The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Ezekiel Elliott, Russell Westbrook, Golden Tate, and Aaron Rodgers

Episode Date: July 16, 2019

Colin talks about why the Dallas Cowboys should trade Ezekiel Elliot, the reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't want to put up with Russell Westbrook anymore, the ridiculous comments Golden Tate said about Russell Wilson, and why Aaron Rodgers is wrong. Guests include Chris Broussard, Albert Breer, and TJ Houshmandzadeh. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for The Heard at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio, app by searching herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Tuesday. We're packed. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Tons of football today.

Joey Taylor is joining me. Today's show I have so much energy for it, not because I have a big glass of Red Bull. Oh. Well, you're not buying coffee from coffee shops anymore. We know that. But Red Bull is still. I can go get Red Bull anywhere. Yesterday I decided no more coffee shops.

I'm tired of getting hosed. So I can officially feel this morning. We're kind of segueing into football. And I want to start the show with this. I'm going to say something. And people are going to think I'm nuts. And then I'm going to say, take a deep breath and just listen. This isn't politics.

You're not voting on this issue where people are intractable. This is sports where we change our mind all the time. Player gets hurt, coach gets fired. This morning, Ezekiel Elliott, best running back in the NFL, has privately said he's planning a training camp holdout. He's got two years left on his contract. Two years left. And he's putting you through this nonsense.

Forget the fact that every offseason there's a new judicial issue. Trade him. I would trade Zeke. Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath. This is not the NBA. the eighth draft pick, you're out of players. This year in the NBA, by the fourth pick, it's a project. It's a 18-year-old project. This is the NFL. Half the league is undrafted.

There's football talent everywhere. Belichick every other year drafts an SEC running back. Nobody knows. He ends up being great. Trade Zeke. I'm not letting this guy two years out. We're talking about this. Number one, there's a growing number of analytics. in the NFL and GMs that believe you do not give a running back after three or four years in this league a big contract. High school carries, college carries, NFL carries. Once you get into that 2000 carry area, Zeeks numbers, touchdowns per game, dropping dramatically, yards rushing per game, coming down. Let him go, trade him. You can get a haul for him. His value, will never be higher today. He is seen as the number one running back in the NFL. This is his

greatest value. From this point forward, more dings, more judicial issues, not great judgment. His value goes down. Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. You could get a haul for him. By the way, here's three teams that moved off running backs. You told me they couldn't do it. Pittsburgh Steelers, excuse me. Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson. Can't get rid of him. Can't. Best running back for 10 years. Dave never missed the playoffs since he left. Minnesota's a great franchise. They never didn't miss.

By the way, the only playoff game they won with Adrian Peterson, Brett Farber's a quarterback. You told me they couldn't trade Adrian Peterson. Vikings been fine without him. DeMarco Murray Cowboys. Oh, by God, leads the NFL in right. Two division, three titles without DeMarco Murray. Labian Bell. You weren't winning Super Bowls with him,

and you were number four in the NFL in offense without him. And you paid James Connor nothing. This is not a running back league. It's a quarterback league. It's increasingly a wide receiver league because of rule changes. It's a left tackle league. It's an edge rusher league. It's a have mobile linebackers.

It's have a lockdown corner. By the way, the Cowboys have all of those. This organization is not bereft of talent. In fact, over the weekend, I read a website, an analytic website that said Dallas had more good young players than anybody in the NFL, I think Philadelphia was second. And they're all mature. Amari Cooper, great, talented young mature.

Dak, really good, talented mature. Van deresh, Jalen Smith, the linebacker, Byron Jones, the corner, DeMarcus Lawrence. You got to pay all these guys, and they're all mature. The one young guy they have that's not is Zeke. I'm not tied, some people you date, some people you marry. I'm not tying myself long term to Zeke. Two years out, he's complaining about a couple of. contract, pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered, move off him.

By the way, here's a little secret. If you move off him and then DAC, you can make a trade right now, and DAC has to play without him, oh, maybe DAC can't demand $35 million a year. If his numbers come down a little. Because DAC is your future, right? You've got to have a quarterback, much easier to find a running back than a quarterback. Look around the NFL last five years. How many great second round, third round, fourth round, fifth round,

running backs have come into this league and not only been good, been good soon. The Rams signed Todd Gurley to a huge deal. They regret it today. Todd Gurley got hurt. They found C.J. Anderson still made it to the Super Bowl with C.J. Anderson. You told me DeMarco Murray couldn't be traded. Lavian Bell couldn't be moved. You told me Adrian Peterson was a must have. By the way, who are the two franchises in the NFL favored to get to the Super Bowl? Patriots and Eagles both are running back by committee. Trade him.

I'm not going to be held hostage by this non-month. sense. His rushing yards per game coming down. His touchdowns per game, dramatically coming down. He had 592 carries in college. He had 870 carries in the NFL. He's at 1,500 running back carries, not counting high school. There's a rule in the NFL. What would Belichick do? Trade him for a haul. By the way, Belichick would trade him and Jimmy Johnson did trade Herschel Walker. And let's go back to the Jimmy Johnson trade. A, that was a. That was a culture that nobody made trades. Nobody made trades. Secondly, Herschel Walker had gone for 1,500 rushing yards and 500 passing yards, and Jimmy traded him. By the way, it was the only good

cowboy player. So it's not like Jimmy had a bunch of guy. It was it. And Jimmy's like, I'll trade my only good player. Cowboys now have like seven great young players and were the top three offensive lines. It was also back then a running back league way more than now where it's a wide receiver quarterback offensive line league. Stop living in fear. I'm not dealing with this nonsense. Every offseason, it's another judicial issue. Two years out, you're threatening to hold out of camp.

I'm done. Bad judgment. I'm out. I'm done. I'm not going to be held hostage by it. Everybody in this league tells me, you got to sign this. You got to sign this. No, no, no.

In the NBA, you got to get Kauai Leonard. Okay, yes. In the NBA, you got to get Anthony Davis if you're the Lakers. In the NBA, there's about six you got to halves. Golden State, you got to keep Steph and Clay. There's some got to halves. Outside of a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL, there's not a lot of got to halves. J.J. Watt was the best defensive player in this league for about five years.

His production never equaled wins. OBJ next to Randy Moss, maybe the most talented receiver in NFL history. His six biggest games are one in five. Here's what you got to have in the NFL. You got to have the confidence. confidence in your coaching staff and the confidence in your system that you don't got to have anybody except a very good quarterback, which, by the way, that's just rules. That's just the way the rules are.

The rules are now, if you have a good quarterback, he completes 67% and you win a bunch of games. If you have a battle when you don't make the playoffs. New England, Philadelphia, never held hostage by an individual running back. But they pay Carson Wentz and Tom Brady a bunch of money. Okay, this is nonsense. Again, the NBA's got some got-a-havs. NFL, not many. And Zieg is not a got-a-half.

And again, I'll say this. Jimmy Johnson did this in Dallas when it was more of a running-back league, when he didn't have anybody else, and it got a lot of pushback, and you all said he was crazy. And it is the singular reason the Cowboys' Dynasty was created. I could give you a team to call. Call Houston Texans. Call the Houston Texans.

Say you give us Lamar Miller and a couple of first round picks, you have Zeke. Zeke's carries, yards per carry will go down at least a yard per game. Watch. Houston Texans need a running back. Cowboys, bring in Lamar Miller. You know, he's a guy that averages three yards of carry. Behind the cowboy O line, he'll be 3.8 to 4.1. Zeke averages 4.5 a carry.

Watch his go down to 3.5. There's no running back in this league that can do it without help. You can't run in a box with no players. The cowboy offensive line is one of the reasons Zika is getting these numbers. Now, Zika is great, and I'm not denying it, but his trade value will never be higher than this morning. You really think sign them to a four-year deal? There'll be no more judicial issues, no nonsense, no bad judgment. You think in four years it'll be better than today?

I mean, if you want to sign them, you better front-load the contract because these running backs hit a cliff. After about that six-year carrying the ball, especially after they were big carry guys in college for a couple of years. years. Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. Go ahead. Sign him. But you got a bunch of great young players. They're all mature. You need all of them. You got one great corner. He's young and talented and mature. You better sign him. You have a pass rusher. Democco or Lawrence. You signed him. You got two great linebackers. I'd sign both. You watch the NFL right now. You need speed at linebacker. You have the best linebacker. I want to sign both. I got to re-sign one or two those offensive linemen. I want to keep Amari Cooper. I'm not giving up Dak.

Well, you're going to feed everybody? And the little secret on this, if you let Zeke go, Dak plays without Zeke, Dax numbers compress, and I may not have to pay him 35 million. I may get down to 27. It sounds crazy. It sounds nuts. I'm going to take a deep breath and just stewing my brilliance for four seconds.

All right, that's where I think this morning. Coming up, we have a great show today. We've got a lot of interesting football stuff. Did Aaron Rogers get hosed again by the critics of the NFL game Madden? I don't think so, but we'll have thoughts on that. And the con job, just because an organization tells you something, it's your job and my job. It's actually my job.

It's not your responsibility. It's mine to see when they're BSing you. And Oklahoma City with Westbrook was BSing you, and it's coming out now. That's coming up next. In Los Angeles, it's 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. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn a hard way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

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

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learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, Fam, Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ 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 basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while 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 Eye Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliffer Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Organizations do it all the time. It's nice to have you back in the herd. They say one thing, but they're doing another. Remember the New York Giants? We did not sign Odell Beckham to trade Odell Beckham.

Why did guys like Jay Glazer keep going on the air and saying they're going to trade him? Don't believe Gettelman. The Houston Rock. It's Chris Paul and James Hardin get along great. These rumors are outrageous. And then they traded him because they didn't get along. Folks, what an organization is selling the masses sometimes is true, and a lot of times it's not. It's my job, not your responsibility to figure out when there's a bunch of BS.

I've been saying for the last two to three years, everybody in Oklahoma City with half a brain knew that Westbrook can't be your number one guy. You can't build around him. You've got to get out of that contract. Well, we find out now Oklahoma City wanted to get out of that contract. According to Kevin O'Connor at the Ringer, very well-sourced, smart guy, that Sam Presti, the GM of Oklahoma City would not admit it, but he said a rival executive, Sam's way too smart to not know the team had reached its ceiling with Westbrook. The second point is, Kauai's recruitment gave OKC and out,

because the minute Paula George said, I want to go, you could trade Westbrook then without all the back. backlash. Oklahoma City's a small town. They lost Hardin. They lost Durant. It is very difficult for the Memphis's. You know, you see this a lot of times in all sports. The small market, they get their star. I mean, you can't criticize Cam Newton and Charlotte. But you can go to New York and L.A. and Chicago and Dallas, and Dick Prescott gets ripped in Dallas. They've got a hockey team. They've got an NBA team. They've got a baseball team. They've got major university. It's a big, broad, sophisticated sports market. You can rip a star. You can't rip Cam Newton despite his inconsistency in Charlotte. And O.K.C. is small and they put their arms around Westbrook and they lost Katie and Hardin.

It was like, don't take our guy. Everybody knew inside the building. And I'll give you the reason why. NBA fires coaches nonstop. I mean, good God. Duane Casey wins coach of the year in Toronto. He's he got the trophy next door at Starbucks as he found out he got fired. They fire everybody. Yet Billy Donovan, OKC, can't win games in the first round with the highest payroll or second highest payroll in the league. And there's never been a rumor. You can't find a story. Billy Donovan's never in trouble.

How is that possible? How is Billy Donovan exempt from this vicious NBA coaching cycle where competent people get run because of bad owners and pressure? Billy Donovan can't win. a first round series. Hell, he can struggle to win a first round game. There was never a rumor. With the second highest payroll. Because the GM, the owner, the coach, they all knew.

Westbrook's a talent. We've got to move off this contract. If he's our number one guy, now maybe he can be your number two in Houston, but you can't win with your number one guy's Westbrook. And he's difficult, and he's brutal with the press, and he's rigid, and he won't change. Billy Donovan never, ever, ever has been in trouble. And he can't win games in the first. first round of the second highest payroll. That's telling you that the owner and the GM,

they're all in on it. They all knew. And this gave them the out to move. And by the way, and I've said this before, is I get small markets, you know, they couldn't criticize Westbrook because it's harder for small markets. I read a story this morning. Westbrook had so much power in the organization. They gave it to him that he was literally dictating terms on media policy. Oklahoma City is the only team that wouldn't allow pregame interviews because Westbrook didn't like him. Why? I mean, Miami didn't allow D-Wa-Way to do that, and D-Waid's got titles. D-Waid's a better player than Westbrook in his prime.

Why? Because it's Miami. A lot of people want to play in Miami. Aquatwater, beach, no state tax, Pat Riley. So Miami's never going to hand the franchise to even D. Wade, who next to Dan Marino, or maybe more than Dan Marino, is the biggest star in any one city in America. Seriously. Like, Dan Marino and D. Wade own Miami in sports. They didn't hand the franchise to De Wade. He wasn't dictating policy.

But Westbrook was dictating policy because Oklahoma City knows we don't get stars. Just like LeBron and Cleveland. You can set the media policy. I mean, literally, Westbrook would often dictate, according to a story I read this morning, when they flew in and out of towns. Like, we're not going to stay the night here and practice here. We're going to go somewhere else. What?

That's what LeBron did in Cleveland. Why? Because it's Cleveland. Westbrook did it in Oklahoma City. Why? Because it's Oklahoma City. The Lakers love LeBron. They're not going to let him totally dictate the franchise.

I mean, the Yankees love their star players. It's the Yankees. The Cowboys love their star players. It's the Cowboys. It's the Steelers. It's the Packers. You can't dominate the team. You can't dominate the franchise.

Westbrook was allowed to do it, but they all knew the con inside of the game, which was he can't win with him. You can't win in the playoffs. He's exhausted by the time the playoffs come. Analytically, he doesn't work in the NBA today long term, and he's hard to play with it times. Houston, maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't.

But it's not his city now. It's not his franchise. It's James Hardin's franchise. And James Hardens better than Westbrook. But this story with Presti is, it's really funny where they all knew the game. But what you're sold as the public is many times the truth. But sometimes it's not. Gettleman wanted out of OBJ for two years.

They wanted out of that for two years. Chris Paul and Hardin, I know you think it's all fake news. They didn't get along. That's why they moved them. They didn't get along. And by the way, Westbrook, they knew what they told. told you, they knew. And we're going to blast them publicly, but they knew.

Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So the Lakers are coming off a obviously disappointing season where expectations were initially pretty high, a little higher once the season got started than we thought they were going to be. But since they've added another star in Anthony Davis and upgraded their supporting cast, led

by Danny Green, expectations are even higher. And GM Rob Polinka reiterated that saying, I think we took. took a lot of what happened last year into account and kind of shaping the roster and shaping our goals for the season. You always have to learn and evolve and adapt as a leader from the past. For us, anything short of a championship is not success. So we have to learn from last season because we didn't win a championship. Thank you, Rob Polinka. This is a quote I can get behind. I cannot stand when organizations who clearly have championship aspirations say things like, well it's not a failure if we don't win a championship yes yes it is a failure for the yankees they should win more championship if you are in a rebuilding year and everyone knows it it's not a failure if you don't win a championship in fact you win a couple playoff rounds you can consider that to be a success because you're building once you've built the machine the machine should operate and the goal of the NBA is to win an NBA championship so I have no problem with this statement did you see the over under on the Lakers win total yes it's a little hot a little high

high, didn't you think? 51.5. So 52 for the over. Right. They were 37 and 45 last year. That's a lot of... That's quite an increase. West is way better.

And do you really think this roster with Frank Vogel is going to click in a month or... No, I think they're going to struggle as they often do, as LeBron teams often do in the beginning of the season. They come out strong

and then they have a couple months and everyone freaks out and they should trade everybody and make some major move. And then after the all-start break, everything comes together. It's not work. when he's healthy.

But I think that the, I mean, obviously, Anthony Davis is going to account for more wins in this situation. And I think LeBron being healthy is what they're considered for the entire year is what they're considering also. I don't know. I don't know that it stuck out to me is that much of a staggering number because of Anthony Davis and the assumption that LeBron is going to be healthy. But these are the expectations when you put this team together.

By the way, the NFL NBA overrunners came out yesterday. Bet the underrunner on virtually all of them. the NBA has always been a story league. It's a narrative league. And like all the teams that made moves, their win totals fly. It's like Brooklyn doesn't have Durant yet. Slow down a little on the 45-46 wins for Brooklyn. Durant's not playing.

Kyrie's brand new. They got a bunch of last year. Well, I mean, it is the East too. Yeah, I guess. But outside of Toronto, Indiana, I think, will be better. Philly's better. Milwaukee will be better. East is not as terrible as everybody thinks.

You're probably right. Some of these you should probably consider the ender. So a celebration was held in Milwaukee on Sunday to honor Janus, their MVP. The second he came on stage, the crowd was quick to serenade him with MVP chants. And those are the same that were echoed in the arena all year long. But he was quick to flip the script on the crowd, asking them a kind of unusual favor. After this day, July 14th, please, please, please do me this favor. So I can be better, I can be a better player. I can lead this team to a championship.

Please don't call me MVP. Listen, listen, listen, listen. Please, after this day, don't call me MVP because until I win it again next year. Let's go get the big trophy now. You've got to love, Janice. Yeah, not much not to like. He's just very humble. I mean, I think he's just trying to set his own expectations for everything and manage that.

in his own humility, but he had an incredible season. He completely deserved the MVP. Do you see him in the batting cage at Yankee Stadium? It's so great. Seven footers should not take batting practice. Well, I mean, hitting a baseball is harder than it looks. They make it look very easy. I mean, obviously he's, you know, not joking,

but like he's setting an expectation very high to win a back-to-back MVP. He does have the highest odds, though, initially right now. I actually think that I would go with Kauai Leonard as the very, very, very early MVP prediction. Yeah, I'd probably say so. Yeah. Because it's become... Well, it's become a very romantic.

It's become a... It's become a bit romanticized. Yes. Not that it's not deserving. It's definitely deserving. And I think a part of the MVP... I'll give you one. I'll give you one.

I'll give you one. Okay, look at that list, Joy. Janus Curry Harden, Leonard, James, Anthony Davis, Joel, and B. Luca Jokic. Okay, I'll give you one. Who are we going to have a little sympathy for this year? Of all those players on that list, who just lost a great player?

Steph Curry. Watch this. My only pushback on that is that I do think there's a little bit of a fatigue with the Warriors. So even though I think the Warriors are going to be a lot better than everyone thinks, I think everyone is just completely discounting the DeAngelo Russell move as just nonsense. I think it's bigger than people think. I do think they're going to be good this year. And I think Steph Curry is going to have a great year.

But he's won two MVPs already. And I think everyone's just kind of... But the guys around him, Hardin's won, Yonis is one, LeBron's one. Kawhi hasn't. Yeah, but Kawhi takes 20 games off. He takes time off. So we're all going to feel sorry for Steph Curry. And if he wins 45, we're going to go, it always was his team.

He is so valid. That's what the awards become. It has, but I just think there's a little fatigue with the Warriors. I totally hear you and I do think they're going to be better, but my pick would be Kauai. So finally, Chris Paul is making a stopover in Oklahoma City. He doesn't want to be a part of a rebuilding project and wants to be traded again before the season starts. But the Thunder are having a very hard time finding anyone to take the contract off his hands. According to Steve Kyler, having talked with a few GMs, there's almost no appetite for the final year of CP3's deal.

My understanding is the Thunder may have to shovel over several picks to get a team to look at the cap hit. Today, I think he starts the season in OKC. Now, the Heat remained to be his preference. But according to Brian Winhorse, when you talk about him potentially going to Miami Heat, which is his preference. One thing I've been told in the talks, the fact that the Thunder holds two of the Heat's first round picks in the future, unprotected 2021 and protected 2023. This makes this a difficult conversation because the Heat want those picks back. So I do think those teams have a lot to talk about. The contract is rough, particularly the $44 million player option in 21.22.

expensive, hard to play with, and hurt. That's why I said. Westbrook's contract, expensive, hard to play with, prime. If not prime, close to it. Prime. And also, like you were just saying earlier, there comes a time in a situation where it's just, you've just reached it. Like, this is just what you guys are together.

And you're not going to go past that. The player may be great. The coach may be good. It's just not going to move past this spot. For whatever personal reasons or whatever it is, It's not all one person's fault. There were trades that were made. They had Kevin Durant, James Hardin, and Russell Westbrook, all on the same team at one time.

Remember that? They went to a finals together. Like, everything is not one person's fault. Sometimes you just reach that point. So that's what it is. And that's what it was with Chris Paul, too. Like, you guys have reached the point that there's nowhere to go from here. No way I would take Chris Paul's contract.

The Philadelphia is the only landing spot for me. A young team doesn't want him. I know. I mean, again, I can deal with some injuries. I can deal with expensive, but I got three different times he's gone to a team and he doesn't get along with anybody. And he doesn't get along with stars. Well, Simmons and Embed are stars. Maybe not Chris Paul.

Well, I think Embed is. So Chris Paul's thing is he doesn't get along with star players. I'm sorry, at some point, when you went to Houston, that's James' team and city and offense. It was up to Chris Paul to get along in that marriage. It was up to Chris Paul, not James Harden to acquiesce to Chris Paul. right? Hardens a better player by far. Yes, and it's going to be that situation with Houston now, and Russell Westbrook's going to have to adjust.

The only difference is everything I just said. It had run its course in OKC, and now it's an opportunity for Westbrook to move forward and Harden to move forward, and Chris Paul, the Thunder are going to have to figure it out. Enjoy it with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. By the way, I see these Madden 20 quarterback ratings they came out yesterday. I don't play Madden, but, you know, have friends who have. And Aaron Rogers, they did the 20 quarterback ratings. And Aaron Rogers was, you know, like he wasn't number one or number two, and everybody freaked out.

Aaron Rogers was 13th in passer rating last year and 13th in touchdown passes. And he's 35 in brittle. Like, what, with a very good offensive line, he was 13th in pass rating, 13th in touchdown passes, and he's hard to coach and increasingly brittle. Can we move off the Aaron Rogers? is always getting hosed thing. Let's move off that. I just don't buy that. So here's the Madden NFL 20. Mahomes 97, Brady 96, Philip 94, Breeze 92, Luck 92, Wilson 91, Aaron Rogers 90 and everybody's freaking out. That's about where he's at right now. He's an old 35. He's a stubborn 35. He's an increasingly brittle 35.

He's already said publicly, I mean, this is a guy that struggles with some players, with some coaches, with some family members. This is where Aaron's at. I was telling the staff this morning. You're the GM. I'm not looking for you fanboys. You're the general manager. You make three and a half million dollars a year, which you'll never make, but let's pretend. So it's three and a half million dollars. You're the GM of a franchise. And you have to name the quarterbacks you're going to build around. And you're going to consider four things. What's their age? What's their injury history? What's their talent? And do they have the appropriate leadership qualities? That's why Baker wouldn't be on the top of my list.

Baker Mayfield. So age, injury, talent, leadership. Number one is Mahomes. Number two to me is Russell Wilson. Number three to me is Andrew Luck. I am worried about his injury, but I do think he got over it last year. I don't even have a fourth. Now, I love Carson Wentz, but I got to see him make it through a season.

If you were a GM today and you're building, you're building your franchise. And you've got to consider age, talent, leadership, and injury. Aaron Rogers is not one of those three. He's 35 years old. He can't stay healthy. Mahomes is not rigid. Russell Wilson's not stubborn. Andrew Luck is totally coachable.

Those are my three guys. Then you get into a group of old guys who can win now, Ben, Breeze, Brady, Philip, Aaron, or young guys you cross your fingers on. Deshawn Watson, will he keep growing? I like Sam Darnold more than Baker because I like the leadership qualities. But if you're if you're tied, it's passed for Aaron. That doesn't mean Aaron can't win another Super Bowl.

But let's put this in some context. Aaron Rogers, the last time he won a Super Bowl, Carson Palmer was a Cincinnati bingle. Peyton Manning was a colt. Brett Farr was playing. That's been a long, long time. And much like Brett Farr, he's aging like Brett Fav. Difficult to coach, kind of doing it his way,

super talented, great arm, you know, not easy for everybody to get along with. If you started your franchise today and you had all the considerations, Mahomes, Russell, and Andrew Luck are my guys. And Luck, I paused because of the injuries, but it did look like last year to me,

and he also, he plays in a dome, Frank Reich is now the coach, they're getting rid of the ball to their tight ends quickly. He's got a running game. Luck has the best offensive line, young offensive line in the game. So I'll roll the dice on luck because I think they're offensive line, their general manager, their running game, and their tight ends.

He didn't get hit nearly as much last year. I think I'd do Carson Wentz four, but he likes to run around. And he likes to have lived like Aaron Rogers. And I've got to see Carson Wentz get through a season. But we've got this constant Aaron Rogers is getting hosed. No, he's not. If you're building a franchise today, 13th and passer

touchdowns, 13th in passer rating, tougher to coach. This is what it is. This is the real NFL. And I'm, you're anti, you know, Colin, you're anti-Aren Rogers. You think I'm anti-Patrick Mahomes. 90% of you think I'm anti-Patrick Mahomes. He'd be the number one guy in the league for me. You think I don't like Patrick Mahomes.

If I had to do it today, I'd take Patrick. He's a guy. I don't got any injuries. I think he's incredibly coachable. I think he's an absurd talent. And I think he's kind of, he's got leadership qualities. He's got a net quality. And he's not immature to me.

He's an adult. He's just a young kid. You've got to allow kids to be kids. Now, Zeke's a kid, but gets me in trouble. Baker's a kid, but that's stuff I hate. Patrick's a kid. Sometimes a little fun, a little flighty. But I like him.

But you're not putting Aaron in the top three. He's in the group of old guys who can win now, but I'm not building my future around him. Tom Brady's been hurt once. Aaron's hurt every other year. year. I'm building a few. The Madden game's right on target. That's about where he is. He's a slight upgrade of Matt Ryan when you consider everything. Matt Ryan doesn't get hurt. Aaron does. Matt Ryan's easier to coach than Aaron. Matt Ryan can play within a system. I don't think this is, and I think, you know, I look at that Madden 20, Mahomes, Brady,

Rivers, Breeze, Luck, Russell, Rogers, Matt, Ben. I think they got Cam a little high. I think they got Wentz a little low. It's, mostly accurate. Okay, Broussard disagrees with me. Albert Brear next hour. T.J. Hushman's out of two were packed. And Golden Tate said something yesterday that is absolutely ridiculous. That's coming up.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama,

the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters, to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action, with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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. ever 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 while 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.

What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker.

You know these kids. 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 of 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back. So I see that article this morning by Kevin O'Connor at the ringer, very good writer, where he comes out says once Paul George said, get me out of here, it gave Oklahoma City an out to get out of Westbrook's contract. And Billy Donovan couldn't win games in the first round, but Billy Donovan's never been rumored to be fired because I believe the GM, the coach, and everybody was all in knowing Westbrook's a great talent. You can't win long term with him. Analytically, he doesn't

work. He's hard to play with. Chris Broussard via the Coward Global Satellite Network in New York joining us. Corrie, Broussard, I hear you disagree. You believe that Oklahoma City. really thought with Westbrook they were going to win a championship. And my takeaway is then why is their head coach Billy Donovan with the second biggest payroll in the sport never in trouble? Never, you can't win playoff games. And my takeaway is they know they couldn't win big with Westbrook.

Well, they may not have thought they were going to win a championship with Westbrook, but they certainly thought they'd be in contention. Remember, for the most part, Sam Presti has only known one thing as the GM in Oklahoma City. Title contention. It's been that way forever. And as far as the coach, remember, look how long they went with Scott Brooks.

Durant and people were bothered that Brooks wouldn't talk to Westbrook and coach up Westbrook to give up the ball latent games and things like that. And they stuck with Scotty Brooks maybe longer than they should have. I agree. Presti is about stability.

Presti is about consistency. consistency, and that's one reason that Billy Donovan has such a long lease. So I think the, look, Presti knew with just Paul, George, and Westbrook, that might not be a team that last year was going to lead you to a championship, but it was a contender. And with some additions and tweaks here and there, I think he did believe they could get close to a championship, if not a championship. And the article you mentioned, it was a great article. He said it was like, it's just.

dog died, it's also because of what Westbrook meant to that city. Remember, Colin, he saved that franchise. When Kevin Durant left, if Westbrook had demanded a trade or not signed that extension and won it out as well, they would have been, that franchise would have fallen or apart. And so Presti knew once George wanted out, he knew Westbrook was next. And I think that was a big part of why he felt that way. Were you shocked at all by the control Westbrook had in the organization from basically mostly banning pregame

interviews to telling the team when they could travel and not? It was very LeBron in Cleveland that Westbrook essentially would tell the GM, would tell the coach would tell the roster when we're doing things, when we're not. Were you shocked by the level of control

he had either accumulated or demanded in that city? Well, Russ is a very strong personality. You know, he doesn't talk a ton. He's not like LeBron, as chatty as LeBron, but he is clearly a very strong personality. He's an alpha. And as great a GM as Sam Presti is, he's not confrontational with players. Billy Donovan, Scotty Brooks, not confrontational with players. So I can definitely see how a Westbrook could really take control of that franchise the way he did. I didn't know those details.

But knowing his personality and knowing the personality of some of the leaders in Oklahoma City, it does not surprise me. Ben Simmons got an extension. All I'm reading is it's a terrible deal. You know I like Simmons, but I do think he is going to struggle in terms of numbers you would expect for that contract going forward. Because I think Philadelphia has messed up the rebuild, which is too many bigs. Simmons needs to score at the rim. The middle is going to be crowded with Horford. Embed. They even drafted in another big who can't shoot. I don't like the architecture of the

roster, although I think it's wildly talented. What do you make of Simmons contract, which most believe is a lot of money for a mostly unproven guy? No, I like it. Look, I thought it was a no-brainer to max out Ben Simmons. Now, he does obviously have a lot of work to do. First, of course, and foremost on his jump shot, but there are other things. The reason I don't mind it is because he's tradable, I believe, okay? Even though he can't shoot, if he, and you mentioned it with the bigs, a team may look at Ben Simmons and say, look, if I don't have bigs like that, if this doesn't work out in Philly, if I don't have Biggs like that, I can have Ben Simmons running my team and

penetrating the lane and doing damage that way. So I don't mind it, but there are concerns in this, Colin. I have to see more evidence that Ben Simmons loves basketball, okay, because there is evidence, and we've seen it throughout the history of the league. Sometimes when a guy gets at max money, he doesn't improve and doesn't really, that's because he doesn't love the game and he never reaches his potential. Here are a few things that make me wonder about Simmons. Number one, he didn't have a max contract.

Number two, he hasn't won big, and he still wasn't working. hard enough on his game. He still wasn't improving that jump shot. So now that he has money, will he work to improve? And he's not in the Lanzo ball category that extreme, but there are too many nights when he just doesn't bring it, when his motor is low. He can override his lack of a jump shot to some degree

if he plays more aggressive and forces the action more because he'll draw attention and he can pick apart the defense by passing the open teammates, or he can score over guys because he's 6'10. So I need to see a little more evidence that he loves the game, but I think this was the right thing to do, and you just watch it. I heard you mention Chris Paul.

I mentioned Chris Paul last week on the show. I wouldn't do that deal now, but I would watch, have it in the back of my mind, watch how Chris Paul plays in Oklahoma City or wherever he goes, and watch how Simmons plays. improves and his chemistry with M-Beed on the court. By the way, the over-unders came out. Clippers,

55-and-a-half wins. I'm not sure if you have insight on this or not. Kauai has acknowledged load management helped him be healthy by the end of the year. Do we have an understanding now? Clippers are not winning 55 games if Kauai takes 20 off or 15 off.

Has there been a discussion about Kauai, Leonard, doing more load management? By the way, Paul George does a lot of what he does so you could certainly see Kauai taking 15, 20 games off. Do we know how many he's going to play? No, we don't. And you wonder, the low management, remember last year,

not only did he sit out the 22 games, not only was he a bit banged up in the playoffs, although he obviously he played through it, but he really wanted. He insisted on playing with a second star wherever he was going to go. That's why many people in the league still think, had the clippers not gotten Paul Jordan, George, he would have gone to the Lakers because he really wanted that second star.

So that shows you how important it is for him and how taxing last season was even with the load management. So yeah, I would expect some low management. But here's the thing, Colin. That Clippers team won 48 games last year without a star. Paul George will be playing when Kauai is on low management. And remember, Toronto went 17 and 5, I believe, with Paul George sitting. out with Kauai sitting out last year.

So I think the Clippers will be able to win games even when Kauai sits out. I don't think it'll be as high as 22 games, but we'll have to wait and see on that. Chris Broussard, good talking to you, bud. All right, Colin. You bet our three issues today. A lot of NFL today. Golden Tate calls Matthew Stafford, not Russell Wilson, the best quarterback he's played with. I'll address that.

NFL. You know, I don't like to pick on riders. but NFL.com released a best coaches in the league list that is you disagree with? It's just incredible. You know, years ago, I used to take, I should say this, I used to take phone calls. Like I was a radio host, and you've been in radio.

Yes. And then over the course of time, I took less and less and less and less and less and less phone calls. And one of the reasons was, and there were several reasons. One of them was I wasn't learning anything from calls. I was learning stuff from guests. I want to learn stuff and I want to teach, you know, I want people to turn on to my show and learn things. And with callers, they were telling me what I already knew or they were being reactive and I want more proactive.

I want you to tell me something I don't know or something I've never thought about. Give me your theory, your belief, give me a gem. I don't expect you to be Jay Glazer. But tell me something maybe I've never thought about. And callers just wanted to talk about stuff. You could see, you know, it was on the television screen. And I'll give you an example of that. There's something out there that's obvious in the media, if nobody else, should see it in the NFL next.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. 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 love. live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 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 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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.

ever 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 while 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. What's up, guys? This is Clifford Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast,

The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This lineback You know these kids. This linebacker walks up to me.

He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Ah, here we go, hour two in L.A. This is The Hurd, wherever you may be. However you may be listening. We're live on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. So, utter disrespect today, Joy.

Now, I've always believed this, that because I'm from the Pacific Northwest, I try to not be a homer. Because I think people tend to think, oh, you're a homer. I live in Los Angeles now, and I get, ooh, you're a homer. Well, no, Vegas has the Lakers and the Clippers as the top. top two NBA teams. That's not my opinion. And the Rams did get to the Super Bowl, although all year I was very critical of the Rams. So I don't think I'm a homer. I think the Houston Astros will win the National League, not the Dodgers. I think they have more good players and they have more

experienced. Dodgers are young and talented. So I try not to be an L.A. Homer. It's just right now, the Dodgers are good. The Clippers are good. The Lakers are good. The L.A. teams, L.A. FCSE and tickets, too, everybody's, a lot of teams are winning in Los Angeles. And in Seattle, the Seahawks have been great. But I try not to be a homer. In fact, I probably go overboard in not embracing the team and the areas I'm from because I just, I always push back on that. I always try to give the East Coast and the Midwest teams a little bit more love. Just like I said a couple of minutes ago, if I had to build an NFL franchise, I'd take my homes and Andrew Luck to my three Midwest guys. People would disagree, but I do feel like I push back on the Seattle Homer thing sometimes.

But Russell Wilson is the exception because I grew up a Seattle Seahawk fan. And we were mostly fun and irrelevant my entire life. And then Pete Carroll came. And we were still mostly fun and irrelevant, 7 and 9, 7 and 9. And then Russell Wilson arrived and everything changed. And suddenly Pete Carroll's the best coach ever. And Marshawn Lynch is the best running back ever. And Richard Sherman's the best player ever.

And no, no, Russell Wilson arrived. And by the way, Russell Wilson was there last year. And a lot of the other players have all left. Marshaun Lynch has laughed. And Richard Sherman laughed. And all the players, you camp chancellor laugh. everybody laugh. Oh, Seattle had a winning record still.

Oh, okay. It's like Steph Curry. It's like Steph Curry. Steph Curry doesn't get any respect from players. Because this is the way it works in pro sports. Cool is a commodity. Of course, not in real life. Smart is.

Grown up is. Dependable is. But in sports among players, Westbrook's more popular than Steph Curry. Steph Curry's not cool. Steph Curry's quiet and he's religious and he's a family. guy. And he wears like pharmaceutical shoes. And Russell Wilson's religious and quiet and not loud and not. And so Steph Curry and Russell Wilson, they're also a little smaller, distinct and unique.

They don't get respect from players. So yesterday is a prime example. Golden Tate, who entered the league with the Seahawks, then he went to the Lions and now he's a New York giant. He was Philadelphia for an hour. So he's bounced around a little bit. A total shot at Russell Wilson saying his former Lions quarterback is way better. To me, as of now, where I am today, I think Stafford's been the best quarterback I play with. Over his career, if you put him in another organization, maybe things are different. I don't know, because I've played with some guys over my years that I've won playoff games with that I don't think are as good.

That's funny. That would be Russell Wilson. If you put Matt Stafford in a different organization, no, that's not the way it works, Golden. that's not a golden take. This is not a debate. It's a hill you're going to die on alone. Okay? Let me tell you how it works.

When you're great, you make the organization. Carson Palmer made the Bengals get to the playoffs. Andy Dalton can't. Same organization. Seattle had all sorts of quarterbacks who could play. Russell Wilson won a Super Bowl. This idea, well, it's the Lions. By the way, the Packers were dog meat before Brett Farve got there.

25 years of a nothing burger. And Brett Farve got there and made the organization. What were the cults before Peyton Manning? Don't give me this whole... Well, I mean, if you put Stafford over... What were the Seahawks before Russell Wilson? A bunch of nothing. I was there.

Let's... This is not a debate who's better. It's a shot at Russell Wilson. Let's look at some numbers. You know data and stuff. Passer rating, not close, Wilson. Losing season, Stafford 6, Russell never had one. touchdown interceptions.

Stafford's got twice the interceptions, twice the losses. And that's Russell being in a division where teams get to the Super Bowl in his division. San Francisco got to a Super Bowl in his division. Arizona got to the NFC championship in his division. The Rams got to a Super Bowl in his division. That's not an easy division. So this is not a debate. And the idea that if you put, and I like Stafford, I think he's crazy talented.

But if you put Stafford in a better organization, no, no, no, no, no, no. What were the Packers for 25 years before Brett, Harve got there. What were the Seahawks before Russell Wilson got there? They made the organization. What were the Colts before Peyton Manning? By the way, Denver had John Elway. Denver lost John Elway. They were only, I mean, they haven't been special mostly since he left except for the year they got Peyton Manning. Okay. So don't tell me, if you put Matt in a different situation, no, no, no. Matt has not been good enough to this point to elevate the organization, which is what the transformative guys do. This idea Seattle was just a great organization, and Russell Wilson is just a little bit of the stop.

This is not a debate. This is playoff wins. Russell Wilson, 8, Stafford, none. Okay, not a debate. All right. And by the way, not picking on Matt Stafford because Golden Tate brought this up. Matt Stafford would probably tell you if he asked him, yeah, Russell has his better career. I think Matt Stafford would tell you that.

So I saw, I'm not going to pick on the writer on this story. NFL.com. They list the best coaches in the NFL. Now there's a bunch of new coaches, like six, seven new coaches. They don't rank any of those. So they only rank 26 coaches. These are guys who coached last year in the league. They're not counting the new guys.

Right, guys who have never been a head coach in the NFL. That's the guys they're not counting. So they list the 26 coaches in all. order in the NFL. And most of the stuff at the top, we all know who it is. Belichick, Sean Peyton, Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Sean McVeigh, Harbaugh, Anthony Lynn, Tomlin. You know, I'm not going to, you know, that's fine to have Andy Reid number two behind Belichick, Pete Carroll, maybe third or fourth, but that's fine. I think they have a couple guys too high, too low. Now, I will say this, they have John Gruden at 15th. That's being very

generous. They've got Doug Marone for the Jaguars at 18th. That is beyond generous. He's an offensive coach, and the offense is always unwatchable. They've also got Bruce Ariens at 16, nice guy, but he stopped working in Arizona and used to brag. He was home by 530 to have a cocktail with his wife. That's not the 15th, 16th best coach in the NFL. But here's why I stopped taking calls in sports radio. One of the reasons.

Nobody was teaching me anything. Tell me something I don't know. Give me an idea I've never thought of. Feed nutrients to my audience. Caller stopped doing that. They just repeated stuff I'd said. or told me stuff I could already see on television, and my job is to find stuff nobody's talking about.

But it's not really a fan's responsibility. It's mostly a media's job to do that. That's our job, 24-7, we're in media. So when the NFL.com comes out and puts Kyle Shanahan at 23rd, what do you do it? So let me tell you, NFL.com writer, Shanahan has a doppelganger in this league. It's called Belichick.

Belichick was a great coordinator. everywhere he went. Everywhere he went, teams got better. Went to Cleveland, won some games, but couldn't win consistently because he couldn't get the great quarterback. If I'd have told you when Belichick was in Cleveland, this is the next great head coach in the league. You'd have scoffed at it.

But if you'd done any homework with Belichick, you'd have known. He actually did an incredible job in Cleveland for what he had, and he was the best coordinator in the league. And every time he interviewed, that's why he got a job after Cleveland. Cleveland so quickly. That's why I had multiple jobs. He turned down the Jets job. Kyle Shanahan has an incredible career as a coordinator. Everywhere he's gone. He made Matt Schaubb a pro bowler. Everywhere he's gone. He made Matt Ryan an MVP. Then he leaves. The teams aren't the same. The quarterbacks aren't the same.

Anybody can tell me Sean Payton's good. Tell me something we haven't seen yet. I'm going to give you some data. And this is my job to do this on Kyle Shanahan. So since he's been in San Francisco, here's the quarterback attempts. C.J. Bethard's thrown 400 balls. Nick Mullins 275. Brian Hoyer 205. Jimmy G. only 267. Those are the quarterbacks he's dealt with. The team health has been 29 and 23rd, meaning his teams can't stay healthy. The schedule, the seventh toughest and the 15th toughest.

In a division with Seattle and the Rams, both really good. Kyle Shanahan, when he has had Jimmy Garoppolo, a legitimate franchise quarterback, is 6 and 2. That's 6 and 2 as he's rebuilt with a tougher than average schedule, with a team that can't stay healthy and a bad defense, which you can't blame him for that because he's not drafting the players. They're secondaries atrocious. So if you look at him when he's actually had a quarterback that's considered a franchise quarterback, 400 yards a game, 93 pass a rating, they win by over a field goal, 27 points a game, 6 and 2. This is Belichick before he got a franchise quarterback.

I know Andy Reid can coach. I know Sean Payton can coach. I know Pete Carroll can coach. I know Bill Belichick's great. Anybody can say that. Find me stuff because Shanahan, if you do a little digging, to put him 23rd in the league, is absurd. my contention in two years, you'll put him in the top six.

And I've said this before. McVeigh's got the high cheekbones and is way better with the media. So we all love Sean McVey and I like him too. I think Shanahan is a better coach. Not by a ton, because I think McVeigh's great. But McVeigh is very friendly with the media, very handsome, ton of energy. It's the Los Angeles market.

And McVeigh's good. McVeigh's really, really good. But you watch that Super Bowl. That was a coaching clinic. The best Rams coach was Wade Phillips, not John McVey. McVey was the third best coach in that football game. Shanahan is a great coach, but you have to dig a little. Teams not healthy.

Schedule's brutal. Doesn't have a quarterback, rebuilding. How bad was this team when he took him over? How bad were the Niners? Just wait. Just wait. Six and two with Jimmy G. I got a lot of energy today.

See, when you drink a Red Bull right out of the shoot, see, I'm off coffee. Now I'm done going to coffee shops. So what's the alternative to that to have energy for the show? So you're going to drink a Red Bull every day? I'm thinking about it. You know what? There's no Red Bull stores. I don't have to deal with the nonsense.

And I don't get overcharged. If you miss yesterday's show, I changed my life. A little breaking news on yesterday's show. I will never go to a coffee shop again. Well, that's your proclamation. Right. We have some wagers on whether or not you're going to stick with that. Tui says it last till Thursday.

You gave me a month and a half. Yes. What did you give me, Gula? I just made fun of how the stock of Starbucks didn't go down. I'm going to give you until NFL season starts. Because I told my wife yesterday. Because I think you're going to come in after a Monday or a Thursday night game and just go like, oh, God, I need coffee. So you're not drinking coffee at all?

No, no, I'll drink coffee at home. I made myself a coffee at home yesterday. Well, we have a pot in the back there. That's right. Folgers. That's all I'm doing now. Okay. So you'll drink that coffee.

Yeah, but I'm not going to these coffee houses and paying eight bucks for two small coffees. I'm done with it. How do you feel one day in, though? Like it's been one day. Do you already feel like you need the urge to get there? Had a little withdrawal? I'm not going to lie. I came in this morning in a crappy mood.

You guys were all in the meeting. Joy, you weren't there yet. The two guys were there. What was my first question? Where's the coffee? Yeah. So I'm not saying it's easy, but nothing's easy. Hey, Superman's saving cities.

It's not easy. He's got to fly around. I mean, the abundance of the coffee shops around try to make it easy for you to get the coffee. You know what? You can order it ahead. on your app, just walking and get it. No. No.

No. No. It's the new me, Red Bull. Go to be a little hyper for the next eight years. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard 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 SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced 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 rapid. 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 Hardway.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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. 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, I 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. 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 of 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. In just four days, one of the greatest fighters of our generation puts his legacy on the line as Manny Packyow battles Undefeated World Champion, Keith Thurman in the can't miss fight of the summer. Saturday at 9 Eastern live on pay-per-view or order on the Fox Sports app.

Go to the last two decades. We get about one great fight a year, maybe two. This has the makings of it. A legendary sort of Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard level fighter, like an iconic 12 years of greatness. This could be his last fight. He fights a young 29-0 undefeated Keith Thurman. this will be the best fight of the summer and probably the best fight of the year.

Car shopping's confusing, a lot of terms, dealer price, list price, invoice. Here's what's not. Go to Truecar.com. New or used car, they'll save you money, give you all the fees before you get there. So the overrunners came out in the NBA. We've always known this. This is not a criticism of the NBA. It's a reality.

It's the Story League. We watch football in America. We talk about the NBA. And I'm a talk show host, so I like talking about it. It's soap operas. It's divas. I don't watch a lot of NBA regular. season basketball in its entirety. I watch

highlights. I watch bits and pieces of games, but I watch all NFL games, all of them. I'll watch every Dolphin game this year. I'll watch every Titan game this year. We watch football in America. The ratings prove that, but we talk about the NBA, and I'm a talk show host, so I do a lot. But I do think sometimes

narratives carry the league more than reality. So the over-under wind totals came out yesterday, and all these teams that like added people, they're just their numbers flew through the roof, and you forget that chemistry is a real thing in the NBA. And also veteran players and stars, you know, they're going to take nights off. It's the idea that you're going to approve 7, 8, 9 wins in the West, I don't know anybody that's

improving that much. It's just too thick. And by the way, the Eastern Conference isn't terrible either. Toronto was 17 and 5 last year without Kauai. Philadelphia is probably better. Boston, better chemistry, probably better. Milwaukee, I think. I don't know if Milwaukee's quite as good, but their young players are getting better, so they'll be good. So those four teams I know are good in the east. Toronto, Milwaukee, oh, Indiana. Indiana is a real team. Victorola Dibo comes back.

So they'll be like a 47-40 at win team. I have five good teams in the east. I think I have eight good teams in the West. Most half of the league now is viable. So the overrunners come out yesterday, and this is what's funny. So Portland now is a 44-win team. They got to the Western Conference finals, but because they only added Hassan-Whiteside, they're no good.

They only have 44 wins. Brooklyn now has got 45 and a half. How's that work? Their best player left, DeAngelo Russell. The second best player this morning on the Brooklyn Nets is Spencer Dinwiddie. The third best player is Jaron Allen, who's playing in the Summer League. And they're better than Portland. Well, the West, the East, again, the East has five good teams at the top.

Let's not make this the Mountain West Football Conference against the SEC. The West is better and thicker. But there's some bad teams in the West. I mean, Phoenix is in the West and Memphis is in the West. And Minnesota and Sacramento are not great teams and they're in the West. And, you know, I'm looking at all these over-unders. I'm betting the under on all of them. The only over I saw Golden State, which has now been reduced to a 47-win team,

when they're going to get Clay Thompson back in probably late January. And I'm going to get Clay and Steph and Draymond and DeAngelo Russell and Steve Kern, a great GM. And I think they're pretty good. By the way, Joe and I both believe DeAngelo Russell, he'll work the level he will work, I don't know. But this idea that he's going to go to Golden State and just be reduced to this pile of basketball rubble, he's 23, he's talented, he's a playmaker, Steph works with everybody. Steph works with quiet guys. He worked with KD.

He works with crazy Draymond. He works with everybody. So DeAngelo is going to work. So I would say I would take the over on Golden State at 47. I think they're closer to a 48, 49, 50 win team. I like Utah, but 52 and a half wins in this league, folks, that's a lot of wins.

That's a lot of road wins. That is a lot of road wins in the NBA. And I think the West is better than ever. So I'm selling everybody. I'm going to go today online and bet the under on everybody. except Golden State in Portland. I'll bet the overs. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know we love an anonymous GM quotes. Oh, I do. Yes, well, Clay Thompson is staying in the bay. He and the Warriors agreed to a five-year $190 million max contract. But apparently some NBA personnel were left wondering if he warranted it.

According to our own Rick Buecker, minority owners with the Warriors floated the idea of seeing if Tom Johnson might give the team a hometown discount, but abandoned it over fear he jumped to the clippers or the Lakers. His media, shyness, and stoic locker room presence also leave a few max salary boxes unchecked. Quote, he's a good player, but he's not a leader. A Western Conference GM says he just shows up and hoops. I don't see that as a criticism. He's the best number two player, arguably, since Scotty Pippen.

Like, I don't understand that. What's the, like, I don't understand that. I don't understand how this. Well, first of all, the idea that Clay Thompson would take a hometown discount for the Warriors is truly laughable. No, you're not going to. It's remarkably astoundingly barren of self-awareness. He's the third best two-way player in the league after Kauai and Paul George. Which of those banners are you hanging without him?

I mean, absolutely not. Is he taking a hometown discount? For what? For who? Does everybody have to be? Now, I want my quarterback to have leadership qualities. No question. If you don't have my not drafting you.

But do I? Couldn't I make the argument, Joy, that if I have a LeBron, a magic, a Michael, a Kobe, I kind of like my two guy being a little Pippin? I don't want Charles Barkley and Jordan. They would butt heads. You can't have too much of the same thing. So yes, absolutely. That's not saying he's not a great teammate, that he's not a great player.

And don't you sometimes just want a few great guys that just come and show up and hoop that are no drama and aren't trying to be the star of the situation, don't need all the credit. It's the perfect formula. It's perfect. What do you always say? Don't try and be happier than happy. You can't ask for a better situation than that.

What do you mean he's not a leader? You can make the argument. I think I've made this argument before. As great as LeBron is, you could probably argue there's teams that he wouldn't be a perfect fit with now. Because the way, you know, LeBron's offense is pretty much, whatever LeBron does, that becomes your offense. There's a lot of teams he wouldn't be good with.

He doesn't move without the ball. So like in Golden State with Steph and Clay and Duran, he would not have been a good fit. Clay Thompson, I have argued this, is the only player in the league. That includes Hardin, who fits on every team in the NBA. Everybody needs a two guard who doesn't need the ball. He's not ball-centric, who plays hard on both ends. And by the way, hoops, home, family out. Yeah, it's a remarkable comment.

Well, sticking with that article from Rick Buecker, Kauai was widely regarded as one of the best two-way players in the league. He signed a three-year $103 million deal with the Clippers, which makes him eligible in two years for Supermax salary. Well, what do anonymous front office execs think about Kauai? Well, one Western Conference general manager stopped short of describing him as a leader because of his sphinx-like demeanor

and his limited playmaking ability. there's not a question mark there, but I'm reading that with a question because it's weird. Kauai is great at getting his, but he doesn't elevate anyone. The GM says he doesn't rally his team. He's not a great passer, though he's gotten better. That was the big knock on him five years in. Like he didn't pass. Like Patrick Ewing was great, but the knock was always, you give it to Patrick, and the offense is done.

Right. So, I mean, if the playmaking ability comment is related to him being a great passer, then somewhat understandable. That said, Kauai is not a vocal league. leader. He isn't. That's a fair criticism. Kyle Lowry was the vocal leader in Toronto through the championship run, which makes sense because he's still there. He was there before Kauai and he's still there now. It was a one year deal and it worked out perfectly. Like we were just discussing with Clay Thompson, everybody doesn't have to be the vocal leader. Just because you are the best player on the team doesn't mean you need to check all these random and tangible

boxes. He doesn't have to be the guy that's out there as if Kauai is going to be the face of the Clippers next year, for sure. He's not going to be the voice of the Clippers, which is part of the reason why he probably picked the Clippers, because the Clippers fit his personality perfectly. I don't look at the Clippers like, who's going to be the guy? We know Kauai's going to be the guy, but I don't

need to hear from anyone from the Clippers. To be honest with you, Doc Rivers is the voice of the Clippers. Doc likes that role. Doc's very media savvy. It suits him. It suits him. Some coaches want it. You know, Rick Carlyle, it's really good with the media. Doc Rivers really good to the media, and they kind of like that role.

They kind of, they'll take the brunt for the player. Steve Kerr, by the way, take some heat for the players. He'll go up and take an arrow for the team. But you can't force an individual into the role of LeBron James. You know, it's funny about this. I don't want to self-analyze, but I have worked in companies, and I've had this argument with people. I'm an opinionist.

I don't do play-by-play. I'm not a host. I don't like reading a prompter. And when I got to my former employer, I said, listen, you don't have a me. I don't need a prompter. Just give me a mic, get out of my way, and I'll talk. And they're like, well, we hope. And I'm like, you're trying to make me what I'm not, just accept what I am.

It took me like six years at my old place for them to go, you're kind of an interesting guy who has opinions. And I'm like, that's all I do. Well, you're trying to be 100% right. That's all I do. And that is the conundrum of most every human being that's ever walk this planet is trying to make other people into something that they're not. Like, don't. Like, if you marry somebody, deal with their qualities, appreciate the good. Don't try to alter what, that's not who they are.

People change when they want to change. Right. We're getting very philosophical right now. But the point is, is that's not who Kauai is, and that's not who Clay Thompson is. And both of those qualities in their own individual way is what makes them great. Here's what Kauai does. Get your buckets and can guard anybody. I'm good.

Seacrest out. That's good. Thank you. Get buckets, guard anybody. He guarded Yonis. I'm good. Get buckets. I don't need you to analytically check everything.

I don't. So finally, Steve Kerr is ready to have Shaq pay up on a comment made several years ago. Shack's Lakers won three straight championships from 2002 to 2000 or 2002, and then made the NBA finals before losing to the Pistons in 2004. Well, Shaq thought the team's accomplishment of making four NBA finals in five years was so impressive that he said this in an interview. If a coach takes the team to the finals, four out of five years, I'll kiss his feet on Fear Factor, with cheese on it.

On Fear Factor. I will. It'll never be done again. Well, he said that very straight face. It has been done again. Shack responded to Steve Kerr, who tweeted, Hey, Shaq, I'm going to do us both a favor and pretend that David West didn't send this to me this morning. And Shack responded, I guess I'll see you in Fear Factor and make sure it's craft cheese.

I would go with Munster myself. Did you ever watch Fear Factor? Yes. I thought it was fascinating. It was the best bad show on TV. But it was very. anxiety. It was very compelling in that it just gave you anxiety imagining being in those situations. Like when they'd put people in like the containers with all the cockroaches and stuff.

I think I think if my options were spiders or cockroaches, I think I'd probably go with spiders. Joe Rogan has done two TV shows. News Radio, which I contend is the most underappreciated show in the history of sitcoms. News radio to me was the funniest show on TV. Listen, Seinfeld was great. Everybody loves Raymond. They're all. all great. News radio was hysterically funny, was on forever and never got love for some reason. Then Joe Rogan was on the Fear Factor where people had to live with cockroaches and you

could not take your eyes off. And now he's got a great podcast. Yeah, it's a huge podcast. That guy has figured something out. Yeah, Fear Factor was, they should bring Fear Factor back. It was so random. I can't watch, I can't watch anything awkward on TV. Like if it's an awkward moment coming up on the movie, I change it. I can't do it.

I can't do it. It's giving me anxiety talking about it now. I can't do it. And I can't do situations where people are cramped. So are you claustrophobic? I don't put myself in claustrophobic situations. Because when I do, I still, like, remain very calm. But yeah, I can't, I'm not, I can't do it. Like this, have you ever seen the movie Escape Room?

I'm just not comfortable with any of that stuff. My hands, like literally poor sweat. I can't watch Jeopardy if somebody is struggling. Me either. I can't do it. I don't know what it is. I can't watch it. If there's somebody on Jeopardy and they're getting crushed, I feel so bad for them. Yeah, I can't do it.

I can't get involved in that. By the way, you ever heard of the show? intervention? Yes. I can't watch people's lives crumble on TV. Yeah, that show is very difficult to watch you.

It was so depressing. It has some moments that are interesting, but once they get in the room, I'm good, yeah. I'm with you on that. We're very similar. And I don't want to watch

Shaq-lick cheese off Steve Christine either. Out on that, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. I said it with Zeke. Elliot, you think I'm nuts on this.

I'd consider moving him. He'll never have more value in the NFL today. Zechio Elliott, There's a leak out there that basically he wants renegotiation with two years left in his contract in between the off-field stuff that's nonsense and between you're trying to plant that story two years before it's, I'm going to pay you. I would consider moving him.

Jimmy Johnson did it to Herschel Walker and Herschel like Zeke was unbelievable. Adrian Peterson got moved, DeMarco Murray got moved, Labion Bell got moved, and the teams are fine. Albert Breer is around the corner on that Monday morning quarterback. Dodgers battle the Phillies tonight. Discover Card Key matchup go further than ever with a Discover at Miles card. Discover match for new card members only. Discover.com slash travel. 35,000 miles could become 70. They automatically match the miles you earn into your first year. Albert Breer next. It's 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 IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet. lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where 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 SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced 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 confidence.

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 that's two different levels of trust i want you to just really be a good person

join me kear gains is we have real conversations about healing growth fatherhood pressure and purpose on my new podcast learn the hard way open your free iHeart radio app search learn the hard way and listen now what's up fam this isaiah thomas and i'm cj toledano and our podcast point game is about defying the odds like lebron heading into the playoffs without lucca and austin reed and finding ways to 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 Quinton-Virms,

Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will 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.

What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver 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?

Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Good to have you in today.

Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter, lead content guy Monday morning quarterback, former Patriot Beat Rider for the Globe and Cowboy Beat Rider for the Dallas Morning News. Let's go to him via the Coward Global Satellite Network, our friend Albert Breer. I'm a believer that in this league outside a quarterback, you have to make very difficult decisions.

And you have to occasionally, Albert, move players that are, very, very talented. Make sure he can hear us now. Can you hear us, Albert? No, he can't hear us right now. So make sure audio get it cleaned up when Albert can hear us.

For those of you who missed my premise, is the NFL is not the NBA. There are some absolutely can't lose players in the NBA, and you just can't. You've got five starters. You've got about seven guys in the league. They just make you better.

And by the way, even those guys, like Kevin Durant and Kauai Leonard. Teams can win without him. I mean, Kevin Durant, they were 35 and 8 without him, but it's hard to win titles. Now, Albert's back. All right, Albert, let's talk about Zeke. My proposal is his yards per game are going down. His touchdowns per year are going down.

They've got a lot of mouths to feed, and I don't trust his judgment off the field during the off seasons. You could get a haul for him, Albert. You could get a lot of players and picks for him. would you consider him on the trade block privately? Would you make calls if you were the Cowboys? I wouldn't. And look, I think the off-field concerns are very, very valid.

I'd be nervous about paying him. You know what they say? Money only makes you more of what you already are. And so you'd have to feel confident that he's grown up. And I think the Cowboys do feel confident he's growing up, but you'd still be a little nervous based on his past. That said, like this offense is different. it's built around the offensive line.

It's built around the running game. And so much of Dak Prescott's success over the course of the last three years has been based on whether or not Zeke Elliott is in the lineup and in top form. And there's nothing more valuable than the development of your young quarterback. And I would argue that Zeke Elliott's success has had as much to do with how well Dak Prescott has played as Todd Gurley's success in L.A. early on had with Jared Goff turning the corner. And so I think as much as anything else, this is about the structure of your offense where you've invested in that offensive line and the development of your young quarterback, which to me is priceless. And so I think here the Cowboys sort of have to bite the bullet just because of who they are and because who their quarterback is after three years, I think it makes sense for them to keep them.

You know, it's a fun time before we, the camps open. And I was watching lists come out yesterday about quarterbacks, the Madden Ray, ratings for quarterbacks came out. And Aaron Rogers was like six or seventh. But I do feel like the narrative on Aaron Rogers has changed a little. The last time he was in a Super Bowl, Peyton Manning was a colt. Carson Palmer

was a Bengal and Brett Farb was in the league. And that he is 35. He is increasingly brittle. Like Farve, he's a little stubborn. He's got a way he plays. He's not great with every teammate. I don't think it's a slap for Madden

to come out and say, you We would take this morning Mahomes, Andrew Luck, a Russell Wilson. I don't. I think Aaron's talented, but I think there's some baggage that comes with him, which you can't deny some injuries. He's become increasingly brittle. What do you make of Aaron Rogers today? When you talk to sources about him, McCarthy gets jettisoned,

where are we at with Aaron Rogers? The biggest question you're going to ask is, does this guy want to be coached? Because for as stubborn as Peyton Manning could be, as tough as Tom Brady can be, those guys would tell their coaches, and you can ask Bill O'Brien, Josh McDaniels, Adam Gase, Mike McCoy, whoever you want, ask any of those guys. What those guys will tell you is Tom Brady and Peyton Manning wanted to be coached. And to me, that's a central question with Aaron Rogers here now. Obviously, there was some clashing with the old coaching staff.

And what's so interesting here about the marriage between Aaron Rogers and Matt LaFleur, look at what guys like Kyle Shanahan and Shaw McBae have done. That offense is based on the quarterback playing fast. It takes responsibility off the quarterback's hands, right? It gives the protection calls to the center. It gives the quarterback less options at the line of scrimmage. Everything is based on the quarterback just going out there and playing. And we know what a big issue control has been for Aaron Rogers.

So how are they going to marry the two? That's something that I've talked to Matt about. It's something that I've talked to people in that organization about. It's something that I think's going to be a big challenge for them over the course of this first year is how do you marry a system that's based on getting quarterbacks playing fast? And that's why it's been so good for young quarterbacks like Jared Gough. How do you marry that system, that philosophy, with a guy who's always had a ton of control? And so to me the central question remains, Colin, does Aaron Rogers want to be coached?

And then when you take it to the next level, it's on the coaching staff to figure out a way how to make a system that, again, it's been traditionally very easy for quarterbacks to play in. how do you fit it for a quarterback who's so far evolved? I think that's one of the most fascinating stories going into 2019. If Aaron Rogers wants to be coached, there's no question how great he can be, but that's the central question going into the season. So we cover Zeke and we cover Aaron Rogers. I want to talk Russell Wilson for a second.

He put Seattle, and I don't blame him, but he put him in kind of a pinch. Rumors started surfacing. He'll go to New York. And Seattle had to pay him. and once Seattle had to pay him, do we have Albert's audio? All right. Can Albert hear me? All right.

Let's just make sure Albert can hear. Audio guys, make sure he can hear. Can you hear? You're just very low. I can hear you. Okay. All right. All right.

When he has me, I'll talk. I got you again. All right, here we go. I want to talk about Russell Wilson. The CX had to pay him. am a fortune this offseason. And you can tell they didn't think it was going to happen this quickly because they then had to turn four draft picks into 11.

They started, John Snyder started working quickly. Uh-oh, we got to get inexpensive. It was a very good job by the front office of Seattle. Here's my question. Do you believe there's a tad bit of resentment in this organization that they kind of got backed into a wall with Russell Wilson a year early, had to ad lib a lot during the draft to get younger and cheaper. Do you think this is kumbaya in Seattle or not?

I think everything's fine in Seattle. I think part of this, of course, is, you know, Russell Wilson looking back at his own history in the way he's negotiated these contracts. And there was a lot of resentment towards Russell Wilson from the previous group of players. And guys that are now gone like Cam Chancellor. Yeah, we lost him.

You know what? Some day's audio is Albert is always, it seems like, dealing with the audio demons. But he thinks it's okay. We're fine. I want to shift to this. And I think this is something I was going to talk about next hour, but I'll bring it up. I got about four minutes.

So in the NBA, I had this discussion with a friend of my name Tim. I wrote a couple books, and Tim Kuhn was the guy I wrote the books with. And we were laughing about this the other day about these NBA owners. They always complain about, stars are leaving. but the franchise worth never goes down. So the players may leave, but you bought the thing for 500 million. It's now worth $2 billion. You know, billionaires getting more billions.

I don't lose a lot of pity. But here's the funny thing about this. We've seen Kauai leave and we've seen players leave certain cities. And it's often smaller, less glamorous cities. And the player always gets crushed for it, right? Has anybody thought about this? if you didn't have a professional sports team, regardless of what league we're talking about,

hockey, NFL, baseball, NBA. If you didn't have it by like 1985, you probably were kind of wedging you in. Did we really need the NBA in Memphis and OKC? Really? Did we really need the NFL in Jacksonville? Really? I mean, mostly we established all the cities in baseball, basketball, football,

don't count soccer because that's a league in its infancy. But in hockey, you know, you give me Philadelphia, you give me Pittsburgh, you give me Detroit, you give me St. Louis, you give me the cold weather, northern cities. Nobody really needed Phoenix. That was nobody, hockey in the desert was not a necessity. Nothing against Phoenix. It's worked in Las Vegas for a year. Let's wait and see if Vegas is terrible for a decade. How many people in the desert go inside and watch players skate around ice. But it's a classic example. I'm reading this story today about by The Athletic. Theathletic.com, I'm a subscriber, about how much power Oklahoma City gave Westbrook.

He had total power over the organization. We're not practicing today. Nobody can come in before the games and talk to us. We're not going to stay in that city an extra day. Let's fly to another city in practice. And it was the same thing LeBron got in Cleveland. And it's not an coincidence. It's not irony that Oklahoma City in Cleveland,

both cities that players don't necessarily want to go to have to acquies to a superstar's needs. owners keep adding teams because they get expansion fees. It costs you like $800 million. I'm throwing a number out, but I think it's like $800 million to get into hockey. Well, the owners all split that money. But there's no city that really needs the NHL right now. I'll give you an example.

Major League Baseball needs fewer teams. Because there's no salary cap, Oakland can't compete, Cincinnati can't compete, Tampa Bay can't compete. We need less teams. Tampa has acknowledged, can we do half the year here and half. half the year in Canada. And yet baseball is going to expand. I used to live in Portland.

That's one of the cities. Portland's not a Major League Baseball city. Period. Seattle is bigger and wealthier with six times more fortune 500 companies. And they struggled to compete financially. Minnesota, which is a corporate hub, struggles to compete financially. Oakland can't. Tampa can't.

Cincinnati can't. And you want to add Portland. I like Portland. 81 home games, you've got to be kidding me. But this is the world we live in. So these owners, they want the expansion free. It's just free money. I mean, they get like a $30 million check.

What rich guy didn't want a $30 million checks? They're like, yeah. And then you have a Memphis in the NBA. You get a Jacksonville in the NFL. And don't be shocked if in the NBA, a star-driven league, a lot of these players don't want to play in these cities. I mean, Seattle and Oklahoma City. One's a corporate hub.

One is a not. Don't be shocked guys don't want to be there. You know, and it just cracks me up. I read these stories all the time. If you go to the last 10 new franchises in America, Las Vegas, hockey in the desert, it doesn't work in Phoenix. It's had years where it's worked. OKC in the NBA, Memphis NBA,

Jacksonville, New Orleans in the NBA. Now, New Orleans got Zion, but if New Orleans didn't get Zion and got the number nine pick, it wouldn't feel nearly as good today. Is that the owners, the players get ripped for it because they don't want to play in certain organizations, especially in the NBA. Well, then stop expanding leagues.

Stop it. We got enough teams. I could make an argument, and I've made this argument for years. You can go to every league. Hockey, MLB, NFL NBA take off six franchises and the leagues are all better. Can you imagine the NBA if you eliminated four franchises and you took the best players on those four and sprinkled them around the league?

Everybody would have three stars. Everybody would have three legitimate all-star level players. Every night you go to an NBA game, there'd be like three all-stars on your team and three all-stars on their team. More is not better. Stop expanding. This is why stars don't want to play. the star, blame the greedy owners.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. DJ Hushman Zada played 11 years in the NFL, Seahawks, Ravens, Bengals, Raiders, Pro Boulder. And by the way, not only are his daughter's college athletes,

but you're a bit of a coach yourself. You should tell the audience you do some coaching. A little bit. I try to help young receivers get better. That's what I'll say. And you do. A lot of the elite California, Southern California-wide receivers work with T.J. And they are, you were a great route runner, incredibly coachable, good hand, smart

dude, so you're a very good coach. So anybody out there that's got a son that runs a 4-3, T.J. Hushmanzada. We were talking about a couple of different things. I want to start with something I haven't talked about in about an hour. I try not to be a homer because I'm from Seattle. but I believe great quarterbacks. Carson Palmer's one of these. Cincinnati was a laughing stock. Carson overcame all their issues and made him a playoff team because Carson was great. Seattle was irrelevant my entire childhood. Russell Wilson gets there and changes them. Matt Stafford's got the talent but has never been able to take them on his shoulders. I'm not disputing dysfunction within the organization. But Cincinnati had a lot and Carson made him a playoff team and Seattle had a lot and Russell made him a playoff team. And by the way, Atlanta had a lot, and Matt Ryan's helped him be a playoff team.

With my knock on Stafford, yesterday Golden Tate said, Stafford's better than Russell Wilson. I'll let you hear the sound on this, and then T.J. React, go ahead. To me, as of now, where I am today, I think Stafford's been the best quarterback I play with. Over his career, if you put him in another organization, maybe things are different. I don't know, because I've played with some guys over my years

that I have one playoff games with that I don't think are as good. Just a shot at Russell Wilson. What do you make of that comment? Well, there could be some history between Golden Tate and Russell Wilson. I think there is. That's almost a fact. There's some type of history, some bitterness that they have with each other. But I will say this, for the last couple weeks, I've been out working with my guys,

and Stafford has been there. Stafford throws the ball. man very, very, very well. That's never been the issue. He's very accurate. So if you're just talking about a thrower of the football, Golden Tate has a point. If you're talking

overall, that's when you say, come on, Tate, you hating, bro. Because that's what it is. You can't just say Stafford is better than Russell Wilson just off of Russell Wilson's accomplishments. But just a thrower of the football, when we're out there throwing, Stafford throws a pretty ball. It's accurate.

it's on time. You're not slowing down. You're not, I mean, everything is just perfect. Mel Kuyper said years ago that, and Stafford's a great guy. He's a great guy, great family. He said that Stafford was so good out of, I think South Lake High School in Texas, that people would have drafted him out of high school

and just sat him for two years. He was that kind of armed talent. Like he literally, remember Georgia? He started as a freshman. So true. I seen Stafford when he was on his way to Georgia. He was coming out of high school. Nike had flew me out to Beaverton, and I seen Matthew Stafford, and I told him before he went to college, you're going to be the first pick in three years.

And we talked about that last week. Yeah. And he's a great thrower of the football. He is. But this is what I always say about Aaron Rogers. Quarterback is beyond that. It's leadership. I mean, Tom Brady every offseason learns new music, so he relates to his teammates.

You know, like, I mean, there's a lot that goes into memorization of playbook, audibling at the line, total. commitment physically, kale ice cream. I mean, that's what makes Brady great, not his arm strength and his mobility. So I'm with you. Like I think Russell Wilson has something. Russell Wilson, Steph Curry. He's not cool.

Religious, quiet, family. You know, players are kind of like roll their eyes at Steph. They roll their eyes at Russell. Russell doesn't have kind of credibility among players. But there are things called instincts. Like you just do stuff. Your body does stuff.

Russell's instinctually, I've never quite seen anything like him. See, the thing in sports is this. I mean, from any sport, you go basketball, LeBron, James, Kauiland, whoever it is in football. Why did you do that? I don't know. My instinct told me to do it, and that's what makes players better than others, is instinctually, they do things that aren't taught. They just do them.

And you're like, why do he do that? That's why he's a great player because his instincts are better than yours. And he has that. Some guys never get it. Being a leader thing, some guys are just, Russell Wilson is a natural leader. Yes.

He just has that in them. Whereas guys like maybe Stafford, you have to learn. That takes a little time. But you look at Russell. He's had one head of coach his entire career. Matthew Stafford has had three. He's had more turnover.

Things are a little different. And you would say the three coaches, Stafford has had, they don't compare to a peak curl. And so Russell Wilson has had more stability. and more leadership at the top than Stafford has had as well. I want to move over to the

Madden ratings came out and they rate quarterbacks. First of all, to players. Yeah, yeah, it matters. I remember one time I got raiding, I thought I was low, and I said something in the interview and they changed it.

It matters. I used to play Madden all the time. We all players do? I haven't played Madden in so long, but yeah, it does matter. It's like, you really disrespect. Because you look at the rankings and you say, oh, he's not better than me, really?

And so... By the way, they have Carson Wetz in 82 and Kirk Cousins at 81. See, the thing is, oh, it's a what have you done for me? Carson Wins has been hurt, and so it's what have you done for me lately? Aaron Rogers, look where he's at. What have you done for me lately? You're not taking all those quarterbacks in front of Aaron Rogers. At least I'm not, if I'm a receiver.

If you were a GM today, so you're building for five to seven years, would you take 35-year-old Aaron Rogers, who's increasingly brittle? Would you take him over Mahomes? Andrew Luck? I wouldn't. No, not those two guys because he's 35. They have more of a silly. Put up the three guys.

I said this morning, if you told me I was GM, and I'm building my franchise, so I have to consider four things at quarterback. Age, talent, injury history, and leadership. These are the first three guys I take. Now, luck injury worries me, but here's the thing. I know going forward, TJ,

they have the best young offensive line and the best tight end group in the NFL and Frank Wright teaches get rid of the ball fast so luck didn't get hit last year. So I feel safe next five years with Andrew. Look, I would take Mahomes one, Russell two, and Luck three. I would put a question mark on Andrew Luck just because of his injuries.

But if everybody's healthy, then you're right. Looking at that list, I think they kind of hating on Ben as well. I think Ben should be higher on the Madden Rainies as well. I think a lot is underrated, man. Well, he's old. He has little issues with the leadership, but you talk about him playing on the field. He's underrated.

He's underrated. What do they have him here? They have him in 85. They have him lower than Matt Ryan. That feels underrated to me. Big Ben is, he's better than that. Yeah, he is. By the way, sounds crazy.

Sometimes I say stuff sounds crazy. But the NFL is not the NBA. In the NBA, there's just certain. guys, you got to keep. You just do stuff nobody. You can't get rid of Clay Thompson. Six, five, shoots threes. You got to sign him. Take away a handful of quarterbacks. The NFL's always been about sometimes you have to let go of great players because salary cap, we've got a young guy that's 85% of him. Our offense change with a new system. This tight end doesn't work with this coach. I would consider Zeek now two years out is privately telling people I'm going to hold out.

Two years out, also I have to deal every offseason with a legal issue. I'd move him. I would not. The only thing that concerns me is what you said, the legal issue. Like the thing with the security guard, that's not a big deal. That's happened a lot with many of athletes before cameras were everywhere. I didn't think that was a big deal. You don't know what was said.

Dude is making a big deal. He bumps you. Get out. Like, come on, man. He didn't assault you. That does concern me the off the field. stuff. Like once you've been in trouble once or twice, stay clear. Hire security everywhere you go. It's a lot cheaper to hire

security than it is to get an attorney. Higher security. You're going to spend more money on an attorney when you get in trouble. You can get a haul for Zee. And so, touchdowns are down. But he's going into his fourth year, like he has four really, really, really strong years left. Are we sure? Yes. You can't practice. You can't hit. You can't go two a days. The game is so different. Now, like the rules of, oh, running backs get old after the rules are so different now they get hit in the game but in practice

there's no contact you can't practice double days in training camp anymore it's just so we did Oklahoma's a third day every year in Cincinnati in training camp he was like oh man I'm about to get a headache today you need want to do it but you got to do it and so it's just so different now I'm not trading them if he holds out he holds out now if he holds out and it becomes a problem and I can get some things for them like the Vikings did for Hershal Walker, hey, then we'll move them. But I'm not looking to trade Ezekiel Elliott. I just, you know, sometimes I think all things could be, should be considered. Outside of a franchise quarterback, I'm not moving to Sean Watson.

I'm not moving Baker Mayfield and Cleveland. He's going to, I'm going to sign him for a bunch of contracts. Last year, what were we talking about? By the way, Baker's not my cup of tea, but Cleveland should sign him. Last year, we were saying if that press guy got 25 million a year, year he hit the lottery. The Cowboys would love to pay him $25 million a year right now. Oh, they die for it. The longer they wait, the worse is going to get. They have to for sure sign one of those guys to big deals. Good seeing you. Thank you the same. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. The Lakers are coming off a disappointing season, and since they've added another star in Anthony Davis and upgraded their supporting cast, now led by any green. Expectations are even higher than they were last year. And GM Rob Polinka reiterated that by saying, I think we took a lot of what happened last year into account and kind of shaping this roster and shaping our goals for the season. You always have to learn and evolve and adapt as a leader from the past.

For us, anything short of a championship is not success. So we have to learn from last season because we didn't win a championship. You know, I think we do have to give the Lakers front office some credit, despite the absolute chaos that, last year was and the end of the season was for them. They have made major moves and they did put pieces around LeBron James and it seems, as if for the moment, at least, everything is kind of calmed down and they seem to be back on track. Now, obviously, once the season starts, we'll see what happens.

Didn't love the Rondo move. That's the one move I don't love. Yeah. I mean, there could have been some internal push for him, you know, something that LeBron wanted or, you know, whatever. But I think once the season starts, that's when the true test of whether all of these moves and everything that has been done really is going to come together and fit. But they did pull it all together despite all the chaos.

And he's absolutely right. Their expectations should be a championship. Anything less of that, regardless of whether you think this is a championship roster or not, at this point in LeBron's career with all of the effort and chaos that it took to get, Anthony Davis here and the fact that you are the Lakers, it's championship or bust for this team for the next three years, really. I'm just kind of, Anthony Davis has had some injury issues. I'm excited to watch him play every night.

I didn't watch him play much in New Orleans. I just, you know, I can't watch every team. They were not on my radar. I think Anthony Davis and seeing what LeBron looks like coming back from that injury is going to be very fun to watch. So a celebration was held in Milwaukee on Sunday to honor the MVP, Janice, Ante Cumpo. And he came on stage and the crowd was yelling MVP, the same chance they yelled all year long. And he kind of flipped the script on the crowd a little bit, asking them an unusual favor.

After this day, July 14th, please, please, please do me this favor so I can be better, I can be a better player, I can lead this team to a championship. Please don't call me MVP. Listen, listen, listen, listen. Please, after this day, don't call me MVP because until I win the game next year. Let's go get the big trophy now. Such a good kid. He is.

He's very likable. And he was clearly the MVP last year. He had a great year. And he led the Bucks to the best record in the NBA. And by the way, and by the way, most valuable player. Yes. Hardens a great player.

Value to a city franchise roster. Yeah, it's called most valuable player. I mean, we have a lot of different conversations about the MVP. And out of all years, this year the MVP conversation was actually pretty quiet. It wasn't really much debated. And it's not that it wasn't that close. I mean, Hardin had an incredible year. Like, there was a conversation there.

And Paul George was in it for a while as well. But it's the one thing that hurts the MVP overall is they wait so long to announce it. I don't know why they don't just announce it as soon as the season is over. It doesn't matter what happens in the playoffs. And that's what gets so confusing is because everyone kind of knows who it is. And then you go through the playoffs and then there's discussion of like, well, really should they be MVP because their team did so awful in the playoffs, which has nothing to do with the regular season MVP. It just hurts it. Like, just announce it right afterwards and then give it to them at the award.

You know, college football of all the sports has it right. Regular season, conference championships, hand out the Heisman, go to the Bowls, and a week later, recruiting day. Like, they have a perfect order. Right. Regular season, conference championship, give out a big award, go to the big bowls. And so like there's five big days in college football. Like of all the sports, they've got the progression down. There's no need to wait.

All right. So I told you I had a surprise for you, right? Oh, that's right. Yeah, you like predictions. Love them. So the internet, they love their challenges. We like predictions and the internet loves challenges. You saw the bottle cap challenge.

I saw that. I saw that. For the past couple weeks. Yeah. There was a new challenge called the Face App Challenge. Basically, it's this app, and you put your picture in it, and it tells you what you're going to look like when you're old. Okay. And DeMarre Derozen is not looking forward to what he's going to look like in the mirror in 20 years.

He tried it out. Let's see this. All right. This is Demar Derozen. This is a f***ed up, man. Got me aging like this, man. So whoever started this damn... Whoever started this app, man?

Stop! Yeah, so he was not pleased with how he looked. That's Tom Brady. Oh, my God. He looks like Clint Eastwood. That's Aaron Rogers. Oh, Lord. Andrew Luck.

He looks like Mike Shanahan. Patrick Mahomes. What the heck? It's very dramatic. And that's Carson Went, so he's not keeping all his hair there. Drew Breeze. Oh, Drew Brees looks cranky. All right.

Well, they also have, the NCAA did one for the championship rounds. there you go there's Zion This is called the old It's called the Face App Challenge Some celebrities did it too There's Michael Jordan That's not bad Kevin Love did it as well

There's Kevin Love He kind of looks like Greg Popovich Kevin Love looks like Hemingway He looks like Old Man by the Sea Writing novels Kevin Love's the only one that I'd want to be He looked great

We had to participate in it too Oh Lord So here's a glimpse into your future Colin I don't even want to I look like Bob Barker. You do. How can you look so beautiful and I look like an old chair? You don't look like in old chair.

Oh, man. Yeah, my hair's going to be short when I'm old for sure, so that's been accurate. But, well, thank you. I hope to age well. John says I look like a furry catcher's mitt. You don't look that bad. You look nice. Look at that.

You look like you have butterscotches and like terrible candy out for the neighborhood. If you saw me around a school playground, you'd call the cops. No. You look like a pleasant old man. You've got a couple cats, you know. You like your rocking chair on your porch. Oh, Lord. I look like an old game show host is what I look like.

It might be the suit. Do we have anybody else? No, that's all. All right. Joy, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping back. The Heard Lide News.

Can we give that to our radio listeners? Can they go anywhere to look at those pictures? We will tweet them out. We'll tweet out the side by side. We'll tweet that out. Joy, tweet that out on your Twitter account. I want our radio listeners to see that. Yeah, I'll put it out.

God. I don't think it's that bad. It's weirdly, like when you see it, though, it's kind of eerie, right? If I look like that, I'll disappear into a forest. I'm not going to look like that. If I look like that, I'll just stop. I'll get a facelift. first of all. And I'm not even a, I don't even like knives. I'll get a facelift. I mean, look at that. Joy.

It's not that bad. Joy, time out. You're being dramatic, Colin. I mean, it's supposed to age you like. Look at you. You look like an old Hollywood siren who still does work at her off time. No, I look like I get drunk off Chardonnay by 1 p.m. And spend too much money in expensive boutiques. I mean, you, you look, you, it's the suit. It's just the suit. We got to throw like a tank top on you. You look very chill. Yeah, I'm sure at 80. I look right in a tank. Coming up, four franchises facing tough questions. I'm going to play GM and try to help them next and best for laugh. Dodgers, Battle of the Phillies tonight.

Go further than ever. It's our Discover at Miles card game of the night automatically matches Miles. End of the first year, $35,000 could become 70. Limitations apply. Go to discover.com slash travel 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 IHeard Radio app. Great to have you in today.

There's a lot of stuff going on in sports right now, and I thought we'd play a little game in our best for last today, Joy, where there's decisions teams have to make. And sports is very tough. Outside of baseball, they've all got salary caps. And you get into situations as a professional sports franchise. You're not just getting rid of bad players. You're not just getting rid of mediocre players.

You're often a situation where, I mean, the Raiders are like, we've got to get rid of a Hall of Fame player in Khalil Mack. And because we can't pay Derek Carr and Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. So that's sports in general. And it's uncomfortable. And I was talking about the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott. So I'm going to play. Let's do press conference sound effects today.

I'm going to be a general manager, Joy, of four franchises. All right, Colin, you're now the general manager of the Cowboys. Okay. All right. There you go. Okay. Fit the part. Do you think your organization should pay Zeke the big bucks or consider trading him?

My feeling, general managers often wear the team hat around the facilities. Yes. My feeling is it is bad judgment two years out to be asking for a contract extension. This is by problem with Zeke. Okay, two years out and you're asking for it. Time out, you sign that contract. I understand you're a running back. He's got 1,500 carries college to pro.

they have seven great young players. Cowboys over the weekend, we were told we had the best young players. I'm going to strongly consider trading Ezekiel Elliott. We used to have a coach here named Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy Johnson did it with Herschel Walker. I will call teams around the league. If I can get two first round picks and a marginal backup back,

we drafted another running back this year, I'll trade Zique. Okay, a little switch up here. You're now the general manager of the charger. All right, there's a report that running back Melvin Gordon wants a new contract at market value, and if he doesn't get it, he's going to demand a trade. How should your organization handle this situation? Well, first of all, we moved up to get him, so we liked him. A lot of teams won't draft running backs in the first round.

We did, and we moved up to draft him. And we've already talked behind the scenes. We'd like to give him a contract. But since Anthony Lynn became coach, all our running backs are averaging four and a half yards of carry. In fact, Austin Echler averages more yards than Melvin Gordon because of our blocking schemes. There is a value. He's been a good guy. He's been a good charger.

He has played hurt. We will give him a contract. We will massively front-load it. Analytically, we don't trust he's going to be great in four years. We're pretty sure he's got two more great years. So I'm going to sign him. He's been a good charger. He stayed out of trouble.

He's been great in the locker room. It's been totally dependable. unlike the Zeke in Dallas. And by the way, he's only a year out. It is reasonable for a running back who's been a workhorse to ask for it. So we're going to sign Melvin. We're going to front load it, try to get a better deal than he wants, but we'll resign him. All right.

You're now the general manager of the Rockets. We're going to switch sports here. Charles Barkley and Russell Westbrook or said that Russell Westbrook needs to give the point guard position to James Harden. Do you agree with Barclay's suggestion? Yes, James Hardin's the better player. It's his offense. It's analytically his team. This is James Hardin's team.

I think we have a problematic situation that's not ideal with any coach, but we already fired Mike Dantone's staff. I would give him a golden parachute contract. We appreciate your service. There's too many people in the building that don't believe in Dan Tony, and you have to to make Westbrook and Harden work. Those guys have to believe that a coach is secure, and they don't buy that with Dan Tony.

So I've got a passive-aggressive coach on the last year of his contract in an untenable potentially situation with two ball-centric guards. I'm going to have to fire Dan Tony, called Ty Lou, a more confrontational coach, give him a four-year deal to empower Ty Loo. therefore the players know they may move us as well as the coach I'm going to have to fire my coach finally you're now the general manager of the thunder

you know the situation there reports are saying your team is looking to trade Chris Paul to a contender how are you planning on handling that situation? We don't have any interest long term with Chris Paul by the way this goes this hat goes perfectly with my gray hair and my old Bob Parker face Bob Barker face

actually we're in a very unique situation. We're not looking to win games now. For the next two years, we kind of like to be bad because we want lottery picks. What I want is to figure out a star to build around for those lottery picks. So I'm not going to waste time here.

I've got in the next, what is it, seven years, 12 first round picks. I'm going to move five of them. Jerry West just showed you. Draft picks are 18-year-olds. If you hit on 50 percent, you're great. What I want the next two years are lottery picks and a star to build around. Who's my star?

I go to Philadelphia and I say, here's five first round picks. Give me Ben Simmons. I can find maybe another guy to do it. What I have to do is identify the face of my franchise. It's not Chris Paul. Surrender multiple picks to get that. And then for the next two years, we'll be a lottery team. I'll have two young stars around the face of my franchise.

franchise. So I move Chris. I identify the star I want. It's Ben Simmons. I call Philadelphia and I give them up to five first round picks and Chris Paul eat the contract. By the way, they have got size, but need more shooters. There's more shooters coming out of college the next several years. Philadelphia can fix that problem. That's the move I'd make. I love the general manager. I will say this. I'm not a hat wearing guy. NBA does very good with hats. That was the best hat out of those four. Yeah.

Rockets have strong identity. They have good logos and stuff. Yeah. Very nice. All right, there we go. Those are tough decisions there. Those are very tough decisions. And by the way, Melvin Gordon's not as good as Zeke.

But Melvin Gordon's been good in the room. It's not been a pain in the you know what. Well, it is only a year out from his contract. And listen, again, I'll listen to players in these positions that say, man, can we rework it? all I have to do with Melvin, I'm going to front load it. I'm going to pay him a ton for two years. I'm going to guarantee you a ton of money you're going to be rich forever. I'm not going to pay a ton of the back end.

You got to be good to us. I'll pay you big early. We're going to be on the, we're going to win this contract year four. You got to be okay with that. But I do think with Zique, I think the off-field stuff, Joy, it's a real difference maker for me. I'm not going to live with that stuff. I can't do it.

Can't live with it. All right. Speaking for yourself around the corner. I want to thank Chris Brousard, Albert Breer, T.J. Hushman, Joy, Taylor. and all the entire staff. We'll see you tomorrow. It's the herd.

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 SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline.

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Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement home. 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

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And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

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