The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 08/13/2019

Episode Date: August 13, 2019

Colin says the Eagles handled an extension for their QB so much better than the Cowboys and that is why they will be the better franchise for years to come.  He says Patrick Mahomes and Sam Darnold are the two best young QBs in the NFL and explains why.  Plus, former Browns and Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini comes in studio to talk about the struggles Freddie Kitchens will have as an inexperienced head coach.  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,

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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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast imagine an olympics

where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast's superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Hurd 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with college. and cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Out of Tuesday, here we go. This is The Herd.

Live in Los Angeles, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. One more day by myself, lonely in my house before my wife and family return. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you? I'm great. You've been doing a lot of binge watching, though, right? I have watched so many baseball documentaries.

I watched one last night. about the Portland Mavericks. It's hysterical. You've got to watch it, folks. I watched one a couple days ago, Screwball, which is all sorts of crazy Miami baseball A-Rod stuff. Watch some good documentaries, watch a lot of TV,

and as the football season gets close. I want to start with this in our number one. I'm listening to all the DAC stuff and demanded $40 million, which has been disputed. It doesn't really matter. When you get into a contract negotiation, you know, there's a bunch of stuff thrown out there. numbers. It doesn't matter if

DAC did demand $40 million. It doesn't really matter. That's not what he's going to sign for. And when you get into contract negotiations, you just throw stuff out there. I've been out there. You ask for stuff you know you're not going to get. You ask for stuff you think you're going to get. You ask for stuff. You're pretty sure you're going to get.

He's not going to get $40 million. Who cares what he asked for? The bottom line is where does he land? Okay. But the way the cowboys are handling this is not nearly as good as the way the Philadelphia Eagles handled this. Remember the day Carson Wentz signed his deal? We were like, oh, we didn't even know they were working on it.

And they signed it and they'll make $32 million a year. And it doesn't even start for two more years. So by the time Carson Wentz is in the middle of his contract, you're going to be saying, not a bad contract. That's a reasonable contract. But I like the way Philadelphia did their business. And by the way, in the NBA, I care about your stars. Where do the stars go?

I like the Clippers this year. I like the Lakers this year. Where do your stars go? But in the NFL, you know how in baseball they always talk about you got to be good up the middle? Catcher, pitcher, shortstop, second base, center fielder. In baseball, you got to be good up the middle. In the NFL, you got to be good in four spots. Owner, GM, coach quarterback.

This is why I think the Philadelphia Eagles will dominate their division and dominate the Cowboys for the next year. Jeffrey Lurie Lurie, Roseman, the GM, Doug Peterson, the coach, and Carson Wentz to Me are all B-plus. or a B plus array in the big four spots owner GM coach quarterback you are a Super Bowl contender. This is why I find the Dallas Cowboys for me has always been a very difficult team to evaluate. Jerry Jones. I think he's a good business man. I don't like his football stuff. Stephen Jones.

I actually think he's the best of the four, but I'm not sure he always has the right call. Jason Garrett. Deck Prescott. Like him, don't love him. They're very difficult for me to evaluate. In baseball, you want to be good up the middle. Got to have the all-star catcher, all-star shortstop, good second baseman, the athletic center fielder, and somebody that can throw the pill on the mound.

But in football, it's all about the big four. Owner, GM, quarterback, and coach. In Dallas, this is why I struggle with Cleveland. Owner in Cleveland, hard pass. Coach Freddie Kitchens, no idea. GM John Dorsey, loud, ego, rigid, doesn't care about character. Not my favorite. Baker, talented, he may be the best of the four, actually.

You may be surprised for me to hear that. Baker may be the best of the four. He may be the best over the next 10 years of the four, Baker. And I have my certain reservations about him, though I think he's talented. If you look at me and you listen to my show, I always like the teams, not always with great quarterbacks. That's not true. I don't like New Orleans this year. They got a great quarterback.

I don't always love teams with great quarterbacks. I like teams that I like the GM. Bruce Veach in Kansas City. Chris Ballard in Indianapolis. Belichick largely running New England. Howie Roseman in Philadelphia. Tom Telesco with the Chargers. By the way, the Rams, I live in Los Angeles.

I've pushed back on the Rams a little. I think they overpaid massively for Brandon Cooks. I don't like that contract. And they paid Todd Gurley a year early. They didn't have to. I didn't love that contract. And I didn't say it after he got hurt. I said it before he got hurt.

Why'd you pay him a year early? I think the Rams, when they have been, have to pay Jared Goff will have to overcome those bad contracts. This is my problem. Watch how the Cowboys are handling the DAC situation. And then watch the Mahomes deal in Kansas City. You know what's going to happen one day in the next year? We're going to wake up.

I'm going to come to this show and he's going to have signed a deal and nobody will have talked about it. Bruce Veach will have signed a deal. We're like, oh, they already got it done. Just like Philadelphia did. just like the Colts and Chris Ballard will do eventually to Andrew Luck. Okay, I don't even know the Chargers deal with Philip Rivers. The way the Cowboys are handling it is why I always find them the hardest team in the NFL to evaluate.

The owner, I know he's a good businessman, but I think he's too meddling. Stephen Jones is the best of the four, but I don't know if he always has the final say. Jason Garrett, I like, I think he's more than capable, but not top five. And Dak somewhere in the middle of the NFL, although I do think he has a leadership quality. I don't think you can dispute that at this point. So the way the Cowboys are handling this is the reason I like the way the Eagles handled their business with their quarterback. And it's why I think they dominate the division for the next 10 years. You're big four.

Let me segue to this. I am not a day trailer. I do not check my 401k regularly. I don't try to time the stock market. I do dollar cost averaging. Every month, send a check. I am a long-term planner. Okay, that's how I think.

That's how I was raised. That's what my dad was. I don't worry about how I feel this morning. Did I have a good month? When I check my TV ratings, I don't go day to day. I go year to year. maybe at most quarter to quarter. So I don't fall in love because somebody has a good week, a good day, a good press conference, a good pass.

Fans are highly emotional. That's what they do. Joe Namath is the best New York Jets quarterback of all time. For the record, met him four or five times. Could not be a nicer guy. I mean, he was a great quarterback. He's a better dude. And he's always around the Jets.

And he was talking to Sam Darnold yesterday. There was a press thing. and he talked about what he liked about Sam Donald, his expectations for the year. Win a championship. When he got here, I liked what the coaches and the players had to say about him. When I met him, I liked his demeanor. He gives you a good vibe, a good feeling.

Physically, he can play as well as anybody. He just needs to keep polishing himself, and the team needs to polish up. I love Sam Darnold. In the last three years, there have been 11 quarterbacks drafted early. I'll list them all for you. Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins, Baker, Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, Deshawn Watson.

There are two, I love. Patrick Mahomes number one and Sam Darnold number two. I think over the next 12 years, I'm not a day trader. I don't check my 401k regularly. I do not time the stock market. Patrick Mahomes over the next 12 years will be the best of all those quarterbacks. Sam Darnold will be the second best.

But Colin, last year means nothing. Pro football focus. The last month, the last four games of last year, Sam Darnold was the highest graded quarterback in the league. with nothing to work with. He is also the youngest week one starter since the NFL and AFL merged. He's a baby.

Two years younger than Baker, a lot fewer college starts. That's why I don't care what happens in week two when the Browns face the jets. I don't care what happens in week six. Of the last 11 quarterbacks taken, Mahomes to me will be the first ballot Hall of Fame. legend. Sam Darnold

will be the second best. I do think Deshawn Watson and Baker have assets I really like. But I don't think Deshawn is a naturally brilliant thrower. I worry about his injuries and I don't trust Houston up front protecting him. And Baker's

in a chaotic organization. We have no idea about Freddie Kitchens. The Browns usually mess stuff up. And Baker does have some character stuff and ego that does concern me over the course of 12 years. I know. Last year. What about it means nothing? Be patient. Aaron Rogers sat for three years. Patrick Mahomes didn't play for a season. Jared Goff was awful for a year. You watched it on hard knocks. All you day traders in Cleveland. All you check my 401k regularly people. All you, I time the stock market. That's not who I am. When I look at all these 11 quarterbacks, I'm looking who over the course of 12 years is my best buy?

Because I'm not selling these stocks. I'm buying and holding. Mahomes 1, Darnold 2. 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. On Timbo, every episode we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced 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, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in. in the pursuit of the thing,

we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Cliverts 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 with 42. Hey, Brett. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Some industries, it's so competitive. It's about inches. Some industries, less competitive. It's about yards. You can make mistakes. In the AFC, it's about yards. You have four really, really elite teams at the top. New England, Kansas City, Indy and the Chargers.

But by the fifth team, Cleveland, really? Baker's in his second year, rookie head coach, youngest roster, bad history. Houston! Worst O-line in the league, no current GM. Quarterback last year had to be bust because he had a punctured lung. You don't really have a fifth team. Baltimore, they don't pass much. Excellent at the top.

But Houston got off to an 0-and-3 start and won their division. New England experiments in September. The AFC is about yards. You can make mistakes. There's some really, really bad teams at the bottom of the AFC. You can get off to a sluggish two-and-three start, and then you play in order Denver, Oakland, Buffalo, and make up a lot of ground. The NFC is about inches.

It's too deep. Every Sunday matters. You can't have a three-game losing streak. You certainly can't start the season 0 and 3. Let's look at the top NFC teams. It's hard to have an order we would all agree on. I think Rams Eagles are absolutely the best two teams. After that, you could argue me in and out of any.

position. I'll go Green Bay, Saints, Vikings. I like the Niners more than most, Bears, Cowboys, falcons, Seahogs. I don't even put Carolina on there, and I wouldn't be shocked if they're a playoff team. Atlanta, by the way, gets mentioned by nobody outside of Atlanta. In the last three years, they've been to a Super Bowl, they should have won it, have an NB quarterback, and are 28 and 20. And they're a throwaway team in the NFC. Nobody outside of Atlanta talks about Atlanta. Last year, I had them preseason getting to the Super Bowl until they fell apart physically. So the AFC is a conference of yards. You can start O&3.

You may have a three-game AFC stretch where you just face garbage. Look at Tom Brady's division for the last 15 years. You can write down 10 to 11 wins and not even think about it. You and I both know the Chargers and the Chiefs are going to finish in some order, one and two in the AFC West. It's not debatable. It doesn't work that way in the NFC. That's why Dax contract matters.

It is about details. It is about manipulation of a hard salary cap. I mean, think how good Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees are. Hall of Fame First Ballot. Nine years. Neither has been to a Super Bowl. Nine years. Tom Brady, you almost feel like you're having a hot take

if you don't put him in the Super Bowl in the AFC, this is why contracts matter. You need to have extra money to sign that second corner and that second pass rusher and that blocking tide end and a really dependable second running back. This is not the AFC where you can start O and 3. You can have a bad contract. You can kind of butcher a draft pick.

It's not the reality of the conference. The NFC is a crapshoot. Last 16 years, 14 different quarterbacks have made the Super Bowl. In the AFC, it's four, and one of them, Peyton Manning, is gone. All right? One of them is gone. And so when I look at this, DAC reality, it's going to matter what he pays. Get he gets paid.

It's going to matter. You can't go 36. I don't think you can go 34. I don't think you can give up Byron Jones and sign him. I don't think you can split those two great young linebackers up. I think you need both. I mean, if you look at the AFC right now, there's a couple of young quarterbacks I like,

but it is run by a lot of older guys. Brady, Philip Rivers, Big Bend, they'll be around in the end. In the NFC, it's Drew Breeze and a bunch of young guns. And that's what Dax's going to be facing the next 10 years of he's in Dallas as their starting quarterback. Chris Carter talked about it this morning on first things first. It's funny, nobody wants to embrace Jared Goff. Everybody now is talking themselves into Just Pay Dak. Be careful.

Well, Jared Goff, to Mia, is a better quarterback than Dak. He can throw the ball. He has more variety. He has a stronger arm. He has better timing, better anticipation. Dak, his numbers suffer. When Zeke is out of the lineup, his numbers go down by 10 points. All right?

Golf, that's not the case. As a passer, I will take him over Dak Prescott any day. Young coaches, I think the better young coaches, NFC. Young quarterbacks, NFC. Better divisions, NFC. Game of Inches, NFC. What's up, everybody? I'm John Middukoff.

My podcast is 3 and out. Brought to you by Colin Coward and his podcast network. I Talk All Football. Coming up on the show this week, Dak Prescott, $40 million a year, Antonio Brown, can he actually find the helmet and are big hips? I'm talking to the secondary guys getting laid out, coming back to the NFL. You can hear it all right now, three and out podcast with me, John Middlecough.

Joy Tander is joining me. I'm taking a great deal of flack for calling cantaloupe the world's best fruit. I love to turn on meet the press, put my suspenders on, eat cantaloupe all day. It feels great. It's not needy. I've gotten rid of friends that are needy. I don't like needy fruit. Oranges are needy.

You can't open them. You can't peel them. They leave stuff all over you. Pineapples are too harsh. I've got to pick stuff out of my teeth. Candelope is just dissolves into your mouth. Like when I married Anne, I can't have somebody. I can't be your social director.

Anne disappears for four days at a time. I have no idea where she is. I mean, she could be running another company, being another marriage. I have no idea. But it's perfect because I can't be your social director. I can't have needy friends. I can't have needy fruit. Canaloupe is not needy.

It's just, you pop it in and it dissolves. Colin, canaloupe is literally like a rock. Like, you have to cut it in the same way that you cut a pineapple. Well, I buy it. I buy it already parsed. Okay, but you're talking like, who buys a whole pineapple? You don't buy the cubed pineapple? No, it's hard on your mouth.

What do you mean? It's hard. Citricy. You can break out and get swollen. What would you say? It makes no sense. Like, if you have three fruits that you have to survive on. Yeah.

Orange is the least needy of all. You can just peel it apart with your hands. Apples, grab, bite, eat. Some pesticides, you'll die early. But by and large, with an apple, grab bite, eat over. Like, I like stuff that just boom out. Same with my pets. So literally going to the store and next to the cantaloupe is a container of pineapple.

Nope. And you choose to eat the cantaloupe over the pineapple. Oh, God, not even close. Every time. Look at me. I'm a picture of health. Canalop and honeydew are just filler fruit in fruit cups where better fruit should go. we see the world differently.

Give me my suspenders. You're going to lose this debate. So good to have you and everybody. You know, it's funny. I was thinking about the Raiders, HBO Hard Knocks. We're all kind of wondering, will they cover the Antonio Brown situation, which is all sorts of crazy town, right? But remember that show called Wife Swap?

I watched it a couple times. Yeah, it was crazy. So they would take like boring wife and put her in unstable Crazy Town family. Or they'd take Crazy Town one. and put her in boring family. And that was the show. It was funny. It was this disconnect.

Antonio Brown is not going to blow up the Raiders. He fits the Raiders. For 20 years, get over this commitment to excellence. They don't even feel like the rest of the NFL. The NFL's very corporate. It's very IBM. They don't feel like the rest of the league. Their uniforms look like practice uniforms.

They tarp off the upper deck. they make the least amount of money on game days. They have the poorest owner. They hired their GM and their coach from television. They really have no direction as a franchise. They've had nine coaches in 16 years. Cleveland's been bad. Cleveland's been chaotic.

But they feel like part of the NFL. The Raiders don't. The Raiders feel a little bit like Donald Sterling's Clippers, the Bengals for about 15 years, the Oakland A's with Charlie Finley. where the A's used to put their games on a college radio station. You know, it just, the Raiders year to year don't know where they're playing. The Raiders lobbied to get on hard knocks.

Everybody else lobbies to get not on hard knocks. So I don't think Antonio Brown, he's a mystery. He's an enigma. That's the Raiders. Now, I do think he was wildly troublesome for the Pittsburgh Steelers. but the Pittsburgh Steelers are the model. They're not just stable. They're the model of stability in the NFL.

Three coaches in like 60 years. Rooney, Kevin Colbert, they don't fire coaches. They have arguably the best fans. They have the second biggest brand in the league after the Cowboys. So Antonio Brown was disruptive. Was very disruptive for Pittsburgh. I don't think he is for the football. the Raiders. I just don't think the Raiders are particularly good. I don't think they're

buttoned down. I think they're fun. I don't think they're a playoff team. And frankly, two of the best five, six teams in the NFL Chargers chiefs are in their own division. So, you know, it's not the greatest division to be in if you've got some dysfunction. But, I mean, I, I tend to think that chaos amongst chaos is not as disruptive. You know, like, You ever go to Vegas with some buddies? And when you go to Vegas, you're in your 20s and 30s, maybe you're older, that all it takes, if you got like four grownups and one idiot, it just takes the idiot guy to ruin the trip.

Somebody has to babysit the idiot. So choose, when you travel to Vegas as guys, choose wisely. Because if you have four stable guys, it just takes one goofball to blow the trip up. But if you went with four guys and they're all train wrecks, they're all marginally employed, they're all been in trouble. They all have a history of goofiness. And then throwing in another goofy guy doesn't matter. The whole weekend's a mess. It's like hangover three. So I look at AB to the Raiders. He's not disruptive. He's on brand. This is who they are, an enigma. All right, let me shift to LeBron James. This story is interesting. So I'm a big believer in

self-awareness, if you're a pro-athlete, understand the temperature of the room. I do think it's harder for NBA players, because let's be honest about this. Let's talk about baseball players. Baseball players live a life of failure. Derek Jeter bats 300, meaning 70% of the time he walks back to the dugout, he failed. So baseball's constantly about how do you handle failure? It's a minor leagues, college, high school, Hall of Famers are on three out of seven times.

You learn, you're beaten down constantly by baseball. And so you learn to handle failure. In the NFL, you get hit. You get cut. Football practice is hard. You play in terrible weather. So you're constantly in baseball. You're being humbled.

And in football, you're, constantly, you're constantly being humbled. Basketball's different. You can spot talent early. You watch those videos of Zion at 50 and you're like, okay, that's an NBA player. Half the NFL's undrafted. I mean, baseball's got 40 rounds to find players.

In the NBA, by the eighth pick, you kind of run out of dependable players. There's about eight people a year coming to the league. On average, last 30 years, two All-Stars, a draft. That's it. Fourth player this year, it's a project. And now they come into the league young. But in basketball, the culture is more about worshiping. It's more about gassing up the player. He's a star. He joins an AAU team. He gets swag. He's got a shoe deal. Zions played nine minutes of Summer League. He's got a $100 million shoe deal.

So what is harder for a professional basketball player in America, and all these pro athletes are like 24 years old, right? They enter the sports at 21. NBA, they enter at 19. So it's harder to ask professional basketball players to have self-awareness and don't fall in love with yourself. It's harder. Basketball culture is a worship, shoe, idolization, money earlier league. But once you've been in the league 10 years, I'm going to hold you accountable.

Now you're a man. Now you're 30 years old. Now I'm going to ask for Carmelo Anthony. a little more self-awareness. And I'm especially going to ask for a little more self-awareness from LeBron James, because I think he's smart. I think he's got smart handlers. I think he's been around the block.

And I didn't love this. LeBron James put himself in a picture with Magic, Shaq, Kobe, and Kareem, honored and grateful to be a part of greatness. Starting five versus any franchise all time. I don't love this. LeBron's not a Laker great. LeBron's great. He's an all-time great.

Randy Johnson's an all-time great pitcher. One of the most intimidating I've ever seen. He joined the Yankees. He is not a Yankee great. Randy Johnson is an all-time great. He didn't win enough in New York to be an all-time. Yankee great. Nobody puts him in the top 20 Yankees of all-time.

There's just too many good ones. The Lakers have had too many good players. Jerry West doesn't make that? Wilton make that? Elgin Baylor, who I didn't see play. He doesn't make it. LeBron. I like you.

I really do. This whole L.A. thing, it's kind of, and L.A. does this. It kind of changes people a little. You're not a Laker great. You're an all-time great. Some say the greatest ever. Now, Kareem Abdul-Jabbarg came out and said,

he doesn't have anything to prove to anyone. Oh, yes, he does. Yes, he does. He has to prove to the city of Los Angeles. This is not a money grab and not an operational. opportunity for him to have more shows and movies and businesses. Listen, I am not going to hold 24-year-old NBA players to have great self-awareness. The sport doesn't humble you. Baseball does. Football does. You just get humbled. Tom Brady got

humbled last week. Basketball, it's a different sport. We pay these kids $100 million after nine minutes of summer league. That's not even the league. That's just a shoe company. Of course they like themselves. But LeBron, you're better than this. You have more self-awareness than this. You're not an all-time like a great. You're an all-time great. You're Randy Johnson to the Yankees.

You could be, but you've got something to prove that Los Angeles isn't just a place for you to open pizza chains, have movies, more TV shows, and Hollywood relationships. go to a Laker game. 99% of the people there don't live in Hollywood. Don't work in Hollywood. They're sports fans.

Even in Glitzy Los Angeles, they care about winning games. They're not famous. They don't know any famous people. They're salespeople. Their executives, go to the upper deck. Middle America. It really is.

Even in Los Angeles. Gotta win games. I didn't love that picture. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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.

straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. 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,

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

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

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Eric Mangini is joining us, former head coach of the Jets and Browns, Patriot defensive coordinator, 49ers defensive coordinator. So, you know, we were talking about Jeff Fisher came on the show yesterday. And he said, listen, man, when I started the job, it was 80% me doing schematics and 20%

babysitting. By the end of my career, about halfway through, it was 80% taking care of the players. I could hand the schematics off. I think Cleveland's talented. I think they're unrealistic. Freddie Kitchens is the coach. He's never been a coordinator for a full season. So when I say, I think we're getting a little gassed up on this Cleveland thing. Do I sound like a hater? No, no. You sound like someone who actually has a realistic view of how things are. So not only is he going to be a first-time head coach, he's going to be a first-time coordinator for a full season, and I think they may have named a coordinator,

but he's going to be running that. And there's so many things that come up during the course of the day that you didn't anticipate. And Jeff and I were talking about this yesterday in the avocado room, how you set your schedule, and then there's at least five things a day that come up that weren't in your schedule that take precedence over whatever you had. And as a first-time guy, you've never dealt with any of those issues.

And you just don't know what you don't know. And things take longer than they should because it's your first time going through it. And the worst thing that you can have is a pile of expectations put on you as well. Because people are going to play the Browns differently in the early part of the season than they would have if they didn't have these expectations. You think that's true? Oh, without a doubt, because the Browns are the, you know, the favorite. or a favorite to go to the Super Bowl to go to the playoffs. Teams aren't going to give them a pass like they may have historically.

They're going to come at them full throttle from the beginning. And it's different. It's different than when you have no expectations going in the season. You can kind of figure your way through some things. He doesn't have that luxury. Yeah, somebody told me years ago, Muhammad Ali got everybody's best fight. Kobe Bryant got everybody's best effort.

Nobody sat on the schedule. I play Kobe tomorrow. I'm going to go out and party. Right. Like Peyton Manning. You know this. Peyton Manning kept defensive coordinators up for two weeks. So Cleveland now, you look at the schedule, you're like, oh, that's the noisiest team in the league. So you do get, do you feel like when you play a good team or one with high expectations,

your players are more focused for the week? Without a doubt, not only is it the noisy team, but they go out and they have one drive in the preseason. That's a pretty good drive. Now that they spring no huddle on the Washington Redskins on the first drive of the preseason. They go down and score and you're taking pictures in the end zone. Like, you're noisy on the first drive of preseason. And every other team in the league is going to look at that and go, like, okay, this is what we're going to get.

So every time your score, you're going to act like this, this is how you're going to be. No one wants to be embarrassed. And when you go out and you kind of embarrass someone the first drive of preseason, it's like, all right, lock and load, let's go. Yeah, I mean, they really did. They kind of taunted the Redskins. They scored in the end zone, took pictures. and I think it's so easy to see from outside that you shouldn't do this,

but I think Cleveland's just happy, they're relevant. Well, and I live in Cleveland, so I see all the things and hear all the things. We're going to let guys be who they are, and this is about expressing yourself. That's great. That's great as long as you're winning and there's order and there's things are following the path that you hope they follow. but when things don't go the way that you hope, how do you reel all that stuff back in? And it's hard.

Once it starts, it's hard to reel all those things back in. Eric Mangini is joining us. We were talking about, I had said earlier, the Raiders brand for 15 years has been chaotic. So I don't think Antonio Brown will be a cause of the Raiders issues.

He is a symptom of them. and whereas Pittsburgh's been known for stability, and I think he really was jarring to the organization. They just, they just, it threw them for a loop. When I look at the Raiders, I mean, for the last 15 years, they've been, they've just been different, they've been an enigma, they tarp off the upper deck, they run through coaches, they hire people from television.

I kind of think he is the Raiders. And I don't think if they struggle, he's the problem, or am I wrong that even in organizations that have a history of chaos, chaos is not a better fit? Well, first of all, the Steelers, they have had incredible

stability, but they've always had members of the family that were challenging. They've always had members of the family that were different than and hard to deal with, and that's gone on for years and years. And Antonio, I don't think, is that different than some of the guys

they've had in the past. To me, Oakland's trade for Antonio for, what was it, a three and a fifth, or they swapped fifth. It was a pretty amazing trade. I mean, especially when you compare it to getting Odell Beckham for a one and what they had to give up. You get the best receiver or arguably one of the top three or four receivers in the NFL for a third-round draft pick. That's a pretty amazing opportunity to have. Now, you're going to have to live with the other stuff. And when you go into that business, you deal with six.

days to get to the seventh day. You know that you're going to have to deal with some pain and some discomfort and some disruption in order to get the upside on Sunday. And John's had players like that in the past. He's comfortable working in that world. And so now you get an elite talent like that for very little trade value. It actually makes a lot of sense for them. Sounds like you like Oakland.

Well, look, I think John knows who John is. I think John has had success with players that, been difficult in the past. It's not something that concerns him. He had an opportunity to go get an elite special player for nothing. It was essentially a fire sale. Vantes Burfect is a guy that can be difficult.

He was more than happy to get him. Yeah. And he mixed it in with draft picks that are all considered to have really high character. And so it's an interesting dynamic that they're building there. But I don't think it's outside of the Raiders brand. And I don't think it's necessarily outside of John's

brand. Put that chart up guys, Greg, John. 11 quarterbacks have been picked first round in the last three years. And a lot of good ones. I said if I had to, I'm not a day trader, I don't time the market, I don't look

at my 401K, long-term investment. I draft the quarterback and think 12 years. I'm looking for traits, maturity, size, durability, coachability. If I had to take of all the 11 quarterbacks in the last three years, I'd say Mahomes won Darnold

two, then we can argue about the rest. I like Deshawn Watson three. If I said to you, give me your three out of Kyler, Daniel, Duane, Baker, Sam, Josh, Josh, Lamar, Mitch, Patrick, Deshaun. Give me your three in order. Twelve year investment. This is a pretty hard list, right? We've seen Kyler Murray for, what, 10 plays, Danube Jones for... Hey, this is not an easy show. Very demanding. I'm just saying, like, okay, I like DeShon Watson. I know that you love Sam Darnold. You don't like Darnold? Well, he, yeah. I mean, he's okay. His interception

to touchdown ratio is pretty much even, right? Similar to what it was in college. Low 60% completion percentage. Losing record. I mean, there's a lot of things that I can see based off of last year, you're thinking, okay, he's the guy for the next 12 years and he's going

to unseat Tom Brady. So I'm Mahomes, Darnold. You're Mahomes who? I like Watson. I think Dishon Watson is in the third year of his system. He's at over 100 quarterback rating the last two years. He's had 45 touchdowns and 17 picks. He's able to make dynamic plays. Now, the amount that he gets sacked is a problem,

and some of that is a function of the offensive line, and some of that is a function of him holding out of the ball. But his ability to make plays and being in the third year of the system after being as productive as he's been the first two years, to me that's exciting. Who's your third? You know, with that list, I don't, take your pick.

Who on that is that proven? You're in Cleveland. What about Baker? Based off of the numbers and the success that he's had, I would probably take Baker over Darnel at this point. That's unfortunate. But some of these other guys, I mean, we're talking about a pretty small sample size. Of course we are. Listen, I'm not saying this is perfect.

that was a rant and I just offered you an opportunity to have an opinion in the rant. That was fine with me. Okay. One more question. Okay. We all kind of know. You know, I said this earlier that you got to be careful about, well, this quarterback wins. Mark Sanchez won a lot.

Tebow won a lot. Glenn Close is maybe the best actor of my life. She never won an Oscar. Kobe Bryant has won. Be careful about winning. Okay. Like award shows give people wins. In the industry, people know who the truly great artists are.

Martin Scorsese has one Oscar. He's one of the smartest, most devoted film people in my life. The whole DAC wins thing. If I'm a GM today and you tell me Wents or DAC, even with the injury issues, I overwhelmingly take Wins. He's just a better talent. He's bigger, better arm, more of a whip. He plays, I think, with less cautious. What do you do with DAC when, you know, you have been in these rooms where it's like,

this is a hard cap league. NFC is loaded. Inches count. Where do you fall on Dax's contract? Well, to me, I don't know if it's completely fair to disregard wins. Because when you look at a guy like Carson Wentz, two out of three seasons where he's been a starter, they have a losing record. Okay, when you look at Dak Prescott, in every category he's better than Carson Wentz or almost. So whether it's head to head, whether it's divisional wins, whether it's play.

off appearances, whether it's completion percentage. So all those things, you look at it and you say, okay, back Prescott is better. And then you look at durability. Back doesn't miss games. And Carson could be the best quarterback ever if he's not available to play. It really doesn't matter. Looking at the contract situation, do I think that he is a top five quarterback right now? No, I don't think that he is, but the market is what the market is.

and if you want to redo his deal at this point, it's going to have to come in at least at where Carson Wentz was. And I think that's a very fair comparable. If I was the organization, I think it'd be great to be able to let it ride this season, knowing that you have the franchise tag the next season. Franchise number this year is $25 million. His $2 or $3 million this year, you know,

let's say it goes up a couple million. You get him for $32 million or $32 million. There's a sense that you have to sign it because Zeeke is demanding he gets. signed. Dallas doesn't have to do anything. No, you don't have to do anything. And is DAC not going to play if he doesn't get signed this year? And he can bet on himself.

And that's worked out for a couple people. Kirk Cousins, it worked out great for. Joe Flacco, it worked out great for. And with Joe Flacco, it worked out great for the Ravens too for that year. The year that he was the hungriest, they won the Super Bowl. Guys playing for a contract are really, really, really, motivated special types of players. And so to be able to have a guy continually chasing that,

there's real upside there. Good to seeing you. Good seeing you. How long are you in town for? I'm here through Friday. Maybe I'll see you again. Hopefully you will. It may be nice if you could occasionally commit to the show. You're a very busy guy. Eric Mangini.

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 Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard. way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about

black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability

that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.