The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Comparing Ezekiel Elliot & Antonio Brown, Dak's High Price Tag, Aaron Rodgers' Latest Comments and Where Colin Was Right & Wrong

Episode Date: August 12, 2019

Colin compares Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to Oakland Raiders WR Antonio Brown, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott turning down $30 million a year, his thoughts on Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers’ comments, and where he was right and wrong over the weekend. Guests include Greg Jennings, Jeff Fisher, and John Middlekauff.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It is great to have you here. Once again, Joy was on the other side of the country. I hung out with my dogs all weekend. How are you, Joy? I'm great. I was in Miami for NABJ.

It's a great time. Happy to represent thoughts there. Yeah, you actually did, they took young broadcasting hopefuls and they did debate shows. Yes, we did one-minute debates, myself, Rob Parker, and Chris Broussard. And then they got to take them home for their real, which was really nice. That's really, really thoughtful. I love that. So I've never had a great deal of sympathy for any business that sees crazy and says, I want to partner with crazy. Because as we've said before, people show you what they are.

believe them. People do not change in life, especially as they get richer, unless there's a health scare, they're going to die if they don't quit smoking. Rich people don't change. They have convinced themselves. Their way is right. And you'll see rich people. They make the same mistakes over and over because money is jet fuel for the ego. And so once you pay an athlete who's had issues, they don't go away. They often explode. So Antonio Brown with the Raiders, one of his teammates said, quote, what's happening here is the craziest thing I've ever seen. It's absolutely insane, said a teammate who's been playing in the NFL for years. I don't even know why it's so important to him, said the teammate, the helmet issue. It doesn't make any sense.

By the way, the helmet issue is the NFL trying to improve safety has outlawed certain helmets. Tom Brady's helmet, he's got to get a new. new one. Antonio Brown's helmet, he's got to get a new one. Aaron Rogers helmet, he's got to get a new one. None of the guys are happy. A.B. has made it a big-ish grievance against the NFL. But here's the thing. Let's go look. A chronological order, O'Neo Brown. College. Red flags. Go look up his draft breakdown. A problem. May drop off teams boards. Really talented. Can be difficult. Then he goes to the pros. Teammate Ryan Clark says if you pay Antonio Brown, you will regret it.

He will not do good with lots of money and power. Let's move to Week 17 of last year. And for the Steelers, he bails on the organization. Now he goes to Oakland and it's crazy town. Because of a rule safety change implemented by the league, he can't handle it instead of treating it like an adult matter, he's become a petulant child. College, early NFL career, later NFL career, new team, four-for-four-four, crazy town. You know what this makes me think of?

Zeke. So let's go to Ezekiel Elliott. Let's go to his chronological drama. College calls out an Ohio state coaching staff in a big game when they don't give them the ball enough. then leaving college, his dad warns NFL teams. He's just a kid. He's not ready for this. He is not ready to be an NFL star.

Then he gets to the Cowboys, where he has several judicial issues. Now he's holding out in another country. So again, you don't see some Zeke potential in Antonio Brown. I do. Colin, that is Antonio Brown is way worse. Yes, today. But if you go back six months ago,

Zique had far more off the field nonsense than Antonio Brown did. But Antonio Brown was showing you a pattern since college. A lot of ego, a lot of me, not a lot of us. Red flags, scouting reports, teammates

calling him out, bales on the team. So, you know, listen, Pittsburgh's smart organization moves off dramatic player. Oakland, less smart of an organization, embraces him. New England, smart organization takes Johnny Mansell off the board. Cleveland, less smart organization, drafts him in the first round.

You know, I've come to the conclusion in the NFL that basically it's like the rest of society. The really smart 10 to 20% at the top work the bottom and middle 80s. percent. That's kind of what society's like. That's a lot what the NFL is like. So when I watch the AB stuff, I don't know how you don't see some parallels and have some concerns with Zeke in paying him big money. I mean, to me, I'm just seeing warning, warning, flashing lights, warning. You can say it's not fair. Antonio Brown's worse. But six months ago, Zique had the Mardi Gras incident, had the Vegas incident, had the judicial, the female allegation incident. Zeke six months ago had way more stuff on his resume, the bad resume, than AB did.

Be very careful. Be very careful. People tell you who they are. Believe them. All right, let me shift to this. We've been on this story for many days, and it's certainly worthy of it. So according to Mike Lombardi of the Athletic, that's that subscription-based service, a lot of good stuff on that. Dak Prescott turned down a new contract worth 30 million annually. So here's what Dak Prescott is doing. Joe Flacco did this years ago. Dak wants to bet on himself.

Tom Brady's doing this in New England. I'll sign a one-year deal. I'll bet on myself. Now, when Joe Flacco did it, he had a very good defense behind him, and the AFC did not have a lot of options. obstacles in the playoffs. You had Brady, a really good rookie Andrew Locke, and an old Peyton Manning, and Big Ben. But the NFC, if Dax's going to roll the dice on himself this year, turn down the offers, roll the dice. The NFC's deeper. It's got more good young coaches, McVeigh and Kyle

Shanahan notably. I just want you to think of this. If you're going to bet on yourself, Joe Flacco bet on himself, but Joe Flacko looked around the AFC and thought, What are my obstacles in this AFC to get along the playoffs? Brady, old Peyton, young Andrew Luck, and Big Ben. Just think about the obstacles Dak Prescott will face at quarterback in the NFC. This is how loaded the NFC is. Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, Jimmy G, Drew Breeze, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Carson Wentz. Two of those, two of them will not make the playoffs.

Yeah. So if you're going to roll your dice, remember this about Dak. Dak is not like Flacco, is not a stat monster. Flacco's never been big stat guy. So Flacco, to get his money, roll the dice in himself, he needed playoff wins. Because he's not a guy that can go and say, look, look it. I have Patrick Mahomes 5,000 yards. It's not who he is. Flacco and Dak are similar. They have a maturity. They can win on the road.

they've been pretty good in bigger spots. They're often bad on a game that doesn't matter and good in games that matter. Flacco was always sort of a really good playoff road quarterback. Good in Foxborough, but could be bad at home against Cincinnati. Isn't that DAC? Dak isn't going to be able to say, look at my passing yards, look at my touchdowns, look at my passer rating. Flacco never could.

The difference is Flacco when he bet on himself had very few obstacles. Look at the obstacles. obstacles DAC has because DAC to get his money is going to have to go, look, won my division, wild card win, second round, I don't see it. And by the way, what if Zeeke holds out? So now you don't have Zeeke and you've got to face those quarterbacks. This is also a run-first offense. So again, Dak's not going to have big numbers.

What Dak is saying is, I'm going to roll the dice, we're going to win this division, we're going to get the playoffs. And by the way, if he goes wins to his playoff games, then he's going to get the number. But what if he's a wild card team? Because Philadelphia, in my opinion, is the best roster in the NFL and the best team in the NFL this morning.

So my guess is he's a wild card quarterback at best going on the road to face. Baron Rogers, Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, Jimmy G, Cam, Matt, that is a big roll of the dice. Regardless of how good you think DAC is, and I think we all think he's the middle of the pack. if you're going to roll the dice, you've got to be able to look at the obstacles presented in front of you going forward for the next six months.

Whether it's me, whether it's your job, you're the attorney, you're the dentist, you're the artist, the quarterback. There are a lot of obstacles in the NFC for DAC. Not a stat guy, never going to be. He is rolling the dice on. You know, I'll win my division. I'll win some playoff games and you'll have to pay me 38. I wouldn't do it. I would take the $30 million.

The NFC has never been deeper. It's never been better. I mean, I was sitting there talking to the staff this morning. Who do we know that's terrible in the NFC? I can give you three or four in the AFC. We know it'll be weak. We know Oakland won't be great. We know Denver won't be great.

We know Buffalo won't be great. We know Miami won't be great. We know Jacksonville won't be great. You tell me in the NFC, I watch Kyler Murray. They could be interesting. So if I'm decked, that $30 million, when the obstacles ahead presented look very, very difficult, I'd take the 30 large. Coming up next, Aaron Rogers just did something I never thought he would stoop to.

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So Aaron Rogers is very thin skin, reacts a lot to things I say. He says he doesn't listen, but he does, obviously. So does America, frankly. Okay. So Aaron Rogers came out, and he was talking on a podcast to a very, popular former packer. Matt Coon does a podcast. Very good. John. John Coon, my bad. It was not that notable player, but in Small Green Bay, he was kind of, you know, iconic and worship. Fullback. They don't have many of those in the NFL. So Aaron is insinuating during the podcast that all these off the field dramas with Matt LaFleure's new coat. It's just, it's just, this is very Trumpian. It's just made up stuff. Go ahead.

It's fake news, John. That's the media cycle these days. Unfortunately, the media, other than obviously yourself, there's a lack of integrity, I think. There's a rush to put up headlines that are clickbait. And when you're in a really low news cycle, like in June and July, when there's not much football going on, that's the kind of stuff that comes out. We don't need to spend any time talking about it because it's complete ridiculousness. No, actually, you talked about it, Aaron. You brought up the fact you didn't like the audible system.

We have quotes of that on tape. You brought up the fact that the joint practices were, in your words, stupid. This isn't fake. We have tape, Aaron, of you bringing up your displeasure publicly with your new head coach, with the joint practices and the audible system. We are not saying it's man overboard. nobody in the media says it means you can't win. In fact, I still think you guys win.

You, the Packers, Lefleur, Aaron, win the NFC North. Nobody is insinuating that you guys can't get along and win games. You commented publicly on these. This just once again illustrates how Finn skinned Aaron Rogers is, that he would have to go to a podcast and again publicly talk about something. There's no fake in this. news. You created the stories. You didn't have to talk about the audible system. Brady wouldn't. You didn't have to talk about the joint practices. Brady wouldn't. You did. So as an iconic American

Green Bay Packer quarterback, we do discuss. By the way, the fake news thing. Let me give you some examples of teams that denied stuff that just happened to not be fake news. OBJ, New York Giants, will not be traded. We didn't sign him. The media kept saying with OBJ, Jay Glazer, others, he's going to get traded. I said on the air, don't believe the Giants. I'm hearing he's going to get traded. What happened? He got traded. Giants called it fake news, one for one. How about number two? A couple years ago, Jay Glazer reports, Jim Harbaugh's out in San Francisco. Owner GM don't like Harbaugh. Harbaugh's camp, fake news. Distraction. Doesn't exist. Reality? Harbaugh got fired. Two for two. How about Aaron Rogers, Mike McCarthy?

I think I was one of the first to say, watch the body language, watch the throwaways, something is wrong. This relationship is dovetailed. Multiple reports followed. Aaron and Mike McCarthy are not on speaking terms. It's ugly. Denied by both. Result, McCarthy was out.

Three for three. How about Arizona? Josh Rosen, staff is split. Kyler Murray's going to be the number one pick. Arizona denied it. Josh is our guy. These are just media reports. Result?

Four for four. They drafted Kyler Murray. How about the Seahawk locker room? About two years ago, there was that big ESPN article by Seth Wickersham, said there was a divide in the locker room between Russell Wilson, who many players thought was too goody-goody-goody and Seahawk defensive players. Seahawks denied it. What happened?

They got rid of the guys that in the story didn't like Russell Wilson. Five for five. there's no fake news here. The only reason I reported on the audible story, Aaron talked about it. I wouldn't have talked about it. I wouldn't have known about it. How would I know about it? I'm not in the film rooms.

Only reason I talked about the joint practices. Aaron talked about it. How would I know he didn't like the joint practices? He called him stupid. His coach said he loved him. That feels like a story. Listen, before you go Trump here, Aaron, these stories were created by

your words. And you are Aaron Rogers, an American superstar. You think we're not going to talk about it? When you blast your coach for joint practices and call them stupid, when you go out and talk to several sources and say, I like to ad lib, I'm pretty good at it, I can do stuff what other guys can't, which, by the way, you're right and I defended you there. There's nothing fake about these stories. They couldn't be more real.

There's flesh here. We didn't generate them. You did. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So the Cowboys are at a standstill in contract talks with three of their key offensive players.

And according to the athletic, DAC has turned down a $30 million per year offer. If that's true, DAC rejected a deal that would have made him the sixth highest paid quarterback in terms of average salary. And we're also 18 days into Zeeks' holdout. And before Saturday's preseason game, Jerry Jones says he is not bothered. Any updates with Ezekiel Elliott's contract? Yes, and consequently, if they'll read the newspaper, they'll see that he's still in Cabo and we're here in San Francisco. It's a marathon. It's a long season.

It's a long career. And so that you don't let a week or you don't let a month, you don't let any of that bother you. And it goes on all the time. It's not like to play 16 games. You work on this 12 months here. I can buy that Jerry Jones is not concerned about how all this is going to play out. Now, I'm sure he wants to win and he realizes that having. all of them available and on the field is important.

But Jerry's been through crazier times than this with the Cowboys and his tenure there. So I don't think that he is overly stressed about that. I think they're trying to get the best deal to move forward. That said, if Dak is going to be compared to Carson West's entire career, right? Like they're kind of joined at the hip as far as their careers. Like Baker and Darnold. Yes. You're kind of connected.

They're just going to be connected. And it's the way it is. And of course, because he is the Cowboys quarterback. But if you look at, let's use Wence's contract as an example, because DAC has allegedly turned down $30 million. Carson Wentz got $32 million, $32,000, $66 million guaranteed. Many didn't feel like that was a bad deal for the Eagles, and you got to pay Carson Wens.

But if you compare their careers, Dak is every bit within his right to ask for more than $30 million. Now, I know everyone feels like he is not worth that because of his skill level. But again, I just have to point to the wins. He is one and two in the playoffs. Wence has yet to play in a playoff game. I know everyone was looking forward in Carson Wens' career, but one of the best abilities is availability. And that's what I constantly go back to with Carson Wens.

I understand it's very young in his career, but he's had a lot of injuries. And DAC is there. He is always available. I mean, look at Zeeq's holdout. And he's only played nine games with Amari and is 32 and 16. And Zieg has missed six games, and he's 32 and 16. What hurts DAC is that the team has a superstar running back. And mostly it feels like within the organization, it's a ZEEC run offense, not a DAC run offense,

whereas Carson Wentz has a series of B running backs. So teams have to make a decision. In that backfield component, can we pay two people huge money? Generally, the feeling in the NFL is pay the quarterback, unless he's on a rookie deal, then you can sign Todd Gurley for three years. The problem is Zeke wanting this two years early. Yes, Zeeke is sort of the issue. you here because Zieg really should have waited until

next year, but I understand where Zieg is coming from because of his position. He feels like he needs to secure the money up front. I don't think that this is the year to do it, but this is how Zeeke feels about his career and he's probably not wrong, because running backs are becoming less and less of a commodity. That said, Dallas

could have tied this up months ago, waiting until now and risking Zik holding out and then you know that you have to pay Amari too is really on Dallas. Listen, if you pay DAC 32, let's say, and you pay Zee, week 16, you got $48 million against the cap in one small space of the football team, in the backfield. So to me, I mean, I think with Philadelphia, they're like, yeah, in two years, we'll pay Carson Wentz a fortune, but we don't pay anybody else in the backfield. And by the way,

their offensive line is old. So Philadelphia is going to start moving off some of these offensive linemen. So, I mean, I think a lot of this is you're trying to figure out outside a quarterback, where do you sprinkle the lettuce around? And I think Dallas is like, do we want to have $48 million tied up in a backfield. I mean, I get it. But Dax been on a fourth round rookie deal. Yeah. But Zeek.

You had plenty of time to figure this out. But Zique was on a first round deal and came two years early. It's more on Zieg. It's more on Zeek. I think they want to pay Dac, but they're thinking if we pay Dac this and we have to get Zique. And I'm sure they didn't anticipate Dak being what he is. Right.

So being in a situation where they have to pay him that. So the Colts are three weeks and six days away from week one. and they'll have joint practices with the Browns this week. But Andrew Luck will be out as he works his way back from a lingering calf injury. And Frank Reich gave an update on Luck status, saying continuing to progress with his strength, still a degree of pain in his cap that he's not comfortable with. Obviously, we're not comfortable with putting him out there. We're going to continue work with our medical staff on the plan moving forward.

He has only practiced three times since injuring his calf in April. And Peter King pointed out last week that he has also had three MRIs. on the string cap. So that kind of shows a pretty serious level of concern and also a lot of confusion concerning the injury. They play the Chargers in week one. I don't like this at all. I don't like it.

It's still lingering. I think if you enter the season injured, you're going to leave the season injured so that we can anticipate kind of a touch-and-go situation with Andrew Luck this year. And that's one of those injuries that, I mean, I'm not a doctor, but it seems like you want to have that 100% healthy

before the season starts. and it's kind of interesting that they've had three MRIs on it already. I don't know what I trust. The new NFL paradigm, and I watched every preseason game this weekend. Like nobody's playing their starters. Well, I'm okay with that. And I'm okay with him not playing, but the not practicing thing is concerning. If he was only not playing in the preseason games, not even a concern.

Because what does Andrew Luck need to be in a preseason game for? But he's not practicing. That is what's concerning. Finally, Mike Tomlin is heading into year 13, and despite being the league's third longest tenured head coach, and his footing in Pittsburgh seems a little unstable. He finished 9, 6, and 1 amidst the playoffs last year, as we know, and he recently just signed a one-year contract extension through 2021, but he told Peter King he is not worried about his future. I love the job.

I love the challenges that it presents. The variables are ever-changing. It's continually stimulating. in terms of longevity, you know, I don't think a lot about longevity. I just like to feel the urgency of now. You do that enough, man, and you win enough, then you get longevity. Longevity has never been my focus or my agenda. I just want to be a really good football team here in 2019.

Best coach on a microphone in league history. He literally write that down. He's very good. You should literally write what he just put down, and you should put it in what coaches should say when asked about contracts, that's literally exactly what you'd write down. Well, he should have no concern about his contract.

I know everyone's doubting the Steelers this year, and I do think they are in a bit of a prove-a-year because they did lose Levi-on-Bel and Antonio Brown, which is a lot of talents to lose on the offensive side of the ball. The Steelers are going to win the AFC North this year. Mike Tomlin's not going anywhere. I know everyone thinks it's all falling apart. I do think that their window for winning another championship

is very, very small, because Roppersberger doesn't have that much time left in the league. And I don't know who they plan on replacing him with. Great O'Line, great GM. I watched him this weekend. Boy, that James Washington with Juju Smith, they drafted a running back. I don't get the sky as falling with Pittsburgh.

I like them old. Because the Steelers have expectations of a Super Bowl every single year, no matter what the situation is. Everyone in Pittsburgh, right now, currently expects the Steelers to win the Super Bowl this year. And if they don't, that is not success. The Steelers aren't just trying to make the playoffs. And when you play with expectations like that, you play up to those expectations. There's been a lot of breakdown in culture with the Steelers, which is what makes everyone nervous.

Yeah, that I get. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Well, I've often said wide receivers, be very careful. They break the huddle first. They're kind of their own guys.

They've got big egos. so I think it's only fitting. We bring in a star, former Super Bowl champion wide receiver to talk about Antonio Bound, Greg Jennings. Now, by receiver standards, you were not difficult. You were not a holdout guy. You were very mature. So there's some of this. There's some of this that's not relatable to you.

But like Antonio Brown, you went to a smaller school. You used a chip on your shoulder the way Brady does. It worked in your favor. A lot of guys in this league, half the league is undrafted. You use the chip to motivate you. Antonio Brown's used the chip to sometimes separate himself from others. That's how I view it. I think Antonio Brown, this weekend, I went and looked up as history, as college.

I think you could spot it really early. In fact, I called one of my best friends in the NFL who's friends with Mike Tomlin. And Mike Tomlin told my friend this weekend. We know my friend, by the way. he goes, you have no idea how well we hid stuff. He goes, you heard about it in week 14. We were dealing with this the last two years with AB. That's what Tomlin told my friend.

Like it's a lot of work. And Mike, by the way, very pro player, like Pete Carroll. He likes guys to get gassed up. So when you look at this Antonio Brown situation, is a team at fault, is the league at fault over the helmet issue? How does it land for you? Well, first I'm going to address the Mike Tomlin thing really quick and briefly. Every coach hides inner organization locker room laundry.

Every coach does. Specifically when it's related to your stars. You just hide it. You don't want it out there. As far as the Antonio Brown helmet issue and all of this, like I'm only, his side when it comes to fighting it to a certain extent. And this is why, because I've gone through this, I've had to change my helmet.

And it was a big deal. It is a big deal. Anytime you change what has been the norm, you're going to put up some type of resistance. We just don't hear it going on like this to where guys try to come at the league the way Antonio Brown is and handle it. in his way and his manner. But everyone, I don't care who it's been that's had to change their helmet, no one has just said, okay, I'll change it.

No, it's a big deal because you've been wearing the same helmet or same piece of equipment for so long, it becomes a part of you. But a pilot has to every year go into the cockpit and they change equipment. My dentist now uses a laser to clean my teeth. It's awesome.

we live in a world where the NFL is consumed almost with safety regulations. So the NFL is just, by the way, Brady said yesterday, he goes, I don't like my new helmet either, but what am I going to do about it? I'm not disputing that I remember when they took typewriters out of my office when I first started and gave me a computer, and I grumbled for two weeks. I'm not disputing that it creates discomfort. But do you go public? Do you file a grievance?

Do you not show up to camp? I mean, that to me is beyond, now you're disruptive. Well, I mean, it depends on how you feel strongly about it. And I think for Antonio Brown, he obviously feels very strongly about I don't want to part ways with my old helmet. And I can get that because I had a, again, I had a Rydell helmet that I felt like I could visibly see any and everything. It was open. I got hitting probably my nose in my face several times because I was just so exposed. But there came a time where that helmet grew to be extinct, where it was outdated and it wasn't as safe.

And just like a vehicle sitting in a car, like no Tesla or no 2019 vehicle is going to put in a seatbelt from 1966. It's just not going to happen. Once you've advanced the safety precautions, you're going to stick with. with that theme and going moving forward. And it's no different with the helmets. But there are some people who will go back and love that 1966 vehicle and will put that seatbelt on because that's what comes with that vehicle. And they're setting their ways.

This is what we're seeing with Antonio Brown, not wanting to part ways with what has been his constant and his norm. It has absolutely nothing to do with him trying to go against what the NFL is doing is just a part of what he's done all of his career, the help, the equipment he's used all of this career. And this is what people don't understand. Like, this isn't like he hasn't been wearing this helmet and all of a sudden it's not protecting him. It's just that other helmets have proven to perform better. And so this is on the lower echelon of performing helmets so they're banning it now. It's the same difference, the same thing that happened.

with my helmet. It wasn't that the helmet wasn't going to protect me. It just wasn't going to protect me as well as the new helmets that had come out. All right. We'll take a break, helmet talk. I'm going to ask you about DAC. I'm going to ask you about the contract, how players look at money. Aaron Rogers says we're all fake news, which we're not, of course, because he brought all the stuff up. Then we responded to it. Now today, he says we're all fake. That's coming up. Greg Jennings, Super Bowl, Pro Bowler. Coming up next. The herd. 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. SportsSlice 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 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes,

Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows.

Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, After you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Multiple Pro Bowls 10 years, Super Bowl ring. By the way, Greg Jennings wants to call me out for something I said earlier today. Go ahead. Yeah, you definitely didn't watch all the preseason games. I watched the highlights on the NFL network of all the pre- There we go. That's more clarity because the first week of,

preseason ball. No one watches all of that. No one. I do my homework on this. You would be very surprised. I watched how much of that. I watched. I sat there with a notepad yesterday. My first takeaway is Chris Johnson, former running back, said, I'm not letting my boys be running backs. They get treated terribly. I ran into Melvin Gordon at the Las Vegas airport this weekend. Very nice kid. Very reasonable. But he understands what's happening to running backs. Of course. It's what's happening to centers in the NBA with analytics.

If you can't shoot a jumper, we don't want your size. If you're a running back now and can't catch, that's why Zeke and Gurley are valuable. Yes. Melvin Gordon can catch. The Adrian Peterson days are over. Done. They're done. Like if you're a center and can't hit a jumper, that's why Brooke Lopez is still in the league

and why big. Because he can step out on the perimeter. Okay. So, you know, it's funny about this. when I look at Chris Johnson saying that about running backs. So you were a wide receiver from the very beginning, right? You never were a running back. You're too tall.

No, I was a running back. In high school. In high school, I was a running back. Why'd you shift? We had no wide receiver. And so you had to go out there. And so I was like, I can catch. I'll go out there.

And then I saw how easy the game was to impact the game. You get by this one defender and you got one more to beat. who can't do that? Right. And it just went from there. I feel bad as I was talking to Melvin Gordon about the running back situation, and we've talked about the Zieg holdout. And listen, I like Zique, but I look around this league,

and that Dallas offensive line has produced three different thousand yard rushers. His relationship with Amari Cooper, I thought, the last nine games they played together, they were seven and two. They were three and four when Zeeke and Dack played together without Amari. I mean, if you ran it in a lot of them. NFL team. Would you pay Melvin Gordon? I would pay Melvin Gordon, but I wouldn't, I would hesitate because that's a position that you could win by committee. Mostly New England, Philadelphia, the Colts.

I mean, you look at, shoot, you look at Aaron Rogers in the Green Bay Packers. When's the last time we called out a running back? Well, New England, Philadelphia. Like, it just doesn't, it's like You don't technically need that guy in the backfield to win. Like, don't get me wrong. They're valuable when you get the right one that can be versatile. But you still better be very aware of exactly what you're paying. Yes. Yes.

You have to be mindful of that because the shelf life, it's just been proven. It's not, they don't have longevity. Ask yourself this. If Zeeke couldn't catch, you'd let him go today. The two-year demand, you let him go today. So even Zeke has a great running back, the component that makes him worth the big money, his ability to move outside and DAC can deliver the ball to him.

I mean, to me, Adrian Peterson's over. That's a dinosaur. Absolutely. When you look at running backs in today's game, if they're not a first, second, and third down option, what are we paying them for? Alvin Kamara, the reason why he is so special and he will get paid is because you can split him out and line him up as a hybrid receiver if you want to and he can be just as impactful. And you have to cover him with a linebacker because if you put him in the backfield, you don't want an extra defensive back on the field.

You want a linebacker that can run support. So you're in a bind if you're the defense. So guys like that, they become invaluable, but they still have a certain shelf life. Yeah. So whenever I bring you on the show, I'm careful not to bring you on just to talk about Aaron Rogers because, A, I don't want to put you in that position, and B, it would get tiresome. But it was interesting that Aaron came out this weekend. John Coon was a former fullback.

He went on his podcast. We have the bite where he said basically the media is fake. It's a slow news cycle. They're just making stuff up. Here's the bite by Aaron Rogers. It's fake news, John. That's the media cycle these days. Unfortunately, the media, other than obviously yourself, there's a lack of integrity, I think.

There's a rush to put up headlines that are clickbaited. And when you're in a really low news cycle, like in June and July, when there's not much football going on, that's the kind of stuff that comes out. We don't need to spend any time talking about it because it's complete ridiculousness. Okay. my pushback is, what do you mean you didn't spend time talking about it? You came out and told us about the audible system. We didn't know. You came out and called the joint practice as stupid.

We didn't know. You talked about it. And we reacted to an iconic superstar, handsome Hollywood movie star talking about it. There's nothing fake about it. If you didn't talk, we wouldn't reply. I wouldn't go out in the air and say, you know, I just have this feeling. Aaron hates joint practices. I responded to you saying you hate.

joint practices. Yeah, I, there's a lot that I can sit here and say I agree with Aaron Rogers because I've been in that situation where what you say isn't always conveyed or accurately. Accurately. It's like I can sit here and do this interview and somebody will subtitle it Greg Jennings talking or down talking Aaron Rogers again just because I don't agree with everything he's said. That's not at all what I'm talking about right now or only what I'm talking about, but that's the way media is just to get clicks, to draw interests, to have people view

whatever it is they're writing or displaying. This is why you should read the article, not the headline. Increasingly, people just read the headline and don't read the article. I think this is a very fair criticism of the American media in general. The guy that writes the story or the woman doesn't write the headline. They write it, send it into the company. Yes. And the company writes the headline. I've even gone to my people before. I've done this probably three times since I've been here and said, hey, I don't like the headline on this. You're making it salacious. This is what I said about the Chicago Bears. So that is something I in the media deal with, my own headline writers. Because I'll do stuff. It'll get released in

a podcast and there'll be this headline that is making it sound very dramatic. And I get why we're doing it. So people turn in and listen to it, but it bothers me. So That's your problem. Yeah, that's my problem. But then on the flip side of it is, as a, well, I shouldn't say on the flip side, on the same side of it, as a player, like you're asked to answer questions. And if you, everyone talks about changing the narrative or answer them however you want to. Well, if you're that guy and you never really answer the question, then no one really wants to talk to you.

So when you're asked the question and you are honest, it's like, oh, he doesn't like joint practices. Let's talk about it. Well, let's, I can defend him in a sense because. None of you guys like him. No, because you're showing your opponent everything that you're doing. And they get to see it from an inside perspective that no one else typically gets to see. So for a guy like Aaron Rogers, and I'm not saying this is the only reason why, but I could definitely see why he wouldn't like the joint practice because he's a big nonverbal communicating quarterback,

which means he's signaling often. And so the more you're signaling, the more opportunity it is for your opponent now to get a beat on, oh, that signal is for this. Or now they see what routes go with what signals. And then you're constantly trying to evolve your signaling throughout the season because you feel like it's out there or somebody has a jump on it or a beat on it. So I can see why a quarterback of his magnitude that is more or heavy in nonverbal communication with his perimeter guys wouldn't like joint practices. By the way, did you ever go into a season talking about Dak and Zeke and Amari Cooper? Did you ever go into the season where you were thinking about your contract? Or did you have it wrapped up every time?

No, I definitely went into a few seasons thinking about the contract. And when asked in the media, Greg, what do you think about it? It'll take care of itself. Are you concerned about it? No, it would be fine. In the back of your mind, you're like, man, I just really wanted to get done. Every waking moment. Not every waking moment, but a lot of your moments are spent thinking about

is it going to get done? Are they talking where are we? How close are we? Would you play differently? Would you not run certain routes? Not at all. Not at all. When I'm there, when I'm on the field,

I'm not thinking contract. When I'm suited up, whether it was practice or game, you're not thinking about your contract. Now, after the fact, you might be looking at the stat line, making sure that you're doing yourself a great service to provide a greater opportunity to impact with the contract, but going into it, no. Is there tension between you and the team?

There's, I believe that there are, there, there always tries to be this undisclosed, I should, yeah, this undisclosed level of tension. Yeah. Where nobody really wants to talk about it, but it's, it's there. You disclose all the, no, we want you here. I want to be here. You passed in the hallways. Yeah.

And everything. Everything is good, but then when you hear from your agent or you're talking in the conversation, it's like, well, you're not showing me is not where you're showing me. I get it. This is where I side with players. This whole thing is I can do this for, you know, 20 more years, right? Seemingly. If I had a 12-year shelf life. Got to maximize it.

And I played football. By the way, I would want, listen, this is the right side of football players. I'm a wide receiver. I've seen teammates go down in camp. I haven't gotten the big contract. I get it. I get why you guys go diva a little bit. I get it.

I still like you. Here we go. All right. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. It's a Monday hour two. It starts our afternoon. And that's great seeing Greg Jennings. So we're loaded today.

Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. Coming up next. Be sure to catch live. of the herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. It's a Monday, hour 2, live in L.A. This is the herd. Wherever

you may be and however you may be listening. We are on I-Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. I continue to be home alone with the animals, two dogs and a fat cat for the next three days. Joy is traveling the globe. Just

got back from an important convention in Miami. When's last weekend, you put on sweatpants and ate wheat fins and did nothing. Oh, wheat thins. Great snack. Delicious. Great snack. I don't know. I don't remember, actually. Exactly. You don't have those. I mean, I try to. I've got a lot of them coming up because football season is here.

So I'll be spending a lot of time in sweatpants. But shout out to NABJ. There was a lot of college students there, all who loved the show. Many came up and asked what it was like working with you, and I said it was wonderful. Wonderful. It is. I love my job. Well, I love my job, too. So every Monday, Jeff Fisher this hour, John Middilcoff, former NFL scout. By the way, I watched a lot of NFL preseason this weekend.

I'll just tell you, San Francisco 49ers offense could be shockingly good. That's my first. My second impression is Pittsburgh Steelers James Washington popped. He was here last year. He was a wildly talented kid at Oklahoma State, and you didn't see a bunch of him. Lord. Boy, you talk about it. about, you know, we forget these are young kids.

They're like 22-year-old people. That kid in the last year, this offseason, James Washington of the Steelers, wow. And San Francisco's wide receiving talent all of a sudden, two years ago they had nobody. San Francisco now between Coleman, the running back that can catch, kiddle the tight end from Iowa, Dante Pettis, the herd kid from Baylor, Sweeney, the wide receiver from South Carolina. Man, do the Niners have a lot of players on offense? I don't know about their defense, but on offense, they are going to score. Jimmy Garoppolo, Kyle Shanahan.

They upgraded their old line last year in the draft. Watch out for the Niners. All right. Here we go. It's a Monday where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. Where Colin was right? I said I think the Steelers are going to be fine without Antonio Brown. The Antonio Brown situation was summed up nicely.

Go to Twitter and read Mike Silver. Mike Silver's been covering the NFL for a long time. He's in the Bay Area. His accounts of what's happening with Antonio Brown are disturbing. not paying attention in meetings, checking out his bank account and Instagram photos, not really playing well with others. Listen, again, I know he's talented, but boy, oh boy, outside of quarterback, there's just not many players in this league who I'm going to deal with distractions,

maybe a left tackle, maybe a great pass rusher. This is becoming exactly what we said. People tell you who they are. A.B. showed you who he was for several years in Pittsburgh and in college. The Raiders bit on it. just go to Twitter, read Mike Silver, respected NFL guy, based in the Bay Area. This thing is, don't listen to John Groot. He's supporting him because he has to.

This story is a mess. Where Colin was wrong. I didn't like the Giants taking Daniel Jones at number six. I didn't think he had a great arm. He had a great college system and didn't do a ton with it. But I thought Daniel, of all the young quarterbacks, looked terrific for the Giants. They had him throw several timing routes. timing route is you're going to throw that ball on a string before the receiver turns and he was terrific.

He had a perfect passer rating. And again, the jets are playing backups. I get it. But I thought he looked poised. He looked sturdy. I thought his arm strength. Again, it's August in New Jersey. Maybe in October it's windy.

It's not the same. But I got to tell you, he looked better physically than he did in college. Maybe put on 10 pounds. Maybe the whip has grown a little bit. But he looked terrific. And if I was a New York Giants fan today, I would feel, you know, it's preseason. But I thought there were some things Daniel Jones did on those timing routes that had you make you feel really good about him as a number six pick. Where Colin was right?

I said I like Dwayne Haskins. He's not ready to start in the NFL. Of all the young quarterbacks, I thought Dwayne looked absolutely overwhelmed. Listen, he played at Ohio State. You know, he didn't get hit at Ohio State. He played under Urban Meyer, one of the most creative offensive guys. Now, some of this says he faced Cleveland, and their defensive front, even their backups. Cleveland's receivers are great.

Their defensive lines, actually, the strength of their team. So it was not an easy opening game. But Dwayne Haskins is not ready to start in this league. He was overwhelmed. The game was too fast for him. And again, I like him. And I'll say this. With very few exceptions, I don't think rookies are ready to play.

I thought Sam Darnold last year got good at the end of the year. I thought he looked overwhelmed in the first eight weeks. But Haskins is not ready. Where Colin was wrong. Last week, story came out. Tom Brady's houses for sale, and I'm like, well, I've done that before. He's sending a message to the New England Patriots. If you're not going to sign me to a multi-year contract,

I'm going to put my house up for sale. And Tom Brady went on W-E-E-I saying that is not true this morning. I certainly hope that you shouldn't read into anything. You know, it takes a lot. long time to sell a house. I don't know if you guys, my house is a little bit of expensive one, so it doesn't quite, you know, fly off the shelf in a couple weeks. So I take it just, I'm at a point in my life there's, there's a lot of considerations that go into, you know, playing. And I think that, you know, I'm certainly at a place where I've been in the same place for a long time.

And I love playing for the Patriots and Mike, such a great relationship with Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick and our team. And, you know, we'll just, we'll worry about that. that happens. This isn't the time to worry about it. All right. I guess it was just coincidental. That's what Tom says. Where Colin was right. Kevin Durant told Chris Haynes last week, the New York Knicks were never in the running for him.

He said if I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be the Nets. They got the pieces, the creative front office. I like what they were building. Listen, the Knicks have the worst owner in the NBA, and players aren't dumb. They know this, this league, you don't want to play for a bad owner. And James Dolan's cheap.

And I'll say this again, name the last player star in his prime that chose the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony. There you go. By and large, and Carmelo Anthony played at Syracuse. Tell me all these players lining up. I think the NBA media wants the Knicks to be relevant. I get that. It's like wanting the Cowboys to be relevant.

It's like wanting USC football to be relevant or the Yankees to be relevant. The league's more fun. I get it. But they're not. And players don't want to play for him. They don't want to play for James Duhl. And by the way, look at this roster. This is why I never bought KD considering the Knicks.

Look at the roster. He's going to play with Kevin Knox and Dennis Smith Jr. Come on, they let go of Porzingus. Now, if they would have landed Zion in the draft, maybe you wake up the next morning and go, all right, I got another young superstar. But I never butt into the Knicks. Kevin said they were never in the running.

Where Colin was wrong. Listen, I've been critical of. Mike Tomlin through the years for the team often coming unhinged in key spots and being too emotional. I always say he's like Pete Carroll in Pittsburgh. There's too much noise. But I got to give him a shout out, is that he's never had a losing record, and they have rebounded quite nicely off the departure of Antonio Brown. I think they're having the quietest camp. I watched their first preseason game. Here's the other thing about Mike Tomlin. I can be critical of him in big spots against New England. Memo. Nobody's beating New England and the

AFC much in the last 15 years. But every Steeler player, every young Steeler player gets better. This is very much Pete Carroll. This dude can coach. Now, I struggle with him in game situations often. Like I don't always love his game time decisions. But man, Pittsburgh, they draft well and all those young players, they get better under his watch. You know, we always think it's always about in college recruits. or an NFL the game.

A lot of this is making young men better, fitting them into your system quickly. And I feel better about the Pittsburgh Steelers this morning than I did before I watched them in preseason and Tomlin deserves credit. Where Colin was right? The Phillies have lost 7 of 10. They're in fourth in the National League East.

I do not believe in these 10-12-year contracts for $300 million. It means you're going to have to save money somewhere. Your middle relief, your bullpen, your DH, your starting staff. Okay, the four teams that spent a fortune and signed a 10-year contract player are a combined 76 games out of first place. And Bryce Harper, by the way, he's okay of late. But again, if you're going to pay, it creates an uneven clubhouse.

The Astros won't pay this with very few exceptions. The Dodgers won't pay this. And by the way, the Nats, who said, we can't pay this money are ahead of the Phillies. So the Phillies have become what we predicted, a lobsided team with a superstar who'll finish with 38 jacks and 109 RBIs and bat 260. But in the end, the chemistry is not as good. He has not had the impact that people told me Joey Votto or Joe Mauer or Robinson

Kano would have with their massive contract. Where Colin was right? Dabo Sweeney, coach of Clemson, thank you very. much. Finally, somebody comes to our defense. Alabama's schedule, the gauntlet of the SEC is overrated. They get four cupcakes, a couple of buys. Dabo Sweeney said, everybody tells me Alabama was tired because they went through the grind of the SEC. Well, they won by an average of 33 points. Are you serious? They're tired? Who's challenging Alabama and the SEC? The answer is nobody. Georgia comes close. LSU is no longer a factor.

This is why Nick Saban gets hammered by me, and this is why Nick Saban, who does control the schedule to a large degree, the out-of-conference schedule, signed a home-and-home with Wisconsin. The SEC is now acknowledging the commissioner that they need to schedule more Power 5 out-of-conference games. There's declining attendant to a couple of the schools. The fans deserve more. college. Football deserves more.

Stop with this hooey that the SEC guntlet is brutal. You only play eight conference games and you almost always have a cupcake or a buy before your biggest one. Enough is enough. Dab-O Sweeney nailed it. Where Colin was wrong.

All you Nathan-Peterman jokes, I am no longer telling a Nathan Peterman joke on the air. He was terrific. John Gruden was right. He had the longest quarterback run of the weekend, the third longest run of the NFL weekend. He looked confident. He moved the chains.

He was nine for 12 with a touchdown, a long run, no interceptions. Nathan Peterman jokes are officially over on this show. Where Colin was right? We told you, we think Jerry Jones is going to be tough on Zeke in the negotiations. We don't think he's going to fold. And once again this weekend, he went, public with how great Tony Pollard the new running back is sending a message to Zeke. I certainly thought he had a good account of himself.

He looks confident out there. We know he's inordinately understanding what it is he does and can do. And we've seen him do it. We know he's capable of if he really needs to carry the whole lot. Jerry Jones now or Stephen have gone public for almost all of the last two weeks. Any opportunity they go public. They are squeezing Zeke. I believe they're going to be tough on Zeke.

I do think they'll come to the table and agree to a deal with Amari and Dak. I may be wrong on this, but once again, we said this is what Dallas is doing. Jerry and Steve, it's a tag team partnership. Now Stephen will come out in the next two days and talk about Zeke. They're making it public. They're trying to curry favor in the locker room. We've got good young players. We don't need Zeke.

We're not beholden the neke. This is what we thought they should do and what they have done. Where Colin was right? Carmelo Anthony cannot get an invitation to the Feeba World Cup. All the other stars have turned it down. Marcus Smart is on the team. Brooke Lopez is on the team. And this is because I never bought into the Carmelo Anthony

he is loved by players. They may love him. They don't love playing with him. The reality is he was bad for chemistry. He didn't have any self-awareness. He didn't, frankly, play well with others. I don't think I've ever been more right on an NBA star than Carmelo Anthony. You keep telling me how everybody loves playing with him.

He can't get an invitation to this. He can't even get a charity invitation, a lifetime achievement award invitation. to the Feebo World Cup. I'm actually surprised. It's almost sad. It's nothing against Carmelo Anthony. He may be a great guy. I hated his game, his body, his body language,

his reluctance to play defense, to be coached, and he can't even get a charity invitation. This is the most right. I should have a new classification. Colin was right. Colin was wrong. Colin was most right. The Carmelo thing is official.

Where Colin was very right. Yes. There you go. I deserve more than just a simple right. All right, I'm going to bring on Jeff Fisher next. Listen, Greg Jennings said this earlier. Coaches are often suppressing information, bearing stuff. It's camp.

You don't want the distractions. Unlike the Cowboys owner, they go out every week and talk about Zach. But most organizations would rather suppress this stuff, not talk about it. And I'll ask Jeff Fisher coming up, former NFL coach, for a long time, what do you do when you have a player, go off in the world? weeds, it gets public as you're trying to pull the reins in. He's jutting out. How difficult is it?

Jeff Fisher coming up next. Listen, butcher box. We are getting now, we've got about, I just read a story this weekend where 8 p.m. sunsets only have a couple left. So it's going to get cooler in parts of the country. I knew when I lived out east, I always felt like the third week of August, felt like the end of summer. Labor Day could be cooler. You could feel it.

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No added hormones or antibiotics ever. Ethical. Company working with the best for. farms. My favorite cut of meat, they're pork. Put it on a skillet. Fantastic. Butcher box, free shipping, customizable boxes. Right now, new members get 20 bucks off your first box, two pounds of ground beef, and two packs of bacon, but you got to sign up at butcherbox.com slash h-e-r-d. Tone of awesome recipes, too. 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. 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.

SportsSlice 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 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, is 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref. My mom, I want you.

to weigh better. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming.

Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about balligan. I'm not worried about McKinney.

My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here.

Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. wherever you get your podcast. Paul is back on Fox with the preseason clash between Russell Wilson and the Seahawks and Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. It all kicks off Sunday at 8 Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app. By the way, Kirk Cousins had a good weekend. I don't think Russell played much.

I wouldn't play any of these. By the way, Jeff Fisher joining us 22 years in the NFL, 13th most wins in NFL. You're the only coach in sports history who went through two relocations. Those are brutal. By the way, it does appear to be a little bit of a cyclical. trend. I don't think it's cyclical. I think it's a trend. The Rams decided last year we're not playing our top starters. We're just not doing it.

And I don't disagree with it. Julio Jones is like, I'm out. I'm not playing this. Jeff, I understand players now. Short window. Money's huge. Do you think going forward the preseason's going to get cut here? Players are telling you, if coaches are telling you,

we don't want to play our best players. Well, yeah, eventually it's going to happen. Eventually, it's going to go to probably two games. I mean, you could see or maybe some joint practices. But, yeah, we look back this weekend, and I just kind of looked at it from a FARC on their, there's significant injuries in just the first preseason game, 16 games.

Right. So, yeah, coaches are nervous about it. And, you know, you saw it turning 10 or 12, 15 years ago. No, I'm not so sure. I'm going to play Eddie George in the first two preseason games. And now what Sean did last year with both Todd and Jared and then some more guys on a team. I mean, it makes sense to just rest them. Right now, today's Monday. Okay, this after the preseason weekend, this weekend, today's the day that all these guys

are getting their work and they'll get their work today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, and then they'll start to back off, and then they'll get the rest of the roster ready for these games. Did you like joint practices? Aaron Rogers says, I like the physicality, but I don't like some of the things we do. You know, live special teams can scare. My takeaway has always been, And if a college staff with 18 and 19-year-olds don't need four preseason games, then a 27-year-old NFL guy who has double the practice time as a grown-up, is an adult doesn't need four practice games. I mean, you tell me if I said joint practices whenever Jeff Fisher wants them,

one preseason game, would it be enough? I would do two joint practices, probably two to three-day sessions. against maybe two different clubs. Yeah, that would be enough. Now, college is not going to do the preseason because they got 100 kids and you can have a defense playing a game over here and an offense playing a game over there at the same time. So there's plenty of guys on the roster to do that.

But, yeah, I would say a couple of joint practices and a game or two would take care of it. Let's talk hard knocks. You were on hard knocks. Some like it, some don't. Oakland's a little bit of a circus. I strongly believe, Jeff, that they're trying to sell tickets. Mark Davis is by, put it in context.

He's the poorest NFL owner. They can't sell out Oakland. Vegas has a hockey team, and those tickets are hot. He's moving into Vegas. They need to sell 40,000 season tickets. I get the marketing angle. Did you like it as a coach? I loved it.

Now, let me give you the background. For three years, they came to us when I was in St. Louis and said, we want you to do, and it was no, we want you to do it next year, no. We didn't want to do it. And then finally, the league passed a resolution to where you can't say no. Right. And so we accepted it. And it was presented to us.

It was the first time that NFL films and everybody else would be able to, and hard knocks, would capture a move. None of the relocations in the past have been captured. So they captured our move. But I enjoyed every minute of it. the producers, the crew, the film guys, like sound people, everybody associated were very, very professional, fun to work with, and it wasn't a distraction. And what everybody had told us and doing our research was, as soon as you get through day one or two, they just disappear.

And that's what, in essence, they don't feel like they're any, they're any longer there. Now, I do have this. And here's the, let me give you this visual, in the head coach's office, they're in the hard knocks there's a camera up here and a camera over there and they're both pointed at you so you're sitting there by yourself you walk in the morning like good morning guys how you doing and the cameras are going like this so how's the night and the cameras are going like this go hey guys guess what i need about five minutes to make some personal calls here so we give me some time the camera nods it turns around backwards faces the wall and you got your time so those types of things still

take place during the you know the filming the production of hard knocks so you probably see more of those in the intimate staff meeting room. So you're not getting 100% of what's going on. Could you, Jeff, say, I don't want that to make it? Yes. You can. I don't want to say I had final edit, but I'm going to watch the entire show before anybody else he's at Tuesday night.

And I'll watch that Sunday night or Monday. And, you know, I'm just not, I think we need to protect this information or out of defense. of this player. This is just not... Did you ever worry that players were acting to the camera? Not on the practice field, not in the meeting rooms,

but goofing around and doing other things. Yeah, I mean, we had that one episode where they took a couple of our guys up on the blimp, you remember, and Jared was in the blimp, and they asked Jared, what direction does the sunrise, the east or west,

and he didn't know, you know? So off the field and out of the meeting rooms or when you're doing football, players are not making a movie. Let me ask you about Freddie Kitchens gets a job. You're a veteran coach. I do believe the Rams trust Sean McVeigh, less need is rolled the dice on Indomacan Sue, Marcus Peters. Andy Reid had players with some baggage character issues.

What I worry about with Cleveland, Sheldon Richardson, OBJ hasn't had what issues, but he's dramatic. He's a global star. Cromarty, they've already suspended him. Because I think you can win in this league, having a couple of guys that can go sideways, but if you put him in a good culture, it works. But Freddie Kitchens is a rookie head coach. And John Dorsey, the GM, is one of those guys where I'm going to get your talent.

You figure out how to coach it. That worries me with a rookie coach. Go back to your career. Was there a year or a moment for you, Jeff, in your career where you thought, while this is close to being too much drama. Well, I did have a moment, but I'll go back to that in a minute. But as far as Freddie's concerned, as long as he does basically two things, be himself and tell the truth, he's going to be fine. It's when you say something other than what you truly believe, because the players will buy into it.

And they'll find out. They'll figure it out. So be truthful and be yourself. and be passionate, love the game, and you have to learn to treat everybody differently under the same set of rules. They're all different, but you have to be able to pull everybody together in the same environment

and understand why we do this and we don't do that. And explain it to them in such a way they can't. You just can't say, I'm going to fire this guy if he does this. Or I'll fire you if you do that, or go ahead and fire somebody. So that's the, and there's no substitute

for experience. You have to learn. And it takes a long, time. I say this. I said this many times. When I first got the job, and Freddie, mind you, eight percent of his stuff right now in his day is X's and O's. And 20 percent is dealing with these guys. Right. Okay. He's going to find that in a few years, eight or ten, whatever it is, that that's going to flip. And then 20 percent of his time is X's and O's, and 80 percent of his time is dealing with the players. Because ultimately, his responsibility, beyond the X's and O's and game planning is to make sure that they're mentally, emotionally, physically,

even spiritually prepared for the day. So at the end of your career, you were dealing with more of that than schematics. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Especially considering the move. You move three times and move from one seat and next. We move out here and where are we going to play. Oh, yeah.

And then all the travel. Oh, yeah. It's all about sleep. It's all about diet. It's all about recovery. I'm trying to take care of them. So there's no distractions in their life. When mom calls on Friday and she wants a different color escalate and she wants it now before a big game on Sunday and your player can't deal with it, no, you've got to talk to mom for him.

Because I'd rather, I need him focused on the game plan rather than where do I get the, what do I, how do I ensure, you know, all that stuff. So let's go back. And I have said this about full disclosure. I said this when you weren't on the air. I said, Jeff Fisher, I feel bad for defensive coaches, Rex Ryan similarly. the sport marginalized you. Suddenly you couldn't coach the same way. I mean, let's be honest about this league.

You can't put your hands on anybody. You can't hit anybody. You were a very intimidating coach. Rex Ryan's a very intimidating coach. Getting guys' faces. Hit him a little late. That was the sport for a long time. Suddenly you can't do any of it.

There's safety concerns. That's the new cultural zeitkist in football in America. Less practice. Less hitting. Did you feel like with a Jared Goff situation? You had Greg Williams, you, defense. and the world was changing. And you had Jared Goff.

And suddenly you could make the argument, the Rams needed an offensive guy because this is the franchise, not Aaron Donald. Did you feel like in the end in Los Angeles that it was the league's changing? I got a young quarterback. I'm more of a defensive guy. Did you worry about that? Did you feel that?

No, well, obviously, that's the way the league is gone. And that's all well and good. I actually, we got in a situation where, where we turned things around with Ron Schottenheimer, who's now coordinating for the Seahawks. And so, but Shottie had some personal reasons for wanting to leave. We tried to keep the offense intact and it just didn't work. So, you know, as a head coach,

you're going to get into the league by and large because you're a play caller. You're an offensive coordinator. You're a defensive coordinator. You're a play caller. But over time, the duties on some, Monday becomes so overwhelming, you're going to delegate. So I delegated the offense, but I got, also I take responsibility for, you know, our in-ethness over that period of time. But I also, with respect to Jared, was we drafted Jared.

We had an opportunity to choose between Jared and Carson, and that was a really good problem to have. And so we chose Jared. And we brought Jared on at a very, very slow pace. I wasn't thinking of Jeff Fisher. I was thinking about what was best for Jared Goff. So we didn't start him for six or eight weeks. And we just brought him along slow, thinking about what's in the best interest of his future.

And then obviously, Sean came in and takes it and runs with it and does a great job. Are you surprised by his quick development? No, I'm not at all because unlike most situations where, Now, Freddie, we could probably make a case. Freddy's probably in a samuel situation because you've got good people around. We had to put together a pretty good roster. So we had a good roster when Sean came in and took over. I mean, you had, we needed some receivers.

We need a couple of positions. But, you know, the defense was good. And, you know, as a matter of fact, some good players left. So, and they still had the success. And, you know, I think the world of him and even Super Bowl Sunday, you know, I'm pulling for these guys. because three quarters of the guys that were playing were guys that we brought there that I had some say in.

But, you know, Wade has done a great job with the culture of that team, as has coached and you take the three of those, and you got the top three coaches in those areas, an offensive coordinator in his mind, and then you got Wade, and then you got Fossil, and that's how this league is. So the stronger your assistance, the more successful. you're going to have unless you're an nominally and not a trend or

you're a guy that's got a quarterback that might be throwing, you know, maybe 42 years old and just winning championship after championship. We always say, take back, Joy and I say this often. All right, take the Patriots out of the league and like, let's look at everybody else and it's a week-to-week league. Finally,

I've said this for years. Herm Edwards, John Gruden, and Jeff Fisher. And I told Rex Ryan this. I said, Rex, you should consider college. You're a big personality. You could recruit like hell. And I told Herm this. I said, Herm, you'd work in college.

Arizona State's recruiting's gone through the roof since he arrived. I felt Gruden had some impact. Years ago, there was rumors he sniffed Tennessee. Jeff, Pete Carroll went into the NFL. He had been fired in the NFL. He goes to college. And a lot of people are like, whoa, defa-needed nobody knows. And Pete totally clicked.

Never recruited. I look at you. I think to myself, have you ever thought about college? I mean, you've got a lot of energy. You have a ton of contacts. You played at USC. So you know the West Coast recruiting at least. You have a place.

We won't talk about it up in the West. You would work to me, Denver West, Jeff Fisher would work as a college coach. You've got ties and connections. You've had to have thought about it. Well, I've thought about coaching. And I missed the game. I missed the sideline.

But more importantly, I miss the players. And that's what, when I get a phone call once a week from a former player, we catch up. It's great. Eddie George's and just the guys across the board over the years. That's what I miss. And I've been really fortunate to do some things that I haven't been able to do over the last couple of years with my time off.

I have, it's funny you brought it up, I've been spending quite a bit of time in compliance and in recruiting and the college game. I'm fascinated by the SEC. Obviously, I love the West Coast, as you say, my youngest son Trent played at Auburn. So, you know, I'm familiar with the SEC. I want to get back, and if college opens a door for me, I'll definitely consider it because I love this game. And I know I can have an impact on that young student athlete and help to put him, not in the NFL, per se, but set him up for life. and the successes that life brings

and the challenges that life brings. Good to seeing you. 22 years, tied for the 13th most wins. Also, a great outdoorsman, a fisherman, Alaska. I see your Montana pictures. If we ever do an outdoor show, you know, I grew up with the American sportsman, Kurt Gowdy. Oh, yeah. You and I was talking to an executive at this company about a month ago.

I said, if we ever do one of those shows, you know, Jeff Fisher, that guy fishes all the time. And you do. you have quite a dynamic outdoor life. You are fishing constantly, traveling constantly. I'm really lucky. For 30 years, I was unable to do it, and it's my passion for the last two I have. But to be honest with you, I've caught enough fish for the time being.

I need to take a break from fishing and get back to coaching. That's funny. It's great seeing you, Jeff. You too. Thank you. All right, Joy, with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, Colin, you know we're getting new stuff thrown at us when you're Googling National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipments, which is what Antonio Brown had us doing when he started his grievance over his old helmets. And league spokesman Brian McCarthy tweeted a statement in response to Antonio Brown saying the player can't practice or play in games with equipment that's not approved. If he doesn't play or practice, he is in breach of his contract and doesn't get paid. NFL policy is that helmets have to be certified by N-O-S-C-A-E. They don't certify equipment that's older than 10 years. Now, this is a new helmet, as we discussed earlier,

and new equipment does kind of make people uncomfortable. And Tom Brady actually talked about it as well. I've been experimenting with a couple different ones. And I don't really love the one that I'm in, but I don't really have much of a choice. So I'm just trying to do the best I can to work with it. You kind of get used to the same helmet for a long period of time. And I did that.

My last helmet, you know, I wore it in the last four Super Bowls, you know, so it was a pretty great helmet for me, and I hated to put it on the shelf. But that was kind of what they said to do. So kind of what I'm dealing with and I'm working, kind of working with something else. Well, clearly Tom Brady isn't ready to retire over the helmet. However, he did say there he wore that helmet in four Super Bowl. So as we know, athletes are creatures of habit, and equipment can be something that's very jarring to change.

Now, look, I don't think Antonio Brown is actually going to retire over this helmet. I could be completely wrong. I agree. But I think he's being a little bit dramatic. sense. But I do think it's important to mention that he's not the only one that is uncomfortable with the helmet. So it's silly. Like you're going to have to wear the helmet. There's no way around it. He tried to say, there's a lawyer that he's going to, you know, the NFL's going to have liability. None of it makes sense. He's going to be there or he's not,

and they're not going to change the ruling on the helmet. And the NBA and the baseball and football, these sports go through cultural shifts. The NFL is so concerned about optics on safety. They're protecting themselves for lawsuits. That's why they keep up. upgrading their equipment, less practice, less hitting. We're in a tunnel right now in the NFL where safety in the big league meetings is the number one thing they talk about. So they're not going to bend on this. Right. And listen, I get it. It's uncomfortable. And he's saying it's blocking part of his vision.

I understand it. But it's not going to change. It's just one of those things you're not going to win. So there's been a lot of speculation about Todd Gurley's knee since his disappointing postseason. And the Rams have been playing this cautiously. But Sean McVease sounds optimistic and says Gurley is feeling really. good. You just see there's some good juice. Guys have a nice bounce in their step. I think Aaron's had an outstanding camp. And I think the plan that we set out for Todd, I think number one, most

importantly, he feels really good about it. He's continuing to, you know, to really show a lot of the things that make him such an elite player. And I think he's feeling really good. And I think it's been a smart plan that really with Todd and with our training staff, we've implemented, and we're going to continue to follow that. By the way, I watch them this weekend, Joy. They're good. Yeah, the Rams are going to be fine. They're one of those teams that generally there's like a Super Bowl hangover situation. I don't feel like the Rams are going to fall into that category because I don't think if the loss was that dramatic.

I think they were just overmatched. I mean, overall, it wasn't a high-flying Super Bowl that came down to one second and was super emotional. It was just one of those games where, like, look, it's the better team, the more experienced coach. And obviously Todd Gurley not being able to participate in it, it felt like a huge loss for the Rams in that game. Right. They didn't have all their pieces.

and not firing on all cylinders. I don't look at the Rams was taking a huge step back. No, it wasn't like Atlanta where you felt like you outplayed them and lost. And, I mean, come on, like that falling apart like that dramatically, the worst, like, choke job ever in the history of sports.

Like, that's something more emotional to come back from. Yeah, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Joy and I will prove coming up next, Brady will never play for another team, and I'll prove it next in the herd.

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, 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, 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 hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, mom, I'm a one. you to wave at her. What?

Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifferts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level. that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything

he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. By the way, Red Sox Battle the Indians, Discover card key matchup. Get your free credit scorecard today, even if you're not a Discover customer. Discover.com slash credit scorecard limitations apply. Okay. So optics matter, right? Like stuff matters. You see stuff and you can go, oh, like, that fits. And then you see stuff and you're like, that doesn't fit. So Tom Brady has been talking about, he didn't love the contract that the Patriots gave him. Didn't love the contract with like, you know, as players get older, as broadcasters get older. We'd like more guarantees in life, right? So Tom got the one-year deal. He'll be a free agent. They can't franchise it, tag him at the end of the year. He's talked a little bit about this, about the contract. And, and, and, and, leaving New England. Here's what he said. You control the things that you can control, you know, and things that are out of your control,

you know, you just got to go with the flow. And, you know, again, I think I'm in a great mental place, great mental, emotional place to approach the season. Again, it's isn't the first time around. So, yeah. There's no point in worrying about things like that because there's just, there's so many what-ifs and hypotheticals. So, you know, I told my staff this morning, First of all, I don't think he's going to leave. One, Bob Kraft would never let him end up anywhere else. The second thing is, I don't believe, my staff disagreed with me, I don't think there's a long list of places that would dump their quarterbacks for,

at the time next year, a 43-year-old quarterback. I just don't think they do. Teams either have their guy. You know, they're not going to dump Philip Rivers with the chargers to get Tom Brady. They've got their guy. They're not going to, and so I just don't think there are many teams that are available. But there are a handful of teams, one in particular that I think is interesting. If Jimmy Garapolo got hurt with the 49ers, Tom grew up in San Francisco, they've got a ton of good

wide receiver, tight-end talent. Kyle Shanahan is a very smart guy. If you look at this picture of Tom Brady, sorry radio audience, in a 49er uniform, I've seen Montana, I've seen young, I've seen great players, I look at that and I think, okay. But here's the thing. Here's the other four teams that I think would consider either a connection to Brady, a coach that Brady's work with, or they're either not into their young quarterback,

or they're over their average old quarterback would bail. But tell me if any of these look right. So let's go to the next team. I do think the Cincinnati Bengals are about ready to move off Andy Dalton. That doesn't even look right. That does not even look right. Oh, that's terrifying. It's terrifying.

It's an arena look. Tom Brady, now, and I do think Cincinnati's about a year away. If Zach Taylor can't make Andy Dalton pop, I think they're done with it and would move on and call Tom Brady's agent, Don Yee. That doesn't even look like. Okay, I also think Matt Patricia coach is Detroit. I think they're over Matt Stafford. Here's Tom Brady in a Detroit Lions uniform.

I'm sorry. No. That cannot be sanctioned by the league. That does not look appropriate. All right, I do think if Oakland struggles, Gruden's going to blame Derek Carr. I don't, it's too rebel. Let's put Tom in a Raiders jersey.

Yeah, that's not really his brand. It's not his brand. It's not corporate enough. You know what it looks like? A really good practice jersey. And I think the number five team is, I think of Josh Rosen struggles, Miami would absolutely, now that's absurd.

No, now this is the best decision. This is the best Photoshop we've ever done. This needs to happen. Look at that, Joey. I am 100% behind this. That looks like a movie about Tom Brady going to play the NFL. We're really good at taking superstars and welcoming them to South Beach and making it work. I think this is a great idea.

All is forgiven, Tom. Let's go back to San Francisco. Tell me that doesn't at least look the best. That's the most realistic one. Yes. That would be the one that I think would upset people. the least. Although it would be kind of weird with Jimmy Garoppolo. It would be. But if Garoppolo got hurt again,

Shanahan, those receivers, offensive smart guy, hometown. And it would be weird, but it would be like Tom turning the tables on Garapolo. I'm going to now replace you. Right. There is something about that look optically that I buy. I can see that, yes. Yeah, I've seen Montana. I've seen young.

This is, oh, I've seen a legend in a Niners uniform. Yeah. That's Cincinnati Bengals one. Put that puppy up again. No, I don't want to see it again. That is honestly... Oh, it's so bad. I think Tom, if they got traded there,

Tom would have to file a grievance against the league. Like Antonio Brown with the helmet. I don't think he would do it. I think you would just retire. I think you're right. And to avoid that photo op? Yes. You just retire.

I really appreciate the offer. I'm not putting that uniform. You can't let that happen. You just cannot let that happen. All right, John Middilcoff, Niners blew me away in preseason. I cannot believe how many talented receivers that organization has.

I feel safe saying it. That's going to be the pop team in the NFL. They will double their win total and more. I think they have a chance to win the division. John Middl Koff will be joining us as we move on Monday to hour three live of the herd in Los Angeles. 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. Great to have you in today. It is nice. So I watched all the highlights from all the NFL preseason games and had some basic observations on guys who I think are going to pop. San Francisco to me is a fascinating team a couple of years ago. They liked their defensive personnel, but they didn't have much on the perimeter.

And I'm watching them this weekend, and John Lynch got aggressive. They have given Kyle Shanahan a young tight end last year out of Iowa. They went and drafted two receivers this year. One last year, Dante Pettis, Marquis good one. I watched them this weekend and I thought, oh, Lord, this offense could be special. John Middlkoff writes for the athletic, a former NFL scout. He's part of my three and out podcast on the Hurt Podcast Network. So it's interesting.

Teams, you know, John, as you know as a scout, Pittsburgh drafts wide receivers well. New England does very well with offensive linemen, not so well with wide receivers. San Francisco has had some struggles figuring out the defensive linemen. I think they've overpaid and overdrafted. but I watched their offense this weekend, and man, I was just watching backups and rookies. I don't think I'm exaggerating. I think this team could win a division. You watch practices.

You watch every press conference. What do you make of the Niners? Well, I think they have a chance to compete for the division, Colin. But that's partly because I don't think this division's going to be that great this year. Obviously, the Rams have run away with it the last couple of years. To me, they're probably more of a 9-10 win season. Seattle, losing Frank Clark. When you look at their roster on paper,

it's, you know, last year they overachieve. They're going to need to overachieve more. But they have a culture there, to me, 7, 8, 9 wins right there. I think it's not crazy that 9, you know, 10 definitely to me wins this division. So if they can keep Jimmy Garoppel healthy. And, you know, the way I describe the two wide receivers, I think you're specifically talking about,

Debo Samuel and Jalen Hurd. Yep. Two guys, one started out as an SEC running back. the other was an SEC wide receiver. There is a culture in the SEC of just toughness and physicality that the Niners are black. I mean, the Niners have, the Patriots take a lot of grief over the years for missing on wide receivers. The Niners have missed on a lot. I mean, AJ Jenkins, a guy that Trent Balke drafted years ago in the first round, had one career target for the Niners.

They have not drafted well at wide receiver. And Dante Pettis, there's still, to me, a lot to be desired there. They took them in the second round. These two kids came in and immediately there's a physicality to them. The first practice, Jalen Hurd, because he was hurt during the OTAs, part of Kyle's, his offense, his wide receiver's got to block. And he was blocking defensive back so far down the field that they were creating fights in practice because his physical style.

And Debo, you go to practice, he gets open with ease. I think these guys have just, and Kyle tried to temper the enthusiasm, but it doesn't take Bill Walsh to see that these two guys jump off the screen. I mean, I've always liked Jimmy G. like Carson Wentz, there's an injury concern. I don't think he's Carson Wentz as a talent, but there is something about him. You know, taking your scout background, what do you like about Jimmy G? What concerns you?

Yeah, I think the things you like from an intangible standpoint, it doesn't get much better in terms of the way the guys react to him, the way they view him as a leader, the way he interacts with his teammates and just his ability to retain information. I mean, he learned from the best, right? He learned from Tom. He learned from Bill. And then he should thank his lucky stars every day for a lot of, I'm sure we'll talk about the Raiders a little bit later,

that Derrick Carr had to go to the Raiders. This guy's got Belichick and Kyle Shanahan. So there's a level of stability and just high-level offense that he's taken in from day one and he can handle it. His physical attributes are pretty darn good. He's really accurate. His arm strength, you just stand there at practice, is more than enough. Now, he's not the biggest quarterback, but, you know, he's definitely big enough.

he's that Aaron Rogers mold, which I think leads to the negative is that one of his biggest strength, really his probably biggest strength as a player, is kind of ad-living when he needs to. And he's not a runner, but he can make things happen behind the line of scrimmage like Aaron does, like Russell Wilson does, and make big plays outside of the pocket. Well, it's led to two major injuries. In New England, the time he hurt his shoulder when Tom was suspended for, you know, deflategate, he got slammed on his shoulder right next to the sideline. Last year, tearing his ACL, it was scrambling.

And they've really talked about trying to harness that. And I don't know if you saw the clip this weekend. Patrick Mahomes was scrambling around. And he hit the ground really fast. And he looked to Andy and he smiled. But you could tell – I saw Andy talk about it after the game. You know, you got to be careful, man. You are – the entire franchise is writing on this player.

If Jimmy plays 16 games, he's only started 10 in his career, 10 in his career, I do think the 49ers will have a chance. I'm not quite as bullish as I was before training camp, just because Colin, they can't stay healthy. They lose like a player a day. Yeah. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Yeah.

They have an injury issue, and it could be training staff, but I've noticed the same thing. They are really struggling to stay healthy. I want to segue to the Raiders. I mean, John Gruden's going to say publicly, I support A-B. Do you think there's an ounce of regret that he signed him? You know, I think there's an element talking to people with the Raiders. Gruden's like Al Davis.

Talent means so much to him. He doesn't mind some of the off-the-field stuff. I don't think, I mean, this has been crazy, Colin. Even John Gruden or an old-school Al-Davis, this would have been driving them nuts. He shows up, and I know Gruden, and I give the Raiders credit. Gruden went out of his way because Antonio is very sensitive. And to me, old-school Gruden would have done this. Grude's a different guy.

The old school, kind of the younger version of Parcells, the offensive version, that guy's kind of gone. If you watch Hard Knocks, he's kind of nice. You know, he's not as big of, you know, how can I put it, an A-hole as maybe he once was. Yeah. And I think you see him interacting with you guys. He goes over the top, you know, trying to interact with these millennials. And in the press conference after the game, he got Antonio's back every step of the way. They tweeted it out.

they included Antonio. They understand how he kind of, he deals with this, but to burn your feet and then have this helmet issue, again, if 100 guys in the league were having this issue, you go, okay, no big deal. He's the one guy, the one guy. And I think there's got to be driving him nuts. The main reason is driving him nuts, Colin, he's the offensive coordinator. The offense is his baby.

He wants Antonio to look good. I mean, that's his side of the bowl. That's where I think that's really bothering him. his best player, and he mentioned this in the press conference after the game. Like, Antonio, I got plays for you. Please come back. We need you. And at the end of the day, Antonio is so good. And now he kind of has the franchise, you know, under his control because he's so talented.

It's not like they're going to get rid of him anytime soon. Yeah. You know, the relationship with Derek Carr is interesting. I like Derek. Like Garapolo, I think he has some intangible things I like. I don't know if he's a great leader. He can be real sensitive. I see that on social media.

Do you think long-term Gruden and Derek Carr, they're joined at the hip? Eight years from now, they're still together. Yeah, but I couldn't say that right now by any means. They can get out of the contract next year for like $3 million in dead cap. This is a make-or-break year for Derek. I do think that Gruden, and I even heard this last year,

they love his work ethic, they love his physical tools. They love him Monday through Saturday. And sometimes last year, there were moments in games. Now, the team wasn't great, where he just had some times to just let it rip, and he just wasn't. Now, toward the end of the season, he flashed a little bit of that guy that had a chance to win the MVP a couple years ago. I've heard he's had a great training camp, but all that stuff, once you're in year six, year seven, no one cares about that anymore, just about the games.

And that's why I think it's so important for them to get 84 back, because for Derek to have success and for him to maintain and be this team's franchise quarterback as they move to Vegas, he's going to need to be productive. And the only way he's going to be productive is with Antonio on the field. So I'd say right now it's 50-50. If Antonio doesn't play, this team's a debacle. Now, if he plays, their defense is going to be bad, but I do think their offense, Antonio, Tyro Williams, their offensive line's pretty good,

the Josh Jacobs kid's pretty good from Alabama. They have Jalen Rashard, kind of a little backup, scat-back. They have some pieces. So I can see their offense being productive where they could go six and 10 or 7 and 9 and have an explosive offense and it not be Derek's fault and him just maintained being the quarterback. But if he has like a 20 touchdown 12 interception season where the offense is bad, yeah, I mean, he'll be gone.

John Middlkoff, he's part of the three and out podcast on the herd podcast network, Bay Area, very updated on NFL stuff, especially the Bay Area. I really lean on him. John, good talking to you, bud. Thanks, Colin. Have a good one. All right. Yeah, it'll be funny on the Raiders.

I like Derek Carr. I don't get the reservations on Derek Carr. I mean, listen, as I was watching preseason, the one thing that really jumped out at me is there's so much wide receiver talent in the NFL. I like recruiting. I'm a recruiting dork. So I watch high school football tape and watch the recruiting. I have for years.

I don't talk about it on the air. You know, there's a lot of things I like watching. I don't so talk about them on the air. And so I noticed this about 10 years ago. The state of California has got 38 million people, and they've got about two great running backs out of high school year. They've got about 20 good receivers. So kids are smart.

My kids are like this. I'll say, what do you want to do in life? And they're like, oh, this. And I'm like, you should do that. And I'll be like, it doesn't pay anything. So what? You should be a teacher. Yet summer's off.

Well, it would pay enough to go on nice trips? Athletes do the same. Athletes look at it and go, all right. Used to be a lot of great athletes want to go into boxing. Guys are like, I don't have to get my face beat in. I don't want to go boxing. Athletes look around, and I think they look at running back. and going, you don't get paid

and you get hurt a lot. And like Greg Jennings said, then you got to wide receiver and you're like, I only have to beat one guy. I like it. So when I watch this league, I just see so many great athletes now out wide receiver. Tide ends now can run and

I see a lot of good quarterbacks. So my question becomes, you know, we were talking about this. I've been talking about this with buddies. Next year in this draft, Oregon, Georgia and Alabama have first round quarterbacks. They're all top 10 talents. I'm not sure who needs a quarterback.

I mean, if James Winston hits in Arizona and Marcus Mariotto works in Tennessee, they're not moving off those guys. So, I mean, it's, and I think, you know, Matt Stafford, Andy Dalton, are you going to roll the dice and bail on them if they win eight, nine games? Derek Carr, I look at Derek Carr, and I'm like, you can get to a Super Bowl, Derek Carr. I can get to a Super Bowl, Derek Carr. Absolutely.

Why can't I? I saw him almost, you know, a couple years ago with Jack Del Rio, a defensive coach, he let the league up. He's better now. He should be because Gruden's what, he's got much better weapons now than he did then. Here's Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So the Browns and Freddie Kitchens are entering this season with most of their hopes

riding on Baker Mayfield. Yes. After an impressive rookie season, he seems to be up to the task. And Kitchens had nothing but praise for Baker, especially his knack of extending plays. Oh, it was very interesting. I don't really think you can coach anybody on escaping. If they tell you they can, they're lying to you. So I think you just have to have a feel for the pocket. And when it's collapsing or whatever, you've got to get out of there.

We're sitting there and take a sack, and I don't like sacks. Nobody likes sacks. No. I think he's right, actually. I think that having an awareness of the pocket and the escapeability, however you want to measure that, is something that is kind of natural. I mean, we see quarterbacks like Ben Rothersberger, who's a Hall of Famer, super quarterback.

Not really known for getting out of a collapse pocket very well. But Baker is also on the shorter end of quarterbacks, and he is likened a lot to Russell Wilson, who is maybe one of the all-time escape artists in football. So this is something that isn't teachable and is definitely an element to Baker's game. Yeah, no, I think feel it. I think Baker's got that.

I think Darnel has it. Baker has it. I think certain guys do. I mean, Brady, it's almost a sixth sense now. You can just see him slide up, slide over. Oh, yeah, I mean, his footwork is magical, but he also really, really, really doesn't like getting hit. So I think it's kind of a second nature to Brady at this point. So the Cowboys are out of standstill and contract talks with their three key offensive players.

According to the athletic, DAC has turned down a $30 million per year offer. If that is true, DAC rejected a deal that would have made him the sixth highest paid quarterback in terms of average salary. That's a pretty good offer. He's a pretty good offer. Obviously not the offer that he wants. if it's true. And we're also 18 days into Zeke's holdout as well. But before Saturday's preseason game, Jerry Jones says he is not bothered.

Any updates with Ezekiel Elliott's contract? Yes. And consequently, if they'll read the newspaper, they'll see that he's still in Cabo and we're here in San Francisco. It's a marathon. It's a long season. It's a long career. And so that you don't let a week or you don't let a month, you don't let any of that bother you.

And it goes on all the time. It's not like to play 16 games. You work on this 12 months here. I really don't know what the Cowboys are going to do. Obviously, Zeke holding out has created the issue this year. I think that if Zeke wasn't holding out right now, Dax's contract might already be done. Zeeke is two years out from his contract,

but he's in a situation where he is a running back, and there's a lot of turnover at that position, and he feels like he's the star. I feel like you need to pay Dak first, and I felt like that before Zeeke started holding out, and before we started talking about Amari, because he is the franchise quarterback. All this talk about, he, you know, 30 million is too much for DAC.

Who else would you like? Would you like to trade up in the draft and try for a rookie? Who would be the most tradable asset, Amari, Dak, or Zique? Now, I don't think teams would line up for DAC, but I do think there's about four or five teams that would line up for Zique. Yeah. So my takeaway is you pay DAC. It's just the most important position, and he's shown leadership skills.

Amari I can hold off for a year. I'd say it. I would test the waters. I think you could end up getting a back and two picks for Zieg. I don't think you'd get a lot in the open market for Amari. I like him. I think Amari is more valuable with Dak than on the trade market. And I think Dax got a limited trade value.

As I'll say, I would just make calls on Zique. I think he's very good. He's a past catching running back, which is you're a dinosaur now. If you can't do that, I would look. I'm telling you, I think this is... No one's questioning Zeke's value to the Cowboys. He's very valuable. He's very valuable.

But there hasn't been a Russian champ that's won a Super Bowl in like 20 years. Jerry's right about that. And I love the running back position. I very much think that I would love for them to pay Zeke. But I think if it's between Zach and Zeke, you have to pay the quarterback. You just, you have to. I don't understand the disparity there. If your offense runs through the running back, then you've got the wrong

offense. I keep hearing that. Dallas's offense runs through Zeke. Well, that's why you're not winning enough. He just made that. That's why you're not winning enough playoff games. Yes. So finally, the cults are three weeks and six days away from week one. They'll have joint practices with the Browns this week, and Andrew Luck will be out. He's working his way back from a lingering calf injury. And Frank Wright gave an update on luck status. He said, continuing to progress with his

strength, still a degree of pain in his cath that he's not comfortable with. Obviously, we're not comfortable with putting him out there. We're going to continue to work with our medical staff on the plan moving forward. This has concerned me for a couple weeks now, but it is important to point out, as Peter King mentioned, that Luck has had three MRIs on this strain cap. So that shows that not only is there a serious level of concern, but there's also some degree of confusion as to the injury itself.

It's not so concerning that he's not playing in the preseason because we're seeing a lot of star players sit out in the preseason and there's really no need for him to be in the preseason, but he's not practicing, which is concerning to me. And then, you know, there's always a saying you come into the season injured. You're going to leave the season injured. You really want to see Andrew Luck at 100%. And with this little amount of time left until the season starts.

How did he get, how did he hurt it again? He heard it back in April. January, February, so he heard it like an OTA? So he heard it at that. How did he? I don't know who remember exactly how he heard it, but it's, I mean, it's been lingering for quite some time now. still not out there practicing and they're still taking it slow. So I do think another week or so from now it's going to become something that we have to

seriously talk about leading into the cold season. Yeah. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. For the record, this whole helmet thing we've talked about today, these players don't love the new helmets.

Okay, that's years ago, the NBA introduced a new ball and players were like, eh, this isn't working. And they got rid of it. The ball's obviously, you know, very. important for a sport. The helmet is just a safety issue. Pilots have new cockpit instruments every couple years. That's why pilots are constantly going back, retought the cockpit. Dennis have, my dentist uses a laser when they clean my teeth now. This is just a fundamental change for safety. John Gruden is saying he has Antonio Brown's back. Of course, I think

publicly he has to. Here's Gruden. But I support this guy. I think that's what needs to be said. I don't know what anybody's right or what anybody thinks, but this foot injury wasn't his fault. This was a total accident. It really wasn't his fault, and it's a serious injury. I know some people are smarting at it, but it's really not a laughing matter.

The guy was hurt. He was innocent. He didn't do anything wrong. And the helmet thing is a personal matter to him. I think Bruden's talking through social media. So Antonio Brown hears it. Antonio Brown reportedly is on Instagram and social media all day, which a lot of people, young people are especially.

So, you know, there's no wiggle room here. Antonio Brown has to play. Aaron Rogers, Brady, none of these guys like their helmets. They don't want to change helmets. It'd be like telling a baseball player, you've got to change a bat. They just don't like it. So athletes are superstitious. They get very comfortable.

There's a lot of things players don't like. I just don't think you make them public. I don't think you file grievances. So I think the Raiders have a major distraction on their hand, and they're not a talented enough team to be missing their most talented player. Coming up, I do think there are five breakout stars. If you play fantasy football or just like football, I do think we're going to see five players really pop this year.

And I want to talk about those five players coming up next. Well, I've told you about M Drive and their product line for the last couple of years. Gary, a scientist in Arizona, as he reached 50, noticed his stamina. naps were longer, a little more tired, had lost energy. And he had kids, boys in their 20s that are athletic, hikers, bikers, trail runners, and he wanted to be part of it. So he went out and he created M drive. And one of the products in the M drive line is M drive boost and burn, which is clinically tested ingredients to boost your testosterone levels. I take two every morning and it helps you burn fat.

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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 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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show,

I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office, Blue, 42.

Hey, ref, Mom, I'm a one. want you to weigh better. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level. that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get to flyin.

He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get your free credit score card today. Even if you're not a Discover customer, get your FICA credit score. Learn more. Discover.com slash credit scorecard limitations do apply. So despite being mocked by Greg Jennings, I do watch all the NFL preseason games, all the highlight packages.

And I watched a lot of games. Saturday night, I watched the Rams Raiders game and San Francisco and Dallas. You know, everybody's out of town in my house. They're all vacationing in a very discreet location. And so I'm there with the two dogs and the cat and a cock. watching NFL football. And I do think, week ones in the books and preseason, I do think there are five players in the NFL that'll pop this year.

None are rookies. It's a third year for some. So let's go through the five players, I think, that will really explode this year in the NFL. Number five. I think Baker Mayfield. I think now he got Cincinnati twice in the last seven games, had seven TDs no pick.

So at the end of the year, his stats were, I think, embellished. Cincinnati was the worst NFL defense. and I'm not joking here, in league history. But he did average 68% completion percentage. And that was with some turmoil on the coaching staff. They've added Odell Beckham. They've added Kareem Hunt by Thanksgiving. David & Jok, who's a great tight end, only getting better.

And I think, you know, I don't know if Freddie Kitchens will last three or four or five years, but I do think it makes Baker Mayfield comfortable. I think the division's going to be better. I think Pittsburgh without AB will be more focused. I think Cincinnati has to be better defensively. They've added better coaches. And I think Baltimore's unique and contrary into the league. So the division's better.

But I think Baker is going to have elevated stats. Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, David & Joku, Karim Hunt, Nick Chubb. I do worry about their offensive line. They're not great at tackle. They're an injury away from the interior of their offensive line from having an issue. And I think their schedule. They face many top defenses, especially early in the season. But I think Baker will pop.

Number four. Delvin Cook. Third year with the Vikings, had a great three games two years ago, averaged 96 yards a game, was going to get 1,600, then got hurt and was out. He was on his way. And that's Minnesota's O-Lines better now than it was then. I think he's a real special player. At the end of last year, he had a very good December.

He averaged almost six yards a carry in December. Now, the Vikings brought in veteran offensive coach Gary Kubiak, and the reason they did this, Kubiak loves to pound the ball. and the Vikings last year were 30th in rushing and 29th in run percentage. So he has got now a coach. They do not want to be as dependent on Kirk Cousins in that division. They have spectacular whiteouts. But I think they're going to be more run invested than they've been in years.

And I think Dalvin Cook is going to pop for them. He is a special player. Number three. James Washington, a wide receiver for the Steelers. Listen, Antonio Brown last year was targeting. 180 times. You got to sprinkle those around to somebody. And Juju Smith-Schuster, I don't think is as gifted physically as James Washington.

He looked terrific the other night. He had four catches, 90 yards, a touchdown against Tampa Bay. Listen, he came out of college, and there were some warning signs that he was at times a little difficult, but he was a world-class athlete. And listen, some guys evolve and some guys develop a little slower. It took him about a year. And I think last year he came into an organization that had A-B, it had Ben. They were trying to develop James Connor.

They had Antonio Brown. I think he got a little overlooked and a little lost. I think James Washington is going to have a tremendous year. And by the way, runs a great deep pattern and no quarterback in this league likes to throw the ball deep like Big Ben. And for the record, the Steelers last year threw the ball on 67% of their plays second in the NFL. They like to throw the ball. Big Ben likes to audible. Out of runs into throwing the ball, James Washington, Big Year.

Number two. Jimmy Garoppolo, I think of all the teams I saw in preseason, I was really impressed with San Francisco's young weapons. We know about the tied end from Iowa, George Kittle. We know they went and got Coleman from Atlanta out of the backfield. We know about Dante Pettis, a young second round guy they drafted out of Washington last year. But they went and got Debo Samuel and Jalen Hurd, and they looked fantastic. We know Kyle Shanahan is an offensive.

genius. Garoppolo's 8 and 2 as a starter. Remember, here's something to remember about San Francisco. So this is a stat. You've got to be kind of a dork. But they average 9.3 yards per attempt on first down. They like to get the ball down the field. And that was

with C.J. Bethard and Nick Mullins at quarterback. Kyle Shanahan is a hyper aggressive, first down coach. And I think they've done a really good job. They've missed on some other positions. I think they've recruited and drafted really talented young receivers,

and I think Jimmy G is going to have a pop year. Number one. You know, I love Sam Darnold, but I can make the argument that no team has elevated around a young quarterback better than New York. They went from a defensive coach to Adam Gase. They went from no running backs to a star in Lavian Bell. They didn't really have a top slot receiver. They went and got James and Crowder from Washington,

who was the second best slot receiver on the market. They have made not one, not two, but three offensive line interior upgrades. And Sam Darnold, it should be noted, in his last three games, five touchdowns, no picks, 102.3 pass already. Remember, he was the youngest quarterback in league history to start games last year. He's a kid. All these other guys are a year or two older. So Darnold's going to get older.

offensive, not defensive head coach, star at running back, three interior offensive line upgrades. And I'll say this. Because the Jets' weakness is their cornerbacks, they're going to be in shootouts. This is a team that's going to have to score points to win games. They have very good defensive front seven personnel. They are bad and thin and not talented at corner. They're going to give up a lot of big plays. and I think Sam Adams going to take the protective wear off and let Sam sling it.

So I think he's going to have a very big jump year one to year two. How about that? Running back, a wide receiver and three quarterbacks. Strongless. Yeah. I think they're all going to pop. I think Jimmy is going to be very dependent on if healthy the rest of the team stays as far as this ranking. San Francisco has the weirdest thing.

Everybody's getting hurt. They can't keep anybody healthy. At that point, if it happened for a camp, but it's like the third camp in a row. So you get to a point like, do you got to get a new staff? You know, it's funny, when you talk to football coaches, they're so different in the public. You know, the coaches look at, you know, fans, we're looking at coordinators, we're looking at quarterbacks. When you ask a coach, who's the first guy you bring in, first coach,

every coach I talk to is like, oh, Strength and Conditioning guy. Like, you talk about a college coach. They're not even the second place. Nick Sabin's like, you got to get the right strength and condition. guy. Off-season training, avoiding injuries. It's a real thing. You can have a very good staff. If your guys can't play, it doesn't matter. So San Francisco's in a little bit of a dilemma. John Middilkoff talked about that. They've just had back-to-back camps. Nobody can stay healthy. This is also, to me, such a cross-your-fingers time as a football fan. You're just like, oh, my God, don't get hurt. Don't get hurt.

The other thing I noticed, I'll look at Eric Banini's here today. Nice. Maybe it'd be on our show once in a while. It'd be nice. Yeah, I don't know. I take you out to dinner, I thought that was enough. I think one of the things I watched is, and this is, you know, how sports can be cyclical, quarterbacks get rid of the ball so fast now, is that the first thing is, the NFL is using so much college offense. So these, do you know, Joy, the last 15 first round quarterbacks, one has busted, Paxton Lynch. Yeah, it's pretty bizarre.

Okay, go six years ago, it was 50-50. So the first thing you're noticing is they're using a lot of this college stuff. These college guys come in. They can play. I mean, Josh Allen, Lamar, Tribisky. I didn't even like Tribisky in college. I'm like, they can play. The second thing is they're getting rid of the ball so fast.

What does that mean? Last year we didn't have a lot of quarterback injuries. If you go another year without quarterback injuries, you got three great quarterbacks coming out of college. It's kind of fascinating what we're seeing here. There's almost no team in the league that is a tire-fire at quarterback. Miami's the one. We're all like, I mean, you can complain about Derek Carr and Matt Stafford.

Pretty good. By historic standards, if those are the bottom seven, eight guys, Nick Foles, Carr, I mean, those are the guys getting banged on Kirk Cousins. Pretty good. I mean, those are making a lot of money, throwing a lot of touchdown guys. All right. So Eric Mangini, it says here on my board, we'll stop by our show tomorrow and grace us with his presence. Doug Gottlieb will stop by too. I want to thank Jeff Fisher for stopping by John Middletoff and Greg Jennings.

Speak for yourself is right around the corner. Good Monday. Good Monday. We'll see you tomorrow. 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.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves.

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We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart 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 Kier Games.

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