The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Chiefs-Broncos, Jalen Ramsey, GM Poll, & NCAAF picks

Episode Date: October 17, 2019

Colin brings Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes down to Earth and gives his reasons why Kansas City could lose to Denver tonight, why he disagrees with a possible reason CB Jalen Ramsey could leave the Rams after this season, why the new NBA GM Poll is ridiculous, and his three college football picks for this week. Guests include Marcedes Lewis, Peter King, Albert Breer, and Cuttino Mobley. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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're 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 iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast imagine an olympics where

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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 herd. Turning to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Live in Los Angeles,

this is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now, Greg Co-Sell, every Thursday, top of the second hour,

NFL meat sandwich, you know how much I love that. If you bet football, you play fantasy football, he gives you tidbits, you get nowhere else, By the way, in 10 minutes, I can't start to show with this topic because I'll go nuts. I have peptivismol and ibuprofen.

My head's exploding and my stomach hurts. I am so, I have been in a tizzy for 30 minutes due to a topic. I can't leave the show with it because I told my staff, Joy, if I leave the show with it, it'll discombobulate the whole hour. Yeah, you might need to build up to it. I'm just going to build up to it. I'll get to it in 10 minutes. It is unbelievable. The disrespect show to an athlete in America today.

I want to start with this. It is easy to lose in the NFL. Tonight, Kansas City, everybody's favorite team a year ago, goes to Denver, and I think they could lose. Don't know if they will, but I think they could, which would be their third straight loss, lost back-to-back games at home. Just think about how hard it is, how easy it is to lose in the NFL. We all love Philadelphia's talent. They're losing. Rams win the Super Bowl losing.

Kansas City, back-to-back home losses. L.A. Chargers have one of the best rosters now can't win at home against Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges. It is easy to lose in this league. But we love to annoy people to be great. But what makes great in this league is the ability to overcome. That's a great quarterback. And this is the first bumps Patrick Mahomes has ever had. There are two quarterbacks in this league that win,

O's period, end of story, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter if Gronk retires. Doesn't matter if Dog Baldwin retires. Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, that is it. That is it. Even Aaron Rogers last two years. Things didn't go his way with the coach. lost, got hurt, didn't play well, as well. Two guys in this league, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady.

We've had this love affair with Patrick Mahomes. Now he's figuring out. He's facing the real NFL. Oh, the offensive line's got an injury. Karim Hunt last year leaves numbers drop. Oh, Tyreek Hill misses a game. This is called the NFL. Brady never had a losing season. Russell Wilson never had a losing season. Russell Wilson didn't lose in high school, didn't Luden College, didn't lose, it was constant in college, and has never lost in the NFL. And he's had the worst offensive line, according to PFF two years ago, and led the NFL and touchdown passes. Doug Baldwin retires. Marshawn Lynch leaves.

Richard Sherman Michael Bennett goal. Frank Clark. Well, here he is. Once again, great. I like Patrick Mahomes. Love affair. Yesterday, Vic Fangio, head coach in Denver talking about Mahomes. And again, the love affair, it's everywhere.

You know, I think he's, you know, like John Elway was in the 80s. and 90s, he's that guy. Like Aaron Rogers has been for the last 12, 14 years, however many years he's been starting. He's kind of that guy. He's the great passer, the great improviser, plays with a lot of athletic arrogance, which is a compliment. He's good in the pocket, has great pocket feel.

You can tell he's a gamer. You know, the guy is really, really special. Not disputing any of it. He's going to be, he's an all-time. talent. But this is his first adversity. He walked into the league with a great head coach, with a great GM, Brett Veach, with great weapons, with a solid offensive line, with Alex Smith, was a perfect mentor. Basically, they handed him the keys to a Mercedes and said, just don't back up and hit the tree across the street. Now Mercedes has a flat tire,

warranty is out. You got into a wreck, fender bender on the way home, insurance won't return your call now now how is it going because this is the reality in the NFL Tom Brady's never out of losing season he's thrown touchdowns to 72 different guys his coach wouldn't sign west welker gronk retires ranny moss out ohcho whiff doesn't matter wins russell wilson literally the offensive line tom cable coach couldn't block people Doug baldwin out they've they've whiff percy harvin you had him for an hour like this league is about overcoming. Patrick Mahomes has never been asked to overcome anything in this league. It has been a Mercedes. Here's the keys. Don't back into a tree. And right now, what you're seeing now with him,

Kareem Hunt last year leaves, Tyree kills hurt, offensive line injuries, defense can't stop the run. Welcome to the NFL. And not even Aaron Rogers can win with that kind of adversity. Two guys do, always. Brady won in high school. Brady won in college. Brady always wins in New England. Russell won in high school. He won it at North Carolina State. He won at Wisconsin. He always wins in Seattle. But, I mean, it is amazing how we love to anoint this, what Patrick Mahomes is facing tonight, this is called the NFL.

Go ask Carson Wentz and the injuries. Chargers are falling apart. Go ask Jared Goff and Sean McBay. It's only two guys. This is it. Brady Wilson. Everybody else, when the obstacle comes, the winning head south. So it's and I think I think tonight is a real test for them.

Denver is the best team in the league that doesn't have a great record. They got jobbed against the Bears. They've lost two games, expiring field goals, clock runs out. Watch out tonight. But this, Patrick now, and he's great, this is the first time he's faced what Russell Wilson faced a couple years ago and what Brady has faced most of his career. Running back leaves, receiver leaves, guy, they won't resign a guy. offensive line issues.

Fun game to watch tonight. All right, here we go. Jalen Ramsey's a ram. And, you know, I'm reading the stories yesterday. Can I have a new rule on the show? Let's just have, I'm not a big rule guy in life. I really, if I was a coach, I don't have a lot of rules. Show up on time and work really hard.

I'm not a big rule guy. Here's a new rule on the show. Stop blaming the environment. Stop blaming the environment. So Jalen Ramsey's going to go to the Rams. And all I read yesterday is, well, you know, You know, the environment in Jacksonville. Antonio Brown blamed the environment in Pittsburgh.

The environment in Oakland. I don't know if you're watching. Raiders are pretty good. Now he's unemployed. T.O. always blamed the environment. Odell Beckham. How's Cleveland working out? It was New York, right?

Go to the NBA. Kyrie Irving, blame the environment. Kevin Durant, Golden State. I'm not happy there. Mellow, Denver, not good enough. Blake Griffin, get me out of here. Are you noticing something? it's never the environment.

It's like maybe all you guys, you're to blame for the divorce too, not just your ex-wife. Maybe all you women. You're to blame not just the ex-husband. Like, stop. We're always pointing.

It's there, the environment, the building, the boss, the... Jalen Ramsey brought a Brinks truck to practice. He's goofy. And by the way, I'm not saying he's not great. But I have watched all these athletes. It's always them.

And look, A-B, O-B-J, T-O, you know, DES. And in the NBA, Kyrie, you had LeBron and Brad Stevens. Maybe it's kind of some of it's on you, a little bit? I mean, Dionne Sanders yesterday taught, he's friends, I guess, with Jalen Ramsey. And Jalen's a really good player. I mean, you can agree or not agree with the contract. That's fine.

He got paid. He's going to get paid. He's very, very good. But, you know, we're all blaming Jacksonville. From what I, my sources in the NFL, people love Jacksonville's owner. They love the GM. They draft well. Cofflin's won multiple Super Bowls.

You know, and Gardner Minshue's arguably the shock of the league at quarterback, and they have very good defense. They've been in every game they play. And yesterday, Dion is talking about Jalen may not like L.A. now. One thing is that Jalen is a businessman. Secondly, I don't feel like the Rams are the Rams of old. Thirdly, Texas. See, people, these young kids are.

kids ain't fools remote. Taxes in California and the cost of living in California is not feasible to a guy who's just coming out of Florida. I don't know if this is going to be a situation that's going to last over a year. This may be for right now. Okay, so he's blaming the taxes. Is Steph Curry worried about California's taxes? Is Clay Thompson, is, didn't LeBron James move here? Is Eli Manning and Michael Strayhan and Shaquan Barkley worried about New York's taxes? If taxes matter, Stan Jacksonville or go move to the lousy dolphins. I'm sorry. Wyoming doesn't have an NFL team. Either does New Hampshire. I mean, go to Tennessee, play for the Titans, no state tax. Taxes? He may not. So he's bringing that baggage before he gets there. Great.

Coi Leonard doesn't worry about taxes. Okay. LeBron don't worry about taxes. Steph Curry, I live here. I don't like them. I don't like them. You want to be great. Don't worry about taxes. You want to play for the dolphins? Go ahead. They're tax. tanking. The second thing is, well, he's a businessman. No, he's not. He's a cornerback. I'm involved in businesses, but I'm a talk show host. That doesn't mean I don't invest in businesses. I'm not a businessman. Jalen Hurst, Jalen Ramsey is a football player. He's great. He can invest in businesses. Did he go to Wharton? Did he have a business degree from a great? He's a great football player, who I'm sure is smart with his money and invests in lots of things.

but we live in this world now, Kyrie Irving, and Jimmy Butler, Jimmy Butler, Chicago, Philadelphia, I got news for you. If you couldn't get along in Philadelphia, I got Joel Ambide protecting the rim, I got Ben Simmons who won't even shoot. He gives me all the shots. And Jimmy Butler's like, I don't like it in Philadelphia. The point guard doesn't like to shoot. The center protects the rim.

If you can't get along in Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler, I can't help you. and Antonio Brown. Pittsburgh, Big Band, Deep Bowl? That didn't work for you? There's a new rule on the show. Can we just sometimes look in the mirror? In the bathroom, we get ready in the morning, we shave, we brush our hair. Can we look in the mirror right there and stop blaming others?

Jalen Rams, he's already got taxes on his mind. They're not going to be the old Rams. What, seven games ago when they were in the Super Bowl? What, the old Rams are no good? You mean the seven games ago, Rams? They're not as good as that team. Where do you want to land? Is it New England or nobody else?

What are the options? When Drew Breeze got to New Orleans, the environment was terrible. People wore bags to games. They used to be called the Aints. Then he got there and Katrina hit. Drew Breeze could have bailed on New Orleans seven times. And he said, you know what? I'm going to be the culture.

life's not perfect. You don't get a dream job as a pro athlete. I mean, Zion probably would have been better if he landed in L.A. or Boston or with Greg Popovich. It doesn't work out that way. Instead of blaming something, change the culture. Instead of trying to find the perfect one, because I'll tell you, Brady, Joy and I saw the video other day when he got the game ball. It's not even perfect for Tom Brady. We're not even sure his coach likes him.

There is no perfect culture. Make it. All right. Peptimimol, check. Ibuprofen, check. I'm going to have a swig of one and I'm going to take the other because I cannot believe the disrespect for what appears to be a player we all know is. And we have evidence he's great. And we keep seeing he's great.

And we talk about how great he is. And he's the closest thing to Michael Jordan. And you would think NBA general managers would get that sort of, unless their TVs don't work. That's coming up. 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 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. Follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kyr Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough

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Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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

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All right, welcome back. This is called Peptibismol. I've never done this on the show. My stomach hurts today. Not because I went out last night and I'm doing this for a reason. I don't get worked up much. I've been doing this long enough. It's all topics to me.

You know, I just come in. Joy sees it. We work. I do topics. We break them down. I saw this morning, I had a tizzy. And this is absurd. So every year they have this service.

They survey anonymously NBA general managers. Season starts in a couple of days. I love the NBA. So this question is unbelievable to me. Pretend you're the general manager. If you're starting a franchise today, could sign any player. Who would it be?

You're starting your franchise. You're a GM. Well, I would think Kauai Leonard would be either one. No, he would be one. because LeBron James is in his 17th year, and LeBron may be better for a year, but if you were starting a franchise, you'd do Kauai Leonard.

Kauai Leonard doesn't make the top three. The top three are Yonis, Anthony Davis, and Luca Donsage. Two of the three did not make the playoffs. Yonis did and faced Kauai. And Kauai is five inches shorter and 35 to 40 pounds lighter and pushed Yonis all over the floor.

He wiped the floor. floor with him. He totally marginalized him. This entire offseason was about who the hell is going to land Kauai Leonard. There was a country that was invested. Not a city, a country, Canada

that was invested. Why would that be? Because he took Kyle Lowry, Mark Gassal, and won the championship in Canada, which will now become, again, a hockey country. He has destroyed. We call him the NBA's

version of Thanos. He destroys other dynasties. The Heels? Kauai Leonard destroyed it. He beat him. They broke up. The warriors, he destroyed them. They couldn't stop him. Broke him up. San Antonio will never be the same. Toronto will go back to be in a hockey country. In my life, there's only two players that even resemble Michael Jordan, the greatest player ever. Kobe Bryant for his offensive skill and Kauai Leonard for his mid-range, body, hand size, and ability to take over games. That's it. Here's what's fascinating.

So the same general managers who don't put Kauai in the top three, the guy we just watched carry a roster of C plus B minus games to the title, the GMs were asked, which player would you want to take a shot and the game on the line? Oh, Kauai Leonard's in that. You know who's not? Luca, Anthony Davis, or Janice. I don't know about you, but shot with a game on the line sort of matters.

They also asked the GMs, who's the best defensive player in the league? Kauai wins that. Who's the best perimeter defender in the league? Kauai wins that going away. They also ask which team made the best overall moves this offseason? The Clippers got 82% of the votes. It ain't because of Paul George. By the way, do you know who got the second most votes on that?

the team that got rid of Anthony Davis, the Pelicans. This is not a shot at Anthony Davis. Like him a lot. They also asked the GMs, which one player acquisition will make the biggest impact? Kauai Leonard got triple the votes of Anthony Davis. According to these general managers, the team that got rid of Anthony Davis

is ranked higher than the team that landed him, the Lakers. These aren't general managers of NBA teams. They're general managers at Taco Bell. How do you not have Kauai Leonard in your top three? Are you watching the league? This whole league now is a ball handler's league, a scores perimeter score league, and can you defend the wing? Everybody in the NBA is trying to find a wing defender.

He's the best. Everybody's trying to find the guy that can hit the big shot in the big game. He or Steph Curry are the best, maybe Damien Lillard. Are people out of their mind? Luca Dantich won't make the playoffs perhaps this year. The other thing they say is this question is fascinating. So the general managers are asked, if you were starting a franchise could sign any player, who would it be?

Anthony Davis gets the second most votes. A team did that. New Orleans and couldn't win games. Kauai essentially wins the Clippers every category. He wins it, they win it. But when it's who you want to start a franchise with, Never forget. These GMs voted best player in the league,

Carl Anthony Towns. They can't even make the playoffs with Andrew Wiggins. And they had Jimmy Butler. What is, I mean, this is why GMs get fired, nobody has any sympathy. This is why GMs get fired in this league, and everybody's like, yeah.

Remember Bill Simmons wrote that his best column ever was the atrocious GM summit? There are so many bad GMs in this league. It's unbelievable. To not have Kauai Leonard, who we just sat and watched, dominate the league. I mean, listen, ask yourself, outside of Joy Taylor, did anybody really think Mark Gasol, Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, a coach you didn't know two years ago that was in some league in some country, I don't know where it's at?

They won the championship. God, it's just idiotic. I should be a GM. Yeah, you called it. I mean, I don't even know. Janus got 86% of the vote. Janice and Kauai went toe to toe. Kauai pushed him all over the floor.

I mean, he literally took Janus and completely marginalized him. I got a headache. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I always say these, these, if you're going to participate in these surveys, they should have to be public. Like, your votes should have to be public.

So we know who is responsible for these decisions. My favorite part of this, what franchise got the better, had the best offseason? So the Clippers got 86% of the vote. Number two is the team that bailed on AD. Yes. And went with a rookie who's never played an NBA game and played one year at college, Zion. Lonzo ball who can't stay healthy. Janus was the MVP.

So, I mean, nobody's calling Yannis a scrub. It's just saying if you have the choice. You put Kauai in the top three. We literally just saw it. He just watched it. He was like five years ago or something. Once LeBron got hurt, let's just all say this. When LeBron got hurt, Kauai took the league over.

You could not stop him. You couldn't score on him. You couldn't stop him. The only person that was stopping Kauai was when he stopped himself so he could rest. Rest. Yes. His adversary is rest. So the 49ers are getting ready to take on the Redskins on Sunday.

49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, spent four years with the Redskins as the offensive coordinator, but he wasn't exactly nostalgic when he was asked about his time in Washington. What was the best part about coaching in Washington? Being able to work with my dad and be around some other good coaches. What was the worst part? Everything else. I liked a lot of the players. I liked a lot of the players.

Mike Shanahan was the Redskins head coach during his time there, obviously. They won the NFCs in 2012, but had losing records, the other three. seasons that Kyle Shanahan was there. But I think at this point, we all kind of should agree that it isn't really necessarily on the coaches if they're not successful there. I root for people in all walks of life who are talented, but work at a company with utter mayhem. And by the way, I'm not saying you're not going to find Jalen Ramsey the perfect environment. Washington is right now a chaotic mess. Think about this, Joy. They had Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Sean McVeigh in the building, and they let them all go. Belichick never lets Dante Scarnacki retired. He literally drove to his

house and wouldn't leave until the 68-year-old coach comes back. Josh McDaniel, he went to the owner and said, make him paid $3 million a year. Like Belichick doesn't let guys out of the room if the running back coach at New England, I think has been there forever. They had three of the best young coaches in the NFL and they let them all walk. That's a disaster as a company. They, I mean, they've been a disaster for quite some time now. It's just, it's disappointing because they are one of those franchises that is just so storied and they have amazing, amazing fan base.

Yeah. It's just, some things are just undefeated and a meddling owner that doesn't know what they're doing. And I would argue that no matter what level of involvement in football that you have, whether you know the players are not. You don't have a lot of examples of overbearing owners that have had success because I would not call Robert Kraft an overbearing owner. And in this entire dynasty, I can think of one move that he is made.

And that's Jimmy Garoppolo. And an owner has the right to at the end of your greatest player in your franchise history to say, let's give him one more contract. I think an owner has a right to do that. Yeah. If he had made that move and they didn't win another Super Bowl, no one would hold it against him. No, it's like, that's okay. Tom Brady probably doubled the net value

or probably made Robert Kraft a billion dollars in. I think Tom Brady, of all players that we've seen, probably deserves just a, you know, a classy send-off from New England. That wasn't even the point. He got another Super Bowl. He was right. So, Ezekiel Elliott has got to have a breakout play this season. His longest run so far has been 27 yards.

In his career, he's had nine carries of over 30 yards. And Zeke says he knows he has to step up his game, but he's not going to rely on big plays to be effective. Not really hunting for him. I don't want to press it. I don't want to try too hard to create a big play. I mean, I'm not going to. I'm not going to try out or create a big play.

But I think it's, you know, maybe luck at a draw. Some missed option by me. I mean, I just got to be better. He has 491 rushing yards this season. That's six in the NFL. He had 586 through six games last season. Yeah, I don't, I don't, you know, listen, I think we're kind of overlooking something, Joy. you're not necessarily, but the offensive line's not healthy.

So guess what? Dax's not as good. And then Zeek's not as effective. Yeah, I mean, it's, listen, Lavian Bell's a great player. He hasn't had great rushing yards. Why? Darnel wasn't there.

People loaded the box and the Jets all lines not very good. We got to, you know, it's like. This keeps some perspective on the entire situation. I know DAC is obviously, it's a quarterback league, so you're going to put most of the blame on the quarterback in all situations. But this is a very obvious problem for the Cowboys. boys, and you can see that in Zeke's play. Yeah, and by the way, Tyron Smith isn't a left tackle.

He's the greatest left tackle, probably since Walter Jones or Jonathan Ogden. So you're not just missing. It's like, you know, Pittsburgh didn't just lose a receiver. A.B. was arguably the most explosive vertical receiver. So, you know, Juju's good, but that is a loss when you're replacing Jalen Ramsey's not a corner. He's a great corner. Yeah, I mean, it's a lot to overcome, especially midseason.

Finally, Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers last night after a minor thumb injury, and he looked like he hadn't missed the beat. He and LeBron were pretty dominant in the Lakers 126-93 win over the Warriors and after carrying his team in New Orleans, AD is happy to share the load. It takes a load off of me. I was joking with LeBron earlier. It's the first time in a while where, you know, I can have five or six points, whatever was at halve time and we're up 30. Knowing that you have to do much, you know, everybody has a role and, you know, when you have guys all over the board who can sport a basketball. You know, you don't need to do everything, every possession, you know.

So it feels good to be able to just, you know, fit in. He does have a very good point there. And I don't overreact to how well they played in the preseason, but they did have five players with double-digit points. LeBron had 18. And he only had eight. But they looked good. They looked in rhythm.

And that's what you want to see. And I think we'll be able to be treated to actually. seeing Anthony Davis play a little more loose. Because basically what he's saying is everything was on me. I had to carry everything. And now I'm in a situation where I don't have to be the best that I've ever been every single night. And I can play loose and free.

And I think that'll actually change his game a little bit. Well, Kobe, I said this once about Kobe Bryant. Kobe wanted to be the man. He didn't want to be the only man. So in between Shaq and Powell Gasol, he's like, I'm leaving if you don't get me. Kobe wanted to ride to the arena and get the shot. in the game. But it's nice to have 22 from Pal Gasol. Like so

what I notice when I watched the Lakers play, I've watched them play three times in the preseason. The one thing Anthony Davis gives them, he is his length. You just like you just get like six points a night because Anthony just tips to you, his

size, you know, it's like it's the Janus Joel M. Bede factor. You do get some free points when you have that big of a guy around the rim and you don't get that. Even though Julius Randall's a good player and Kyle Cusba. You don't get those freebie points. No, and I mean, this is what they brought him there for, like to be that other player.

We forget it's a team game. We talk about the NBA all the time as being such an individual sport, but it's really not. And we've seen now the change and shift in the NBA and most teams have two main guys. But the teams that excel are the ones that have two superstars and have put pieces around them. And the keyword that he used there is role. If everyone plays their role, does the best that they can do at what they do, best than you have a championship team. Guess where I ran into yesterday at the airport.

Doc Rivers. I walked up to when I said, I think the Lakers are a little old. And he looked at me and he goes, we're hoping that's true. He wouldn't confirm it's true. He goes, we're hoping that's true. It was good to see Doc. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news.

I have got so much today. So by the way, it's NBA season starts in a week and the NBA survey, GM survey came out. So every time it comes out, we got a lot of football today. Greg Cosell, top of the hour. Mercedes-Lewis, great tight end of the Packers now. He's going to be joining us here in five minutes. We're going to take a break. He's going to come back.

They also had the survey. They had the Western Conference standings. I'm not going to show you yet, but it is fascinating. How good the Western Conference standings in the NBA. You had like seven different teams get votes from GMs on who's going to win the West. And I will give you who I think is going to win the West. I think it's a fascinating year where you have old teams. that don't necessarily need home court advantage.

Clippers, Lakers, I don't think San Antonio needs home court advantage, Golden State. Then you've got a young team like Denver and Utah that want home court advantage and are really, really good. So it's going to be a fun year in the NBA. The final standings, which is what I'm going to give you at the top of next hour. Here's where I think the West, when there's regular season's over, this is what it'll look like. that age is a real thing in the NBA. Veteran teams, Kauai's going to take 20 games off. The Clippers know it.

He's not playing 82 games. He's not playing 72 games. So what does that do for the Clippers? Do they go on the road for the Western Conference finals? We'll have that. Mercedes-Lewis coming up. Gentlemen, Packer, big win for them. They may be the best team in the league around the corner.

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, 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross.

Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 communication. 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.

Don't be the guy in the room with a long, sloppy-looking untucked shirt. Untucket shirts made to fall to perfect length. Untucket.com code heard. GQ calls our perfection. Green Bay won on Monday night. I said, I don't care what the stats say. I thought it was the most impressive performance by Aaron Rogers this year. Geronimo Allison got hurt.

Devonte Adams is hurt. They lost fumbles. He had a bad break and an interception. I thought Aaron was absolutely unbelievable. Sometimes the stats don't tell the real story. He had to overcome a lot. Aaron did, and I think the offense is humming. And one of my favorite guys, I bring him on a couple of times a year.

He's been with the Packers now the second year, Mercedes-Lewis, via the Coward Global Satellite Network, joining us live 14 years, a pro bowler. Let me start with this. So last year you have the older coach, Mike McCarthy, the veteran coach. This year, you have the young coach. So as a guy that's been in the NFL for 14 years, Mercedes, what is the vibe different? Is the teaching different old coach, the new coach?

You know, I think that, you know, obviously with McCarthy here last year, you know, he had his own set of ways. I think it was a situation with him and, you know, Aaron Rogers, that it may have run his course. I think a young coach in here, and a new coach has brought new energy into the building, a different, you know, way of teaching. And, you know, with the offensive mind,

he has paired with the intelligence of Aaron Rogers. I mean, it's just been a joy to work with him being that locker room and on the field. Now, obviously, every coach has different terminology and lexicon. Was it, and so we said, let's not judge the Packers on September. They're learning a new offense. It's unfair.

So was it difficult to go from Mike for you to Matt LaFleur? How difficult was the transition? I mean, with McCarthy's offense, I think it was more spread, not so much. You know, the tightings weren't involved like that. What we have now is more kind of what I'm used to, you know, getting at the time. tight ends involved outside zone, play action pass. And then when you got 12 back there, I mean, he improvises so much. And we're always ready for plays that make it off schedule with the way Aaron gets out of the pocket.

So this is kind of more, you know, my style. So I'm enjoying it. You know, you are a veteran player. Aaron's been in this league. You guys, there's not a lot you've ever seen that's going to, you've seen everything. Nothing's going to fool you, the Brady's, the Aaron, Mercedes. but you guys got a bunch of kids, you know, Devante Adams,

and there was a kid the other night that got a touchdown pass. I had to go look his name up, number 13. So is it, do you feel like sometimes you and Aaron are two of the guys, maybe Jimmy, you know, you're teaching. There's a teaching thing going on here in Green Bay with the offense. Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, when I got here,

I noticed right away, I was like, okay, cool. I'm not in a situation where, you know, I feel like I am, you know, the most savvy. the huddle. And I definitely think Aaron and I have a different kind of relationship and we both lead pretty much the same way by example. And, you know, when we do talk, everybody listens because they know it's meaningful. So I think that, you know, being able to just go out there and play ball and not have to be Superman or have to do too much has really, you know, benefited the whole offense. You know, it's interesting. Green Bay has a winning culture. Drew Breeze, New Orleans, winning culture.

Seattle winning culture, often cultivated by the quarterback. Jacksonville has won games, but there's got to be a difference between Jacksonville and Green Bay. Did it when you first arrived, did it just feel different? Green Bay just, I can't tell you the last time they didn't win. Yeah, I mean, you feel the energy right when you walk into the building, the tradition, what they're all about. I mean, it's championship trophy as soon as you walk into the building. And so you kind of get a sense of, you know, what's going to be expected of you every day when you come into the building. And, you know, I kind of bottled that up. It gives me something to work for every time I walk into meetings.

And I'm just blessed to be in this situation. Is Aaron Rogers demanding? And if he is, what kind of demanding? He is demanding. But like I said before, he's not like a raw, raw type of guy. He's just like, you know, you know, by the way, he's. he looks at you that he expects, you know, a certain level, whether you're on the playing field or at practice. He expects the same level every day. And, you know, he just has a way about

going about his business that, you know, you know that you have to follow the right way. Either you're going to follow or you're going to lead, but you're going to do it the right way. And, you know, like I said before, it's just, it's been a dope experience being next to somebody that really gets it. Yeah, no, it's nice. By the way, Jalen Ramsey's an unbelievable player, and Jalen leaves Jacksonville, and did you sympathize with him thinking, you know,

it gets frustrating. You guys get one shot at this, right? You know, and all of a sudden it's like, man, I'm looking around the league, and I got Gardner Minchew, and I'm looking around the league. Did you sympathize with Jalen and all just wanting to start over?

I did. I did. obviously I was in that situation. I think my fifth year, I got franchise tag in Jacksonville. And as you know, the first couple years were good when I was there. And then, you know, the next two years were kind of up and down Rocky. I ended up going to my first Pro Bowl and then got franchise tag going into a lockout in 2011. And it was a situation where, you know, I made a decision, you know, to stay put when I could have went elsewhere.

but there were always, you know, thoughts in my mind, you know, what if? And I think a guy of his caliber and how he's, you know, played and kind of really took the league by storm. Arguably one of the best corners out there doing it. He wanted a different, you know, opportunity. You know, obviously there's some things that, you know, we don't know that probably he could answer, but, you know, I'm happy for him. You know, I'm close to him. He's a real good dude and, you know, I hope that it works out for him.

I've always made the argument. There is an advantage to playing in Green Bay. It's hard to get into trouble. Not that you would get in trouble. But there's an apple bees down on Main Street. What would you do tonight, for instance, in Green Bay? When you're done with practice, or you're shaking your head.

You're like calling. You're just making fun of Green Bay. What are you going to do tonight when you leave? When you go home? Yo, there's nothing to do as far as being in the city like that. But remember, I came from Jacksonville, so it's pretty much the same thing. It was just hotter out there.

But after practice, I mean, I go home, chill, get off my feet, watch film, take care of my body. The recovery starts as soon as I get home and hydrate and relax, man. I think, you know, during football season, you know, what else is more important if you're a professional football player, you know? And I think, you know, being in Green Bay gives you that opportunity to be the best you can be. Yeah. Well, he's in between meetings. He certainly didn't have to do this. interview, but he's got the Packer swag on, and he's a great pro, pro bolt. Look at that.

And the hat's sweet as well. We love you, man. Mercedes keep kicking back. Good luck against the Raiders. They got a real offense, by the way. You're looking at that film. They got a real offense. No, yeah. The Raiders have a really good team. They present some challenges that we have to be ready for, but we're looking forward to it. You know, obviously, every game on Sunday creates his own problems that, you know, we have to solve. And so this is just another one. All right. Good talking to you, Mercedes.

Appreciate it. You bet. Mercedes-Lewis, good dude. By the way, cold and flu season, Vic Synex nasal spray works up to 12 hours. Use only as directed Vix Sinex nasal spray. Breathe easier. Kansas City, Denver. And I was good to see here right in between meetings.

He's in between one meeting to the second meeting. And he said, yeah, I'll do an interview for 10 minutes. How nice is that? It is. It makes a good point, though. You know, if you're in season, it's actually. might be kind of nice to be able to just focus and not have distractions. He said it's Jacksonville.

It was just hotter down there. Yeah, I've never been to Jacksonville. I've been there one time. They had a Super Bowl, and they didn't have enough hotel rooms. So they brought in ships. True story. I never told you my Jacksonville taxi story. So they had to call, Jacksonville didn't have enough taxis for a Super Bowl.

So they had to call Orlando. And they said, can you get us 2,000 taxis here? Because the first two days in Jacksonville, they didn't have enough taxis. I had a man show up in a van and say, do you need a ride? And I said, that sounds safe. And I said, you don't look like a taxi. He goes, I'm not. I just wanted, I like your show and wanted to know if you needed a ride.

And I said, I think this is how the movie Silence of the Lamb started. Generally starts with the van, yeah. So you got in? Oh, no. Oh. I looked at the van and there was things in the back of the van that I wasn't comfortable with. Duck tape, rope, kind of stuff that ends up in a horror movie. Good choice.

Yeah. So I'm going to get to my NBA, Greg CoSell top of the hour. Greg CoSell. Let me just do a little tease here. So the NBA GM survey came out, and I'm fascinated by it. It's an anonymous survey. So this is how they think the Western Conference rankings are. Now, 90%, this is what's interesting, a big percent like Golden State to win it.

Now, this survey is how the West will finish at the end of the regular season. Because a majority of them, like Golden State, I think Golden State's massively underrated. So this is how the NBA general managers see it happening. Yeah. Now, it should be noted. This is they voted the order. I think their order is fairly close. One of these teams, and I think you're not going to believe what the team is, I'm a big believer that when you have 82 games, it's NBA travel is brutal, at least in baseball. You've got to stay in a state. city for four days, that you got to get along with people. And I think there's a really, really good team in the West that's going to completely unravel. And I will tell you that next hour.

I'm not going to go there yet. Okay. So that's what they said. I'll give you mine. In fact, why don't I give you mind to start next hour? Then I'll give you Greg CoSell. How about we do that? Very exciting. Feel better with MDrive. MDrive from N.com. The code is heard 20% off any order. Refine your prime. You get a in the morning. You're a little tired as we age. Our testosterone levels dip. I take two every morning. Get a little energy. Feel a little better. MDrive from n.com code herd. Greg CoSell right around the corner. In L.A. It's the herd. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many. any incredible guests.

I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Games, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast

Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

All right, here we go, hour two live in L.A. This is The Heard. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are in iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, Three minutes, Greg Kosell comes by, which I think is about as interesting. You're a better, you do fantasy, you just love the NFL. Nobody gives you more film insight and understanding appreciation for football. It's our NFL meat sandwich goes 10, 12 minutes.

It's great. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, NBA GM survey came out yesterday. A lot of stuff is cray. It's just so stupid. I will get before I get to Greg, one of the things that jumped out is that the NBA Western Conference is so good. I mean, the GMs were all over the map on it, and they had their Western Conference. So what I'll give you is what I believe, this is how the Western Conference will end.

This is how it will end at the end of the regular season. That doesn't mean the number one team will win the championship. So let's go two minutes on this. Here's how I think the NBA Western Conference will end up. I think Denver's going to win it. First of all, I think they're really good return everybody. They're young and get better and got some playoff experience. They're also a team that wants to have home court advantage.

They don't have a lot of veterans. Home court for them where they're very good. Could be the difference between winning and losing a series. I think Denver will be ready to go. They don't have a lot of new additions. They'll be a very good regular season team. And I do think they probably win a second playoff series this year. Number two will be Utah.

They had two weaknesses. Point guard, they added Mike Conley. Shooting, they add another shooter. I think their coach is great. Quinn Snyder. He's the Brad Stevens of the West. And again, I think they tend to catch teams off guard. They're always good at home because of the altitude.

early in the year. Teams are not in great shape. Don't play as well. And I just think they're a really good team that will be an excellent, excellent regular season team because they want home court in the playoffs. Number three, the Clippers,

who I think will be in the Western Conference final, but we'll finish third. Paul George may miss time early because of a shoulder surgery. And Kawhi Leonard, I'm going to tell you right now, is not going to play 70 games. Okay, he's going to take at least 15 games off

because he just played 60 and won the championship. So Kauai is going to play some games early because he's the new guy in town and Paul may not be playing. This team is deep. I think it's as good as any team in the NBA. It's going to take him a while with Paul George coming off surgery and Kaui Leonard taking off nights. It's going to take them about until March for the chemistry to really click. Clippers 3. Number four is Golden State. I think they have a chance to play in the Western Conference Finals. I still give them a chance to win the championship. They added size with Willie Collie Stein. They re-signed Kevon Looney. Kavon Lune.

and they have Clay Thompson coming back in March. Steph, Draymond, DeAngelo, Russell, I think will work perfectly. They're as good a coach team as there is in the NBA. They've got a new arena. Kevin's gone, so they'll play with more urgency. I think they're fourth. I think the Lakers are fifth. Now, I think they could be the best team in the league by the end of the year,

but it's an old roster, and they're not going to play Anthony Davis over 70 games. I doubt LeBronfe plays 75 games. They're going to, you know, your Rondos. They've already lost DeMarcus Cousins for the year. Regular season doesn't mean squat for this team. It doesn't mean anything. They're going to have a lot of their older players take nights off. I don't think their chemistry will be ideal for a while.

This is not a shot at the Lakers, but I think they're built for championships. They couldn't give a rip until about March. I'll put Portland at six. Dark Horse team to win the West is Portland. Here's why. They have Whiteside from Miami. That's an expiring contract. Watch Portland at the All-Star, the trading deadline.

move. They don't need Nerkich and Whiteside. They'll move that contract and go get a Kevin Love. So they got great guards and great bigs. They could use somebody in between. Keep your eye on Portland making a big trade at the trading deadline because they have two centers don't need both. San Antonio I have for seventh. They won 48 games last year without a point guard. They love Murray. He got hurt. They're a very good basketball team. The point guard in that system is massive, and they didn't have one last year. So we know they have Derozen, Lamarcus-Aulridge, they have scores, now they've got their point guard who they're in love with, they're seven.

And I'm going to pick the Dallas Mavericks for eight. They do not. I don't think they'll be a good defensive team. Porzingis will give you 24 a night. Luca gives you 26 a night. They're going to be fun to watch. I think they're well-coached. They have limitations, I think, on the defensive end, and I'll cross my fingers on Porzingus.

And yes, yes, I did not put the Houston Rockets in. And my theory on them is the owner right now is furious at the GM. The GM doesn't like the coach. The coach doesn't like his staff who they forced him with. And by the All-Star break, Cardinal have had it with Russell Westbrook. This is going to unravel. And that's my theory on that. I don't think I agree with that.

All right. I think chemistry is big in the NBA. And I think you've got this combustible China thing. Darry and GM and it's just a lot of noise. And it's, I don't like noise. So there it is. I got Denver, Utah, Clippers, Warriors, Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, Mavericks, NBA season starts in a few days. And with that we go to Greg CoSell 40 years, NFL films or NFL meat sandwich. Let's start with this. We all said let's not judge Aaron Rogers and Matt LaFleur in September.

Let's get to November. Are you seeing growth with the new coach in Aaron Rogers now after five or six games, Greg? Absolutely. I think their offense is starting to have a nice look and a nice feel to it. They have an effective play action pass game, which is exactly what Elflaur wants, working off the zone run game. They do that both with Rogers under center and in the gun. There's a much better and cleaner fusion now between the run and the pass, and that's what you're working toward. Plus, I thought this week Rogers played at a really high level within structure and from the pocket,

and he always has the ability to do other things, but I thought this week he really was patient, he was composed within the pocket and made a lot of great throws from the pocket. You know, they're young at wide receiver, old at tight end. I like their weapons. Maybe it's just Rogers, but I like their young receivers. Well, Rogers can obviously make ridiculous throws. He made a couple in this game. Obviously, the touchdown to Lazzard, you couldn't have handed the ball to him any better than Rogers threw it.

So, you know, I think that he can make guys better clearly because when you're a precise ball placement thrower, you make receivers, but that's what makes receivers better. Let's go to Lamar Jackson. Okay, so I think we both agree there's some limitations as a passer, but you know what? I'm a big fan of teams that have an identity, and I do believe they have an identity. So, you know, your takeaway,

and let's have an overview on Lamar this season because they lead their division right now and are pulling away in their division. Yeah, I think everything with that offense starts with all the run-game elements, the multiple run-game elements, mostly out of pistol. They do a lot of different, a lot of the same style run, same different looks with different people doing the blocking. But it starts with the run game.

You've got to defend that. At this point in his career, he's clearly a better runner than he is a thrower. He's a very inconsistent erratic thrower, whether you believe he can improve in that area that remains to be seen. But they're a running team first and foremost, and that's how you have to go about defending them. You have to start there, and you have to start with the fact that you don't want Jackson getting outside and outflanking your defense. You don't want him on the perimeter. I got to ask you about the 49ers. Obviously, we know their defensive front is very, very good, and we know Kyle Shanahan's very clever.

When you watch the film on the Niners, what impresses you most? The offense or the defense? I would say Kyle's offense has always been good wherever he's been. I'd say the defense. You could make the argument that they're front six. because teams playing sub-packages an awful lot, that their front six is as good as any front six in the National Football League. And that, to me, is where they're doing their damage right now. They certainly totally dominated the Rams offense and offensive line.

But that front six is as good as any in the NFL. And the two names people aren't probably talking about. Fred Warner is a second-year linebacker from BYU. And then you've got Juan Alexander, who came over as a free agent from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. and those two guys give them tremendous speed and versatility at the linebacker position in their nickel. You know, it's interesting. I want to talk about Deshawn Watson. Russell Wilson admitted about a week ago, he said, listen, it's year eight. Now you can't throw anything at me I haven't seen.

And Deshaun Watson's still a kid. And I'm watching him, and I told my audience last week, now that he's got a left side of the offensive line and a semblance of a running game, I think he's got at least comparable weapons to Patrick Mahomes. And I don't, I mean, I think Mahomes has a better. arm and is a better, more beautiful thrower. But there is an it quality to Deshawn Watson, where he's got his instincts are good, now he's

got a little time to throw. Deshawn's fascinating to me. When I watch him play, he's not the prettiest thrower of the football, but Greg, boy, he makes big third down place. Boys, he's got an it factor, and I thought I saw it again this past week. Yeah, he's not

as, it's funny you talk about the O line. I've been saying since week one that this line will get better and better. And in fact this past week, and I watched that tape closely, Laramie Tunsell had an outstanding game. He was dominant in past protection. In his one-on-one matchup versus Frank Clark, he totally dominated him. And they drafted two rookies now to play. Sharping is playing left guard, and he's improving each week. Howard got hurt this week, but it's only a couple of week injury. He's been improving at right tackle. This will end up being a very good offensive line.

And now you're seeing Watson with more time to throw, more time to scan. They've got a a good receiving group, and don't lose track of one thing, Colin. This offense in some ways is starting with Carlos Hyde, because Hyde has run the ball on first down almost as much as any back in the league. So they hand the ball off a lot on first down. Yeah. You know, I want to talk now about a couple of young quarterbacks. You know I love Sam Darnold.

I don't think he's always a beautiful thrower, but I don't think he was well-coached in college. He didn't play much in college. And I think he's got a big ceiling. I think the Jets have now gotten him Jameson Crowder, Lavian Bell. I think he has now at least reasonably solid weapons and semi-good protection. Now, last week he was obviously mostly terrific in the first half.

What did you see on film from Sam? Was it what you expect? Was it better? Did you see gradual improvement? What did the film say on a guy I really like? Oh, I thought he played well this past week, given that he'd missed some games. He made two big-time throws on that fourth quarter field goal drive.

He hit Crowder for 30 yards, where Crowder settled into his own void. He had the back shoulder throw to on the slot fade to Anderson. You know, he does clearly have a knack for movement within the pocket and then outside the pocket. And he's an awkward thrower, but that's just the way he throws. That's not going to change. So I like Donald.

I think that, you know, they play Monday night, and you can't beat the Patriots if you cannot execute and win versus man coverage. And I think they'll struggle in that area, so I don't know what his numbers will be Monday night. But I like Sam Donald, and I think he'll continue to improve. Now, I want to talk about Dak, who we talk a lot about on this show.

I didn't think he was, I guess, terrible against New Orleans, whatever the grades say. But, you know, we had this discussion yesterday. You know, we've seen him win a lot of games. We've seen him win his division. He is like Darnold. You don't look at him throwing and think, oh, that's wonderful. You've never been a huge fan of Dak. I mean, you know, is this just what we're going to get with Dak?

this is what it is against good defenses. He's unbelievably average. Well, it's not a matter of being taking the tape and then seeing what the tape tells me. And I think that that deck is a good thrower. I think that there are times that he misses some throws that he shouldn't. Now a lot of quarterbacks do that as well. But I think that he's a quarterback that has been very fortunate throughout his career

to be clean in a lot of pockets. It depends on the opponent. I mean, this week he was under a ton of pressure with the jets. Greg Williams came after him. made him uncomfortable, made him play a little fast. I think he's more dependent on weapons than some, and that's okay if you have good weapons. Look, Cooper didn't play, Gallup, and missed games.

So I'm back by any stretch of the imagination, and I think you can win games in the league with DAC, but I think there's a part of DAC that's kind of a piece, that if everything's working well with your offense, that he's really, really effective. And if things are not quite working as well, or you're missing some pieces, I'm not sure if he can bring you to a higher level.

Yeah. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on Baker because I'm going to talk about it, but 56% completion percentage is – Their offense is a mess right now. Okay, so Kyler Murray's at 64%. Lamar's at 65%. And we question whether Lamar's a pocket guy. So when you say their offense is a mess,

what you're telling me is it's some coaching. It's – because I don't know how many teams have great old lines. I kind of get tired of hearing about their own line. You say it's a mess. What does that mean? I'm not sure when I watch their... I don't get a sense that they have an identity, that there's a weekly sense of here's what we are as an offense,

and here's what we want to get accomplished on a weekly basis, and this is what we're going to do. That's a tough way to go every week. You should have a strong foundation. I don't know how you feel, but I personally think they should run their offense through Chubb in the same way that the Cowboys run their offense through Elliott. Yeah, totally. and then work off that.

Because right now you've got Baker Mayfield playing way too fast. He's seeing ghosts. He's perceiving and anticipating pressure. And he's not playing with the sort of calm and poise that he played with a year ago. Yeah. All right. I'm so glad your play of the week is Kyler Murray because at least in that first half, I don't know how much is scripted, how much is not.

But I feel like I've seen growth with him in like four weeks. Well, they've changed dramatic. Colin. They've gone from a team that was very collegiate in their personnel usage with 10 personnel, meaning four wide receivers, and each and every week they're doing less and less and less of that. Now they're playing with a tight end, with two tight ends, so much more of an NFL offense than they were initially, and I'm sure that's Kingsbury kind of evolving and growing and recognizing what you need to do in the NFL. Well, so that's interesting. So let's go to your big play of the week with Kyler. Let's jump right into it. And this was a touchdown to

Max Williams, you're going to see a lot of movement before the sentence. The key thing here, as you can see on the screen, it was second and one. And I think that's a, that is to me the critical part of this play. And now as we start to get to the breakdown of the play, you'll see why. Because what you're going to have here, obviously you're going to see Kyler Murray in the shotgun. He's in the shotgun probably 98% of the time. But what you're going to get here is Andy Isabella. He's going to go in motion across the formation. And remember, the second and one is critical here because this play. starts to have the look now if, hey, he runs across the formation, Murray takes the snap, he works a little bit of design movement, he's going to throw it in the flat, get the first down. There's the first down marker. Everybody in the NFL runs this play. There you see, looking right at him, that's what the play looks like. Get the first down, move the chains, get in the red zone, you have more plays.

But let's go back to the snap now and see what they did here. And this is really interesting. You're going to see Larry Fitzgerald and Max Williams. Fitzgerald's going to run across the three. because he wants to remove Ishmael, the defender. Because what they want to do here is have Max Williams show that he's going to block as if they're going to throw it to Isabella in the slot to get the first down on a play, as I said, everybody runs.

So you can see right there, Max Williams, he's blocking. That's what it looks like. So what happens now is when we release this, you're going to see Williams work across the field. The area has been cleaned out by Fitzgerald. Easy throwback across the field. You get a touchdown. Beautiful design. taking advantage of the down and distant situation, and the fact that the defense would not be thinking about that at all.

Yeah, that's a really beautiful play. And I love when a play is executed. And coaches must love this. It works exactly. The guys you wanted to bite, bite, and it works perfectly. Greg CoSell, NFL films, 40 years. I love having them on Thursday. Greg, great talking to you. Thanks, Colin. Appreciate it. Yeah. See, that is interesting. His thing on Baker is, why isn't it running through Nick Chubbin? By the way, in three weeks now, or excuse me, one, two, yeah, about three weeks, Cleveland gets Kareem Hunt. So they're going to have two great backs. It's like, figure this out. This is why the OBJ thing, nothing against OBJ, but six targets, that's what you get. This should be a run offense.

Baker's not good enough to throw 48 times a game. By the way, I love Jared Goff. I don't want Jared Goff throwing 55 times a game. It's too much. I don't think there is a quarterback that should be throwing that much. And to be honest, when your offense is that one-dimensional, how much easier is it to play defense on that situation. Like, keep the defense honest.

Even if you can't get the running game going, at least try. Yeah, that's a good point. Albert Breer, Catino Mobley, this hour, good stuff. Coming up next, a criticism of certain stars in our sports world. I just don't get that's coming up. 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 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 SportsSlice 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 SportsSlice 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free, iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashed. reaching human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 individual, 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. Tonight on Thursday night football, it's a can't miss matchup as Patrick Mahomes leads the chief's electrifying offense against Von Miller and the Broncos. It all starts at 7.30 Eastern 4.30. Pacific on Fox NFL network and streaming on prime video. So let's talk Thursday night football Super 6. The last question in today's game is which team will win and by how many points you got

Colin? I think it's actually a really good game. I'd probably take Kansas City 2620. I think it's fairly low scoring. I think Kansas City gets off the Schneide. The problem is four straight teams have rushed for 100 yards on Kansas City. So they're losing time of possession. But I don't think tonight, even if they lose time of possession, they'd lose the game

because I don't think Denver's offense has enough firepower, but I think it's a really good game. It's kind of Denver's season. It feels like Denver got jobbed in that Bears game. Totally got jobbed. And Denver had another game they lost as the clock expired. So Denver's not a bad team. You know, they're like Tennessee.

You sleep on Denver. You wake up and you lost. So there you go. I got a couple different things. I actually have a Baker Mayfield take where I'm going to be very, very nice, although it would be easy for me not to be. But first, Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Tom Brady is in his 20th NFL season. Amazing. And he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he's already accomplished a lot, but he clearly still loves the game and says he is grateful for how long he's been able to play. I mean, I love playing football. So those three hours, and being on the practice field, I really love.

To play 20 years in the NFL, I mean, I never would imagine. I'm sure nobody would have ever imagined that. To just play a sport that I dreamed of playing, you know, has been a dream come true. And everyone always says, what are you going to do when you're done? What are you going to do when you're done? The reality is I never thought of doing anything else. I never had to think about doing anything else. I just thought about, you know, playing football.

You know, it's funny. What's remarkable about Tom to me when I watched this video, if you didn't know who he was, his throwing motion, he walks like a 29-year-old. He doesn't, you know, I remember when George Blanda and Joan Namath were old. I remember when Dan Fouts was old. I remember all the guys that got old, and they started to walk and look old. Like, he still looks because the plyometrics or whatever he uses. He doesn't look old.

Well, Tom Brady is kind of similar to LeBron in his career, and that he really hasn't had outside of the one injury. Any kind of injuries or lingering injuries. And, I mean, if he has, he's taken care of them. And it's not to say that other guys don't take care of their bodies. I mean, a lot of this is just luck. Like, it's, I mean, there's no controlling it. I mean, if you play the game long enough, like everyone says, you're going to get injured.

There's a 100% injury factor in the NFL. But it really is something, I mean, as much as we talk about, or at least I talk about, like, I do not want to see another Patriots Super Bowl. It's, and I'm not a, you know, a Patriots fan. I've passed over after the Atlanta Super Bowl into a space. And I've kind of gotten into this with LeBron, too, where, you know, I'm a sports fan and I have, teams that I'm a fan of, obviously, and I root for, you know, whoever in the Super Bowl, you know, if my team's not there. But I don't want to be that person that didn't appreciate the level of greatness that I'm

watching in my lifetime. So, you know, 50 years from now, I'm like, oh, I don't know, I can't stand Tom Brady. Like, no, I watched the greatest quarterback of all time. I remember getting into this argument with somebody over Tiger Woods like 10 years ago. I said, I don't care if you like Jack. You are watching. Yeah. for a 10-year stretch, we'll never see this again in golf.

We're never going to see this with the Patriots ever again. No, this will never happen in the NFL game. In the NFL, most certainly, and probably not in sports. Right. Like, it is what we are watching will not be able to duplicate it for many reasons. You can YouTube Tiger Woods' 10 greatest moments. I watch them twice three times a year. I get goosebumps on half of them still.

Like, there is no other Allie. There is no. We always think there's a next. There isn't. There's a difference. There are other great players that may resemble, but there is no other Michael Jordan. Kobe was the closest thing. No, and Kobe is, I don't even really like comparing Kobe to Michael because Kobe is so great.

And his all-time great and unique. And when he gets compared to Michael, it's like he's like Michael Jr. or something like he's not. No. Kobe was incredible in his own right. So it's not even like, I don't even like comparing them. Alex Smith suffered a devastating leg injury last season. that he's still slowly recovering from.

And he revealed at a recent sports medicine event that he has had to undergo 17 surgeries to repair his leg. I think I would just retire. Someone in the attendant said there was a big gasp from the crowd when Smith said that number. But despite the grueling rehab process, he said he's motivated to make a comeback.

Wow. Wow. So he said, the older you get, you realize how precious these situations are that it's not going to last forever and trying to make the most of it. You only have so many years left and to have this challenge to that in front of me, I mean, how often do you get a challenge like that to overcome?

And for me to take it on and not worry about anything else. It makes me like Alex Smith. It makes me appreciate pro athletes. 17 surgeries on the same leg. I mean, we all remember how, I mean, we're not going to show it, obviously, but we remember how devastating that injury was. You know, I never will look at it. I refuse to watch it.

I don't like watching those injuries either. Like, just tell me what happens. I don't need to see it. Like, I don't need that image. And for what? Like, we know that it's a devastating injury. You can usually tell. how bad the injury is based off of the way

that the rest of the players on the field react to it. He broke his tibia and his fibula and was in the hospital for four weeks dealing with infections. He was spotted at practice throwing this week. So he is working on a comeback. I'd like to see him come back just because to go through something that

physically and emotionally and mentally draining, it would be nice to see him have the opportunity, even if he is never on the same level that he was to get back out there. Because, I mean, that football is what took that from you in that injury. But that's just 17.

I mean, when Schlerert talks about how many surgeries, he's had, I think he said he had 29 or something. I once had water on the knee. I took a day off school. It's too much. I couldn't take it. Finally, Zion Williamson is already taking the NBA by storm. In just four preseason games, he is averaging 23.3 points per game. Yeah.

The only other players averaging more points are all MVP winners, Janus, Steph Curry, and James Hardin. You called? Oh, you called it on Simon? I remember when everybody like six months ago was like, didn't have a jumper. He's a little short. I was like, in your face, wrong people. This guy is going to win rookie of the year. Yeah, well, yes, that's, yes.

Yeah, you know, his jumper is. He's minus 175 to win rookie of the year, like a fox bet. He's also on pace to be the first rookie in the past 20 years to finish the preseason averaging more than 20 points. Oh, again. But what about his jumper? Yeah, I don't know about his perimeter defense. How about this?

He's six, seven. He runs the floor like a guard and could break the backboard on every dump. I think everyone just doesn't want to be, you know, yeah. I mean, just like trying to be too, like the smartest guy in the room. Why is everybody trying to pick a part obvious? Watch Russell Wilson. He's good. Stop talking.

I mean, what are you picking apart? He wins a bunch of games. Like everybody's like, Brady's system, Zion. Watch Zion. I do think part of this is the Pelicans trying. to temper the pressure and expectations of Zion because he's so dynamic that it's easy to just fall in love with his game and compare him to LeBron. He's not LeBron.

He's a little Barclay, a little Blake Griffin. He's all. I don't see LeBron at all. I don't see LeBron's game at all. But still, Zion is built differently than LeBron. He's not as long as LeBron. I cannot wait every week. You know I'm going to do Colin Wright, calling wrong?

I'm going to do Colin Wright every week. I'm going to do 50 weeks. of Colin Wright on it. That's very petty, Colin. I like it. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Line News. No, I'm going to do my NBA thing, but I'll let it wait because I got, no, I won't let it away. I'll do it anyway. So, by the way, Anthony Davis last night, LeBron, they looked good. And Anthony Davis is like, he had a funny line last night where he basically said, it's nice. I don't remember the last time I scored five points and we won by 20 and led by 20. Let me just say this before we go into the NBA season. I don't understand all you fans that beat up on these. NBA players for joining forces. Let me ask you, any of you Duke basketball fans out there? Any of you Kansas basketball fans? Any of you Kentucky basketball fans? Don't you celebrate when all the great high schoolers join your team?

Are you an Ohio State football fan, a Clemson fan, a Georgia fan, an Auburn fan, a Kentucky, a USC fan? Don't you fans all celebrate when the best high school players join six teams, Oklahoma? Would you rather have it like baseball where Robinson Canoe goes from a great team to the Mariners. Zach Grinky goes from the Dodgers to the debacks, and Mandy Machado goes from a great roster in L.A. to a bad one in San Diego because of money. You want sports to guys just go to crappy teams because of the paycheck? NBA guys give up money because they want to win games. Like Anthony Davis is like, God, I can't remember the last time I scored five. We led by 20.

It was real fun. They all want to be the man. They just don't want to be the only man. The NBA star is the only guy we bang on for joining forces. Can you imagine in Hollywood, saying, you know, the Avengers, please. Anybody can dominate the world when all the superheroes get together. We love the Avengers. Nobody blamed George Clooney when he joined Oceans 11 and went, well, I mean, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac, Matt, Damon, Don Cheadle. I mean, Brad Pitt.

I mean, what a loser. Anybody could join a good movie. No, we celebrate it. It's like awesome. All these guys are together. Avengers. All these guys are together. Don't we love the Yankee teams that have Jeter and A-Rod?

and they had all. Why are we banging on NBA guys? You basketball fans, you all love when your college gets loaded up with five, four-star guys. You all love when your college football team dominates recruiting. And then two years later, you hate it when that guy goes to an NBA team after three or four years and says, my GM's bad, my coach is bad. I want to join LeBron. They want to be the man. They just don't want to be the only man. It's the only place in America where, I mean, you would mostly be called an idiot in any other. field if you said, yeah, I'm going to stay here with a bad coach, a bad GM, and a bad roster, and even though my career is only 12 years, you'd be like, that's stupid. I mean, if I had been the only person to come over to FS1, like it, and I just stayed here and everybody else, you'd be like, that's not a great career move. What makes it a great career move is we recruited people to bring over, and now we've got

an awesome team. The team makes the move right. Of course Anthony Davis wanted to play with LeBron. Of course, Paul George wanted to play with Kauai. Of course. Everybody wants to play for a winner. I hear that all the time. You know, millennials, they're not worth the struggle.

You've seen these kids play. You ever watch the NBA draft? And all these kids grow up, a lot of them without money and their dad, they're jumping over tires at six years old, seven, eight, nine, ten, because they want to play in the NBA. Every time I watch the NBA draft, I'm crying. The stories are unbelievable. You don't think they've worked hard?

You don't think these kids will work hard? There's a million guys in the world that are six-six. In the last 50 years in the NBA, there's only 3,000 players. In America, a million six six guys. You don't think these guys are work hard. But when they get to the NBA, they're like, yeah, I put all this damn work in. I don't want to play for the Wizards. And we're all over them. Every other level of sports, movies, anything, we're like, yeah, go join the best people and the best right. I mean, Tom Hanks won't even work with 90% of the

directors. It's like, is Spielberg available? I'll do a movie. Bradley Cooper works for the same director. Leonardo DiCaprio works for the same director. They don't want to work with every director. They want to work with stars. You should. I'm taking a break. I'm worn out. I'm sweating. Albert Burrs around the corner. 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, 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 SlicLife 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Michelin Endurance XT Silicon Wiper Blades, only available at Walmart,

two times longer than other blades. Michelin Endurance XT Silicon Wiper Blades. He is the lead content guy, guy we trust Albert Breer at Monday Morning quarterback, joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network, a senior NFL reporter, Patriot Beat Rider Boston Globe years ago. Okay, Albert, let's start with this. The officiating does feel like we're in a little bit of a crisis,

I do not like the replay on pass interference. I think the league I said it at the time overreacted to the Saints drama. I don't like it. I think they should get it removed. You got an article coming up on MMQB. Is anything at those Fort Lauderdale owner meetings come out of it regards to the replays and officials? Well, a couple of the guys that I talked to executive level people there,

so they're anticipating the coaches coming back to them now with a proposal like the coaches, came to the league with last year. And, you know, Colin, I got to tell you, there's a, there's a 10-man subcommittee, the John Madden subcommittee made up of head coaches. They came forward with two proposals that were detailed on either adding an eighth official to the crew or adding a sky judge to each officiating crew. They presented those to the owners.

There was a lot of pushback to Mount Riveron and the officiating department on that. But, you know, if you want to look at the way the people on the field feel about it, All 32 coaches approved both proposals. And I know one veteran coach stood up in those meetings and said, it's the first time I've ever seen all 32 head coaches agree on anything. And so, you know, I think after the way the first six or seven weeks of the season has gone, most people at that league meeting anticipate that the head coaches are going to come back to them again with another proposal advocating for a Sky Judge in 2020.

And based on what we've seen, I think they've got a pretty good chance of going through. I don't want to pick on Baker, but the completion percentage now is 56%. And to put that in perspective, Kyler Murray, the rookie behind a bad old lines at 65, Kyle Allen's at 66, Gardner Minchews at 64, forget Derek Carr in the 70s, Dak in the 70s, Lamar Jackson, 65, Mason Rudolph 67, Baker at 56. Listen, some of it's got to be on the coaches. Baker didn't forget how to throw a football. There have been rumors about Freddie Kitchens.

I think you keep them for 24, 32 games. I think you got to give them a shot here. Do you believe they would potentially make a move in season if this gets worse and they get hammered by New England and hammered by Buffalo? I don't think so because I think John Dorsey was well aware of what he's signing up for here. You bring in a guy, it was a position coach a year ago, and I think you have to ride it out. You have to say, okay, we're in this for the long haul.

We knew that there were going to be some growing pains. We promoted this guy because of his relationship with Baker and because he was able to get the most out of Baker in 2018. So we at least owe it to ourselves to see this through with a guy that we really believed in as recently is January and February. And so I don't think there's any chance they make a move. I also think we need to take the environment there into account. And really what honest people in the Browns organization were saying over the summer,

that there were depth concerns in the roster. and more than anything else, there's an offensive line concern. And I know coming into the year, there was some level of expectation that Baker was going to have the kind of year-two breakout that Carson Wentz had that Patrick Mahomes had. I'm telling you, Colin, I mean, Carson Wentz was playing behind Jason Peters, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes was playing behind Eric Fisher, Mitch Morris, Mitchell Schwartz. Baker just doesn't have the infrastructure around him right now. If a young quarterback doesn't have an offensive line, it's problematic. We're seeing it in L.A. now with Jared Gough. And the difference in Jared Gough now versus where he was last year behind a better

offensive line. There's a lot of spots in that roster that need to get a lot better. And I'm not putting zero of this on Baker, but I think a lot more of it go on the construction of the Ross than people are giving that credit. By the way, Jalen Ramsey, we're seeing more teams roll the dice. Rams gave up two firsts and another pick. It kind of feels we live here in Los Angeles. They got offensive line issues.

They don't have a running game. everybody's walking on eggshells with Gurley. It kind of feels like, I mean, I get it. That's a lot to give up. What would Belichick do? I don't think Belichick would give up two first and another fourth. Are the Rams kind of in desperation mode in a city that's distracted, has two NBA teams starting in a week? I mean, it was a big swing by them, right?

Yeah. It was. And look, I mean, I think one thing you want to look at, but the age of the guys, they've taken these big swings on, Brandon Cooks, I believe was 24 when they acquired. fired him. Jalien Ramsey's 24. So these aren't just guys for right now. These are guys you want to build around going forward. That said, they're going to have a lot of guys who are going to be the top of the market, you know, from a pay standpoint, Jared Goff at the top of the quarterback market, Todd Gurley at the top of the running back market, Brandon Cooks at the top of the receiver

market. You've got on defense, Aaron Donald at the top of the market, period. And then Jalen Ramsey, you'd assume would be right there with them. And so you have a top heavy roster from a salary standpoint, you definitely cut off your margin for error when you take away first round picks. And they're going to go five years without a first round pick. That's 2017 to 2021. Colin, that's where your cheap labor comes from is the draft. And so having the combination of a of a heavy quarterback contract, which they have now and a lack of high-end draft picks on the roster, it really kind of shrinks the margin for error for the organization going forward to build. And this means they're going to have to nail a lot of second and third and fourth round

picks. Finally, you're, you cover New England for years. They got Nikiel Harry, the rookie receiver back. Edelman, Josh Gordon, Philip Gorset, it looks like, you know, the running back receiver thing is kind of coming together here. Do you believe they're the best team in the league this morning? I would say yes. You know, and I don't think that there's a perfect team out there. I pick the Eagles to win the Super Bowl before the season. They've obviously shown themselves out of problems in the secondary. I think every team has a significant. significant flaw. The Patriots would still like to go out and get some skill position help. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the mix for guys like Mohammed Sunu or Emmanuel Sanders before the

October 29th trade deadline. Wow. The thing is the offensive, the defense column at this point has been so good through six weeks. It's bought the offense all kinds of time to work at its problem. So the offense has an offensive line issue. Well, they're buying time for Isaiah when to get healthy. They've got a little bit of a dearth of skill position talent. Well, they bought time to go and find some solutions from the outside potentially. That defense is playing at a historic level. And one of the reasons why it's again, is Belichick's zinging when everybody else is zagging as the league continues to get younger.

Belichick has eight guys on that defense starting who are 29 years old or older. Wow. And a ninth starter who's 28 years old, which has only unlocked Belichick's ability to use the flexibility and know-how of players. And so I think as you've seen the league get younger and younger and simpler and simpler, Belichick's getting older and more complex, and that's allowed his defense to be absolutely dominant through the first month in the half of the season.

Senior NFL reporter, lead content guy for MMQB. Great stuff. Great point on that. Albert Breer, good seeing you again. Thanks, Colin. Yeah, that's actually a great nugget. Everybody's young. Belichick's like, I need old guys, because old guys can get my complex system.

I remember reading a story about two months ago about Van Nuoy, Kyle Vanoy. Vanoy is a good football player, so Belichick brings him in. He goes, I was so love. lost for the first year, but I didn't have to play. And when you watch one of the interesting things were the Patriots to watch, you ever do this, John, Greg, Joy, who doesn't suit up? Like the do not play list?

They will rest. New England will rest really good backs and really good secondary people. Like, they'll just take them off the roster for a week. And nobody in the league does that. Like, they have so much depth in that. They drafted a kid at a Vanderbilt, a corner that's an incredible talent. they can play them, they cannot play them. It's, they have got depth on that defense. I'll tell you, well, I'll say this about secondary and running backs,

they are as much as you can be in a salary cap year, salary cap era. They're not even playing their rookie running back from Alabama. They're not even playing them. They don't even need to play them. So running back in secondary, New England is as loaded as you can be in the salary cap era. They just have extra players. They don't have to suit them up on some. Sundays. Oklahoma, West Virginia this week,

Discover Card key matchup. Discover at Miles card. They match the miles in your first year. So if you have 30,000 miles become 60. Discover match is for new card members only. Go to discover.com slash travel. I do like the Sooners in that game. And I still think Jerry Jones knows he's going to hire Lincoln Riley. He just doesn't know if it's this year, next year, or in three years. Catino Mobley, hour three all fired up. We are live in Los Angeles, Chiefs, Broncos, tonight.

730 Eastern on Fox. That's a good one. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Untucket.com. Don't be the guy that looks sloppy with an untuck shirt.

GQ calls it perfection. Codeherd, untucket.com. Guy that's probably the best dressed guy at the network. You and Greg Jennings are always who does your Taylor Habbardash or? Who is it? I actually get my suits from a guy named Alec Musica is his suit line. He's out of New York, but he comes to me, he sizes me up. Look at that.

A couple times a year? Yeah. And you are. Look at that. Do you go to Coutinho Mubli? Do you go to breakfast like that? I mean, would you go? Like, I could not imagine eating scrambled eggs in a suit that nice.

No, you can't just unbutton your jacket. You eat breakfast in a suit. Yeah, in a suit. It's amazing. Never done that in my life. Yeah. Honestly. Well, you hate suits.

You were complaining about suits this morning. You had to wear a sports jacket. No, I don't. Look like hell. I had to wear one yesterday for about 15 minutes. Uncomfortable. It felt so uncomfortable. Oh, it was just unc-I felt like an insurance salesman.

Get me out of here. I hated it. Just terrible. Okay, so the NBA, I cannot believe your take. So they have, the NBA comes out of a year. It's the anonymous NBA general manager survey. Right. And they come out with, if you were going to start a franchise today,

Janus Anthony Davis and Luca Donsonson. Two of those guys didn't make the playoffs. I watched Kauai Leonard shut down Yonis in the playoffs. Where's Kauai Leonard? You wouldn't start your franchise with Kauai Leonard today? Not saying I wouldn't start. I would start with Yonis first. I would.

Can he shoot a three? Well, it's not so much. Would you start your franchise with Shaquille O'Neill? He dominated the paint, right? I was a Kobe guy over Shaq because Kobe could handle the ball. Kobe could hit a three. But to start a franchise around the person, right? If I have Shaquille O'Neal and I just have an okay guard,

I can get a little far with some people may want to come play with me, right? But if you have a guard and you have no one else, it's very hard, right? You got, there's a lot of volume shooting, things like that. But Giannis is making everyone better, right? So, yeah, Kauai, he shut down. If Kauai is not making Mark Gasol and Kyle Lowry better? Markissel was defensive player to year. He was always a great point of big man.

Carl Lari was already first team, all-MBA. I mean, all-star. He was everything, right? He was Olympian. Kyle Lurie's not no slouch. He was already good. He was after 20 points before Kauai got there. It's not like Kauai made him get more.

You know what I mean? Yeah, but none of us ever trusted Kyle in the playoffs. Yeah, you didn't trust him. That's why Van Vleet, right? That's why. Fred Van Vleet. Seacom. He took Fred Van Vleet, Seacom.

Kyle Lowry and Markisal and Abakas, 48. I like how you say that. I like how you say that. You say it like those guys are not good or they weren't good before he got there. That's a good one. I like that. You don't. You think that was the... That undertone?

You think that was the best roster in the league last year. They won the championship. It's not about being the best roster. It's about how well you play together. That team got swept the previous year in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Kauai takes them. They win the title.

If they're so great, they couldn't win a second season. in the Eastern Conference. Didn't LeBron sweep up? I don't think they would have got past. If they didn't have Marcusal, they wouldn't have got past that first round or that second round last year. Do you think Kawhi's going to guard Joel Embed?

I saw him shut down Yonis. He's not guarding Joel Embeddeed. You don't like, do you not like Kauai Leonard? I like Kauai Lennard a lot. I was just at the practice the other day. You sound like Chris Brouss already always said. I like LeBron butt. And I'm always like, can we just take the butt out of it?

LeBron's good. I'm just going with Giannis first and then Kauai. Okay, so you'd put Kauai in the top three. Yes, I'll put Kauai in the top three. I'm not doing Anthony Davis second. Luca, I'm not sold on yet. He's a couple of years. He's a couple of years with Luca first.

Yeah, he's a good score. Yeah, good score. 24 and night. Good playmaker. But I just need between Anthony Davis, Kauai and the freak. So you would go freak? Who would your three be? Your freak.

Freak. Kauai, Anthony Davis. And the only reason Anthony Davis is third is because I haven't seen. seen you play 82 games healthy. Okay, so that's fair. I'll give you my three. Kauai won. Yonis would be third. Kauai won, Steph Curry, second. Who's the best ball handler and shooter in the league?

It's a ball handler, shooters league. I like that. I would go Kauai, Steph, Yonis. I like that. I like that. Because you know why Steph Curry? Not just any shooters. Steph Curry can play off the ball and still be dominant.

It gets along with it. It gets along with everybody. Everybody. That's another thing. Yeah. People think because you're a superstar, oh, you're going to make the team better. No, some superstars are both. You know why I am such a great superstar that I get along with everybody.

It's not just I'm a superstar. I'm the Steph Curry of broadcasters. It's very easy to get along with. Outside of Goulet, everybody loves me. Okay, so let's go to this. So here's my Western NBA West predictions. So the GMs came out with their predictions. I mostly agree with them.

So I'll just give you mine. I don't think Denver's better long term than the Clippers. but I do think they want home court advantage. And I do think Kauai is going to take 15 games off. And Paul George won't play all the games early because of a shoulder surgery. Then I go, you know, Golden State, again, I think the Lakers are built for the playoffs, but I think Anthony's going to play 68 games. LeBron will play 72.

They don't have much of a bench. Now, I left Houston out. So just let me give you why. I think chemistry matters. If you go back Catino Moble to your best teams, they were not always the most talented. The owner Tillman Fertita is furious at his GM.

The GM doesn't love his coach Mike Dan Tony. Dan Tony doesn't love his staff, which got fired and he had to replace him. And I'm not sure the star, who I've been told runs the team. He even checks himself in and out Hardin. I'm not sure Hardin loves Dan Tony. And I think Westbrook and

Hardin like each other, but there's no guarantee they play well together. I think Houston unravels. I think there's stress. I think the chemistry. When the owner and the GM and the coach and the star. I'm like, a lot of... But that was the same thing last year. Well,

James pulled them from 14 all the way to fourth. But the GM and the coach, there was a sense last year after getting close Golden State. They were going to beat them. Now, after they lost, then the GM's frustrated with a coach. But I think last year we went into a season believing with Houston

this year. They're going to get over Golden State. One thing you can't, you can't, you can't put injuries is it's just a part of the game you like Houston I like Houston making the playoffs I know that I mean you don't have Houston in the playoffs no Denver you have number one right yeah because they're so they're so stuck on home court advantage how'd that work out when you played against Portland no I'm not saying they're going to win the west but I'm saying these this is how it ends up before the playoffs this will be the seating so Denver wants home court advantage

because I think they they fear going to L.A they fear going to L.A. They fear going to the Warriors new arena. I also think Utah and Denver, young teams haven't done anything in the playoffs. They want home court advantage. I mean, Mike Conley, he'll play as many games as he's healthy. LeBron Anthony Davis, Kauai Paul

George, you know, they'll Draymond Green. The veteran teams don't give a rip about home court. They'll take 8, 10, 12 games off. Right, right, right. So there it is. And I think Houston's going to unravel. I don't think the China thing helped any, by the way. I had this feeling anyway. I didn't get that China thing. That's all a mess.

Yeah, that's going to be a mess in Houston. On everyday basis. Everybody just keeps talking about it. About two weeks, they're still not over. It's ridiculous. Okay, how about this? So AD and LeBrona played a little bit. We're seeing a little preseason stuff.

You kind of like what you see? I like what I see, but I just need everybody to pump the brakes. You know what I mean? Like, we're so like gung-ho. Like, AD said something about like, you know, I've never played the game where I have five points and we're up so much and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like, it's preseason also. like let's say this like in March right let's say this in December January February let's say that

let's see when you guys gel because right now everybody's new Dwight Howard LeBron with you guys did you ever get new teammates how long in your career was there ever a year you got even good players inserted how long does it take to work well when I went to Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings were like Golden State of what we know, right? The Golden State, we know high IQ. Sacramento Kings was that. So when I went to Sacramento Kings, maybe like I think December, when I got traded to the Sacramento Kings and asked for the trade from Orlando,

Mike Bibby, Paisa Sey Soyakovich, Chris Weber, Brad Miller, all of Kevin Martin, Matt Barnes, all those guys, high IQs. So it wasn't hard to fit in, right? Because you just do your part, right? You don't have to do anything extra. So for me, it depends on what team you go on and how high the IQ is. Because then after that, you guys mesh well. You enjoy your mesh well.

You're not trying to outdo each other. Well, I mean, LeBron's got a high IQ. Rondo. AD does. Who's that? AD. Yeah, so that should be okay. Yeah.

I think the Lakers and Clippers. I don't think the chemistry is the issue. My issue with the Lakers is don't know about their. bench, don't know about their point guard. And frankly, they're old. I think they're going to rest guys. I don't think you have enough shooters. It's going to become complicated after a while because you don't have a lot of guys

that stretch the floor. You don't have a Kyle Corver. You don't, yeah, okay, Cawley, whatever's. Willie Colley Stein. Yeah. No, he's a, he's a shooting guard. The shooting guard, Danny, uh, Garney Green. Yeah, and Caldwell Pope, those two.

Are he stretching the floor? I don't know. I just, I have to see it first. I got to see. I'm not too excited about it. I just say you have three great guys. Comiche, do we have any Zion footage? I don't know if you've heard, but I am right a lot.

So I predict Zion's going to be all rookie. He's going to be a borderline all-star by the end of the year in the east. Or in the West. He'll be a borderline all-star. A lot of people say he can't shoot. He measured. He's a little short. He could get heavy.

He could be fat. And I'm like, all I know, I watch that. And I'm like, I want no part of defending that. I got no interest, that 284-pound body leaning on me in November, December, early in the year. I think he's going to be fantastic. He's a big boy. Like, again. Look at that.

Boom. But you got to think about it. That game right there, I think it was that game where a game against Chicago. I love this enthusiasm. Look at this. I love your enthusiasm. Oh, bang! In your face.

Love it. Yeah. I love it. So, but listen, I love his athleticism. But my thing is just like, okay, once they catch on, where does it go from there? Do you understand? Defensively, once teams catch on because he was 12 for 13 against Chicago, and everybody thought he was like the next like Charles Barkley.

Okay, time out. Which is cool. Did anybody ever figure out Carl Malone? Carl Malone had two moves. Nobody ever stopped him. Yeah, but Carl Malone, a lot of his points was transition from John Stockton, one of the best point cards ever. This guy's got Lonzo Ball. It's going to get tons of...

So Lonzo Ball is John Stockton. No, but he's going to get a bunch of... transition points. But Coutino, how many absolutely great moves? Did you have most NBA guards, even scores, have two great moves? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nobody stopped him. No.

Why do you have to stop his move? I'm just going to lean that big butt on you and docking your face. But it's not about stopping. I had a jumper. He's got to, he can't develop a jumper? Yeah, but again, do you see what happened to Giannis? If he had a jumper, do you think Kauai would have stopped him? That's my point.

He has to get that. Once they start figuring him out, you won't get those easy buckets no more. You don't think he's going to get easy buckets. What is this? You don't think he's going to get easy buckets for 20 years in this league. He's going to get easy buckets in the beginning. And then it's going to be hard buckets from that. Until he evolves.

They're going to have to, but they go. Defensive coaches are not going to let him do the same thing he's doing the preseason. It won't work. You look at all those skinny euros. You think they want a piece of him. The NBA centers now way, killing him or somebody to come off that bench. Because if you don't try to stop him, you're going to sit down. I'll tell you, big guys in this league.

First of all, Joel Embed's not as fast as him. And the skinny guy, now, they look like, they're all skinny guys. Yeah, that's true. Breadsticks. They're not stopping that guy. I'll break him in half. I think he's just. Olive garden breadsticks?

Yeah. I mean, it's like, I look at these moves, and I'm like, that's going to be 80% of his game. He's going to score in transition. I think he's going to be a, you know, in the NBA men. But Blake Griffin was like this. He evolved. He evolved. I think Blake Griffin is.

The comp. I think he'll eventually, though, become, I think he's got kind of softer hands. He'll be a little better shooter than Blake. Blake is a way better ball handler. All right. Right. So just dribble. Just practice more and dribble better. You don't like this guy, do you?

No, I love him. I'm sensing animosity. No, not at all. What do you have against him? I love the kid. I'm just saying in an NBA, after a while, teams are going to figure you out, and then you have to adjust. Okay. Hopefully you adjusts.

I don't think people figure out. Which I think he will. because he loves the game. Nobody figured out Charles Barkley's big butt in the paint. Nobody. 20 years he was leaning that big old, you know what. Yeah, he had fadeaways too. Well, no, Charles was a better player, way better player right now.

Post game was way better than this. Man, you are tough on this kid. It's not. Charles Barkley's one of the 10 best offensive players in my life. I'm not saying he's even close to Charles. But you go ask Charles. Nobody wanted a piece of Charles. No, they didn't.

You know why? Because it's hard guarding Charles. It is. And so this kid, Who wants to win a Tuesday night in Denver? Man up with that kid in transition. A Tuesday night. He's getting 16 points.

You act like they have a day job. What do you mean a Tuesday night? That's their job. He's like a day job. Man, I just had a 9 to 5. I got to play this kid at 8. Jesus Christ. I'm in trouble.

All right. We got to get out of here. World's Best Dresser. I came with sound effects. Cotino Mowbly Commentary comes with sound effects. Good seeing you, buddy. Joe with the News. No.

No. Turn on the news. This. is the herd line news. Katina, in all fairness, Tuesday nights are a rough night to have to do, you know, hard work. It is. Tuesday night. Yeah, after 9 to 5, it is.

Poor 5. This guy's going to score a lot of points on that pain. So the Rams traded corner Marcus Peters to the Ravens this week. When discussing the move, GM-Less needs, said that Peters handled the news very well and even came all the way back to the team facility to say goodbye. He was downtown in L.A. And I said, hey, I know a lot of people here would like to say goodbye, starting with Sean and your coaches, understand and respect your emotions. If you'd like to just maybe get on a plane and move on to next chapter, he said, you know what, I'm going to get up there a little bit later and say goodbye.

So I can tell you this about Marcus Peters. He's one of the most authentic human beings I've ever met. And he also went to it, but I will say this, you got traded to a good team. It's not like they sent him to purgatory. Baltimore's going to win their division. Yeah, the Ravens are a good team. And this is nice to hear. I mean, they got a linebacker and a 20-fifth-pound pick for him.

Trades are a part of the game, and they're very difficult to handle. And he's only been there a year and a half because he came from the Chiefs in March of 2018. So he's had a lot of movement. Yeah, the thing what Marcus is, when Marcus is engaged, he's really good. He doesn't stay engaged the long time. But listen, if you get traded, there's about seven, eight teams in the NFL. I'd love to be, you know, if you were unhappy, you'd said, you know, New England, blah, blah, blah. Baltimore, that's a well-run franchise.

But this is also nice to hear because, I mean, if you haven't spent any time in L.A., downtown to where the Rams practice. Depends on the traffic's two hours. It's quite a haul. Like, people don't like to leave their neighborhoods in L.A. because the traffic is so bad. So this is meaningful because after a trade, you do kind of, I mean, it's a hard thing to process. So it's a want to go back to that facility and say bye to everyone. And especially with kind of the reputation that Marcus Peters gets, it seems a bit unfair because they did have a good experience with him. And he will do well with the Ravens.

And he's a free agent next year. So if the Ravens don't extend him, he's going to hit the open market. So if he finishes the year off well, it's a good team. Their primary weakness is, especially in their division. There's good receivers in that division. I mean, think about it, AJ Green, John Ross, J.J. Smith, James Washington, O'Dell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Calaway. That is a division where you need to have a strong defense. And they don't have corners.

So that's, there's a good pick up for them. So Deshawn Watson is committed to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He did an interview with Leach Report. And he said he's been getting career tips from Kobe Bryant and Justin Verlander. He said he sat down with Kobe when he visited the Texans the summer and the two focused on the mamba mentality. He said Kobe was misinterpreted as a bad teammate because he pushed himself and his teammates to be great. And he wouldn't accept anything less. He also regularly has dinner and watches film with Justin Verlander, who has shown.

him how to stay calm even when the rest of the team is spinning out of control. I love this. Sean says that as a leader of the team, everyone looks to him to be the example. And when he's calm, everyone else can be calm. Yeah, he's really good. He says also playing chess as a way to focus on the task at hand and block out all unnecessary thoughts. I'm in a fun joy trivia.

He is, yeah, what is it? I used to take chess classes and participate in chess. Yeah, I used to play backgammon and chess more. Super nerd. You were a nerd, too? Yeah, I'm a huge nerd. I don't care though. Like, it doesn't bother me.

I'm great at chess. So you took chess classes. Yes. In what, though? Where? Chess, like they have chess classes where they teach you like specific moves. In college?

No, when I was a kid. When I didn't have a choice, I was forced into this, but I was actually very good. So everybody else was out playing whipple ball. Somewhere, somewhere in the world, there's a chess ribbon and trophy with Joy Taylor. So your parents made you go play chess?

Yes. That's good parenting. It's a brainiac thing. It's like music classes. I mean, I actually liked it. I also played sports, so I was a jock and a nerd, which is fine. But this is nice that he is getting mentorship from two greats in the sports world. But he obviously is very dedicated to the mentality of sports.

This stuff matters to me. Okay, so, again, I'd never been a fan of Cam. Cam's off time, fashion line. Deshawn's off time, Verlander, dinner, Kobe. Where you spend, I never forget when I was. blown away by Russell Wilson. So Russell's a rookie. And his rookie, I didn't know, you know, I watched him in Wisconsin. I'm like, oh, it's interesting. And I would live on the East Coast. And he would send at 7.50 in the morning, I'd be in my prep or something.

And I'd look at Twitter, which was 450 his time. Russell would tweet up, headed to practice. And I'm like, what? Like, it does matter when you're a young quarterback. What do you do with your off time. And Deshawn's like, I'm not going home and I'm going to dinner with Verland. Yeah, and who you choose as your mentors. Who would you want to? Well, you get to chat with a lot of cool people, but whose brain would you really

want to pick? Today? Yeah. I think Not that you really need a mentor, but I, the two Zuckerberg and Sandberg. Mark Zuckerberg and the lady that runs it. I've met her once before. The last name is Sandberg.

It runs face. I just like to see, I'd like to hear their global view on, like Facebook's so big, people think it should be broken up. And I love Facebook. Right. And I'd like to just sit down and say, how do you see the world and all the social media transforming China, communist countries, Russia, like, your worldview Facebook, because Facebook, like, is the connecting tool, the biggest connecting tool right to the world. Right. How do you see the world? That, that fascinates me.

That would be a good conversation. I've had the privilege of working with Skip and yourself, so I have great mentors. But I think I'd want to talk to Oprah, probably Howard Stern. I feel like I'd be a good start. Do you notice, Goulet, how Joy called me a mentor. You call me an annoyance. That's the difference between you and Joy. That's because one day you just said, I'm your mentor, and I had no say in the matter.

You didn't have a choice. Finally, Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers last night after a minor thumb injury and looked like he hadn't missed a beat. He and LeBron were dominant in the Lakers, 126, 93. over the Warriors and after years of carrying the team in New Orleans, AD is happy to not have to do that anymore. It takes a load off of me. I was joking with LeBron earlier. It's the first time in a while where, you know, I can have five or six points, whatever was at halve time and we're up 30.

Knowing that you don't have to do much, you know, everybody has a role. And, you know, when you have guys all over the board who can score the basketball, you know, you don't need to do everything, every position. You know, so it feels good to be able to just, you know, fit in. Cheryl Sandberg of Facebook, by the way, I looked it up. I met her once before. If I could just go for an hour or have coffee, her in Zuckerberg, sit down. Tell me the world. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

I'm very excited about the Lakers this year. I think that they're going to be very interesting. Yes. There's going to be a lot of waves with this team. Yes. Like, I think the start of the season is going to be, everyone's going to overreact to. matter what way they go. But the big tell is going to be long-term what they really are.

History of the Lakers. Wilt. Titles. Kareem, titles. Shack. Titles. Gassal titles. Anthony Davis.

You know, I'm watching this video, Joy, and it's like, oh, Lakers have. Now, he's a new, a millennial big, where he can put it on the deck and hit it three occasionally. But it's like the Lakers kind of are going. back to their brand. A star on the wing and the dominant big in the league. That's kind of the, that's the Lakers brand. And he doesn't really want to be that.

Well, he's a four. But you know, I would say, is Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan? You can call him whatever you want. You can label them whatever you want. You give him the ball eight feet from the bucket. Right. You get a basket. He'll get you as big as he is.

Yeah. He'll get you a bucket. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Disrespect for Kauai Leonard on the show today is egregious. It's incredible. The fact that I have to defend Kauai Leonard with Catino Mobley and NBA general managers,

it's like that everybody's TV not work? What do we watch for the last month of the season? He was like Michael Jordan. I think the load management thing is being held against him kind of unfairly. Load management. That's what I think it is. It's got to be, right? What else is going to be?

He's going to play 66 games for the Clippers this year. That's what he's going to play. Just get over it. Who cares? He broke down the Warriors and shifted power in the entire NBA with one decision. He won't win the MVP. And won an entire country championship. How many years did Michael Jordan win the MVP?

He won six finals MVP. How many years did Michael Jordan win MVP? Five, I think it was? And Jordan was the best player in the league for 12 years. He won five MVP. If you're worried about MVP trophies, you know who's not worried about MVP trophies? Michael Jordan. He got five.

Kobe Bryant. not his favorite. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, of all the things, MVP trophies way down the list. All right, my marquee three college football picks coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I heart radio app. All right, welcome back. Good to have you in. I already got all my commercials read today. I'm a totally responsible broadcaster. I love that. A lot of broadcasters aren't responsible. We read spots here. I took, add Peptobismal while I was on the air today, the whole thing. All right, it's college football picks. Yeah, I know I've been missing some lately, but I love my picks today, so let's not waste

any time on marquee three. Ready to make some sweet cash, Colin's going to give you his three sure bets for the college football weekend. It's time for the Fox Bet Marquis III. Florida and South Carolina. I'll take Florida minus five to win big. Listen, South Carolina upset Georgia, but if you look at the numbers, they were totally dominated in that game. Georgia had twice as many first downs, 200 more yards, dominated time of possession. The difference is Georgia kept turning the ball over. Last week was an outlier. South Carolina improved to 2 and 18 in their last 20 against ranked teams. Florida's got a quarterback. I didn't know much about to start the year named Kyle Trask. He's been great in the last couple of games against LSU and Auburn.

Those are real defenses. And Florida's defense is also the better one in this game. This year in the SEC, which I don't know, is a pretty good defensive conference. Second and points allowed. First in takeaway, first in sacks. Dan Mullins got a team. Watch out.

The Florida Gators are back. They did it with Spurrier, did it with Urban Meyer. Looks like they're going to do it with Dan Mullen. I like them to win and win comfortably. Florida 30 to 20 over South Carolina. Oregon and Washington. Huskies at home. All take them and the field goal.

Listen, Oregon, in their last four years against ranked teams, they've not been a step-up program. They're three and nine, and they've not been good out of Opson. Jacob Eason's a first-round NFL quarterback, so both teams have a great quarterback, and Eason has been great at Husky Stadium, completing 67% of his throws, 17TD's one pick. Oregon's offense, up and down this year, 17 against Auburn, 21 against Cal, so-so against Stanford, and Washington's defense is easily the best they'll face in the conference this year. Plus, they're at home.

I like the coaching staff of Washington. The Huskies with the upset, 24, 23, and I think they just win the game outright. I think the Huskies are going to win a narrow football game. Michigan at Penn State. I'm done with Harbaugh's crappy offense. I'll take Penn State minus nine. It's one of those wide-out games where Penn State plays a big, ranked opponent, and for the record, they've been very good in those.

The home team has won this matchup the last three times by 25 plus points. It's a weird blowout matchup. Harbaugh, as an underdog, never won at Michigan. In fact, Michigan's one in 19 in their last 20 against top 10 teams, including 11 straight in the road. Their offense, and by the way, their offense is so bad at Michigan, it's like 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, in the big 10. They're terrible at everything. and Penn State's defense is really, really good. James Franklin can recruit.

He's got NFL bodies on that defense. You look at every defensive stat this year in Penn State in the FBS rankings. These are like national rankings. They're top two, three, four, five. I think right now I think Penn State's got better personnel. Michigan last year had some really good defensive players. They ended up on the Steelers. They ended up on the Packers.

And I don't think they're very good defensively. So I have Penn State winning this game. I think that defense pretty much stomps Michigan 28 to 14. So I like the Florida Gators, a real team, top 10 team to win and cover against South Carolina that upset Georgia, but mostly because of turnovers. I think Washington gets points. They'll win it home outright against Oregon, a team that is not as good in these big games on the road. And I'm over Michigan.

I'm totally done with Michigan. Sorry, over it. I mean, I still think Harbaugh is winning nine games a year and Brady Hoke won six, but I'm over it. Michigan's not even fun to watch. I mean, it's one thing. They're not fun to watch. I mean, you've got to be fun to watch.

Wisconsin's not dazzling. Wisconsin's fun to watch. I mean, Alabama, you know, for years and years before, Tua, it wasn't razzled dazzle. They're fun to watch. Michigan's no fun to watch. Blazing five on the show tomorrow. Urban Meyer stops by Big College Football weekend. and we get into the teeth of college football now.

Big, big, meaningful games, coaches on the hot seat. See you for tomorrow. Joy and I. I'll be back on a Friday, SFY. Speak for yourself next. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

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