The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Prime Cuts: Bruce Arians on Brady, Kyrie Drama with Nick Wright and NFL Week 7 Best Bets

Episode Date: October 23, 2021

It's the best of The Colin Cowherd Podcast! First Colin's top takes of the week on Ben Simmons as the NBA's latest diva act in Philly, and why Urban Meyer deserves a ton of credit (3:00). Then, Bucs Head Coach and Super Bowl champ Bruce Arians and Colin discuss the similarities and differences between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning how Brady changed the team culture (10:00), the decision to add Antonio Brown (14:00), and what Patrick Mahomes did during his pre-draft work out that blew Bruce away (15:00). Next, FS1's First Things First Host Nick Wright and Colin discuss what the Nets should do with Kyrie, why KD actually appears happy about the Kyrie drama (22:00), why Colin felt bad about Russell Westbrook's "villain" comments, and what it reveals about Westbrook's place in the NBA (30:00). And finally, The Action Network CCO Chad Millman tells Colin if his Bengals/Ravens and Chiefs/Titans NFL Week 7 picks are "sharp" or "square" (33:00).Make sure to Subscribe and follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The volume. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1,800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more.

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There is a contest for every fan. Fan duel, more ways to win. This is Prime Cuts, the best of the Colin Coward podcast. Great week. Buccaneer head coach Bruce Ariens, terrific conversation, talked about the real perk of coaching Tom Brady and the story when Patrick Mahomes blew his mind at a pre-draft workout. Nick Wright and I talked about two of the NBA's biggest question marks, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook and Chad Millman and our best bets NFL week seven. It is a turbulent week seven. But first, my top takes of the week. All sports leagues copy each other to some degree. They steal little ideas. The NFL stole some of the Instagram and social media momentum the NBA had. They lightened up the post-touchdown celebrations for players, let players do dances,

and they've been rewarded by it. They get a lot more free pub, a lot more love on social media for younger consumers. The NBA, which is consumed with being cool, could do them. themselves a favor and borrow something from the NFL, and that would be a backbone. There's only 450 roughly current NBA players, but you have three stars, Ben Simmons with the Sixers, Kyrie Irving with the Nets and James Hardin with Houston last year, that have gone total diva and held their teams hostage. The NFL has over four times as many current players, and there is not a single advantage of a player going Aldiva.

Why? Because the NFL doesn't tolerate it. The NFL doesn't coddle the football culture in America. You can be in an NFL locker room, be unvaxed like Cole Beasley, or vaxed like Josh Allen. You can be a conservative like Cole Beasley or a liberal like many NFL players. In the NBA, you can't remain a broadcaster for an NBA team if you take a more conservative worldview. I have lots of friends that work in the NFL and lots of friends that work in the NBA. And my NFL friends are overwhelmingly happier people.

I know two NBA beat riders who quit this past year, really talented, one covering the Warriors, one covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. You have to align in the NBA with players' beliefs. Coaches do. Broadcasters do. Executives do. In fact, they're sort of an inside joke. NBA head coach is the world's worst great job. So the NBA and the basketball culture in general in America is about coddling.

Ben Simmons has been coddled at AAU, coddled at LSU, codled his first several years in Philadelphia. So shocker, he's a spoiled brat. This is where the NBA really struggles. I'm all for players having power. We know that nobody goes to watch baseball for the executives, football or basketball for the executives. That doesn't mean I relinquish total power to the labor force to kids. What you're seeing in the NBA is a result of how basketball's culture is shaped and how basketball stars are coddled. Three stars last year have held their teams hostage.

You know, when you're coddled as a kid or as an athlete, you lose a sense of perspective or self-awareness. You know, Matthew McConaughey, for years and years and years was this good-looking hipster that couldn't be taken seriously in Hollywood. And finally, his agent told him, dude, you've got to do a serious role. So he did the Dallas Biers Club. He had to lose 75 to 100 pounds. Gaunt. It took him two years to gain back his weight. But he had this self-awareness to know and acknowledge, I'm not taken seriously in Hollywood.

I'm just another good-looking dude. Like what happens to James Harden, what happens to Kyrie Irving, what happens to Ben Simmons, they have absolutely no self-awareness. They don't understand the architecture of a business, an architecture of the entire league. So when I see the Simmons situation with Philadelphia, when I see the Kyrie situation with Brooklyn or James Harden last year, this is what you get for coddling your athletes. I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid. I'm not saying they shouldn't be compensated at the highest of levels. You can't let the employees run the business.

Something else I wanted to talk about, and it's not a game that'll get a lot of publicity. The media is rooting overwhelmingly against Urban Meyer. They don't like his arrogance. They don't like NFL writers, don't want some college guy to walk in and steal headlines. I get that. Coaching's not the problem. Outside of wide receivers, they have no offensive line, bad secondary. He outcoached Urban Meyer outcoach Brian Flores.

I watched every snap of that game. Trevor Lawrence, by the way, Tua did not play bad. Do not blame it on Tua. He was fine. Urban Meyer out coach Brian Flores with far less talent. So I have watched the Jags play four times. And I've really zoned in, not every week, but four of their six games I've zoned in. The coaching's not the issue.

They come in with good game plans. They execute them generally. they are competitive primarily. Mostly they're competitive as long as their personnel allows them to be competitive. But the tour played fine. It was really Urban Meyer out-coaching Brian Flores. And I understand that the media does not want him to succeed. 20 and 30-year NFL writers do not want some college guy to walk in and turn the league on its head.

And I'm not saying he's a top 10, 15 coach, but Belichick can't win now. Okay? Belichick can't win now. You need a quarterback. You need personnel. New England doesn't have enough speed to score on good teams. But let me defend Urban Meyer. The football part is not the issue.

Now, it's the cultural part. Does he get the league? You have to coach NFL players differently. I don't think he hired a terribly gifted offensive staff with Brian Schottenheimer. But when I watch them play, they're competitive. They're as competitive as you can be with that offensive line, with that lack of consistent pass rush, and that secondary. People just have to own it.

The coaching thing for Urban, he's smart, he's learned, he's quick, that's not the issue. He is the Super Bowl winning coach of the Buccaneers, Bruce Ariens, two-time coach of the year. Whether he was an interim, the head coach, coach, one of the most respected and light guys in the NFL, and he looks so damn comfortable today. Look at you. Look at you. You look like you're going to go fishing in 15 minutes. You are just perpetually happy, aren't you?

That's that time of year to be happy. You get win a few in a row, you know? You lose all your defensive backs, so why not? You know, it's funny, Bruce, you were Peyton Manning's first coach. And, you know, Brady and Manning have some similarities, good height, throw a good ball, smart guys, worked their ass off. I talked to Bill Pauline once, and he said, you know, Peyton was a little bit of a teeth clencher. He was a little tight.

We had to say, Peyton, you can lighten up. Tom's intense, but Bruce, it looks like a different intense. Like, where are there similarities in their differences? Well, yeah, I think, well, Peyton was like the ultimate prankster. You know, when he was in the room, it was like, take note, take note, pile notebooks. He had a notebook on every corner in the league. But in the locker room, oh, he was the ultimate prankster, you know, pulling pranks on everybody.

And those are legendary. Tom is laid back more. Again, preparation is meticulous, you know, grinds it out about every single little thing. And they both have that same quality. But they're not losing. You know, I don't give you their play and they ain't losing. Right. You know, Bruce, were you?

worried at all that, you know, when this thing happened, I remember saying on the air, I said, I don't worry about Bruce and Tom. I said, but there's some young players and Tom is intense, and he's not going to sit around. I'm not going to be real patient with some of these young guys. Were you all worried about, okay, here comes Tommy, Tommy's culture, Tommy's intensity. Are my guys ready for Tommy's intensity? Was there ever a moment you worried a little bit about that? No, I actually embraced it and we needed it. We needed, you know, that. We had everything.

Everything was in place. We needed a guy who'd been there, done it, and they would follow. And, you know, the first year, you saw some of that. But the one thing about Tom, I didn't know how great a teammate he is. I mean, you talk about those young players. He coaches the hell. He'll take them under his wing, whether it's off the field, TB12, anything, their assignments, how they're running routes,

and just work with them constantly. And he's the ultimate teammate. Has it made it easier for you? Do you find yourself going from, I'm a coach? I mean, you're always coaching. But sometimes you're almost now managing because Tom does is so detail-oriented. Yeah, and it's fun for me because, you know, I'll be telling the receiver, look, you're coming out of your break, you're not pumping your arms, you know, and they'll say, okay.

And Tom will go over, hey, look, when you come out of the break, you've got to be able to to pump your arms. I'm throwing the ball over here. Okay, Tom, and they do it. So I'll tell him sometimes to tell them what I want to coach them on because they listen more. You know what I mean? It's interesting. You've built, it's a trusting culture. I mean, Tom Brady brings in Antonio Brown, well documented, had some issues before Tampa. Did you and Tom, you trusted Tom, Tom trusted A, B. Was that a difficult

acquisition. Was that a difficult moment? Did you have long discussions on you know, Tom tends to put his arms around young people that need help. He'll put his arms around guys. You have been a guy. You'll give guy second chances. Was the A.B. things up and you guys wrestled with or did you come to an

agreement fairly quickly? No, it's really funny because, you know, Tom brought it up in the summer. He's looking at eight game suspension. And I coached AB. We drafted him in Pittsburgh. I had him for the first couple years. I knew him personally. And as our season went on, Chris Gobwin's down, Mike Evans is on one leg, and we've got a really good football team.

So we owe it to ourselves to investigate all the best players available. So Jason and I went in, what about AB? You know, brought him in, had a great conversation with him. Obviously, I knew Tom was on board. And Jason and I's idea like, all right, let's go with it. And when AB and I met, it's like, dude, there's no second chances. All right, this is me. You and I know each other, all right?

This is it. This is your last rodeo. And he'd been great. Yeah. You know, it's, I tell friends, the draft outside of the season, the draft's my favorite sporting event in the country because I love college football. I can make, I make this argument. A lot of the quarterbacks come from the West, but you could almost live off the SEC. Outside a quarterback.

If I just said, you can only draft the SEC. I don't know why it is. Maybe it's the culture. It matters more to them. but when you do you are you looking for a different kind of player offensively to defensively like defensively you got a guy's got a lot of have a little dynamite in him like he's okay to just lead head first are there different personalities for different positions in your career oh i don't think there's any doubt i don't think there's any doubt and and you know that's the

hardest thing in evaluation you know that we're so limited now in that personal one-on-one stuff not having a combine you know those little silly interviews they're important to get to the guy for 15 minutes, you know. Because you can tell a bullshitter in a heartbeat. And, you know, the guy that's rehearsed all his answers. And then you say, man, when's the last time you smoked dope? Was it yesterday? Did you get high yesterday before you ran?

And you start seeing him shaking like, you go to the podcast, dude. You know. But no, yes, that going out, going out to the colleges, you know, now you can only take three guys. We used to have an entourage on people we've really liked it. It might be not the guy that's a star. It might be two guys that were working out with him that you just wanted to look at in person,

can't go out of the back field and catch, little things, you know? And, hey, just listen, them reacting to your coaching. One of the greatest workout I ever had is Patrick from Holmes. Really? Yeah, dude, it's so smart. I mean, Byron and I had him on the board for about an hour and a half. And, you know, you can see the arm, and the wind was blown 30 miles an hour.

I love it, but tonight day. And in the middle of the workout, I say, hey, I'm the safety on Blitzin. It's sly protection. And he ripped off exactly the words to fix the protection. And he just learned him an hour and a half before that in a meeting. Then I was like, hey, I'm the strong safety is man, man protection. He fixed it. Like, I looked at Byron, we've had guys that took three years to get that done.

It was like amazing. His recall from that meeting got on the field in the arms, which is an arm. It's crazy. Are you ready to amp up the excitement every college football Saturday this year? All right. It's called Colin Cowherd's Saturday spreads. It's on Fandul. Free shot at big prices.

Really simple. I choose 10 of college football's biggest matchups each week. Make your picks against the spread for each one. And the fans who get the most right win $5,000 bucks in prizes every damn week. My Fandul college picks, I like Ole Miss. minus 10 and a half against LSU. I think LSU is a program that's reeling. Alabama, I can't see Tennessee's defense stopping the tide.

I'll take the tide minus 27 and a half. And Notre Dame minus six and a half at home against USC. Dante Williams against Brian Kelly will be a coaching mismatched. All right, those will be three of the ten picks. Go to fandul.com slash Saturday spreads. Fandul.com slash Saturday spreads. Or you can just download the Fandul app. Check in $5,000 every weekend prices.

No purchase necessary. Age restrictions apply, depending on location. Voidware prohibited. See Fandul.com for terms and conditions. COLA and so they know I sent you exclusively on the Fandulul's sportsbook app. 21 plus and present in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia or West Virginia refund issued as non-wisdruable site credit that expires in seven days. Max refund $10. bucks restrictions to apply. See terms at Sportsbook, Fandul.com. Same game, partly available for multiple

sports in all states on mobile slash web. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler. Visit fandul.com slash RGee in Colorado, Jersey, and Virginia. Or call 100-9-1-8-1-8-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

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

I Heart Radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. Or West Virginia refund issued as a non-withdrawable site credit that expires in seven days. Max refund 10 bucks. Restrictions to apply. See terms at sportsbook, fandul.com. Same game parley available for multiple sports in all states on mobile slash web. Gambling problem. Call 1-800gambler. Visit fandul.com slash RGF in Colorado, Jersey and Virginia. Or call 1-8009 with it in Indiana. 1-800-270 with Indiana. One-800-1-8-9-9-7-8-8-9. Or go to 1-800-gambler.net in West Virginia. Or call 1-800-100 next step or text next step. to 533442 in Arizona.

Or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. It's the sound of another sale on Shopify, the all-in-one commerce platform I love to start run and grow your business. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. So upstarts, startups, and established businesses alike can sell everywhere. Synchronize online and in-person sales and effortlessly stay informed. I love Shopify. Have for years the tools and resources that make it easy for any business to succeed from down the street to around the globe.

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Shopify.com slash Colin for a free 14-day trial, full access at Shopify's entire suite of features. Shopify.com slash C-O-L-I-N. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-arm kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed.

Typhers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now, the eldest daughter who looks to be about nine or ten has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car. And there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite.

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All right. Bring on my buddy, Nick Wright. First things first. You know, I said from the beginning, relationships are everything to me, whether I was creating the volume. I'm hiring people I trust. I'm hiring people I like. I'm hiring people who I have their back because if they make mistakes, I know it's inadvertent. the fact that Kevin Durant left Steph for Kyrie Irving when you had a resume. You had like LeBron gets along with everybody. LeBron plays well with everybody. He bails on LeBron.

Brad Stevens is clearly a capable coach. He messed that up. I said last year, after he left in the first week of the season and just had a sabbatical, a hiatus, I said on the air, I said he may be the first superstar level player. I would ever consider moving for bench players. Just make Harden, Durant are fine, fortify the bench, I'm out. From the flat earth, now to the vaccine issue. I take it you are a huge Kyrie fan.

But let's start with this premise. With the addition of Patty Mills to the bench, Lamarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, I think Brooklyn can win the championship with Durant, Hardin, and no Kyrie. if they could just trade him and fortify the bench a little. Do you believe that? Oh, you get a full healthy season out of KD and Hardin prior to last year had always been healthy. Right. Not only do I think they could win the championship that way, I think they actually would be better off.

Yeah. Even if Kyrie had none of the vaccine stuff, if the vaccine issue didn't exist. Once they got James Harden, Kyrie was a surplus of value they didn't need. What they need is some size. What they need is some defense. And what they need is someone who is happy to not have the ball in their hands. None of that is Kyrie Irving. So, yeah, I think that, and this is all so tricky because the problem is, Colin.

Kyrie Irving's like, the trade I talked about before any of the vaccine stuff came up that I thought fixed everyone's problems was Kyrie and Ben Simmons. The Sixers need what Kyrie has. The Nets need what Ben Simmons has. It's weird because they're kind of competing with each. other. Would you make the trade? But maybe they would. The Sixers absolutely would not make that trade now. Kyrie's trade value is where all you could get is role players. Like the team that, again, it would make sense, but you potentially have the vaccine issues is the Clippers. Zach Lowe talked about this. Marcus Morris and stuff. Those types of Marcus Morris,

Reggie Jackson, one other guy. That actually. helps to me, helps the Nets. They need guys who don't need the ball. I would have said, Kyrie for Chris Staps, like is an interesting one. Because Kyrie, by the way, when was he at his best alongside LeBron? Who's the player in the league whose game is most similar to LeBron? Luka, like that could work.

And the Nets, Chris Staps, doesn't have to have the ball on his hands. But again, the vaccine stuff kills him with the Mavs. It's, it is an insane position. where a guy who was 50, 40, 90, the healthiest guy on the nets last year is now not only expendable, but didn't you find this interesting, Colin? James Hardin and Kevin Durant told the truth

about having not spoken with Kyrie. I thought it was huge. I couldn't believe it. Because those are sharp guys, and they knew that by saying, we haven't spoken, that that's a story. And they could have just said, we're going to keep, they could have either lied or said we're going to keep personal conversations,

personal, not going to get into it. The other thing I thought was interesting was when Katie said that, he had a whole thing with the media. Katie was in a great mood. He was happy. He was like, he said at one point, he's like, listen, I know you guys are going to be asking these questions all year. And I get it. You have a job to do.

And when Katie's in a good mood, he's really interesting. He's really honest, all this stuff. I thought, again, I'd psychoanalyzing him. But I think it's pretty interesting that a couple days after the Nets are like Kyrie go home for the season. Katie's in a good mood. Yeah. And Katie's not pissed about it. In fact, he seems happy about it.

And if he hasn't talked to Kyrie, I think Katie's like, oh, my God. This guy is the juice is not worth to squeeze, no matter how sweet the juice is. No. Joy Taylor and I talked about this is players send messages all the time. Katie, I think you're spot on. I think Katie. and Harden, I think they sent a message to ownership. It's like, we're good here.

You know, we're good. We're good without Kyrie. And I also think, I was told this years ago that the NBA chemistry is the most important because like in offense and defense in football practice and games, you know, you just split off. If a guy's a jerk on the D line, oh, offense didn't deal with them a lot, right? Even the offensive coaches don't. Same in baseball. A 30-year-old.

roster goes down to a bullpen. You know, some guys are in the clubhouse, the guys that aren't playing. But in basketball, man, it's a tiny plane. You're all together. There's like eight out of the 13 guys and teams that hang out together and get along together, like Milwaukee and Phoenix, they generally play well together. And I, by Harden saying, I haven't even talked to him, forget connecting. If you and I didn't talk, if you were going through a crisis and you and I hadn't

Talk, forget doing a podcast, talked in a month. We're not friends. It means we're not friends. It means we're absolutely, if someone said, if all of a sudden, you were gone from FS1. And a week later, someone was like, hey, how's Colin doing? And I'm like, don't know, haven't spoken. You know what they would think? Oh, I thought you guys were close.

I assumed you guys were friends. I guess you were like, it would be shocking. And so it's like it is, it's incredibly telling. And I think that now what the Nets can't have happen, obviously, is have something happened to Katie or Hardin. They don't have any insurance for that now. They did have some insurance for that before. But like most teams in the league, like, guess what?

The Lakers can't have anything to happen to LeBron or AD. And the Bucks can't have anything to happen to Janus or Middleton. Like that's kind of how the league works. You can't have one of your two best guys get to hurt. Finally, I want to do one of the last. topic. I actually felt bad the other day. New Laker Russell Westbrook was quoted saying, hey, I'm the NBA villain. And I thought, wait a minute. That's not right. I cannot love his game, but he's a good guy. He's a good family guy. He shouldn't be a villain. And the way he said it,

you know, whenever somebody says, I don't need to be liked. Well, everybody needs to be liked. everybody wants to be like LeBron hated being a villain for a year he hated it Michael loved being hated in Detroit but he loved being loved everywhere else I used when I was in Portland and Michael came to town he was more popular than any Blazer

and everywhere he went in the league outside of like Detroit or New York even in New York the city love Michael Jordan right he played great there but I but I thought to myself with Russell Westbrook is I actually think he works for the Lakers they need 37 minutes a night they need energy

It's an old roster. I actually thought to myself, you know what? If he plays here three years and I think he can be a little bit like a more talented Alex Caruso. He gives you incredible intensity. He'll get along with LeBron. He's a good hang. You know, part of this league is, are you a good hang? But I just felt kind of sympathy when he said, I think I'm the league's villain.

And I thought, that's usually like a guy who gets into fights or he's a jerk. And I'm like, Russell's not a jerk. he's a flawed player. Right. So that's, I think, an important distinction. He's never been in trouble. He's never been a bad guy. Never. He's one of the few NBA super-duper stars that doesn't have like a big group of people around.

And by the way, now there's anything wrong with it. But like people, you know, it's his wife. I think it's his brother. You know, he has a very small circle, seems to be an intense family guy and a private guy who's all, the only thing we know about him off the court is he's super into fashion. Now, people might not like his fashion. I think he's pretty courageous with it, to be honest. I think he takes risks with that, and I think that's cool.

But, yeah, so Russ has always been a guy who is polarizing because of his style. And he has, there. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Bats, basketball to college football or my career in sports media.

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

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

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so 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 Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. There is a lot of Iverson to him in that. there are some deeply devoted fans that ignore some of the pretty obvious flaws in the game. But then the flip side of that is the analytics community that will argue that Iverson, you know, the analytics crush Iverson.

And that does at some point what the guys who play the game say about someone has to matter at least a little. And when they're like, you don't understand. And no, because let me, I'm putting this wrong. Analytics say, well, if anyone put up that many shots, they would score a ton of points. And when the players say is, yeah, but most guys literally can't put up that many shots. They don't have the stamina. They don't have the, they, do you know how hard it is to shoot the ball 30 times? And so with Russ, people are like, oh, you know, if anyone was really focused on getting triple doubles, my argument would be, I would imagine in the last 40 years, there have been other guys who were like, I'd like to get triple doubles.

but nobody's gotten him at the rate of Russ anywhere close to it since Oscar Robertson. So clearly there are some things he does well. And clearly he's a special player. He also is, if he's your best guy, you're screwed. But the Lakers are trying to figure out is, and Russ has never been in this position, is what if he's your third best guy?

We've seen him as the second best guy. And it was really good a couple of years, but usually more bad than good or mediocre than good. We've seen him as the best guy. It's entertaining. It's exciting. you're not going to be good. Now we get to see him as your third best guy. And that's fascinating to me, especially if he's never been on a team with someone with a stronger personality.

I think he is now. I think LeBron, even if it's a different type, LeBron is such a gravitational pull of leadership that I think even this biggest alphas kind of understand, all right, I'm not LeBron. I might be that I might not, you know, get checked by anyone else in the league. Kevin Durant, I wouldn't let him say it's sideways word to me. But LeBron's almost in a different category. So I do think that it can work. I do I think it's guaranteed to work? No. And do I think that there's a chance that the Lakers simply don't have enough shooting? Yeah, that's possible. But it's also possible that they're going to be big and strong. And because of Russ, they're going to have not only,

they're not only going to exhaust you defensively with their length, they're going to exhaust you offensively because Russ is going to just be running. It's like, oh, my God, he's just a pain in the ass to deal with. So we'll see. Listen, I'm critical of Russ, but there is, your cultural impact matters in the NBA more than any other sport. Alan Iverson's more important culturally to the league than Carl Malone who drove tractors. So there are players that their cultural imprint, Dr. J., his importance, Alan Iverson. It's more, they matter more than Carl Malone or John Stockton.

I have no problem acknowledging that. I mean, so I think you're right on with that. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in.

If I could be you. And you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out.

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They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. and they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. All right, let's welcome in my buddy. We do this every Friday.

Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer for the Action Network. So on the year so far on the games we've talked about on this show, I'm 22, 26, and 1, which is poor. This week is, I feel. feel like I'm lost at sea. These are the worst numbers. First of all, I have a rule. I don't bet gigantic numbers. This week, it's like college football.

There's three. Buck's favored by 12 and a half. Cardinals favored by 17 and a half. That's awful. Rams favored by 15 and a half. It feels like Saturday. So, Millman, it's interesting because I feel differently about multiple games from the beginning of the week because I think some lines have gone in my favor.

I'll throw one at you. So initially, I was, I was leaning Baltimore over Cincinnati, but here's why I would take the Bengals plus six. Hear me out. I always worry about a team that has played back-to-back-to-back emotional games, and you've got a team that won on a 60-some-yard field goal. You got a game in which Lamar Jackson comes from behind to beat the Colts.

You get a massive win over the Chargers. I mean, a flawless second half. And I look at that and I think to myself, okay, how much can you ask of a team emotionally? And I look at the Bengals here and I think to myself, the protection's a little better. They're getting six. It's a division rival. I would probably take Cincinnati here, even though, you know, seven or fewer,

generally you would take the superior team at home. But I think I like the Bengals and the points, sharp or square. That is 100% grade A sharp. you kind of nailed it on the head with the Bengals. I mean, with the Ravens, look at the chiefs. There was a fumble that went their way. Look at the Lions. They needed a miracle to get away with it.

Look at the Colts, again, really, really challenging game for them that they pulled out in miraculous fashion. Look at the Chargers. they were perfect and it was the perfect spot for them against the team that had been flawless on third and fourth downs and was due for a regression. So you've gotten them either getting the ball going their way, karma on their side, or a team that was due to sort of play regress back to the mean. You don't have those things and this is a Ravens minus three. The Bengals had been playing incredibly well. And I don't think this is a jump off the Bengals bandwagon situation.

You've got a division game with a Bengals defense that is significantly better than it's getting credit for. They are fifth in this sort of fancy metric called defensive DVOA, which measures a lot of different things according to football outsiders, which I'm not going to get too deep into. but needless to say, it's a very advanced analytic against measuring quality of your defense. The bangles are good. They're also very good on running plays. It's called fourth an EPA per play, right? Which is a very fancy way of saying the defense overperforms when opponents are likely to score.

They're very good against the run is really all you need to say. and this Ravens team, despite Lamar Jackson's heroics, they still are a running team. And now they're out without Latavius Murray. So I think you're on the right side here. You know, the chiefs are interesting. So they're still not punting. And they're still putting up prodigious offensive numbers. If they can clean the turnovers up, it's still the same team.

They weren't great defensively last year. The Titans come off a highly emotional Monday night win, in which, by the way, They were out gained, out time of possession. They were outplayed by Buffalo. Josh Allen slips, they win the game. I think Tennessee is overvalued here. I take Kansas City to win by a touchdown. It's minus five and a half, sharper square.

This to me is a really challenging game. Tennessee is the right side. When the number was at five and a half, it's been bet down to four and a half, and I think it's going to come down even more. as it gets further down, this is a game I would wait. Wait and see if you can get a better number. Because if you like Kansas City, everything you're saying is true. We just talked about regression with the chargers, right?

The chargers were playing out of their minds when it came to turnovers. They go against the Ravens, I mean, not to turnovers to third and fourth down. They go against the Ravens and all of a sudden they're not converting as much and the Ravens win handily. The Chiefs have been turning the ball over uncharacteristic at a number. on characters, it's great for Patrick Mahomes especially. That's going to change. So now you're getting a Tennessee team off of an emotional win, a short week, even though they're home underdogs, which is not something professional butters like to do, you have to expect that the chiefs are going to be able to score every time they have the ball because at this point,

the Titans defensive secondary is just washed, right? Their two best players aren't even on the field right now. They won't be on the field for the rest of the year. The one thing they have going for them is Derek Henry is basically going to make it second and three every single series. for Ryan Tannehill against a really bad chief's defense. So that's the scary thing. You're betting that the chiefs are going to get one or two stops and they're going to score on those one or two stops. They kind of have to play the most perfect game they've played this year.

At the Volume Sports, Twitter, Instagram rate review, subscribe, YouTube channel too. Talk soon. The Volume. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to do. decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com.

Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a Podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network, on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.