good teams. The Niner game, I'll throw out. It was raining. And he won the game. But the Kansas City game, he looked terrible. And the playoff game, he looked terrible. And two years ago in the playoff game, he looked terrible. So his match erasing to be a quote-unquote, when I saw the ESPN did an article, and they picked players from scratch, the whole exercise was kind of stupid after like pick four. We say over and over quarterback's the most important position. And then people are taking like Aaron Donald, number five. Like, listen, Aaron Donald is one of the best players in the league. He's not even most important player on his own team. Jared Gauth is.

That's just a fact. You can't win without the quarterback. But they had Lamar Jackson above Deshawn Watson. I don't think I'd know many general managers that would take Lamar Jackson over to Sean Watson. Deshaun Watson does what you need to do to win football games. That's why he has success in the playoffs. Throw the ball behind the line of scrimmage. When they know it's coming, third and seven, third and eight. Anyone can light you up on first and ten.

How about third and eight? In the fourth quarter, down 10, with 10 minutes left to go. That's what Patrick Baham's did. Why is a Super Bowl champion? That's what you got to do. And that, to me, is the biggest area in which Lamar has to grow. Is he overrated? Maybe just because the media never shuts up.

But I think most of us, Lamar's sweet. He's awesome. Anyone with common sense would be like, God, he's one of the best runners I've ever seen. You know, is he good enough to be a Super Bowl winning passer? Right now, no. He's not. Can he be? I'm not going to write him off because he keeps him.

So, you know, the media told me that, you know, they rooted for us to shelter in place for five years. So I take with what the majority of the media says, they're so emotional with a grain of salt. But I think most people that I talk to go think he's just properly rated. He's really good. He had an awesome season. But he has a huge area of improvement that's needed if he's going to be, quote, unquote, the next great quarterback. because I would take, and I wouldn't even hesitate, I would take Deshawn Watson over Lamar Jackson right now.

A new listener, about two months. Appreciate it. You might have already covered this, but in your opinion, why doesn't the NFL have a farm system like Major League Baseball? Not to the extent of Major League Baseball with AAA, but why not just a single A, double A, AAA, AAA, but why not just a AAA system for the NFL? Thank you.

Yeah, I mean, I've covered a little bit over the years. It's simple, they already do. college football and they don't have to pay for it. It's just, it's really that simple. Major League Baseball does just because you're not able to come out of college baseball and play in the pros. Baseball is just so hard, right? Think of all the first round picks, the draft just happened, that will never make it to the Major League Baseball. Or they might make it because you push top players up there, but will never become good players.

In football, you don't wait. I draft them, I put them right in the show. My first round pick starts game one. unless you're like the dude Seattle took last year and you're inactive, but you get my drift. Look, I mean, how many fifth, sixth, seventh round or start? Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reaction, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context,

and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see that there's a through line

We also have AIDS on the table right now 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,

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office, Blue, 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Immediately. In baseball, it's just so much different. College football does that for you. It's why these college athletic programs are paying Dabble or paying Nick Saban or paying Ed O'Brien or paying Kirby Smart or paying David Shaw or paying Christa Ball or paying Herm Edwards. You develop them.

You pay for it. And then we'll draft them. And then we'll pay the guy. So I think it just Think about this If you ran a business And someone else Would essentially train your employees

Now obviously you have to coach guys up When they get to the NFL I'm not saying you don't But wouldn't we all agree I think most people listening Or tend to be younger So it's probably maybe less business owners And more younger employees or whatever

Once you graduate I remember graduate in Cal Poly And I always thought this just because we were always told this. And listen, I got multiple degrees on my wall. I think college and just the whole system is a little, I think we'd all agree, a little overrated. Now, maybe there are specific industries,

an electrical engineer or something that parallels what you do. But for the most part, most of us, once we graduate, we kind of learn from scratch wherever we go. Whether we go be an NFL scout, whether we go be a salesman, whether we go be a tech guy. They teach you when you get there. If I draft, you know, Tua in the first round, he's learned a lot for Nick Saban.

Nick Saban for three years has done a lot of the groundwork. Now, I've got to teach him my offense, maybe improve on a couple little things. But he's pretty ready made, right? Joe Burrow, pretty ready role. Played for Urban, played for Joe Brady. He kind of knows what's going on, right? When you think of all the other players that were drafted,

whoever you think in the first round, especially from the bigger programs, they've been coached up. imagine if like instead of going to work wherever you went to work right out of college you went to this little two year program that just taught you everything the basics of what you're going to need to know

at your company. That's why internships are so great. You intern and then you're just ready to hit the ground running. It's basically what college football is. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination.

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If I could be you. And you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out.

And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Walk a mile in my shoes. I'm a big time Broncos fan living in North Carolina. You can imagine how 2015 went. Wanted to hear your opinion on how we will do next year.

I'm a firm believer that we will make the wild card playoff run. I think Drew Locke looked very good the last three games, and we've just put fantastic skill players around them. Our defense is still a top 15 unit, in my opinion. Thanks for some off-season bulking, your thoughts. I saw Colin said that they are the next big team. I think they have everything you need to be really good next year. They've got a coach who knows what he's doing.

Is he a great head coach? A little yet to be determined. but in his first year after a terrible start, they went 7 and 9. Here's what I do know about Vic Fangio. His defenses are going to be good. He's got Vaughn Miller, he's got Bradley Chubb, he's got Justin Simmons, he coaches up defensive backs always, they're going to be good. That's just a fact.

It's just checked the last decade. That's what happens. Offense. Add Jerry Judy, add Noah Fant last year. Signed Melvin Gordon. You got Philip Lindsay. They got really good skill guys. Did I say Jerry Judy?

K.J. Hamler? Like, they got dudes. They already had a solid wide receiver in Sutton. Like, they got some guys. Where I won't probably get on my soapbox and pound the table, I'll give Colin credit. And this is why he's one of the best in the business. He gets ahead of things.

I'm with you. Drew Locker looked really good. I know enough people in the league that were kind of iffy on him coming out. I think if Drew Locke is just solid, if Drew Locke is a top 12 to 15 quarterback this year, Let's just say he's 15th. The Broncos will be in the playoffs. They'll win nine games, 10 games.

What if he's not? Right? He has Pat Schumer, and Pat Schumer's resume is pretty consistent quarterbacks when he's the offensive coordinator look good. There's just a lot of unknown. We got a small, small sample size of Drew Locke. If he's good,

and I'm not going to pound the table because I wouldn't say that I loved him coming out. Doesn't mean I'm right. And I'm with you. What we saw last year? I think it was the Texans game. It was like, damn, This guy's got a chance to be really, he has the physical attributes.

Here's what we know about playing quarterback in the NFL, though. It's about a lot more than physical attributes. He's got the arms, he's got the size. His work ethic, especially this off-season when they've been quarantined and not been able to practice, is he getting guys together working out, like all that stuff, which, again, you might know if you fall. I think I follow the Broncos on Twitter and Instagram and stuff, but if he's just been doing everything possible to maximize himself,

so when training camp starts, he is the ground running, working with Pat Shermer. I'm sorry, if you're Drew Locke, two hours a day on virtual meetings with Pat Schumer wouldn't be enough. You know what the elite quarterbacks are doing? Especially the younger guys who are building? Probably five hours.

Probably 20 hours a week. Michael Middilcock, that's against the CBA. Yeah, screw the CBA. The elites don't follow the rules. Follow laws, not rules. You want to be great? Him and Pat Schumer spent a lot of time together over the last two months.

and that's just, I don't know. I don't know. I like him. I watched this Instagram live thing he did with Baker Mayfield and he was, it seemed like cool dude. Big fan of the podcast, just a quick question.

How did you become an NFL scout? It's my dream job, and I was just wondering what your path, what path I should take. I tell everyone when they asked me, I worked in college football. I worked when I was an undergrad of Cal Poly, and then I went to Fresno State

and I worked in recruiting. And that's the only reason I made in the NFL. I didn't play in the NFL. I didn't know people in the NFL. I used college as my stepping zone. And luckily, when I was at Fresno State, we produced a lot of NFL guys. My second year, we had Ryan Matthews

who went, I think, 12th overall to the Chargers. So everyone important was coming through. But, you know, that's my path. And you know the great thing about life? Like, there is not. My path isn't for everyone. That's just what I would recommend because it worked for me.

College football. And whether you have a D1AA, if you can get to Division 1, that's ideal. Because the NFL scouts and the NFL community will come through your school and you can get to meet them. And that was my only opportunity to meet those guys is through at Fresno State.

I never in a million years would have met any of them. So that's always what I recommend. Was looking forward to the ESPN College Game Day in Dublin this year, but like most things, that is now canceled. What are your thoughts on NFL expansion? Will it happen in the near future? If so, do you think it's, uh, likely for a team to be located out of the U.S.

If it's going to be any team out of the U.S., it would be the Jaguars in London. And, you know, I don't know anyone with the league office. I know the business, I know football coaches and general managers. I don't know, like, the business people at Park Avenue or wherever there are offices that Portnoy wants, you know, handcuffed himself and got arrested for it for Tom Brady. But I've heard people say this, and I think it's pretty obvious.

their one big do-over if they could do it would not put the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Market stinks. No offense to anyone that's listening in Jacksonville. I've been there once. I kind of liked it. But from a market standpoint, it's all about money. So you want to be in the biggest markets possible. The London market, while it would have some logistical problems

because when you work out players during the season to bring guys out, if you're bringing them from the West Coast, it's a five-hour flight from the East Coast, right? So it'd be 10 hours. It's a long way to go. but to me that feels inevitable. I know someone tweeted at me, maybe Toronto, for the bills, but it feels like the Peligulas and the bills

kind of got a good thing going. But I would guess that London, if they do expansion, it would just be moving the jacks to London. Are they going to expand other teams? I don't necessarily see that happening. I could be wrong. Again, I note this is complete,

just educated guess, so I would lean no. So I'm listening to your pod and I wanted to give you a little input. Okay, so I'm listening to your Drew Bree's pot and I wanted to give you a little input if you don't mind. I'd like for you to share with your listeners. I'm an eight-year army vet. Literally nobody that I've served with

has any problems with NFL players protesting during the anthem. We are not offended. Most of us are of the mindset that we do what we do in order to protect the freedom of the people to protest such things. I could go on and on about this topic, but I don't want to talk you to death. Keep up the good work and go giants. I agree. I think like most things, you know the sad part about

most of our realities in society right now is they become so political and maybe more than ever because it's an election year and the polarization of Donald Trump. But when I see Al Sharpton and Joe Biden and all these people going to George Floyd's funeral and Donald tweet. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drawls, drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the V

your man's? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp? 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 yeah, yeah. Literally, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. 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, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys?

This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts. on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Thinking about the protest, it's like, it doesn't even become about what it actually started as, you know? And that's just a reality of life. I mean, everything now immediately becomes political. Because both political parties jump on it. Immediately. Donald loves talking shit about the anthem

because he thinks it works for his base. And the other side loves crushing him for that. and it's just never ending. I'm with you. Most people I know don't care. Now, especially I don't know that many people in the military, thank you for the note. I do know some people that over the years

have mentioned that it bothered them. So we can't be naive to think that people that our NFL fans aren't bothered by it. But as a whole, can't we just, even if you are bothered by it, just not pay attention? You know, I consume a lot of things that I like I'm bothered by, right?

I don't agree with everything that is said of things that I consume, and I just avoid it. Like, you just turn on the game five minutes in. Hell, they might not even show the anthem this year. Who knows? I think that it, I get it. The unrest in this country, everyone's on edge, the corona. Again, I think there's a huge element of we were,

especially in the state I live in, told you couldn't leave, you couldn't leave, you couldn't leave. and then George Floyd happened and everyone just busted open the walls and people were everywhere and it's just the corona I think I was told forever on Twitter

about what a big deal mental health is and trust me I'm I believe in it like when my mind is right when I'm in a good frame of mind I feel like I'm unstoppable when I'm in a bad place it's miserable I think we all agree yet mental health

everyone in Corona like the media was just like shut up stay inside it's like what are we doing And it became a very, very tense time. You got a lot of people losing their jobs. You got a lot of people terrified for their financial freedom. I had a buddy tell me the other day that he just has a newborn baby that said his biggest fear during corona was that his wife would get it.

And then he would have to watch the kid. And his kid is like two or three months old. He's like, I was just so scared. I wouldn't know what to do. And she would be sick and quarantine. And I was like, I don't think people, because social media just, shut up! Close your doors.

Don't kill Grandpa. Which, again, no one wants to kill Grandpa. But when you're just forcing people to stay inside and as months went on, you're like, you know, this doesn't, what are we doing here? And then it feels like it's just political. You're trying to keep us inside and ruin people's business. People are afraid.

Like, if their wife gets it, how are you going to watch it? You know, just everyone has different fears and thoughts. And, you know, I don't even, I don't know how I veered off from the, from what you're saying about the kneeling in the anthem but I'm with you I don't care at all

just like I mean I don't understand why people like root for businesses to go under and that's like a fun thing to do on social media like let's tank the economy like who roots for that? What's wrong with people? We want people to lose their jobs is this real life? Who roots for someone to lose their job?

I just don't get it. Like you can not want to kill grandpa not want to get anyone sick, and root for people to keep their jobs and their small businesses. Just a weird time. This was just a... I'll never forget these three months. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the...

And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler.

And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size.

Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Netsa and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too.

Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree.

They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. and they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. With the additions on defense of players like Kyle Van Oye, Byron Jones, and defensive players they just drafted this year like Curtis Weaver and Noah Igbo, where will the Dolphins defense rank in the league? Also, how much could that improve

if they were to sign a guy like clowny or trade for Nadeauqua. Yeah, I think Van Oye, big culture guy, Brian Flores knows them well. Byron Jones, immediate starting corner to go with the, what's his name, Xavier, I can't even forget, the other corner who's highly paid guy, is really good. So you got two good corners. You add a linebacker who knows the defense. Rookies, you just never know, right? You add, I guess, in the first round, you add Austin Jackson, the offensive tackle.

You add to us. Offensively, they should be better. You're right, they need pass rushers. I would not pay Clowny. Brian Flores coming from Bill Belichick, I'll be shocked if he's buying Clowny. Yonick, you know, I think that would be the one thing I could see them not doing that. Again, the Bill Belichick mindset, they're not going to trade like a first and a second round pick and then pay a guy huge money.

That doesn't feel like Belichick either. They'd be more likely to sign Clownie if they'd get them for like one year, $9 million. They could be more competitive, but to me it's going to be more on offense. Can they score points? They played really hard last year down the stretch. Fitzpatrick was solid as two a starting. Yeah, the dolphins might actually be decent this year.

But to me, the number one question is the quarterback, not necessarily the defense. What do you think about an Alex Smith return? He looked good on a practice he posted. After watching the E60, my first reaction when watching some of those videos is just no chance. Incredible story. I'm so glad he was able to keep his leg. But I can't see after going through all that him being able to make an NFL team,

let alone play in a game. Just to me the movement, it's an incredible way. work ethic. He's an incredible human being. I wish more people like that would run for political office. We just need more good people in positions of power in this country that help run our society.

You just see his mindset and the way he thinks about life. Just an inspirational human being. If you watch that E-60 and you weren't moved to tears and you weren't inspired, listen, I don't know if we're the same species. But I, as

a football guy, and just watching how injuries cripple humans, I can't see him ever playing in the NFL again. And I'm, listen, I'm trying to be a positive human, but I'm just trying, I got to be realistic on this one. So I would expect him from the videos I've seen, maybe I missed a newer one for him to not be, yeah, for him to not be in the NFL again.

You know, he had a hell of a run, terrible injury ended his career. Again, I'd root for him if he did make it. I'd love for him to overcome. I can't see it. Appreciate everyone listening. Enjoy the weekend. And I'll talk to you next week. And thanks again.

Tell all your friends to listen. I appreciate everyone listening during these crazy times in this world. And I hat tip of respect to each and every one of you. Take it easy. See you. As a food, we can't in this time in action in front of time. Now, we have to ensure them more

The same-ancented the best-gardeau our most important is just for the kids get-jonged-eeming to avoid COVID-19. The vaccine has been been determined to the 5-zo-sweighed to be able to find out of C-A.gov to check-a-docan

to find out of your future vaccine. You're the California Department of Public Health brought last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guide. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Look Back at a 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 year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? listening to learn the hard way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast Guaranteed Human