The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 01/28/2019

Episode Date: January 28, 2019

Colin doesn't blame Anthony Davis for wanting to leave New Orleans because he respects when athletes put winning over money.  He talks about where he was right and wrong in the past week including admitting he was a little wrong about Baker Mayfield.  Plus, Peter King of NBC Sports talks about why he is infuriated that Roger Goodell has not spoken publicly about the blown call at the end of the NFC Championship Game.  Presented by Perky Jerky. 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,

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 Sports Slice 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 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert 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, 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 with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRodio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by search HARD.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Super Bowl Week in a Monday. 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, right here on FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. Here we go, Super Bowl week.

We're ready to roll. New England and the Rams. How are you? Good morning. Good morning to you. We start, though, with an NBA story. I was driving in today, and the bomb dropped, right? It is Anthony Davis, superstar for New Orleans, has told the Pelicans, I'm out of here.

I'm not going to resign. Might as well trade me sooner than later. Every time this happens, oh, my word, everybody freaks out in sports. I can't believe it. This is what is wrong with the NBA. This is terrible. all the great players are conjoining forces. Oh, settle down.

Settle down. Number one. Anthony Davis is telling you what many stars in the NBA have increasingly told you. I'd rather win games than make the most money. Isn't that awesome? Isn't that what we hope all our sports stars are about? That they want to win. That it's not just about stacking money on top of money on top of money.

Kevin Durant, LeBron, LeBron, Anthony Davis. These guys want to win games. It's not about buying another house, another resort, another boat, or another car. They want to win games. I want my athletes to want to win games more than stack poker chips. So good for Anthony Davis. That's number one.

Number two is don't blame a great player if he wants out of a franchise that shouldn't exist to begin with. Okay, this is, this franchise, the Pelicans, the NBA owned it for a while. The Benson family owns the Saints. They bailed the league out and bought it, but do they really care about it? Let's be honest. They made the NFL general manager, the NBA general manager. Nobody else does it that way.

They've got terrible attendance, the worst television deal in the NBA, and you're going to blame because this guy wants out of that franchise? If you're a great employee in America and you don't think your company's up to your standards, I've left places, you've left places, an NBA superstar can't leave places, and an NBA superstar's got about 10 years. I can broadcast for 40. And number three, don't act shocked. This is the worst kept secret in the league.

Why do you think we created the LeBrow meter back in September? Because back in September, Anthony Davis signed with Clutch. sports. The deal was done that day. Don't freak out. Here's the other thing. Is that, I'm reading Brad Turner is a guy that covers the Lakers for the LA Times. And he said, in order to get this done, in order to get it done, the starting point for the Lakers is trade Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, their best big man, Zubosh, and a number one pick. Well, I got news for you. Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and according to that tweet, Brandon Ingram, aren't winning a title. Aren't better than Boston. They're not better than Golden State.

Sounds top-heavy to me. I'm not saying they wouldn't be better. I'm not saying they couldn't make the Western Conference finals. They're not beating Golden State. Due to franchise and trade restrictions in the NBA, the Celtics can't trade for Anthony Davis until the season is over. And the Lakers know that. So my opinion on what the Lakers will do, they want to get this puppy done fast. There were three steps to this. Anthony Davis had to first sign with LeBron's group Clutch Sports,

Rich Paul, check. Anthony Davis then had to announce, this is hard because your fans now will hate you, had to announce, I want out. And the third step is for this to work to get Anthony Davis to the Lakers is, let's get it done in the next couple of months, because by June,

the Celtics can make this deal, and they've got way better pieces, more picks, and better assets. And the Lakers do not want to go toe to toe with the Celtics on this deal. So my point is, the Lakers will probably give up more than they ideally want to. So this will be a very top,

heavy Laker team that will be excellent, that will contend to get to the Western Conference finals, but will not be, in my opinion, close to beating a Golden State. LeBron now, 15th year, first major injury, Anthony Davis, not a premier three-point shooter. Those guys are all over at Golden State. We tend to freak out with these big moves. But in review, he's moving because he wants to win more than he cares about money. I love that. Nobody should be beholden to a bad NBA franchise that shouldn't exist. And number three, this isn't shocking. This thing happened in September. It was the worst kept secret in the NBA. All right, we got ourselves the Super Bowl. I saw this this morning. This is amazing. Because I've been listening to you. You know, my job,

basically, Joy, is to listen to the American public and then react. And I have been told over and over again that the only reason New England's dynasty is happening. It's not the genius of Belichick, is not the efficiency and greatness of Brady. No, no, no, no, no. It's due to the Buffalo Bills, the jets, and the dolphins. Is that the reason this dynasty is taking place is because the AFC East is just terrible. Miami's dysfunctional, the jets are dysfunctional, the bills are dysfunctional. That is why everybody knows New England's no good.

Wait, that's crazy talk. I'm looking down this morning, 96% of money wagered at the Mirage in Vegas is on the Patriots. Are they playing the bills? Are they playing the Jets? Are they playing the dolphins? Oh, it says here they're playing the L.A. Rams. so you could bet on the Rams and yet you're not. You're betting on the Patriots.

So maybe the AFC East is not the reason. Let's be honest about this. Fans think dynasties are created because of the dysfunction that surrounds them. It gives them an opening. But the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James, S. Sabin and the SEC and the Patriots actually create the dysfunction and never get credit for it. Just take the Warriors. The Lakers are now rumored to be getting rid of Luke Walton. Another coach fired? Disfunction. Houston Rockets brought in Carmelo Anthony, a desperate move to beat the Warriors. Now he's out of town.

Lobb City with the Clippers. Two great players, another really good player. They're all now gone because they couldn't crack the Warriors code. The warriors aren't winning because of dysfunction. The warriors have created dysfunction. For years and years, we talked about how bad the Eastern Conference was. The truth was, after the decision LeBron made, there were 50 different coaches in the East. He created that. Isn't it ironic that LeBron leaves the Eastern Conference? And all I've heard from all the fans in media this year,

boy, the East is a lot tougher than it used to be. No, it's not. it's not tougher than it used to be. LeBron left, and so everybody isn't freaking out and over-trading and over-firing. Is that the Golden State Warriors and New England and LeBron in the East and Sabin in the South and college football never get credit. They're not winning because of dysfunction. Legends created. Look what Amazon has done to retail.

Look what Uber has done to taxis. By the way, a little mic drop by Tom Brady here a week out from the Super Bowl. Might as well play that. I can't thank you enough. We're excited. I hope you guys are excited. And as Deb said, let's let them hear it all the way down to Atlanta. We're still here.

We're still here. We're still here. We're still here. We're still here. Oh, I forgot. because of the Bills, the Jets, and the Dolphins, who, by the way, we looked it up last week, in the last 18 years,

if you took out the Bills Dolphin Jet Games against the Patriots, how do those teams do against everybody else? Here's the numbers. They're all 500 teams. They're not great. They're not amazing. They're not dysfunctional.

They're just a big bowl of average. New England makes them look dysfunctional. live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. I was driving in this morning and the Anthony Davis story broke, so I'd like to address it again on a different front. Anthony Davis signed with Rich Paul Clutch Sports September, LeBron's group. Check. Next thing he had to do was announce, I want out in New Orleans. He did that apparently yesterday. Check. And now let's have the Lakers getting this deal done. which my takeaway is they want to get it done before the end of the year

because Boston can't make a move now because of certain things the NBA doesn't allow with trades. So I think the Lakers will probably overpay a little now to get it done, which in the long terms, you want everything you have to acquire a third player after LeBron and Anthony Davis because according to reports, Kyle Kuzma has to be part of the deal for the Pelicans to like it, and Kuzma's a good player. So you're going to have to get the next Kuzma if you give them away. Let me say this, though. People know I like LeBron, and I've defended LeBron.

But I also think it's obvious. He's not the easiest guy in the world on coaches. He wanted Eric Spolstra out. Pat Riley said, no, we're not. He wanted David Blat out. They got rid of him. And now, according to various reports, Jackie McMullen, who is as respected as any NBA beat rider ever,

Jackie's been covering this league for four decades. She's great. Came out over the weekend and said, there is tension in the Lakers building. There's a lot of tension. Quote, I think people are wondering about Luke, even though Jeannie Bust, the owner came out strongly and said, I want Luke to be here. It's clear that LeBron's camp would prefer a coaching change and they're not too subtle about it.

That's Jackie McMullen. And if she talks, she's right. She's as good as they get in this business. So let me just ask you this. Is it reasonable for me to say, I think there's a little panic here. Wasn't this the year the Lakers were going to, quote, figure it out with LeBron? take a look at the assets. Win 45, I predicted 48 wins,

certainly not beat the Warriors. Building blocks. I remember Luke Walton saying, we've got LeBron for four years. That certainly sounds like patience to me. And the Lakers were counting on two things to be true throughout the course of this year. LeBron would still easily be the best player in the year in the NBA.

I don't know. He's not playing. And the second thing was, people will want to play with LeBron. Well, Kauai Leonard reportedly does not want to play with LeBron. And Paul George chose Russell Westbrook over LeBron and Kevin Durant and LeBron has been roundly mocked by people who are close to it. And LeBron's hurt and everybody wants to play with him. A little bit of panic?

I'm reading Jackie McMullen. There's tension in the building. Luke and LeBron are strained. The young assets, Lanzo Ball, hurt again, Brandon Ingram, just a guy. LeBron, worst injury of his career. I'm not saying it's utter panic, complete chaos, but there were a lot of things before LeBron got to Los Angeles, and then the minute he did that we considered to be givens, he would right now be playing, averaging 28, and be the best player easily in the world.

hasn't played in a month and is not scheduled to play the next game either. And frankly, lots of players according to various NBA executives, people, scouts don't all want to play with LeBron. He is now going to be 35, coming off the worst injury of his career. I mean, I thought, I listened, I thought this was the year. You kind of sat back. You won 45, 50 games. You end up third in the West. You win a playoff series, but you're not going to beat the Warriors.

What you don't want to do is freak out. It's easier said than done, though. It's Los Angeles. It's the Lakers. It's LeBron. A lot of pressure even in a year that there's no expectations. This is the entertainment capital of America. Everybody moves to L.A.

in the entertainment field, actors, writers, athletes, producers, directors, film stars, TV stars, and they think they're going to live in Beverly Hills. And they end up mostly living in Venice or moving to Scottsdale. It's not easy here. There's a lot of things you got to deal with. And this move has not worked as precisely and exactly as it should have. Lonzo Ball is hurt again. Brandon Ingram is just a guy.

And if I'm the Pelicans, by the way, this morning, you think I'm going to do the Lakers a favor? Really? if I'm the Pelicans this morning, I'm pissed. Because LeBron's group, Rich Paul's group, signed Anthony Davis, knowing this was going to happen, I'm going to do LeBron or anybody associated with LeBron a solid? If I'm the Pelicans, I can understand them being bitter, empowered. We're not making any move until the Celtics have the resources and the ability to give

some of their assets. I'm just saying I'm not saying utter panic. It hasn't quite worked out like we thought. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. 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 Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert 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, 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, ref, my mom, I want you. to weigh better. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to

really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, the Saints continue to give us their sob story. According to a report over the weekend, there is concern that four of the officials assigned to last Sunday, game, Saints Rams live in Southern California. Yeah, by the way, both quarterbacks in the Super Bowl are from California.

The NFL network is in California. Andy Reid's from Los Angeles. Aaron Rogers is from California. Pete Roselle, the former commissioner, was from Los Angeles. It's a big state full of talented people. There would be a crazy conspiracy if all four were from, you know, Ann Arbor, Michigan, or Tyler, Texas. But the fact that four of the many officials at the game are from, you know, Los Angeles is because it's the second biggest city in America.

You ever been around? I went skiing this weekend. I sat on a lift chair multiple times with people from Los Angeles and then people from Dallas and then people from New York. Because there's a lot of people in those three cities. They're all over the country traveling. I don't know. This is very tinfoil hatish. Yes, it is. For the record, I understand fans, your job is to give us material like this. I never hold the fans to the same level I hold the media. My job, I am paid to go to sporting events.

You pay to go to sporting events. You're fun and crazy and energetic and lively and obsessed and delusional and nutty. You give us material. I get it. Thank you. We can't be. We have to add some nuance to it. There should be a separation.

Never forget this. the conspiracy before the Rams Saints game. There was a petition going around online to not have Bill Vinovich referee it because he had officiated eight Rams games since they came to L.A. And they were 0 and 8. Yeah. So the conspiracy before the game was Ram fans thinking, we're going to get hosed by Bill Vinovich.

The conspiracy after the game is, is that Bill Vinovich guy was against us. What's the common thread? Fans thinking there's conspiracies. If there was going to be a conspiracy, and I said this for years defending the NBA, you wouldn't do it in the Western Conference Finals. If you were going to throw games, you'd do what Tim Donegie did. You'd pick a Tuesday night, Denver against the Sixers, that nobody's watching.

You probably wouldn't do a Rams Saints game to throw, you know, a rigged game into the NFL. The other thing is this idea that Roger Goodell should have strong defiant tribal opinions on this. No, he shouldn't. That would be called micromanaging. Did the Major League Baseball Commissioner come out in 1995, Royals Cardinals, Don Decker, Butcher to call it first? Did Major League Baseball Commissioner rush out to have a press conference? No, bad calls happen.

and did David Stern rush out and call a massive press conference years ago when the Sacramento Kings got hosed by a number of bad calls against Kobe and the Lakers? No, he didn't come out because bad calls happen. And in that Sacramento Kings game, there were about 50 bad calls. They all went against the Kings. There was a bad call here. It's not a job for a commissioner to appease goofy fans. Should he have had a comment on the petition before the game?

No, he shouldn't have a comment on petitions and controversy. and conspiracy theories after the game. That's not what you do. It's called micromanaging. My bosses never tell me what to say on my show. That would be micromanaging. They hire me. They know that some days I'm really good

and some days I'm not as good and some days I'm stupid. But they don't come down and tell me and respond to every segment I do because they know over the course of time for every 10 segments, seven will be really good, two will be okay, one will stink.

That's life. And you know as an NFL commissioner that you have a head of commissioners. and he will have strong tribal opinions when calls are butchered and they always are. We had a World Series, Cardinals, Royals, butchered. We had the Western Conference finals. Game sits in Sacramento, butchered. And this call was butchered.

But it wasn't the last play of the game, nor was game six Sacramento and Lakers, last game of the series. This game went to overtime in New Orleans. Saints got the ball. Win or shut up. This is not a position for, a commissioner to talk. That's called micromanaging. That's bad management.

Jumping in and having strong opinions to make sure that I can appease. By the way, the adult in the room for the saints is Drew Breeze. Drew Breeze came out, and this is why he's Drew Breeze, said this week on his Instagram, I've spent the last week navigating the heartache and disappointment from the game. Some things within and some outside our control that caused us to fall short. I refuse to let this bring us down, to let this create any negativity or resentment. I embrace the challenge. Oh, that's actually what adults say.

All right, we lost. Some we could control. Some we couldn't. Probably should have gotten touchdowns in the red zone. We only got field goals. We could control that. Kind of butchered it. Left with six points.

Should have been 14. Wouldn't have had this concern. And then the other thing, the officials gave us a few breaks. Got hosed on that one. Couldn't control it. Folks, anger comes from expectations. If you expect a perfectly officiated game, you're going to be disappointed. If the call would have gone the other way of Saints fans, there'd be no petition.

There'd be no petition like there was before the game from Rams fans. Hi, it's the herd. The world is full of sounds that warn you about danger. Like if you get a little too close to a rattlesnake, you know, you hear a rattle. But in the digital world, if your personal information's in danger, there's no rattling sound to let you know. You can be in big trouble. Good thing LifeLock has added the power of Norton's security to see more cyber threats. Whether it's potential threats to your identity, like your personal information for sale on the dark web,

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heard for 10% off lifelock.com. Let's do what we do it every Monday. Colin right. Colin wrong. Where Colin was right? This is the Anthony Davis thing. We told you in September, we created the Lebrow meter because at that moment it was understood that Anthony Davis was somehow some way going to figure out a way to move to Los Angeles. Anthony Davis also said back in September, it's not about money, it's about legacy and winning. So this is something, I almost feel guilty

taking this as a right because it's so obvious. People are going to freak out this morning. This is terrible for the NBA. But, you know, increasingly in the NBA legends, all-time talents like Durant, LeBron, and Anthony Davis want to win games, not just make a bunch of money, because they're already making a ton of money. So we told you this was going to happen.

It's happening. And this morning, a little bit of a bombshell where Anthony Davis came out and said, I want out of New Orleans. It's not about money. I want to win. And so it begins. Where Colin was wrong. You know, I've been critical of Baker Mayfield, but a story dropped last week by Seth

Wickersham at the other place detailing the utter dysfunction in the locker room and the organization in the franchise with the Cleveland. Browns, and Baker Mayfield should not only win rookie of the year, he should win therapist of the year. Listen, I've said before, I think he's going to be a good player. I don't see him as transformational like a Andrew Luck or an Aaron Rogers. But man, egos everywhere in the building, a coaching change, Haley and Hugh Jackson, porn in the building. Oh, good hell, it was just a disaster. And Baker's Hutzpah and his energy and his sort of chip on his shoulder.

was clearly a huge component to make sure this puppy didn't completely derail during the season. So props to him. Where Colin was right? Listen, I've been saying this for years. Russell Wilson is the most under-respected player quarterback of my lifetime. The second-best fourth quarter ranking in the history, QBR in the history of the league, is Russell Wilson.

Yesterday, he's the only quarterback for the NFC that could do anything. I mean, when you put him up against Trabisky and Dak, Did you see the gap in talent? Did you see it? I mean, Russell Wilson, people fall in love with flashes of brilliance. And Russell Wilson would give you some of that too. But for six years, mostly with mediocre receivers, a hit and miss running game and a bad on line, this guy wins games, wins close ones, and gets his team to the playoffs.

And yesterday, just the gap between him and the other NFC quarterbacks. For the record, he wasn't initially a lot. pro bowler. Despite the year he had, which was great, he didn't initially get to this game. It had to be other guy stepping aside for him to get in, which continues why the pro bowl's a mess. Where Colin was wrong. I thought that bad call in the Saints Rams game would blow over, you know, after a couple days. We're eight days removed. There's lawsuits, there's billboards, there's conspiracy theories, it's t-shirts, it's everybody's talking about it, including us. I mean, people forget that in 2009, Farvin the Vikings played the Saints.

Saints got to the Super Bowl. One of the worst calls that year was the Saints hitting Farve low, him throwing a pick, Saints getting the ball, and there was no call in the NFL admitted. It was kind of a bad call. Colin, prepare for the rest of your life with this call. It wasn't social media at the level it is right now. This is going to be played over and over again for the rest of eternity.

It's embarrassing. It just is. It's what's going to happen. All right. Where Colin was right. We told you, Russell Westbrook would age poorly. Guards that are hyper-athletic and have to drive to the basket to shoot because they can't score because they can't shoot age poorly in this league.

Paul George is now officially, easily the best player on the team. They're on a five-game winning streak. He's on fire, shooting 54% on threes. Paul George is now the guy that gets the ball in the fourth quarter. Paul George is now the guy they want to have the ball the coaches dial-up plays for in the fourth quarter. Westbrook yesterday, what a shock, five for 20. His plus minus was minus 11, the worst on the entire roster.

Russell Westbrook has been replaced, is aging poorly. I still think Paul George, who is in MVP consideration. I'm not sure Westbrook should even be considered an all-star, but what is happening is what we thought would happen is the hyper-athletic point guard who can't shoot, like all hyper-athletic point guards that can't shoot, would age poorly, and the gap now between Paul George and Westbrook

is growing by the week. Where Colin was right? Well, we told you what the players in the NFL would be rooting for the Rams because of the free agent aggressiveness and the trades that the Rams did is good for players. And Levian Bell last week

was the first player to acknowledge via Twitter, hey, this Rams thing is the way to do it. We were a little ahead of this. We said, just don't kid yourself, this is the way players wanted to work. You get drafted, you go to a place, and if they don't respect you, they don't pay you what they should, or it doesn't go well, you go on the market. But for years and years in the NFL, the bad teams went into free agency. But the Eagles and the Rams last two years have gone big into free agency and trades, and it has paid off. By the way, Amari Cooper to the Cowboys.

paid off. So Labian Bell acknowledged what we talked about for the last couple of weeks. The Ram story is really a great, almost NBA level model for NFL stars. And Libyan Bell said, yep, this is it, folks. This is the way it should be done. Where Colin was wrong. You know, John Goulet, I have always defended, the coach you hate, Jason Garrett of the Cowboys. But yesterday in an All-Star game with no tackling allowed,

and he scored seven points and they didn't score until the fourth and Jason Garrett was the coach and he has the creativity of a paperweight and maybe Scott Linnehan wasn't the only problem because this was awful. I know it rained in stuff but it rains all the time and that NFC performance under Jason Garrett seven points all-star game where you can't mostly tackle was debilitating. It was really, really bad. Where Colin was right. Oh, John Walgod. heard he's out for the year. The Wizards are better without him. Again.

John Wall left for the year. They're 9 and 6 without him. They were 10 games under 500 with him. That's because nobody likes John Wall. His teammates don't like him. His coaches don't like him. They'd love to trade him. By the way, you never see John Wall hanging out with the other stars in the NBA.

He's a dozen-getted guy. He's a kind of sort of committed guy. The better player on this team has been for years, Bradley Beale. Great Body, totally committed. high basketball IQ, people around the league like him. Bradley Beale is and should be the franchise guy here. People want to play with Bradley Beal. The Wizards once again are better without, John Wall.

Where Colin was right? Jeff Darlington respected longtime NFL reporter sat down with Tom Brady, and Tom said this. Is there any chance that this is your last game? Zero. Say it. I don't want to just say it. There's zero. I've said that for a long time. I feel like I've asked that a lot, and I feel like I repeat the same answer, but no one wants to believe me.

Listen, the best I've seen Tom Brady play in two years was the Charger game. Drew Breeze looked old in the last month. Brady's never looked better. And I will tell you this, if you believe the reports that Brady wanted Garoppolo out, and they did trade him. And if you believe the reports that Brady has a very close relationship with Bob Kraft, which I know to be true, why would he retire and leave the Patriots with no secession plan? That's not what you would do to somebody, Robert Kraft, who you have great admiration for. I know that Brady and Belichick don't always see the eye-to-eye. But just think about it at this level.

If they got rid of Garapolo and Brady wanted him out. to some degree, and that's the stories that are out there, then Tom got his way. He wouldn't hose the owner who did him a solid two years later and leave the Patriots without a succession plan. It makes no sense. Not the least of all, Patriots have 12 draft picks for their five offensive linemen minimum return. And because they have no succession plan for Brady, they're going to draft to protect Tom Brady

there is absolutely zero chance he is retiring win or lose after this Super Bowl. One more Heard? The Heard streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. NBCSports.com Football Morning in America by Peter King. He's joining us live from the Super Bowl via the Coward Global Satellite Network. So you interviewed Sean McVeigh at some ungodly hour. as part of your column this week.

I don't know. You know, you drink a lot of coffee, so I'm sure you're okay with getting up at three in the morning. But Sean McVey at four in the morning. Very few people see him then. Was he as sharp as he always is? No question about it. I said that in my column today, Colin,

that I met him at 4.10 a.m. insane standard time. I mean, he just, he likes to be at work at 5 o'clock. I mean, just like all of us. Don't we all love to be at work at 5 o'clock? But, you know, Colin, this is what was interesting. I asked him, I said, what would you be doing if I wasn't in the car? And he said, probably a book on tape.

I'm listening to a real good one now. Gridiron Genius by Mike Lombardi. I'm learning about two of my favorite coaches, Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick. And so, I mean, you know, he's not one of these guys who's going to put on top 40 or going to listen to the new JZ hit. You know, he's going to take that 30. minutes to the office to learn something. And that was pretty impressive about that ride.

Not only that I learned something, I learned a lot of things about how he works and how his brain power works. And quite honestly, Colin, about how democratic he is in the process of coaching his team. I was at a soccer game this year, actually, in Los Angeles, and I ran into his punter, and really good guy. And he was a soccer fan. So we're sitting there talking, having a beer. And I asked him about,

Sean McVey and kind of the secrets of it. And he said, you know, he's got a little player in him. You know, the way he kind of, he talks like a player sometimes. He really connects with players. And what, I mean, your thoughts about that because I've heard that now on two or three different occasions from coaches or players, he's different than the other guys. Colin, when he was a high school senior right here in Atlanta, he went to the sidelines at a key moment of the game and he basically asked his head coach if they could run a different

play than the coach wanted him to run. And the head coach let him run the play. It was a naked bootleg. He was the quarterback. McVeigh was, and he scored a touchdown to win a high school tournament game. So I want you to watch this play you're seeing on your screen right now. The reason that this play, which Troy Aikman called his Jared Goff's best pass of the game, if you run that replay one more time from that exact angle, what you're going to see is Brandon Cook's making an outcut toward the sidelines.

the original play. You watch Brandon Cooks go up, now he goes out. And that play, Brandon Cooks, was supposed to go in. Before this play, Jared Goff had told Sean McVeigh on the sidelines, I'd rather have Cooks go out because I think there's going to be too much traffic in here. I don't want to layer the ball over Cooks, I want to fire it to him. And McVey goes, well, not what I would call, but I trust you. Let's run it that way. And McVe told me on Friday, that is a perfect example of what. I like to do. I want my players to understand that I'm going to listen to them. And if they make sense with what they want to do, I'm absolutely going to consider it. This was an example of why

players love playing for Sean McVeigh. By the way, he has faced Bill Belichick before, right? Yes. In 2015, he faced Bill Belichick and they got killed. They were losing 27 to 3 in the last minute when Washington got a garbage touchdown. And he told me on that day that Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia took him to the woodshed. And there's no question in my mind that he's going to have learned a lot from that particular day that you're looking at right now. There he is with Kirk Cousins. That's one of the longest days of Sean McVeigh's coaching life. It's the only time in the five years as a coordinator or head coach he's faced Belichick until this coming Sunday. By the way, he and Belichick have a texting relationship?

Yeah, he told me that after a lot of their games this year, Belichick would text him. He said he sent me a great text after he beat Minnesota on that Thursday night about how much he really loved how explosive their offense was. So, yeah, they got a pretty good relationship, which I didn't know before I met him. You know, I'll tell you, everybody is talking about Belichick against McVeigh, old genius. genius. I get it. Here is what I'm looking at. Josh McDaniels has in the last couple of weeks taken apart Gus Bradley and then took apart Bob Sutton. And both those coordinators the week before were credited with brilliant game plans. Gus Bradley against Lamar Jackson, Sutton against Andrew Luck. Wade Phillips tends to be a this is what I do guy. I don't change a lot.

this is what I do. Well, Josh McDaniels has taken apart to coordinators who generally are, this is what I do, guys. I think the Wade Phillips, Josh McDaniel battle, this is where I really favor New England. Wade is kind of a, this is my defense. Here's what it is. That, I think, worries me about the Rams this week. You buy into that?

Well, consider this about Josh McDaniels. You were talking, Colin, before I came on the air, about why doesn't New England have a name? Why don't they have a name? Oh, the name is Brady or the name is Belgium, whatever. They don't have a steel curtain. They don't have any of this. But you know what they have? They have on both sides of the ball.

The reason they don't have a nickname, in my opinion, is that on both sides of the ball, every week, every game plan is a snowflake. Josh McDaniels is totally non-predictable. How about coming out and running the ball as much as he did on third downs early in the game against Kansas City? The crazy thing is this was not thought to be one of the best offensive lines in the league in mid-season. And they've had 179 snaps this postseason. Tom Brady's been sacked zero times and knocked down twice. And so that's what I mean. Josh McDaniels figures out each week exactly what he should do to that particular opponent.

So that's why I have no idea what we're going to see out of the Patriots on offense. You saw last week, hey, Rex Burkhead, big star. Rex Burkhead might touch the ball twice in this whole game. So every week it's going to be different, and that's what Josh McDaniels wants to leave on Wade Phillips's head right now going into this game. You can't predict what we're going to do. because we do something different every week. Okay, here's where you and I disagree.

Years ago, it was about what, 2002, the NBA officials, Sacramento and the Lakers, went into the Western Conference finals. It was game six. I don't believe in conspiracy theories. It was a horribly officiated game, and the Lakers got virtually every call. But it was game six, and in game seven, the Kings were awful. They were nervous and anxious, and the Lakers won. But David Stern did not come out and comment on the officiating.

His feeling was, I've got a head of officials. I'm not going to micromanage. I understand people want Goodell to comment. But that's why you have, you know, in fact, one of the criticisms I've had of Goodell is, why is he in the punishment business? He should have a committee for these players who make mistakes in their private lives. If Goodell comes out and comments on the bad call in New Orleans, there's nothing he can say that appeases Saints fans.

They're just going to attack him. You disagree. You want him to talk. Why? Colin, you know, my whole life, the way I don't know, I don't mean to make this sound, you know, schoolboyish. But, you know, when I made a mistake, my father said, you stand up, you accept responsibility, and you say it's never going to happen again. And, you know, sometimes, of course he can't do anything about it.

The game is over. You know, a horrible call influenced the outcome of this game. There's nothing you can do. but there's something about being responsible, about doing the right thing, about saying we screwed up and we're going to do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again. I know that's not going to make you happy, but instead they've been hiding. And Colin, for years, I went back to the playoff game of the Giants and 49ers in 2003. They made a 60-word statement the next day because the wrong team probably won that game.

The 49ers, 39, 38, on the last play of the game, horribly miscalled interference call. And so the only point I'm making here is if you are going to stand up when Bobby Wagner makes a game influencing play on a Monday night in Seattle a month or so ago against the Minnesota Vikings, if you're going to do that and come out the next day and say, hey, we screwed up, we did this. Why then are you hiding when the play is a mega play that may have sent the wrong team to the Super Bowl?

Good thoughts. Peter King, NBCSports.com, football morning in America. I can hear the buzz. He got a haircut I was told just for our show. It was very polite of you, Peter. How do you like it, Colin? Oh, really? Really looked very professional. You look like you cover the NFL wisely and smartly. Thank you. Thank you, Peter. Good talking to you. 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 Sports Slice 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.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Dude. Hey, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Where's she at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was partying. You just understand. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis coming to, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.