The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Aug 24, 2020

Episode Date: August 24, 2020

Don't freak out about the Clippers losing because of one great shotEarl Thomas always makes himself the victimThe 76ers problems go way beyond their head coachPeople are finally realizing what Colin has been saying about Aaron Rodgers for yearsWhere Colin was right, where Colin was wrongGuest: Howie Long, NFL on FOX & Hall of Famer 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. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a loaded Monday.

This is The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for joining us. We are live in Los Angeles. One hour from now. Colin was right. Colin was wrong. Plenty of both Howie Long today.

Doug Gottlieb, Tim Hardaway. We'll check in with Matt Mosley in Dallas. Joy Taylor and I flew on flights all weekend together and didn't know and didn't even know it. We ran into each other twice at the airport and had no idea. That was the strangest. So I had a connecting flight in Salt Lake. Twice. Right, which you take that flight all the time.

And I was literally standing at the gate. Like, I didn't ask you if you were going to Utah last weekend, but I just assumed you were. I was like, I wonder if I remember running to call him. And I got to meet Ann, which was great. And then yesterday at the airport, we're both waiting for a car. And I look over and I'm like, Joy Taylor. She goes, you were on that? Yeah, I was, we flew together all weekend, had no idea.

It's great to have you in. Good weekend. Fun weekend. You know, it's funny about this. You know, apparently this is the way it works in the NBA. If you're a favorite and you just don't blow out a really talented underdog team, you're no good. You're just terrible.

We tend to forget that the heatles, this was, LeBron was the best player in the world. Bosch was a top 10 player in the league and Dee Wade was still very, very good on his good nights. In their first title, they trailed three different playoff series. The Clippers are now tied after four games and the world's ending. Are you guys, y'all just start watching the NBA? These first round playoff series can get really tough all the time for great teams. Let's make some assumptions here. We assumed coming into the playoffs. that when the clippers are fully healthy, they're real good. They were 12 and 1 this year when fully stacked.

Well, Patrick Beverly hasn't played the last three games. Kauai is still great. That assumption was great. They were good and close games. That's been the story all year. And when they're healthy, they're good. They're not right now perfectly healthy. Patrick Beverly gives them 26 minutes and night.

He's not healthy. But most of the assumptions are true. The assumptions for the Dallas Mavericks are great coach, terrific young player, not very good in close games. All offense, no defense, and would be interesting to watch with no playoff experience. Those are all true except one exception. Let's explain the whole series. Luca hit a 30-footer at the buzzer.

If he doesn't, it's 3-1 Clippers. And they're going to close the series out without Patrick Beverly playing and Paul George playing as bad as I've ever seen him. And they'd still lead 3-1. That's the series of shot. Everything we assumed is true. I mean, the reality is, first round playoff series are tough. Remember the 08 Celtics?

That's one of the last great teams. They had a great year. They won 67 games. They won a title. They were pushed to seven games by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The Hawks were an eight seed. They had Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rijon Rondo, potentially four All of Famers, Doc Rivers, one of the best singular year teams we've had in the last 20 years.

Pushed to seven by the Hawks. By the way, they had another series that year in the playoffs, went to seven games. The Hedles, last year the Raptors, trailed in three different series, three. And they won. This stuff's not easy. I mean, LeBron against the East in the first round has historically been a sweep. But the East has been garbage at the bottom. It's been Washington's and Detroit's and Orlando's.

you're not sweeping people generally in the first round of the West. The West is better. And there's also two factors that we have to acknowledge here. There's no home court advantage. It's a bubble. So these games, you know, you'd have started out first two games in L.A. It's not the way it works. So it's an advantage for the underdog team.

There's no home court advantage. And Luca hit a 30-footer. Clippers are the better team. Clippers are going to win the series. But there's no. What are the assumptions? What assumption here? has not, we knew the clippers were very good when they're fully healthy.

They're not. Patrick, Beverly hasn't played in three games. We know Kauai is still the best get a basket, get a stop guy in the NBA. I still think he is. LeBron may be more valuable. I think Kauai get a bucket or get a stops better. Hall of Fame head coach, great bench. Lou Williams had 36 last night. What of that is a surprise?

What for Dallas is a surprise? We knew they could score. We knew they were great offensively. We knew Rick Carlisle is smart. We knew they had a bunch of shooters. We knew they didn't play any defense. they still don't. And we knew Luca was good, really good.

But, I mean, there's no big shocks here. Paul George is really playing poorly. Paul George will be fine. Paul George, here's my promise, he'll play really well one of the next two games. He'll look like an all-star. But this idea that everybody just runs through the playoffs, Raptors trailed in three of their series last year. The Celtics went eight games with the eight-seated Atlanta Hawks.

the heatles struggled often. I mean, if you go to the Miami Heat games, first year they lost the title, second year they were wonderful, third year they were lucky to win it. Ray Allen shot and fourth year they got whacked. This is hard for the great teams. Maybe it's because we're coming off the Warriors dynasty

where we just think that is the way it is. They got one team has all the good players. Do you remember the Warriors lost last year in the final? And the year before, Houston led them. and then Chris Paul got hurt. Remember that? The first year for Golden State, they flew through it. Everything after that was a struggle.

Last year, didn't the Warriors with KD. Stefan Clay last year struggle in the first round against the Clippers? They go like six games. This stuff's hard. This is the West. Luca's great. Carlisle Smart. Owner Cuban, this is a real good team.

So, you know, we're freaking out. I mean, I just thought, you know, sometimes stuff happens. Luca hits a 30-footer. Here's Doc Rivers. Honestly, I thought we were very emotionally weak tonight. Why do you think that is? If I knew that, I would be Sigmund Freud. But at the end of the day, you know, we're up 20 and we're getting technical files. You know, things like that, just give the team juice, you know.

We just throughout, I've been saying this for three games now. We're just, we're so much better than what we're playing. They'll figure it out. They'll win the series. they'll be okay. The assumptions are right. But these first round Western series and sometimes first couple of rounds, Eastern Series, have never been easy for the favorites.

It's a lot of work. It was work for the Warriors after their first year with KD. Stefan Clay. They couldn't stay healthy. In fighting. It's tough. It's always been tough. All right, let's shift gears to this. Earl Thomas voted off the team by Raven Players is looking for a job somewhere.

I'm sure he'll get it. There's always a team looking for talent. he's got it. But I tell my kids this all the time. There are real victims in America. You may have a bad day. You may have a bad boss. You may not like dad for a day. We are not victims. Millionaire football players are not victims. Always been the thing about Earl Thomas that drives me nuts. He flipped off Pete Carroll in Seattle because he wasn't treated fairly. Let's revisit the Seattle years, where Pete Carroll drafted him over Taylor Mays, the more hype safety out of USC, and people couldn't believe it.

Then Pete built a defense around him for nine years. And then Pete, halfway through it, pushed for a contract extension that made him the highest paid safety at the time in the NFL. He flipped him off out the door. Then he goes to Baltimore, where last year, in his first year, after they beat Seattle,

he called it the sweetest victory of all time. the following week he no-showed, didn't show up for the team playing home, no-showed on Monday and Tuesday meetings. This guy has been drafted by Pete Carroll, maybe the most player-friendly coach ever, then goes to John Harbaugh. Should be noted, they wrestled him away from Andy Reed. So the three teams that he either has been on or almost been on are Pete Carroll, Andy Reed, and John Harbaugh.

John Harbaugh also, one of the most plays. player-friendly coaches of all time. And both kicked him out. Both didn't want him in the end. He had a personal issue. Wife, gun, orgy, blah, blah, blah. Don't want to go into it. He said it was nobody's business.

But when you're a star in the NFL and paid what you're paid, organizations do worry about your chaos and stability at home. It's something, not everything, but it is sort of their business, just like my bosses would like to know if, you know, I was falling apart at home, like a little heads up. But what's driven me crazy about Earl Thomas Forever is he thought he was treated poorly by Seattle. Are you kidding me? Pete Carroll chose you over Taylor Mays.

The contract extension made you the highest paid safety. They gave you free reign, marketed you, promoted you, supported you, and you flipped them off. And then Baltimore has done nothing but surround you in that secondary. They brought over Jalen Ramsey. They got more pass rushers. They asked you to figure out their system, which is report. more complex than the Seahawks defense, whatever. But there's no victim here.

He was voted off by players. And Seattle finally had enough. Somebody will pick him up. But racing to Instagram, which is what he did to say, hey, this wasn't me. I was trying to be. The book has been written on Earl Thomas. Not saying he doesn't deserve another job. But when your first two employers are John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll,

the Ravens in Seattle, two of the best owned, run, supportive franchises in the league, and they're both done with you? You're not the victim in this one. That is a player's dream in the NFL. I get Pete Carroll, potentially Andy Reid, and then John Harbaugh wrestles him away from Andy Reed and free agency. That's a player's dream. Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh are a players, maybe Mike. Tomlin would be the only other coach as a defensive player. You'd be like, I want to end up with Mike Tomlin.

So the book's been written completely on Earl Thomas. He'll get picked up. There's always a desperate team, a lousy team, a team that thinks they're a championship team that isn't that'll overpay. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and. and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. We don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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

Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free. iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now so brett brown's going to get fired philadelphia 76ers coach sixers got sweat but the celtics it was ugly i'm kind of over the whole sixer thing i never bought into it it's hard when you have two stars their games don't work and their

personalities don't work but brett brown will pay the price and be fired did brett brown let me ask you did he trade away every shooter on the roster did brett brown demand they move up to get Markell Fultz? Did Brett Brown say, you know what I think we should do? Pay Tobias Harris a B player, 180 million. Did Brett Brown in a Shooter's League said, you know what, we need more size, Al Horford? What do you do with Ben Simmons? He can't shoot.

Doesn't appear to be interested. Maybe you could bench him. Good luck in the NBA doing that. Stars run this league and they always have. It's not a coach's league. That's college basketball. That's the NFL. Baseball's a GM sport.

Hockey's a goalie sport. NBA's a star-driven league. Mike Dan Tony is told when James Hardin will be at practice. Last year, you all told me Billy Donovan was a bum. Maybe it was Westbrook. Kyrie Irving said the world is flat. Last year, the Celtics struggled. The immediate reaction from the NBA media,

Brad Stevens can't coach stars. You ever going to blame Kyrie? for anything, Westbrook for anything, the players for anything? This is a hard league to coach. Brad Stevens is considered the smartest coach in the league. The minute he had problems with Kyrie Irving, he's a bum, get him out, can't coach stars, just he's a college guy. What? Billy Donovan last year, you were all crushing him. This year, you can make a strong argument. He's the coach of the year. The Lakers are a five-star franchise, right? I mean, we would, we would acknowledge kind of the Yankees of their sport.

They've had four coaches in six years. The Knicks have had six coaches in six years. The Cavs have had four coaches in two years. Blame the coach. I don't care. People say Brett Brown's too easy on guys. Maybe he is. I'm not to say situationally he did something the other night drove me crazy.

I don't know if he's situationally as good as Brad Stevens. Maybe he is a little easy on the players. Let me tell you something, folks. If you're not, you're out of work. I mean, Greg Popovich gets Tim Duncan and wins titles. There are no Belichicks in the NBA. I mean, let's be honest. It will work with Popovich because he had Duncan.

The minute Duncan gets out of his prime, Spurs don't win, and Kauai says, see ya. This is a hard league star. And I'm not saying Brett Brown's a world-class coach. I don't know. I don't sit and watch game tape. I know Nick Nurse in Toronto. My sources love him and they love Brad Stevens.

But, I mean, this, he didn't trade away the shooters. He didn't sign Al Horford and Tobias Harris the bad contracts. He didn't move up for Mark L. Fultz. I don't know what you do with Ben Simmons. He can't shoot. But this whole thing, it's the coach. The NBA, the solution is always, get rid of the dumb coach. And sometimes you're right.

But sometimes maybe it's beyond just Brett Brown. It's front office stuff too, or ownership stuff too. oh my God, I'm going to say it. Sometimes stars are hard. This is a league where stars have power. They know it and they often use it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

We've been talking a lot about safeties for the last couple of weeks, months on this show. Jamal Adams, Earl Thomas, a little honey badger. But let's talk about Jamal Adams and Earl Thomas. Earl Thomas just got booted off the Ravens. So safeties are the second lowest paid unit in the NFL. players don't like to be underpaid. Tight ends are the lowest paid, but that's changing because we have some great tight ends and the culture of football now values tight ends more than they used to.

But I understand safety sometimes wake up in a bad mood. A, they're often the most athletic guys on defense. I mean, they're bigger, stronger, and can hit better than corners. They're faster and more athletic than linebackers. So they're often the most athletic guys, strength, speed, combo on the defense. Secondly is they're asked to cover more field than everybody else. You don't ask your defensive tackle to be a sideline to sideline guy. A corner finds one guy, stays on him. Safeties are asked to cover more of the field. And then see, again, they're

underpaid in their eyes. The problem is safety is a vanity position. They get the big hits. They get interceptions. It took us five minutes to find highlights of Jamal Adams. when he was traded. Try to find highlights of Stefan Gilmore of the Patriots. Nobody throws to his side of the field. It's a vanity position. You become very popular. It's a highlight position. You get big hits and you get pick sixes. And you don't have the responsibility of just guarding a really fast receiver where you're often humiliated even if you are Stefan Gilmore. You can cherry pick. I mean, Jamal Adams played more linebacker snaps than he did safety snaps. You're a freelancer.

It's vanity. It's highlights. You become popular. And the media asks you questions. But there's a massive difference between popular and valuable. A lot of things are popular. Twilight paper is valuable. Transportation, even if it's a beater, is valuable.

It's not always flashy. And that is the problem with the safety position. That Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams, I can't pay him big money. and I especially can't pay them big money if they're punching teammates. All right, I thought this was interesting. It's an article by the ringer. So that means I've read the first 26 pages. I'm halfway through it.

Anywhove. It's kidding, Bill. So they have an article on Aaron Rogers. And it's very interesting. So I'll just give you the headline and you can figure out what they talk about. This is not me. This is the ringer. Excellent journalist.

The perception of Aaron. Rogers no longer matches the reality. And so Ben Baldwin is an NFL writer very much into analytics, not opinion for the athletic. And he argues Rogers started declining five years ago. I started talking about it two years ago. There's a football stat called expected points added EPA. Rogers used to be the best in the world. Last couple of years, massive drop off.

The peak is over. He is merely a slightly above. average quarterback for the last five years, analytically. Now, I've been on this for two years. Ben Baldwin says, no, it's been happening for four and five years. His adjusted completion percentage in his peak years was number one, number one, number two, number one. It's now 26th.

So here's the issue. Everybody in Green Bay bristles. But I've long believed that Green Bay is not only the smallest NFL city, it'd be a small college town. It's like a high school city. But it has a football team and NFL team grandfathered in. So heroes mean a lot to small towns. The high school football coach is a hero. The one famous person that graduated and went on to run forward in big cities. It has a lot of money, a lot of stars, a lot of big shots and politics and business. Could be agriculture, could be manufacturing. In L.A. you're a star for an hour, then we push it to the side, and there's somebody else who can sing

and hit a better note. But in small towns, oh, they hold on to their stars. People forget how average Brett Farv was his last three years in Green Bay. And if you criticize Brett Farve, oh, my Lord, they went nuts. When you live in a big city, Joyce, but in Miami, we live in Los Angeles. I grew up in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas. When you're in a big city, like the minute a player i mean god in philadelphia they got carson wents and they want to bum rush him out of town for nick foles it's a more it's a more hyper critical media the fans have other sport teams to lean on if you don't deliver i mean if the clippers lose we got the dodgers and the lakers and USC and if they lose we got but in green bay this is their team last three years brett farvin green bay just let you won't even

believe this. His last three years, he was a 500 quarterback, 66 TDs, 62 picks, completed 61% of his throws in a pass rating in the 70s. He was bad. He went very good. But if you criticized him, oh my God, people went nuts. I've been saying this about Aaron Rogers. The last two years, his touchdown numbers have fallen off a cliff. He gives you 25 touchdowns a year. That's like Thanksgiving for Mahomes. The last three years, he wins 40% of his games on the But if you criticize Aaron, oh, it's the offensive line. No, actually, they're top four in the NFL. Well, his defensive line, no, that's top 10 in the NFL.

His receiving court, Devonthe Adams, a top young receiver. His running back, no, Aaron Jones is a star. Their defense is no longer awful. They've drafted well. They've acquired free agents. It's not that Aaron isn't good. He still is a top five or six guy. But the passer rating is dropping.

He can't win big games on the road. He gets nicked up more. His touchdowns are falling. He's still good, but it's a lot of Aaron Rogers. That's a lot of Brett Farrv that in Green Bay, this is all they have. They hold on to their heroes. Just go back and look at Brett Favreve's last three years. John Madden was telling you how great he was.

He wasn't that great. He wasn't. I mean, Rogers was better. Peyton Manning was way better. Brady was way better. Big Ben was better. Drew Brees was becoming better. But if you said that to anybody in Green Bay, they went nuts.

This is the small town clinging to their star, gets hyper defensive. If you ever criticize him. And you should go read this article. The ringer. Now, you're going to need about four hours. This is the ringer. They don't do pithy. It is not part of their brand.

It's going to take a while. Bill likes his long-form stuff. But the perception of Aaron no longer. matches the reality, and there you go. One 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. Colin right, Colin wrong on a Monday, fire away. Where Colin was right.

I don't buy into Philly, never have. I think you got to break up and beat and Simmons. They're the first team out of the playoffs. They got swept. Blame whoever you want. I didn't like the Tobias Harris acquisition. I've just never bought into this. I didn't buy into the process. It did get them some players and picks. but we can keep blaming the coach, but I just, any relationship, if you're still going to therapy eight years in, it ain't going to work. This thing just shouldn't be this hard. Simmons is hurt, NM.B.

doesn't get along with him, and Simmons can't shoot. Break up the band, get a bunch of pieces, and start over. Where Colin was wrong. I still think the Clippers are the better team, but their defense is getting worked by Dallas. If you look at all the analytics, it looks like Clippers should, win this series in about five games. Dallas is fun and feisty and can score. But I'll tell you, the Mavericks are getting penetration. They're getting tons of open looks. There's times Luca just looks too strong for anybody for the Clippers to guard. You know, Patrick Beverly has been

gone for three games, but that's something, but it's not that much. Dallas's offense is consistently beating a Clippers defense, and I did not think that would be the case. I thought this would be, you know, 117, 11, and the Mavericks would be getting low percentage shots and not getting penetration, and it's just been the opposite. Where Colin was right? Never bought into Jarrett Stidham. The other network, every analyst told you, oh, Jared Stidham is the guy. And I'm like, I watched them in college. He's okay.

I don't get it. If Bill Belichick watched Jarrett Stidim for a year and still want to be. 43-year-old Tom Brady back? What does that tell you? He's had a poor camp. There's one story out today. He didn't get in good enough shape, so he's got a leg injury because he's over-exerted himself. We don't know if that's true, but that's one report. In the end, though, it really hasn't been much of a quarterback competition.

Cam Newton has dominated it, and all I'm saying is, I watched him in college. He's got something decent arm, but I never bought into these reports that this was the future. He's a backup in the NFL, and that's what it, looks like he'll be this year. Where Colin was wrong. I liked when the Ravens went and got Earl Thomas. He could still play. I think their secondary is unbelievable, but this thing backfired and pretty quickly. Stories came out today that last year multiple times he was a headache. So I got to take a wrong on it and he's not a victim here. He's had Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh and he can't make either work at the end. So I got the Ravens of 16. No, this doesn't help my case.

Lamar Jackson's a little tweaked as well, but that part I'm fine with. Where Colin was right. Listen, Russell Westbrook is talented and dynamic and fun. Valuable. Houston Leads OKC21. It should be 3-0 in the series. What's interesting is Houston's offensive efficiency rating in the regular season was 112. Their offensive efficiency rating in the bubble in the playoffs is 112.

You can be great and popular and dynamic and athletic, and he's been a great supporter, and he played defense in the bubble. I just don't buy into the valuable thing. I think I've seen a lot of Russell Westbrooks in my years watching the NBA. Unbelievably gifted, a first ballot hall of famer, but doesn't necessarily make teammates better, and Houston's offense is fine without him. Where Colin was wrong. Kind of shocked how effective Dwight Howard. has been for the Lakers this year. Rebounds, totally accepted his role,

not looking for attention. When they bring him in, he's often the second best Laker off the bench. You get size, athleticism, rebounding, shot blocking, situational offense. LeBron likes him. They have a good chemistry on the court. And I always thought he was a little bit of an unfocused, you know, a little juvenile at times, kind of underachieve for all his talent.

He's been great here. He's one of the reasons the chemistry has been unbelievable, and he's become a fairly dependable bench player on a nightly basis. Good against Portland so far. Where Colin was right. Chris Middleton. 11 points a game shooting 32%. 12 made buckets in the playoff series.

Two points last Thursday. Like this is one of these, I don't get it. Like this is why I think the bucks are not going to win championships. I've said this. I think Janus is amazing. They're probably this year the best team in the East, especially after the Celtics had an injury to Gordon Hayward. But Chris Middleton, the playoffs are truth serum. The real stars rise in the playoffs.

Paul George, little fools gold here. Chris Middleton, a lot of fools gold. Don't buy it. Where Colin was wrong. I've been open to spring football. It's not ideal, but I think you could have kids play in January 4th. February and then have them play in September. But Urban Meyer came on the show and said, nope, can't do it.

It's not fair to the players. Nick Sabin said it'd be JV football. The Big Ten this weekend said, you know, we're going to do spring football, but we're going to play indoors. Oh, boy. So every game's a road game for every team. You know, I didn't think spring football would be great, but I thought, you know, if it's on television in January, February, March, I'll watch.

It'll be cold weather for just the Big Ten. But increasingly, the top coaches are against it. And, I mean, if the Big Ten, who's for it is saying we do think it's, you have to play the games indoors. Okay, now we're, now that's like exceptions on the exception. Like if you were playing in the bubble in Orlando and you had to wear a mask as you played in the bubble, okay, then they just canceled the season. Okay. Like if you're, if you're having to jerry rig all this stuff and fewer games and now play indoors and it's probably not going to work. Where Colin was right.

Yonis today will mark his third early start of four playoff games. The NBA is telling you he's not the face of the league, and he's been around for seven years, and he's been great for four. He's a great kid. He's a terrific player. But I'm sorry, his documentary and his Instagram does not make him a face of the league. Zion is somebody the NBA has three times already move the schedule around to get him on TV. The NBA is putting Yonis for.

the third time in four games on one o'clock Eastern. Leagues will tell you and networks will tell you where the stars are. And you know where the stars are in the NBA? Playing at night. That's where the stars are in all sports.

Playing regularly in prime time because that's where the ad dollars are better. Where Colin was right? The NBA draft lottery is a lot of fun but it's useless. They do it to avoid tanking and to help smaller markets, and neither works,

because teams still tank and the smaller markets. Do you know the last 11 lottery winners? Cleveland three times, Minnesota twice, New Orleans twice, Phoenix, Washington, and Philly, and they're all a mess. I'll go back and say something I've always felt about the NBA lottery. Let the players decide where they want to play, and you think it's crazy. But with a salary cap, they couldn't go to the great teams. They couldn't go to the Lakers.

They couldn't go to the Clippers. Were they going to fit them in in Boston? If you let players select teams, many players would say, I want to go to the bad team because I want to make the most money and open up their contracts, let them make more money. This will never happen, of course. But the NBA lottery once again, we had a lousy franchise, win the lottery again.

And they'll be lousy next year as well and the year after. Be sure to catch live editions of the Hurricanes of the Hurstead. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose,

and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clivert Show on the show on the show. the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode

with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. At this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see

that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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 rapid. 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So he's a Hall of Famer, 13 NFL seasons, all with the Raider franchise. Now he's part of the new Fox Bet team contributing to the Fox Bet Real Money app and Super 6 game.

He's joining us undisclosed location up in Montana. I'll just give you that. On his deck, it's beautiful part of the country on a lake. You know, it's interesting. We were just, Joey and I were talking about this. No preseason games. Now, I imagine if when you were in your last year with the Raiders, you couldn't have given a rip about the preseason. But I do wonder, when you were young, does the preseason matter when you're a young player? You know, I always felt like I needed a couple of weeks of live simulation. I'm not a fan of games in the preseason. I'm not a fan of scrimmages with other teams.

I think you can control the environment and potentially avoid any kind of an injury if you're in practice with your own team and you're staying off the ground. When you look, you know, it's funny. So these young quarterbacks, that's just take Cam Newton. So he gets no preseason with New England. He's not work with the receivers. He's Sharon snaps with Jared Stidham. And this is something we've said on our show. We've got to lower expectations here for rookie quarterbacks, Teddy Bridgewater, Cam Newton.

these guys with new teams. What's a realistic expectation, Howie, on Cam Newton this year? Well, I think the Patriots are kind of an outlier in the way they prepare their players. You know, we talk about it all the time. We've talked about it. I've talked about it on your show. The way they change their scheme, their system, their approach week to week, half to half quarter series to series is amazing.

And that tells me they're great teachers. And Chris, having played there, I understand that. There's an expectation. There's kind of a baseline expectation of what your kind of contribution is and your role in the offense or the defense. And I think it's a fascinating signing. I was kind of surprised Cam went there. And I was also surprised that they picked him up. But I think it says a lot about Cam and his desire to expand his horizons and go.

play for a guy who's won countless Super Bowls and been in the Super Bowl countless times and feed off of that and replace Tom Brady. I'm excited to see what they do with Cam. Cam has given Bill Fitz in the couple of times they've played them. So I think Cam's abilities will be the focal point and, you know, they don't make exceptions in New England. They didn't make exceptions for Tom Brady. Everyone's treated the same way. He has a different approach. You know, Troy falls asleep in a meeting. You wake Troy up and you get him a cup of coffee. If somebody else does, you cut them.

Yeah. You know, in the NFL, it's never as bad, generally, as you think it's going to be. I've learned this through the years. They're never as good as you think it's going to be. And we're all talking about Tom Brady. It's going to be just roses and 40 touchdowns. And I'm like, time out, time out. It's never free agents, trades.

They're never as grand as you think. If there's anything about Brady's, to Tampa Howie that would worry you just a little bit, just a little, what would it be? Well, the two things that worry me, of course, are that's one, can he hold up over the course of a long season? I certainly don't think he needs preseason games, and it looked like he got together with his receivers quite a bit prior to camp opening up. And the other thing that worries me a bit is where the happy medium hits for the Bruce Aryan's offense versus what Tom's used to running. Bruce is a guy who, you know, we all know, likes to get the ball down the field.

He did in Pittsburgh. He certainly did it in Arizona, which makes your quarterback more susceptible to being hit. Yeah. That's not a prescription for success with Tom. So I think there's going to be a happy medium and that's going to be interesting to watch. They're loaded down there, Colin. If he stays healthy and they find a happy medium, which I'm sure they will, Bruce is a smart guy. And so is Tom.

You know, the sky's the limit because their defense played. well down the stretch last year. Let's talk about your Raiders. I tend to be a bigger fan of Derek Carr than the NFL media community. They bring in Marriota, who I don't think is close to Derek Carr. What I worry about, Gruden can be a barker. Derek tends to be a tad sensitive. Is it possible, Howie, that Derek's personality and John, they're just not built for each other

long term? I agree with you. I think John, he has a very high expectation for everyone on the football team and everyone in the organization and he's not shy about expressing it. And if you're thin-skinned, I don't think you can play quarterback for John Gruden. I think the process of Derek Carr adapting to John Gruden and vice versa, I think it's been good for Derek Carr. I think it's toughened him up a bit and you're either going to get tougher mentally and, you know, he was tough physically. and I think the expectations are high for this offense. And certainly when you bring in a Marcus Marriota, who's been to a Pro Bowl,

who is a dynamic talent, but a different type of player than Derek Carr. And you're hearing positives out of training camp about Marcus Marietta. But the expectations are high, but they're high for every player on that offense under John Gruden. So get your job done or they'll be looking for somebody else. You know, you played 13 years with one franchise. it's just different.

It just doesn't happen much today. And, you know, I look at Earl Thomas. And almost Raider teams, there were some guys that had their own personalities. They weren't perfect. Hey, when you came into the league, you were a tough guy, you weren't going to be pushed around. You didn't have to get along with everybody. What is the line, though, with Earl Thomas? Because the Raven players said you're out.

How far is too far with a teammate value to disruption? Well, I think, and you're very aware of this because you're from the Northwest. Seattle had something really special up there, particularly in the secondary, and Earl was a big part of that. And I think, you know, your kind of lip-miss test or what you know is what you experienced in Seattle. And I think if you're chasing that, you're chasing ghosts because that doesn't exist. and for whatever reason. And I, you know, I don't know all the particulars. You know, there's talk of being late for meetings or missing meetings and being difficult to get along with.

And for whatever reason, it just didn't appear that Earl fit there, you know, from the beginning. And he's a talented player. And I'm sure that someone will give him an opportunity. There's talk of Dallas. There's talk of San Francisco. Jay Glazer's telling me he doesn't believe Dallas, but we'll see. Yeah. You know, it's interesting about this NFL world now, and we see it in the NBA.

Players are better, younger. They get paid more early. You know, we talked about Kansas City. We're like, sometimes Trent Dilfero has said this. The hardest person to manage can be yourself, you know? And it's harder to manage great than it is bad. We're all motivated as guys when we're bad. We work harder.

That's our DNA. But when we're good, I look at Kansas City and I think, man, a lot of guys getting paid, very young in spot Super Bowl. Take me to your career on the best team you ever had. You have a Super Bowl team. Then you come back for camp. Everybody's got a little more money. Everybody recognize you. Everybody got a commercial.

Take me to what that's like for Kansas City for the next six months. Well, the good news is you have Andy Reed. I think from just a foundation standpoint, setting the tone for the football team. And you've got a young dynamic quarterback who just appears to be not only special physically, but he's just a special guy. And that really, I think, plays a big role in how successful this team can be moving forward. Certainly are the pieces in place for them to contend for another Super Bowl? Yes.

And winning it, it's 16-game season. You know, you have injuries, you have complacency, all the things that Jimmy talks about, you know, I didn't get enough. I didn't get enough attention. I didn't get enough money. You know, those are things that factor in. But they seem to have paid their key players and they've got those guys in place. If everyone stays healthy, they're going to be there at the end. It's just a question of if they have a little luck because it takes a little luck to win it.

Yeah. So I have a question for you. I said to Joy earlier, I said if you, Bill Pollian used to always. tell me, you've got to have three weeks a hitting. Most guys need three weeks a hitting, or you'll have injuries early. Should I expect the first two weeks of the NFL season to have more injuries?

Because there's no, the hitting is just practice hitting. It seems like soft tissue injuries. I think what's unique about, and I'm not sure that necessarily applies in today's game because I think players are, you know, they're bigger, faster, stronger, they're in better shape. They're continually working up.

From the minute the season ends, you're back in some program off campus, and whether it's in Florida or Texas or California, you're in one of these kind of design places that train you as an athlete. I don't think you can simulate football, certainly, and I think you can get that done in a couple of weeks within the confines of your own building. But these players today versus the players 20 years ago are in such better shape, and they're far more prepared. I think soft tissue injuries are certainly a concern because you can't simulate full go football until you play it. And we've seen that over the last few weeks. So when you're on a lake all summer, what do you do? Does Howie Waterski, do you and Terry have big parties? What do you do all summer up there?

Well, I get in my boat. I throw my dog in there. I go out and I take a bath in the middle of the lake just about every day. That's the high point of the day. I know it's fabulous here. have cherry orchards. We do harvesting. We do a lot of programs with the boys and girls clubs up here, and it's a lot of fun. We enjoy it. It's my favorite time of the year. But then you've got to get back to reality. You've got to get back to work. No kidding. Jumping in a lake,

taking a bath with a dog as a country song, just ready to be written right now by Howie Long, who is now part of the Fox Bet team, the Hall of Famer. They got a new Fox Real Money app, Super Six Game. And you don't age, my friend. You're a great dude. Wonderful family. 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 Acapella 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app.

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.