The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 04/05/2019

Episode Date: April 5, 2019

Colin thinks Aaron Rodgers needs to grow up and get over a lot of these issues he's had with coaches and the organization.   He thinks LeBron and the Lakers are in a desperate situation not just a critical one.  Plus, Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report who wrote the article uncovering all of the Packers dysfunction tells Colin why he stands by what he wrote despite denials from Mike McCarthy.  Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. This is The Herd. We've got a loaded Friday show. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Los Angeles. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Man that I have a power night asleep last night. Nine solid.

Joy Taylor is joining me on a Friday. Good morning. Oh, Lord. has crushed it last night. What does that mean when you get excited about a full night's sleep? Don't you wake up every morning and try to figure out in your head how much you slept? I do every day. Sometimes.

I'm obsessed by it. I'm obsessed by sleep. There's like an app on your phone that can tell you how much you sleep and how you slept. No, I just... I literally grab my phone right before I go to bed and I think, okay, take 15 minutes off. Last night, I just power slept. I got so much energy. We've got a great show today.

So I want to start with this. I always tell young sportscasters, because I go speak to colleges. I'm meeting a kid tomorrow. I always tell them the same thing. In 2019, you don't have to be controversial. Tell the truth. It's controversial.

Nobody wants to hear the truth. Everybody's PC. Even the guys I compete against all over the country at this job, it's Captain Safe Take. Just follow, go to Twitter, and say obvious stuff, and don't ruffle any feathers. Eight, nine years ago. I was critical of Aaron Rogers.

He was the golden child in the NFL. You couldn't touch him. I got massive blowback. I remember one time I didn't get blowback. I had Peter King on. I said, Peter, I'm watching his body language. I'm hearing things from former players. And Peter King's really connected.

I'm like, the guy's a diva. He's part of the underachieving problem here. And Peter's well-sourced. And Peter's like, I'm not hearing it. And I know I don't have as good as sources as Peter King, because he literally, that's all he does. And I remember getting off the other day and thinking, Am I missing something?

I'm watching him. I'm hearing him. But I always trust my eyes and I always trust my sources. And I stayed on him. And it's so amazing because the last six months, it's all coming out. It's all coming out. No more denial. No more.

You're a heda. Take your cheese head off. It's the reality. That article yesterday, I thought it overwhelmingly clobbered Mike McCarthy because is that unveiled new information on Mike McCarthy. It was a very well done article, very well sourced. A lot of quotes. Not all anonymous.

Aaron Rogers, I mostly knew it. So it didn't strike me as new information. This is what I felt about Aaron for years. He's aloof. He's not a great leader. He needs to grow up. He's overly petty. But there is a moment in this article because the story broke 10 minutes before our show yesterday.

So I consumed the article speed reading. And I missed one. nugget of this article, and I think it's incredibly damning for Aaron Rogers. Tyler Dunn reports that Mark Murphy, who's the CEO of the Packers, he's a Harvard guy. Mark's played for the Redskins for years. Mark Murphy's, you know, super smart guy, really, really one of the smarter guys that runs any team in the NFL, that he called Aaron Rogers after they hired Matt LaFleur. And he said, don't be the problem.

and he repeated it to Aaron Rogers. Don't be the problem. Murphy, it says, is tired of the diva stuff relating to Rogers. Folks, his own family's taking shots at him. Grow up. Own it. Young sportscasters, trust your eyes and trust your sources. Don't back down.

I was right on Tebow. That's not a starting quarterback. and Aaron Rogers, I've never been more right in anything. When I read that yesterday, after I got off the show, don't be the problem. Okay. Okay. By the way, the article continues, here's an important non-development regarding the 12 hours or so since the report. The Packers have said nothing at all in response to various claims and contentions that cast Aaron in a not-so favorable light.

they're worn out by him worn out by him the story continues says Ryan Grant former Packer Aaron's always had a chip on his soldier with Mike this is incredible since 2005 14 years

because Aaron was mad that Mike passed on him when he was with the Niners it took Alex Smith and Aaron's from NoCal you're still holding that grudge? I mean, what?

So you can't deny it anymore. You can't deny it. Put the cheesehead down for five minutes. Be a grown-up. Take off, put them a palm palms down. And do a better job if you live in Green Bay of actually reporting on a team and not supporting it. Not rooting, but reporting. This stuff, you can't deny it anymore.

You can't. one of the greatest attributes of Tom Brady. And for years and years, Brady and Aaron Rogers were compared, and I always said they're not even the same personality. Aaron's much more big Ben, much more passive aggressive, much more heavy in a locker room. But one of the great qualities of Brady is that he makes really bad plays. He's had pick sixes in Super Bowls.

Tom makes big mistakes. He doesn't have the arm strength or the ability to escape things. Tom's made massive misuse, big games, small games. And he's had fights with his coach. He's had yelling matches with his coordinators. But you know what Brady has the ability to do that Aaron doesn't? Get over it quickly. It's called maturity.

It's called being an adult, not holding grudges. That's what separates Brady from Rogers. Leadership, not talent. Tom's thrown terrible pick sixes and Super Bowls. And the next drive, he's eight for eight. He gets over stuff. He fought with Belichick. This year, got along great.

He's had screaming matches with Josh McDaniels. I'm not saying a little bit of Aaron's chip on the shoulder is all bad. I like the chip. But it can't be a personal peeing match. Like, grow up. Get over it. I mean, 10-year grudges, that's just chain smoke and hate. You got to move on.

That's beating you up. It's not beating anybody else up. McCarthy's over it. You're not. And there's another quote from Bleacher Report. from a former Packer Scout that says Aaron's become worn down and bitter about everybody's expectations

and the type of leader he should be. He's Brett Farr of 2.0. He used to say, I'll never be like that guy. He literally is. So I thought the report yesterday with just a bombshell on McCarthy and I thought it told me mostly everything I knew about Aaron Rogers.

And I've been told, by the way, and trusted my sources and I've been told, by the way, and trusted my sources and I've been friends, you know, they've said Greg Jennings is not a hater. He was totally validated in the article. But if this puppy was bad in 2005, I mean, that's on Aaron. Get over it. Move on.

Mature. Lead. That's just not acceptable. That's just embarrassing. That's one of those things you wake up and read the article. And if you're the guy, you're like, man, I look like a kid. And you can't have a kid running a franchise. Let's shift to this.

words are important. If I said to you, this is critical. Critical's not the same as, oh, this is desperate. Like critical is, a doctor says, listen, you have got to improve your diet over the next two years, or you could have some physical issues.

Desperate is, we got to get you a new heart or you're dead in six hours. Critical is important. is important that you eat more vegetables. Tell my son, much of the disease starts in the mouth, brush your teeth two, three times a day. That is critical. Desperate is, oh, we've got to give you a new lung. Call the doctor immediately.

You know, when people go to the hospital and they have to have an emergency surgery, that's desperate. The Lakers are not in critical condition, according to the articles I'm reading today. they're in desperate shape. This story from Brian Winhorst says something. Historically, LeBron has sort of been involved, but not all the way involved, because he doesn't necessarily want to be known as the guy who couldn't close the deal in free agency. He doesn't want it all on him.

LeBron has perfected the art of influencing deals without taking ownership of them. According to Winhorst, in all honesty, he's been recruiting players to come and try to be in space jam this summer. He can't close the deals. Some of the top players, one in particular, they don't want to be punked in the movie by LeBron. Optics Matter for stars. This is a thing, folks. When you call yourself the chosen one and the king, you have elevated yourself among

even other great players. Paul George chose Applebee's and O.K.C. and Westbrook over LeBron. Kawhi Leonard reportedly more interested in the clippers than the Lakers. Just think about that for a couple of minutes. I saw an anonymous scout said yesterday, the athletic, very fine subscription-based publication, surveyed 12 execs. Too many question mark said one of the scouts on the Lakers.

Magics destroyed the place. They got rid of DeAngel. Russell and Julius Randall for what, Rondo? And to get out of Timothy Mavsgavs' contract? I don't think it's fair to say that magic has ruined the place. But six

months ago, they had a plan. Let's get LeBron. Today's Lakers have hope. That's not a plan. There is a very real wheel of possibility. There are eight to nine players that are available to the Lakers, from Zion to Kyrie to Kauai to Jimmy

Butler to Kemble Walker to Boogie A. D. Clay Thompson, Kevin Durant. My feeling is, Boogie is theirs if they want him, but I do not think he makes the Lakers a better place. He's combustible and somewhat talks it, albeit talented, but he only works in an organization like the warriors who are so rock solid that his nonsense doesn't become a tipping point and sway the boat off course. Boogie does not work with the current Lakers who lack leadership. But I'm reading stories and the word I keep hearing from LeBron, this offseason is crucial.

No, it is not. It is desperate. And you got to do better in that wheel of possibility than Boogie Cousins. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying,

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Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and 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,

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Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this went to a billion dollar fraud.

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On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't.

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Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. I've said it for years. Major League Baseball Media, there's a few exceptions like Tom Verducci. Is a lot of romanticizing and not enough actual reporting NBA basketball. There's some really good friends of mine who do reporting. I like Mark Stein a lot. And there's other people I like, you know my Chris Broussard thing. But there is a lot of fawning.

But in football, there's real teeth to reporting. And Joy, as you and I, this is not just about opinions on this show. We are journalists. You consider yourself a journalist. I am not a journalist. Oh, I think you're more of a journalist. Do you have sources? I have sources.

Of course you do. You're a journalist. I know you do because you tell me stuff that I don't know. So you're a journalist. Now, we may be small J journalism. You're definitely small J. Because we're not in locker rooms. But you have a bunch of...

Well, I would say also, you know, we don't do the vetting so much and the, you know, we don't have our hand in the dirt since speak. acknowledged that. But we are, because we're the home of great journalism, we are handing out something. Tyler Dunn wrote a punitive, tough, well-sourced story on the Packers that took months to do, and I was just so fond of it. We are presenting for the first time ever. Bring that out, please. A trophy. He wins our first ever Big J Award to acknowledge excellent and hard-hitting sports journalism. Let's hear it. Tyler Dunn, and let's bring him on via the coward Global Satellite. network. This has to be a career highlight for this young man. First of all, look at the size of that

damn thing. You deserve a ton of credit. By the way, these stories are difficult because I've never done anything to this level. But you, did you call, let me start with this. Did you call Aaron and say, listen, I'm writing this story. Would you like to respond to it? How did that call go? Well, thanks for having me, Colin. I appreciate it. You know, the approach to this story. And it was about four or five months in the works, I guess, when I started calling people

and having covered the Packers for the Journal Sentinel, a lot of players, a lot of coaches, a lot of scouts, a lot of people in the Rolodex. I wanted that perspective of 45, 50 people, as many people as possible,

to just figure out what happened. I mean, how do you get from point A to point B? How do you get from dominating, doing whatever you want offensively, to what you saw last year and the coach being fired. So that was the goal to get people to not have one singular agenda one way or another. We're going to hear the Aaron Rogers story.

We're going to hear the Mike McCarthy story. Let's get everybody. And then if there are things to check in on, things to confirm, let's hear it from both of those individuals. No luck getting either tried on both. but I think that to me the better story is that cross-section of everybody involved to figure out the answer to that question. Just what happened. And those are the two people that just keep coming up.

CEO there is Mark Murphy. I think he, if I'm, I could be wrong, he's a Harvard guy. He's a highly educated guy, very smart, played for a while. I remember him as a player, actually. And he kind of runs the Packers. So he had to make a choice here. I mean, he had to make a choice. You're not going to fire Aaron Rogers, so he fires the coach.

Right. There's a moment in here, and I think this is great, where he went to Aaron when he announced the new coach and he said, hey, with Matt LaFleur, don't be the problem. Don't be the problem. When do you believe Murphy, could be five years ago, started realizing Aaron was difficult? You know what's interesting, Colin, is when Mark Murphy became the president of the Packers, I mean, remember that time. Brett Barb is trying to take his job back. And it's Mark Murphy, Mike McCarthy, Ted Thompson, standing by Aaron Rogers saying, this is our guy.

And when everybody is telling Mark Murphy, what are you doing? I mean, Brett Farb just took you to the NFC championship game. You're 13 and 3. He was unbelievable. He stood by Aaron Rogers. I think he really wanted to be a president who wasn't involved. You know, extremely approachable guy. One of the nicest team presidents that you'd meet,

a Western New Yorker. And I think that over time, he just wanted Ted Thompson to run the show, run the football team. And it was on Ted Thompson, really. He never saw the forest from the trees. At least that's what my reporting took me. A lot of people believe that. He was so involved with the scouting, so involved with the pro days, the draft, building, draft and develop. He never saw this big picture problem that Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rogers really couldn't.

work together and that it shouldn't have lasted a decade plus. Yeah. So he never stepped in. Now, I think health had a factor to play as well. I mean, I heard her that his speech was slurred. I was moving very slowly. He was falling asleep in meetings. There were people around Ted Thompson that really feel like a Mark Murphy should have

stepped in. Well, guess what? A Mark Murphy finally did step in. Yeah. Basically fired, in quotes, Ted Thompson. And then stepped in and split Aaron Rogers and Mike McCarthy long overdue. I think it's a good thing. Remember, the fans own the team in Green Bay.

That's the reason there's even football in Green Bay. Yeah. You know, it's a unique setup. It's one of the best stories in sports. But sometimes you need an owner to step in, ball up the fist, slam the table, and make these big decisions. And in so many words in his Mark Murphy way, he did that. Yeah. By the way, he went to Colgate night at Harvard.

He was also the 80 at Northwestern. He has a law degree from Georgetown. I remember who was a very good player for the Washington Redskins, highly educated. Just a super smart guy who got stuck in the middle of this thing. and had to make a decision. I think he made the right decision with Thompson. I think he made the right decision. When you, you know, years ago, I said about eight years ago,

I started saying this on the air and I got a lot of pushback saying, you know, Aaron doesn't connect with players in the sidelines. There's a lot of eye-rolling, and I don't love it. When I read your story, Tyler, and he talked about freezing certain receivers, freezing out receivers and going to Devonte Adams and not the young guys in developing them, that is really remarkable. Like that stuff, it's hard to get my brain wrapped around that. I don't think that didn't happen for years, right?

That was like this year, it had gotten so ugly this year, right? Like, that's not a trend of Aaron. And that's just like a peeing match in the last, you know, six games. Yeah, I think you're right, Colin. And remember, there was this talent drain. The system worked, the scheme worked when you have Greg Jennings one-on-one, nobody can hang with. And when you've got Jordan Ellis on those back shoulder throws,

when you've got linebackers trying to cover your Michael Finley, when you've got Donald Driver, James Jones, Randall Cobb, you've got all these players. I mean, of course you're going to win those one-on-one matchups. So it got to that point over time where teams knew exactly what Green Bay was going to run. I mean, you've got cornerbacks calling out the routes. You wonder why the slant route died. As a personnelman told me, they just knew what was coming

because the Packers didn't evolve, didn't adapt. You lose that talent. You draft three rookies. You know, I think that Aaron Rogers got to a point where he felt he needed to play Superman. He needed to put that cape on, change plays, hold on to the ball, pat the ball, wait for the big play to develop downfield. But now the other side of it is you got to help develop these young players. You got to work with them. Does a St. Brown, does a Valde's Scandley?

Does a Jamon more have the thousands of reps that a Jordy Nelson had with Aaron Rogers? Do you see the same thing out there and make the same adjustment? No. But maybe that's when you do stick with the call that came in. You try to work with that player. And yeah, as we wrote, it sounds. like he just locked in on Devante Adams because that's who we trusted and didn't really want to embrace that development. So a couple of questions I got to get to. Number one, the massage therapist

stuff, which McCarthy is denying, but I had a source yesterday tell me once I left the show, I text somebody I trust and he said, oh yeah, the therapist was well known in the building, and this was a real thing. And, you know, the coach was often encouraging others to use the therapist. Were you surprised McCarthy denied the, you know, missing media? for the massage therapist? Not surprised. I mean, what's he going to say? For one, he wants to coach in the NFL again, absolutely.

And, you know, there are definitely are players who weren't that offended that maybe Mike McCarthy wasn't in those offensive meetings. And as we wrote, there was one, I'll just call him, a prominent starter on this team who you wouldn't expect saying, well, maybe Aaron Rogers, you know, floated that rumor to try to create a division, create a schism, create an anti-McCarthy faction. So that speaks to the dysfunction as well to hear that from a player. But yeah, after Mike McCarthy said what he said,

as every right to say what he says, of course. 10 minutes later, I heard from a player who said, that's just bizarre because it was widely known. It's no secret that, you know, he was taken aback that he even denied it. So, yeah, I mean, I heard from multiple sources. That was the case. even sources who you could term as pro McCarthy on this subject indicated that. Finally, Tyler Dunn Bleacher Report, NFL feature writer did a remarkable job,

won our first ever very coveted, a Big J. Journalism Award with a ridiculous trophy. And he's going on vacation, by the way. He should be driving now, but he did us a favor, so he's a good dude. I know that, and I thank you for that. We'll pick up the first tank of gas. John, put that on our budget, please. Okay. Finally, Matt LaFle,

who I've been told is smart, doesn't have a ton of gravitas to knock on him, he wasn't great in meeting rooms. He didn't galvanize the guys. He didn't have a lot of alpha, but he's super smart. Sometimes maybe knows he's too smart. The concerns now for Murphy,

you've got a wounded Aaron Rogers who's getting beat up in the press with stories like this. He's coming off an injury. According to the story, there's a little bitterness and defiance and defensiveness to Aaron, and here comes this young 35-year-old coach.

I mean, give me a prediction. We have a minute left. Prediction for this year with that relationship. As Ryan Grant said, it's not necessarily going to be the wins and the losses, but how does this look? And as Greg Jennings said, does he make those subtle self-sacrifices? Does he hand the ball off to running backs 47 times in a conference championship game as Tom Brady does? Does he play within an offense?

Because I think the floor is going to come with new stuff. There's going to be misdirection. There's going to be motion. There's going to be route combinations. Nate Hackett is OC. I mean, you talk to this guy for five minutes. You want to run through a wall for him. I think Lou Gezzi, the quarterback's coach, he's a straight shooter from everything I've heard.

The system is there for a rebound. And maybe that leads to excitement, that leads to revitalizes Aaron Rogers. It could. But I think there is some very expected skepticism from some players that at this point, Aaron Rogers, with contract in hand at 35 years old, fully, fully embodied. braces and look it's a tough division too the bears aren't going anywhere the vikings aren't going anywhere who knows what happens with the lions but um if he makes those subtle changes they can be a super bowl contender he's erin rogers you know he's still one of the best quarterbacks ever we're talking

about all the stuff surrounding the numbers tyler we get a run so do you thank you so much congratulations on the effort and the accomplishment great great work for you thank you hey man thanks a lot for having me on enjoyed it what's going on everybody john middle cough three and out podcast brought to you by Colin Coward's Podcast Network. You like Colin's show. You will like mine. I'm talking all football. Coming up on Friday show, Aaron Rogers, is he just a bad guy?

The AAM is basically the fire festival of football. And Nick Bosa, my thoughts on him as a player. Again, three and out podcast, wherever you listen to your podcast, with me, John Middlecock. So last night I watched an NBA game, Milwaukee in these awful uniforms, I don't know what the hell that was. And they played Philadelphia in their usual uniforms. And it was a great game. It was a great NBA game. And it's one of those games. You get about six of them in the regular season. You're like, oh, this is a playoff game. And these two teams could meet in the playoffs. So I was glued into it. I went home with yesterday. I was going to watch this game. And it was

really, really good. And I could sit down today and have a little feel for it and say, Milwaukee went on the road and won. But here's the problem. Jimmy Butler didn't play. And increasingly in the NBA, stars don't play. And so what am I supposed to take? from that game last night. I know Milwaukee's good, but Milwaukee, last night in that game, Philadelphia needed somebody to make a shot. Jimmy Butler didn't play. He will in the playoffs.

Philadelphia needed to make a stop last night late. The chances go up dramatically if their best player or best athlete Jimmy Butler is available. Folks, when the stars don't care about the regular season, why am I supposed to? This is a classic example of should have been a great game and you could take something from it and go, hey, late in the game, Jimmy Butler switched on Chris Middleton. Because Chris Middleton, he'll get to the foul line. He'll never miss a free throw. But increasingly, what am I supposed to make of the Raptors?

Kawhi misses 15 games. Well, what am I supposed to make of the Rockets? Well, Chris Paul missed 15 games. it's one thing if you're hurt, Chris, Chris Paul was. It's another thing if you're taking the night off because you want to take the night off. Last night, Jimmy Butler back tightness out. Would he have missed the game if it was in the playoffs? Hell no.

But he missed it because it's the regular season. Last year, Golden State was a number two seat. What's it matter? A couple years ago, the Rockets won 22 straight in the regular season, and they lost in the first round of Utah. one of the reasons I say the NBA's got two seasons. He's got the regular season and he's got the postseason. I love the post season. I tolerate the regular season.

This game last night, I watched it. I was really jazzed up because I thought, this kind of playoff field to it. We got about eight great players on the floor. When you take Philadelphia's most versatile two-way athlete, and this game was decided in the last four minutes where Jimmy Butler would have been gigantic. He would have made a stop.

He would have made a bucket. Instead, they had to kind of rely because Ben Simmons is in a shooter. They had to rely on JJ Reddick, who's a good player. but they're not going to be relying on him as much as a Jimmy Butler late. And so this is a continuing problem. And I think it's a real issue inside league offices. This load management, people go to games, a handful of regular season games.

This was going to be a biggie. And it's like, I watched it at the end and I'm like, well, I can't make anything of it because Jimmy Butler would have made a basket. They would have designed stuff for Jimmy or he would have made a stop because Jimmy's their best defender. And in the end, I'm like, I was just entertained for, you know, second half for an hour. I was entertained, but I take nothing from it. And it should be this morning. If Jimmy would have played, you'd say, so Milwaukee goes in to Philadelphia and Janus

dominates Embed at least late. And Jimmy Butler can't stop Middleton. You'd be like, okay, that's a thing. Like, that's a psychological thing. Don't kid yourself. Remember when LeBron James, a couple years ago at the end of the year, they went to Boston to play the Celtics and the Celtics had Brad Stevens and the young, young, young, young. And LeBron went in the regular season to Boston and was unbelievable.

Played like 45 minutes and they destroyed Boston. I think it was a Sunday or Saturday TV game. And LeBron was telling you in the regular season, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. If I want to destroy you, I will. And LeBron put a psychological stamp over the Celtics. Regular season can matter if the players care. Philadelphia could have beaten them last night with Jimmy Butler and put a little, put a little something in their head.

He sits, they lose, it doesn't matter. If you don't care, I don't care. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the 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 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. answer. 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 and 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. Trip 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, Keer 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 Hardway and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up

in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering our meaning, businessman, catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world. He doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in America. in history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them

and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it.

An Olympic champs, Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile. That means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Most don't have a ton of courage. They don't like blowback. They don't like controversy. They don't

like hate mail. Most people run from it. I frame mine. It motivates me. I think it's funny. And I don't know why. I know a couple guys in the media that feel the same way I do. I just don't care. I remember watching people. I thought I respected when Team Tebow won six games in a row. And I would go on the air and say, last. This is stupid. But Tim Tebow, Tibo's following was so huge that media people were like they were petrified to criticize Tibo and say, this is nonsense. It's not going to last. It's just a winning streak. And you have a lot of winning streaks in the NFL based on luck and timing and everything's working. And I just never, never, ever caved on Tebow. I'm like, great kid. Let him play baseball. By the way,

I just met his brother four days ago. But he's not, I'm not building my franchise around a guy that can't make a 28-yard out. It's not going to work. So whenever you get a strong, story that you know you should push back on, push back on it. The Cleveland Browns now are that story. So the Cleveland Browns finished in third place last year, had a losing record, are historically a joke. The owner, Tennessee football is a mess, and the Browns are a mess. They both have the same guy running them.

Freddie Kitchens has never coached, was never even interviewed for a coordinator job. He's had it for eight. And now he gets O'Dell Beckham, he's got stars, you've got an ego at General manager and nobody will just say the truth. Odell Beckham's not happy here. They're not happy. Look at him. Does he look happy?

Sequin Barclay came out. This got buried in the story. Sequin Barclay came out and said he didn't react for a couple of days when Odell his teammate went to Cleveland. And he said, we talked over FaceTime. He just gotten traded. He was not happy about it. By the way, I talked to Odell Beckham.

I talked about this about two months ago. He never mentioned Cleveland. Don't buy into this Jarvis Landry thing. There is no NFL player that is more L.A. and New York in Paris than O'Dell Beckham. He is an icon. He's a star. He's probably the most talented guy. I think he's the most talented wide receiver in the NFL.

Injury problems worry me. But nobody will just be honest about this Cleveland thing. It has a chance to be a complete and utter dumpster fire. But if you say that, you're going to get major pushback from Cleveland and their fans because, I don't know. maybe because, I don't know, Ohio's very active on Twitter. Nobody will say, be honest about this. This thing has a chance to be an absolute mess.

Freddie Kitchens with these egos and these stars and these. I can tell you I have this as well-sourced as I can have it on Odell Beckham. He didn't want to go to Cleveland. He wanted to go to L.A. And I got this source. He's not happy. And I keep watching him. I'm like, the guy didn't look that happy.

Now, he'll make it work, but this was not his choice, and this is a bad organization that can't win. And they haven't been hired. I think the last time they beat the Steelers in the division was like the 80s. It was like 1989. So, and everybody, if you say this, people are going to freak out. Just like eight years ago, I said, Aaron Rogers, read his body language. Read his body language. Watch him.

Watch Jay Cutler's body language. He's hard to get along with. Then it came out. Jay Cutler's hard to get along with. Now the stuff's coming out in Aaron Rogers. If you watch this O'Dell Beckham stuff and just do a little sourcing on this, this thing has a chance to be an absolute mess. By the way, NFL executives were quoted in a story. Who did this story?

ESPN did a story. NFL execs were quoted on the Browns. Here are the quotes. I know we're in the era of fake news, but these are people that would lose their jobs if there were fake quotes. said an NFL executive. These are executives in the league. The Browns are like the guy you knew in college. It was super fun to watch on Friday and Saturday night,

but you didn't want to get too close. I don't see a long-term plan to retain players. I don't see a strategy. It's just let's just grab some players and win. Another executive said, I respect adding talent. I'm just leery of a lot of this talent. Another one said,

can a first time head coach like Freddie Kitchens manage all these personalities? By the way, another one said, on Kareem Hunt, I think he was worth the risk to at least bring him in the building, but he did grow up 40 minutes away from Cleveland where he got into trouble, could get into trouble again. By the way, Kreme Hunt, by the way, got suspended in college, and he's been suspended in the NFL. So he's got a little bit of stuff with him. Again, basic general sourcing. You can figure that out. But this is the story about the Browns. Everybody's

afraid to just talk about. O'Dell didn't want to go here. O'Dell's not happy. The owner's a control freak. John Dorsey's a control freak. Freddie Kitchens could be over his head. I'm not even mentioning Baker, who's a kid, he's just a baby. You're going to get blowback if you say this stuff because everybody wants to celebrate Odell. Oh no, Beckham didn't want to go to Cleveland. I mean, they didn't want to go there. That's a little bit of, they're a little drunk on the haterade with the anonymous quotes on the Browns. Like, well, they're executives. It's not edgy to criticize what the Browns have done over the past two decades. Oh, no,

that you're right. Okay. But, There's a little bit of hateration going on here. All right, they have a lot of talent on that roster. And a coach who's... Every once in a while, you have to hire a new coach. Do you think O'Dell Beckham's happy in Cleveland? Well, I don't know, O'Dell. I don't think, I don't know if he's happy.

I wouldn't be happy in Cleveland because I'm from Pittsburgh. So I'd rather be in Pittsburgh or I'd rather be in L.A. or Miami. But that's neither here nor there. Sometimes you go to smaller markets. Like, obviously trades are very difficult on players. He just got traded. Maybe he needs a little time to adjust. Don't you think O'Dell's the most New York.

I don't want to play armchair psychologist for O'Dell Buckham Jr. He wasn't really necessarily happy in New York either. By the way, I'm not playing armchair. I am saying I have it incredibly well sourced that he was pissed when he got traded to Cleveland. I'm sure he did want to come to L.A. He spends a lot of time in L.A. All I'm saying is all of these quotes feel a little bit like. Well, they're not made up. No, but I can't even believe I'm like defending the Browns here. Can we just give it a little time? I'm not saying, I'm just saying, I'm going to put it out there. Odell Beckham didn't want to go here. doesn't is not, I mean, I keep watching him. He doesn't feel like he's all in. Now, he's great,

and he's not going to say anything, and he's going to have a good year, but you think he's going to be there in four years? I'll make a, I'll make a, I'll make a bet. I don't know. All I'm saying is Jared Goff was a bus, and the Rams paying everyone was a disaster, and they were in the Super Bowl. No, no, no, first of all, anybody that called Jared Goff a bus is ridiculous. Jeff Fisher, Gough. It was a terrible fit. By the way, I have not even acknowledged Baker. Baker's not my issue here. Baker's not my issue. It's a crazy

owner, a power drunk GM, a coach that I think is over his head, a superstar wide receiver who's going to want a lot of attention and doesn't want to be there. This thing has disaster potentially written all over it. It does. It could go badly,

but I would say looking around the league, The Browns are not the worst situation to be in right now. No, no, no, no. I think they have a chance to be a nine-win team. But I also think they have a chance to be a seven-win mess. I think it's going to take a lot to bring all of it together. It is a lot of talent.

Does coaching matter? Does coaching matter in the NFL? I do think that it matters. I think it matters a tremendous amount. And I didn't know that Freddie Kitchens had the was the right choice. If he walked in my kitchen, I wouldn't know Freddie Kitchens. But I would say that if you can connect with your players, The base of any successful coach to me is connection.

Because all of the X's and O's, you can put people around you to supplement that. You have to be on the same page with, first of all, Baker Mayfield, which he clearly is. By the way, I'm not, this is nothing against Cleveland. Like Cleveland guy. By the way, please send a zillion tweets to me. A thousand million tweets to me. I'll frame all of them. I mean, I'm in the strangest position defending Cleveland.

I watched body language on Jay Collar. And I said, that dude's got issues. He did. We watched Body Language and Aaron Rogers. You're like, there's stuff going. I'm watching Odell in Cleveland. You don't see it? I'm just telling you.

And I don't have to be a psychologist to watch body language. I can know beautiful women. I used to ask them out and they weren't interested. I could figure it out. They didn't need to tell me they weren't interested. It's called like reading people. Can't you tell? I do think there's something to it.

We did the body language thing with LeBron all year. And it turned out that that would be. I was correct. But I just think, I think these things need a little bit of time. I can tell my bosses hate me. They don't have to tell me. I can tell when we have lunch. I can read their body language.

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. In 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 SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicel 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom. I want you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want 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. 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 hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, 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.