The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Chiefs and Ravens Shine on Christmas, NBA Still Carried by LeBron and Steph

Episode Date: December 26, 2024

Colin reacts to the Chiefs and Ravens winning on Christmas Day Colin gives the reality of the NBA being carried by 2 aging superstars, as the Lakers beat the Warriors on ChristmasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets.

But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior,

and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown. Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at foxportsredio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Here we go. It is the day after Christmas. We are live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for Megan House, part of your day. Jemak, we got a treat. The NFL games were blowouts. The NBA games were great. What a treat yesterday sitting around, eating food. Maybe snuck in one small cocktail, soft friends, family.

Yeah, I barely made the show today. Rough night last night. Great day. Tremendous day. Hope you had a great Christmas. Well, I know your house, I hope you had a great day with you and your fam. I know your house didn't have cigars. No cigars, no, but we had everything else. Good for you. So Kansas City 29 and Pittsburgh 10, two different directions, two different stories. Let's start with Kansas City. The last two years in the NFL, Baltimore and the Buffalo Bills have blown us away.

Spectacular quarterback play. And then the playoffs arrive, and Kansas City figures some stuff out, and Travis Kelsey explodes. and Spags has the defense right, and the offensive line, which isn't great in the regular season now is protecting Mahomes. And you look up, and Kansas City wins all the close games and beats in the Super Bowl, an NFC roster that's arguably better. That's what they do. And I watch Kansas City dismantle the Steelers. Travis Kelsey had eight catches.

They found another weapon. They do this every year. Now it's Xavier Worthy. Hollywood Brown is back. Every year they find another weapon late. The pass rush without Chris Jones. Without him was substantial. By the way, last four games, points and yards have increased every game and six straight games without a turnover.

This is what they do. They just figure out ways, little edges, advantage there, get rid of the, you know, the debits. Let's turn them into credits. And this Kansas City team to me is a better offensive version and a more. mature version of last year. Get ready, NFC. This is probably who you're going to face, and I've been hearing this. Well, this team is just, I mean, the refs.

This thing is, oh, talk about Lucky. They played three games in 11 days, two on the road, and outscored their opponents to go undefeated 72 to 36. Yeah, it's nothing about it. Here's what they do. the stuff that matters to a lot of people blowout wins MVPs it doesn't matter to them they got 23 days now until the playoffs they got a buy got a regular season game they can stay rested and 21 in their last 22 games

and again they care about what's important finding over the course of a season another weapon another tackle, a little edge, improving young players. They care about the crap that makes you a Super Bowl champ. You've got other teams in this league worrying about, hey, Twitter, who's the MVP? That is below Kansas City at this point. You know, the Yankees don't care about MVP. The Yankees are trying to get trophies.

The Mets go crazy for MVP's. Like right now, everybody in Pittsburgh, hey, no losing season. That's the ceiling? Or is that the floor? I'm confused. This is what Kansas said he does. The protection was better. Without Chris Jones, all the young pass rushers.

Spag's got them working. Now they've got worthy. Here's Hollywood Brown. Everybody, all I hear is this. This happened to gronk. Oh, where's gronk? Every time the playoff started. January, February, Gronk.

Here's Travis Kelsey. Christmas on. Not as much Noah Gray. here comes here comes Travis Kelsey so last nine games for Patrick Mahomes as this team

is a bit more mature deeper at wide receiver getting healthy at the right time pass rush with or without Chris Jones last nine games for Mahomes 19 touchdowns two picks and here's what's

amazing flying under the radar Baltimore MVP talk Buffalo man this is the year. Kansas City does two things well. Gets better by December and January. And here they are, the dynasty in the league. It's a lot like New England, Belichick, and Brady.

And they're flying under the radar. Everybody's talking about this is the year, and we're going to win this award. And Kansas City's just winning, and now they're winning by more. In the last four games, more points, more yards. This is a better version of last year's team. Now Hollywood Brown, now worthy. Now Kelsey, now Watson. They'll probably grab a running back.

the draft. No in Kansas City, that Boise State kid will fall to them at like 32. But I found New England's dynasty, fascinating, their efficiency. I never felt New England outside of the Randy Moss years.

What was the best team? They just, when you, I didn't get the best roster. I don't know if Kansas City has the best roster, but they've figured out the best formula to get good at Christmas and beyond. Here's my home's after. It showed the toughness of the team.

And I think we got better as obviously the games were on. And so the guys are mentally tough and they're physically tough. And we played some really good football teams, some hard fought battles. And the guys came away with three wins. So getting that number one seed is important. It's like when the playoff game. And so I was happy to get that done. All right.

Actually, it was a great NBA day. Three games all close. NFL games were blowouts. We'll get to Baltimore, Houston, Steelers later. but listen the one NBA thing that always works is LeBron versus Steph on Christmas. Didn't matter if he's a cav and he's a warrior, he's a Laker, he's a warrior, great fun, great finish. Both teams could use Jimmy Butler, get to that in a second. But whether they play together in the Olympics or they meet four times in the finals or they play on Christmas,

it's always a good watch. LeBron's going to be 40 on Monday, Steph is 36, they're great headliners. It would be nice if the NBA had a really tasty undercard. I feel like the NBA is clinging to LeBron and Steph like Hollywood's clinging to Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible series and that's okay because it's great and you know I love me

some LeBron, Steph and Mission Impossible. I do wish these two are at a championship level. This is where it gets interesting. The Lakers don't have the bench. They're not athletic enough and they don't have enough shooters. Meanwhile, Golden State's got all the shooters they need that could probably move one,

but they don't have the size. But the Lakers do have the size. So if you consolidate these two teams, you'd have a hell of a team. The Lakers play Denver pretty well. Now, they don't beat them a lot, but they play them well because they have size in Denver's big. The Warriors have shooters, so they can match out with a Boston or an OKC or a Dallas and shoot their way to wins. So the Jimmy Butler trade talk is really interesting. So Jimmy Butler said over the last couple days, I want out.

And Golden State especially is very tasty. So anything the Warriors do has to be on Steph and Draymond Green's timeline. Okay, they just, they want to squeeze one more championship out of this. And Jimmy Butler, as a primary, as a number one, leaves you feeling a little disappointed. But as a two to Steph, that works. Also, he's on Steph and Dre's timeline. Also, what's he known as, a great playoff performer. He's a playmaker.

He is tough. He is physical. He'd get along with Draymond and Steph. He's a leader. He has often yelled at younger teammates not ready to play. So Butler, Steph, and Draymond Green is a real thing. Now, you'd have to give up Cominga, who, by the way, you keep waiting and waiting and waiting, and it never lands. And then you'd have to give up Wiggins, who is having a pretty good year, but he's hot and cold.

He had a good series against the Celtics in the final. But don't you feel like that was the peak? I think if I'm Golden State, as I'm watching Steph, because I think, Steph's absolutely still good enough to get to an NBA final. Would they have the depth to beat like Boston? Would they have the firepower to beat maybe a Knicks or a Philadelphia? I don't know. But I do feel Denver's not the same team. OKC is still young. Chet Holmgren, is he available? I don't think Minnesota's quite as good. I think the Warriors with Jimmy Butler. Steph, Jimmy Butler is a second offensive option. Draymond Green, got buddy healed out there to hit some

threes, you got pods to hit threes, that team could get hot, cross your fingers on health. And when you watch Steph sizzle yesterday, my take is, I'm hoping the warrior brass watches this and realizes the truth. That guy's good enough to get to the finals. You just got to find a second scoring option. And stop with the Wiggins. Wiggins is a classic example. You're a championship team if he's your fourth best player.

You're a really good team if he's your third best player. But if he's your number one player, you don't make the playoffs. And if he's your number two scoring option, you're going nowhere. And their warriors right now are going nowhere. But they could be going somewhere, absolutely, with Jimmy Butler. So depth is nice. And they got a lot of depth. But that's neat.

Depth is wonderful. The Celtics have depth, but their top seven players are excellent. That's what matters. LeBron, meanwhile, nice wind turning 40 Monday, says, this meant more than just a win. I love the NFL. I love the NFL. My Christmas is our day.

And it was a good day for the league. Now, did they shoot too many threes? Yes, I mean, it's half the shots in the league now. And Adam Silver has, you know, he has addressed that. But the Jimmy Butler stuff is percolating. Stuff gets out because somebody wants it out. So Miami wants it out. Jimmy Butler wants it out.

And I think the Warriors work. There's a lot of teams in this league. People are talking Dallas. has our two scores. Luca and Kyrie don't play defense. I think that would drive Jimmy Butler mad. Steph's done a great defender, but he's willing, and Draymond's an excellent defender. It would give them the toughness and the playmaking they would need, so I'd keep your

eye on that. And then maybe this is just me rooting for it to happen because I love Steph and I love watching the Warriors play. But if you give me Steph and Butler and Draymond and PODs and Heald and Jackson, that team can make the finals. This team can't. couldn't even beat the Lakers. J. Mack, it was a fun day. Greg CoSell is going to be joining us in 45 minutes.

If you bet NFL, you play fantasy football, you want to get smarter with NFL. Greg CoSell, NFL films 45 years, absolute Monday. I thought the NBA had a really good day yesterday. Nicks were fun to watch. Wembe going off, and the Lakers Warriors was excellent. Yeah, that Austin Reeves finished was just incredible. He played well. My guy, Austin Reeves.

I know you were like, Jay Mack, he nailed that. Austin Reeves. Big time. Clutch, Curry, and the shot making. Also, you didn't mention Beyonce's halftime performance. That was pretty spectacular in the Texans game. It was better than anything the Texans' offense did all day. Yeah, the Texans now have become sort of an enigma. Like, I thought Bobby Sloak was a genius, and C.J. Stroud was the next superstar.

Talk about trending down. Listen, I know we crowned C.J. Stroud after one year, he does not look like even a top 15 quarterback. So I had this conversation yesterday at one of the parties I was at with a bunch of foot. football fans. One of the? What? I was at two. I was at two. I was party hopping. So I said this to both parties is Bryce Young now look better than C.J. Stroud. And the answer over the last five or six weeks is absolutely. Bryce looks like the number one pick. Stroud looks like the number two. So that offense is when you're when you need to tackle

in the end zone to get points on the board. And it can't be because they lost Tank Dell last week. Okay. Tankdale, by the way, was great against the chiefs till the injury. But something's wrong. They can't move the football. Can't move it. It was unwatchable. And they got players. 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. Hey, Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich?

We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships. What's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out.

We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich Live on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern two to four Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media. That's Covino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas guys? I honestly don't remember I think it was on a call about what we should call it and we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band

before Jonas Brothers was this is how you guys remember it going down Yes I have a very different memory of this We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast People could call in and say hey Jonas And then I wrote down on my little Notepad Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title For the podcast

But thanks for remembering that guys listen to hey jonas on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast just listen we don't care where you hear it another podcast from some s nl late night comedy guy not quite unhumor me with robert smigle and friends me and hilarious guests from bob odenkirk to david letterman help make you funnier this week my guess s n l's mikey day and head writer streeter sidel 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery. in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land

while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So the Ravens crush the Houston Texans 31 to 2, and no NFL team over the last couple of years, more routinely and consistently humiliates other teams in the regular season like the Ravens.

Last couple of years, 15 double-digit wins. Last 11 days, three wins, all by 17 plus points. But this has been a great movie with a sour ending for six years in a row. I would love to see Lamar Jackson get to a Super Bowl. I think he's exhilarating. I think he's a great kid. I think he's passionate. It's a really, really good organization.

You know what I'm hoping the Ravens do? And I think it's happening in front of our eyes. I want you to think about this. What NBA team dominated the regular season and left us wondering if their star player was as good as everybody claimed he was? The Celtics. Like the Celtics, the Ravens, The talents there, it's a well-run organization.

But you were always a little, little disappointed that the number one wasn't quite up to it, and they were too Jason Tatum reliant. So suddenly, their number two, Jalen Brown, last year, sometimes was there one. And that's what's slowly happening to the Ravens. Lamar only completed 10 passes yesterday, yet Derek Henry had 27 carries. Lamar's going to win the trophies in the MVP. He's more exhilarating. It's more dynamic.

But quietly, Lamar Jackson is only 15th in the league in passing attempts and probably ends up lower than that. It's not that Baltimore doesn't love Lamar. But after something doesn't work, like last year, six run attempts in the playoffs, Lamar got tight, so was the play calling. So that Celtics team, like Baltimore, well-run, smart, had a very good number one. Not as good as J-Mack kept imploring on this show, but I kept saying, I like Jason Tatum. And I like Lamar Jackson.

But when the team stopped trying to funnel everything through Jason Tatum and said, let's bring in a Porzengis, let's get Jalen Brown more touches, let's move Marcus. smart, who takes too many shots late and upgrade with Drew Holiday, Taitem was still great, but they weren't Jason Tatum reliant. They were just a great team. This is what the Ravens are doing. Oh, they had Mark Andrews and Lamar Jackson, but last year they get him Zave Flowers. Now they get him Derek Henry.

Now they bring in a passing game coordinator that's a little more friendly, perhaps, to the past than the run. But it feels like to me, that's what Boston did. it's not that they didn't like Tatum, but they kept losing when they became Tatum reliant in big spots. And he would lose to, you know, a Steph in the finals in a big game three at home. And so this team, Derek Henry now, 27 carries. Lamar Jackson, 10 of 15, exhilarating nonetheless.

And Lamar was happy after the W. you. I believe how seasons has gone, regular season. It just explains how the NFL is. You know, it really, really don't matter how you start off. It's about how you finish. I believe you're finishing pretty well right now. You're just having fun. It's not easy. NFL is not easy. I don't care what nobody say. NFL is not easy. It's not easy, but it's not. Yes, this is what Baltimore does. This is what the Celtics did. They dominate the regular season, and we're all absolutely sure this team, this is the year.

and they end up against the warriors and the old veterans who know how to turn it on at the right time when. And I, and I, once they moved off the Tatum and became less obsessed with getting him all the late game touches and just let him play. And I think yesterday I'm watching the Mar, 10 of 15, just letting him play. It ran through Derek Henry. It's a better Ravens team. 31 to 2. Christmas on the road.

J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line. All right, a lot of fans are going to be like, what, you're leading with this? Well, you know, listen, Aaron Rogers is back in the news, Colin, because he's always... This is interesting. This story's interesting.

Yeah, I mean, this one is interesting. So Aaron Rogers met with the media this week. It was asked about a possible return. Here's his answer. Do you think Woody wants you back? You should ask Woody. Have you and Woody had conversations all Aaron about the future? No.

If you do want to come back and they want you back, what that means you would mean that they see me as an important part of helping the culture, the changeover, whatever they do with head coach, that would be special to hear that. But if they don't, again, no offense at all will be taken. Next hour, I am going to give the Jets a four-part plan. I have been down on the Jets for years. understandable um

part of my plan is bringing Aaron back oh stop it I can't get on board already he lost me I watched Enigma bring him back no no go to his last eight weeks he's not the issue he was the issue

earlier but when they got Devante Adams go look at the last eight weeks with Devante it's working oh really okay for the record I watched Enigma

the Netflix Aaron Rogers special some of it feels a bit self-indulgent, absolutely, but it is worth your watch. I watched 12 minutes, and I thought, and then I thought, you know what, it's Christmas, I got time this morning. Yesterday I got up, and I said,

you know, Gotham Choper did it. He's a good documentary, and I'm just going to I'm going to bulldoze my way through this. And by the end of it, whether I agreed or not, you know, the wisdom is in the rocks. I kind of rolled my eyes at that. But the point being is, it is worth your time to watch it.

and I Aaron may be a little self-indulgent it's his documentary he did what he wanted to but I got a feeling about the Jets and it's not a bad feeling

and I'm going to lay it out for you in about 30 minutes I feel very strongly about this so and the plan begins with bringing I'm not saying it begins with him but it's a four-step plan I guess I'll save my pushback for here

the full point. Do you have a Netflix? You have a Netflix subscription. Yes, yes. You have not watched Enigma yet. I cannot stand at this moment, Aaron Rogers. That's emotional. You're not supposed to get all... Colin, we, sorry people, we

got Aaron Rogers because we thought he would bring us back to the playoffs. He had multiple chances earlier this season in every big game to deliver a fourth quarter game winning drive. And he failed repeatedly. You go through the games. And so now he's the Jags and bad teams in games that don't matter when there's no pressure, why should I get it all excited?

I mean, they didn't punt against the Rams and they couldn't get double digits points. Okay, but Rams defense is young, very good, and it was McVeigh against an interim coach. So it's a little... Well, no, McVeigh's offense. I'm talking Rogers against the Rams defense, which has been run up and down the field by so many teams this year. It's just... I'm over Rogers. Like, we're not going to get a good coach if you have Aaron Rogers for one more year. I got a four-pronged plan.

I feel very strongly about it. By the way, I've been lousy at picks this year, but do you realize? Oh, here we go. Do you realize with that Ravens win and Steelers' loss? Seven of eight divisions. Which one did you miss? Well, I had the lions finishing a game behind Green Bay. And the Lions are going to.

Green Bay got injured early and a little choppy, but they found their way. Green Bay Vikings this weekend's a big one. That's a really good game. Great game. Next up, let's go to the NBA. Victor Wembenyama, your favorite three-point shooting superstar, the 7-foot-5 fella, unbelievable Christmas debut. Look at this. Look at this.

It's so good. 18, four assists, four blocks. Look, he's a menace. Unbelievable. Now, I will say in the fourth quarter, they seem to go away from him for some reason. Yeah. The guy was tremendous. Now, I should point out that he did dominate in the paint.

10 for 10, 20 points, outside the paint. Here we go, this is for Cowherd. Show the stats. Six for 21. Yes. 22 points. How crazy is that? So he is literally one of the most unstoppable players. He's Kareem and his prime.

In the paint, he is unstoppable. And yet they've got him taking 21 shots outside of it. Got to give what the defense gives you, Colin. You know that. That's a rule. Golden rule, football, basketball. Good, seven foot four, Steph Curry. Great.

There's guys taking shots in this league that should not be shooting beyond the arc. A lot of them. Getting near the basket. Kevin Durant, to his credit yesterday. Did you see the rant? I did. And I, you know, you have a relationship with Katie. I don't.

I love him. I think he's a great player. But Kevin Durant, again, doesn't close his eyes to the issues. LeBron doesn't close his eyes. Katie said, we got an issue here. He did say the players are so good now. You can't just depend on the mid-range. game. We and I agree on that. You and I agree on that. I like the three as a component,

not 90 per game, which you see yesterday even in the Warriors Lakers, half their shots are threes. But I think Katie pointed it out that the players are so good, it's so hard to get good looks if you just have a mid-range game. If you expand the floor, which I'm four, make the three a little tougher that you get both. And he also, Katie also said this and it's true. When you get to the playoffs, it becomes much more about get a bucket and get a stop. The mid-range game surges and ugly three-point shots.

It's a much more circumstantial situational basketball game. You're not going to have guys jack and threes that shouldn't. So I do think the analytics of basketball play to a long regular season, but it becomes much more specialized in the playoffs, more mid-range basketball. But KD went out

and got into a rant and I thought his points were great. It was amazing. I highly suggest you guys looking up on Twitter X or whatever. And he's not wrong. Just like in the NFL in baseball. Baseball, the postseason is so different from the regular season. The way the managers do it.

They got to get to the middle innings. And Major League Baseball, like NBA basketball, you need an out and you need a base hit. And so it's not about, I mean, you'll use a starter out of the pen. So you do things in baseball and basketball in the postseason because you have long series and you have to manipulate moments and momentum. and, you know, that's, so analytics are built for the long haul. Yeah. But I don't think they're necessarily, they work for great individual moments when you just need a bucket.

And by the way, in the NFL, we talk about this every year. Lamar Jackson is one of the greatest regular season quarterbacks in NFL history. He is utterly dominant, unstoppable. And then you get to the playoffs, and he, unbelievable, he's stoppable. Lamar has struggled in the playoffs because people play different kind of defenses. as they tighten up. And again, we'll probably see this in the NBA. I do think a lot of this is overblown, the three-point shooting.

Finally, one more NBA story. How about the Sixers? Bit of an upset yesterday. Surprising the Celtics, who have been just unbelievable this year, 118, 114. Joel and B. took a strange tumble and warm-ups. I don't know if you guys saw the video. Yeah. You know, just kind of fell over somebody on the sideline, but he did finish with 27 and 9.

after the game, Embit said that the wind proves that Philly has a high ceiling when they are playing well. Here's Embed getting injured. Look at this. What? Like, imagine that was a serious injury. But anyways, I don't know. I watch that Sixers team, and I'm like, you know, I love burying them early in the season, but it is not over. They got three guys who can play. Oh, Max, he can play. Well, we know he can. Paul George, Embed. And Celtics are in a bit of a rut. They've, I think, lost three of five. I think if you go back to the Celtics last several years, they've had these moments where they establish themselves, go into a rut, reboot, get on their way.

Yeah, I think they'll be okay. I don't think they can crack the top four in the east. Your Cleveland Cavs, I think that's your team, right? You love them last year. Young athletic, talented teams like Cleveland are very good now. Yes. Let's tune back in May. Okay.

Tune back in late April, early May. J. Mack with the news. That's the news. And thanks for stopping back. The Herd Lie News. So the Steelers got hammered. I had kept the Steelers on Tuesday. Christmas Eve.

I kept him out of the herd hierarchy. I was told I got a lot of flack. I didn't see it. But they really are what I thought they were before the season. And all of us knew this. Remember before the season, we kept, Jay Mack and I kept looking and saying, just go to the last six to seven games.

That's the season. They're going to beat the crappy teams. They're a well-run organization. So offensively, they are incredibly dependent on George Pickens a wide receiver who is a moody inconsistent player and you do not want to be dependent on him. Defensively, they're getting worn down and regressing and they can't beat Kansas City. That's now 0 and 4 against Mahomes.

That's just the facts. So we knew before the season the final seven or eight games would decide the season. You knew it and I knew it. And, you know, give them credit. They beat the Raiders. They beat the Giants. They beat the Jets. I mean, they're just two.

structurally strong to ever be bad. The problem with the Steelers is their floor has become their ceiling. Their floor is, they've never had a losing season with Tomlin. And their ceiling is, they've never had a losing season with Tomlin. They're mushed slightly better than average. They're offensively limited, very dependent on a pass rush defensively, and they don't really belong in the upper class of the AFC. So they're, you know, I mean, they're just two and six this year when they score just 20 points.

So basically, they can only win one way. Chargers are a little bit like this as well. The Chargers are not going to win shootouts. They're not built yet in Harbaugh's first year to win shootouts. That's not what they're built to do. Now, the good news is the Chargers defense isn't regressing. The Steelers, though, how many years is this? They can only win one way.

If they get into a shootout with Lamar, you know, Lamar, Mahomes, Josh Allen, they're not built to win that way. So what they are right now is the Pittsburgh Steelers are a better version of last year. That's what they are. Again, they're too good and too well-run to ever be bad. But just like Kansas City and Baltimore have looked great in these multiple games in short days, the Steelers have had three games in 11 days. Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs couldn't compete with any of them.

So this is who they are. They are a better offensive version than last year. They're too dependent on George Pickens, who is an unreliable player, who tends to be a bit moody and independent. You can't rely on that. Mike Tomlin's streak, yes, it's intact, but now their ceiling is their floor. They'll never have a losing season with Mike Tomlin,

and the frustration you can hear it is setting in. You know, that sucked. blunt, not the type of ball we want to play and really kind of eerily similar to our last performance in that. We're not doing the fundamental things well enough. We regressed in terms of our turnover culture, in terms of maintaining possession of the ball and getting the ball.

We've been a plus group in most instances, and that's really been a catalyst for us in terms of the games unfolding the way that we desire the last two weeks in particular. We haven't been plused in that. area we've been minus in that area and so the results are what they are December January Ravens couldn't hang chiefs couldn't hang Eagles couldn't hang this is why I didn't have them making the playoffs it's why I don't happen in the herd hierarchy yes Russell

Wilson is better than Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph no question but again what are you 14th best team in the league which is by the way you know nine and 8 or 10 and 7, 13th best team in the league, too well run, too structurally sound, draft and develop too well, coach too strong to ever be embarrassing. That's never going to be it. But you're left with the same bag you've had the last several years. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, new? Huge news. We've created our own. podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to our... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers... This is how you...

You guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I broke down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 athletes 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 Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.

We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian business. man catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world. He doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting droop. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King,

recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at,

at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Sure you play this week's Fox Super Six, sponsored by Draft Kings.

What are the Fox Sports app and enter for a free chance to win cash prizes? I think it's a pretty good week of lines. I think we saw something yesterday in the NFL. Well, the good teams are separating now. I like the Rams as a favorite. I like the Bills as a favorite this week. weekend. Those favorites look like

they kind of separate and getting things right. It's a weird year in the NFL. I was talking with somebody smart yesterday and it feels like maybe the kickoffs change things more possibly because you're getting better starting field position. The offenses are the good teams are moving the football with ease and they're taking the field goals. They're scoring and it just feels like the bad teams just if you can't move the football this year.

Well, think about this. We have 10 teams now. Last year it was only five. We have 10 teams with five wins or less. That's the NBA. That's a massive bottom of the league that's not formidable. Yeah. What do you do with the Steelers, by the way? They crush everybody and then they play three good teams in the last like four weeks and they get smashed and they get destroyed. Yeah, they're right in the middle. So they're not going to get a great draft pick. Are you paying Russell Wilson? Are you sure? I know I know he talked about a good season. Colin, he's faced a few good teams in the other. Well, what are the The last few weeks.

That's why I'll just say this. Before we go into my next topic, let me just say this. You guys, and I've been critical of Aaron Rogers, you guys, Aaron's last eight games, Russell Wilson's last eight games, Kirk Cousins last eight games, it's not close who's the best quarterback. It's Aaron Rogers by a mile. I'll give you that. By a mile.

And Aaron, if you look at Aaron's success, it is directly connected to Devante Adams. I have a four-part plan for the Jets next season. And by the way, I didn't like Zach Wilson. I love Darnold. I like Saul. I told you firing Saul was a disaster. I've been right a lot with the Jets. This team, there's four moves to make, and they're all there.

They're right in front of their easy ones to make. Just wet my beak. Are we moving off of Garrett Wilson? Because there's a lot of Garrett Wilson wants out stuff. I'm just, you're going to love the top of this next hour. Well, he sees what you're seeing, that Devante Adams is Aaron's got. And Devante's numbers are up, and Wilson's numbers are way down. By the way.

Can we stop with this Garrett Wilson isn't getting looks? Look at his target. He has more targets this year than Justin Jefferson. Can you give me a break on that? Well, half the season, he didn't have Adam. Well, not half, but a little, you know, like six. If you have more targets than Justin Jefferson, zip it. I don't want to hear about you're not getting looks.

Okay. Okay, give me a break. So I have a four. This may be, I mean, the city of New York, tell your friends, top of the hour. I'm bringing the heat. And I've been Mr. Negative Jet guy, but I've been wrong, right, negative jet guy. there's a four-way plan to do it and all of them are right in front of you

and doable in three weeks. Okay, so this is an interesting one. As I've aged, gracefully, I might add, maybe I'm just defending more mature men. But let me, as this story came out about Pete Carroll to the Bears

and everybody's like, ah, he's 73. Trump's 78's going to be our president. Bob Iger runs Disney at 73, sharp as attack. Martin Scorsese. He's 82, sharp as attack. Spielberg, 78. Warren Buffett's 94, one of America's

great financial gurus. LeBron last night, getting double teamed on the last possession. He's going to be 40 Monday. If you can play at 40, you can coach at 73. Nick Saban was coaching to the end in his 70s and was fantastic. Pete Carroll is not a bad

choice. Is he the best choice? He's up there. Okay, this is not an easy job. There's a lot of bureaucracy with the Bears. He is highly organized. I know that from players who have played with him and coaches that have coached with him. He is an elite, organized coach. He can build a culture. We've seen that at USC.

We have seen that with the Seahawks. And with the Seahawks, he took a young quarterback like a Caleb Williams named Russell Wilson, and he built a run game and a defense around him so they weren't completely reliant on Russ. In fact, when Russ wanted to cook is when it went sideways. My concern with Pete is not age. It really isn't. I think he has tremendous energy. He can be, in my opinion, too loyal to mediocre coordinators and assistant coaches.

He was way too loyal to Ken Norton for years. And the Seahawks O lines, the last three years in Seattle stunk, 25th, 27, 28, and he stayed with the offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. So Pete also, he likes a little say in personnel. But so does Mike Vrable, my first choice. A lot of these coaches, they want to say in personnel. like Jim Harbaugh right now. He wants a say in personnel.

McVeigh in Los Angeles with the Rams. Sean likes a saying personnel. So I'm not going to immediately consider it a negative. Some of these guys, younger guys like McVeigh are guys that have coached college and done recruiting like Pete Carolyn Harbaugh. And by the way, Vrable Ohio State. Like these guys know personnel and they want to say with GMs.

But the idea that Pete's too old, no, he's not. I'm going to tell you something. This job is not for some whiz kid. I'll give you an example. A year ago today, you were all telling me Bobby Sloick in Houston. He's like Zuckerberg with a play sheet. They can't score points. Can't score points.

Cliff Kingsbury. Love him. Didn't work as a head coach. You guys are all tough. Mike McDaniel. Oh, boy, the media love Mike McDaniel. Because he, you know, he's kind of nerdy like sports writers. They all loved him.

I'm watching Miami. Not a lot of there there. A lot of motion. and I can't beat good teams. I like him. Media loved him. I mean, honestly, media loved him. I mean, I was just told this guy was, I mean, it was a combination of Einstein and Kyle Shanahan.

It was like, oh, my God, he's going to, E equals MC squared on two. It was, oh, my God, this guy, Miami's just a team that has too much motion. So, you know, I, and I'm not anti-defensive coach. I'm not. I think a defensive coach, if he's not rigid, I mean, Pete would like to win the old-fashioned way, run game and defense. You can win a lot of games this way. But the idea that, oh, he's 73, watch Pete Carroll on the sidelines.

He is wearing out that spearmint gum. He is wearing that thing out. He's going 100 miles an hour. And I got movie directors and presidents and NBA players and Brady was playing to 45. You can coach it. Now, this all may be because as my hair's turned gray, maybe I'm supporting the more mature wisdom-approved sat J-Max rolling his eyes at my suggestion. But this is not, this idea that, hey, this guy over here is a whiz kid.

Never forget. Silicon Valley, you guys all think it's all these 20-year-olds. No, it's not. Go see the age of Larry Ellison at Oracle and Zuckerberg and the Google guys. It's 40s, 50s. So we think of tech as youngsters and hipsters. No, it's not. Not the ones that are crushing.

No, it's not. So I'll just say this. Spielberg comes out with a movie, I'm in. Scorsese comes out with a movie, I'm in. Old J. Mack over here wants the hipster doing something on TikTok. Not Uncle Colin. Give me a little gray hair with my coaching hire. So, first of all, I know you are close to the U.S.

program. You think Pete Carroll would jump at the Bears this year, or he would wait to see what happens with Lincoln Riley? Lincoln Riley has nine years and 90 million left. They're not buying Lincoln out. Not even if he flopped next year? Well, the schedule is almost unflopable. They don't play Ohio State again.

The schedule, I mean, I'll say this for USC. They got the easiest Big Ten schedule known to man. If I give you a Big Ten schedule, Ohio State, no, don't play them. Okay. That's a workable schedule. So they get the tough games at home next year. I don't know. No LSU.

They play a bunch of directional schools, so there's no LSU to start. It's three layup out-of-conference games. So you're buying this Pete Carroll thing. So there was a squabble between reporters in the NFL on this yesterday. I'm sure you saw. Well, Schifter versus Florio. Yeah, I don't know.

They were going at it over this. And you like to bring up division. Like Tom Brady went to the Bucks because that's the easy division to win. So 70-something-year-old Pete Carroll is going to coach against LaFleur and O'Connell, two of the sharpest young minds in this game? What if he has the most talented quarterback, and this is not a bad roster? Hold on. Caleb Williams or Jordan Love? I think Caleb has more natural talent.

I think Jordan loves much better. But I think Caleb is a... What's happened with Caleb, and this happens a little bit to Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, is, hey, this guy is Superman. every play. It's Kansas City that has been able to create a team around Mahomes where they're not reliant on Mahomes except for big spots in the fourth quarter. They got Spags.

They got the defense. I mean, basically their defense is young, hungry, athletic, fast, and healthy. So I think Caleb Williams throwing 24 a game is the answer. That's what Pete did with Russ. I'm not saying he's the guy I had high. But I'm telling you, I would sit him down. I want to see his vision. I want to see his plan.

I want to hear him. Hour two. Greg CoSell next. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. Nice. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being and ask questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an

a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place.

I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city, in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are?

I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, 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 best. 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. Guaranteed human.