The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Jun 30, 2020

Episode Date: June 30, 2020

The media is overreacting to the Cam Newton signingKevin Durant made an awful decision to join the NetsLeBron knows the Lakers need massive roster upgradesColin ranks his top ten AFC QBsGuests: Peter Scharger, FOX NFL ReporterLincoln Riley, Oklahoma Head Coach 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,

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

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Ah, here we go. It is a, what, Tuesday? They're all mixing together. Live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Where does Cam rank right now among all the AFC quarterbacks? That's in one hour. Joy Taylor is joining me. Peter Schrager later this hour. Joy, how are you? I'm great. It feels like we're inching closer. It does. The cam thing put me in a good mood yesterday.

Did you see the video he released last night? Yeah. It was really good. It really got me pumped up to watch him. You know, he's the king of content right now. No, it's really, really good. His production company. I want to start with that.

We have a president that attacks the media, and believe it or not, I've been in the media 25 years. I've never been in the media. Anybody's wanted to make up stories. I'm just telling you, that's the world I've lived in, People work hard. Now, the media has biases because they're human and you have biases too. It's amazing how often I hear it. Well, you like Russell Wilson.

You have a bias. And I'm thinking he has the second highest passer rating in the history of the game. He's really good. You're from New York. You think the jets are relevant. The bottom line is fans have far greater bias than media does. But media does have bias and needs to acknowledge it. And I've said so often the media bias.

is the stories in which they choose to cover, not how they cover them. And that's why I do right and wrong. That's why I tell you. Like, I like Sam Darnold. I like him better than Baker because I think he's more of a grown-up, and I'd rather coach Sam Darnold than Baker. I just laid it right out for you. So I can eliminate the buy it.

You know what I'm thinking. So it's funny about Cam Newton. The media's perception of Cam going to New England is a revolution. What Vegas thinks is he's slightly better than Jared Stinson. I'm not joking. According to Fox bet, the Patriots over or under win total went from nine with Brian Hoyer and Jared Stidham to nine and a half. Schedule didn't change.

By the way, they think he's going to throw it for 3,200 yards. That was what Gardner Minshu threw for last year in 12 games. They think he's going to have 22 touchdowns. That's tied for 16th in the NFL with Ryan Tannehill. and Tennessee took the ball away from him. Cam's a great story. The dab, the Heisman, he's good looking. He's on commercials.

He's polarizing. I mean, he's just interesting. He's very interesting. Cam's interesting. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying he's not talented, but he's more interesting than talented nine years in the NFL. Take out his worst in his best year.

And I've always said that about Matt Ryan. Take out Matt Ryan's MVP year. Take out his rookie year. he's B. That's what he is. That's what Matt Ryan is. He's B. It's a good B. Good B. B, not A. A couple years ago, you were arguing, he was better than Brady and Aaron Rogers. I'm not joking. I had to fight that off. But the betting market and the NFL market sees Cam as not extraordinary. The media is, this is a revolution. This is going to change everything. Never forget. If Belichick really wanted Cam, he wouldn't have waited until everybody else passed on him. This was really a value acquisition as much as a talent acquisition. He was free. New England's paying three quarterbacks, $9 million. The Bears are paying Nick Foles the next two years, $21 million guaranteed.

That's not that Belichick doesn't think he's good. Cam's 2-0 against New England. I watched the Carolina New England game last night on the NFL network. It was incredibly entertaining, and Cam was terrific for most of it. Brady came back, tied it, and then Carolina won. But Belichick's seen him. Belichick's lost to him twice. Cam played really well, even in Foxborough.

So Bill likes him. But he just waited for the market to do their thing and then said, let's go for it. But I find it fascinating when it comes to Cam. Think about it. Last year, Tom Brady, same group of players that Cam's going to play with. In fact, Nikiel Harry should be better. Tom Brady, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions,

4,100 yards and won 12 games. But the media was bored with the story. We were bored with it. We never talked about him last year. I mean, Tom was not as a shot fighter. He's done. Those are significantly better numbers than what Vegas and the NFL market predicts on Cam Newton.

And by the way, a story came out yesterday. The Browns were the only other team than the Patriots to talk to Cam Newton. And it was one phone call. That's according to Adam Schaefter, who usually knows his stuff. I would have paid to watch Cam and Baker. I would have paid for that. I'd have paid thousands of dollars. to watch that for six weeks.

This is not that Cam isn't talented. And it's not that it's not interesting. But the difference between the betting market and the NFL coaching market and the media is so substantial on Cam Newton. Vegas Fox Bet sees him as slightly upgrading, not only the football team, but the quarterback position. Speaking of biases.

When LeBron James left Cleveland, oh, he got destroyed by the media. Crushed. I remember there was a writer named Scott Rob, R-A-A-B, annihilated him, vicious, mean-spirited. Because the story was, you know, the media loves the underdog. LeBron James, arrogant. How dare he leave beloved Cleveland? Cleveland had a bad owner, a bad GM, a horrible roster. LeBron was literally carrying this piano on his back for seven years,

somehow getting them to the Eastern Conference finals. And LeBron, outrageously, while donating seven figures to Boys and Girls Club in Connecticut, had the audacity to call a press conference, sweating and announced, yeah, I'm going to Miami, the outrage of it all. You know, going to Pat Riley, Mickey Eras, Aqual Water, a great franchise, Sun during the winter, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosch, the audacity of it.

LeBron was a villain for a year, and the media just stoked it and stoked it and stoked it. It was bad. I mean, I went two years bagging on the media for that. But LeBron was a villain. We like Kevin Durant. He got hurt. He's a nice kid.

He's got a great story at that press conference with his mom when he cried. very likable guy. One year ago today, Kevin Durant made a decision. It was a horrible decision. He left warm weather, a new arena, Steve Kerr, a great GM, Steph Curry, Clay Thompson. One year today, a one year anniversary of Kevin Durant leaving Golden State. And what is Brooklyn?

Kyrie Irving has gotten the first head coach fired. DeAndre Jordan has COVID. He decided, I'm not going to Orlando, and he's joining Wilson Chandler. I don't blame guys for not going. The Nets currently also have an interim head coach. And they were 500 when Kyrie didn't play and 8 and 12 when he did. Just put up the leaderboard. He left Steve Kerr for TBD.

Steph Curry for a guy, Kyrie Irving, that wants to start his own league. A winning culture to the opposite of that, and a national brand to won, by the way, that's second and its own market. And two years ago was last in the NBA in attendance. Meanwhile, Golden State's going to get the number one pick in the lottery and the T-Wolves pick. And they've got a great trading piece in Andrew Wiggins. And they have the best scoring back court in the history of the league, which took off a ton of pressure from Kevin Durant. And, oh, by the way, Clay and Steph are about the easiest stars in my life. lifetime to play with. Not that Durant's not easy to play with, but Kyrie's not. Again, the media.

People were brutal to LeBron James for the decision. He left Dan Gilbert for Pat Riley. He left Ohio for Miami. He left the Cavs roster for a top 50 player ever, D. Wade, maybe top 25. And Chris Bosch. LeBron's decision was brilliant. LeBron's decision. decision was because he was trapped. LeBron didn't have the teammate. He didn't have the coach. He didn't have the owner. He didn't have the city. He tried to talk Chris Bosch and go into Cleveland. He wouldn't come.

And he went to Miami and won a bunch of titles and was in four straight finals. It was a great move by LeBron. Well, I didn't like the way he do it. Get over it. You've moved for jobs. We all move. We're all mobile. Get over it.

But it's funny to start my show today. The media's perception of Cam and the betting market's perception of Cam and the media is vilifying LeBron James for a brilliant move and kind of giving Katie a pass on one year ago today he went to the Nets. Don't have a coach.

One guy wants to start his own league. Players bowing out in Orlando. This is one year in. And Katie's coming off, I would argue, a really tough injury where more than ever, he could have used stability, Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, Traymond Green, that lottery pick, Clay Thompson, more than ever,

more pressure on him to carry it when he would have a perfect situation with less to carry in Golden State. But the media's got their biases. They root for the better story, at least the sports media. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the 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, 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 SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio 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 Bush got to do a little bit? Kim. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick 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 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 this. table right now. Thank you 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 Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationship. 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 lonely. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Sunday, the decision. Don Van Notte, great journalist, did a story on the Bronner. decision. And, you know, it got everybody worked up. I never understood it. I really disagree with the late David Stern. I just never understood it. But, I mean, one of the things I say this is, you know, unlike Michael Jordan, when Michael

Jordan left the Bulls, the Bulls were still a really good basketball team. They won two games less than the regular season. Now, over time, they missed his strength, his willfulness, his leadership, his IQ, and they started to unravel by the second year he was gone until he came back from baseball. But LeBron leaves teams, they're man overboard. He left Cleveland twice, man overboard. He left Miami and Pat Riley, one of the smartest guys in the history of the league, man overboard. If he left the Lakers, you do realize they'd be man overboard.

I mean, they really would. I mean, what did Anthony Davis do with good teammates like Drew Holiday? What did he do in New Orleans? He won a single playoff series. The Lakers are not well run. LeBron's great. And it's a prime example. If you look at the roster this morning, J.R. Smith is now going to be part of the roster.

I just roll my eyes out of it. Here we go again with LeBron. The roster is LeBron James, Anthony Davis, who's never hit a huge NBA shot, although he's super talented. So let's take LeBron and Anthony Davis out of it. We know they're really, really good. After that, it's going to be Contavius Caldwell Pope. He's been in the league long enough. I'm not going to trust them at a big spot.

Kyle Kuzma's talented. But again, there's some immaturity issues wildly inconsistent. I like Danny Green. I actually like Danny Green. 33 years old, knees a little shot. And then it's just a bunch of guys you don't want with a ball in their hands. You know, Rajon Rondo, Howard Caruso, McGee, Morris, Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook. These are not guys you want latent games with a ball in their hand to win to game or control your outcome.

And, you know, it got me thinking LeBron's always done a really good job to observe what's around him. Like smart people, he kind of watches the NBA, where's it trending? LeBron got into the three-point shot 10 years ago in Cleveland. He started shooting three-point shots at the end of his Cleveland run. Then by the time he got to Miami, it was starting to take over. the league and he was becoming an elite three-point shooter. He's always had an exceptional understanding of the big picture of the NBA. If you look right now, he doesn't even have to look far.

In his own building, if you put the Clippers and Lakers rosters together and said, give me the 10 best players, I have LeBron 1, Kauai 2, Anthony Davis, 3, Paul George, 4, and then five straight clippers. Lou Williams, Montrez, Harold, Landry Shomet, Marcus Morris, the better Morris brother, Patrick Beverly and Danny Green. I don't have Kuzma because I've never seen Kuzma hit a shot. I've never seen Kyle Kuzma. I just don't know and I think Schemetz a better player.

So, you know, you can argue about Kyle Kuzma. Danny Green, the age, he and Patrick Beverly, 9, 10, you could argue that. So what does it tell you? So LeBron comes to Los Angeles and pretty much bails on the young guys. Don't blame him. LeBron's at a point in his career. He's not going to try to teach you how to play basketball. You've got to meet him.

So now that Avery Bradley has left, one of the two-way guys that LeBron loves, look at this roster. Look at this current roster. What does it tell you? LeBron's going big game hunting this offseason. They're not going to mess around with this nonsense. I'll get out in front of this story, and I don't know if it could happen. But the guy I keep telling you, LeBron's going to go after is Bradley Biel. I love Bradley Biel.

I think he's wasting his career in Washington. I've been told LeBron loves Bradley Beale. Bradley Beal is a perfect LeBron guy. Plays both ends, smart, spacing, shooting, works really hard, totally committed, total adult, wasting his career on the other coast. But when you look at the J.R. Smith here, Avery Bradley gone. I look at this roster and I think. Who is LeBron outside of Anthony Davis?

Going to want to feed the ball to maybe Danny Green in the corner. This is once again, LeBron put the piano. on my back. They're going big game hunting the minute this season ends. 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. Everybody tells me, you know, now I've been told for years with Cam is he's tough. He plays hurt all the time. That part, you can't deny it. And he does have a lot of fans in the locker room. So what does Schreger say? Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz the best or nothing. Peter

Schreger, Fox Sports NFL reporter. via the Coward Global Satellite Network. All right, Shrages, let's start with this. I am a guy that looks at the betting market with presidential campaigns. Joe Biden's now the favorite. I trust the betting market. And they say, Cam is half a win more than Jared Stidham.

That's what the market says. So is the media overreacting to what football people are saying, which is they're better, but maybe they'll be more interesting than significantly better with Cam? Why do I love coming on your show? Because you voice the opinion of a lot of people around the league that is not a popular opinion in the media and on TV. I know everyone says that the Patriots game the system. The Patriots win again.

The Patriots did it. I had an opposing executive at a team that has a quarterback say, did the Patriots game the system that on June 25th their starting quarterback was supposed to be Jared Stidham, a fourth round second year player who no one has ever seen? or is it the Patriots were the only team that really made sense for Cam Newton, and he makes sense for them to play for them, and vice versa for him to have the chance of being a starting quarterback. There was no way that Bill Belichick was going to go in with Jared Stidham and the possibility of a potential four and 12 or six and ten season. He doesn't want a tank.

I can tell you that from the Patriots, folks. At no point was Belichick looking to just consider this season a wash and roll the dice. Cam Newton makes sense. They get him on a one-year deal, but for the 30 teams in the league, that have their starting quarterbacks and are solidified at that position and know what they had, it wasn't like they were banging down the door to sign Cam Newton even for the one-year deal. It didn't make sense for those teams. So yeah, it's a good fit and we'll see what happens and he's

likely going to be the starter week one. But I don't think a lot of teams are like, oh, man, they stole Cam from us. No, Cam Newton was on the market for four months and no one picked him up. Yeah, I mean, here's the way I look at it. Chicago, Ryan Pace, rushed into Nick Foles and he's got $21 million he's got to pay him. And Belichick was patient and said, okay. I think New England tends to never be desperate, and I think in this situation. Here's what's interesting with Cam, though. And I'll throw you my theory out, is that next year, they're going to go get the future

of their franchise at quarterback. Justin Fields, mobile. Trevor Lawrence, mobile. The kid at North Carolina State. Trey Lance, I think his name is, super mobile. That they're taking Cam and saying, we're going to draft the quarterback next year with so many of Cam's skills. Why not figure out what works in this offense we have not run in 20 years?

So let's go with Cam for a year and see how this mobile quarterback RPO stuff works. Is that a crazy theory? No, it's not a crazy theory. Also, Stidham, incredibly mobile. Stidham could be that guy and maybe you just don't want to go in, you know, sight on scene. Let's go week one with Stidham under center. Maybe it's Cam and Stidham.

So I think that's a good assessment. Look, Josh McDaniels has had Tom Brady all of these years. When he had Tebow, it was a mobile. offense in Denver. When he had other quarterbacks, like Garapolo, they could show some things that they couldn't do with Tom Brady. I look at that coaching staff. It's not just going to be Belichick and Cam Newton. It's Josh McDaniels, who's very well respected in offensive circles, and a guy that you know from UCLA and Manhattan Beach and the Jaguars and, of course, the last couple years working with the Rams, Jed Fish is going to play a big role in trying to see what they can do with a mobile quarterback,

which Jedfish does have a history of that. Back to Blake Bortles and maybe Josh Rosen a little bit, what they didn't sort of UCLA, and what Jared Gough did in that Sean McVey offense. It's not just going to be Belichick and Cam Newton sitting in a laboratory. There is a lot of all hands on deck here to show that maybe with a mobile quarterback and some of the QB Waggle, QB bootleg stuff, that this Patriots offense could look a lot different than it did the last few years.

No. That could be a very good offense that we're not ready for. Yeah, no, it's been an interesting market. And I do think Cam's a fascinating guy. and I think his videos yesterday. I actually think Cam putting out videos constantly was really smart and really effective. And it made me want him to get signed. I was like, oh, God, Cam's in shape.

And I watched the Cam against the Patriots game last night in the NFL network. It was great, by the way. The NFL is the only sport. I can watch a three-year-old game, and I couldn't turn it off. And Cam was spectacular in the third quarter. A random week two game from 2017. I'm watching it like it's the NFL playoffs last night because I'm so star for football, Colin. Here's one of the things that jumped out to me. You know, Cam played Belichick twice,

and they struggled with him. They struggled. So part of me thinks, is it possible? What if Cam is healthy and it kind of works? What do you do then? What if they just say, we'll just franchise tag them after the year and we'll try it again for a year. We'll pay them, you know, whatever. this is a masterful stroke of genius for them, like specifically the Patriots, it makes sense. And for Cam Newton, okay, what if you come in and have a good season with Belichick and you show that, you know, you're not just a Carolina Panther. You can do it under Belichick's guidance.

You can do it under Belichick's rules. You can suddenly, that's the most glowing seal of recommendation, seal of approval around the league. Like, wow, Cam totally took his game and his persona and everything that he had down there. And he worked out there in New England as well. look, Randy Moss is the one everyone points to, but there's been a long list of guys, whether it be Corey Dillon, whether it be, you know, you can even go back to when he first got there, there was trying to think who the player was. Oh, Rodney Harrison. People like, he's washed,

done in San Diego. No, no, he rehabilitated his career and had a great finish to his career in New England. It's a place you can go. And people respect Belichick so much that if the player goes there and is successful there, it's like, okay, well, he's past the seal of approval. I can now put my name on it. Hey, what is the latest? Listen, COVID number spike. You know, I'm not an epidemiologist. Young people went to bars. It spikes, blah, blah, blah, whatever. What is that new for football? What's the current state of starting football back? All right. So every day I'm on my phone talking to league executives, people at teams. Here's the feeling. July 28th is the day that everyone's expected to go to training camp, but that is still four weeks away. So we're going to see how this thing progresses.

There are two major factors, though. The players union still has a say in this. So if a week out, they don't feel like they're comfortable, this could be an issue. You know, we've got to figure that out. We've seen that with baseball. We, of course, we've seen that with basketball, a lot of players dropping out. The second part is state by state might have different regulations. The NFL might not just say everyone's equal.

There's going to be no fans in every stadium. The NFL might still defer to the state. So what might be, you know, a stadium with 25 or 50 percent fans in Las Vegas, could not be possible in New York or New Jersey where it would have to be 0%. And I think the feeling amongst the league is let's get some football, let's put the show on and deal with that as secondary stuff.

So what might not seem fair in the history books, so wait a second now, the Chiefs had more fans at their home games than the Chargers did might not have to matter just to get football going. I think everyone's going to have to swallow that and realize it might not be the most 100% equal thing across the board. It might not be egalitarian as far as advantage,

goes, some teams might have a serious one based on COVID numbers and based on local legislation. If the governors are saying in Missouri, hey, you can have fans and you can have this many fans, like, who are we to tell Clark Hunt and the chiefs? Well, no, that's not fair because the Buffalo Bills aren't allowed to open their stadium at full capacity. It's going to be really interesting how the local legislation works and what works stadium to stadium because, of course, a home field with 50% or 25% fans is a great advantage over a home field. with zero percent. By the way, I said yesterday that Brady gave a certain elegance and polished to the Patriots. He's gone and now it's hoodies, grumpy coach, and another cheating issue where they got

tagged over the weekend for a million one and lost a draft pick. I do think Brady offered a certain polish to the Patriots, you know, kind of this aspirational, don't drink a beer. There was a relatability to Tom despite being married to a supermodel. Strangely, he kind of felt like he was a good dude. he's gone and another cheating scandal this was a this was a bad week for the Patriots like the brand right like that inside the house could I argue that part of the Cam acquisition was

we don't want the country crushing us for two weeks on this story Colin what scandal they signed Cam Newton what are we talking about what scandal what's get 1.1 million dollars a third round pick and I can tell you Belichick cherishes third round picks and they had to fire their

in-house producer who has been working for them for 20 years. Like, and not even a bleep on any of these networks. We're not talking about it NFL now. We don't talk about it on ESPN because they got Kim Newton. Masterful stroke. That's all I'll say. They know what they're doing. So does Shreger.

Good morning football on the NFL network. There's wallpaper back there. And then there's Shreger. These guys pinned up jerseys. Um, tax. That is so funny. I love you, Shrek. Good talking to you, buddy.

All right. Be the best comment. All right. Thank you. 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.

So a pro football focus came out with something. And they were talking when Cam Newton signed yesterday. They said, you know, there's this history in the NFL of good quarterbacks having huge years. And they had five different quarterbacks who had literally had what they call the all-time outlier seasons. One of them was RG3. one of them was Cam Newton in Carolina.

One of them was Ryan Tannahill last year in Tennessee. One of them was Carson Palmer in 2015. They just pop and everything lines up and they pop. You should not, they argue, define a quarterback on his pop year. I remember a couple years ago. Matt Ryan was having a great year with Kyle Shanahan and it just all lined up. And literally, the nation went crazy. And I'm like, I like Matt Ryan.

But I always had this theory about real estate agents. really any of us. If you're a real estate agent and you've done it 10 years, take away your worst year, probably your first year on the job, take away that year, and then take away your best year where the economy was great and you sold a $6 million home because it was a friend of a family. And the remaining eight years, that's what you are. Take out the highs and the lows of my career. I've probably had a bad year. I've probably had one great year. The rest of it is my career. That's what on average you get. Every athlete may have a, like LeBron, take out his rookie year and take out an MVP year. He's still the first or second best basketball player I've ever seen in my life, right? So I don't get into this, you know, pop. You know, that's why I always said. Cam's had one great year. Then it's been a lot of 500 football. All right. Tannahill, what did I tell you? I wouldn't assign him in Tennessee to that big deal. I don't buy it. RG3, I never thought was as good as Andrew Luck. But he had a pop year because he had Shanahan coach and him on a good running game. So I don't buy into this. So I don't buy into this. So it leads to the discussion.

Everybody thinks I don't like Cam. Where would I put Cam in the NFL in the AFC quarterbacks? Because that's where he's going to play now. That's going to be 90% of his games are going to be in the AFC. He goes from the NFC in warm weather to the AFC now, New England, cold weather. Where would I put Cam in terms of starting quarterbacks? Now, my only criteria on this, it's not career stats. I'm not interested in that stuff.

What is your current situation? What is your coach? What are your weapons? What is your protection? What is your current situation? all things in, I'm not going to, you know, Philip Rivers is not as good now as he was seven years ago. I'm not going to count his career. Starting tomorrow, who are the 10 best quarterbacks?

Where do I rank them? All things in on your current situation today. Here we go. Number one. This is the easy one, Patrick Mahomes. Not a big argument here. A defined pocket passer, he can move. He also has the best play designer arguably in the NFL and Andy Reed.

highest career passer rating in NFL history at 110. He's got a big arm sometimes, takes a little risk, but he's everything you want. They're going to be a Super Bowl favorite, as long as he has a decent offensive line, and Andy Reid is there for nine of the next 12 years. So he's what everybody's trying to be. He's Aaron Rogers six years ago before the injuries. He's what everybody wants. Number two.

Lamar Jackson. I could argue there are defensive coordinators if you told him who, Who would they rather face? They know they'd lose him a home, but they could be humiliated by Lamar Jackson. He's just different. There's nobody else like him. He's getting better from his senior year in college to his rookie year to last year. He's made big, big leaps.

He's the youngest quarterback to ever win the MVP at 22 years old, and they're still not paying him anything. And he is now surrounded by nothing but dudes. So he's number two. Number three. Deshawn Watson. Listen, running for his life, 34 touchdowns last year. I'm done talking. 34 touchdowns last year.

Some of them rushing with a bad O-line. I mean, this is a guy that had 300-plus yards passing in a football game and a playoff game. Three touchdowns, no giveaways and lost. It's the best line for any quarterback ever that's lost to playoff game. So, Deshawn's third. Number four. I'll go with Ben because the last time I saw him play, he led the NFL in passing yards. He had over 5,000 yards, and he's still big and strong, and they have a great O line.

unbelievable front seven defensively plus Minka Fitzpatrick good GM so I like a lot of what he's surrounded by but I think this morning the last time I saw him play and what he's surrounded by I'd put him four but not necessarily too far ahead of number five number five I'm going to go Josh Allen I think he has a great young coach he's got the Kyle Shanahan on defense Sean McDermott they also upgraded their offensive line last year they have really done a good job We got him Cole Beasley in the slot, got him John Brown, and then they went and got him Stefan Diggs, who may be the second best deep threat in the NFL right now. Antonio Brown was, but now I think it's D-Hop in Arizona and him. Now, Josh Allen led him to a 10-win season, first time since the 90s. He's raw. But I saw some breakthrough moments last year. And remember, he has not yet kind of been allowed to show off his arm.

You know, he's the only quarterback in the NFL last year was zero completions. where the ball traveled over 35 yards. They didn't have any deep threat. That's not really what they do. So now another offseason, he got a deep threat. That's the best defense, in my opinion, in the AFC with Baltimore. Next. Number six.

An inch behind him, Cam Newton. So I put Cam here. Now, he's never had, Josh Allen's had no injuries. And Josh Allen right now has a younger defense, a better deep threat than Cam. Cam's got no tight end in New England. With any NFL experience, he does not have a deep threat. I think it's a really limited offensive team that has to score on 11 play drives. And I think that's asking a lot of any quarterback.

It's what infuriated Tom Brady last year. Now, in the last couple of years, Cam's lost a lot. Some of it's injuries. Some of it is, you know, he just wasn't good enough. But I would put him six behind Josh out. And I think it's close. With Cam, I get history. With Josh, I get no injuries, and I think a better defense.

Well, it was. But last year, Buffalo's defense was better than New England. It just took about eight weeks to figure it out. Number seven. Okay, Baker Mayfield. Now, again, I like Sam Darnold more than Baker, but my criteria for this is based on the current situation. Two great receivers, two great backs, two very good tight ends.

They solved their tackle issue. I would be shocked if Baker does not rebound. Now, I don't buy into this. He's going to get MVP votes. That's a big narrative night right now. There's just too many good quarterbacks out there. I would be shocked if they don't have a winning record. I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't make the playoffs.

I would be surprised if they don't make the playoffs. But I do think there's going to be more humility with Baker this year. I think Stefansky is going to hold his feet to the fire. And let's be honest, he's just going to have better protection. I mean, Cleveland was a good center and nonsense on the offensive line. Now they got a good center and two legitimate tackles. Jedrick Willis from Alabama, I think was the best tackle in the draft, and they got him. Number eight.

That's Sam Darnold. Now, he's got a bunch of new parts. He doesn't have nearly the wide receivers of Baker or the running backs or the tight ends. But I think he's special. I think he's bigger than Baker, stronger than Baker, more athletic than Baker. I think he's a really special player. Last year at the end of the year, it's remarkable. He went six and two last eight games, 15 TDs, four picks.

And I mean working with lawn chairs and deck furniture. Working with nothing. I don't even think the coaching staff likes each other there. So I like Darnold more than Baker. I think if you gave Darnold Baker's players and Baker Darnolds, you'd see what I believe to be true. But I think Sam has some limitations this year just based on what he's surrounded by, which is a bunch of new parts on the O-line.

Number nine. Fillett Rivers. Again, this is perfect for him. He's not athletic and he throws too many picks. That jersey's not going to get dirty this year. He's going to have oodles of time to throw. The Colts have an underrated defensive front and underrated running game. I think this is the best fit for him.

I just think he's really limited. He feels like Eli Manning's last two years where he'll have games and moments. I think he's a fairly limited athlete at this point. But to his credit and to Indy's credit, this is where he should play. I mean, this is like stand back and throw some darts. And I think he'll be fairly productive. They added Michael Pittman in the draft, who I love from USC, and Jonathan Taylor, the running back. So he's got some interesting weapons.

Number 10. I would say Drew Locke at Denver. Now, I'm much higher on Drew Locke than anybody else. I think he's got a big arm. I think they have really did a nice job as an organization. He's got two backs, multiple receivers. Their wide receiving corps, if it's as good as I think, could end up being one of the top three or four wide receiving cores in football. They got Judy out of Alabama.

Now, you're going to say, what about Ryan Tannahill? that's Ryan Tannahill is recency bias. He's a 500 quarterback in his career. Well, what about Derek Carr? I think Derek Carr and John Gruden have issues. What about Tyrod Taylor, who I like? I don't know if he's starting by December. So those guys were my 10.

I'm going to, I think Drew Locke is going to be, and I've said this, I think he's my pop quarterback this year. Every year, the last four years, there's been a second year guy that's popped. It was Wentz, it was Lamar, it was Mahomes. I think Drew Locke is the pop guy this year. So what do you think there? Joy, where would you put Cam? How low do I have him?

I think based off the fact that we haven't seen him healthy in a while. And the Patriot have no weapons. Yeah, that's a reasonable. I mean, Ben still kind of makes me a little hesitant. I mean, because I need to see him healthy again too. But I wouldn't move anybody. I don't think that's outrageous. I don't know.

Cam's got no. Cam loved Greg Olson. Cam, I always felt, was better with a good running game and a trustable tied-in. And I don't think they don't have a tight-in with any NFL experience. I could move Josh Allen up one and swap Ben and Cam. I went both of them. But none of it outrages me.

The difference is I know more about Josh Allen and that offense today than I know about Cam and New England's offense. Yes. And we know what Ben is when he's healthy, obviously. So, yeah. Look at that. I mean, that is. Drew is going to make everybody crazy.

I am America's honesty broker. Seriously. I mean, you can watch. these other ridiculous channels, but you're just getting nonsense. I'm with you on Ryan Tannhill, though. Listen, it's just, it's recency bias. Tanale's a 500 quarterback. I don't, I could argue the Drew Locke one is recency bias as well.

No, that's wisdom. It's a strong prediction. Listen, I have to have, I have to have takes here, and my take is this league gives us a pop guy every year. Yeah. And he's my guy. I liked everything I saw from him last year. I mean, you just don't get this in other networks. Other networks have, you know, Baker number one in Mahomes 8.

They have like armed talent and stuff like that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people 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 Slicelife-Life 12 and

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 Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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 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 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Lincoln Riley has won 36 games in three years at Oklahoma. You know, it's interesting. I was saying this the other day. In my opinion, the four greatest college football programs of all time, if you really consider them are Oklahoma, Ohio, State, Alabama, USC. And what I mean by that, it's nothing against Texas or Michigan.

But if Oklahoma has the right coach, it doesn't matter what Texas does. Oklahoma usually, I mean, Mac Brown only won two big 12 titles. It doesn't matter who Michigan has a head coach. If Urban Meyer or Tressel or Woody Hayes is at Ohio State, they just win. And there's not many, it's the same thing. It doesn't matter who Georgia has as a football coach or LSU or Auburn. If Alabama's got the right coach, they will. win the conference. Doesn't matter how good Oregon, Washington, UCLA. If USC's got Pete Carroll,

John McKay, John Robinson, they win the conference. So Oklahoma hands this unbelievable program to this guy that we knew he was this snazzy offensive guy, Lincoln Riley, and he's just hit it out of the park with on-field stuff, recruiting off-field stuff, and he joins us now via the Coward Global Satellite Network. So let's start with the uncomfortable topic, which is unprecedented times. We've got a virus. It's now spiking. Where are we at today, coach? Where are we at on returning? And what comfort level do you have right now with what we're dealing with and your players? Well, we're learning, like everybody is, we're learning more and more each day. You know, I think a comfort level that we've got a good plan for our players when they're

when they're back here with us, when they're in our facilities. Our concern from the beginning has been, you know, this isn't a high school player that when they're done with your facility can go back to their home. This isn't a professional player that when they're done with your facility can go back to their own home. You know, we house these players. A lot of them live with with other players, friends, this or that. And so I think the bigger concern right now is what you do with them the other hours of the day. And so obviously the spike in cases over the last several weeks has been a concern for everybody. It certainly is for us as well. You know, I think we're going to have to keep all options open and keep the safety, healthy,

of these guys the main thing. You have, you know, coaches sometimes get labels, and you're a little bit of the quarterback whisper thing, whereas you get guys, and it doesn't take long, and they're really good, it doesn't matter if it's a walk-on, Baker, it doesn't matter if it's a baseball guy, Kyler, they go into your system, they're good really quickly. So when Cliff Kingsbury, you know, they were talking about drafting Kyler Murray, they obviously called you. I thought Kyler was terrific last year.

I find him fascinating as a player. I think I watched, I joke to Joy. I watched 14 Arizona Cardinal games. Nobody that doesn't live in Phoenix watched that many games. But when Cliff called you, what did you tell him to expect? What were the strengths? What were the weaknesses? How did that conversation go if you could?

We had good conversations. Cliff knew quite a bit about Kyler because he had recruited him a little bit, and then he had got to compete against him. And so I think on the field, it's pretty obvious. obvious. I think, you know, you see the athletic ability. I think a lot of people that never saw him live did not understand the kind of thrower that this guy was, you know, but he's an elite thrower. Our conversations were more based on, you know, what he, what he processes well, you know, what he's like in the meeting room, what he's, you know, demeanor and practices,

some of the things that you can't always see on game day. And, yeah, just as Cliff described, what he was looking for, the organization was looking for, and I was able to describe, you know, what I thought he could expect from Kyler. You could tell it was going to be a great match. By the way, I'm watching some of those throws. God, he has just got. He throws the tightest spiral I've ever seen in my life. It's incredible.

It doesn't even look like other quarterbacks. Now, Baker comes in. I've had my issues with Baker, but I do think he has talent. So last year he got humbled a little bit. He found out the NFL if you don't have protection. There's not a lot you can do in this league, right? Have you reached out to Baker in the last six months to a year? Because I think he's going to rebound this year.

They figured out the tackle spots. I like their Senator J.C. Treterterer. I did not like tackle. I think he's going to pop a little bit this year. Have you talked to him in the last six months? Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Now, we stay in constant contact and always will.

I'm with this. You know, if you look at this guy's history, any time he's had a down game, any downstretch, any type of adversity, he's always bounced back in a positive way. That's just his nature. He's a fighter. He's a competitor. And I believe he will.

I do believe there's a lot of parts around him, just the overall setup in Cleveland that they're improving, which, you know, listen, I don't care where you're at. If you don't have, you know, the right scheme, the right players around you, the right setup, you can do all you want as a quarterback, and it's not going to matter. Now, you know, Baker be the first to admit. He knows there's a lot of things that he himself has to do better things under his control. And in my talks with him, I think he's, you know, mentally in a great place. He's at a tremendous offseason. And I think he's going to come play well. Yeah, I really like Austin Hooper pick up.

He's got now two big volume catching tight ends if David and Joku can stay healthy. That's probably the best tight end tandem in the NFL along with Brady's guys in Tampa. So I want to talk about C.D. Lamb. So, you know, sooner fans think I hate the program, which I don't because last week I said it's one of the four best programs ever. But I said C.D. Lam was a guy that I did see him play TCU. TCU at a very good corner. And C.D. didn't. Now he may have been dealing with an injury, but I didn't think in that game.

he popped, and that's kind of the matchup I watched him in because that was two NFL guys. What are the Cowboys getting with C.D. Lamb? What should I expect? Well, first off, every program's fan base thinks that you hate them. They do. Second, yeah, that game in particular, you know, we didn't end up throwing the ball much that night ended up being kind of a run-dominated night. So, you know, CD was dominant all year. I did really feel like there was a corner that we played that, you know, know, really did much against him, honestly.

If there was ever any limitations, it was just where the ball fell that night. But he, now they're getting an explosive playmaker, a guy that can be a dynamic route runner. You know, you obviously see some of the clips right now, how good he is after the catch, a guy that continues to approve, even though, you know, he's had some success hardly in his career. He let us, you know, continue to coach him very, very hard. And so he's a dynamic player, man. He's one of those guys that any scheme you draw up, you don't really have to take him off the field. and that versatility, that explosion, you just don't find that combination very often.

It's amazing how many tackles he breaks. He's just constantly, it's amazing to watch him play. So when you look, when you develop quarterback certain ways, and you've taken a walk-on, you've taken the baseball guy, now you probably have the most acclaimed high school to Oklahoma, a kid who Spencer Rattler is the classic five-star. Everybody in the country wanted him. This is your guy.

This could be the guy for three years, four years, plays. Highly acclaimed guy. Actually, some pressure on you, Lincoln, because he's so highly acclaimed. People expect greatness day one. Talk about him because he's a remarkable talent with potential. I think one of the keys to our, situation of quarterback over there has always been competition.

A lot of people forget that, you know, Baker's first year here, he had to beat out, Trevor Knight, and a couple others. It was a really heck of a battle that went down to the wire. Baker, even after having a great first couple of years, had to beat Kyler out because Kyler came in and really did some nice things. And that was always a, you know,

fun competition to watch those two go at it. Jalen Hertz had to come in here and beat a couple of guys out. And so, you know, we've always had competition. regardless of where these guys have come from, whether they've been highly recruited, a prime time player at another school, whatever it is. They've always had to come in here and win the job. And so no different for Spencer Rattler or Tanner Mordecai right now.

We'll let those guys go at it. They're both very talented. Didn't feel the need to bring in any other additions to that room. It felt like those two guys, along with Chandler Morris, give us all the talent and all we need to be a championship level team. So it'll be fun to do it with some new young guys. we actually have a chance to have a starter for more than one year in a row. This will be a fourth year in a row of a different guy, so looking forward to having some continuity, finally.

You're like John Calipari at Kentucky. He doesn't even have a senior night anymore. Who's the new guy I'm dealing with this week? Lincoln, Riley, you're a credit to coaching. Just all you do is win at Oklahoma. We see your gorgeous facilities behind you. I don't hate the Sooners. That's why I keep bringing their coach on and talking about their players.

Lincoln, thank you so much. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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

Listen to humor me with. Robert Smygel 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 here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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? 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.