The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Don't give in to fear

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

Colin explains how most things we fear never actually come to life and college football is only going to get better It's looking like JJ Redick will be the Lakers next head coach Colin lists his most likely new playoff teams in the NFLSee 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your 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 not to be played with, And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and 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 Fox SportsRedio.com or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Thursday, live in Los Angeles. It's the Hurt, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us on a Thursday. Part of your day, one hour from now, the great Greg Olson, joining us, Fox Sports. J-Mack is, for years and years, I have defended Draymond Green.

For on-court behavior. And my defense is, these are emotional games, contracts don't last forever, families to feed, and athletes have a right to emotion. I defended Tom, Brady, or Peyton Manning barking at a teammate. I have defended Draymond Green. Patrick Beverly, I did not defend because I don't think you can go after fans and he threw a ball twice at fans. But I wouldn't kick him out of the league. I wouldn't necessarily cut him from the team.

I just didn't like what Pat Beverly. By the way, a week later, I saw him at the gym, said, But the point being is I like to defend athletes because they're vulnerable. When we go to work, I mean, even though people are watching, I don't have them hovering around. Most people go to work. They're a landscaper. Construction site. People staring at them.

Judging their performance. So I want to defend Jorge Lopez a pitcher for the New York Mets. So the Dodgers just swept the Mets and the Mets aren't very good. Once again, cruddy. And a game's close, later innings. And Lopez gives up a ball. to Shoahe Otani frustrated. Then he starts squawking with a check swing third base umpire.

And he starts arguing with the third base umpire. And he's not very happy. And the Mets were having a terrible season. And the third base umpires, as you know it, uh, they just don't like to be shown up. So he throws him out of the game and Lopez goes off, untucks his shirt, throws his glove into the stands. Yeah, you would hope he wouldn't do that, but he showed emotion. That's okay. Steph Curry threw a mouthpiece across the court.

Pat Bev threw a ball at fans twice. Jamal Murray threw a heating pad on the floor. International soccer stars unravel regularly. They've punched players. Bumped officials. You don't bail on them. Put your arm around him. Do better.

Maybe throw a fine. The Mets cut him. I know it's baseball. There's a way to play the game. You've got to respect the game. Yeah, that 15-year steroid cattle, steroid issue. Was that respecting the game?

Guy shooting in the butt before the game? Fifteen years? Pitchers, hitters. Hey, you're making money. Nobody said no. Was that respecting the game? Being a reliever is incredibly intense. You're asked to come into a game in a high-leverage situation.

Pretty cold. A few warm-up pitches. and then meet that intensity head on. It's like merging into traffic going 85 miles an hour. It's like joining a roller coaster mid-ride. And it's pretty thankless and very difficult. The only thing more difficult in baseball than getting a save is getting a hit. And we've seen baseball players break a bat over their knee, scream at umpires, throw bats.

It's hard. Baseball is hard. there have been 400 plus saves this year and 250 blown saves this year. It was a high-leverage situation. Otani hit a bomb. Here comes another all-star, Freddie Freeman. It's a check swing. Seasons melting down.

Mets about to get swept. Here's another too tight umpire, tossing him out of a game and the kid unravels. He later said, I'm the worst teammate in the world. He felt terrible. He said, all be available if they need me tomorrow. And Major League Baseball in the Mets, a cruddy franchise that he didn't overpay for those teammates.

Cut him. Here was Lopez after. I don't regret it. I think I've been looking at the worst team in probably in the old fucking MLB. So, you know, whatever happened happened. So whatever they want to do it. I'll be tomorrow here. if they want me, you know, whatever they want to do.

So I'm going to keep doing this thing, you know, so I'm healthy on whatever, you know. Nice. And whatever to do, you know, I'm ready to come back tomorrow if they want me to be here. So I'll be here. No, you won't. They cut you. Again, I have defended Dremont from the beginning called a hypocrite because he works for my podcast digital company.

and I say, no, he's an athlete, he's a professional. When you go to work, you don't have a stadium full of people heckling you, judging you, cheering you, booing you. It's hard. And being a reliever, 250 blown saves this year. It's really hard. Spare me on the... There's a way to play the game.

The unwritten rules in baseball often take precedence over the written rules. Don't get me started on exit velocity. I mean, it's baseball wants, wants more emotion, needs more emotion. I grew up with Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, Pete Rose, Charlie Hustle, Mark Fedrich. They were the great characters of the game. You're going to cut a guy for that for a bad 12 seconds? He cares. I'm a major league GM.

I'd get them on my roster tomorrow. So yesterday we talked about something. I said, and this is something that has been proven true in studies. People fear things that never materialize. So there was a recent psychological study that 80 to 85% of things that people fear will happen never happen. For the longest time, we had elevator operators.

A man just stood outside of an elevator because people were afraid to get on them. There's not many moments in recorded history of people suffocating to death on an elevator or being trapped and dehydrating, unable to eat and dying. But we had elevator operators because people were afraid to get onto elevators.

80 to 85% of what we fear never materializes. People get in their head, talk themselves into anxiety and trouble. Take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. And you see this in sports. People freaked out, the old-timers, the baseball pitch clock. It'll never work. Oh, it's actually worked perfectly.

30 minutes has been cut off games. Attendance up over 10%. Same with ratings. I remember working at the other place about 10, 12 years. ago when the NFL severely reduced hitting, especially quarterbacks in the league, you heard a chorus of, what don't they just wear a dress? Because they're football players, and the league is trying to keep them upright, safe, healthy for more contracts. The ratings have grown stupendously in the last 12 years. In the NBA, there was that in-season tournament that people just bitched about. People have to

grumble. It actually was a huge success. The courts were different. It was fun. It got me to a television set. In games in October, November, December, I would not normally watch. The championship game in the in-season tournament got 4.6 million viewers. It was the highest rated non-Christmas regular season game in six years. Don't fear things. They're not going to happen. College football's only getting better when the PAC 12, the conference I grew up with, when it was disbanded, the only Power 5 conference west of the Rockies. All I heard from friends, defended is outrageous. And I said, I watched the games outside of Washington and Oregon.

It's nothing but empty seats. The games don't rate very well. Okay. I think it's kind of cool that USC and UCLA, Washington and Oregon, the four biggest brands. I wish they would have taken Utah. Go to the Big Ten. Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State,

Penn State, you kidding me? I mean, Penn State was independent for years. They joined the Big Ten. It worked out. So I said yesterday, why is USC staying with playing Notre Dame? Really? I got to have Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Wisconsin. Then in November, I got to go to South Bend and play in nine degrees.

is I've got Ohio State potentially in two weeks. I just beat Michigan, got the season right. I was six and one. Now I'm seven and one. No buy. No Purdue. It's Notre Dame, national TV, off a buy. Yes, Notre Dame needs that game.

They're an independent. USC doesn't, and they're going to regret that game at about three and four years when they keep elevating their program and personnel and have an opportunity late in the season to really get some momentum. Here comes Michigan and Notre Dame in South Bend 11 degrees first. The sport would be fine without USC and Notre Dame. There's a lot of things I like but don't need, like a Maserati or a mansion. I like USC Notre Dame, although it's clearly become a Notre Dame own series.

The Irish need it. USC doesn't. The sport would be fine. It went from the BCS to a four-team playoff. People grumbled. Now it's going to a 12-team playoff. People are grumbling more. They disband into PAC-12.

We're fine. The pitch clock, the in-season tournament, take a deep breath. I understand. 40% of Americans never leave the zip code they were born in. I get it. People don't like change. But it's inevitable. And most of the time, it's better.

USC Notre Dame, if I was an AD at either school, especially U.S. see, I'd start looking at calendars and make it a buy. They'd survive. The sport would survive. By the way, Fox executives are projecting Big Ten TV ratings, with the addition of new teams from the West, will be up 15 to 18 percent this year. We're all going to be okay. J-MAC, last night I did something that I had never done before.

And I felt terrible for it. Was it recruiting your buddy to my name? Men's League basketball team. No, it was not. I'll get to that later. An embarrassing moment last night. I was very embarrassed, but I was able to overcome it. I went to the 900.

I did some due diligence before we go on Saturday night. I went there to scattered out. It's Saturday happening now, for sure. They've re-opulstered chairs. I just want to make sure we have a place to hang out. Okay. All right. Hey, big Saturday night out on the town for the big guy. All right. I've got to get an outfit, huh? I can't just roll up in a regular

shirt. No, you don't need to get an outfit. Jeans and a t-shirt are just good. Just keep the hat on forward. Coming up next, JJ Reddick in the Lakers, it appears inevitable. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. 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. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got? to do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Bull zone, sponsored by credible great rates, none of the Bull. Lakers coaching search. All signs continue to point to J.J. Reddick, who, reportedly now is building a staff. Hard to keep that secret.

Of course, that's more proof that LeBron is staying in Los Angeles, which I said yesterday, Fools Gold, if you think you're going to lure him to the Phoenix Suns or Philadelphia. J.J. Reddick will be fine. The NFL and football in general is a coaching league. You get exposed very quickly if you're over your head. Nathaniel Hackett was exposed in his first game in Seattle. had Russell Wilson couldn't figure out the clock.

Jim Tom Sulla, David Cully and Houston, Freddie Kitchens in Cleveland, you're exposed five games in. Every play is dependent on schematic brilliance, efficiency, and details. Things get copied, right? Basketball is a little loose. The smartest NBA coach ever is arguably Phil Jackson. He had an offense called the triangle. Nobody copied it. Why? Because the sense was the schematic brilliance created by text winner was a tad overrated.

It was more about Kobe MJ Shack getting theirs. An NBA coach is about managing personalities, getting a rotation everybody agrees in or works, aligning yourself with your top star very quickly, getting buy-in. If JJ Reddick gets buy-in from LeBron in AD, and I'm sure he will, certainly with LeBron, and AD will follow suit, he will be fine. Steve Kerr, Greg Popovich, have always let their stars dictate many things. Team chemistry, when to practice, when to take a day off, what time is shoot around. A lot of that stuff is governed by the star players.

And sometimes in the same league in Oklahoma City, that coach has to develop young players. J.J. Reddick would have to manage old stars. It's sort of like being a parent. The title is parent, but it's different raising two seven-year-olds than two kids out of college. That's sort of where I'm at. I'm essentially a loan officer. My kids know they've been pre-approved. I'm just managing loans and rates.

The Lakers is actually not a great job, but it's not a terribly difficult one as long as expectations are in line. LeBron, A.D., Austin Reeves aren't difficult to coach. although LeBron can be difficult to get approval from after a year or two. I think J.J. Reddick will be fine. I think NBA coaching is different. It's more about buy-in than win now. The Lakers, J.J. Reddick, he's building a staff, is going to happen. J. Mack with the news.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Let's go to the NFL for some breaking news, Colin. Jalen Waddle and the Dolphins have agreed to a three-year $84 million extension. The deal includes $76 million guaranteed. Makes Waddle one of the top five highest paid receivers in the NFL. His guaranteed money is the third highest for a receiver in NFL history. Jalen Waddle.

With that sink in. A.J. Brown got 84. Amara St. Brown got 77. And now Jail Lottel getting $70. So Tyree Kill and Jaden Waddle are going to get $60 million. if you made to the 10th highest paid quarterback, which is about 43 million. That's where Josh Allen's at.

You'd have 100 million on three players. None of them defense, none of them defensive line, none of them offensive line. You'd have a hundred million if he's just the 10th highest paid quarterback, and he'll want more. And that's why I said, to me, teams tell you who they're interested in long term. I mean, why would you pay 60 million to two receivers? So you've got a brilliant offensive coach, two speedy receivers.

That is telling you you you can't give Tua exactly what Tua wants. Or it's telling you he didn't get hurt last year, but we're going to let him play again this year and see how we feel about it. Yeah, that list, you know, listen, sometimes you get lucky we're early to market on this wide receiver bubble. Colin, at no point last season or the season before did anybody think Jill and Wada was the top 10 receiver in there? Nope. He's getting paid like a top five receiver. Yep.

Something's going on. This is not sustainable. This cannot continue. This sounds like it's a message to Tua's agent. That's what it feels like. It's a message to Tua's agent. I mean, Green Bay isn't paying any of their receivers so they can pay Jordan Love a lot. Miami's paying to a fortune that has to affect what I'm going to pay to us. Assuming Tyree Kill doesn't come back and say, hey, hey, hey, I'm the best receiver. I want a new deal. Who knows? I'll just say this. Miami strikes me as like an NBA. team that's built for the regular season. They're going to put up a lot of numbers.

It's going to be flashy. And then come playoff time. Limitations, they're not going to make a run. They've decided we can't defend anybody. What's the point? Let's just build an offense that's a track team. And let's try to outscore people. We're going to win 9, 10, 11 games.

We're going to be in the playoffs. I think they will win 9, 10, or 11 games. I do. But I don't think it's a sustainable model to pay three players 100 to $110 million of your cash. Are you scared of this team come January? I would not want to play Miami down in Miami in the first six weeks of the season, where it's 88 degrees humid and they got their offense humming.

I wouldn't want any part of that. I have no problem playing Miami at home at my place, December, January, February. Now, maybe they get home field advantage. Maybe they sneak to 13 wins. Now, if they get home field advantage, that changes the equation, right? Then they don't have to go to Buffalo or Kansas City or New York. A lot of the best AFC teams, your Baltimore's, your Buffalo's Kansas City are cold weather teams. And I'll remind people, look at that end of the season schedule.

Packers, who Coward likes a lot, my Jets, Texans who are a playoff team, Niners have the highest win total in the league. At Cleveland, at the Jets. Two cold weather games. You know what? That can be one in five. It's not easy. Not an easy schedule. We like the coach a lot.

I think he's brilliant and I think the receivers are good, but Jailen Wattles not. I like the running backs. Is that A Chan last year? My God, this team hung 70 on the Broncos, remember? Like, they can score on anyone. Can they get a stop to save their life? Yeah. I don't think so.

Next up, it's Aaron Rogers time, Colin. Aaron Rogers cutting it up. Did you know he's entering his 20th season in the NFL? And at 40 years old, he's the oldest player currently under contract for an NFL team. Yeah. Well, Quinn and Williams of the Jets was speaking to reporters. He didn't even know that Rogers was entering his 20th season in the NFL. Is it going to be out in his 20 years?

20 years? I didn't know that anything 20 years in NFL? Man! And I running back, the number zero is 20 years old? Yeah, yeah. So he's been in NFL long as he's been alive. That's crazy. I got to joke with him about that.

Yeah, I didn't play for his first three years. Now, there is some other videos circulating about Rod. Just not looking 100%. What's that? I mean, it's like, you don't want to freak out. Would you bury it? Listen, he's in his 20th season. I don't know.

Brady looked pretty good in his 25th. Did you bury that video? Didn't make the show? I didn't. We'll discuss it. Perhaps it will make the show. The carton this morning went off on it. Listen, Rogers.

I guess I'll have to watch that show to get the real news, not the fake news. He's in his 20th season. What do you expect? It's June. He's coming off in Achilles. He's not going to look sharp and fast. Is he? I don't even know why he's out there.

nine months after Achilles, just wait until July, dude. I don't know why he's out there. A lot of fake news happening in New York these days. Yeah, a lot of. Starting with the New York Men. Final story is game five of the Western Conference Finals tonight. Yeah. Nats of 3-1, and it is starting to look like Derek lively may play.

He's now upgraded to questionable after taking that knee to the back of the head in game four. That means he's going to play. that he's going to play. Questionable beings, he's going to play. He should play. Lively, by the way, hasn't missed a shot in the Western Conference Finals. No. He has been something that college basketball does not give teams immediate help.

He's been terrific. He's been a really, really nice get. I'm going to tell you something. Brad Stevens won executive of the year. But you can look at Dallas. I mean, they have transformed this franchise in 18 months. Drafting, Kyrie, trade deadline moves. Like, that's front office stuff.

Aggressive stuff. Yeah, I mean, this kid's become a, even if a rookie's pretty good in the regular season, they melt in the playoffs. You don't get a, you don't get a 20-year-old guy in the playoffs who's asked to be like a role player and defend and rim protect. That doesn't work.

Yeah. This kids, like, he couldn't drink at the hotel bar. He has the highest plus minus in the entire NBA playoffs at plus one. When he's on the court, the Mavs are winning. And Nico Harrison came from Nike, and I was one of the people. I'm like, that's weird. I don't really get it.

But I got to be honest with you. Go look at their last 18 months. Remember I was tough on Ryan Poles, the Bears GM, and I said, we got to be fair. I didn't like some of his early moves. Claypool was a miss. Beelis Jones receiver a miss. I'm like, I'm not a couple of O-Linman miss, but he's had a great 18 months. Got to be fair.

Eko Harrison has, I'm talking multiple levels, draft, Kyrie, trade deadline. Yeah, no, he's crushed. It was like when I first joined the show. I had a couple clunky shows or a couple. Couple. You did not go to management and say, hey, I don't know about this. I did, actually, but you didn't hear about it. It's okay. Jay Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. You know, this is interesting. Speaking of, I got a good NFL topic I'm going to get to. But Josh Hart played for the Knicks, and they were a great story. so he was on a podcast called the Pivot podcast. And he basically went out and he was asked about kind of the most dangerous Boston Celtic.

And he didn't say Jason Tatum. And he didn't say Jalen Brown. He came out and he said, no, it's actually Derek White does more things well than anybody. And when I heard that, I thought, oh boy, that's. going to get a lot of heat. But it goes back to something that we talked about. I talked about on Monday is that the Celtics are much more collaborative. Dallas is much more singularly alpha with Luca. Is that Jason Tatum, as I pointed out, he kind of floats off the ball a lot. So his usage rate, when you juxtapose it with the production level is not that high. The production

he delivers, you'd think he has a higher usage rate, and he doesn't. So in the NBA, we are used to Batman and Robbins, with Scotty and Pippin and Shaq and Kobe, and Duncan and Parker, LeBron and D. Wade, Yokic and Murray, M.J. Pippin, Stefan Clay, and that's not what this team is. On any given playoff night, Derek White, Porzingis, or Drew Holliday, could score 25 points. So this team really leans into collaboration.

and I mean if this if the Celtics were a movie it'd be Oceans 11 you're like yeah I know Clooney's the lead but Andy Garcia could be and Julia Roberts and Matt Damon and and all a sudden you look around Brad Pitt's in the movie and I'm not sure well he's a lead but he's not and that's what the Celtics are great movie by the way so whereas let's be honest even the Denver Nuggets are very dependent on Jamal Murray hitting shots late Dallas, very dependent on Luca. The T-Wolves, similarly, if Carl Anthony Towns off offensively, they become very ant-dependent. That is not the Celtics.

In fact, Jason Tatum's playoff average is 26 points. The Celtics are 7 and 1 when he scores less than that. So it's interesting for Josh Hart to pick up on that and saying it's actually Derek White, who can defend at a top level, who can hit a three, who can drive to the basket, is a guy that doesn't get the credit. I've said this. I think Derek White's a two on many NBA teams.

On this team, if everybody's healthy, he's a four. Some nights if Porzengis is humming, he's a five. So this team is not going to be, and I've said, they don't feel like most championship teams. They just don't. The Denver Nuggets, in Jamal Murray's career, if he doesn't score like over 20 points, I think Denver's like 9 and 16 in the playoffs.

Like they need Jamal Murray. There are nights the Celtics don't need Jason Tatum. Here's Josh Hart talking about it. Impactful? I might put Derek White more impactful than Dick T. Look at every main play in the last six minutes of the fourth to overtime. Every big play he made. He's probably one of the most impactful players

because he does just everything on the court and does everything at a very high level. Yeah, they lean into it. They're good. All right, so I saw a stat, data, as we like to call it, J-Mag. So there are some things that are, they're true, they're hard truths, they're uncomfortable. Like, bad things happen to good people, right?

Your wife doesn't always tell. tell you the truth. I'm sorry she doesn't. And you don't tell her the truth all the time. That half the playoff teams last year, half of them will not make the playoffs.

6.8 new playoff teams per year since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams. Half won't make it. I saw a couple other stats. There were four new division winners this year. there were six new

playoffs teams, Browns, Lions, Packers, Texans, Rams, Steelers, and the six that missed were Bengals, Jags, Chargers, Vikings, Giant, Seahawks. Some more predictable than others. So when we return, I'll just tell you, and actually

it may be the easiest year ever of the seven new playoff teams. A lot of times we can go back and forth. We literally came up with seven, and I would be surprised if all seven did not make the playoffs this year, and they did not last year. That's coming up.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great buy. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. to this league uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 which I'll say it. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Ton Ton Ton, and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday, it's baseball night in America on Fox as the Cardinals take on Bryce Harper and the NL East leaving Phillies. Or the Reds Battle of Cups or Angels Mariners. It all begins at 70s turn on Fox.

for the game in your area. World Series Phillies, get your tickets now. So we were saying since the league expanded, the national football league expanded to 14 playoff teams, seven AFC, seven NFC, that on average, there's seven new playoff teams. And here's some other things. The new ones last year were the Browns,

Lions, Packers, Texans, Rams, Steelers. Remember, the Rams were supposed to be terrible. The Texans were a laughing stock. Lions give me a break. Now they all made the playoffs. the six teams that miss the Bengals, Jags, Chargers, Vikings, Giants, and Seahogs. Four new division winners last year, Ravens, Texans, Cowboys, and Lions, and at least one team since they expanded the playoffs,

at least one last place team has won their division. Last to first, Browns, Texans in 2023. Yeah, one team has made the playoffs, excuse me, after finishing last, in the division the prior season. They don't necessarily win the division, but they make the playoffs. And so there's just certain things in sports that are true. Like your number one pick in the NBA is not going to elevate you immediately to greatness. It just doesn't work that way.

Wemby's remarkable. Thank God for the Pistons, or they would have been the worst team in the league. So here's the seven teams that on the surface look like the best bets to turn their season around. Number one's an easy one. Cincinnati. They missed the playoffs by one. game without Joe Burrow. That's going to be a different team.

Again, with Jake Browning, in arguably the best division in the league, certainly defensively, really good. They missed the playoffs by one game. Cincinnati will be a playoff team if Joe Burrow is healthy. The second one, the biggest coaching upgrade from Brandon Staley to Jim Harbaugh would be the Chargers. They had actually made the team. with Brandon Staley, made the playoffs.

Last year, everything circled the drain, and they became a really bad football team by Thanksgiving. In the end, though, Harbaugh is not only a great coach, but he's a quick turnaround artist. This team doesn't have Super Bowl perimeter weapons. Everywhere else, they're very good. Number three is actually the Jets. If Aaron Rogers is just healthy with that defense,

they should win a bunch of games, 8, 9, 10. I don't buy the 11, 12, 13. He is 40, will be, off an Achilles surgery. They really have one big time back and one receiver who's a star that doesn't have a history of injuries. But if people are healthy, including Aaron Rogers, they're going to be in virtually every game. I mean, just think of how bad they were offensively last year. I would say four, the biggest quarterback upgrades, the Atlanta, Falcons. Desmond Ritter to Kirk Cousins, this is a really good offense with an excellent O-line.

Only Detroit's O-line is better, unquestionably better. Outside of that, Atlanta's in the top four or five. Again, this is a really, really weak division. Feels like it is most years. And Kirk Cousins, if he can't play early, they drafted Michael Pennix. The knock on Atlanta, they don't have a consistent pass rush, and they have too many good quarterbacks. I would say number five is Chicago. I mean, Chicago felt like a bad team last year. They won seven games. They can't win nine with a transformational, transformative college quarterback. They've upgraded the offensive line. They've actually drafted pretty good.

And if you go to look at Matt Eber Fluse's defense, week 10 on last year when they got Montez Sweat, it was really, really good. I think you have to keep your eye on Indianapolis. We loved what we saw with the quarterback Anthony Richardson, and we love Shane Steichen. They went 9 and 8 with Gardner Minshu. And Anthony Richardson is like jump off the television explosive. I think you've got to keep your eye on the Colts. And number 7, the Jaguars. They went 9 and 8 last year, and how many different injuries did Trevor Lawrence suffer during the season?

Christian Kirk, their number two receiver was out for much of the season. They drafted that receiver out of LSU, Brian Thomas. So Kirk's back, Trevor's Healthy, Brian Thomas, offensive coach, weird division. We don't know if Tennessee's any good. So it does feel like if you had to make a bet, either there's a coaching upgrade, a quarterback upgrade, a health upgrade, an acquisition upgrade, bears back. Bengals, Chargers, Colts, Falcons, Jags. Yes, the New York Jets.

I do not think the Jets are going to be a great team. But could they be good to very good if Aaron's healthy and Brees Hall doesn't get banged up? Absolutely. Miami now is paying all their money to wide receivers. How is that going to play as Tua wants a contract and probably doesn't get one going into the season? I like Miami. Miami and the Jets play, I believe, last game of the year. I think it could be a deciding game.

It's in cold weather, New York. That helps. But I do think those are the seven teams I look at. Bears quarterback upgrade. Bengals quarterback upgrade. Chargers coaching upgrade. Colts quarterback upgrade. Falcons quarterback upgrade.

Jaguars health upgrade. Jets quarterback upgrade. Okay. So you want to take it next level? I love this. These are great teams. Now look at last year's playoff teams and tell me who's not making it and who each of these are replacing. I'll give you Falcons.

over bucks. That's an easy one. Well, let's go back. Let's go back to the beginning of this segment, the first graphic when we named the playoff teams last year. Yes. So let me throw one at you off the top. Okay. So I would say in the AFC, Pittsburgh is odd man out. I agree. I think Baltimore's not going anywhere. Best run organization, arguably. Burrow was back. Deshaun Watson's whole season was weird. Is he going to play? Is he not? We know, we like their GM and we like their coach. We like their O-line. We like

their weapons. I would say Pittsburgh out. The division's tougher. I think Miami, do we really believe TWA is going to be healthy again? I think that's arguable. Outside of that, I'm sorry, I think the bills are fine. The race is the only

problem is you have two teams Jags and Colts from that division. So you now put three in with the Texans, or do Texans slide back with a tough first-place schedule, but their roster's pretty sick? Well, let's go to the NFC. I don't like Dallas. I think they couldn't improve their team.

I think Mike McCarthy's on the hot seat if they struggle in the first six weeks. I think they're going to become very DAC dependent without having a solid run game. CD Lamb now, you hope he gets signed early to get rid of that drama. But I think Dallas,

there is a history when they're very DAC dependent, throwing 38 times or more. They're a sub-500 team. I think Washington makes a big leap up. So Washington was the eighth team, I would have said, made the playoffs, but I haven't seen Jane Daniels play. But I think Washington's better. Philadelphia is better.

They got their coordinators in Saquan-Barkley. Dallas could miss the playoffs. I think the bucks. I mean, it was... We got that. But there's one other you've got to pull. Well, no, right now, I said the easy ones for me... Yeah.

The easiest ones are Steelers, Dolphins, Cowboys, Bucks. Browns, too, right? Browns, too. Okay. Okay, so Cleveland, Miami, Pittsburgh, so I'm at five. Yeah. And I would say Dallas and Tampa. Now, we also know this to be true.

There will be a team that will lose a star quarterback. Yeah. So I'm not going to predict who that's going to be, but 66 quarterbacks played last year. So there's no question that some great quarterback in this league, I mean, if Matt Stafford, they made the playoffs. If Matt Stafford goes down, Rams aren't making the playoffs. Two years ago he went down. Right. And he tends to, even if it's banging his hand in a helmet, he gets banged up, he sits in the pocket to the very end, he takes shots. They're all lines better interior. I don't know if it's great left tackle. But there will be a team or two,

Anthony Richardson last year. We love the Colts. And then he got hurt. We love the Bengals. Then Burrow got hurt. So I can look at five and say, circumstantially, they won't be as good. You know there's going to be two more that lose a quarterback. Yeah. ultimately I kind of like it now the other one is you have lions and packers making it again along with bears so that that division becomes very very challenging well I think there's an argument it's the best offensive division in football the AFC North is the best defense division in football so I yeah I think Minnesota finishes probably fourth yeah and that is an offense that's only missing a star quarterback well we don't know who's starting week one is it Darnold, but we'll see. You think Darnold? Yeah, I think he'll start. He'll get some reps.

So, yeah, I mean, I don't think any of this, but 6.8 new playoff teams per year. That's crazy. Or is it? I think, you know, it's funny. So the league has gone out of its way. We know this with rule changes to protect the quarterback. Yet 60 quarterbacks play. The year before that, it was like 54, 55, somewhere around there.

So the league is doing everything they can. So as simultaneously, the league is doing its best job to protect quarterbacks, there's an argument that because the players won in the CBA and got fewer practices, that it's hurt the offensive lines more than any unit. Because offensive lines in football are very much a cohesion and chemistry play. They're practicing less. So offensive line play has regressed badly over the last three to four years, maybe longer in the CBA, they don't practice as much.

And of all the units that need time, of all the individual units, it's probably O-line. So the league is doing it through safety measures, protecting the quarterbacks, but the players think they win, right? When you go to the CBA, it's like, oh, we won, we don't have to practice as much. That's awful for the league. You want your offensive linemen to practice. And as the league is more mobile and younger, you're getting, I mean, how many times does an offensive line bring everybody back? It's almost unheard of.

Somebody's a free agent. Somebody gets moved. I mean, it's just almost unheard of. Like offensive lines, now you have what they call swing tackles. The left tackle can play right tackle. It used to be you were a left, you were a right. Now you have guards moving to center. So there's so much mobility on the offensive line.

We've also had two or three great offensive line coaches retire. like Dante Scarnackia, Jimmy Johnson's told me for years the hardest good coach to find on the staff is offensive line coach. So you've got legends retiring, fewer practices, more mobility and flexibility,

swing tackles. So the offensive line now is just in flux all the time and quarterbacks go down. I know you mentioned the Ravens as a team not going anywhere. One of my buddies did a thing online where he said the Ravens have lost

more players who played 50% of their snaps than any play. playoff team in recent memory. And like, they lost a lot of guys and their defensive coordinator. Be careful with the Ravens this year. My brother goes to Gaines. He's a fan. Just be careful with the Ravens, Colin.

Greg Olson, around the corner hour, too. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. 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. 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 game. 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. 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'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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.