The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Tom Brady As A Broadcaster, Colin + Taylor Swift BFF’s, Should Lakers Trade LeBron?

Episode Date: February 2, 2024

Colin gives his outlook as Tom Brady begins his career in broadcasting and how he thinks the GOAT will do in the analyst’s booth (3:00). He weighs in on his rant about Taylor Swift going viral and reveals why he has a secret bond with the world’s biggest pop star (10:30) and weighs in on the debate over the Lakers trading LeBron James and why they shouldn’t entertain the idea (17:00).  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Volume #Herd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 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 IHard 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. The volume. Looking for a super offer for Super Bowl 58, Draft King's Sportsbook has you covered. New customers can bet the big game, bet just five bucks.

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before the storm, the week prior to Super Bowl week. And so I tend not to break down the games or worry about that stuff until we get to Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of next week. This week we had Tom Brady on, and it's interesting, one of the questions I get asked a lot, how do you think Tom Brady will do at Fox as a broadcaster? And I've always had this kind of opinion about people. Whatever job you do, you become your personality. so let's just take quarterbacks. So Tony Romo was a playmaking quarterback who was really fun to watch.

He was a little loose, wasn't always efficient, but a big playmaker. And I thought he was always underrated. He didn't have Troy Aikman's career. He doesn't have Brady's career. But Romo's personality, if you'd met him, it's fun, it's loose, it's easy going. And I thought that's how he played. He only had a two-to-one touchdown to interception ratio. Tony made some mistakes and threw a lot of picks.

But he was also a playmaker and was good off script. And as a broadcaster at CBS, he came out flashy, like he was as a player, with a bang, predicting plays, a lot of attention. And I guess the criticism of him could be he's a little loose, sometimes not quite buttoned up, don't always feel like he's completely prepared. Fair or not, that's the criticism from critics, media people who monitor this stuff. But his personality became a style as a quarterback and his style as a broadcaster. Brady is very much the opposite, a three-to-one touchdown to interception career, more efficient, more about preparation, always feels completely buttoned up, but not flashy at all. And I think that's his personality. I think that was his football career.

And I think that's what he'll be like as a broadcaster. He won't be predicting plays early and get him a lot of attention for that. That won't be, that was normal. That's not his personality. That's not his style. He will get better over the course of time. And he'll be highly conscientious, super prepared. And I think over the course of time, you will appreciate him.

like New England did, like Michigan football did. Over the course of time, Tom doesn't blow you away with playmaking and flash, but it's attention to detail, his leadership, his kind of self-awareness, understanding what he is, what he isn't, and leaning into it. And I think all broadcasters sort of their careers become their personalities. And I think that's what Brady will be as a broadcaster. I think by and large, most people doing this do a good job. I don't talk much about broadcasters. People get very sensitive.

I'm a broadcaster, so I don't want to talk about it a lot. Last year, I offered kind of a marginal criticism of Romo that he had a reputation. He loved his golf. Like sometimes I felt in blowout games, he wasn't always dialed in. It's no big deal. That got a lot of pushback. And to validate my opinion, Sean McManus acknowledged publicly that he went out and went down and talked to Tommy Romo about things he thought he was good at and things he needed to get better at. So I never felt I was off base.

But back to Brady, I think I kind of have a sense of what Tom will be as a broadcaster because I watched his career and I know his personality from enough people around Tom. A lot of detail, a lot of preparation, slow growth, slow build, and you'll look up in two or three years and think he's a heck of a broadcaster. Broadcasting, you know, I've always had great respect for the people that do broadcasting on site, the play-by-play people, the sideline people, and the analysts. So what I do is a studio show. And I have to add live for three hours, and I don't think it's easy. But these game broadcasts, you have to deal with the environment and the crowd and directors and, read commercials and throw to the studio, throw to the sidelines. I think it's very, very difficult. But play-by-play guys, Torrico and Kevin Burckhardt and, you know, all the great people at Fox,

ESPN, NBC, Jim Nance, they're terrific. Al Michaels. You do get into a rhythm of a game and calling a game. Not that it's easy. It's much harder than what I do for a living. But I think one of the hardest things to do is football analyst work. I think it's damn hard. So basically, you have to talk in eight second intervals 250 times a game. And if you make one mistake, it is all viral. You're trending. One mistake out of 250. That's why I think the criticism of analysts is mostly embarrassing, ridiculous. I do think Romo can be a little loose sometimes, but it's not to me that noteworthy. I don't turn the game off. I think Nancy and Romo are entertaining. They're fine. I think Tariko's always got great energy. Burkhart, Olson, I think have been just magical together in a short time.

You know, Michaels is good with everybody. So I just, I think sometimes when I read the media critics, I don't care if to take shots at me. I really don't see all of it, don't care. But I think to be a football analyst, you have to be patient with these broadcasters, these players. This is not what they do. It's very, very difficult. I don't know how the college guys do it. Like in the NFL, you've got a limited roster.

To be a college football analyst and you got 85 scholarship players, walk-ons, and you get into a blowout game in the third quarter, and you have to have an opinion on a player that you've maybe probably never seen play, I mean, you're looking on your sheet. Well, you need to be prepared. Nobody's that prepared. You haven't memorized the life story in the career of every backup for Toledo football. So I'm going to be patient with Brady.

I thought people got a little too hot, hyperbolic on Romo early calling plays. I thought it was fun, but that can't define you. I mean, what are you going to do? Hit 50%. You know, that's tough. I do think Tony brings in a pretty good energy. He's fun. And I think, again, that was his career.

I loved watching Romo play. I defended Roma as a player for years. I thought he was terrific. He was just sometimes loose. Tony'd thrown an interception at the wrong time, but he is one of the most underappreciated Dallas Cowboy players of all time. A career didn't last very long, but at its height, it was wildly dynamic. Go look at his numbers.

Google his stats. He had some big years. A lot of big years. And he could move. That's why when I said I thought, Joe Burr, was like going to be a better version of Tony Romo. I always thought Tony Romo was an A to an A minus quarterback. He didn't play very long, but I thought in Tony's best years, he was like A minus.

You know, Farrv was A plus. Akeman was A plus A plus. Brady obviously Manning. But I thought Tony was lower end A or B plus plus plus plus plus. And I think as a broadcaster, he can be fine. But his playing and his broadcasting feel the same to me. And that's what I think you'll get with Brady. So this week I talked and defended sort of Taylor

swift against the people that have been bothered or pestered, irritated by her appearances briefly on broadcast. And whenever I kind of cross that Rubicon and talk, you know, non-sports, it always gets more feedback often than when I talk sports. I don't do it that often because I understand that, you know, most of you just want to hear my sports opinions. But, you know, kind of a, just a happenstance. years ago, I was seeing kind of a life coach. This was like 15 years ago. And he had these seminars. And so in the seminars was a guy, he was a southern guy, played football in Kentucky, Thad. And we were talking one time. And he was right down the hallway in his financial firm in Nashville from Taylor Swift's dad. And Taylor Swift was just becoming a name. And so I said, oh, my god,

my daughter mentioned her like six months ago. She loved Taylor Swift. This was 15 years ago. And so he goes, oh, that's cool. And lo and behold, I didn't even expect this. Thad went out, gave me an autographed frame picture of Taylor Swift with a pick. It's still up in my daughters somewhere in her room. And so I've been aware of Taylor Swift for a long time. And then, without getting too much into my private life, my wife and I vacation in an area on the East Coast that we find this just a charming little town where you just ride bikes and walk and northeast beaches.

My favorite part of America in the summer is not where I grew up on the West Coast. It's actually in the Northeast. Nantucket's hard to get to. Hamptons is a little bushy. I like some Rhode Island beaches. So I go there a lot. And this little town, Taylor Swift moved into it.

You know, I'm sure she has 30 homes. But she's like a celebrity in the area. So, yes, every time when I go on my walk, the 15 days a year I'm in that area, every time I go on a walk, it ends. I do a, it's about two-mile beach. I walk up, see her house, turn around at her house, and walk back. The beach ends. So a lot of you don't know this. but I have a kinship with Taylor Swift.

I wear her bracelets everywhere I go. This one says, it's me. Hi. I always like to wear that one. This one is Taylor Swift. So I wear these all the time wherever I go. My favorite is Midnights, because that's your most recent album.

And I, hello, already have it. I'm going to wear that one through the night. Oh, shit, I broke it. I just broke it. It didn't last to midnight. So I just think I should reveal that stuff, you know, because, you know, I want to be authentic to you. And I thought, because of this week I defended her and we do have sort of a kinship, I was going to send her a swiftly bracelet. And so I thought this is the one I would send to her.

Can you see that? BFF, because I do consider us to be kind of BFFs. Anyway, that's a little behind the scenes with me. I don't like to give away my private life, but I feel in this instance I have to reveal some truth between Taylor Swift and my family. 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 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-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 Jay. And I'm Alex English. 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 was 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. So there's been a lot of talk recently. The NBA trading deadline is coming up, and people have discussed what about the Lakers moving off LeBron James. And I don't think this is going to happen. And there's a lot of reasons here.

So LeBron's good for business. The Lakers haven't. They won the bubble year, but, you know, they've been a really inconsistent and at times dysfunctional team over the last four to five years. And for the last, you know, I mean, the last five years before LeBron became a Laker, they were a mess. They were like record-wise worst or second worst in the league over half a decade. So they had the bubble year, but they've mostly been a really inconsistent franchise. guys. And LeBron sells out games, and he's one of the great Lakers of all time, even though the Laker fans got him post-prime, right? But I think you have to consider if you trade LeBron

James, and he doesn't want to be traded because he has such a dynamic business portfolio in Los Angeles, you're going to piss off LeBron, and that means you're going to piss off Clutch Sports, and Clutch Sports got AD to L.A., and in the NBA, there's a handful of very influential agents that you don't want to be on the wrong side of. It doesn't work that way in football, but it does in basketball. It can be very provincial. I mean, I can remember years and years ago, you know, Michael Jordan's agent was highly powerful, very connected to David Stern. And that was the reality. Michael was just really, really important for the league. So I don't think there'll be a trade because I don't think, I think LeBron committed to you as a franchise and has sold so much

merchandise and he won you a championship that I do feel the bus family and they historically have been very loyal to people that have rewarded them. I think LeBron's really kept you afloat for the last five years. He's kept you viable. He's made you tens and hundreds of millions of dollars and added to your value. And I just don't think you'd trade a player like that. That doesn't mean. That doesn't mean I'm going to rebuild my roster solely based on what LeBron wants. But the Lakers are a small ownership group. The Buss family is not nearly as financially secure or dynamic as the Clippers owner, Steve Bollmer. He's the richest owner in the NBA by far. So I just think when LeBron came here, he, to a large degree, kind of saved the franchise. You know, they weren't good

in Kobe's last years. They weren't competitive. The Warriors were running the league. They were an afterthought. They had run through coaches. And I think LeBron did them a solid by coming here. Now, Los Angeles has also helped his business career. His net worth is robust, probably over a billion dollars now. But it's been a relationship where LeBron has helped the Lakers. The Lakers have helped LeBron. And it's not that the Lakers couldn't get other players. if they traded LeBron. I never buy into that nonsense. The bottom line is players take care of themselves.

But I think just on a personal level, LeBron doesn't call out coaches publicly. LeBron is good for business. LeBron does interviews after every game. LeBron's been an upstanding citizen in the community. I don't think you treat him that way. And I, you know me. I'm not super loyal guy when it comes to, you know,

sports history, like move a guy. And you could say, well, Colin, you'd trade Clay Thompson one of the talks has been trading LeBron to the Warriors and getting some pieces back. Clay Thompson is different. He didn't save the Warriors. Steph Curry's been the face, Drayman the two, Clay the three, and he's been a great part of that franchise. Clay Thompson's not selling tickets. Steph is.

And Clay Thompson also was at a point in his career that you'd only be able to overpay him to keep him. And he's not as good a player as LeBron is. LeBron is still on any given night the best player on the floor in an NBA game. He's not as good as Yokic over the course of a season or Janus or MB, but on any given night, LeBron's the best player on the floor in the biggest games of the year. So I just think there are certain times. LeBron's been good for the Lakers. The Lakers have been good and Los Angeles for LeBron.

I don't think you trade him. I think you sit down with him and say, hey, this thing's getting to a close. let's make it as elegant as we can, as thoughtful, conscientious as we can. And then you go from there. But I just, LeBron's been very valuable to the Lakers. He's on a lot of nights, he's the only reason you go. On most nights, he's the only reason you go. He's made a lot of people in that organization a lot of money.

And there's value in that, right? They're, yeah, I wouldn't trade LeBron. The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate and review. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. It was a wild. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.