The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Harden, Westbrook, Rodgers

Episode Date: March 3, 2022

James Harden is fitting in quite well with the SixersRussell Westbrook isn't an all time greatAaron Rodgers has known where he's going to play for a whileGuest: Ryan Day Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. 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.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Thursday. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd, wherever you may be. However you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It's a good time of the year. Second half of the NBA, we told you.

Watch the stories get interesting. March Madness coming up. Big UFC fight weekend. It's got a lot of things going on right now. You know, Joy, you said the first half of the NBA season, you're competing against the NFL, so it's hard to get noticed. You're competing for a lot of it against college football. And frankly, it wasn't a great story.

First half. Suddenly, we got a great story. Well, yeah, and it's such a long season. There's so much that develops in the first half of the season. There's injuries you have to overcome. Who's going to fit into what system? How are the stars fitting? A lot of them didn't.

And that was mostly the story of the first half. Not anymore, though. Yeah, James Hardin goes to Philadelphia, and they're now 3-0. He is doing what he's done in recent years, score a lot and distribute a lot. Last night, he had 26 points, nine assists, nine rebounds. If you watch the game, the chemistry's good, he's incredibly happy and joyful, and this is what we predicted. The Sixers Net trade is sort of fascinating to watch the reaction.

Brooklyn basically is betting on things in this trade that have never happened before. Ben Simmons, he will handle the pressure. He couldn't do that in college. Kyrie Irving will get along with everybody. Never happened once. Never happened once in his career. Kevin Durant will stay healthy. He's missed 128 games in three years.

And Steve Nash will pull it all together. Maybe. If you liked Brooklyn in this trade, and I didn't, you're investing in things that have never succeeded before. It's a bunch of finger crossing, hope, and ifs. James Hardin didn't want to be part of the ifs. Hardin's a guy that's been open three restaurants.

They've all worked. He's opening a fourth in Philadelphia. I'll invest in that. Let's look at James Hardin's career. First stop is Oklahoma City. He's there three years. He gets better every year. He wins six man of the year.

Huge success. The organization didn't get how much. good he was. He goes to Houston. Eight years, scoring titles, eight playoffs. Every year, they moved people around. There were a lot of trades. Eight years, eight playoffs. That's a success. One year in Brooklyn with Crazy Karee and Kevin Durant's herd. And he actually elevated his game. He became like an elite distributor as well as an elite score. I was on the air multiple times saying, man, like I like the new James Harden. Like he's making this whole thing. work because all three of those guys are scores.

So now he goes to Philadelphia. He's opening a fourth restaurant. They've all worked. I like investing in stuff that I've seen succeed before. I've never seen Ben Simmons be a step-up guy in big games. I've never seen Kevin Durant in three years remain healthy. I've never seen Kyrie Irving. So it all together.

He didn't like Brad Stevens. He didn't like LeBron. Folks, then you add this, why I predicted it would work, and it is because it's the classic NBA formula. Scoring guard, dominant big veteran head coach. Shaq Kobe,

Wilt West, Duncan, Parker, Popovich. This formulas work over and over and over again. Philadelphia is going to get to the Eastern Conference finals. They've got two of the seven best scores in the game, maybe two of the best five on certain nights. They're both

healthy. They're both engaged. This was just adding something that's worked everywhere to something that just needed a big time piece. This was an easy one. Brooklyn, he's crossing your fingers on that stuff. You're investing in a company. That's like people who put their life savings in Bitcoin. I'm going to go with banks, real estate stocks for the time being. You go out there and change the world. Harden after another exhilarating performance last night. I'm very comfortable in a lot of situations, whether there's basketball just in life. I feel like you can put me anywhere in a room and I can fit in.

So here is no different, you know, just survey the room, see who's in, you know, see what you have and, you know, try your best to fit in or, you know, be the best, or for me, be the best James Hardin I can be in every aspect. Three and all, he's crushing, he scores, he distributes, he's happy, he's engaged, see the Sixers in the Eastern Conference finals, probably against Milwaukee. So here's a report. Came from Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report. That's a legitimate company.

The Lakers and Russell Westbrook have mutual interest in parting ways. So that will be his fifth team in five years. Westbrook can keep running, but you can't run away from yourself. This one's on Russell. LeBron got along instantly with Anthony Davis. LeBron plays well with Reeves and Malik Monk and Anthony Davis when he's healthy and Carmelo Anthony. And yet, it all works here. Chemistry was never the issue with the Lakers in AD.

He got along and played well with KCP. I didn't like when they let KCP go. He got along and played with Alex Caruso. LeBron's got along with everybody in L.A. Not everybody's been a great fit. He gets along with kind of kooky Dwight Howard. who's kind of a different cat. He can't make it work with Russell Westbrook.

By the way, LeBron also got along with Kyrie, who's difficult, Wade and Bosch, who aren't, Shane Badiate, Ray Allen. LeBron's career has been really summed up this way, beyond his greatness. He makes everything work. I think I once compared him to salt. It makes everything better. The casserole, the eggs, the steak. LeBron makes everything better.

And he can't figure out. Russell Westbrook. Remember Russell Westbrook said, Hardens, my friend, didn't work. I love L.A. This doesn't work. It's not everybody else's fault. As I've said for over a decade,

Russell lives in a tunnel, he plays in a tunnel, nobody ever gets better, and for 13 years, all the media has done is fawn over him. And now everybody, because he plays in highly visible L.A., is crushing him. Folks, the expectations here were outrageous to begin with. I was hoping for production. Now he's not even that.

But I saw recently the NBA at the All-Star game had their 75 best players of all time and Westbrook was on it. And I looked at it and I thought, he's talented. But the Lakers this year with Westbrook on the floor are minus 148. If Westbrook's not on the floor, they're plus 26. If you were in movies and every time you were in a movie, it bombed. even if you were good looking even if people in the

Hollywood say great actor every movie you were in got worse and you never worked with any of the cast are you one of the great 75 actors of all time no Kevin Durant work with Steph in a week AD worked with LeBron

in a night and he can't make Westbrook work this is why the NBA too often Fonz over athletic ability. Do you make people better? Are you easy to play with? Or do you play in a tunnel? It's all about you.

It's all about stats. But everybody that's upset with Westbrook, I've been on this for years. It doesn't make anybody better. He's not a winning basketball player. So you can crush him now. But when you can't get along, when you cannot get along

with LeBron James, And you can't play well with LeBron James. That ain't on LeBron. That's on Westbrook. You look at his playoff success. He can't get out of the first round once. So here we are today. Westbrook Lakers both looking for an exit.

And he wasn't even productive this year. Happiness is based on expectations. You puffed him up and you fawned for 13 years. And now he goes to games and fans are scrubs. screaming at him and mocking him and rolling their eyes at him. Where are you here for 13 years? Did you watch any of his games? I feel bad for Westbrook actually now, the way he's been treated. But he has nobody to blame but himself. He just can't play with anybody.

15 now in five years if he wants out. But this is what the NBA too often does. The NBA media. Oh, he's great. Oh, he's this. Ask yourself one thing. If you're putting a movie, do you make the movie better? The answer is no, you're not a great actor. I don't care how perfect your cheekbones are. I don't care how good your skin is, how great your hair is.

I don't care what the Hollywood Press says. If you go on the set and you make the show, the streaming show, the movie worse, you're not an all-time great. Period. And Westbrook's not. Here's Rick Buecker the other day in regards to his fit or lack thereof with LeBron and the Lakers. He's always been a volume guy.

He's never been an efficiency guy. But you're asking him to incorporate being the Russ Westbrook show within what a LeBron James who is falling off and a bunch of other pieces that ultimately do not fit. And for those out there who are thinking that Westbrook has fallen off mightily, he really hasn't. He's with the Lakers and he's playing next to the Lakers. and he's playing next to LeBron James, and he's in L.A., and everybody's paying attention to every single game.

That's it. But you can yell at him, you can mock him, you can point fingers at him, you can say he's been a big disappointment. His numbers with the Lakers are not that off over his last four or five stops. I mean, he's no longer the MVP level. He is aging poorly,

his great athletes who can't shoot do. But where were you for 15 years? Not that big of a shock. Good stuff today. Ryan Day, Ohio State football coaches, joining us. He's at the NFL Combine. There was a picture this morning of an Alabama left tackle. It is amazing what athletes look like today.

I think he's going to be the number one pick. Evan Neal, left tackle Alabama. 337 pounds. There's a picture of him. Ripped. I've never seen a human carry 337 pounds and looked like it's 240. So it's not a great draft,

but if I was drafting, that looked like Tyron Smith out of USC for the Cowboys. Years ago, I went to a USC practice. This is years and years and years and years ago. And Tyron Smith was like a high school, All-American, and I went to practice.

And he had abs. Like, he had like a washboard stomach. And I was like, they're like, yeah, he's left tackle. Very, very good. How much is he weigh? They're like, 309. I'm like, if you have abs at 309, God built you differently and you're going to be a great football player.

And Tyron Smith has been arguably the best tackling the NFL for like 12, 13 years. So I saw that picture. I know pictures say a thousand words. That picture said three words, number one pick. I'm taking him number one. I'm sorry. We're going to have this combine. It's got to have an influence.

I saw that picture. I'm like, I cannot believe that young man is 337 pounds. You should go look online at it. Yeah, he's built different. That's just different. There are just some people. That's solid. 337 pounds.

Well, I mean, it's not what you imagine. But yeah, that's a professional athlete for a long time. That's exactly it. That body is going to, Mark Slareth will tell you, he puts on 60 pounds for football. He leaves, he stops eating fudge all day, and Mark Slarith is back to his normal weight. Even the offensive lineman, you've got to puff up. That's why so many offensive linemen leave football. ball and they slim down, they lose 60.70.

They look totally different. That guy carries the weight like I carry 180 pounds. He's just one of the most remarkable pictures I've ever seen at a combine. I put it on Twitter. I was like, folks got to see this. 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 I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'll say. 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 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 part. podcast. 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 with 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 a 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 was 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. Now entering No Bull Zone. Sponsored by Credible. Great rates.

None of the Bull. So, you know, we're all kind of waiting on Aaron Rogers. We got about a week left and he has to make a decision. A little more than a week. Green Bay had said earlier this week, we're not getting calls on him. I think most people think he's staying in Green Bay. I certainly do. Matt Lefleur, his head coach, said yesterday, I don't want to annoy Aaron Rogers.

I'm not talking to him. It's probably the best thing to do. But I do think if I worked in the Green Bay area, I'd be snooping around. The answer is out there. Who goes on a 12-day cleanse and doesn't have professional clarity when they come out of it?

He knows what he's doing. Tom Brady gave us signs. What? He put his house up for sale. Aaron Rogers. Is he coming back? Remember at this offseason? I said he just renewed his golf country club membership.

He came back. LeBron James bought a second house in L.A., a second house in L.A. A year before he moved to the Lakers. athletes give you with their business decisions with their real estate they give you hints on what they're doing in fact i think if you peeked and snooped around where erin lives and people close to him and cleaning people at the house and what's he doing with contracts the answer's there i can't figure it out but i do think this for sure and i've said i'm not going to try to figure erin rogers

out um i think he loves this and i think when he put the instagram post out he spent hours on it. And he made it ambiguous for a reason. Anybody you can ask 10 people about that IG post. Five, it's a goodbye. Five, he stank. He did it on purpose. Aaron likes the attention. Deep down, I think he knows the NFC North is one of the worst divisions in football and he can continue to own it and win games. I think he knows the NFC now. Brady is retired. Breeze is retired. Sean Payton's gone. It's there for the taking.

and I don't think he wants to be hated. And if he left Green Bay, there'd be a lot of angry fans. And he's a sensitive guy. I don't think he likes that. But I think deep down he knows what he's doing. I think he likes the attention. And I think the IG post was created. And I'm not saying it wasn't heartfelt, but he made it ambiguous for a reason.

He wanted you to guess. Brady's retired. Breeze is gone. He knows the NFC's there for the taking. I mean, really, Stafford and McVeigh, there's your roadblock. One. Greg Jennings has a feeling what he's doing. I'm subscribing to Aaron and Green Bay.

Kyla Murray is the only personality that I really feel like will completely go against the grain and will stick to his guns. I just don't believe Aaron Rogers is that bold to say, you know what? Hey, screw it. They've tried everything I've still won out by because he's going to have to force himself out. Or they're going to have to agree to a destination.

nation that both parties are okay with and they're going to receive assets. I just don't see that happening. Yep, we agree on that, but I'm not going to try to figure them out. But I don't believe anybody goes in a 12-day cleanse comes out of it without clarity. You're vomiting, you're sleeping, you're napping, there's incense for 12 days. You knew flying back home, you knew what you were going to do. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I light incense every day.

Why do you do that? Because it smells good. It brings you to that kind of... It does make it. It's a nice aroma. Yeah, chills you out. Chills me out. I don't know if it gives me clarity on anything, but I like the way it smells. So there's plenty of speculation on Russell Wilson as well.

And if he wants out of Seattle, he continues to deny those rumors. And Pete Carroll said the team has no plans on moving him. At this time of year, we're... You know, there's conversations about everybody. We're talking about everybody. And that's commonplace for us to have conversations with teams about all of the players, particularly marquee players. And that's not changed.

It's been the same every year we've been here. So it's the same as it's been. We have no intention of making any move there. But the conversations, John has to feel those he always has, but nothing specific to that. By the way, that's a perfect answer. Yeah, it wasn't too definitive. No, no, that is a very, A, he's right. Pete's telling you the truth.

I've been in this business forever. You take calls on everybody that's not named Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, no. And by the way, I saw a story yesterday that Washington called on Patrick Mahomes. Like, everybody calls on everybody. So we talked about the combine. It's not just watching guys in shorts do push-ups, right? Right.

It's a deal-making exercise. So Pete's answer there, and I believe Pete, I had a discussion about Pete last night with somebody who played for him. Very interesting how thorough Pete is. Pete doesn't walk to the microphone without knowing what could be asked and what he's going to say. And that was a perfect answer to people like Russell Wilson. This is what we do. People call us. We talk about everybody.

We talk about personnel. Well, I mean, we and fans sometimes spin that into, oh, they're fielding calls on Russell Wilson, which is obviously not the case. It's just, it sounds better when you say it like that for our, you know, perspective. But Russ says he's not planning on moving. They're not going to move him. I've maintained, I'm not doing anything with Russell Wilson unless he demands it. Unless Russ comes in and says you must trade me or we're going to, you know, cause problems around here. I would not move off of Russell Wilson.

It's the hardest thing to find is a franchise quarterback. Well, also, Joy, if Russell has a huge advantage that Aaron doesn't, Russell has a no trade clause. There's seven in pro football. Seven. And Russell's got a good agent. He has one, meaning you can't even trade him unless he approves. Right. So that's a huge negative for Pete Carolyn John Snyder.

because whoever you are willing to trade with, that team knows we're on a short list of teams, so they have leverage. So Russell's a really hard guy to trade because he has the ultimate card, which, by the way, Aaron will have next year as a free agent, right? So Russell, anybody that calls the Seahawks and the Seahawks say, okay, we'll negotiate, they know they're on a tiny list of teams and they have leverage. So you're not going to trade Russell Wilson. Yeah, you can't just get the best deal that's out.

No. Because if Russ doesn't want to go there and you've wasted your time. You've eliminated, by the way, and right now in the NFL, you can eliminate 25 teams he wouldn't go to. Easily. He's under contract through the 2023 season. He'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He's a $37 million cap hit, which is the sixth highest in the NFL in the next season. But the Seahawks are kind of in an interesting situation.

I wanted to look at his numbers and the team record over the past couple years. They're not trending in the right direction. Now, he did get injured this year. So that's why I said, you know, they were 10 and 6 in 2020. Now, let's be honest, though, here, Joy. Russell's touchdown to interception ratio remains amazing over 4 to 1. So he's not getting worse. His passer rating, by the way, has stayed virtually the same.

Go down a little, but it's still great. And his passing yards per game are still high. You know what those records that are going backwards tell me? The defense has gotten significantly worse. That is not Russell Wilson's responsibility. Well, yeah, so that's why I wanted to look at it. There's a significant drop in anything. I mean, the passer rating's gone down a little bit.

You can look at that. But again, you have to keep it in perspective for this year. He was injured in 2021. But look at his comp, his TD interception, passing yards, pass a rating. Russ is not the problem in Seattle. Ross is not the issue. The issue is they're winning less because they can't stop anybody. That's the problem.

He's always playing from behind. Well, and that's the question of whether he wants to leave or not. Does he think that Seattle can turn it around? I believe he's just going to play out this contract. He's going to play for a long time. I think he's just going to play out this contract. So Tom Brady is retired, but he continues to get very cryptic answers

about what his next step will be. He was asked again about his future this week and added a little fuel to the rumors that he might return to football one day. I wish I had a clear vision of what the future holds. But I think for me, there's a lot of great things that had and a lot of great opportunities. I know I said right after football season, I was looking forward to spending time with my family.

And I've done that the last five weeks. I know there'll be a lot more of that too. So, you know, I like staying busy. That's for sure. Looking forward to some golf in the next few days and some more family time. And then we'll figure out where we go from there. Tom. I mean, we talk about this all the time.

We talk about retirement a lot. Retirements a long ways off for me. But when I retire, I am positive. I'm going to shut it down in a big way. That's how I vacation. I'm off the grid. Same here. Don't bother me.

I'm not posting anything. I'm enjoying myself. That's it. But I also don't take really long vacations. I take short little ones because I like to work. Yeah. But when I'm retired, I'm going to burn myself out. This was the question with Tom.

What is he going to do? Like, you hear him talking about it. It's like, oh, I've spent time with my family for five weeks. Like, no, Tom, that's retirement. Like, that's the future. Well, he likes to stay busy. This goes back to something. I've had this conversation with friends.

all the time. You forget how long days are. Yes. So if you sleep seven hours a day, which is I think ambitious, driven people, lot in their head are not nine-hour sleepers, seven hours of sleep, hour workout, hour and a half of eating, an hour of reading, you start adding up all the things you do, and you got about seven hours left a day, 35 hours a week, 125, 135 hours a month. this idea of ambitious people retiring, ambitious successful people rarely have lots of hobbies. That's not who, Tom's not the guy that's whittling, writing country music songs. Like, ambitious driven people don't have a lot of hobbies. They're not, you know, baristas on the side, poets, web design.

They love what they love, family in their profession. And they pour themselves into their profession. All those extra hours go into making themselves better at what they do. And then you go to a stop sign and it's like, okay, family. sleep, this, this, I still got eight hours a day. What are you going to sit on Twitter? So I think Tom is so ambitious and not a hobby guy. This is the dilemma a lot of people like that get into.

Well, but my question is with the Tom Brady retirement situation and it always has been. He's a very intentional person. Everything he does is calculated and purposeful. I have a hard time believing that he just came to this conclusion to retire when he really didn't need to. I mean, he was second an MVP voting. No one expected him to walk away at this point. he had played another year. No one would be like, hey, it's time to hang it up. So why would he make

that move and make that announcement if he had planned on any way of coming back? So maybe he's just going through the process of mourning. Yeah, sure. A little publicly. Yeah. That could be something, but I still don't see him coming back. So last season, the Dolphins were very close to making a trade for Deshawn Watson, but they are not going to try and pursue him again this year. GM, Chris Greer said yesterday the door is shut on a Watson trade. Miami believes in Tua and is moving forward with him as the starting quarterback, as they should this year, give him a year where he's actually the starting quarterback. But you mentioned the no trade clause. Deshawn Watson is one of those players, one of those seven players, along with Russell Wilson, that has a no trade clause. So again, we have no

idea what's going on with Deshawn Watson, but when we're talking about all of these moves that have to be made once Aaron Rogers makes his decision, Deshawn Watson is obviously the most talented quarterback on the market. Someone's going to trade for him. It's just a matter of what Houston is willing, is going to part with for him. They're not going to pay him another year not to play, but he's still waiting to find out if he's going to face criminal charges. Last month, his attorney said the district attorney will likely decide by April 1st whether Watson will be charged criminally. So I think once the criminal side of things is settled, then they're dealing with the other

22 cases, the civil cases. And then some team will just have to decide if they're going to deal with the reaction to signing him and willing to part ways, risking that he may at some point not be able to play. But I'm glad that the Dolphins have decided that they're just going to give to a year. You drafted him way up top. We'll see it. Here you go. What a novel concept. By the way, with an offensive coach, enjoy it with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Well, there's seven different Ohio State football players have been invited. A couple of great wide receivers, great tight end. And there are, you know, they're one of the three or four, and there's not many.

There's about three or four, maybe five college football programs in the country that are Georgia, Alabama, obviously. I wouldn't even classify Clemson as that because I think Ohio State recruits at a higher level that are kind of football factories. This is what they do. They put a lot of guys out. But what's interesting with Ohio State, they've done what Alabama's done. And this is why I've always given Nick Saban credit. Nick Saban's really evolved. And I think Lane Kiffin, when he was at Alabama, really helped ignite this.

When Nick Saban first got to Alabama, it was a linebacker and corner factory. Now it's quarterbacks and wide receivers because that's what the game looks like. the best quarterback won every NFL division. And so Nick Savan's like, I can't stop me. I couldn't stop me. So now I think of Alabama, I'm like, look how good their quarterbacks are. Look how good their wide receivers are. Ohio State's done that.

I always think of Ohio State. I think of pass rushers and linebackers, and they're still great, corners. But now I look at Ohio State and I'm like, oh, okay, Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, look at their wide receivers. And I think this is what you have to do in any industry to remain at the top. You still can be formidable at a DNA level of what you're known for, but you have to adapt. And I think that's why Ohio State remains viable. They're doing what Alabama's doing. They're like, listen, man, it's hard to stop anybody. The rules are all offense. Ryan Day's coach of the Buckeyes,

third year, three full years, won 90 percent of his games. You know, Ryan, it's interesting about that. And I give you credit for that because the world's changing. I mean, I mean, listen, I, you start looking at who's winning every NFL division, the scores of these games, even against, quote, great defenses, Ryan, it's hard to stop anybody. The middle of the field now is the offensive coaches, not the defensive coaches. You guys have pivoted very nicely. Was there a moment an epiphany three or four years ago when you sat down? Maybe it was at Urban and you had a conversation like, we have really got to look at the way the world is changing in this sport. Yeah, Colin. Yeah, it was something exactly like.

like you're talking about. I, you know, came into Ohio State and, you know, when we started recruiting quarterbacks, I got a lot of the feedback from recruits in their families. Well, you know, the history of the quarterback play, there's been certainly some really good quarterbacks who have played here. But just historically, you know, you know, they were asking about that. And I said, well, you know, we're really about to transition into throwing the a lot more. And one of the reasons why is I just think, you know, the athleticism of the players now are much different than maybe they were in decades past. You look at all sports. You look at basketball. And obviously now you look at football. It's about spacing. It's about, you know,

making teams defend the entire field. And guys are just so powerful and strong nowadays. You have to create space. And that's what throwing, you know, the passing game does in college football on that one. I think it's critical to make a run late. Now, you still have to be able to run the football. Sure. That's a critical part, and the balance is important. But proud of what we've done, and it's an exciting time to be a quarterback or a wide receiver at Ohio State. You know, it's really interesting. So I watched C.J. Stroud. It was last year, it was early. It could have been the Oregon game. And I remember remarking, I'm like, I'm not sure C.J. Stroud believes in C.J. Stroud yet. I see the talent. I see the size. I see the

whip. And then I watch him later in the year and later in the year. And I'm like, and I said it on the air, I'm like, that is the most improved quarterback in America. I don't know what it is, but he's way more confident. So what did I see? Because game one or two in game nine, Ryan, I felt like I saw a different player. That was my interpretation. I think you did. And I think first off, you saw a talented player. He's very talented. He sees the field. He prepares really well. His anticipation is excellent. He's very competitive. But I think what you saw was you saw somebody who didn't have the year before an opportunity to get on the field and throw a college football pass. He went into this season without ever throwing a pass, a touchdown, an interception. And so because of that,

you know, there's still everything he was doing for the first time. And there was a learning process there. And, you know, you have to believe in yourself. You have to do it before you can believe yourself and some other seasons, you know, before in the past, you know, before COVID hit and those type of things, we were able to get guys meaningful snaps, you know, in some of the lopsided games, like even this year, you know, we'll get Kyle McCord some snaps so that as he goes into the next year, he's more comfortable. But he came in without any experience. Yeah. And then you can see quickly he got himself to a point where he was comfortable and certainly ended the season of the Rose Bowl. That was probably his best game. Yeah, no, again,

by the way, against a really good team. Utah's got really good coach. coaches, maybe one of the best linebackers in the country. I want to ask you about two receivers. Take your time on this because the game is changing. There are a lot of teams in the league that are going to be interested in two of your receivers. Let's start with Garrett Wilson. What should I expect if I've just seen him as a fan? What does he do that's special in your opinion? Well, the first off is extremely competitive. He loves to play the game. I mean, the bigger the moment, the more he wants to play. His catch radius is off the charts. His ball skills, we were recruiting him down to Lake Travis down in Texas. You could see it

back then. He was a basketball player. Dad, he's a Hall of Famer at Davidson. So it was in his background of just great, tremendous ball skills. But he can time up down the field. He can jump up and get a deep ball. He knows how to set up defenders. He's very powerful in change of direction. He knows how to play in space. But overall, I just think, you know, the way he's changed his body and the way he attacked the offseason in this past year, he just exploded on the scene this season. And I think any team is going to be lucky to get him. Okay, Chris, Alave is another unbelievable Buckeye receiver.

How is he different? What if I didn't see him? You're selling me, I'm a GM in the NFL. And I say, Ryan, I don't know. There's a lot of guys out there. Tell me about Chris. Chris probably is the best I've ever been around of tracking a deep ball. He can really fly, you know, when you think of like the Sean Jackson down the field,

being able to just open up the game and stretch out the game. He is unbelievable in that area. I can stop, start, and kind of really time up those deep balls, and he's got tremendous top end speed. He's strong. He's got really good ball skills, powerful hands. And, you know, when you look at what he did here over four years, some of the most clutch plays in the history of Ohio State football were made by Chris Olavie.

The biggest games, he played his best. Yep, he did. That's a great point, by the way. He was a great big game player. You know, it's interesting. Kind of a macro topic here, Ryan. I am for the NIL. I am for players having mobility.

I've had it in my career. I'd be a total hypocrite if I wasn't for it. This is what worries me about the transfer portal. Number one is there's no in-season integrity. Labor Day to December 20th, I don't think players should be able to move around to your rival. He's not happy. He decides to go to Purdue. You've got to give me some. Even the NFL has got a trade deadline.

I want in-season integrity. After that, go where you want to go. So let's start with that. That bothers me. And I am pro-mobility. Your thoughts on all the transfer portal stuff you're seeing now. I agree with you. I think there has to be some guidelines in place for that.

Otherwise, you know, they're just like you're saying, there's no rules. And really no other sport or game is designed where someone can just leave in season and go to another school or whatever they want, just go to another program. So I think that there needs to be guidelines and a timeline set on when guys are able to transfer to other schools. Okay, now the NIL, again, I'm for it. Here's what I worry about is that there are coaches that are, we have a record. They're really good with quarterbacks. They're really good with defense. I don't want it to be a bidding war because the player may make, I mean, Ohio states you could outbid 90% of college football for players.

But in the end, there are players that may not fit you. You know, you look at them. You look at kids all the time that are four star guys. And you're like, you know, it doesn't fit what we do. I worry that it's a bidding war. And a 19-year-old kid in many instances, he's just going to take more money. That doesn't mean it's a better fit for him long term. I worry about that.

How do you view the NIL operation? Well, there's a lot that goes with that for sure. But I do think talking to families and recruits, they do understand that there's tremendous opportunity in the NIL space. And a lot of it has to do with how well you play, how well you're being developed, the situation in the school that you're at. And so while there's opportunities for these guys on the front end and certain schools are going to be able to offer different things, In the end, what's going to matter is that they're going to the right school, getting developed, and having an opportunity to possibly, well, first off, they're going to have to do well in college to have more opportunities. Right. But then if their hopes are to go play in the NFL, what matters is how they're being developed and how well they, you know, ascend into the game.

And I think, to me, families and recruits are still going to focus on that, because in the end, that's where the real money will be for them. Ryan Day, Ohio State, 34 and 4. That's pretty good. He brings back a ton of talent next year, notably C.J. Stroud, who is just going to be, can you imagine that there's so many good young quarterbacks in this sport? Everybody's complaining about this year's NFL draft for quarterbacks. Next year and the year after, wow.

By the way, you're seeing all the, we only got a minute left, but you're seeing all this talent in the high school level. Ryan, I see high school footage of quarterbacks now. I can't believe how good they are. I mean, it's incredible what all these seven-on-seven camps have done. for the last 15 years. Yeah, that's it. I think it's really come along.

The ability to throw and catch is as high as it's ever been. And so because of that, you're seeing higher level of quarterback play and wide receiver play like you're talking about. And it's exciting for the sport. But we need it because we need that more and more of that space because those guys inside are getting bigger and stronger as well. Ryan, great seeing you. Go buck guys. Thanks again, my friend. Thank you.

Call. Much respect, Colin. Thanks so much. Great, great coach at Ohio State. They went a lot of football games and they got a good one in Ryan Day. very young, smart guy. And by the way, you have a right to occasionally lose to your rival. People are crazy.

Lincoln Riley once lost to Texas. Oh, the program, I don't. You're allowed to lose to Michigan every four or five years. Jim Harbaugh got to a Super Bowl. Fans, take a deep breath. More in a second, The Herd. One more Herd? The Herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.

We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alleeb on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only

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. A win is a win. 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. 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 tauntons 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 podcast. 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 with 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 a 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. 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 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. You know, it's interesting last night. Milwaukee and Miami played it was a great game. And I had said the other day, we see this all the time where you become a number one seed in the NBA or NFL or MLS or hockey, but you're not built for the playoffs. Now, I don't follow hockey closely enough to have any great opinions on it. But you see hockey all the time, like six, seven, eight seeds do very, very well in the playoffs.

All these sports change in the playoffs, officiating changes in the NBA. it becomes more physical the longer it goes in the playoffs. So young teams usually don't do as well in the playoffs because they get pushed around by bigger, stronger, veteran players. Also, if you have a deep bench like Miami, it doesn't matter as much in the playoffs because you shrink your bench. It's really, who's got the best six players? You're not going to the eight and nine guy generating the playoffs

for big minutes, especially with eight minutes to go in the game. Those guys aren't on the floor. So Miami's a great example. Utah last year was a number one seed. Atlanta about six years ago with Al Harford was a number one. seed. Neither was built for the postseason. I think Miami's the same team. And let's take, why would Miami and Utah be number one seeds? Well, think about it. You have an excellent head coach, Quinn Snyder and Eric Spolstra. These are great coaches, brilliant coaches. They have

systems, and many of the players have been in the system for multiple years. So there's a lot of mobility in the NBA, and there's injuries. In Utah and Miami, it's the same guy. It's the same guy. you know, they've been in this system like two or three years. They also have deep benches. Utah usually has guys that can come off the bench. Miami does. That's very valuable in the regular season. You're weary.

You're traveling. Six-game road trip in 12 days. You got a deep bench. You have a system. And you have, you know, you both those teams, Utah and Miami preach defense. In the NBA, if you play good defense on a nightly basis and generally Miami does and Utah does, you're going to win games just on effort. So that's built for the regular season.

But then you get to the postseason, and you've got to have like guys. Here's what happens with postseason basketball. A minute and a half left. You have two guys that are automatic buckets. Utah didn't really have one. They have one, Donovan Mitchell. Joe Ingalls has now hurt. And Miami's the same thing.

Well, Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler didn't score after the first quarter last night. He's a great athlete. He's a great defender. He's a great effort guy. He's a great practice guy. He's a really good player. he ever's just 21 tonight.

He's not a get-a-bucket or Ambide or like Hardin or LeBron or Anthony Davis. That's not what he is. Or Steph Curry. Even a Donovan Mitchell. And so Bamadabai who's a good player, but he's not a get-a-bucket guy

with the minute left either. He's an athlete. He is long. He runs the floor as well. And so situationally, as good as they are, and they'll win a playoff series. They're so well-coats. They've got bench scoring.

But Miami last night lost to Milwaukee. And at the end of the game, they're trying to make a stop, and they're trying to get a bucket. Jimmy Butler didn't have a basket after the first quarter. So that's my thing. Butler's a great, great player. He's not a get a bucket guy.

Not one of the seven or eight guys in the NBA are like, if you play Philadelphia and I got Embed and I got hardened, those are two of the top six get a bucket guy, minute left in the NBA. They're going to beat Miami. They don't have the bench of Miami. You can argue they don't have the coach of Miami. They don't got this of Miami.

They don't play defense like Miami. They got two get a bucket guys. And basketball becomes incredibly situational. That's why Utah and Miami, we've seen this with, I don't think Chicago, although it's interesting because Zach Levine and DeRosen, they can be get-a-bucket guys. That's an interesting team. But, you know, people push back all the time. We just saw Tennessee and the Packers number one seed at home off a buy, both losing the NFL.

They weren't built for playoff success. Happens all the time. Nobody wants to hear it, though, if it's their. team. Hour two next. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk

to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me

with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 you. 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. I mean, 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliverd Show on the I-Hard 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. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.