The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Jun 25, 2020

Episode Date: June 25, 2020

Blaming and firing coaches in the NFL is not the answerZion is the next star to carry the NBA when LeBron retiresBad news if your aren't a fan of Tom BradyThe 49ers do the one thing that all successful teams do in the NFLGuests: Nick Swisher, FOX Sports MLB Analyst & World Series ChampionChris Simms, NBC Sports Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. I mean, it 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to the best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Thursday. We are live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on High Heart Radio. We're on Fox Sports Radio. We're right here on FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. Nick Swisher stops by first hour. A human wall of energy. He's a walking red bull. He will be joining his first hour. hour. Chris Sims, next hour, does not like Jimmy Garoppolo. Brandon Marshall, the six-time Pro Bowl, NFL-wide receiver is going to be joining us. Thoughts on the Jets, Mess, and Joy Taylor is here. Joy, how are you today?

I'm good. I'm very excited for baseball. So am I. It's like a playoff. We're starting the playoffs for the first game. So I saw this story this morning. Let's lead with this. It is kind of reaching perhaps a tipping point. Jamal Adams, top 10 player in the NFL, top 10 football player. He's that good. Basically now going on social media, get me out, get me out. Now, Jets aren't reacting to it. So now he throws his coach under the bus.

He calls the New York Daily News, one of their reporters and says he's uncomfortable with the future of the Jets because of Adam Gase and he clashes with stars. Now, at the end of last year, Gase benched him for a few plays. It was a game against Cleveland last year. I forget it. I think it was early in the year, and he benched him for a few plays. And Gase does have a history of trading, moving off, or battling some high-profile players. But the answer for every NFL fan of a bad team or an underachieving franchise is always fire the coach.

That's always the answer. Because you can't fire all the players. So psychologically, it makes fans feel like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, we're just one guy away, and we are Super Bowl champs. Of course, the problem when you do. that is a organizational instability because most bad teams hire and fire too many coaches. The other bad thing is if you have a young quarterback, he's got to learn an entirely new system again. And of course, most great football coaches already have jobs.

That's the way it works in America. Really talented people have people fighting over them and they're usually already employed and making a lot of money. Name me the current great football coach in America who's unemployed. name me the great current football coach in America who the Jets could get. I mean, I'll throw a name out. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame, I'd look at. Offensive guy had multiple successes in college, but he's never coached pro. I know he's kind of had his agent dabbled around the NFL.

But folks, Adam Gase has been an NFL coach. And when Ryan Tannahill started in Miami, Adam Gase had a winning record. 13 and 11. Do you realize Bill Parcell's career winning percentage in the NFL is about 55%. Adam Gase was a 55% winning coach when Ryan Tannahill started. Now, Tannahoe who got hurt a bunch and there was a bunch of different quarterbacks. Joy can attest as a dolphin fan. He had a winning record.

And then last year, his quarterback got mono. He's got a terrible roster. The GM they had to fire. And they had a seven and sixth record when Sam Darnold started. So when Sam Darnold, Ryan Tannehill with average rosters have started. He is three games over 500, and he's coached, you know, about 30, 35 NFL games. Now, you say that's not great.

Has he had great rosters? Has he had great GMs? Has he had great owners? Tell me who's out there. I'm waiting. Great people are usually employed. And even college coaches now that make $7 and $8 million. The Dallas Cowboys got turned down by the Oklahoma Sooners.

Lincoln Riley said, no. The Jets wanted Matt Rule. He wasn't even coaching at a college football power. He was coaching at Baylor. He's like, hard pass on New York. That's the world we live in. Great anything. Podcasters, football coaches, lawyers have a lot of options.

And what the fans of average to below average, average organizations never understand. Good people don't want to work for you. They don't. I like Rex Ryan. I like Eric Mangini. I like Herm Edwards. I like Adam Gase. They all have losing records, all losing career records with the Jets. Nobody wins there. The last coach to have a career winning record there was Al Groh. He spent one year nine and seven and left for college. And we were all like, I wonder why I did that. Maybe the answer is ownership, the Jets. front office, it's the Jets. Roster, it's the Jets.

So, first of all, Jamal Adams doesn't get along with Adam Gase. Here's my question. Does Sam Narnold? Yeah, that's all I care about. If Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes, they click, I can live

with other disgruntled employees. If Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh, Sympatico, works, I can deal with an occasional disgruntled, Adam Gase wants more money. He yelled and screamed and the Jets went, whatever. And so the next step is throw the coach under the bus.

And I like Jamal Adams. But I don't hate Adam Gase and Sam Darnold likes it. Now, at the end of this year, if the Jets go anything below 8 and 8, all right, make a coaching change. But just know you will not get the best candidate on the market. You will not get the best candidate in New York. The Giants would get the better candidate. So, you know, the answer is always, it's like you're chasing your tail when you're the jets or the Browns and the lions.

The answer is always, fire this guy and hire a new coach. But all that does is turn off people with options who want stability for their wife, their two kids. They'll put into school in Michigan. They don't want to have to pull them out three years later. So I would be very reluctant to ever fire a coach. if he has a winning record with franchise quarterbacks. Gase had that in Miami with Tannahill and last year, 7 and 6th with Sam Donald.

I segue to this. According to NBA Insiders, Zion Williamson is going to, quote, shock people when the NBA resumes. According to insiders, the 19-year-old Duke product, has kept himself in incredible shape. It was always amazing to me.

A lot of life is hard, right? There's a lot of things. But in sports, you can see stardom really easy. How many games did it take with Patrick Mahomes? About three, and we were all like, oh, he throws left and looks right, and, oh, that looks different than everybody else in the league. I mean, once Aaron Rogers took over the Packers,

his first year. They didn't have a great season, but it was obvious. It kind of looks like Dan Marino when he throws it, a little far of a little Dan Marino. I've always been amazed at the pushback on Zion Williamson. He didn't even debut this year until almost February. He's averaging 24 points a game, eight rebounds and shooting 59% from the floor. Remember all the critics when he was at Duke? Ah, his weight, he can't shoot. You know, he's not really a power forward.

And people said, maybe it was outrageous to think he would be a top 50 player in the NBA if he entered it. And I said this, top 50, of course he's a top 50 player. The question is, is he a top 20 basketball player in the world? So, by the way, hair looked a lot better then. If you look around the NBA today, who's the next star? It's Zion. James Hardin doesn't want to be the face of the league. Russell Westbrook is bad with the press and too often unhinged and difficult.

Kauai doesn't talk. And Janice is a wonderful kid and a great player. But like Tim Duncan, who is also both of those, he doesn't feel like a face of the league. The best player is not always the face. Kareem was the best player for years, but he was kind of aloof and prickly. Wilt scored lots of points, but he was kind of flaky. Tim Duncan was wonderful, but never really embraced it. If you look at the faces of the league, Dr. J, Magic, Jordan, Shaq, LeBron, Kobe,

you got to have four or five things. You got to be kind of cool. You got to have charisma. You got to have a personality. generally a little power mixed with finesse. Folks, Zion is the face of the league. He got a million people to watch a high school game. He took Duke's always strong ratings, moved him up 35%.

He said an NBA summer league television record. This is it. John Morant may be a better player. He's not big. He doesn't look like he's a freight train coming downhill. You got to have the look, the smile, the style, the power, the form, the it. That's why he has been jammed into the playoffs. That is why they decided on the larger number of teams to come back.

One reason. Zion, the next face of the NBA. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source,

the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClace 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. 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 a little kill? 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 it 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 you 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian.

And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

wherever you get your podcasts. 12 years, most notably with the Yankees and the A's, Fox Sports Baseball analyst. He's a walking Red Bull, all sorts of energy. Nick Swisher now joining us via the Coward Global Satellite brought to you by Mercedes-Benz the best or nothing. So let me ask you, Nick, as a player, now as a player, you had 162 games.

You could get off to a bad April. Right. You could struggle in June. You could find yourself. Go to the park early in the cage. Now you got none of that nonsense. You have to be, none of it.

You have to be ready to go game four. So would it change you and your preparation as a player? Yeah, well, I don't think you could prepare any more than you can for 60 games. I think the one thing we're really going to notice is the guys who have been working and the guys who haven't. I mean, obviously there is a huge push on this season. So to be able to have the 60 game season, bro, I am stoked to get live sports back on television. The only thing I wish we could have done is I wish we could have been on TV about a month or so ago. Being the only sport on television, we could have gained so many fans.

But at the end of the day, man, we got the deal done. Baseball is back. Cannot wait. So if I said to you, what part of baseball in this shortened season will matter more? Is it bullies? Is it starting? Is it infield? Is it power?

What's going to matter the most? Yeah, I think the teams with the best starting pitching in bullpen, right? Just overall staffs, I think, are going to be the best. I think those are the things that are more stable than obviously the batting averages. So I think in general, teams like the returning champs, the Washington Nationals have a good shot, I think the Houston Astros have a good shot, New York Yankees. But even like a team like the Mets or the Cincinnati Reds that have great pitching, could get off to a hot start because if you end up starting the season two and ten,

you might as well kiss your playoff chances goodbye. Yeah. So there's a bunch of new rules. I want you to have an opinion on all of them. Let's start with the universal D.H. your thoughts on that. Do you like it? I love it. I love everything about the offensive side of the game. I love it. I mean, let's be honest. I love pitchers just as much as anyone else.

But we don't even see the pitcher coming up with the base is loaded and nobody out. That's not what we want to see. We want to see Nelson Cruz going pye y'all for third day. That's what we want to see these days. So at the end of the day, I'm a big offensive guy. I think it's huge to be able to have the ability to add 35 to 45 to 45 home runs to your team's total, another 100 to 120 RBI. if you have a great DH. And I think it opens up 15 new jobs, which I think is amazing in a competitive sport. Okay, let's talk about another one that actually surprised me

that baseball went with it. You put a runner at second base at the start of extra innings because they don't want, they don't want 17 inning games. How does that land for you? Well, I think it's good. I think for myself, I've been able to witness it at the minor league levels. So there's so much strategic play that can move into that, right? Runner on second base.

do you walk the next guy up, right? Do you bump the guy over to third and then walk the next two guys to set up the double play? So I think there's so many different ways you can go about it. I definitely think this is something that Major League Baseball is thinking about big time in the future, only to save players' arms, obviously trying to get you off the television by 10 o'clock. It's huge. And I think that this would do this. There's not a whole lot of games in the minor leagues that go 15, 16, 17,

innings like they used to. So I think this is a good thing. I think it'll be nice. I think it obviously, the excitement levels way up. And at the end of the day, we get to put more players on the field. You know, it's interesting for the Astros. So, I mean, the Yankees will be good. The Dodgers will be good.

The Braves will be good. There are certain teams we know. We think the A's, the twins could be good. And we kind of know Detroit, Seattle, Pittsburgh won't be great. The raise are supposed to be good. But let me ask you about Houston. So Houston gets, you know, the GM gets fired. The manager gets fired.

There's massive punitive action for cheating. Yep. And but when they go on the road now, how many fans are there? I mean, address that. This many, Colin, this many. Exactly. This is a huge, huge bump for the Houston Astros.

I mean, obviously for myself, they're still in my penalty box a little bit. I mean, obviously, you know, you know, getting caught in the sign stealing scandal, I think was one thing. Now for them not to pay the price for not being. able to hear what it what what fans actually have to say i think in general man it's a huge psychological boost for them because at the end of the day man no one appreciates all that negative energy moving on you and the houston astros bro definitely got a lot lifted off their shoulders by this season for sure who do you like and why what team should be favored and who do you like

obviously i'm a little biased calling i always have been bro but this is the yankees year this is the year bro garret cold number one i know severino's down At the end of the day, this sort of season helped the Yankees out so much. Aaron Judge is going to be healthy. Aaron Hicks is going to be healthy. John Carlos Stanton is going to be healthy. James Paxson is going to be healthy. All the guys that they anticipated being ready for regular season will now be regular for the regular, we'll be ready for the regular season.

I think it's their time. It's been since O'N. Aaron Boone knows his guys. They've been close. They've been knocking on the door. This is the year they push through. Now, it's interesting. With 60 games in COVID, you're going to play your division.

40 of the 60 games is just your division. And then you got like 20 games at a regional game. So like the Dodgers will never go more east than Houston. So when you look at all the division and regional scheduling, is there a team or two that benefits from this? I don't necessarily think there's going to be a team that actually benefits from all the travel. I just think guys are so excited to get back on the field and play. I've played in all the AL West, the AL Central, and the ALE.

And the travel is way easier in the AL Central than any division. for sure. So I think if you're talking about travel-wise, the AL Central has the advantage. But this year is so different than any other year we've ever had. I hope Major League Baseball remembers what they're doing and rolling with the punches and doing what we can to get our game back on the field because all fans want to sports. That's all I want. Colin, I know that's all you want. And at the end of the day, man, it's nice to get this deal done, get the boys back on the field. So let's just talk about 60 games. I've never had a problem with the length of a baseball game. college football is 15 minutes longer today than 20 years ago and I still watch it.

If a game's good, if a game's good, I don't care. I just don't care. If a game's got, if it's captivating, it's like a movie. I'll go three hours if it's a great movie, right? No doubt. But I do think the lack of urgency in 162 games hurts people like me. I'm married. I got a bunch of kids.

I got a demanding job. I don't have a lot of time for stuff that doesn't matter a lot. I agree. So is your hope? that 60 games, if it's really good, the owners are like, you know, maybe we should go down to 120. What do you think players think about that? That's what I'm saying. I think they need to look at what's happening right now. I think the excitement for baseball is so exciting right now. And I heard you guys just talking about it a minute ago. Let's be honest, playoff baseball is a lot better

than regular season baseball, just like I think in any other sport. And like Gabe Kapler was saying, there is a sense of urgency. To come out of the gates, two and ten could be the end of your season. And then also if you start the season 10 and 2, that could mean you're making it to the playoffs for the first time in 50 years. I think the expanded playoff teams is going to be amazing. There's a great opportunity to get a guy like Mike Trout into the playoffs, which is going to be amazing. And also, too, I think the managing side. There's going to be a lot more moves made really early. I think analytics are going to play a big part.

But I also think teams are really going to kind of get into their own groove. And that's why I think teams that have great starting pitching, starting pitching can carry you an entire season. and especially for 60 games. How would you kind of confront or reconcile the COVID-19? Some guys may not want to play. Baseball is more and more a global sport. This is a global pandemic. Would you be worried about it?

Or would you just say, like, listen, man, I'm young. I'm in shape. Most of you guys, when you're 22 to 32 guys like you swish, you're bulletproof, man. I mean, that's how guys. I wish, bro. I wish. So how would you reconcile the COVID? It's there.

I may get it. Your thoughts? Yeah, 100%. You know, I think you definitely need to pay attention. This is something not to mess around with. I think we're noticing in just the kind of little different areas that have had certain spikes over the last couple weeks. I think this is something that the players need to pay attention to.

They need to stay healthy. They need to do their part because the last thing you want to do is put these guys in any jeopardy and all of a sudden take it home to their wife, their children, their grandparents. That's the last thing you want to do. So I think at the end of the day, as exciting as it is to have sports back on television, I also want these guys to make sure they're safe as well. By the way, one of the dynamic players in baseball is Aaron Judge.

People may not realize this, that the Yankees got Aaron Judge because of you. Hey, Cullen, I'm the gift that keeps on giving, bro. I leave but just keep giving. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you actually, the Yankees got a comp draft pick, a compensatory pick when you left, and it became Aaron Judge. So congratulations. No doubt. He's like my big younger son, right? I love that. Well, I hope I love your energy. What have you been doing for the last four months? Oh, man. You know what I've been doing? Just trying to stay busy. You know, I think at the end of the day, it's like, you know, you want to try and give back as much as you can. And for myself, man, that's all I'm trying to do. I'm doing a lot of amateur stuff now. Just teamed up with a company called Prospect Dugout. Check us out on Instagram, man. We're trying to do some great things, trying to put together some good things. Trying to put together. Put together.

some good experiences and do our best to try and help and give back to our communities. Nick Swisher, Fox Sports, one of my favorite people on the earth. Great seeing anybody. Love me, Colin. Good to see you too, baby. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Well, if you hate Tom Brady, and I know, listen, we all acknowledge he's great, but it's football, right? You don't like any quarterback that always beat yours. I mean, poor Joy Taylor, her entire life is a series of Tom beating the Steelers in Miami.

You can acknowledge his greatness. He's irritating. So PFF came out, pro football focus. They grade every player. This is what they do. They grade guards. And they came out with the best rosters in the NFL. And we would all guess, well, the Ravens and the Niners and the Chiefs and the Saints.

Well, those were obvious. The first four. Look who's number five. Oh, it's a buckingears. And they didn't get that rating just because of Tom and Gronk. They have the fifth best roster in the NFL. And it's funny. So let's go back to 2012 when Peyton Manning chose the Broncos.

Now he had lots of suitors and lots of options, right? He was a free agent. It was like college. He was being recruited. If you go back to the team he took. So Peyton Manning's a smart guy, has been in the league forever. What did Denver have? Ryan Clayty was an all-pro left tackle.

So Peyton knew my butts protected. They had Eric Decker and Demerius Thomas. They had good weapons. So when he's looking at all these teams, They had good weapons, a good left tackle. They had great corners, Champ Bailey and Chris Harris, and they had Elmas Dumerville and Vaughn Miller. So here is Peyton Manning looking at Denver.

He's like, I got my weapons. And they actually ran the ball pretty well, not great. I've got my weapons. I know I have great corners in a pass rush. And they got to the playoffs with Tim Tebow. Like, I'm the missing piece. It was not a rebuild in Denver. Well, then Tom Brady looks at Tampa.

They have the best receiving duo in the league. Nobody denies that. Arguably the best tight end duo in the league. The best young linebacking core in the league with Devin White, Levanté Davis, and Shaq Barrett, who led the NFL last year with 19 and a half sacks. And they have good pass rushers. So again, he looks at that and thinks, James Winston threw for 33 touchdown.

I'm the missing piece. So when you're Brady and you're Peyton Manning, it's not just about X's and O's. these are highly sophisticated guys that have played in the NFL for, you know, a decade and a half, and they know what you have to enter. So Manning saw weapons, a Pro Bowl guy to protect his butt on the O line, corners and pass rushers. I'm going to be in games. I don't have to save the franchise. I'm the missing piece.

Brady sees the same things. I've got vertical perimeter weapons, interior tidings. end weapons, good enough, sneaky good O line. And on the defense, I got the best linebacking core, and they get to the quarterback, just like Denver and Manning. So Tom Brady's saying, the other quarterback will generally face more pass rush than I will, because Denver had a sneaky good O line. And actually, Tampa Bay now that they've solved right tackle, has a really sneaky good O line, especially center, left guard, left tackle. So I think the bad news for people is Denver was really good.

There's a reason that Tebow got to the playoffs. Just think about this with Tampa. I think Joe and I talked about this. The fact that a quarterback could throw 30 interceptions and a half dozen pick sixes in a division with the Saints who you've got to play twice a year. And three weeks out before the end of the season, they were in a playoff picture. They were playing well. So I think Brady takes a page from Peyton Manning's book and just,

says, I'm the missing piece. If a quarterback can throw 30 picks, and this team's a game under 500. So I don't think we quite understand that Tampa's got the best receiving duo in the NFL, arguably now the best tight-end duo in the NFL, and along with Pittsburgh, I'd argue the most athletic young linebacking core in the NFL, insert win games. I think it's pretty simple. By the way, show the top 10 again. these are the 10 most, according to PFF, they grade every roster in the NFL.

I would agree with the Ravens 1. Niners secondary is not great, so I would put the Saints 2, Niners 3, Kansas City, 4. And then I think there's some surprises here. Bucks 5. Cowboys have a bad secondary, but 6. I think what happens is the first four teams feel like you've got more stars. I mean, Raven, Saints, Niners, Chiefs, you've got real superstars. By the way, Ravens are about the only team in the NFL to me that doesn't have a hole.

The Saints do not have an athletic, nimble quarterback right now in Breeze. They don't have a, they don't throw the ball down the field. The Ravens, to me, are virtually the perfect team if Lamar takes one more step. That roster has no holes. But in a salary cap era, you know, the Saints quarterback is not overly dynamic. The 49ers secondary is not great. The Chief's defense was good at the end of the year, not. good early.

Buccaneers had to figure out right tackle. Not a great running game. Cowboys secondary is bad. Bill's offensive line has been rebuilt. I don't think it's great, but it's been rebuilt. The Titans are not dynamic, throwing the ball down the field, to be honest. Philadelphia's wide receiving core looks talented, but it needs some perimeter pop. It can be pretty stagnant.

And I think the Steelers right now, running back isn't dynamic. Wide receiver, Juju Smith-Schuster, you cross your fingers on. He's not really a game breaker. He's a very good wide receiver. But the Ravens to me are the only team in the league. It's hard to argue. I don't see the weakness. It was pass rush.

Callais Campbell, weakness over. One 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. you'd like. See this story. A Jamal Adams trade is reportedly picking up steam. Uh-oh. According to Grant Kahn of Sports Illustrated, Jamal Adams of the Jets, to the 49ers, is picking up steam. So San Francisco over the last three years, would we all admit they've been hyper-aggressive?

They went and gave Jimmy Garoppolo a ton of money at the time. I didn't know how good. he was. Last year, mid-season, they go after Emmanuel Sanders and give up picks. They pursued Tom Brady in the off-season. They landed. Trent Williams. Shocked all of us, left tackle off-season. They traded the very talented DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis. Offseason. Here they go again. Highly aggressive. By the way, Kansas City aggressively moved up to get Patrick Mahomes. Baltimore, Marcus Peters, Kaleas Campbell, Earl. Thomas, Mark Ingram. They quickly traded a tied end.

They had drafted a year earlier. Baltimore, aggressive. The Saints, remember to get Marcus Davenport, the picks they gave up, they were aggressive to go get Teddy Bridgewater as a backup. James Winston, they've been very aggressive with their quarterback position. So Baltimore, San Francisco, Seattle now. Story is out. They want Antonio Brown.

Aggressive. Who's not aggressive? Think about this. Who do we think is a top team in the NFL? Green Bay Packers? Could have had Khalil Mack? I'm going to pass on that. Jared Cook, Aaron Rogers, just get me Jared Cook.

Keep him here. Let him go. Brett Farr wanted Randy Moss so bad he could taste it, and they passed on him. So it's interesting. The NFC now, Philadelphia, hyper-aggressive. Seattle, hyper-aggressive. San Francisco, hyper-aggressive. in the AFC.

It looks like Kansas City went and got Honey Badger. Remember that big trade they made with D. Ford? Kansas City's aggressive. Baltimore's aggressive. New England's always been pretty aggressive, getting and letting go of guys, San Francisco, Seattle. Who's not? Green Bay.

Jamal Adams would be the best football player on the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rogers, Devonte Adams. So it's funny who's aggressive and who's not aggressive. I just think in this day and age, we've said this about are you aggressive analytically? Are you aggressive in free agency? Are you aggressive moving picks in the draft? Aggressive wins.

You know, this is what I've said about Dana White. Dana White doesn't always hit the right tones. I mean, he drops more F-bombs at press conferences than any CEO that's ever run a company. But he has literally created a new sport that didn't really exist 15 years ago. Like he created a new sport. We've always been a baseball country, a football country, a boxing country, a tennis country, a golf country, a hockey country. Dana White's like, I'm going to create a wildly new sport, popular sport.

He did it off aggressive. He found an island. I'll hold my fights there. In California, I'll hold a fight. The governor literally went to the CEO of Disney and said, you can't. You can't do this. We got COVID. All right.

An hour later. Okay, I'm going to hold a fight in Florida. I'm going to go to Jacksonville. I'm going to go by an island. I'm going to go to Dubai. Aggressive wins. The Niners are aggressive. Today, Jamal Adams, let's go.

Here's a pick. Here's two. Let's go. These Super Bowl windows, Jimmy Garoppel has been hurt before. These Super Bowl windows, you think they last forever. I mean, it was three years ago. Aaron Rogers' best player in the world. Aaron Rogers right now, last two years, has declined.

Like, this stuff ends fast in a sport where you can tackle people. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. days in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action,

with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the 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 Jek. 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 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 so Thank you finishing that sentence 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 IHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast 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. Hey, ref, 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. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional. well-being and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft

place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the My Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Most of us who are over 40, we saw a lot of Phil Sims, and Phil Sims won Super Bowls. Then he became a great announcer for CBS. And then there was his son, Chris Sims. And a lot of times quarterbacks have sons that become quarterbacks. And Chris had an interesting career.

He has played for Mac Brown, John Gruden, Jeff Fisher, Josh McDaniels with the Patriots, young, older, offensive, defensive, progressive, conservative. And when he comes out with opinions on quarterbacks, I listen. He is now joining me in Connecticut via the Coward Global Satellite Network. NFL analyst, co-host, Pro Football Talk, Live. All right, so you came out with your quarterback list, and these are always fun. We've been saying every day we take a list and talk about it. So let's look at Chris Sims' top 10 quarterbacks in the league.

These are all graded. So it goes Mahomes, Wilson. I agree. some disagreement, but Aaron Rogers, Deshawn, Lamar, Carson, Matt, Dack, Matt Stafford, and Cam Newton. Cam's higher than I would put him. Now let's go to 11 through 20. So 11 through 20 is Tannehill, Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Big Ben Brady, Breeze, Philip Rivers, Josh Allen, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo. The first one that jumps out to me is 21 and 5 and 26 starts, Jimmy Garoppolo.

You have him as a lower third quarterback. So what does the tape tell you? What don't you like with him? Right. It's a good question, first off. And he is the kind of guy, you know, to has the type of talent to be a top 10 quarterback or right around, you know, that talk or right around that area of guys, certainly. I think the big thing is, first off, you know, the stats could be a little bit misleading

with Jimmy Garapolo. The game is served up on a silver platter for him in a very special way because Kyle Shanahan, I would argue, is the greatest, you know, play designer in the sport right now. It's either him or Sean Payton or Josh McDaniels. It's one of those three. But I think the thing that I look at more than anything is, you know, with him at times can be a little dicey with decision making, certainly. And then even, you know, some of the throwing at times is less than, hey, we all look at

last throw right against the chiefs, the deep post, he's wide open. You know, he's not a great deep ball thrower. He's not a great outside the numbers, you know, comeback, deep out routes, those type of throws. That's not his forte either. So I think because of that, that's where I got him docked at. Now, he's a pretty good athlete, no doubt about that, got a quick release. It's not a big time arm.

But again, I'd like everybody also to take into account. It was his first year as a starter. He's going to get better. I know he's been around for a while and we've been talking about him. But I think this is a guy that's still kind of growing into him. himself and what he is as a quarterback. But, you know, I think the things that concern me a little bit are what we saw in the playoffs, you know, a team and a coach become a little gun-shy because they weren't

quite sure where the ball was going to go. Yeah, that's fair. I don't know if I always trusted the decision or the accuracy of the throw, I guess, is the ultimate thing there that I would say. Well, I think you're a really a point that I can't argue because I like Garoppolo more than you. But the point I can't argue, I watch the Niners take the ball out of his. hands in the playoffs.

And that's telling me they didn't trust him. And I can't argue that. Like Andy Reed, trailing or a lead gives it to Mahomes. By the way, Seattle gives it to Russell. So that argument, I have no, I can't debunk that at all. Now, let's go to Aaron Rogers. For the first time, you rank the top 40 quarterbacks every year. You have moved him down.

Now, see, you put Russell ahead of him. So do I. at the last two to three years. So why are you moving down? You think he's the best quarterback that's ever played. You've now moved him down. What are you seeing? Yeah, well, it's all about what they are right now in the 2020 season,

just so everybody knows that. You know, I'm not looking about career accomplishments or anything like that. And yeah, I think this is the first year I'm going into a season since 2010 where I go, ooh, Aaron Rogers isn't the best quarterback in football. You know, still an awesome arm, quick release, can make plays off schedule. can do things that a lot of quarterbacks in football still can't do. The reason he falls down to number three to me, one, you know, the first thing would be Mahomes and Russell Wilson, I think, can do more with less right now than Aaron Rogers can.

You know, when the system doesn't deliver or the injuries or the skill guys aren't up to par, I do. I think Mahomes and Wilson can do more that way. You know, I think the other thing I'll say where I think Rogers has fallen off a little bit, do I see a slippage in skills to a degree? Yes, it's finite. I mean, we're talking about one of the most gifted guys ever, but I think a few miles per hour have fallen off his fastball. I don't think he's as fast and as quick to dance around

and pull off that Rogers magic that we used to see him do so much. So I think that's the climb. And here would be my biggest thing that I would like to see Aaron Rogers change about his game. Because I think he's got a lot of good years left in front of him. And I don't think his arm is ever going to really fall off. Like it's never going to fall off a cliff. He's always going to have a top five, top 10 arm, even if he played W is 50 years old. But I'd like to see him cut it loose a little bit more.

And what I say, when I say that, Colin is within the normal confines of the offense, there's too many plays when I watch on film where I go, okay, five step drop. He took one hitch. The guy's open. Throw it. Let let it loose. But he's a little careful with it. And then he holds it. And he looks for something else.

you know, because of the skills declining just a little bit, he can't always make the magic that he used to. Now, he was forced to play that way for a long, long time. So I think he's trying to break out of that. But I think with the getting older and age and what I saw in film last year, and remember the Matt LaFleur argument on the field early in the season? That's exactly what it was about. It was like, hey, there was a guy open.

You're Aaron Rogers. You could hit a fly on the wall. Cut it loose. Throw it. You can do it. And he's a little careful that way sometimes to not pull the trigger, and that can lead to sacks or throwing the ball away too many times. And I just wish Rogers would cut her loose a little bit more in that fashion.

It's a really good observation about the Matt Lafleur, Aaron Rogers' confrontation early. I also noticed in your top 10, people that I don't think are naturally gifted throwers. I don't think DAC has a great arm. Deshawn's not a gifted thrower. It was my knock at a Clemson. But you have them ranked very high. Now, Cam's got a hose. Cam's issue is not that.

But, you know, you have Dak and Deshawn higher than a lot of people would because they're not the classic tight spiral. I would say they're kind of B arms. But why do you have Deshawn as high as you do? Why do you have Dak that high? Well, I think Dak, I mean, first off with Deshawn, I think Deshawn's arm is better than you're giving it credit. And I'm not trying to disrespect you on your own show or anything.

But just having seen it in person, I don't think TV. he does it justice all the way with Deshaun Watson. I think because he can throw the ball with such ease and fluidity and smoothness that we think, oh, it's not moving at that fast of a pace. Now, where I'll totally agree with you, Colin, is, you know, there's some precision passing that Deshaun Watson needs to get better at. You know, he's not the greatest short game thrower, an intermediate passer all the time. For a guy is as smart and as talented he is, he takes too many sacks and throws the ball away too much at times. But, you know, again, you know, that's an offense that's had a crap offensive line, really only one go-to-wide receiver. And he can make

chicken salad out of chicken, you know what, a whole lot. And I'm big on that. Plus, in that offense, it's not always quarterback friendly. They push the ball down the field. They expect him to make 20 and 30-yard throws regularly. And to me, when nothing's there, he's one of the best off schedule players in football. So I put him there because I think he can play in any offense and he could carry just about any offense to fool you to think, hey, that team's pretty good. And I would go, yeah, but they got number four and he's great and he makes them look good. Prescott, I think you're spot on with a lot of what you said. It's not like a gifted special arm, but he is a good deep ball thrower. He does throw the ball pretty accurately. It's not like a whoa, wow, did you see that

throw. And then, you know, you've got to take into account the way, look at that play right there. The way he moves in the pocket and slides around, he's much better at doing those things than we want to give him credit for, plus the threat of him running, running off schedule and scrambling and bootlegs, but also the design runs they have for him, too. That's encompassing to what he brings to the offense. And I think because of that, yes, I think he's a top 10 quarterback in football. It might not wow you with sex appeal all the time. But he's big, he's tough, he has a good arm, he's a very good athlete. Size is a skill at the quarterback position because he's not affected by people around him in the pocket when people are grab at them or touching them.

He still can throw 20-yard throws down to throw and not be affected by that. So because of all those things, that's where I stand with Dak Prescott. Good arguments. Okay, so I made this argument. And you're perfect because you played in Tampa and I worked in Tampa. And I said that Boston is an academic, political and sports. hub. The Celtics compete against the Red Sox, compete against the Bruins, compete against the Patriots. It just, it feeds itself. It's prep school, academic, politics, it's intense. The weather's

intense. The people are intense. The arguments are intense. Tampa's the opposite. Tampa's Ybor City. Let's go and have cocktails. Let's get on the sailboat. Let's take Friday off. And I said, it's easy, it's easy for intense people to lighten up and go golf. It's hard to ask, laid back people to become Tom Coughlin and Tense. And I wonder with Tom and Tampa if it will be off-putting his intensity on a two-game losing streak,

his demands for a culture down there in football and lifestyle that is the opposite, the antithesis of Boston. Your thoughts? Well, I think you make a lot of great points, and I would agree with you and just about everything you said there.

You know, my thing I would add to it is just to go, well, Well, Tampa, that's exactly what you need. And that's why you, you know, I love the bucks, but that's why you've been irrelevant for a long time. Because you haven't had enough players or coaches or whatever it may be of that attitude and mindset that Tom Brady has. I mean, again, listen, look at what he's doing right now down there. You're right. He's going to hold that whole organization to a standard.

Hey, COVID-19, pandemic, whatever it is. Tom Brady's out there throwing footballs and leading guys out there on the practice field daily. That's what I respect about him. I mean, there's just no BS in him. And yeah, are there going to be days where I think the coaches and the organization have like, man, this guy is, he's tough to work with. He's demanding. He expects a lot out of us.

Yes, that's right. But it's going to make them a better football team when all said and done. And also the other angle I really like that he brings down there. You know, you always hear that Bruce Ariens, aggressive passing game, right, Colin? No risk it, no biscuit, all of that. Well, I think Brady is going to bring a little bit of. that New England short passing game along with it. And now you've got the combination of Bruce Ariens and some of that Bill Belichick,

Josh McDaniels stuff. And I think it's going to make that offense even more dangerous. So that's why I like the marriage there. And I think Tom is really the perfect guy to kind of give that poker in the butt to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization in general. Good stuff. Chris Sims, NFL analyst, NBC Sports, Pro Football Talk. You look great.

Say hi to your dad. Thanks for coming on, buddy. You're the man. You look great. too. I'll see you, big guy. My hair does it, but the rest is okay. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, in every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the 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 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

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

This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.