The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 08/15/2018

Episode Date: August 15, 2018

Doug Gottlieb fills in for Colin and talks about the Eagles now having to deal with the stress that the Patriots have to handle year after year. He thinks the Browns have a culture problem and are going to bench the one guy who could help it. Plus, FS1 instigator Rob Parker comes in studio to tell Doug that the Patriots dynasty is over. Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on the only score at the chip. Score! I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boke. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. What up? Welcome in.

This is the herd wherever and however you may be making it as part of your day. Thanks so much for joining us alongside the lovely and talented and always prepared Joy Taylor. I'm Doug Gottlieb here with you for the entirety of the week. Man, we got a great show. Our buddy, Nick Wright from First Things First, going to join us half past the hour. Resident Tom Brady Hater and Crazy Man, Rob Parker will join us next hour. Greg Jennings will join us. Plus, we'll take it to Cleveland, where we react to last night's Hard Knocks. I know, Joy, you watched Hard Knocks, as did I. and we'll get the feeling from Mary Kay Cabot, who's covered the Browns for years.

I want to discuss how what we saw was a depiction of a Brown's team that has a bad culture, a coaching straf trying to change that culture, but I'll tell you upcoming why I think that culture is actually going to get worse before it gets better. The most interesting team this year. The most interesting team. I'm sticking with that. I'm coming around.

I don't know most interesting. I'm coming around to my level of interest in the Brown. right. I'm coming around. I'm not completely but from Monday until now. But from one like you do a 180 to be a complete turnaround, I'm somewhere in the 90 degree category. Well maybe Mary Kay will convince you. Fair enough. Let's dig right in

with the Patriots and the Eagles who are set to match up in a preseason game. Now look, let's be honest, it's just a preseason game. But Lane Johnson is, and you know, for better or for worse, and I actually like that Lane Johnson is sticking by what he said in the offseason in which many of the Eagles have kind of echoed their distaste, their disdain for the Patriot way, they don't have fun, we don't like them.

Here's Lane Johnson defending his previous statements about the Pats. Are you expecting any type of backlash for lack of better words for the comments that you've made? Oh yeah, I hope so. I hope they raise hell of the customer and they can say whatever. they want. At the end of the day, I'm not blocking them. I'm blocking the guys on the edge, so it really doesn't matter what they say. I know that I'm not going to be well-like. I know this team, they're going to be well-like going to be well-like going to there, so it's going to make us so they can bring out our best. Now, look, Lane Johnson is saying this, but it's a pre-season game. And the reality is, he is right. The crowd doesn't

truly affect any sort of blocking between Lane Johnson and the edge rushers. But here's the thing that I think Lane Johnson and others don't have a lot. healthy enough respect for, which I think they will at the end of the season. The Patriots haven't just been good. They've been consistently good or even consistently great. The league is designed to bring you back down to Earth and the Eagles who last year had a fourth play schedule this year have a first place schedule. Now, did they dodge a couple of bullets? Yeah, they could have played at Minnesota. They get Minnesota at home, right? When they go to Tampa, week two of the season, they're not going to get James Winston.

They're going to get Ryan Fitzpatrick. So some things have already worked out their way. But the fact that you get a first place schedule for one year after getting a last place schedule, I think at some point will dawn on the Eagles how much respect you should have for what the Patriots have done. Like, look, we can all sit here and say, well, the Patriots play in the AFC East. And like, Joy, you and I discussed yesterday with all. these issues with any of the backlash and terrible feelings from what happened losing the

Super Bowl and not playing Malcolm Butler. The fact is, I don't know a soul out there that wouldn't bet the Patriots are going to be in the playoffs to win their division because, you know, Buffalo and New York at some point are both going to start rookie quarterbacks. And the, the dolphins are trying to change the character of their team, but they've gotten rid of some of their most, if not their most talented players. And you got Ryan Taneyhill coming off in ACL. No one thinks anyone outside of the pads, even with all their issues in the offseason, all their injury issues at wide receiver thinks they're not going to make the playoffs and win their division. That said, to every year, I mean every year, play a first place schedule.

And here's the other thing. What's the Shakespearean line? Heavy is the head that wears the crown? Which, oh yeah, by the way, is not actually the line. It's uneasy, lies the head that wears the crown. and we've changed that and tweaked that into heavy as the head that wears the crown. Sounds better.

Close enough, right? You know, what did it's Shakespeare now? Right. But at the Shakespearean line, the Shakespeare line is in fact true. It's not just that the Patriots play a first place schedule every year. It's that you can't find a human being

outside of a Patriot fan, outside of a Smitty with a white hat kind of cocked to the side that loves his pets. outside of that guy, outside of Bostonian guy, no one likes the pets. It's, they've been good. They're viewed as cheaters, right? Deflate gate, spy gate, you name it.

They're good. They're viewed as cheaters. They're from a part of the country that, that frankly has seen a ton of success with the Red Sox, with the Celtics, and with that Celtics, with that success breeds even more disdain. They have a coach that won't ever let anybody in.

They usually are a terrible quote. And oh yeah, by the way, you have the brazen arrogance of Tom Brady to be damn good looking, dashing, and to be married to a supermodel. All of these things, which if you're a patriot fan, you love, if you're not, you don't like. Why does that matter? Because you get everybody's best shot. You just do.

Now you can say, well, listen, in the NFL, there's only 16 games, 17 weeks, everybody plays at a peak level. And to some level, you're accurate. But we all know it's different when the paths come to town. Like if you buy a season ticket package, right, the one or two tickets that you actually use are when the Patriots come to town. Why? Because you want to see greatness and it's going to be a full house and you kind of like to see your team. beat the pets. Buffalo is not any good.

They finally made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But you know what? Every time the Patriots set foot in Buffalo, that places a zoo. Same thing with the Jet. The Jets seasons have been made by beating the Patriots. Same thing is true with the dolphins. That's only in their division. Everywhere they go, they're the biggest game of the season.

And that's what the Eagles don't have a, healthy enough respect for. It's not just that it's the Patriots, it's their consistency of success, which is disgusting in comparison to the rest of the league. Trying to do it a second time in many ways is harder than doing it the first time.

Last year, they were the underdog. Last year, they did have a lot of guys that were told no. What was it that Jason, that Kelsey said, at the victory parade? Lane Johnson can't stay off the juice, right? Like, look, you go through all these guys, and there are plenty of guys that were told no.

Even their head coach was, he didn't, he'd never, he wouldn't consider to be of that elk. I mean, Doug Peterson was not on the top of anybody else's list. Howie Roseman had lost power when Chip Kelly was there. He regained power, flipped over that roster, got back his guys, hired his own coach, and all of a sudden now they win a Super Bowl. And look, to the victors go the spoils, you're allowed to puff out your chest. But the lack of respect for the consistency of success in a league which schedule-wise, and we don't talk about schedule enough, is designed to bring you back down to earth,

combined with the fact that the Patriots are not a well-liked organization. Matter of fact, they hated organization by fans around the league. And that they're everybody else's biggest game, I think is a lesson that the Eagles are going to learn. I mean, look in the NFC East. And last year it was the Eagles, they were playing on a last-place schedule. The year before it was the Cowboys. Why were the Cowboys so good? They were playing a last-place schedule.

The schedule does, in fact, matter. At some point, you do have to be good. And so when I point out that, you know, look, they're playing the Titans, for example, in a game, in a crossover game against the AFC. Like, the Titans only really made the playoffs because Baltimore, up all over themselves and the Chargers could make a field goal, right? The Chargers and the Ravens were better football teams than the Titans. The Titans thought so much of their playoff run, they fired their head coach. They were not a good team last year. Marcus Marietta had more interceptions than he

did touchdowns last season. So they do sort of luck out in a first play schedule that if you said, well, Tennessee playoff team on the road, they go to New Orleans, always a difficult place to play, they cross over against the NFC South, but they don't have to play Atlanta on the road. They don't have to play Carolina on the road. Those are the two toughest teams in the NFC South outside of Norlands, right? So there is some, it is a little bit softer than generally a first place championship schedule would be. But that's not the point.

The point is, here's a league which is designed to bring you back down to Earth. Here's a Patriot team that has stared that down and still found a way to be consistent. like you can't most people can't name the Patriots wide receivers that are going to line up outside the numbers with Julian Edelman suspended and all the other injuries come week one in the NFL and you know what we're still picking the paths so look I understand that Lane Johnson deserves a little bit of respect because he said it he owned it and he ain't scared to go into New England congratulations it's a preseason game and fans can't really affect you. But in his heart of hearts and what the Eagles I think will

in fact learn is that repeating is really, really hard. The schedule is more difficult and your every team's biggest game. Everyone. How they react to that, how they react to that adversity in addition to when their quarterback becomes healthy, what

they do with Foles. All that is fascinating to me that I think we'll learn. It's games. We can use analytics all we want. We can use preseason prognostication. Hell, we can even use the records. But the thing about sports, which defies all stats, is that there is something to certain

games being bigger, whether it's because it's on a Thursday night or a Sunday night or a Monday night or simply because you wear a ring that everybody else in the league wants. when the Philadelphia Eagles walk into Tampa, walk into Tennessee, two places that are normally tame. It's completely different when you're a champ. The Patriots know that, and the Patriots have been successful in spite of that.

Be fascinating to see if the Eagles can do the same. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Peter Stofler tweets me talking about luck. Atlanta doesn't run the foot, you know, runs the football, kicks a field goal, or Seattle runs for a touchdown, two super bowls that they shouldn't have even had, talking about the New England Patriots.

Look, we can play that game all day if you'd like, right? I mean, if you want to go to the Philadelphia Eagles, Aaron Rogers hurt last year. Heck, Tony Romo retired because he was injured. If Romo and Aaron Rogers, heck, you go to the Minnesota Vikings who, of course, went through quarterbacks. Or if you even look just at the Philadelphia Eagles, taking on the Atlanta Falcons, the Falcons who lost the Super Bowl that they should have won the year before, they had a chance to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia. They complete one pass. They complete one fourth down pass to Julio Jones. And suddenly now the Eagles are beaten at home, granted with the backup quarterback.

So the idea that the Patriots are somehow not worthy of being called an incredible dynasty, one that you have to respect because there are two Super Bowls that maybe they should not have won. You could make the opposite argument with, if not for the David Tyree catch, they win that Super Bowl. Like, we can go round and round. The Patriots have not had a single-digit win season since Tom Brady's been their quarterback. there's no there's no arguing that level of dominance that we just have not seen in this era of the national football league and one of the things that they've been able to do is maintain an incredible culture and you don't have to like their culture but you respect their culture getting more

out of the group than you would think out of individuals that maybe you know otherwise haven't been views as such the the west welkers junior say out coming out of retirement You can go through a list of incredible players that have played with the Patriots have been better there than they have elsewhere. The juxtaposition of that and a talented young Cleveland Brown's team in watching Hard Knocks last night, I think is fascinating. Joy, I'm wondering, you watch Hard Knocks. Right.

Like, what's your kind of quick takeaway two episodes in? Of their culture? Because my biggest takeaway from Hard Knocks is Hugh Jackson. he seems like a real players coach to me, which I like, but I feel like that has to be matched with a culture all around. Like to me, the issues that happen with teams that have this function

always start from the top. It's never just the coach's fault. Coaches don't make all of the decisions for the organization. There are people above them. These coaches have bosses, and then those bosses sometimes have bosses. Right. So to me,

in order to create a winning culture, which I can see that that's what they're trying to do, it's got to start from the very top. So I feel like Hugh knows that this is the year he has to get everything done. You can sense that and feel that. In a weird way, they're kind of getting me to root for them. I kind of want to see them succeed, which goes against my entire DNA. Look, hard knocks does that.

Like the secret to hard knocks is that, like, do I think JJ Watt really does spin moves in the dark in Houston? Like, no. But I remember coming out of that season all in on Bill O'Brien. No, they romanticized the team for sure. But the Browns are, to me, they're different this year. They have a different feel. They have a different hype behind them.

They've always been the throwaway team that's like, it's Cleveland. Yes. And I think there is a way in which it could work where you have the hard-ass offensive and defensive coordinators into Todd Haley and Greg Williams. And then you have the players coach, right? You got good cop and bad cop there with Hugh. but you know there was this there was this moment last night where I'm watching and I it dawned upon me they have a culture problem in terms and maybe it's how the TV show is made we'll be honest right it is a

TV show that like the TV show has made it so that there's a competition there between Baker Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor I know Baker wasn't really focused on last time around but that's how we've made it seem but take a listen or if you're watching, here's Hugh Jackson ripping players for their work ethic and Tyrod Taylor giving him some advice on how to fix it. Stop walking! Everybody up. Come here.

When the f*** did we start walking around out here? When did we start our level all of a sudden becomes like this? When did that start, Kirk-O? Never. When did it start, Betonio? Never. I'm not watching that shit anymore. Coaches, you better get after these guys to get to where they're supposed to be.

and let the practice the way we practice. Back to the top, the one drop. Let's go. Hey, Hugh. You can keep a rolling camera of that, and they can catch the way. All you're going to do is show it one time in the meeting. Now guys are conscious of it, and they build good habits of jogging off the field.

Yeah. Show it in the film. Yeah, so listen, Tyrod Taylor says, show on film. Does show them on film that they're walking from drill to drill, that they're not playing all that hard, which leads you, Tyrod Taylor gets it, right? I mean, he's been a part of the culture when he was in Baltimore.

That was a championship caliber culture. And Tyrod Taylor is a pros pro. So much so that even go back to last episode when he said, hey, Baker, you know, it's a competition. Get in there when Tyrod gets in there. But here's where I think he's fighting the culture battle and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Twofold.

One, Des Bryant's visiting today. And on paper, does adding Des Bryant help? On paper, yeah, right? Des Bryant's been a pro bowler. Des Bryant's was an elite talent. And he doesn't have to be the number one guy. They have Jarvis Landry, so he could fit. But in addition to accepting a secondary or maybe even tertiary role, learning a new offense,

you have that, can he get along with last year he wasn't happy and he got over 130 balls thrown his way? How happy is it going to be when he gets 60 or 70? balls thrown his way. Then here's the biggest problem. The guy who's the best culture changer in that locker room is the quarterback Tyrod Taylor. And he is almost certainly going to lose his job, even though he's done nothing to warrant losing his job. When you draft Baker-Mayfield, number one overall, you say we want to sit and we want a redshirt him. We're not going to let him go against the ones. We're going to do all these right things. John Dorsey, the GM, just like we did in Kansas city. We're going to sit him like we sat, Pat Mom. That sounds good.

Until you get to the middle of the season and people say, let's see the kid. And the one guy who's been the best part of the new culture, Tyrod Taylor, sixth round pick, took the bills to the playoffs. The bills tried to bench him last year and he still found a way to succeed and prove him wrong. Comes over and totally buys into being a complete and consummate professional so much so that he offers up some sage wisdom. look, dude, you don't have to yell. Just show them on film how they look. That guy's going to lose his job.

And you're going to bring in a Des Bryant. I'm going to do it. And I think that's going to hurt their culture before they can possibly turn it around, especially with Hugh working for a guy who didn't hire him. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. There are things that you can count on in sports, right?

There's just things that you can count on in sports. It's like you can almost expect to see, step Curry is one of these weird when when he shoots a basketball you're almost you're more surprised when he misses than when he makes statistics be damned even though statistically he misses more shots than he makes

the fact is that that's just how the mind works but you can almost you're almost guaranteed it feels like when you watch the golden state warriors to see at least one stretch where they throw in a ridiculous number of threes in a row the San Antonio spurs are does anybody realize how ridiculous what they did,

what they were able to achieve last season in even staying in the playoff hunt was. Kauai Leonard plays nine games. Tony Parker comes back from the same injury, which he said was 100 times worse, obviously, than Kaui Leonard's. And he's washed up. Washed up. Dejante Murray, who can't shoot.

They played him a little bit too early. So they got Dejante Murray, throw him out, Pau Gasol, Lamarcus Aldrich's recharge, and suddenly in the ever-competitive West, they were right there. seven seed, but they're like two back of being a three or a four seed. Equally impressive is what the Patriots do year after year.

So when I read this story, I read the story, I take it with a grain of salt. Philip Dorset, of course, they traded four from Indy last year, suffers some knee injury in practice. Now, the early reports are that he's going to be okay, but Dorset has, he has not lived up to any of his billing when he was. was drafted in Indy or so far during his time in New England. Cordero Patterson, highly drafted guy, but a guy who's more of a returner. Eric Decker, there was a reason Eric Decker was on the street.

Remember, they've already cut Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell. Kenny Britt, never healthy. Another guy probably hasn't lived up to his billing coming out of college. Julian Edelman, we know, not going to play the first four games. But in the things that you have to absolutely see to believe, and even then, you might not believe them, the Patriots just figure out a way, right? They just figure out a way to where they go on the waiver wire or they just go down to the mall. Hey, how fast are you? Close enough. Can you catch? Can you line up in the right spot? Will you go where we want when we want it? Cool.

Show up at Gillette on Sunday and we'll have Tommy Terrific throw you the football. I'd love to say the sky is falling. Gronks never healthy. Edelman wasn't healthy last year off the ACL and not there the first four games. I can't tell you who else they're going to line up out wide. Even Braxton Berrios, who I really love out of Miami. I'm like, there's a dude feels like future patriot. And sure enough, he is a patriot. Like, I have no idea who they're, but they find a way to make it work. They just do. They just do. That's the, that's the biggest parallel between them and the spurs. That they can just almost invent a guy. Chris Hogan, right? Like, really Chris Hogan? The only misconception about Chris Hogan is you think he's probably like 5-8, 59, right? Like Welker, like Amandola, he's actually

6'2 but they just find a guy to which no one else in the league has seemingly found a consistent use for, and they're not only useful, ridiculously effective. So I'd love to tell you that the sky is falling in New England because of the rash of injuries. Look, they're getting hurt and they haven't even played legit preseason games. So they're going to sustain, the likelihood is they're going to sustain another injury or two. That's just, that's just the game. That's just the sport that they play. But I still have complete faith in the Patriots because, well, I got 15, 20 years of history to tell me that they're going to figure it out. And with that, we welcome in our crazy uncle, Rob Parker, Fox Sports One Instigator.

By the way, he just got an award from the, I, believe the National Association of Black Journalists, correct? Absolutely. He's a professor at USC and he co-host the show called The Odd Cup with Chris Broussard Sunday 6 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Doug, what's happening? You love Tom Brady. You secretly want to be Tom Brady.

No, I don't. Tell me I'm wrong that Tom Brady isn't going to find a way to figure it out even though we have no idea who he's going to throw to. You're wrong. Absolutely wrong. You're those guys and a lot of people in the NFL do it. They pick the Patriots. year. There was like a 10-year stretch when the Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl before the last two that they won, but yet people pick the Patriots every year. You know this, Doug, teams like

this that have sustained a long run and had success, when they usually lose it, the bottom drops out. It's not a gradual where you go from 11 wins to 9 wins to 7 wins and then people say, okay, the run is all over. It's 11 wins and then 7 wins and you don't make the playoffs. And this is where it is. I'm not one of these guys that likes to sound the alarm, but sound the alarm. The bottom is going to fall out. We saw it. Last year, their defense, 24th rank, did you see them get mopped up by a backup quarterback in the Super Bowl? Yes. They're not that good. Was the Eagles, was the Eagles defense good? Yes. Did the Patriots punt in the Super Bowl? It doesn't matter. Who won the game? Did they make the big play?

Did they make the big play against Tom Brady? They did. They were still in the Super Bowl. The question is, if you are not going to pick the Patriots, are you going to pick somebody else to win that division? I might pick the New York Jeterpolitans. Please stop. I'm not stopping. How many drugs have you taken? No, I haven't taken any drugs.

All I'm saying is at some point, everything doesn't work out, Doug. And Tom Brady has had, when you start the year with the AFC lease that he's played in for all these years with five and six wins to start the year, It makes it easier. Okay, so why would the run stop if we all agree? Like, look, the Jets are going to start a rookie quarterback, probably the start of the season, maybe early on the season. Tom Brady's 41 years old.

Yes. Okay. Yes. Tom Brady won the MVP by default last year. Okay. And all I'm saying is... He still won the MVP. He did.

Whether or not he should have won the MVP or not, like, he just won the MVP. I got it. All I'm saying is that usually when a dynasty or team of success has the end of that run, it's usually they fall off the cliff one year. That's usually what happens. Would you agree with that? Yes. Yes. But usually you can see signs of them starting to fall apart and then... All the injuries,

all the issues that they've had. I'm just saying, going in, you could go ahead and pick Tom Brady and the Patriots because it's an easy crutch for guys who don't want to look deeper than just take the obvious. The Patriots are the obvious. I get it in the AFC. I saw the Jacksonville

Jaguars lead 20 to 10 going into the fourth quarter. Did they win the game? No, they did not. Who hurt you? Nobody hurt me. Who hurt you? I think he's been studying the law of attraction and he's trying to just speak this into existence and manifested.

Is that what it is? It's not your fault. You want to do the goodwill hunting thing? What do you want to do? Lay on the couch? It's not your fault. It's not. Not your fault.

All right. What about the Eagles? Elaine Johnson, he's like, look, I said what I said. I have no problem saying that they, I love it. I love it. What's the likelihood that they see the same success? year two that they saw last year? I think that they have a better shot at seeing success because what they bring to the table,

if you told me Nick Foles is going to do what he did again this year as a backup quarterback and play this well, I tell you it's not going to happen that they're not going to win a Super Bowl. But now you're telling me that Carson Wentz, who was the MVP of the league, has something to play for. That Super Bowl ring that he got is Cubic Zoconia. He wants the real deal. He wants to be the guy that leads that team. They got better.

They made moves. They're not the underdog. Woe is me. Nobody respects us. They went and kicked the Patriots butt in the Super Bowl. They beat Tom Brady. They should feel as confident as ever. And now they got their MVP quarterback who's going to be ready at some point.

And he's going to come back. He has something to prove. He won't let them get fat. and lazy because they won a Super Bowl. You know why? Even though he was on the team and he has a ring, he knows deep down. He didn't win.

He wants to win. It's the best scenario for the Eagles. That's why I like them so much. All right, listen. It's a great point that you make. The counter to that is, yes, while he is motivated, I guess one,

when do you play him? He might want to play right away. Do you wait? Because you're like, look, you're going to be our quarterback for 10 or 15 years. No, I got it. They could be a game or two.

You don't have to rush him. When you do that and you run the risk of injury, you run the risk of him trying to prove how good he is. But then you have the rest of the team which has its chest puffed out. Like, look, they were really good last year. Really good. They could have lost the Falcons at home in week one. Could or what or should. You want me to go down to Patriots?

Patriots should be one in seven in Super Bowls. I could give you the list of everything that happened to them that worked out in Tom Brady's favor. And they could very easily be undefeated. in Super Bowls too if you want to kind of go the other way to it, right? David Tyree catches a ball against his helmet. West Welker drops a ball that hits his fingers. Like, we could do that. The point is that... You mean Tom Brady

missed that throw to Welker? That was a missed throw. You hit him in his hands? No, it didn't hit him in his hands. He had to twist and change his body. Hold on. Did it touch his hands? No. No. Did it touch his hands? Off the tip. That was an easy throw. Nobody was around him, Doug. You could take a look at that a million times. Skip Bayless is the biggest Tom Brady Homer. And Skip Bayliss will tell you, Tom Brady missed that throw.

He did miss the throw. It still hit West Walker's hands. It did. And Wes Walker. I believe Giselle said the best, my husband cannot catch every ball that he throws. All right. Real quickly, Kyle Kuzma thinks that people are underrating,

undervaluing this Lakers bunch. Now that we see the roster, what do you think about what Kuzma's trying to sell us on? I love Kyle Kuzma, the player, what he, you know, his rookie year, what he did for the Lakers. but I don't think people are underselling them. I just don't. LeBron James, as great as he is,

remember, that Cavaliers team last year is better than the Lakers team that is assembled right now as far as experience and guys who have been there, done that, won a championship, and they struggled, and I'm talking about,

struggled against the East, and you're talking about they went seven games with Ola Depot and nobody with the Pacers. They had, went seven games. This is with LeBron James against the Celtics with two stars missing and

it was a struggle. Now they're coming out West, they could be a seven six, seven seed. People have them as a three seed or four seed. I just don't see that right off the bat. I think every team out West will look at them as a challenge, will be up for them

game after game after game. I agree. There will be no easy games where people go, oh, the Lakers are coming to town. This will be a cakewalk. Not at all. You're actually helping make my point on the Eagles by making my point on the Lakers. The thing that we can't account for

is the fact that every team or every fan base and every team has that game circles. Like there's 82 NBA games. Every game is not played at a high level. But when LeBron and the Purple One Gold come to town, it's played at a much higher level, right? Every seat is sold

and there's that and they start out with a very difficult schedule. I think 12 of the first 15 games are against play off teams from last year. But the big thing is you can't account for what a team is going to be like because they're going to play above their level. Now, LeBron's going to lift up their level. And I do think that the young players are going to be better because it's not a static environment, right? Brandon Ingram's going to be better. Josh Hart's going to be better. Lonzo is going to be better. Together, third year in league, second year league, they're going to be better. And then you add in LeBron.

You hope so. Kwame Brown never got better. There's players who don't get better, Doug, in their second year. Would you admit that? Yes. Yes. You're getting better. you're getting worse? Is Brandon Ingram going to get better at 20 years old? I would think. If Brandon Ingram going to get better or get worse? I would think he would get better. Is Josh Hart going to get better? I would think he would get better. I'm not sure about Lonzo. I'm not convinced. I'm not convinced. Okay. So the point is I think they're going to get better. And I think LeBron will raise their level. I think they're bench. Can LeBron fall down as he gets older? Father time is undefeated. Everybody thinks LeBron is going to win. It's a great point that's not made enough. That LeBron, James, was not the same player defensive. he doesn't move, but he did, he played more games,

but he wasn't as effective as active defensively, game in, game out as he had been previously in his career. But like you'd admit, the Lakers bench this year, coming into the year, you know, like, look, Lance off the bench, Lance is the starter, don't love. Lance is a bench player, love. Rondo off the bench, love. Javelle McGee, starter bench, love, especially considering he under,

he's bringing that culture that he learned in gold state. My point is, I do think we don't account enough for how, how you're viewed, how the level of attention to each game. That's the big thing with the Eagles is they may be better, but everyone's going to be shooting for them because they're everybody's biggest game. And that's the same thing with the league. No, I agree with that to the Eagles, but I just think that you have a driving force when it's a quarterback

who played at that level last year. You remember he ran through the NFL, and he was clearly the MVP before he got hurt in the final couple of games, and it cost them. Yes. Look, Minnesota had a, had Casey. Keenham as their quarterback and they lost Delvin Cook. Dallas Cowboys didn't

have Ezekiel Elliott for six games last year. That changed. The New York Giants lost all their wide receiving core. Their defense was fighting amongst themselves. Their head coach was a joke. Their division is legit. I think the schedule and people's attention to them and the fact that, frankly, the NFC

had a litany of injuries last year helped the Eagles, just as it probably helped the Patriots as well. And I don't know if they're going to get that benefit this year. Crazy Rob Parker. Check him out. I mean that. I wasn't that crazy. Today was I was like on the money.

The NABJ, that's the National Association of Black Journalists, Journalists of the Year. Journalists of the Year. It was a definite honor, and I loved every minute of it. I was back in Detroit for it, so it was great. Thank you. But by the way, you just picked the, you said I might pick the Jets. I said the Jet Republicans. Are they in the league?

He's wearing a green tie, a green kerchief, and celebrating the national NABJ's Journalists of the year said he might pick the Jets to win the AFC East. Words to live by. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. It's almost the end of the show, but that doesn't mean we're phoning it in. Nope, we grind to the very last segment.

It's time for Best for Last. All right, today for the Best for Last, the Crew has come up with a game. It's a challenging game. That type of game can only happen in a place like New York where you have two teams who no one actually knows who's on their roster. It's called Jet or Met. It's time for the game where we name a player and you have to guess if he's a New York Jet or a New York Matt.

Let's play Jet or Matt with your host. A man whose name would have rhymed with Jet and Met if it wasn't so damn French. John Goulet. Very nice. Very nice, Mr. Goulet. I want to point out, I mean, like, listen, I usually, I get Madden. And when I get Madden, that's how I remember

what every skill position. You play every team on Madden, and that's how you know, remember. Oh, I remember he's on a team. I honestly have a tough time remembering who's on the Jets. And I got no idea who's on the Mets right now. Well, this should be easy for you then. Okay.

First one, Travis Swansea. Jet or Met? Yes, Jet or Met. Joy's going to jump in and play, too. What's your lean? Travis Swanson? I'm going Met. I'm with Joy in this one.

I'm going to go Met as well. Swanson sounds like a baseball name. That guy's a jet. He's the third string center out of Arkansas for the Jets. Next one, Ben Braden. Braden. I'm going to go Jet. I'm going to go Met.

That guy's a jet. Oh, for two, does. Braden's a good football name. Who's Ben Braden? He is the third string left tackle out of Michigan. We're going third stringers. I mean, it's no fun if you. He went to Michigan.

Yeah, and you got to do the... He'd go to Michigan. Yeah. You do good to Michigan. Okay. Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil. Met.

That sounds like a jet. That guy's a Met. Oh, for three, Doug. Is he any good? He is the Met second baseman. Is he? Yes. No idea.

I didn't know that either. No idea. No idea. Philip Evans. Jet. Go in Jet as well. That guy's a Met. You are not good at this, Doug.

Oh, for four. Joy's at least got a couple. She's got one. She got one. Third Basin. Yeah, two. She's killing it. Chad Hanson.

Met or Jet? Chad Hanson. Met. Chad Hanson does sound like a Met, so I'm going to go Jet. That guy's a Jet. Yes. Wide receiver out of Cal. Who knew?

That's a good strategy for these games, actually. Right, right? Did you have, did you, like, did you honestly, did anybody that's know, did anybody say Chad Hansen? Like, Chad Hanson's parents are like, wait. Oh, yeah, the Jets. Honestly, we tried some out this morning in the meeting after you left, and I might have gone like 0 for nine. Bobby Wall, Met or Jet? Bobby Wall.

You fight the Wall, the Wall won? You going Met? I'll stick with you. I'll go MET on this one as well. That guy's a MET. Correct. He was actually their losing pitcher last night. Huh.

They played a baseball game last night? Apparently. Brian Winters. Wasn't the Dodgers blowing another save? I wasn't really paying attention. Brian Winters? Yep. Or the Astros losing another one, nine to row at home.

What? Brian Winters? Brian Winters. A Met or a Jet? That's a Met. That guy's a jet. Starting right guard for the Jets out of Kent State. I almost went to Kent State.

Kent Reed, Kent Wright, Kent State. That's what they call it. Oh, is it? Yeah. Yeah, it's like, wait, hold on. Let me take the entrance exam. Oh, I was going to run track there. Still it.

Do you run track? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Met or Jet, Neil Sterling. Neil Sterling. Man. I mean, this is 90-man roster stuff here, right? This is not a starter. Is he still currently a Jet or a Met? Yeah, we haven't had the September call-ups for the Mets either. I'm going to go MET. I'm going to go Jet.

That guy's a jet. He is a tight end out of Monmouth. Monmouth, which is in New Jersey. He's all Jersey all the time. Tyler Bashler. Met. I can't wait to see who the next. next bachelor is. Sorry, that's terrible.

I'll go jet. That guy's a MET. Relief pitcher for the Mets. All right, I got two more. Brandon Schell, Mett or Jett? Mett. Go in Jett. That guy's a jet.

Catch a net or Doug? Okay, last one. Blake Wheeler. Blake Wheeler. No, that's not the name. Wheeler, who's the pitcher for the Mets, that's not his name. That is Zach Wheeler, I believe.

Yes. So I'm going to go jet. You're going to go jet? I'm going to go jet, too. That guy's a jet. All right. But hold on. He's actually a Winnipeg jet.

Oh. Very clever. And that is jet or met? 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 Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, guys? This is Cliver 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?

Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming.

Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise

if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.