The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 10/02/2019

Episode Date: October 2, 2019

Colin agrees with the Pro Football Focus ratings that Carson Wentz is incredible and does not get enough credit. He says Aaron Rodgers cannot use an injured receiver as an excuse to not beat the Cowboys because the great QBs in this league deal with that all the time. He compares Lamar Jackson to Bitcoin and why the risk is worth the reward. Plus, Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta talks about acquiring Russell Westbrook and the one thing that all billionaires have in common. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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. 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.

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

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

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

by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Wednesday. This is the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We are live in beautiful Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It is great to have you here today. Nick Wright shows up this hour. Joel Clout will argue with me next hour.

wish we could have Snoop Dog on again today. He was fantastic. My wife got upset with me yesterday because she asked me when I got home, what did you do today at work? And I talked about stuff. And then later in the day, she saw that Snoop Dog was on the show. And she said, you didn't mention that to me? And I said, well, it was just another day at work.

And she goes, you didn't call me when you knew he was going to be on. And I said, I didn't know until I got on the air. He was going to be on. She got very upset. I told you. My family doesn't care about me except when I have a famous person. You were right about that. Would she have come in?

Oh, yeah. She loved Snoop Dog. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's understandable why she'd be maddie. I'm very, very upset. That's the voice of Joy Taylor.

Of course, you're looking at Joy there. Joy, what happens? You know in our world, nobody wants to have a hot take, right? Yeah, right. In a hot take, it's a strong opinion that is contrary into the market that's different than everybody. And it doesn't bother me. I have some. I have theories and belief systems that don't line up with everybody else.

I don't think it's a hot take. I think it's a unique point of view. And I'm for all young sportscasters who go out and have opinions that are different. But there was one that what happens? when the world has a hot take and it's not unique and everybody has it and it's dumb. That happened a couple years ago when Nick Foles won a Super Bowl and you started telling me Nick Foles was better than Carson Wentz and my head exploded. It was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard in my life.

So yesterday, Pro Football Focus comes out and they grade the quarterbacks. Guess who's number one this year, Carson Wentz? That's not having his deep threat, Deshawn Jackson in weeks. That's having two tough road games at Lando and Atlanta, tough place to play in a dome. That's not having his Hall of Fame left tackle for a game. Yeah, that Carson Wentz is number one. Greg co-sells somebody I've relied on for about 10 years.

I brought him on two or three times when this ridiculous Nick Foles is better than Carson Wentz discussion started happening. And Greg, I mean, Greg was beside himself. He didn't even want to answer the questions. Here's Greg. when people suggest that Nick Foles is better than Carson Wendt. Well, that's ridiculous. I love Nick Foles. You know, and he's a terrific guy.

I've met him, been around him. You know, I think he's a really professional NFL quarterback. You can line up and win with Nick Foles. I mean, look, he won a Super Bowl, but I'm talking about over the course of 16 games as you're starting quarterback, you can line up and win with Nick Foles. But if you're just talking about level of talent, Carson Wince, talent-wise, is probably top five, top six in the league.

You would never talk about Nick Foles like that. Carson Wence, I can't help you, folks. He's 6'5 with a rocket arm, wildly athletic, can throw it from every angle. If you can't see it, I can't help you. Okay, Nick Foles was fortunate. He had this combination of Andy Reed into Chip Kelly, into Doug Peterson, into Frank Reich. He had these very good offensive coaches, one after another, and was able to manage the game and a great roster in Philadelphia and win.

There's a reason they had home field advantage in the playoffs that year. Carson Wentz got it for him, was going to be the MVP until he got hurt in like week 11. When people tell me Baker Mayfield's athletic, I'm like, if Baker Mayfield's athletic, then Carson Wentz is Superman. He's an alien. There are five quarterbacks in this league, and I can't help you. I would call them my fantastic five. They're just different athletically.

Patrick Mahomes, Rogers, Watson, Wentz, and Russell. I can't help you. If you can't spot it, there's nothing I can do. I'm not saying they're always the best on every Sunday. But I'm saying you can't argue with a straight face about their talent. They look different. They played different.

They have arm angles. Russell Wilson made a throw last week against Arizona that was cartoonish. It didn't make any sense. Deshawn Watson earlier this year played the Chargers. He threw a touchdown pass. He escaped out of a pass rush. I'm not sure anybody but Russell Wilson in the world could have ever done it. Aaron Rogers, Mahomes, no look, arm angle, over the top.

So, you know, this whole thing about the hot take society we live in, the world was arguing Foles was better than Wence. Now, there are things about Wendt I don't love. Of these three, Deshawn Watson, Carson Wence, and Aaron Rogers have had major injuries. Why? Because my knock on Wence, and I think it's a real one, It's the same knock I had on Andrew Luck, Big Ben and Cam. When you are born, Chris Carter used to say this.

When you're born with a great voice, it's almost biblical. You're going to sing. You're going to sing in the car. You're going to sing in the shower. You're going to sing, right? You're giving a gift. When you are given a 6-5, 240, you run a 4-6, you have a massive arm. When God gives you, and I'm not overly religious, but when the guy upstairs gives you

these gifts, and then you sandpaper them and you amplify them because you work really hard, you do get kind of this fearless quality, this kind of bulletproof quality where I'm just going to take hits, I'm going to hold on to the ball longer, and Carson Wentz can do that, and I don't like it about him. And Aaron does that, and I don't like it about him. And Deshaun does that, and I don't like it about him. But when they do that, about every third time they do that, oh, it's the greatest play on tape you've ever seen in your life. So I think that's the burden, the duality of gifts. I mean, Whitney Houston, when you have a voice like that, it's sometimes hard. to manage. It's such a gift. When you get the gift of Aaron, the gift of Wendz, the gift of Deshawn Watson, it's really hard to manage it because it is so special. It's gotten you out of trouble since high school. And you sometimes, you're fearless. And that's my knock on Carson Wence. But can we now officially, pro football focus, I'd like to thank you for ending. My head started hurting. Ending what was the dumbest take in sports in the last two years, Nick Foles, a nice kid, was better than Carson Wentz.

Enough. Thank you, PFF. Oh, I see excuses are already coming for Aaron Rogers. Let's shift gears. Big blaring headline today. Wide receiver, Devante Adams. The top Packers wideout. Unlicky to play for Green Bay against Dallas.

So what? Tom Brady's had Super Bowls without Gronk. Julian Edelman missed a season. Josh Gordon relapsed. Randy Moss was traded midseason. And Wes Welker bolted because they wouldn't give an extra 15 cents in New England. And Tom Brady wins regardless. Because Tom Brady is a great communicator.

Tom Brady is a great leader. He introduces himself to every player, scout team or not, forges relationships. So Tom doesn't become dependent on his favorite receiver or one guy. Here's another guy who has this quality. His name is Russell Wilson. He'll play tomorrow night on Fox. Everything works with Russell Wilson.

Russell Wilson is now making Will Disley a very good tight end. Will Disley caught two passes in college his junior year. He was a defensive end. They just said he can catch a little. Let's move him to a tight end at the University of Washington. He's unathletic. He is now a favorite target of Russell Wilson. He's a blocking tight end.

And now he's a really productive tight end. By the way, he also took Doug Baldwin, undrafted from Stanford, made him a pro bowler. Oh, by the way, Tyler Lockett was a gadget guy out of Kansas State. People were like, he's good. You know, you used him for a couple reverses. He's kind of a gadget guy. Oh, no, he's a great player with Russell Wilson. And what to Tom Brady and Russell Wilson have in common?

They're great communicators. You don't hear people, you know, they get along with everybody, the unsigned, the small. And I think this is what Brady and Russell have that Aaron doesn't. Philip Dorset was a bust in Indianapolis. He was a first-round bust. Last couple of weeks, he's been the most valuable receiver for the Patriots. They take small guys, undrafted guys, gadget guys. They all work.

because everybody works with Brady and Russell Wilson because they're great communicators. Aaron Rogers has the talent to overcome the loss of Devante Adams. But you have to forge relationships. And isn't that always been my knock on Aaron? He struggles with authority. He can struggle with coaching. He can struggle with family. He can struggle with teammates.

After about seven, eight people call you out, I'm going to say some of it is true. So Devante Adams is out. So what? Russell Wilson loses. Doug Baldwin literally retired. Doug Baldwin, out of the blue, I'm retiring. It hasn't hurt Russell Wilson one bit this year. He's having his best year as a pro.

And he lost his most dependable wide receiver. And he takes Will Disley and D.K. Metcalf. And he's taken all these guys nobody's heard of. Have you ever noticed that with Russell Wilson? I mean, anybody, it all works. You didn't watch Julian Edelman in college. It all works. Do you know New England's had a different leading receiver in every game this year?

And they haven't even had a tight end. It always works. Quarterback is not just about armed talent. It's about leadership and communicating. And the two best communicators, Russell Wilson and Brady at that position, I'd put Drew Brees in there as well. These guys, I don't want to hear excuses. It's a conveyor belt of missing pieces, guys leaving,

Brady's had guys relapse, traded mid-season, Gronk is out, Gronk retires, Edelman's hurt for the year, never phases him. So, Devante Adams, so what? So what? I just watched Teddy Bridgewater beat Dallas. Okay, you go beat Dallas. One more herd?

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Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't

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Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us

on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah you figure it out real quick get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the ball so listen to point game

on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts so i'm not what you would call a risky investor i never have been i'm pretty conservative you know hit doubles that's fine don't need a lot of home runs put my money away have since i was like 20 years old live below my means i'm not a real risk taker that way you know and uh but occasionally I have stomach for risk. So when I buy something that's risky, I set my expectations at a level. I could lose all of it. It's like when I bet football games. I realize that $50 could evaporate. So that's why I don't go to the internet and act like a degenerate and scream and cry because I know when I bet it, there's a chance either I'm going to double it or get nothing back. And that's why I've

never been an investor in Bitcoin because I don't really have the stomach for it. But I was thinking the other day, things are going well. And I thought I'm just going to, I'm ready for some turbulence. And we have a quarterback in the league that is the Bitcoin of quarterbacks, and his name is Lamar Jackson. And the first two games of the year, he didn't play terribly great defenses, and he was a rock star. I mean, you can look at his numbers on the screen. He completed 72 percent of his throws. His passer rating was perfect, seven touchdowns, no picks. The next two games, he played Kansas City and Cleveland, and Kansas City got into a little bit of a, you know, a fireworks show there, and his numbers were bad.

And there were times he was terrible against Kansas City, and there were times he was really, bad against Cleveland. And, you know, like Bitcoin, there are wide variations in his play. It's so rare when Brady or Russell Wilson has an off game. And I would say I'm comfortable with it. He makes plays. He gives me a chance and he changes momentum. And here's what I, here's what I no longer want from my quarterbacks, that they're coaching reliant. Andy Dalton, Mitch Trubisky, Marcus Marriota, Mason Rudolph, Kirk Cousins are what I would call coaching reliant. They have to have the right OC and the perfect protection and the perfect call and wonderful schemes, or it's just unwatchable.

The running back that can catch, they need yards after catch. I don't want my quarterback to be coaching reliant. And I'm willing to live with some turbulence from Wentz and Mahomes and to elect. lesser degree, Lamar Jackson. He's not as good as those two. It's because I look around the league right now, and I think we all have to get more comfortable with risk from our quarterbacks. They're being asked to run more. Offensive line play has eroded. They're going to have to be better on their feet. They're going to make more mistakes. Running games are hit and miss. You're becoming more

passing reliant, more wide receiver reliant, more over-the-top big throws, which come with higher risk. And you can say what you want. about Baltimore, but I find them very fun to watch. I didn't think the problem last week for Baltimore was Lamar Jackson necessarily. I thought it was their defense. I thought when they lost to Kansas City. I didn't think, I didn't think Lamar, I was comfortable with his turbulence. He was hot and cold. The bigger problem is they couldn't stop Patrick Mahomes. So it's just, are you comfortable with Bitcoin? Are you comfortable with the turbulence? And when I watch all these young quarterbacks, when you make plays with your feet and you get out of the pocket, you're

going to have wildly dynamic plays and you're going to make more mistakes, get more hurt. And I think what I don't want is low ceiling quarterback this point forward. And I'll take a little turbulence. And I'm okay with Lamar Jackson. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app. Speaking of time and effort, a guy that works really, really hard, he's wrong all the time. still like him so much. Nick Wright, first things first of you, the coward Global Satellite Network.

By the way, those pro football-focused quarterback rankings are terrific. Carson Wentz number one. Just acknowledge it. You are threatened because he's the only guy in this league that has Mahomes-level talent. He's it. It's Wentz and Mahomes look like Superman. And this bothers you to your core that it's Wentz, doesn't it? It doesn't bother me at all. Nobody in the league, except for maybe. Aaron Rogers has Mahomes level talent, first of all. Now, Carson Wins has a better NFL body and all these things, yet somehow he gets injured Patrick Mahomes yet to be injured. I think Carson Wins is better than his numbers suggest for the year. Now, he gagged away the Atlanta game, an imminently winnable game. Everyone says, oh, Nelson Aguilar should have caught the ball. Yeah, he should have

caught the ball, but they shouldn't have been in that position. He has had one verifiably bad game this year, Carson Wentz. Patrick Mahomes just had his worst game of the season. That's when he went on the road against an undefeated team, let a come back in the final two minutes, rush for the game, not the game clenching, but the game saving a fourth down conversion through for 300, rush for 50, and that's his worst game of the season. Again, I said it last week, I'll say it again, if you type in all these numbers into your fancy algorithm and it spits out something other than the quarterback who leads the NFL in yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating is he not only is he not number one, but he's number six, then it's an absurdity.

They've got him the fourth best passer, the sixth best quarterback, my guy Mahomes. Wince is good, and I agree Wins is better than DAC, even though he hasn't been better than Dak so far this year. But yeah, pro football focus, there's a fly in your soup, my friends, and you got to fix it. Tomorrow, Peter King was saying this. I said to Peter King yesterday, Nick, I said, in my life, I'm not saying Russell Wilson's the best quarterback, but he's the most overlooked. And I think he's the reason Kyler Murray got drafted.

I think he's the reason Baker got drafted. Johnny Mansell got drafted. Maybe Lamar Jackson was a first round pick. He is Steve Young, but right-handed. That we didn't know what to do with Steve Young because he ran. He was left-handed. He replaced Montana. when I watch Russell Wilson, by the way,

Doug Baldwin retires, doesn't matter. Gadget guys work, undrafted guys work, small guys, a blocking tight end now. Will Disley in college is now a viable receiver. Now, people will say, Colin, you're from Seattle. But you're from the Midwest. You love Mahomes. How do you view Russell Wilson historically and now?

Right, I'll do it in reverse order. Right now, he is the best quarterback in the NFC. Period. Point blank. What quarterback leads the NFL in touchdowns over the last three years? It's Russell Wilson, despite having a pedestrian receiving court and despite having Brian Schottenheimer trying to run a 1980s-style ground and pound offense, Russell Wilson still leads the NFL in touchdown passes over the last three years. He is off to the best start he's ever had with minimal talent, and we talk about all these other teams. Put Russell Wilson on. the Dallas Cowboys. They are the overwhelming Super Bowl favorites. Put Russell Wilson on the Chicago Bears.

They're one of the greatest teams ever. Put Russell Wilson on the Minnesota Vikings. They become the favorites in the NFC. He is so underrated. And one thing where I think some people miss this, because I pick Seattle to win this division before the year, because we have had Wintz in year two nearly win an MVP, Mahomes in year two win an MVP. Brady in year 18, win an MVP. We have forgotten when are players, quarterbacks most notably, supposed to peak around year eight. Russell Wilson, in year eight,

he is often the best start of his career. He is the glue that holds that organization together, and he continues to be one of the most underrated people in all of professional sports. Amen to you 100% on that, Colin. By the way, talent doesn't equal valuable. I think OBJ is very talented. I don't know how valuable, and I'll give it some context.

His 15 biggest games, the Giants and Browns are 5 and 10. His 15 lowest production games, they're 9 and 6. Last weekend, lowest receiving yards of his career, and I think Cleveland looked fantastic. That's not a shot at him. J.J. Wato has had this appeal. He's great. Is he translating to Ws? So I think he's at a crossroads.

So last week, Jarvis Landry Chubb and the defense and Baker lead the team. OBJ is not a big factor. And you're a fan of OBJ. But are we at a little bit of a crossroads here where when they have forced the ball to him, it doesn't look the same. He has become a player that's talented. But frankly, I can align things to say he's not that valuable to a team. Is that fair?

No, it's not fair. It's wrong. So here's the thing. The Browns have two wins. this year. One of them was because of Odell's brilliance. He got the game started against the Jets, making a catch only he can make, and he ended the game against the Jets, making a play only one of maybe four other receivers can make, taking a slant and going 80 yards out running everyone. You mentioned Greg Goselle earlier. Everyone has loved for over a decade now.

Your segment with Greg Gosell, where he breaks down the film. Ask him to break down the film on the Nick Chubb run and ask him why there was not a safety on that side of the field. Oh, because they're worried about Odell. Ask him to break down why Ricky Seals Jones is running wide open. Oh, because they're worried about Odell. Odell took the attention of the defense and that allowed the rest of the offense to open up. But of course, his impact can be seen. They have two wins.

He had his fingerprints on both of them. And now if Odell had gotten, if Odell was the one who was choking a player on the opposition, we'd freak out because he was the one being choked. It's a side story. Odell stays quiet after a win and there is no add of boys. It's just what you're supposed to do. People waiting for him to be upset. He didn't get his touches, but they won and he wasn't. And I don't think the big games, five and ten, I think a lot of that is some of your biggest games is receiver comes when your team is trailing all right.

and they have to throw it all the time. They have a winning record when he doesn't have big games. Some of your smallest games are wide receiver, if you will. If you're blowing the opposition out, you go to the run. So I think that's more noise than signal. I think Odell Beckham is going to be a huge part of the reason the Browns win that division this year, and he's been a huge part of their first two wins of the season.

Well, it was certainly a well-constructed argument wrong, but nonetheless well-constructed. Finally, I live in Los Angeles. So when you live in a city, I watch every ram snap. I see every Rams story. I got three or four great beat writers in L.A. I follow. I think they're in trouble.

Listen, my rule in professional sports is you only pay the people that win you game stars, and you pay them when you have to pay them. They paid Todd Gurley a year early. Nick, it looks like he's a shot fighter. The Rams are the three-and-one team in this league. I just don't buy what say you. I agree with you. 100% and here's the problem. You paid Todd Gurley a year early. You can't get off his contract

even next year. It costs you more money to cut him than to keep him. And that is not going to be looked at as their worst contract. They paid Jared Gough for no reason whatsoever other than it seemed like they should. I feel like in that building, they were anxious about golf. In that building, they knew you've got the coach giving him the answers to the test. You have prior to this year, the best running back in football behind him, a perfect group of wide receivers as far as diversity of talents in Cooks, Woods, and Cup. And still, he's only great in the end when all of those things are there. If Gurley's out, he's not great.

If Cooper Cup is out, he's not great. If the defense simply waits until Sean McVeigh can't talk to him anymore to make adjustments, he's not great. And Belichick exposed some of that, and now Gurley's not Gurley. And now all of a sudden, Jared Gough, in his last 12 games, Colin, has 20 terms. turnover's. Jared golf last year, who had 16 touchdowns to two picks with a 110 rating on play action has become the worst play action passer in football, zero touchdowns, three picks, a 60 rating. Why? Because it wasn't about his armed talent. It was about the threat of Todd Gurley.

That threat is gone. And now they've got a quarterback with a tiny handed $35 million a year quarterback and you're about to have a situation where you've got the highest paid defensive player ever running back ever and one of the highest paid quarterbacks. The only one who has a chance to live up to that contract is Donald. And even he, as soon as he becomes the fifth best defensive player in football instead of the very best, he's overpaid. I'm very worried about the Rams who right now this moment look like the third best team in the division.

I think they'll finish second best in the division and miss the playoffs. I was telling you that a month ago. I think people are, I don't want to overreact to one game. worried about their offense, though. Great stuff, Nick Wright. Very good today. It's almost today, like, did you notice, Joy? Today he did his homework.

You know, sometimes he just lives his way through it. But today he really, that's what the girl said to me that I broke up with. She said I didn't work hard and see. So Nick feels like breaking up with me right now because I was just joking, of course. Nick Wright, there he is on the big screen. Love you, brother. Good seeing you. You too.

Good to talk to you. Yeah. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. So Green Bay and Dallas play this weekend and why I think the game is fascinating. It's opposite quarterbacks colliding. You know, Dak Prescott has limited skills, but we know he's a great leader. Aaron's got all the skills. We're not sure he's a great leader.

Brett Farr of yesterday talked about Dak Prescott. He likes him. I like him a lot. He's got everything you could ask for, size strength, arm strength. The guy's loving. He plays hard. He plays smart. You know, I think he's a legitimate, long-time quarterback, barring injury.

And at some point, I do believe that he'll lead that team to the Super Bowl. I think the expectation level is extremely high for Dallas, maybe more so this year than in previous years. All eyes are upon you. I'd be very comfortable if I was a Cowboys organization with Dak Prescott as my quarterback. I think he's a legit quarterback. Yeah, I do too. But I think this weekend's fascinating because Dact,

is limited skills, but a great leader. Aaron's the opposite. And they really are opposite. Aaron has battled with authority in his career. Jerry Jones loves more than any player since Romo. He loves

Dak Prescott. Aaron, kind of the ad lib king moves around and gets hurt a lot. Dak Prescott has never missed a start and generally plays within the confines of what his coaches want him to. Aaron tends to have his favorite receiver and his favorite players, which can alienate others.

Dak seems to get along with everybody. It's even funny, the family issue. You know, Aaron's had some turbulence with his family. You know, his brother called him out a year ago. You know, Dak has a commercial. His two brothers are in the commercial. I think the gap between Aaron and Dak is not as big as everybody thinks, although Aaron is clearly better. Because I've said this before, and I truly mean this. When you pay a quarterback, this is why I'm hard on Johnny Mansell, James Winston, why I'm hard on Baker Mayfield. 25 to 30% of that contract is on, are you a grown-up? Can you get along with others? Are you coachable? Are you good, better in games? And I think that's where DAC is an absolute A-plus. I think he's a leader. He gets along with everybody. He's durable. He's

coachable. And I'll take all that because I think it's a really big part of this game. I think what makes Brady great is not his arm. I think what makes Tom great is his willingness to evolve, his willingness to communicate. It's what writes Russell Wilson great. Russell and Tom Brady work with everybody. They get along with everybody. Instantly, immediately, what Russell Wilson is doing with Will Disley, the tight end, a blocking tight end, is unbelievable. But we shouldn't be surprised. And I think Dak has that same quality. He gets along and elevates everybody. He doesn't play favorites.

And the other good news, if I'm reading PFF this morning, Dak's getting better. His big-time throw percentage, his deep pass this season, twice as effective as two years ago. And his sack rate, self-awareness, is half of what it was two years ago. So he's avoiding the sacks. He's getting smarter.

He feels the pocket. and he's giving you more big-time throws. Again, Aaron's better than Dak, but when they play this weekend, I don't think the gap, if you consider everything, is quite as large as you think. 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.

We go straight to the source, the athletes 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. 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 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 just, get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real, conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 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, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player. to ever play the game.

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

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah.

You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Real pleasure for me, Tillman Fertita. Shut up and Listen is the new book. He is not only unique among American Bill. He's one of the only, if not the only NBA owner of the Rockets. He owns it all out. He owns every business himself. He doesn't have boards and shareholders. That's very rare, by the way. People think Mark Cuban owns the Mavericks. I'll just say this. He owns less than 50% of the Mavericks. Even Steve Balmer has other owners. You own the Rocket straight out. You were a season ticket holder 40, 30 years ago. By the way, they have a hell of a history. People forget this. I grew up. There was the Samson. There was the Elajuan. the Kenny Smith, the Clyde, the Barclay.

Moses Malone. Moses Malone. Yeah, I mean, it goes way back. Now, I have to imagine for you as you built your empire, this is different, though. Why is sports, because you pay $2.2 billion, people go, oh, Tillman, why is sports a great investment? It's the greatest. And I got great advice when I was chasing the rockets is that don't ever let a couple of hundred million dollars come in between you, because I can show you all the cases where somebody didn't chase something and they regretted it later.

You know, the Golden State Warriors, so many people were after them, the clippers, so many people. But there's never been a major sports team sell for less. And so when everybody was trying to make the numbers work when the rockets came up, I was working on raising the money. And that's why I got it. And it was the quickest close ever in the most amount of money. The team came up on July the 17th. and the deal was done on September the 5th Labor Day.

Yeah, because I remember when you bought it, it went from non-story to story. It wasn't discussed. Right. Even the Carolina Panthers, it took like six to eight months for that transaction to happen. But this was my one shot again to buy a team in my hometown and to have an NBA team,

which is just the absolute greatest. I was not going to lose. Yeah, you've had the same season tickets. You've sat in the same seat for decades upon decades. Now, you started with $5,000 and a restaurant. Now, I know you're a cousin to the Fritita family that I was sort of, well, Las Vegas, the casinos, the station casino group. So I would go to-

Palace and all those. Palace station. Great cousins. Yes. So, but you really have different careers. These are not kind of linear careers. They're different. But you are.

There's some good DNA, some good entrepreneur DNA in our family. Give me something. You have been a risk-taker. which most billionaires are. But your book is titled, Shut Up and Listen. Do you have a big mistake? Do you have a moment you look back and go, well, I learned from that one. Because we all think billionaires.

You guys are geniuses. But geniuses make mistakes. For sure. And believe me, I've never been the smartest guy in the room, okay, ever. But I've made lots of little mistakes, but I've never made that giant mistake. And I think it's because of my principles that I talk about. There are no spare customers. if you're in the gaming business or you're trying to put people in the Toyota Center for the Rockets.

You've got to put a good product out there and you've got to take care of your customer. And so there are no spare customers. The 95-5 rule. All good businesses, we do 95% of everything right. Look for the 5% that's wrong. And I do that with every one of my business. You drive up to it. Is the parking lot dirty or the plant's dead or there's cigarettes out front or their candy wrappers out front?

Is the front glass smudged? Look for the 5% before you even walk in the door. At the end of the year this year, me and Daryl and coach Mike, we sat down and talked about what do we need to do? We're so close. We're 95% there. And you went to – So Russell Westbrook, now Joy thinks it's going to work. I have my questions about two ball-centric guards.

In the end, it is a risk. Why do you think it works? I think that James and Russell, they played together in Oklahoma City. They played together in L.A. when they were growing up. They know each other. And you've got to realize that they're both 30 years old, okay? Chris was 34 years old, and the two winning the seasons, the Rockets have ever had games-wise in the regular season is Chris Paul, and we would have never accomplished it without him.

And I think Oklahoma is going to surprise you with Chris Paul this year. I think Oklahoma City is going to be a pretty damn good team. But there's a chemistry, I think, with James and Russell that is going to shock people. Remember, Chris is 34, they're 30. In basketball years, that's a lot of years. Oh, yeah. That's not like, oh, they're 34, 30. We're in business together.

They have totally different classes, totally different groups of guys. Remember, Chris is more with the LeBron group and the Carmelo group. Right. And James is the Russell group. And I think that they both know their strengths. They both know their weaknesses. They also both know they're under contract to the Houston Rockets for the next four years. And this is it.

If you're going to win a championship, this is when you win them. This is when Hakeem won his at 30 and 31. Where were you the drive to the arena? Where were you the moment you decided to go for it with Westbrook? Do you remember the moment? Maybe the analytic. Maybe Daryl Morey calls you on the phone. The room.

Where was the go-for-it moment? I was in Europe. And so I'm six, seven hours ahead of them. So I'm talking at two, three, four in the morning. And we just decided to do it. And they ran different statistics by me. And even I think my basketball lives got a little, maybe a little week at the end. And I just said, we're doing this.

We are going to make the change, and we're going to go after it and roll the dice. We're going to find that 5%. The one thing I believe you do in business and you do in basketball is you never sit still. You always keep it exciting. And not only is it exciting that I think we're at. a better team. It's exciting for the fans. And once again, that's where I get back to my fans that I owe it to them to give them the best opportunity to win a championship every year. It's very interesting. Hockey, the St. Louis Blues win a championship. No player over 10 million.

In baseball, you can make an argument. The Dodgers win their division, and they just don't pay anybody but Clayton Kershaw. In the NFL, Tom Brady takes a pay cut. You are in a business in the NBA that is much like international soccer, you are driven by stars. So to some degree, you are beholden to individuals, personalities. So how important is James Harden? Because he's the franchise guy. What about his character? What about his work ethic? Because you don't pay any employee in your businesses unless you think they have the character and the foundation. When did you know James Harden. You said, okay, this is my guy. This is my Kobe. This is my MJ. First off, you know when you really appreciate these guys when they're gone? And that is the

truth that James Hardin is going to keep you in it every year. Remember, the last five years, he's been number one or two in the MVP balloting every single year. James Hardin has the greatest work ethic. James Hardin last year at one point, he couldn't see out of an eye. His arm was hurting him, his neck was messed up. I love him. He's a bull, and I talk about being a bull in my book constantly, and I love James because he doesn't say, oh, my knees hurt me a little bit, I'm not going to play tonight. James wants to play every single game. We're beating the sharks the other night by 70 points, and here James wants to go back in the game. Okay, that's just James hard. And so I love his drive. I love his ability. James wants to win a championship so bad. He

knows it's his legacy. And I hope he does because it helps my legacy. Well, you're a Houston Rockets fan, by the way. You bought a team you love. Absolutely. And you'd be shocked of your 90-something major sports teams. Most people don't get to own a team in their hometown that they grew up with. That's true. People fly all over the place to watch their team. But to be able to watch the team that you started watching, move from San Diego to Houston when I was in junior high school. And being in my school. And being in my one of the longest season ticket holders. It's the greatest thrill in the world.

Tillman Fratita, here's the book. Shut up and listen. I am going to devour this. My wife had to travel to Vermont this morning. I will read this tonight. Here's a fascinating part of NBA ownership. This happened last year. I'm not a fan of it because I think it doesn't speak to the middle class.

Load management. And I do believe your basketball team is, better if your star plays 68 games. But if I plunk down $300 and I live in the Burbs of Houston and James is not playing, how does that sit with you? That to me is an Adam Silver situation. This is why I think they should shorten the season to maybe 70 games, 72. The load management, I wouldn't call it a crisis, but it is kind of a fledgling current situation, stars playing less being fresher for the playoffs. Well, this is just, and this is my opinion. I wish we would just lengthen the season a couple of weeks and get rid of the

back to back. The back to backs. Because LeBron is LeBron. James is James. And when a superstar comes to town, which was a Kobe Bride or a LeBron or, you know, KD. And people from your city came to see LeBron play. And he didn't play that night. I think it's horrible for the fans. That's sort of why. I don't like it. And I don't like it either. But yet at the same time, these back-to-backs are hard on you. You're human, okay? And it is an issue. It is a true issue. Yeah. And I know this year we're going to try to watch our guys a little better because it is a long season. If you win the championship, you've played over 100 games most likely. Kauai Leonard sat out 22 and there is no question. He was a fresher player late.

So I think it's just a it's a business challenge that you guys. face. It is. It is. You'll get past it. And Adam's going to help us figure it out. Adam's a smart guy. The guys in the NBA office are extremely smart and they will work with the owners and we

will figure it out. We have a great commissioner and a great staff up there. All right, Tillman Vertida, I want to ask you a couple of just a business questions. Sure. So I had a lunch last week. Joy knows this. I was very excited. I've never had lunch with a billionaire.

And it was Rick Caruso. He's a very smart developer. Very, very much so. Yeah, very, very decent guy. And so I went there and I wasn't going to talk. I told my wife, I'm going to ask questions and I'm just going to listen to a billionaire talk. Well, Rick, ask a million questions. And I came home and I told my wife, I said, that's why he's a billionaire. He couldn't, he was a sponge. He wanted to know everything. Your book is called Shut Up and Listen, which similarly appears to say, talk less, listen more. I listen every day. Every day is a learning

experience and and I think if you talk to all billionaires, we're all sponges. We want information and that's what makes us smarter. We are not naturally born smarter, okay? It is just, it's being a sponge, listening to everything around you and doing basic things, okay? And it's deciding that what you do, you do well and strive for perfection and being extremely competitive, just like you are. And if you, the thing about it is we all have to find what do we do well and go do it. Thank you. Tell my kids that. Do you love? And it's not about making just money. Okay, find what you do well and just go do it. One more question. When you, have you primarily built businesses or acquired them?

I've done both. Okay. I love to build and I love to acquire and you've got to be an opportunist. And in tough times, I usually grow my business. Okay. Is there something that you would ever see in a business that you could, from the outside, people like me would say, boy, that is a great business. But when you're acquiring a business like you acquired the Rockets, what are you looking for and what are you running from? Well, you've got to do due diligence, and due diligence does everything. When you acquire something like the Rockets, what I was concerned is, is what is the cash flow, but I'm not going to look for a return out of that business today.

A return on a professional sports team is holding on to it. I mean, everybody's got to remember, in 1970, Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees for $10 million. From CBS. Right. I mean, think about that. That's not like that was, you know, three generations ago. I mean, that was not that long ago when you really think about it. And when you think about the Cowboys, you know, were bought for, what, $140 million just 25 years ago.

Right. You know, you know what's interesting is, this is really interesting. I bought into the Houston Rockets in 1982 when I was like. like 22 years old, okay? Because it was $10 million, and I bought a couple of percent of it. I was in it for 10 years with Charlie Thomas. I lost the bid to Les Alexander in 1992 for $80 million because it was over my head, and I took my company public in 93. 23. 25 years later, I buy the team for $2.2 billion. Now, how do I look at it? Am I upset? Am I mad? No, you know why? Because in that 25 years. I still went to the Rocket Games and I built a company that I'm worth $5 billion today.

And so that wouldn't have happened if I would have got the Rockets 25 years ago. So things just kind of fall into place for you. Things, you got to let things come to you sometimes. By the way, you also own, you know, you're in the casino business. Gold and I get casinos everywhere. Yeah, they're very nice. So that must be still a great business because now legalized sports gambling in America globally. It's going to change. We're all accepting. So when the Supreme Court said you can gamble, that was a benefit for casinos too.

Absolutely. And you're going to see, you're going to build a lot of fans. And it's all about content. We all know that, just like your show and all the things you do. Everything is content. You're going to have sports fans become sports fans because they're going to be able to sit in the seat, whether it's football, basketball, baseball, or hockey, and gamble. Who's going to make the next?

shot, who's going to get the next hit, who's going to catch the next touchdown pass right there on your phone as you're watching the game. It is going to change sports, I believe, and it is not that far away. What a pleasure for me. Tillman for Tita, Darryl Mory had lunch with him about six months ago. He is just fantastic. There is the book. I'm reading it tonight. And just you're on Neil Cavuto and a half hour ago. And now you're stuck with a sports guy. But we feel very, very, I'm very fortunate to get to do business and sports. I love them both. Tillman, thank you so much. Thank you, Colin. Look forward to it. 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 headlines. 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, 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 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, Rhett, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest. surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.