The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Jun 29, 2020

Episode Date: June 29, 2020

Cam Newton in New England will but fun but not that successfulBrady's absence will be felt off the fieldCam and Belichick have a really tough scheduleWhere Colin was right, where Colin was wrongGuests: Albert Breer, The MMQBAaron Jones, Packers RB 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. Ah, here we go. It is a Monday. We've got real NFL news live in Los Angeles. This is the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, we're on Fox Sports Radio. We are on FS1, one hour from now. One of my better Colin Wright, Colin was wrong. That is one one hour from now, top of next hour. Albert Breer later this hour from a New England perspective on signing Cam Newton. And Joy Taylor is joining me in a Monday.

Joy, how are you? I'm great. Wow, that was a little news to get in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. It's more interesting than Jared Stidham with the Patriot. I think I yelled a little bit. It's more interesting. It's wild. Yeah, it's fun.

I mean, we've said this before. I don't remember a time in my life where the NFL's had more. different types of quarterbacks, the big strong, the small runaround, the pocket guy, the old guy, the young guy, New England's going to be interesting. Now, I don't think Cam's going to take New England to a special place. And here's five or six reasons why. Number one, it's a very complicated system, and he has not taken a snap in it. Number two is he's not going to get all the snaps.

Jared Stidham is going to get a lot of snaps. Tom Brady wouldn't let his backup have snaps. Garrett Stidham's got fans in that locker room. Fans on that coaching staff. He's going to get some snaps. Number three is Dante Scarnackia, the best offensive line coach in the last 20 years, retired. And I don't think this is a great offensive line. Number four is New England doesn't have any deep threats.

I mean, one of the things about Cam, he's a home run hitter. You can not like Cam all the time. He's not the most efficient guy, but he's a home run hitter. They have no deep threats. Number five is they don't really have a workable tight end. tight ends. They drafted a couple. Tight ends generally struggle in the NFL first year. It's just one of those positions.

The blocking assignments are difficult. The offenses are more sophisticated. Let's be honest. This offense is built for like Brady. It's built for efficiency and detail. There are no two play drives. This is a 10 play drive, 11 play drive. Don't make a mistake.

You know, efficiency detailed. They don't have any game breakers. I mean, Patrick Mahomes. doesn't have to be great with details. He's going to get some cheap home runs with that offense between Andy Reed schemes and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelsey. There are some cheap touchdowns there. They just got guys beaten guys.

This New England offense, this is what drove Tom Brady nuts. It has to be meticulous and precise because nobody's, remember he was screaming last year? Get open. Separate. Nobody does. So this is kind of built for efficiency and details. and I just don't think that's Cam's game.

His career completion percentage is 59%. Brady is career completion percentage never went under 60. It's about 64, 65%. Now, I do think they're going to go from a boring 6 and 10 with Jared Stidham, not dynamic at all, to a more dynamic 8 and 8 and fun to watch. I'm in. I said after about two quarters of Stidham, I'm done with it. Oh, I'm totally in now.

They'll be like Cleveland. I don't know if they'll be good. be fascinating to watch it grow. But Cam's been in the NFL for nine years. If you're in the NBA nine years, the NHL nine years, the NBA, the MLS, I kind of know what you are. He's dynamic. He's not terribly efficient. But this is the thing that's going to be interesting. So in Carolina, he was the number one pick, and it had to work. And they really built everything around Cam. So every year they got offensive linemen that worked, running backs that work. Not that he was coddled, but at Auburn at junior college and at Carolina, the system was built for Cam.

He really was Panther football. I'm not even know, you know, I mean, he, for that period, he was Panther football. That's not the way it works here. They got a system. They won way more than Cam without him. There's no coddling. They're not building it for him. Here's our system.

Hope it works. that's not going to be easy for Cam. Now, I think he's talented enough that he'll just make plays. And I do think he did himself a huge favor working his ass off and putting videos every third day on the internet. It showed me, I'm committed, I want to get wins, I want to be a guy. I thought that was a real important sign of maturity from sometimes a quarterback that's not the most mature and the most focused. I thought in the last three months, I'm into it, I'm focused, I'm driving, I'm working out with Odell Beckham, I'm working out.

I think Belichick and guys looked at that and thought, all right, I'll roll the dice with that. That's the kind of commitment I want. But it's different now. Carolina, it was built to make it work. What kind of commitment does New England have? They're not giving them all the snaps. It's a one-year deal.

I mean, if I said to you, Cam Newton, New England, do you think? think it's a relationship in 10 years? No. Do you absolutely think it's a relationship in five years? I bet most of you say no. So when you go into any relationship, business, person-on-person relationship, what's the commitment going in? This feels like, yeah, it's some sizzle. It's fun. Here's a year. I think the best Cam Newton can do show he's healthy, show he's focused, add a little sizzle to kind of a rigid, not very dynamic offense. And then I think in a year from now, the market will open up for people. And they'll say, all right, he's 32 years old.

He looks like he's healthy. He will get better protection in New England that he got in Carolina because I think New England protects their quarterbacks. I don't know, better than any franchise I've seen ever. Like, that's what they do. I saw pictures yesterday of Cam Newton in a Patriot jersey. and there was like grass on it. And I'm like, oh, no, he won't hit the turf much.

No, I mean, this is what New England did with Tom Brady better than anything else. It wasn't always about great defenses. They didn't always have great defenses. It wasn't always great weapons. New England protects their quarterback. That's what they do. So Cam's going to get lots of opportunities, three and four seconds to make throws. But nobody's going to be open.

Nobody's going to be open deep. You're not getting much from the tight end position. I think it's an awkward fit, player to system. And I think it's a Hollywood marriage, a lot of fun and sizzle. It's not going to last real long. But, hey, I'm going to watch it. And I'm a consumer of football. But, I mean, if you look at Cam since the MVP Super Bowl year, you can just look at the numbers.

And that's where they were trying to get coordinators and coaches and players that work for him. Here, we don't care if it works for you. We got a guy if it doesn't work. We'll draft another guy next year if it doesn't work. come on in do your thing uh i think the winner here is cam newton if he can get the belichick seal of approval if he's healthy focused work hard win some games and belichick in the end says hey we really enjoyed cam this was great we really enjoyed it we got some other things we're looking at but we really enjoyed this relationship that's the win for cam it's not this job it's the job after

this job and I'm rooting for him. I actually am. Okay. So, New England. So New England, this is what they do. So news this morning I was going to lead about this story. The Patriots have been fined $1.1 million. They lost a third round draft pick next year. They can't have TV crews film any games next year. That was going to be my lead today. That was going to be the lead on undisputed, speak for yourself, first take, and every show and every network. That was going to be the lead story, which doesn't make Robert Kraft look very good, or the Patriots. And then 17 minutes after the Patriots learn that from the NFL, they signed Cam Newton.

And Cam Newton's a fun story. All you and I have been talking about with football since the draft is COVID stories. Cam's an actual player. He's polarizing. And it's kind of like a feel-good story, right? Like we all know Cam's good enough to start somewhere. I heard the story. I'm like, oh, that's fun.

I mean, I don't think Cam's ever been my kind of quarterback, but it's a fun story. It's an actual player playing for an actual great coach. And now that's the stories. I was driving in this morning. I bounced around all the stations. Nobody was talking about the $1.1 million fine in the draft pick. It was all Cam all the time. This is what New England does.

This is the funny thing about New England. And so, you know, like think about LeBron and the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have been a mess my whole life. But when LeBron showed up twice, he sort of added a refinement and a polish. And we forgot all that. The Cavs basketball. They're winners. They're winning games.

It winning series. And then LeBron leaves and they're back to being who they are. In fact, you can argue with the Lakers, they were a mess for seven years. And then LeBron came in and we all think, now, number one in the West, man, they really know what they're doing. Not really. It's not a brilliantly run over. organization. LeBron makes it look polished and refined. It's still kind of a mess. Brady is sort of aspirational. He's got sort of a Joel Osteen with a helmet quality.

Like it's make a better life for yourself and, you know, doesn't drink beer during the season. And he adds sort of a polish and a nice guy and a work hard. He's an overachiever. And he's a family guy. And he loves his kids. And he's kind of corny. He's kind of a suburban corny dad joke guy. But he added a polish to an organization that for the third time in 13 years sort of got caught cheating. But if you take the polish out of New England, not very likable.

Not very likable. I mean, Edelman got arrested this offseason. Belichick's grumpy with a hoodie. Robert Kraft had the Florida thing. Tom Brady and LeBron have an amazing question. that they just, beyond their great athletic skills, they add a certain gravitas or a sense of aspiration and greatness and polish and refinement.

The Lakers aren't well run right now. LeBron's great. The Cavaliers were never run well. LeBron was great. New England is about as likable as the Sopranos without Brady. I mean, it's like there's a lot of hoodies and a lot of grumpiness. and a lot of incidents and a lot of problems, and Edelman's in trouble, and Kraft got in trouble,

and Belichick just got his hand slapped, and Tom always made his think, well, I know, but Tom to the rescue, he was like a Captain America of football. You take him out, New England, just kind of look shady, right? I think they're going to miss that. I think they're going to miss. I think the calves miss LeBron, not just the basketball, all, but the organizational excellence and the, in the stature of LeBron, and the polish of LeBron,

always says the right stuff. New England lost their shield, their nice guy, their don't drink a beer during the season guy. And if not for Cam Newton, what would we be talking about this morning? Kind of shady again. They're going to miss that. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and New Needs. 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 athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boo? 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 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 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 yeah, yeah. Literally, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. 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. 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 Clifford Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rec, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.

I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King. Recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this.

At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So timing is obviously, you know, everything in life. It's a huge component to life. Just luck, just timing. Tom Brady has really got good timing. So Tom Brady, every year he was in New England,

it always felt like, I must have done this story 15 times. New England got a lucky schedule. Like it was always like, how's their schedules? They've won their division. It's the first place schedule. Tom Brady elects to leave. Cam Newton comes in. For the first time ever, New England has the toughest NFL schedule in the entire Belichick era.

Go look at New England's schedule next year what Cam would have to play. We've got to be fair with Cam here. So they play out of division. They play the Seahawks at the Chiefs, at the Seahawks, 49ers, Ravens, at the Texans, at the Rams. Last year, those teams had a combined record of 69 and 27. They also play out of their division the Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, and I think both Joe and I, well, I think some of this. I think those are the three most improved teams in the league this year.

I think Denver and the Chargers are going to look totally different. And I think the Rams have sort of solved their offensive line issues and the girly tension locker room issue. You've got to be kidding me. I mean, that's what, this is the toughest schedule in the NFL, according to the people who look at the winning percentages from last year. Plus, Brady, the entire time Brady was in the division. Buffalo, the Jets, Miami were running through coaches.

a lot of bad coaches. He leaves, and it looks like Sean McDermott, coach of the Bills, and Brian Flores, coach of the Dolphins, it kind of looks like, oh, finally, grown-ups. These guys are going to be around forever. We also now have Josh Allen, Darnold, and Tua, I think's going to pop. And the whole time Brady was there. It was a revolving door of coaches and just bad quarterback play.

And meanwhile, Tom, maybe this was a plan, He segues to a division where Carolina's in a rebuild. Atlanta's got a lame duck coach. And Drew Breeze has what, a year left, Daseham Hills, the next guy? Like maybe it's all planned by Tom. Maybe he looked at the schedule and went, whoo, at Seattle, at Kansas City, Ravens,

I got no weapons, I'm out of here. Or maybe Brady, as the greatest luck of any player of my life. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Let's bring in Albert Breer via the Coward Global Satellite Network, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Monday morning quarterback. So let's start with this.

Albert, how long was this in the works? Well, I can tell you that the Pagers have been making calls on him for a couple of months. It intensified over the last few days. But Bill Belichick talked to Norv Turner and some other coaches who've worked with Cam. I'd say in March and April. And it was sort of one of those things that was a slow burn on the table for them. And then I'd say over the last couple of weeks or so, some of the Patriots' offensive assistants started making calls on Cam.

And the people around Cam started to get the idea of this thing could happen. Does it mean New England's out on Jarrett Stidham? Not necessarily. I don't think they're going to hand the job to Cam Newton. That said, I think Cam's clearly the favorite for the job now. They're going to make them earn it. What's so fascinating about this, Colin, is they basically spent the entire off season preparing Jared Stidham to be the starter, putting him through all that, developing him as a young quarterback,

giving him personal attention. And now in the doorstep of training camp, they're giving him competition. They've got him under contract for another couple of years. They can continue to develop him. So in a lot of ways, this is sort of giving Stidham some competition. You see if he's ready. Chances are you're going with camp. Maybe he wows you.

doesn't. You've got a great answer for right now. And either way, you're throwing multiple darts of the dartboard. Don't forget, that's how the Seahawks found Russell Wilson 10 years ago. They struck out on a lot of guys, Pete Carroll and John Schneider did before they found Wilson, guys like Matt Flynn, Charlie Whitehurst. That's basically what the Patriots are doing now. They're throwing multiple darts at that quarterback dart board. So I'll tell you where I'm not pessimistic, but I have questions. This offense does not have a deep threat. doesn't really have a proven tight end. I don't think it's one of the more talented O-lines

and Dante Scarnacchio retired. It is not an offense built for easy touchdowns. It is going to need 11 play drives, no fumbles, no penalties. Now, Cam is dynamic, but he has not always been consistent and efficient. It feels a little bit like you're asking Cam to be what he's not, instead of saying, hey, be yourself, you know, do what you do, be dynamic. I don't think they have the pieces around him, regardless of how good Cam is, to be special. Is that a fair devil's advocate take?

This is going to test them, Colin. And I get all of your points, right? I'm going to take you back two years to 2018. The Patriots were looking at Lamar Jackson. They really liked Lamar Jackson. They toyed with the idea of drafting Lamar Jackson. Part of the discussion in that room was we would really need to blow up what we are offensively and what we've been offensively for almost two decades.

to make this work for Lamar Jackson. Go back two years before that. Look at what they did for Jacoby Berset. You may remember, he started on a Thursday night. Basically, on three days notice, they were able to flip their offense upside down and run a totally different offense to accommodate Jacobi Berset.

They beat the Houston Texan 16 to nothing that night. And so I get all the points that you're making. No one is better at tailoring a offense or a defense to what he's got on each side of the ball than Bill Belichick is. We've seen it at just about every other position on the field. We haven't seen it so much at quarterback. Now we'll get to see it at quarterback. But I promise you, if Cam Newton's the starter,

the Patriots are going to look a lot different offensively than they have the last 20 years with Tom Brady. So the Cam Newton announcement came, you know, 17 minutes after the cheating, the fuzzy, shady situation with the filming of the Bengals practice. the skeptic in me says they kind of did that on purpose, right? Yeah, I don't think you're, I don't think you're way off base there. I think there was probably some attention there. You know, look, like I even believe their story.

Like, I think this was an honest mistake. But if you're the New England Patriots, Colin, what is the one piece of equipment that you cannot be caught doing anything nefarious with? The cameras. It's a video camera. This is like the Astros getting caught doing something with a drum, right? So I think the league looks at this and has to say, well, we got to do something here. And I think what's most interesting about it, look, the $1.1 million penalty is certainly significant,

even if it is a drop in the bucket for Robert Kraft. I think the draft pick part of this is really, really important because the Patriots had pushed for this to be seen as sort of a non-football violation by adding the draft pick in. They are basically telling Patriots football operations, you are responsible for this. So that was sort of the interesting twist there. I do believe on the surface that this was an honest mistake. And I also understand where the league has to come down on them for this because of their history.

By the way, DeMoris Smith, Players Association president says the Tom Brady stuff, the Russell Wilson stuff working out is not healthy. To that, I would say it may not be healthy, but it is about winning. And Russell Wilson and Tom Brady, this is who they are, man. They're driven cats. I mean, what are you hearing behind the scenes? Is the league really bothered by it? or is it one of these eye rolls like they want to pretend like they're bothered? I mean, I think it's, you know, basically a message to the public that we are taking this

seriously, the same way the protocols were. You know, you got those nine pages of training camp protocols. And I think a lot of the teams said, well, this is basically a press release. This is a signal to the public that they're taking COVID very, very seriously and that we're all going to have to adjust as we go. But some of the stuff and the protocols weren't practical. And it's also probably not practical in such a competitive environment. to tell quarterbacks not to gather all of their skill position players, people in one place and get to work if they know everybody else is working.

And this is happening everywhere. We saw Dak do it earlier in the offseason. Matt Stafford has done this a couple of times. Matt Ryan, I'm telling you, Colin, basically ran a nine-week off-season program for the Falcons in both California and Florida. And most recently, Kyler Murray paid for all the Cardinal skill position players to fly to Dallas. they all worked out at his high school, Allen High School, for a few days. So this is happening across the NFL. It's such a competitive environment.

I think the NFL knows there's no stopping it, but they have to at least signal to the public that they are taking these things serious. By the way, when does Cam report to New England? He goes, NFC to AFC, warm weather to cold weather, a totally different environment. When's you going to show up in New England? Well, he would, the report date for quarterbacks is going to be a few days before the report date for everybody else. Patriots open on the first Sunday of the regular season and all the teams that start on that

first Sunday have a report date of July 28th. So July 28th would be the veteran report date. My guess would be that Cam Newton would be in probably sometime less than a week before that. Yeah, he's going to look so different in a Patriot uniform. It's just crazy. Albert, great stuff. Monday morning quarterback lead strategist covered the NFL for 15 years. Thanks, but appreciate it. All right, thanks, thanks Colin. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand

whenever you'd like. All right, Colin right, Colin wrong. I'm plenty of both on a Monday. Oh, is it this time? Here we go. Where Colin was right? Well, clearly Jarrett Stidham is not blowing everybody away despite what everybody has claimed

for the last six months, even people I like. Listen, they wanted to bring back Tom Brady at 43 off his worst year in a long time and they brought in Cam for a reason. Velichick seen every snap of Jared Sidham. He's obviously not blown away by it. I watched Stidham in college. He was okay. 18 touchdowns at Auburn.

They had plenty of NFL guys on the O-line running back, tied end-end and wide receiver. He's fine. My guess is Jared Stiddle will end up being a career backup. But all this chatter and talk about how great he was, Belichick keeps telling you how great he thinks he is, and that ain't much. Where Colin was wrong. Cam Newton in New England doesn't feel like an ideal fit. I think it's interesting, and I'm in the interesting business.

I would have, this just didn't. A lot of people suggested this, by the way. I just never bought into it. It just didn't feel like a right fit. New England's system is kind of rigid, details, efficiency, low turnover, win by defense. You know, Cam's dynamic and a risk taker and a big arm, and it doesn't feel like he fits them or their personnel fits his style.

I mean, they don't have a cheap touchdown on that roster. So it's a weird fit, but it's a fit, and I was wrong. Where Colin was right? I am a big believer in. the 49ers, and I love hyper-aggressive teams. And last week, they went after Jamal Adams of the Jets, reportedly two different sources. Niners would like to make a deal for the star safety for New York. Listen, they have been aggressive on Jimmy Garoppolo. They sign him before anybody bought into him. They've been aggressive with Trent Williams. They're aggressive now with DeForest Buckner.

They moved him. Aggressive wins, and the 49ers not only play aggressively, they operate aggressively. I think John Lynch has come in. And much like John Lynch, was as a player and I covered him. John blew stuff up and apologized later. And San Francisco's taken a wildly aggressive stance on how to run a franchise and I really love it. Where Colin was wrong.

I like this, but I'm shocked by it. Major League Baseball for the next 60 games in the postseason will allow a runner to start at second base and extra innings. It is gimmicky, it is sticky. I'm for it, but this is a sport that's paralyzed by tradition, that struggled for years to get instant replay right, and for them to go, yeah, we're going to do this thing that we tried it in the minor league, so we're just going to start a guy at second base,

so we don't have these 17-inning, laughably inane baseball games in the middle of a week where the game ends at 1.45 in the morning, I don't think it's a bad idea. I don't think the universal DH is surprising. That was going to happen eventually. Baseball guys were coming to terms with its 15 more jobs for sluggers and old, well-known players. D.H. should be in baseball. Who wants to watch pitchers hit?

It's awful. It's like watching punters pass. What's the point? Where Colin was right? Zion Williamson, what do you know? He got the easiest schedule in the NBA. Well, what do you know? Zion Williamson also will be the first game.

back on July 30th. Who's going to be in it? Not the Lakers. Zion Williamson. You ever notice how the critics got very quiet on Zion? They were just picking him apart. He can't shoot. He's not big enough.

He's not ready to this. Here's what he is. A star. Unique body. Unique game. Unique power. He's just a fascinating kid. And he was so incredibly likable at Duke.

I mean, we all knew he was. was going to last one year. And he came out and said, no, I'm going to play through my injury. And I'd really come back and play another year. I love college basketball. But everybody tells me I got to go pro. You can't define Star. I mean, like Magic Johnson, the game, the name helped.

Some guys just pop. Other guys are good, but don't pop. The NBA gets it. Let's get them into these games. Let's get them up first. Let's highlight him. Let's put them on television. Nothing against Brandon Ingram.

But that's not why they're playing first at Zion. where Colin was wrong. Not the only real criticism I've ever had of Adam Silver. I think sometimes he needs to be more defiant and stronger. And I've heard he is behind the scenes, but I thought he did a Roger Goodell move, and I actually liked it last week, and it surprised me.

He came out and he said, listen, COVID-19 is with us for the foreseeable future. We are left with no choice but to learn and live with it. No options are risk-free. We're very comfortable. in Orlando. And some media people won't like it and some players won't like it. But this is exactly what the NFL is doing. We're going to roll the dice. It's not perfect, but these are world-class athletes. And if they do get COVID, we've got the doctors, we've got the therapeutics. We cannot,

we're not built to shut down the league. And by the way, if the league got shut down, it would be horrible for the players. The cap would plummet. The NBA owners have a right. If this season's canceled to rip up the CBA and start over. You want to have another lockout? You don't want to, I mean, LeBron James is the face of the league. You want him not playing now and not playing next year. You got to be strong. You've got to be defiant.

The chance of a player getting critically ill is incredibly low and life is full of risk. And I applaud being wrong and Adam Silver being strong on that. Where Colin was right. LeBron and Maverick Carter on the cover of Bloomberg business, a $100 million deal for Spring Hill Entertainment. This is called the mogul stage. I've been told by somebody close to LeBron, he loves L.A., he's never moving from L.A., that it's a perfect fit for him, and though he's never loved basketball more, the ability to make deals is exactly why he moved to Los Angeles, where the big financiers in the cities have all opened up their ears and their wallets to him.

this is exactly why he didn't choose the Sixers who had a better roster. For the record, I don't think the Lakers are very well run right now. I still think there's all sorts of issues, but this is exactly why we thought the Lakers was the best fit. Where Colin was wrong. I've always defended Adam Gase of the Jets. I think he's smart. I think he's intense.

He had a winning record with Ryan Tannihill in Miami, 13 and 11, and he had a winning record last year with Sam Darnold, who had no help and monomone. and the roster stinks. But boy, is he toxic? Greg Williams last week does not respect him enough to hide during the Jamal Adams contract situation. Greg Williams, let me talk, ask me questions.

Oh, yo, yo. Jamal Adams is leaking stuff and firing shots at him. Listen, I think he and Darnold work. I think he's demanding and intense, and I think he's a really smart football guy. I think he's got a lot of Kyle Shanahan. but maybe because I like him, I don't see the toxicity as much. But, I mean, he just, they're just certain people that drive other people crazy.

And this guy's got a lot of enemies in that locker room and around this league. Where Colin was right? I've always thought the fitting conclusion to this DAC situation is a franchise tag. He's the perfect franchise tag quarterback. Last year, he did not play well down the stretch. He did not play well against good teams. I think he was one in six against playoff teams. Let's see him with McCarthy for a year.

Well, we got two weeks left, and there is no more chatter from Cowboy Insiders of a contract. I have been hearing about a contract for a year and a half, and I've been saying the entire time, Dallas pays everybody. We know the numbers here. Show me the money. I'm not interested in anything else. Two weeks left now, and it's a franchise tag.

And I think this is inevitable. I think it's the right move. I don't think it's a shot at DAC. I think there's concerns in the building that the league seen him and there's limitations. I actually do think he's going to play pretty well with Mike McCarthy and probably get a really tasty long-term deal. But as of now, I'm right on the contract, which has not materialized. Where Colin was right?

Nobody manipulates rules and the league quite like the Patriots. 17 minutes after New England was tagged with a million point one dollar fine, they signed Cam Newton. This is so New England, it hurts. They knew this was going to be the story on every talk show, which is not good for Robert Kraft and the brand. So Robert Kraft says, anyway, you could get this off the front page of every newspaper in America. And what did the Patriots do? It's just a crazy, wacky coincidence. they signed Cam Newton.

Now, I think they were going to sign Cam Newton anyway, according to reports. But 17 minutes after the story is handed down, it's just so patriots. They, they, I'm not saying it's, they just manipulate everything. Cameras and rules and footballs and just what they do. 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. 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.

SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and 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. But we've got to do 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 all 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, 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, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the I-Heart 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 that. 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. Oh, cream of 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 Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the I-Fart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Aaron Jones of the Packers, not only great, he has a fascinating story. His parents, Alvin and Burgess, have been two military sergeants. Almost 60 years combined time in the service.

He's lived everywhere. So going from U-TEP to Green Bay, not culture shock, he actually is joining us now be the Coward Global Satellite Network, tied in the NFL last year with Christian McCaffrey for 19 touchdowns. So just to introduce you to our audience, we obviously know you the football player. You come in a military background. You lived in Germany for three years. So you were telling something, tell me something off there.

So when did you live in Germany? And just tell me something about the experience. From when I was two to five, I lived there. Me and my twin brother went to a German daycare. So we became fluent in German. We would go to the grocery store and we were translated from my parents. And so it was pretty fun. When we got back to the United States, it was only me and my brother and the family who knew German.

And so we were speaking amongst each other, but there was really no German tutors around at the time, so we kind of lost it. Well, and then your dad, your parents like retire, and they start a marketing company because they want to promote you to the recruiting services. So you're not getting recruited by the big dogs, by Texas, Oklahoma. You go to U-TEP, you smash all their records, and you still drop to the fifth round of the Packers,

even though you had 4,000 yards at U-TEP, most rushing yards in the history of the program. So you have been overlooked. You were overlooked in recruiting. You were overlooked in college. You were overlooked in the NFL. Has that given you a little chip on your shoulder as an NFL player? I mean, I've had a chip ever since I was little.

I mean, coming up, I mean, you know, as a kid, you want to go to those Army All-American games, those Under Armour All-American games. You're not even getting a look. Then you feel like you could play with the best players in the country. You don't even have stars and you look up to have five stars. And that just keeps adding to the chip on your shoulder. And you don't forget those things and you let it show in your play. And you just continue to work and your time will come.

You know, it's interesting. When I watch you run, I don't know if I see anybody else. I think you have your own style. I think you're hard to bring down and you've got a burst. When you were starting, when you took the ball when you were six years old, you're a little boy. You want to be a running back. Was there a running back or something like, I don't see anybody else. I think your style, like if you were a silhouette and you didn't have a jersey on,

you have a unique style, is there somebody you patterned after? I mean, my favorite running back growing up was Emmett Smith. But, I mean, I watched a lot of running backs over the time, Damien Thomas, and who else? I'm drawing a blank right now. Jamal Charles, sorry, Marshall Falk. watched numerous amount of people. So I think I kind of try to take a little bit of everybody's game.

And I know speed kills and you get vertical quick and defense plays on lines and different things like that. So you get vertical. You'll always have a chance. Well, the other thing, Aaron is, and you're very unique. Some guys can taste the end zone. You had 30 touchdowns are senior in high school. You were a touchdown machine at El Paso. even with Aaron Rogers throwing to Devante Adams, you're a touchdown machine in the NFL.

You've got to feel for it and a taste for it. When you went from U-Tap to Green Bay, that's a culture shock for most people, but you obviously felt very comfortable, very quickly in Green Bay. Take me back to your rookie year. You go to the smallest professional sports city in America. It's cold. It's isolated. But it worked for you. you immediately feel like this is family and I fit?

Definitely. I mean, you get the college feel from it being such a small city and everything there is about football and you just feel the love from everybody and then I always have my parents coming up there. And so it just felt like home and it still feels like home. And I love it there and the people there get me going. So I've been critical from time to time of Aaron Rogers and people think I don't like him.

And I say he's a Hall of Fame or he's first ballot. He's very unique. But he's very, very demanding. And so you go to your first camp with Aaron Rogers. He probably barked at you a few times because he barks at everybody and he's smart and he's demanding. But it's interesting. If you go back to your very first year there, again, it looked like you and Aaron connected on some level. He trusted you.

Take me back to your first year with Aaron. I wouldn't even say demanding. I would say he just expects you to be professional. He knows what everybody else is doing on the field from every receiver to offense alarm into running back to what the O-line call is and what blitz is coming. So he expects you just to know your job so the office can run smoothly. So that's the only expectation he puts on you. So he's a great leader, a great teammate.

And he has an eye for guys who are ready to come in and work and about their business. And that's what I did. I just came in and was about my business, put my head down and worked. in practice just kept gaining his trust, trying to make as many plays as I didn't practice. So when it did come game time, he knew he could trust me or call my number. So was there a moment? So you come from, you're a fifth rounder, you come from El Paso. And then all of a sudden you go to the NFL.

And the party is probably like, I think I can play here. I'm really good, but I don't know. Like a lot of fifth rounders don't make it in the NFL. When was the first moment in camp or a game that you knew? I'm going to make this team. I'm going to make it in the NFL. I'm going to be an NFL football player. When Devonte Adams came up to me and he was like,

we had drafted three backs at the time in my class. And he comes up to me and say, you're my dark horse. Don't so many people on the team who got you as winning the competition, but I got you. Coming from him, I mean like, man, this is our best receiver on the team, one of the best receivers in the league.

And he's telling me this, he sees something in me. And then when I stepped on the field, I think it was week four against Chicago. To take my first offensive snap, ARO told me, I'm one of your biggest fans in this organization. You got your opportunity now make the most of it. And I just took those words and I ran with it because, like he said, when you get your opportunity, you have to make the most of it because you never know when the next opportunity will come. Okay. Now, how are you staying in shape?

I mean, you could sit in a treadmill all day and lift weights. But do you feel that if you compared this year, Aaron, to last year at this time, are you in reasonably close shape to a year ago? I'm in better shape. I mean, I have a go. I had a nasty taste in my mouth since we lost to Santa France. So I've just been continuing to work. I'm out here in the desert, so I got sand hills.

I got everything I need here. So I just continue to work and work on my craft and try to help. my team get to the Super Bowl next year. Yeah, what a total pro. Tell me about the pandemic. Has anybody in your family been affected? What's kind of your, I mean, obviously you, in amazing shape, are one of the handful of Americans that probably would be asymptomatic or suffer very little.

Just you're an elite American athlete. But family, has it hit your family? Do you know anybody? Are you a little uncomfortable going to camp? It hasn't hit anybody in my family. we've been taking the right measures and steps to avoid it. Just being a healthy clean of your hands every day when you come in and taking showers, just different things like that.

I do feel comfortable playing, but I trust the NFL to get it right. And they'll know when the time is right. But like I said, I'm excited to play. I'm ready to get back on the field. Now, now you spoke German and then you stop speaking it, but I have to believe you remember some German, right? Like, could you say, hi, Colin. Thanks for having me on the show in German.

I do not remember any German. Okay. Hello, how much is I can speak a little Spanish. I'm here in El Paso now. A little Spanish, poikito. There you go. Well, congratulations to you. Now, when do you head up to Milwaukee?

When do you head up to Green Bay? July 28. You look like you're in shape to me, bud. It's great meeting you. Yes, sir. Congratulations. Great story, and thank you so much for coming on our show. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, 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 was 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 offers. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. Before it was a wild year. 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 and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.