The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - College football is almost here

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

Colin celebrates the near return of college football after a report about increased ticket sales and interest due to conference realignment Thoughts on the ratings for the Olympics and why Women's US Basketball saw less viewership  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD 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 foxportsradio.com or stream us live every day in the IHartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Welcome in, 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. A lot going on. Very exciting show. J-Mack, I'm going to do a little story. I'm going to tell a little story.

And I've told this. I think I wrote a little story. about this in one of my books. But I want to tell a little story about years and years ago. My first job out of college was in Vegas. And I sat down, I don't play video poker.

I don't play poker at all. A little blackjack. So I sat down. Union Plaza was the casino. And it's going to take a few minutes. So I'm in Vegas, out of college, starving. And my boss at the time,

Don was his name. he took me to a big sales call, but he said, it's like the vice president of the casino. And he said, you're like an intern. You're like fresh out of college. So you stay down here. And, you know, it was noon.

So I ordered a Diet Coke and I sat, you know, talking to the bartender, not drinking. And I sat next to a guy who had just sold 10, 20 TV radio stations, a Texan, Arkansas, Texas. guy. He looked like the Marlboro man. It looked like he had a lot of money. White shirt, good looking, square jaw. His watch costs more than my car.

And over the course of time, like 30 minutes, I was just kind of like trying to start up conversation. I was very annoying, even more so than now. And I said, I asked about his life story, and he was waiting for somebody to come pick him up, and they were late. So he was just sitting there playing it and looking out at the kind of the valet. And I asked for advice. I said, you've obviously a very successful guy.

I played to his vanity a little bit. And I said, give me some advice. I'm like 21-year-old kid from rural Washington and now in Vegas, in sales. I want to do play-by-play. And, you know, he went on and on and on, and he talked about, you know, there's kind of two types of people. And he gave me an example. And this was at a time where a million dollars was a lot. This is like 35 years ago, almost 40 years ago.

I remember it very, I remember. I remember what he was wearing, very tanned. Looked like he'd vacationed a lot in his life, but worked hard. And he said, you know, there's kind of two types of people. And do it test. Tell somebody, I just made a million dollars and see how they react. He goes, there's two types of people. They'll be like, wow, how'd you do it?

And they want to be part of something new and fun and exciting. and then half the people will go, No, you didn't. Yeah, right, sure. And dejectedly walk off. He goes, you don't want to be around those people. You want to be around people that want to be part of something fun and new

because life's changing. And I always remember that conversation. Some people just want to go to the country club and hang out with the same guys every night and complain about life and play bridge. That's fine. I have tried to surround myself, with young people, partisan new and fun.

Don't be threatened by change. Don't be threatened by new. Join the party. Not everything new is great, but don't be negative all the time. And I think about this because I saw this last night. I sent it to my producer, Ryan. The college football season preview from Stubhubbub shows 42. That's not a small number.

42% growth in ticket sales in college football this season. 42% most of it fueled by the new matchups created by conference realignment. Aren't you kind of embarrassed? Old guy playing bridge tonight. NIL, Pact 12, conference realignments, the end of times. I'm exhausted for you. Politics, sports, terrified of anything new.

Smile. Embrace something that's a challenge. You could fail at. Pack 12 stadiums, I grew up with them. Cal against Washington State. It's empty. You know what won't be? Oregon against Ohio State.

Penn State, USC. Stadiums won't be empty. The NIL. Well, yeah, why not pay the players? Everybody else is getting rich. How about the employees making a little money? Transfer Portal. Five of the last.

seven Heisman winners are transfers. That's not the end of the world. The guys transferring are just like you transferring for a better job. More respect, little better pay. That's why we all transfer in life. It's just not called a portal. I'm not trying to lecture you, but the constant perpetual negativity and fear of change,

42% growth in ticket sales, mostly because of conference realignment. Texas, Oklahoma to the S. Oregon, Washington, SC, UCLA to the Pact, to the Big Ten. It's exhausting. New stuff is fun.

Think about this. Only 15 college football programs of 100, what, 35, Division I programs. In the last decade, only 15 made the playoffs. That's just not inclusive

enough. Invite new people to an occasional party. Let your wife. make the list. Let her invite some people you don't know. Not the same old guys playing bridge. I was told the transfer portal, Christian McCaffrey skipping a bowl game,

the NIL, conference realignment. It was going to ruin the sport. I've never in my life been more excited for college football. I cannot wait. Week zero starts in what, 10 days? How can you not be excited about it? Oregon hosting Ohio State, Penn State, USC. You don't have to wait once a decade for a Rose Bowl matchup.

Michigan, USC, like week two. How are you not excited for that? Do not, you know, Mr. Rogers used to have a saying, he said, whenever you're a little kid, he used to talk to kids and say, find the helpers. Like if something happens, you lose your mom in a department store. Find the helpers. in life, find that 50% of the crowd that that rich cowboy at the Union Plaza in Vegas told me about.

Find the 50% that want to join something new and fun and different. It's a better life. It's a happier life. Not trying to lecture, but college football is going to explode this year. Join the party. Don't complain about it. All right. There's no reason to thump our chest on this.

But, you know, you've heard of the gold medal count, right? The gold medal count. How about the television official count? The ratings are in. Everything exploded in Paris, with one exception, women's basketball. The ratings couldn't even beat the Tokyo Olympics that happened during COVID. The men's with fading old

stars, LeBron, KD. Steph got 20 million viewers over doubled the last Olympics. And it's LeBron and Steph and KD. It's the old guys. People couldn't get enough. Break dancing was a hit.

And yet the women who won gold, attendance down, ratings flat. How? Everything else exploded because there was a giant wave in women's college basketball and they forgot their surfboard. Not only Caitlin Clark, but Angel Reese and Caitlin should have been on this team. Women's basketball had a moment and they couldn't meet it. The reality is they got too insular.

They're too loyal to the niche women's basketball. basketball media. Stop it. Ruffle feathers. Who cares if you leave a couple of talented, albeit not that popular players off for Caitlin Clark. Team USA left Jalen Brown off this team and Isaiah Thomas on another team and put in Christian Leitner.

Isaiah is still pissed about it. Get over it. They won the goal. Best team ever probably. This was a moment. I'm not here to lecture. We won. as I say on Mondays,

often, you know, where Colin was right, where Colin was very right. Yeah, I was very right. But it's no need to bang on women's basketball. This is a teaching moment. Is that you've heard of that saying a disruptor? Like Caitlin Clark was the disruptor. Connor McGregor kind of ended boxing.

Nobody wanted to watch boxing. And Dana White leaned into it. Yes, sometimes Connor was inappropriate and did dumb things. And Bryce Harper fought with teammates. But when you get these moments, here comes the wave. Grab your surfboard, ride it. Don't get insular. Don't get precious.

Don't lecture us that we didn't watch the sport. Everything in Paris exploded except women's basketball. And now the Premier League starts Friday. College football 10 days out, Dodgers Yankees will headline a very interesting baseball postseason, NFL preseason, and the WNBA, it'll be off the agenda. I spent all summer talking women's basketball. It's crazy. We were like, this is amazing. This is fascinating.

Caitlin Clark is Taylor Swift and sneakers. And now it's over. Nobody's going to care. So there's no reason to pound our chest or lecture. but it was a moment. It was your time. Well, we only had a few practices. Christian Leitner wasn't even in the NBA yet.

This was it. Anecdotally, I watched 12 minutes of the women's team. The Japan game. They had one player over 6'1, and I thought they're going to cruise. And they mostly did one close game. But breakdancing exploded. This should have been.

This should have been the Olympics of Katie Ledecki, Simone Biles, and the women's basketball team. And it was the only thing that was flat or down from Tokyo. Caitlin Clark now trying to drum up interest in the Yankee booth recently over the weekend, talking about not being picked. I think it's time it gives you something to work for. And obviously it's a tough turnaround. I only played 10 games in the WMBA before they picked

the roster. So that team is so talented. I think the USA on the women's side is just so dominant. But it's definitely definitely something for me to work for in 2020. And obviously that's in LA. So that would be a fun first opportunity for myself. Yes. 2028 in Los Angeles, they will crush. That's four years down the road. That's not the moment. The WNBA was just flying regular commercial flights like you and I. Caitlin arrive. They now have a two-year deal. for their own flights. This was it. This was the moment.

They always say in real estate, it's all location. They always say in business, it's all about timing. You had both. Paris was the location and the timing was now. And you left your surfboards at home. All right. We got stuff today. We got a lot of stuff.

Aaron Rogers. Man, he, he's on New York radio yesterday, getting all prickly. The fascinating moment. where he was talking about the Malaysian airliner. You weren't pining for Aaron Rogers' thoughts on the missing airliner? You weren't waiting on pins and needles for that one, Colin? He's half quarterback, half podcaster. I like how you laugh about the Jets and then point at me like,

oh, look at that. He's a fan of the Jets. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

Yep, that's me, Cliford 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a parameda Pazel chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my GenX squads from all. Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I

had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive, wait, what sex? Dating at 45, how how can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but We're sure going to try.

So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 our... 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 stopped 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, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. 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 podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines.

I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. So if you went to a restaurant, let's say three or four times and the service and the quality was not great, you would stop going to the restaurant like most of us, right? Or if you bought a car from a dealership and it was a bit of a lemon,

you got another one, happened again, you'd probably stop buying cars from that dealership. And I've always said this about Los Angeles sports fans. They're picky and they have options in life. It's sunny, the beach, the mountains, it's L.A., hiking trails everywhere. If a team's not good, fans bail. I respect it. They've got options.

It also is a reason L.A. teams are all good. Because owners know they can't take advantage of them. This is not Cleveland. People have a life. It's not Cincinnati. There's a lot to do. You don't have to stay indoors and watch TV in the summer. It's not that humid.

You don't have to stay indoors in the winter. It's not snowing. People have options. I mean, Dean Spanos knew. I got to go get Hardball. I had dinner with him. We talked about it. He knew.

He didn't want to disappear. The Rams are ascending. The Lakers had to get LeBron, AD. They're constantly changing the roster, whether it works or not. I mean, USC fired their entire defensive staff. I mean, they won 11 games. They won eight games. They're on their way.

Nope, they had to get rid of their, I mean, multiple, the whole staff. Why? Dodgers always elevating. They were good before Mookie and Freddie Freeman. You got to get them. There's too many, and I respect the fact. L.A. gets banged on because they don't love, they don't love their team. Dodgers lead major league baseball attendance.

by like 7,000 a game. SoFi Stadium's packed. But the bottom line is, if you're not good, fans bail. There's a standard here. It's an entertainment city. We've got stuff to do. We've got options. Vegas is a 40-minute flight away.

So is Scottsdale, L.A., Malibu, Laguna. I respect it. I respect fans that say, no, enough, you're not going to use me. I demand better ownership, GMs, better coaches, quarterbacks. I respect that. You wouldn't be lost. loyal to any other thing in your life that treated you like crap. And so Aaron Rogers, let's be frank, he went from the penthouse, Green Bay, last 30 years.

Nobody does offense as consistently as Green Bay, regardless of the quarterback, Jordan Love, Aaron Farve, to the Jets. Rex Ryan, Todd Bulls, Adam Gates, Robert Sawah, offense is a, you know, Brune a triangle. You see glimpses of it, it disappears, right? Like, it doesn't exist regardless of the coach. and so but Aaron on WFA and putting you know painting a nice picture of the Jets who have such incredibly high standards

here it is we realize that success and failure is not binary wins or losses you know it's a mindset it's going out there and willing to put your best on the line knowing it's not going to be good enough in a win loss matrix every single time I've been fortunate enough to play for two organizations that set a standard of excellence and it's not, hey, let's just have a pretty good season. No, let's be the best. And that's what you want to play.

You don't want to play in a city where they're just so excited to win a few games every year. That's what the Jets are. That's precisely what the Jets are. They were third in the NFL in attendance last year and pathetic. 78,000 fans. That's what the Jets average. That's top of the league. That's like top three.

And they haven't made the playoffs in 13 years. And they haven't been interesting offensive. in longer than that. That's what the Jets are. They have low standards. They sell out the stadium and the team's pathetic. I mean, I used to work with a guy, Greenie. His whole schick was, why do I put myself through this?

That's a jet fan. We have jet fans in the building here. Why do I put myself through this? Good question. They don't in L.A. They just don't go to the games. I mean, the Jets fans are, they're at the bottom and they keep on digging. 78,000 fans every Sunday.

And forget losing. No playoffs 13 years. They're not interesting. Who's been worse offensively for 13 years consistently than the Jets? I'm honestly, I'm scratching my head. Bears? I don't know. So, I mean, eight straight season, a pack stadium to watch a below 500 team.

They're not even competitive. They're below 500 and can't score. I respect the Lions or the Falcon fans or the Raider fans. It said enough is enough. they don't embrace pathetic. And we've got to be honest about this. When Brady left New England, I got it. Belichick was increasingly rigid.

They couldn't draft skill players. And he had accomplished, I mean, he had a trophy case of, you know, stacked with Super Bowl trophies. When Matt Stafford left the Lions, bad ownership, average coaches, wonky roster. I got it. You know, Russell Wilson, by the way, didn't want to leave Seattle. Pete wanted him out. I got that. But leaving Green Bay.

Bay. Like, when's the last time they had a bad offensive line? Or a bad receiving core? Or chaos in the front office. Like, it's the gold standard of small market American, North American pro franchises. The New York team stink in the NFL. They don't in Green Bay. Well, they got rid of it. No, they didn't. Aaron got rid of himself. He got weird and darkness retreat and finicky and precious. And they just stayed with him one more year. They didn't know what Jordan love was. So there's no way to sugarcoat it. Stafford upgraded. Brady

skill players and control upgraded. Russell Wilson didn't want to leave. Kirk Cousins with that old line in Atlanta, you could argue. And those skill players, that's a pretty good fit. This isn't a good this is going backwards.

But the idea that he went to a franchise with high standards, the schick Jet fans their shtick is, why do I put myself through this? You don't have to. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I felt like that was personally directed at me. Just absolutely harsh. Hey, I mean, like, listen, when you say put yourself through this, listen, I'm not like on the ground crying when the jets. No, but you don't, you're not that guy. You never have been that guy.

You almost laugh at the fact that you're overly optimistic. Well, I'm the most reasonable Jets fan on the planet. That's the problem. I'm not like all in and I'm not like we're the worst in the world. But my point in that rant was Aaron saying, hey, I didn't want to go to a city that was just happy winning a few games. Well, if you're averaging 78,000 and you have been below 500 for eight straight, the fans are like, yeah, this is what you're basically,

it's not like it's easy stadium to get to, or one of the great stadiums in the league, or prices are cheap. Or the offense is great and they lose shootouts. You're just willing to ruin your Sunday. You have, as a franchise, your standard is, let's fill the stadium and, you know, probably can go home with a loss. And you're okay with it.

Well, I will say one thing. I actually was researching the Packers last night. I'm going team by team every night. That's my new thing. And the Jets have a better offensive line this year than the Packers. The Packers' offensive line is basically their biggest question on the team. I don't know how much you've done on this, but take a look.

Pro Football Focus doesn't even love their. offensive line. I know you're big on them for their rankings. They have a young quarterback who moves well and plenty of weapons to get the ball too quickly and an offensive coach, so I think they'll mitigate a lack of experience. I'll go with they'll be able to mitigate

a young front, not a bad front, but a young front. Fair enough. Let's start with Brandon Ayyuk. Gosh, his saga has just continued to drag on more reports overnight that the Steelers have a deal in place for Ayuk. We've been hearing this for a week now. But yet no trade has been completed. According to NFL network's Mike Garifolo,

San Francisco has not pulled the trigger because they aren't far apart on agreeing to terms with a disgruntled receiver. Adding, he's heard that Ayuk would prefer to stay and has always maintained that preference. Yes. Colin, this leverage play by Ayuk seems to be working, but I can't get too worked up until I see what the deal is. What was Pittsburgh offering? If they're offering two ones, there's no way to not. We have made it very clear. We think he's better off making a little less and staying with the Niners.

Now, if Pittsburgh offered... What's a little less? Well, I mean, if Pittsburgh offered him 30 and San Francisco offered on an annual basis, 17, go to Pittsburgh. Okay, yeah. That's 40, go to Pittsburgh. But if it's 21 in San Francisco and 25 in Pittsburgh, you will make it up in endorsements hoisting a trophy.

You'll be close to like 27 to 29 in that range. Yeah, I mean... Is he better than Amoraz St. Brown? I don't know. Well, Amarang St. Brown is the perfect receiver. You didn't have to play him, pay him initially. You finally do. He's highly productive and is like the ultimate locker room guy.

You don't get those very often. He's a perfect player. People love Ayuk, but if I gave you DJ Moore, Brandon Ayuk, and Amaraw St. Brown, they're basically like the same guy to me. They're all very, very exceptional. So I don't, this IUK stuff, it just doesn't make sense. 49. Hey, listen, that's content, right?

Brandon Ayuk, we've never talked about him. couldn't miss much, even last season when he was all brought. It's a very noisy offseason. You're not a fan of noise, huh? Nope. Is that why we don't hang out more? I am a noisy one. I get excited.

I get fired up. You got a lot of energy. I do have a lot of energy. Not today, though. I almost got coffee this morning. I was so low energy. I was like, I need coffee. Not me.

I had some neurogum. And I am jumping through hoops walking down the hallway today. And if people are watching it home, it looks like you got a bit of a new hairstyle there? Is it something cooking there? new hairstyle, I combed it. Oh, you combed it? Okay, nice. Good to see.

Let's move on to the Cowboys who have had their fair share of contract drama this offseason. Dak and Micah Parsons are in camp. C.D. Lam is not. Despite Lamb's absence, Michael Parsons is confident. They'll be ready for the season opener saying C.D. knows he's not going anywhere. The business side, they're going to take care of it.

No doubt about it. Week one, he will be suiting up for the Dallas Cowboys. Hope so. I really do. I mean, I think everybody agrees. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was thinking yesterday, I was reading the Aaron Rogers book by Ian O'Connor, some must-read. It's just a great two-day read for me. Really?

Must read Aaron? I just thought it was fascinating. I think Aaron's a very complex guy. I can't even take 20 minutes of him on a podcast. You could read a whole book about him? Yeah, yeah. Well, Ian's books are all great. Ian is excellent.

Yeah. But it was, you know, I was sitting there as I put it down and had a little dinner. I was just thinking about teams in the NFL. and I thought, if C.D. Lamb held out, is this a hot take? That Dallas would be one of the five lowest scoring teams in the league? No. I don't know who would move the chains. I mean, as a defensive coordinator, CDLAM, my first order of business, roll coverage over to CDLAM. That's what you have to do. You don't have any fear of their running backs.

Their tight ends are good, slightly better than average, but not special. I would just say roll coverage to CD, put heat on DAC, and I don't know where they go. That offense without CD Lamb, it's very rare that an NFL team or any business gets trapped. The Cowboys aren't trapped. You can live without Michael Parsons because DeMarcus Lawrence, they've got a pass rush. Micah's obviously makes it great, but they've got other pass rushers. Even DAC, they've won with Cooper Rush, if Dak went down for a month. If C.D. Lamb twists an ankle, they couldn't score a touchdown against the Rams' vanilla backups with four interceptions.

Couldn't get to the end zone with four picks. This is the preseason game. But again, it's preseason, but it's also. It's Tray Lance. Come on. You got to get an NFL quarterback. It's official. But for the record, it's preseason for everybody. I think it's a little bit of a hot take. A little warm.

Just start looking at it. at off a lot of offenses that we roll our eyes at, like the Bears. Oh, the Bears' offense now is stacked. Oh, the Houston Texans. Oh, actually, they got Stefan Diggs. It's Joe Mixon. It's stacked. Like a lot of these have knots offensively over the last three years.

Houston, Chicago, they got the quarterback. They got the weapons. Those are going to be top 10 scoring teams in the league. Houston and the Bears could be top 10 scoring teams. For a decade, they were, you know, it was like, roll your eyes. Brock Osweiler's rolling right. Those teams now are productive. Final story is the NFL recently released their top 100 list.

Number, this was voted on by the players last season. Well, anyways, Tyreek Hill was number one, which is a little bit insane. He was ahead of Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, and Patrick Mahomes, who checked in at four. Obviously, making the list, Nolan Voigt. In a recent media appearance, Tyreek was asked if he is indeed better than Mahomes, and you wouldn't be surprised what Tyree Kill had to say. Pat is great. He's great, obviously, for his team.

You feel me? Like, they won two back-to-back Super Bowes, yada, yada, they did their thing, right? Now, you look at me. Two back-to-back, 1700. Pro Bowl, All-Pro, this, that, all-decade, this, consistency. All that, man. You feel me? And I'm doing this at 5-8, 5.000.

I'm going to call myself shorter now. 5-7, by 190. Come on, man. A lot of people said I come being around. receive but here I am doing this. Yeah, okay. I think there'll be a point when what he says about Mahomes, we just will stop listening to. Like, I'm kind of over Tyreek Hill and his football acumen.

You left, they got better. I'm done with it. Well, I don't know, they got better. They're still winning. Mahomes is a better quarterback today because he doesn't get the lollipop touchdowns. He's been forced and he's been great to he can nibble, death by a thousand cuts. I think he's a much more efficient quarterback. He's taking a little Joe Burrow into his game.

Maybe the eye test. I mean, go look at this. Passing yards, passing touchdowns since Tyreek hell left. Come on. First in the lead. Okay, real advanced stats say that he has not gotten. He was having his worst season last year when they were stumbling. Yeah, some of the, not these counting yards.

What do the advanced stats say about Miami's January? Don't you check those out? Advanced stats on a team that can't advance. Those stats are fascinating. Those stats are fascinating. I'm not defending Tyreek. Here's my advance stats for Kansas City. Oh, they won again in January.

They're advancing again. See, this is why we need the Chiefs to go down. But you know how they say about boxers? He's the best pound for pound in the world. They say that about boxers. I think Tyree kills probably pound for pound the best player in the league. Good argument.

Would you agree with that? Yeah, and let's say there was a flyweight that was pound for pound the best fighter. Could he beat Lennox Lewis in his prime? No, of course not. Yeah. So Mahomes is Lennox Lewis. Congrats on the pound-for-pound bantam weight thing. There you go.

We'll call him. What does that get you in the standings? Pound for pound. What does that mean? Should we have that? I don't know. I mean. Gray hair for gray hair.

I'm as good as anybody in AM radio. I've got brie gray hair. Woo. You look at you. Defending Mahomes. Have you been talking to Nick a lot or something? What's going on? No.

I'm like defending. Atrop Holmes. You think he means defending? I'm not defending him. It's just I'm giving you data that he wins all the Super Bowls played in this league for the last couple years. What do you want me to say? People banged on Brady forever.

I'm like, I don't know what you're watching. Mahom's the best quarterback. No, no, we don't, I don't think we're disagreeing with that. I think we're disagree with like, aren't you getting sick of the Chiefs? I'll tell you this, I was walking the other night. I was sitting, I was in Manhattan Beach with my friend David. And David Slay, and we were walking. And I don't know, we were talking about something.

And I just, I got, you know, he was talking to somebody and I wandered and thought. And I thought to myself as I was walking, I thought to myself, I saw an athletic store, Skechers I walked by. There was a picture of an athlete. thinking, you know, we always say a great quarterback is like worth four points a game. Is it possible a great quarterback is worth like 15 and the analytics just can't figure out how to say that? I was thinking is that Baltimore last year with Lamar Jackson. He hadn't played, right? He got banged up the previous years at the end. They were scoring like 60 in a game.

Baltimore literally crushed Detroit, crushed Miami. They crushed everybody except the Rams in the regular season, is that I don't think we understand how great the truly great are. I don't think people understand how great Brady was. The minute Brady left, Bill Belichick, the whole operation's a disaster. The whole operation is a disaster. If Mahomes left Kansas City tomorrow and they missed on a draft pick with that receiving core, they're a three-win team, a four-win team. With Andy Reidet, coach?

Go ask Andy. Listen, nothing against Kevin Cobb, but how much can you win? I mean, Andy's the best coach ever. But sometimes I think about this. Do we understand? Literally, think about how great Lawrence Taylor was for the New York Giants. Your entire offensive game plan every week was chip him, put your best tackle against him, divert his attention, double him, and he was still unblockable.

Aaron Donald, there were videos last year. I contend Aaron Donald. got frustrated because he didn't have people next to one. When Vaughn Miller left, you could then double and triple team Aaron Donald. There was video last year in the NFL. Regular weekly video of Aaron Donald being triple teamed in past blocking situations. Because Kobe Turner's a kid. He's not ready to dominate yet.

And I think Aaron Donald said, Aaron Donald would be the best defensive lineman in the league right now if he came back with Chris Jones. They literally people couldn't figure. Aaron Donald never got single blocking. Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White. They dominate statistically. And they're being doubled on every snap. If you single-blocked L.T. Donald, they would end up with 35 sacks.

They're so much better than even good players. That's my take. That's a take. Well, I'll just say Joe Burroughs not in a class then of Mahomes, because he went down and the Bengals nearly made the playoffs without him. What time out? Time out. Okay, there you go. So the Bengals, who got to a Super Bowl with Joe Burrow,

almost made the playoffs without him, but 14 other teams did. You don't see the gap in getting to a Super Bowl with a bad O line. Right. And a playaway from winning and almost made it in. What is that? That's 12. You said the teams are a three-wing team without a homes. Well, maybe it's six.

Okay. But if they drafted a guy that can't play, and he gets just six wins off his genius, then we understand. Patrick Mahomes won a Super Bowl with, in my opinion, the worst receiving core in the league. How many wins for the bill? Outside of Carolina. Josh Allen goes down tomorrow. How many wins for the bills this season? Five?

Four? I mean, say what you want about Aaron Rogers. Well, they won seven games. They did. They were unwatchable offensively. I think we don't understand how about. valuable quarterbacks are. If Aaron Rogers goes down in week two, they are drafting first, second, or third.

If Aaron Rogers is upright in week 17, they are vying with a real shot, I believe, to get to the playoffs. Baltimore loses Lamar tomorrow. They're a six-win team. That's what they are. Last year, they weren't winning. They were destroying San Francisco. They destroyed the Lions. I'm not beat them, humiliated Detroit.

It was like 4-2-6 or something. They were, like, what is Lamar Worth? 25 points. I don't care what, I don't care what Vegas says. Like, I think we underappreciate because in life, it's not what you do. It's also what you don't do, the dumb decisions you make. And Mahomes never makes it, he almost never throws a bad pick. I mean, Super Bowl, he had that bad pick against the knives.

When he threw that, I thought St. Fran had the game. And they could not get in the end of it. And then they didn't. That was a brutal pick, I think, to start the second half. homes with pedestrian, admit it, in the playoffs, until the Super Bowl. Jay Mack with the news. We have to end this. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. I just discovered J-Lab headphones. Look for the blue box in airports, Target Best Buy Walmart. Hooked. J-Buds lucks over ear noise-canceling headphones. Blue Box. You're looking for noise-canceling.

Long-lasting battery life. J-Lab. dot com the blue box. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion.

Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand 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 at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining

the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history, too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart for chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balligan.

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

The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, and a Gen. X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do.

So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamania Arriva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her,

so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be?

I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tomorrow night, baseball is on FS1 as Corey Seeger leads the Rangers against Carlos Santana and the twins. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. Sometimes it is just healthier to enjoy the moment. Yesterday on the other network, their NBA Today crew was theorizing and building up the possibility that LeBron for the Lakers and Steph for the Warriors after their magnificent play together in Paris could actually join forces in a couple of years.

Oh, boy. The Olympics was shorter games, six total games, no back-to-backs, and way less travel. Yeah, it was built for old guys. Basically, Paris was a stacked roster, a number one seed facing a number eight seed. and the games are eight minutes shorter. Let's appreciate it for what it was. Our aging, somewhat fading superstars on a really cool, long vacation, and they were asked to work about two hours a day on that vacation.

Don't confuse a 10-day vacation in July in Nantucket for full-time residency in Nantucket. Got a small house in January, it would be like living in a first. Frisbee in the middle of a Nor'easter. Don't confuse the Olympics. Short games, stack roster, playing with leads, relying on great teammates. LeBron averaged 24 minutes a game. Of course he was great. He'll average 37 for the Lakers.

And they'll usually have the second best roster. Don't confuse midnight in Paris with midnight in OKC. two different experiences. Just enjoy it. It was magical. It's our older players. It was built for our team. It's why you didn't want a young team.

You can use old players in the Olympics. The games are short. They only have to play 22 minutes. The bench is great. There's only, you know, every third game you're challenged a little. If we had not played Serbia yet and it was the first time, the game wouldn't have been as close. So the Olympics is not real life. soak it up. It's like honeymoons.

People go on honeymoons and you're not working. Somebody else may have paid for it. The weather's perfect. The kids aren't there. Let's move to Hawaii. That's different than vacationing all paid in Hawaii. The Olympics are a totally separate experience. Steph and LeBron, if they could play together in 2026, LeBron's in his 40s. Steph's playing 45 to 55 games.

Come on now. So, Hard Knocks, last week, the episode of Hard Knocks, the one with the Bears, was the show's highest rated premiere in five years. Episode two airs tonight at 9 Eastern. Last night, excuse me. Episode two aired last night. I didn't see it. So it appears the nail polish didn't offend people.

They were kind of fascinated by it. Caleb Williams College nail polish. It wasn't the end of times. It is important to note, though, that seven of the last nine hard-knock teams missed the playoffs. Now, remember, with hard-knocks, to be selected, you have to miss the playoffs the previous two years. So you get very, very dysfunctional teams. Over the last 13 seasons, there's only one.

one playoff win with hard knock teams. So let's just, let's look at our expectations with the Bears. I see, I look at their schedule, I see eight wins. I don't see a playoff team. I think they're going to go from where they were last year, 27th in passing last year with Justin Fields. I think they'll be closer to top 10, 12 in passing. They'll be much easier on the eyes.

They'll be able to win coming from behind. There'll be a more functional, better offense late in games. I see some wins. I absolutely think they'll beat Tennessee in the opener. But then it gets rough. At the Colts, Rams, at the Texans. They could be one and three. I think they should beat Carolina to go two and three.

I can see a win over Arizona and New England. Maybe hosting Seattle, but there's a lot of losses here. The idea that you're going to beat a well-polished Stafford in McVeigh or C.J. Stroud in year two, or the best roster Trevor Lawrence has had, or the Packers, or the Lions. I'm being optimistic here. I see an eight-win team.

That's why I've said with the Bears, do not judge them just on the wins. Judge them on ascension, efficiency, and are they better on the more important side of the ball, that being offense? I went through that thing this morning, and I get to seven, eight wins. Now again, as the schedule lays out post- Thanksgiving,

quarterbacks get hurt. You know, if Donald got hurt, Minnesota doesn't have he or potentially J.J. McCarthy, that would feel like a win, right? But cross your fingers on McCarthy. But to me, it's an eight-win team, but looks the part. 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 helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. 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. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football, journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.