The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Bad news for Bill

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

Colin has some bad news for Bill Belichick as things aren't looking good for the legendary head coach who hopes to get back into the NFL after being let go from the Patriots The economy must not be that bad because people are betting on Bronny James being rookie of the year   Guest: Joe VardonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt, wherever you may be. And however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. We'll check in on the USA Olympic basketball team. Some news on Brony James. Bad news for one former NFL. legend Dallas Cowboys in a bit of a bind. I'm not sure they know it yet.

Tomorrow's headlines today with J. Mack. We've got a really good week. A lot of good guests, a lot of interesting stuff. Eric Musselman was great in the last hour yesterday. College coach, former NBA coach, J. Mack. So when Bill Belichick only really interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, the take was, what? And Belichick's allies.

around the league, all said, you've got to be kidding me. Atlanta is the only team that considered him. But I saw something today which the rest of the league is seeing, and this could explain a little bit about the fear of hiring Belichick. So Bucky Brooks works for us. Fox Sports.com did an article. That's a great article on the 10 best current rosters in the NFL. And the rosters are, and I pretty much agree up and down pretty close.

Niners, Eagles, Chiefs, Top Three, Lions, Texans, Ravens, Dolphins, Jets, Cowboys, Browns. We can argue back and forth. But the Houston Texans at number five is absolutely terrible for Bill Belichick. Because that franchise was a joke in the league. And then Nick Casario, who was the director of personnel in New England, took the job three, three and a half years ago. and has crushed the draft and crush free agency. In three drafts, Houston now is a top five roster from a bottom three roster. Joked a playoff team in Houston.

Hmm. They just added a star edge, a star running back, and a star wide receiver in free agency. He has made almost no mistakes, Nick Casario. He may have missed on an offensive lineman in three drafts. That's it. Yet New England's last six drafts of which Casario was in the building for a few of those, several of those, probably last seven drafts, have all been putrid for New England. So either Nick Casario suddenly got brilliant when he got on a plane and flew to Houston

or three or four or five or six of those drafts because he was in New England for years. and the drafts kept getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse when Casario was there. So either he got brilliant once he got an airplane and flew to Houston, or Bill Belichick trumped all of his advice, would not listen, and took over the drafts, which I was told Bill was prone to do in mid-January, early February. I got it from here. Because New England's draft, and Casario was part of many of those, were awful.

Now he goes to Houston, and they're all great. I mean, there's an argument outside of maybe Green Bay. Who drafts better the last three years than Houston? Who's done a better job in free agency than Houston? And they had bad ownership. New England had great ownership. They had no momentum. New England had all the momentum in the world.

This is an indictment on Belichick. He didn't get very few interviews because he can't coach. but as he is aged, stubborn, rigid, only wants to coach certain people, and he craves power. This is what a Popovich craves later years. A Belichick craves. A Tony Laruso craves. The older coaches, they've got the legacy, they've got a ring or two or six, and they got the money. So if everybody's wondering, why can't Bill get the job?

It's not about the teams. It's about Bill's unwillingness to work with others. Everybody knows he's a great coach. best defensive coach of all time. That's not the question. So everybody's blaming the teams and the owners of the teams that pass on him. It's not about that. It's about Bill's potential unwillingness to just coach, and that is it.

That list with Houston is a top five roster, and I don't doubt it, is an indictment on Belichick. And nobody else. So this is funny. Brawny James has become the most. most popular betting pick for rookie of the year. Don't tell me the economy is bad. Clearly, there's a lot of money to burn in America. The last seven NBA rookies of the year,

none of them have spent a day in the G League. And Brony right now is a G-League player. So the Democrats should use this during the National Convention. The Brony Index. I'm Joe Biden. I approve this message. Look how good our economy is. people are betting on brawny to win rookie of the year flights are packed we all got big screens and

everybody's betting on brawny and an inconceivable award he has no chance to win that's a strong economy but it also really speaks to how absolutely dreadful this draft was the number two pick alex sars alixar uh from france is uh one for 21 in his last two games with two points he's the number two pick oh for seven on threes. He's not a prospect. He's an IKEA manual. You open up the box. Is this, is this from, is this from Sweden? Did they send me all the parts? He's below a prospect. He's been awful. And he's the number two pick. And this illustrates why I defended the Lakers and LeBron James and clutch sports. I mean, they had some leverage, did clutch sports. I'd be careful about using it every time

I have it, but this is no big deal. This is not worth all the grifters on the internet and bad actors losing sleep. It's a bad draft. The players drafted above him, RG Liggers, the players drafted below him, RG Liggers,

and the number two draft pick, Alexar from France, has been absolutely offensively terrible. So and for the record, brawny actually, and Dalton Connect, the other Laker rookie, both had a really good game yesterday,

and Brony finished with 13 points on 50% shooting. So he's had back-to-back pretty good games. Bronny has, not the number two pick, he's had terrible picks, games. Brody's actually had back-to-back pretty good shooting games. So I don't think he's a natural, fluid offensive player. I don't think he ever will be great. My take, though, isn't necessarily the shooting. it's that he's a six one and a half player who doesn't play point.

So if he improves his ball handling and can bring the floor up even occasionally for the Lakers and play excellent defense, he had a couple blocks yesterday, I think Brony could stick at the end of a bench or, you know, like a 7, 8, 9, 10 player, not going to get tons of minutes, but a defensive player, if he can bring the ball up the floor, his shooting will get better. It almost always does for young players. Very few guys come out of college as dead-eye shooters. Almost nobody, especially at the end of the game.

three-point range, almost nobody. But here's what I will bet. I will not bet on Brony James winning rookie of the year, but I will bet the two or three players drafted right before him, the 52nd, 53rd, 54th, and the 2 or 3 players drafted after him, the 56, the 57th, the 58 will all be inconsequential in three years of the NBA. Everybody, you can make money now on the 10th.

Twitter slash X, whatever you want to call it. And there are a lot of people, that's how they make their money. Grifting, conspiracy theories, they do it on their podcast, they do it on their platforms. This was never a big deal. In an absolutely dreadful draft, if he's a bottom of the bench

rotational player, welcome to the 2024, 55th, 56, 53rd pick in the NBA draft. You know the economy's good when people are flush with money to bet that, J-Mack. Flush with money.

Dumb money, huh? He's got no chance, zero chance to win the award. None. Well, he's not going to get enough minutes to do it. Right, yeah, he's got none. And even in bad drafts, there will be probably an international player, I would guess, picked like ninth or 13th. I mean, remember where Janus was drafted, and about three years later, you're like, oh, he's put on 25, 35 pounds, and became, you know,

So there'll be players out of this draft, but it's a developmental draft. It is a prospect and IKEA manual draft below a – it's what architects give you that kind of layout. The blueprint. It's a blueprint draft below a prospect. But did you hear the roar when he's making shots in Vegas? I mean, it is a deafening roar. You don't hear that in a summer league. I did a TikTok rant yesterday.

Oh. Just on brawny. and it got over a million people. And it wasn't some definitive rant. It wasn't funny. It was just kind of some thoughts on brawny on my TikTok. And this morning the staff said, you know, those brawny things really pop.

And that goes to show you that when you get to be in this draft, where the Lakers drafted, their first draft pick, by the way, was a veteran college player, a real need. So they got their shooter on the way. what they wanted to get with their second pick was a defensive player. So they needed a shooter. They needed youth shooting and some defense, and maybe he provides that.

But I don't think, you know, you and I talked about this yesterday, I don't get outrage much. No. You know, there are things that have happened recently, politically, that are frightening for all of us. But I don't get outrage much. And that is what is peddled on the Internet and social. media. This brawny story is just give me a break. It's just not worth getting worked up. It's not even about him though. They just don't like LeBron so they're rooting weirdly for his

kid to fail and you're right. I'm out on that. Okay. So at the top of next hour we talked about this yesterday. I told you we have an NFL standings prediction. We do it after the coaching hires, then after the coaching hires in draft, free agency. And then we do it, you know, right before camp starts and then we do it like after camp starts we wait for some potential injuries so i will have my pre-camp and pre-season NFL standing predictions in 50 minutes from now so again i have the right to change i'm keeping a couple of you know a couple of picks in the holster because people will get hurt a quarterback will go down a star left tackle will go down and that will change things but i will have my predictions

Things can change. You want to tease a team? Maybe the green and white team? Are they? Yeah, the Packers are. Oh, yeah. I've got them as a playoff team. Now, annually, the tricky part is, on an annual basis,

seven teams that made the playoffs don't the following year. I've only got five new ones. So again, I'm waiting for the injury. There's going to be an injury. So I'm a little light on changes. I have three changes in one conference, two changes in the other. I have said I do think it's easier to pick divisions now because the best quarterback in an offensive league now quarterback driven,

more consistent. I mean, Josh Allen's the best quarterback. It's a pretty safe bet he's going to win. If Burroughs healthy for 16 weeks, 17 weeks, I would take Cincinnati to be a playoff team. So that part, I think, if you can give a really top 7, 8, 9 quarterback, an excellent coach, he's going to win his division or at least be top two and be a playoff team.

That part's getting easier. But the middle down, I don't know what Chicago is. I don't know what Washington is. Well, the tricky one is NFC West because you love Matt Stafford. You don't love Brock Purdy. You don't hate him, but it's impossible

to pick against Purdy. You just showed Bucky Brooks said they have the number one roster. I think they're favorite in every single game this season, Like going against the Niners would be insanity. I know you're not willing to go there, right? Oh, my gosh. 47 minutes from now.

Less need love. Oh, my goodness. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Bats, basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

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And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us every. 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 would get that thing. That man, hell get to flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, I say, 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro. also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. 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. So there is a new podcast called Scoop City, Diana Rusini, who's on our show and Chase Daniel host it. And they were talking to Stephen Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.

And I have said for years that Dallas is a really top-heavy franchise because they've overpaid for Zeke and they've overpaid for DAC. And they had to let good players like Amari Cooper Go. And then they've missed on some draft picks, which many teams do. I don't think the Cowboys are unstable or poorly run. They are incredibly perilously top-heavy. So Stephen Jones talks about three contracts that they want to get done, D.D. Lamb and Michael Parsons.

I mean, you're talking about two players that aren't quarterbacks that feel like they, you know, ought to be a little bit like Jefferson, the top paid nine quarterbacks in the league. And then, of course, you have Dak, who's obviously his resume speaks for itself. You know, those things just take time. You're talking about the amount of money involved. And, of course, we're trying to a little bit play Houdini and how to keep all these guys around that. You know, when you start stacking them up like that, you know, it's a challenge. It's not that it's not doable, but you certainly got to, you know, have some give and take.

You know, we think we can get this done. No, we can get it done. But it just takes time. And I'll give you an example of how top heavy they are. And this is what happens when you overpay players. Now, you have to pay for Micah and C.D. Lamb. They were first round picks, and you've hit on them, and they are elite. My take is, Dack is not elite.

He's not a top eight quarterback, and you're going to have to pay him like a top two quarterback. So here's the Cowboys, in my opinion, top 10 players. I would say Micah won C.D. Lam, Zach Martin, Dak. I think Duran Bland, it was only one pro ball, but he's a very good corner into Marcus Lawrence. I don't know who seven through ten are. They're not elite players. Remember, they had a corner. He got hurt.

I'm not going to count guys who come off major injuries. So let's go to San Francisco, a rival of the Cowboys in their top ten. These are elite players in the league. Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Bosa, Samuel, Fred Warner, Kittle, Iyuk. All put Brock Purdy at eight because he had Pro Bowl numbers, and he was a pro bowler. Charverius Ward and Javon Hargrave made a Pro Bowls, a defensive basketball. tackle at 10. And with the Niners, I'm not counting eight straight pro bowl player Kyle Eusecheck. I'm not counting because he was hurt who Funga the safety who was a pro bowler.

I'm not counting a Leonard Floyd who has had nine sacks at least in the last four years. So I'm leaving off elite players for the Niners who are still elite, but either had an injury or they just don't make the list. I'm not sure. Dallas, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I'm not sure who it is. So it makes it imperative that you pay DAC, Micah, and C.D. Lamb. And I've said this.

There are certain teams in this league, I think, have been living on the edge. I thought a few years ago the Rams were, but then they hit on multiple draft picks. I mean, Puka Nakua looks like a number one receiver. They got him in the fifth round. That's what Dallas is going to have to do. They're going to have to go find fifth round players who become Max Crosby or Pooka Nakuwa or George Kittle. They're out there.

But Dallas is going to have to hit on several of these type of players because they're going to be wildly top-heavy. And I think Micah and C.D. Lamb, you can pay them the big boy money. You draft them in the first round, pay them, reward them. But that debt contract, that's why I say it's very fear-based. got to have DAC. What are you getting in January and February? What's the return on the dollar? It's not very good. He's had one

great playoff game in his career. And this offensive line is not as good as it was early to middle of Dak's career. Here's J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. That is not

a good sign of those question marks for player seven through time. I mean, I'm not counting. There's an eight straight pro bowler for the Niners, I'm not counting. He doesn't make the list. I was thinking Trayvon Diggs, but you're right. He coming off a major injury. Yeah, he and Hufunga. I didn't count either because they're coming off injuries. What about the guy who was hurt running on the field in the Super Bowl? I didn't count him in there because he got hurt. That's right. So I didn't count. Dre Greenlaw and Hufunga. Both Pro

Bowl level players won absolutely a pro bowl. I didn't count either for San Francisco. So if they were healthy, you'd start wondering if Brock Purdy makes the top 10 and that's not a hardgrave is a pro bowl and i put him at 10 you should do eagles versus cowboys and then you really want to see why the eagles seem like a lot to win that division like it the eagles have a lot of good players oh yeah all right let's get started with uh the brandon iuk stuff so obviously demanded a trade well guess who called kicking the tires on brandon iuk they should the new england patriots they should this is a great fit to me this is a great fit you're not paying your quarterback for four years and they're not paying jacobby brissette this is the this is the this is

the move and they can't draft wide receivers. This is the move. So the problem is the 49ers essentially hung up the phone on the page. I don't know if they hung up, but they said no, thank you. Thank you for inquiring, you know, and hung up. Who are you going to get? If you give up a first round pick, New England's need is wide receiver. So that's a need. It's not like they'd be giving up a first round pick. They have their quarterback, right? So they don't have to worry about the first round pick next year. They got the most valuable commodity. And that's not. And that's not, they they're not paying him. So who are you going to get in the first round next year in the draft? Because you're not drafting quarterback and you need skill players. That's better than Brandon Ayuk.

I would give up a first round pick today for it. Okay. So you know we like to play this game. Who leaked this story? The Niners. Okay. Why? Hey, that's our first offer. To a crappy team that's not very good at quarterback. Raise your offer, Indianapolis Colts. Raise your offer. Whoever else is out there. We got the Patriots. They're interested. That to me is the first sign that, uh, maybe the Niners would trade them. I thought there was zero chance they would trade him. But to put this out there, what, two days after the trade demand? I still believe that Debo and McCaffrey are the pulse of Shanahan's offense, not Ayyuk. They're the cake. Iyuk's the icing. It would be one thing if the

quarterback was a great deep ball thrower. Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Stafford. This is a not a criticism of Brock. That's not what he is. His arm is closer to Garapolo than it is Herbert or Josh Allen. And IUC is a deep ball threat. New England has a massive need. I have no problem New England giving up a first round pick. Now they've secured the quarterback. It makes a lot of sense to me. And remember, the Niners drafted two other receivers. If one hits, Jennings is very productive. He's solid. Okay. Kittle, Christian, Debo, two rookies. Not Not to mention throughout camp, you could sign another bottom, you know, a Kendrick-Borne level guy.

I know you're out on Brock Purdy being a deep ball thrower, but per pro football focus on deep passes of 20 or more yards, Brock Purdy led the league with 12 touchdowns. The completion percentage wasn't great, 57%. But he can uncork the bomb. I mean, he doesn't have Trevor Lawrence's arm or Josh Allen. But deep ball throwing, he's not terrible. I'm going to defend my guy, Brock Purdy.

That's 20 plus yards. Yes. Not 60 yards down there. All right. Next up, speaking of the Patriots, earlier this week, we talked about Bill Belichick and his plans to continue coaching next season. Well, odds makers have chimed in, and the Cowboys are the favorite to land Belichick next season at minus 100, which to me, that's shocking. They feel like it's a lock. Here are the top five to land Belichick.

Cowboys, my jets, Eagles, Bears, Bears. Raiders and Giants. Colin, I'm going to back up to the Bucky Brooks thing again because that list was surprising. Cowboys don't have a top 10 roster. Why the hell is Belichick taking this job to work under Jerry Jones? I think it's a horrible bet.

Belichick would absolutely not get personnel in Dallas, nor would he get it in Philadelphia. Howie Roseman is not going to let Belichick run the draft. So the best job of all those is the Eagles. It's the best roster. It's the best ownership. That's the job. But that's where Bill will have the least amount of influence in personnel. So my take is

Philly would be a great fit if Bill could comply with Howie Roseman and the Eagles, Jeffrey Lorry, that you're not doing personnel. It's what we do. You coach. I think Bill could go to Philadelphia with Jalen Hertz and get to Super Bowl. Well, wait, the Jets have a top 10 roster. The Jets have a 40-year-old quarterback, not remotely close to his prime, and a wacky owner. And we don't. We don't Don't know if his GM's good because he whipped on a quarterback and a left tackle. Right. So maybe Bill gets the say there. Yeah.

I don't want. And hey, you want revenge on the Patriots? Do it in the division. I don't want Bill to have a say on personnel. He's awful at it. But you don't have to worry about personnel because the roster is stacked. All they need is a quarterback. Oh, yeah.

That's all you need. That's like, you know, that's like saying in a leaky roof. All we needs a roof. Yeah. By the way, Mike McCarthy has the second highest odds to get fired. Number one is Robert Sala, of course. Boy, it would be wild if. The Jets and Cowboys both had coaching openings.

Ask yourself this, too. Last year, almost 60 quarterbacks played in the NFL, meaning almost, you know, on average, almost two injuries at quarterback per team. So now some teams had more, right? Some teams like, it may have been Minnesota, somebody's going to their third and fourth quarterback. And there's a handful of quarterbacks who have not gotten hurt,

like Mahomes, Josh Allen hasn't been hurt. But when you think about the team you like, Takeaway four starts with your top quarterback with your current team. Okay. Do you like your team as much? Well, my team, the Jets, I believe Tyrod Taylor is their new backup, and I like him. He's a solid backup. Gets the job done.

So if Aaron plays 13 games, are they a playoff team? Yes, because of the schedule. I think it's much harder in the end than you think. Well, yes. So that's the advantage for having. a great proven coach. Sala isn't. That if you go to a backup quarterback with an average

coach, those are losses. Wait a minute. They won seven games last year with like Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle. I mean, really like a Joker list. In the last two years, they have not beaten like elite quarterbacks. I mean, they beat Josh Allen in the opener. I know it was fluky and overtime punt return, but blah, blah, blah. You tend

to grasp on to the outliers with the Jets a lot. That's not who wins the Super Bowl. Fan is short for. Panatic. Yes, exactly. Our final story. Team USA, guess who's getting up some shots? KD, he's got the calf strain, has not played at all with Team USA. He's now been upgraded to questionable for tomorrow's game against South Sudan at 3 Eastern here on Fox.

You know, KD originally suffered the injury in mid-June and it's, you know, over a month here with the calf strain, Colin. I'm going to be honest, I don't even know that Durant should do this. He's turning 36 in September. Okay? He's coming off getting swept. He should do a Larry Bird on the Dream Team. Be there for support. Minimal minutes. But, I mean, if you're a Phoenix Suns fan, what are you getting out of this?

I mean, this team's going to roll to a championship. Yeah. Well, probably. But, I mean, it's one of those things where I like that he's on the team, but he's, like, injuries now are part of the database. That's what's part of KD's. They've also got, you know, guys who, LeBron's 39, Joel and Beed's. always injured. I don't know that I want to, if you bring Durant, that's basically you got 11 guys.

You don't have 12 anymore because he may not be able to play. And then now you get one more injury. Anthony Davis, you know, I would, I would, Jalen Brown should keep his cell phone on this weekend. Just in case, right? Because if KD's unable to go at this point, Colin, what are we doing? Time to call Jalen Brown? They probably wouldn't call him. They'd want size. Cooper Flagg? I love it. That's interesting.

some Cooper flag. You couldn't bring in Cooper flag and not Jalen Brown. Now that would be... That would look awful for the finals MVP. Uh, J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. We had Eric Musselman on yesterday. He was so good USC's coach. He pointed out some stuff why the international players are taking over the NBA. Also, at the top of the hour, I'm going to go through my predictions, AFC, NFC. they're not my final predictions.

It's about 75 to 80% done, but I'll give you my reasons and that coming up at the top of next hour. Also, something that should be fairly terrifying for most of the NFL. Camps are starting this weekend all over the NFL. So it begins in earnest this week. Cross your fingers on health. That's the scariest part of the preseason because starters do not play as much. They practice more. they play less.

So there's, you know, the injury bug happens all over during camps. Across your fingers for that. And why, why something should be terrifying to the top eight or nine teams in the league going into this season. That's next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, gang. This is Jay Glazer, host of Unbreakable, a mental wealth podcast.

And every week, we will have. on leaders from sports, entertainment, like Sean McVeigh, Lindsay Vaughn, Michael Phelps, David Spade, Guy Fieri, and also those who can help us in between the ears, anyone from a therapist to someone like Ed Milet or John Gord. We've all been through some sort of adversity. To get to the top, we've all used different tools. Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer and Mental Wealth Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

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

And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and a TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us

on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash 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, I said,

you figure it out. real quick. Oh, yeah. 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 podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and business manager.

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. Baseball night in America on Fox as the Red Sox take on Shohei Otani and the Dodgers. Or the Diamondbacks take on the Cubs.

It all begins at 7 Eastern on Fox. Check local listings for the game in your area. It feels like 10 years ago when you talked about best teams in baseball. baseball. Like the Red Sox were top of the off season. Their ownership group now cares more, I think, about maybe English Premier League soccer. Red Sox are surprisingly good this year, but it is amazing to watch. Generally, organizations that have money have it forever, Georgia football, Ohio State football, Michigan football, Kentucky basketball, Carolina basketball, even collegiately. If you got money, you got money forever. And in pro sports, it's like the

Niners have always had money. The Cowboys have always had money. The Eagles have always had money. The Lakers and the Celtics. It's amazing. The Red Sox were like for about a 15-year period. It just felt like Yankees, Red Sox, and maybe the Braves. Like they were just rolling.

And they just don't feel like that. Aren't you excited that the Patriots and the Red Sox, two teams that have been awesome for two decades now stink and are unwatchable? I kind of love that. I think the Red Sox are, you know, the Celtics are still great in Boston. The Celtics are great. Red Sox are, I think, better than a lot of people, but they just couldn't afford mokey bets. That's not the case 10 years ago.

But the Celtics, wait, the Celtics are likable. Jason Tatum, Jalenbra. People like these guys. Usually people don't like Boston, right? Patriots, they were insufferable for a while because they dominated. There's no, no redeeming qualities on the Patriots now, are there? Like, name one good thing about that organization. Well, the Celtics are very collaborative.

So I find the Celtics to be very likable. It's a collaborative group. Their star sometimes doesn't grasp it. but that's like that's not in terms of likeability. I think this is as likable. They're not chippy. They're fun offensively. They're a fluid team.

They're collaborative. They share. The coach seems like he's all in. Holiday White. Everybody seems like good guys. Yeah. They're not despicable. Like 80s Celtics, they had some goons on those teams.

You know that battling the Lakers. Well, they were a chippy physical team that, you know, they were like the pistons, but more skilled offensively. But they had a pistons feel, but they had birds. Yeah. They had more offensive polish. Speaking of that, we had Eric Musselman on the show yesterday. Now, he's coached in the NBA, head coach, a couple of teams assistant.

Now he's USC's coach, Arkansas, Nevada really knows. He's been international G-League coach of the year. He really, really knows his stuff. And we were talking to him, and one of the questions I asked him about is I said, you know, international players are taking over the league. And I can remember when Tony Kooke coach came to the Bulls, you know, everybody was like, even Jordan and Pippen tested him. It's like they're soft.

European players are soft. Well, that's not the case anymore. They're physical. They're more polished. They're more mature. They're more ready to be productive right out of the shoot. I mean, Wemby last year was putting up all-star level numbers. Luca right out of the shoot.

Janus now. And I asked Eric Musselman about kind of that switch from American dominance at the top of the NBA food chain to international dominance. I remember the draft with Dirk Nowitzky. I was in Orlando at the time, and three weeks before the draft, we did not know who Dirk was. That's how far scouting and everything has come, too. That wasn't that long ago, but now the coaching overseas, absolutely phenomenal. Some of the best coaches in the world are not coaching in the United States. And for so many years, great American coaches went over there, coach, did clinics.

taught the game the way that the Americans played. Now the coaching, we're stealing ideas and schemes from them. It's amazing. Even NBA teams, there's a lot of NBA teams. Hey, let's go get so-and-so to be an assistant coach because he's so creative, offensive-minded, and he's been coaching it, Italy or Spain or Serbia or wherever. Yeah, it's really a flip. I think some of it is the AAU system is a money grab.

and sometimes our democracy, American capitalism becomes capitalism, where money takes precedent over everything, and that's what AAU basketball feels like. It's the coaches, it's the players, it's the system, it's the league. They're all just money grabs. And it is absolutely hurting our system. If you look at right now in the NBA, the three best players in the NBA are Yokic, Luca, and Janus.

and then the next two impending stars are Wemby from France and Aunt Edwards. Now, there's other obviously great players, but top of the food chain, I think Wembe will be better than Ant over time. I think he's going to have a chance to be a top five player of all time. So the four best players could absolutely be international players. Now, our country produces more overall players. We also have 340 million people. but I mean listen there's other international guys like an SGA from Canada who is a scoring machine

now there's Jalen Brunson and Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown we're not denying there's great American players but our players who are dominant are getting older Kevin Durant LeBron James Steph Curry they're just they're aging quickly so it's the reality of what's happening it is interesting though it's it's like these cultural shifts is that our money creates great opportunities in America, but there's an argument that it's sort of broken the AAU system where it's a money grab. And these international players come in, they are absolutely more focused and skilled and polished. And in some instances, they're more mature. Jahn Williamson, just not mature enough. Just maturity, not talent, maturity, lack of focus. They were

going to be our two big domestic stars going forward. Neither is. And it had nothing to do with their lack of talent. The international players come to the country over here and they feel like visitors. They're very loyal. They're very focused. I heard a story from somebody who is around Wembe, and it's like he sleeps and plays basketball. He has no interest in nightlife, no interest in going out. It is about nutrition, sleep, rest, hoops, rinse and repeat. And our domestic players, that's not how they roll. So it doesn't make the NBA worse. I love the international players.

People always say Yokic is boring. I love his game. I covered Arvita Sabonis and Portland. I loved watching him play. When you got a big seven-foot guy doing behind-the-back passes, he was the best passer on that Blazers team. And they had Pippin and Damon Stoddemeier and Rashid Wallace and Bonzie Wells and Steve Smith, and Arvitas Sabonis was the best passer on the team.

So this is kind of terrifying. Do we remember last year as the Kansas City Chiefs came back to win the Super Bowl? We generally say when it comes to Super Bowl teams, Jay Mack and I talk about it, we'll say, yeah, this team could be the Super Bowl if blank happens, or this blank team, it's situational. If Joe Burrow stays healthy and gets protection from an OK offensive line, the Bengals could get to the Super Bowl. if if Keon Coleman, the young wide receiver for the bills, the rookie,

and their new offensive lineman gel by like mid-October, Buffalo could make a run if everything lines up. It's very circumstantial. And it's not with the Kansas City Chiefs. They've become like a Hollywood status. Is DiCaprio in it? Is Scorsese directing it? Yeah, it'll be good.

Go back to last year. It's kind of terrifying. the chiefs were a bad football team after Thanksgiving. Like weeks 11 through 14, they were one in three, only beat the Raiders, and in the three losses, average 17 a game. They were bad. And in fact, later in Christmas, lost to the Raiders. They could not get their offense figured out.

Rishi Rice was an emerging player, bit immature we later discovered, but they didn't have a good receiving core. and Travis Kelsey was getting older and looked older. It was basically Andy Reid Mahomes and Chris Jones. We love those guys and Spaggs is a great defensive coordinator and they had good corners. But it is a little terrifying to think they were not a good football team. And I'm not talking September the experimental part. I'm talking after Thanksgiving.

One in three, weeks 11 through 14, lost to the Raiders on Christmas. And they've really become, it's the Hollywood thing. Is Andy Reid still coaching? Is Mahomes? Is Mahomes still quarterbacking? Chris Jones, did he sign? Yeah, they'll be in the Super Bowl. And, I mean, the fact they have won it, Sands, Tyreek Hill,

Sands, even a solid receiving core, as the AFC has gotten better, is scary. And I, you know, nobody's ever won three straight. I'd love to bet against them. But it's like betting against Brady, do it at your own peril. Here's Mahomes this week talking about all the inconsistencies from last year. It's time to get better. Every season starts different. You've got to come into that same mentality you had the year before, even a higher intensity.

And even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn't play our best football, especially offensively. It wasn't fun. I mean, all the, every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and results not paying off the way you wanted to. It wasn't a lot of fun. We have a lot of those same guys back, and they know how that felt. And so we're going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season

and obviously he's trying to end with the same result. Yeah. You forget last year. And again, this isn't early. It's post- Thanksgiving. That was a bit of a choppy mess. It was not good. And then it was interesting.

Kelsey, who looked old throughout the course of the year, was fantastic in the playoffs. It was very much Gronk and Edelman. Like, you know, Edelman's best games were post-season games. Gronk's biggest factors were in post-season games when you think it's. week 17, it's week 18, the weather's cold, it's week 19, you're beat up. No, that's when Edelman, Brady, and Gronk were their best, and that's when Chris Jones, Travis Kelsey, and Mahomes

were at their best. So, and Mahomes had injuries. He was banging around throughout the course of the year, not 100%. So before you anoint the Jets as a Super Bowl team, just think about that. What, know that the Chiefs who were stinky last year won the Super Bowl? Listen, I think we glossed over. Spagnolo was amazing in that game against Baltimore. Genius level stuff. and I think they're going to miss Sneed. You go back, we need like a 30 for 30 on that Ravens Chiefs game. It was one of the great mystifying performances ever. I was loaded up on the Ravens.

I don't mind admitting I took an out. I loved it. That was just Spagnolo put them in a body bag. Lamar Jackson couldn't do anything. Well, they didn't run the ball. And the Niners had them beat in the Super Bowl. I will hear nothing against it. But you know what?

They were in control of that game until the punt randomly bounces. And randomly. You know, a lot of people were in control of Brady and Belichick for 20 years. It is amazing how often the great coaches and great quarterbacks win those games they're not in control of. And I'm just, I'm not trying to be glib. It's overrated. Our two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided. country and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam!

There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered Conversations from Night Sweets. to Fupas, to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me, or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes?

They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.