The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - LA can't seize the moment

Episode Date: May 2, 2024

Following the Clippers suffering their worst playoff loss ever, Colin explains why this is just another example of LA's inability to seize the moment He criticizes the NBA as a whole for placing all the blame on head coaches when teams take a disappointing exit in the playoffs  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. So I'm sitting there last night thinking, okay, Westbrook's going to come off the bench and deliver for the Clippers. He started the game over eight. So it didn't go exactly his plan. Mab's had a good shooting performance. Luke a legend. Oh, he made Colin a sad man last night when we were out together.

I'm not a guy... Listen, I'm not anti-mavericks. I've said for years and years I can't understand why more stars don't choose Dallas. Right in the middle of the country, no state tax, great city, beautiful people, they had a great owner. I'm not anti-Dalas. Mavericks have had a great history. So in Los Angeles, the Lakers, their owners, their executives have always sort of rolled their eyes at the clippers. Clippers make big promises.

They have great nicknames Lobb City, but make no mistake. It's a Lakers City, and Crypto.com Arena is the Lakers building. Last night, though, was a moment. The Clippers, two and two with Dallas, at home, Luca, rising star. They have the veteran players rising to seize Los Angeles. And it was the perfect Clipper playoff superfecta. Paul George couldn't shoot. Westbrook, Harden, no-showed, Kauai, not available.

Paul George said, yeah, this isn't who we are. Unfortunately, it's exactly who you are. The Clipper stars, 22% from the field, 8 for 36, had more turnovers than baskets. It was a disaster. And this is why for years, you know, the Lakers executives, Jeannie Bus, the Bus family have sort of rolled their eyes. They've got a shiny new arena coming. Again, Paul George. in Kauai, they're going to dominate the city in cross town.

You know, the Lakers, AD, and LeBron get to conference finals. They win an NBA championship. And there's always been kind of a weird desperation with the second, the little brother, like the Jets or the Mets or the Clippers or the White Sox. There's a desperation, right? Like, you're going to take a big swing, which I'm not opposed to. But Kauai Leonard has missed 41% of his games as a clipper, and they re-signed him. And the city is just, right now, you got.

the Otani mess with the Dodgers. LeBron, Lakers, are out of the playoffs. You know, USC football, not quite what we think. The Chargers had to go get a new coach. Los Angeles is ready to be seized. Clippers have a shiny new arena. Kauai's not available, and the rest of the guys stink. And I just think they, for years, it's the classic, you know, Little Brotherson.

I've seen it with the Mets, where they reach, or the jets, where they reach. And I've seen it with the Clippers. They're just trying too hard. But last night is, I mean, there was a time when the Lakers only made the playoffs two times and eight years. I mean, the city was wide open. And the Clippers made the playoffs seven times and eight years. It was like, here's your moment.

Just like when Michigan football was down and Michigan State could have seized it. And in the end, eh, they didn't. And last night, the Clippers, they didn't. they've had their opportunities. They have had their opportunities in the last 10 to 12 years. And Steve Balmer's the richest owner in the NBA, and they've got a brilliant new arena. But this is Los Angeles.

Making the playoffs is not enough. Having a really cool movie poster is not enough. The movie's got to be good. And with the clippers so often, the poster's great. The movie isn't. And last night was a complete and utter dud. And Paul George was the best. of their four stars, I guess he talked after.

That wasn't who we, we've been in this series, and that's not who we are. You know, so we got to, we got to be better, especially in this situation, a chance to go up three, two. We've been here before, going to Dallas, being down, three, two. So we, we just, you know, it's got to be a win, and only mentality we have. is to try to go get a win in Dallas. Now, Kyrie Irving was amazing, spectacular, and Luca hobbling around was good, too. It goes back to Dallas.

Clippers could certainly win. It's been a weird series and a really fun series, but, man, last night was there for the taking. It's not that they lost. It's that they weren't competitive. They had no self-awareness. And that leads me to the next story, because you can't blame Ty Lou on that.

It's that one of the reasons that Fox News has been so successful, and there's talented people on all these cable networks, but it's because the media has leaned left for so long, sometimes severely left, that there's a gaping hole in the coverage. There's a lot of conservative viewers in America, and Fox News sees those moderate-conservative viewers. The rest of the media largely was doing stuff moderate left.

And one of the reasons TNT's basketball coverage to me is so much better than ESPN's, not blaming anybody, but it's such a pro player league. The media is so soft. I've begged on this for years is that Charles and Shaq, they're just the balance. Sometimes they're very pro player. They love players, but at least they're the balance in it. And sure enough, the Lakers lose, and it's immediately Darvinham is the reason.

Well, you know how this works, right? There's a reason the Sixers, the Bucks, and the Lakers have megastars in this league, and they're running through coaches. Each have had three and six years. Because the mega stars complained to their agent, their agent leaks to willing media. Coaches lost the locker room. That's always the de facto, the default end statement.

Well, Frank Vogel, Darvindham, they have lost the locker room. And the agent of the star calls the willing media, reports it. It circulates. It all of a sudden gets momentum. It's an avalanche, and a guy like Frank Vogel's out of work. And Charles Barkley, last night, it had enough. Anybody who thinks the reason the Lakers suck is because of Darwinham

or the reason the son suck is because of Frank Vogel, you don't know what you're talking about. Frank Vogel is a hell of a coast. Darvindham is a hell of a coast trying to get his career started. But for all you punks, idiots, and jackass, on other networks who want to be media and who want all the players to like y'all. Do your damn job. The Lakers suck and the son sucks because of the players.

Has nothing to do with the coaches. I've been saying this about Darwin Ham. The fact that they led the Nugget 70% of the time and Denver's easily the best team in the league is amazing. Rui no-showed a couple games. DeLo no-showed. Reeves is being asked on some nights offensively to be the number two. because Anthony Davis is so great defensively and has such a burden to guard Yokic

that he spends so much of his energy. I'm not blaming AD. That's the reality. He's a great defensive player. He is so good on the defensive end that sometimes he didn't have any gas in the fourth quarter. So it's LeBron and Austin Reeves. You're not beating Porter, Gordon,

Jamal Murray, and Yokic and KCP with that? Yet they led 70% of the series. I mean, Frank Vogel won a title in the bubble. Every other old team went man overboard. except the Lakers. Vogel galvanized him. They won a title. He got the back-to-bat Eastern Conference Championships

with an Indiana roster that was Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and lawn chairs. Give me a break. Hey, he'd been bounced around the league, and he'll get blamed in Phoenix. They don't have a point guard in Phoenix. That's part of the problem. Frank Vogel, they had a big. Frank Vogel's good with Biggs. They traded him.

They don't have a point guard. Is that Frank Vogel's fault? He'll get blamed. Mike Boodenholzer won a title, two-time coach of the year, two organizations. have a job. By the way, how are the buck since Mike Boodenholder left? A bigger mess. Yet, Mike Malone in Denver. You know how long it took Mike Malone in Denver? The Nuggets missed the playoffs, this first three years. Following that, there were four years of, you know,

Yolkich can't win in the postseason. It was year eight that Mike Malone finally won. So if you wonder why Mike Malone has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, he was told he was a bum for seven years. I mean, the kid at Oklahoma City, Mark, is it Dagnalt? He didn't do anything for the first three years. Like nothing. Couldn't make the playoffs. Everybody makes the playoffs.

They were patient. Sam Presti patient. This year, number one seat. I, whether I agree with everything on Fox News, and I don't, if you've listened to my show for years, if you know where I'm politically, if you leave openings, consumers will move toward the openings if you provide something they like. TNT's not perfect, but there's a wide open space to be critical and defend coaches and occasionally critical of star players.

It is not, it is not a coincidence that Lakers with a superstar, Bucks with a superstar, Sixers with a superstar are running through coaches. And it's always the coach lost the locker room. And the willing media is like, yeah, yeah, I don't, you thought Darvinham lost the locker room. Did you see how hard the Lakers played? They outplayed Denver, much more talented Denver. You can criticize Darvinham all you want. That team comes to play.

Rui was awful a couple of games in early in the season and Delo's Delo. But effort, losing the locker room is the team quits. Lakers never quit. They were just outmanned by a better team. So I don't want to hear Darvin Ham lost the locker room or Frank Vogel can't coach. You can sit, here's another thing that people forget. Nick Nurse is a hell of a coach. But sometimes this is the reality.

You get into a playoff game. The arena's loud. Players can't all hear you. Hell officials couldn't hear Nick Nurse call a timeout. It's not a perfect sport to coach. They're not wearing headsets like the NFL. They can't talk to the quarterback. Baseball stadiums are mostly quiet.

You can do signals through the course of a baseball game. The third base coach. Sometimes in the NBA stars, listen, they don't. They don't hear. They do hear. The officials here. They don't hear. It's not easy.

These arenas are crazy time. But the constant ease in which the media just rips coaches, sends them packing. There's a reason Frank Vogel keeps getting jobs. People know he can coach. But the Darwin ham stuff is, you got to give me a break on this. Lost the locker room. I watched that series. You know what I saw?

Inconsistent players outside of LeBron. LeBron, really the only offensive player you could depend on in the series. Austin Reeves on some nights had to be the two because AD's working so hard on the defensive end that he just doesn't have a lot left in a tank offensively in the fourth quarter. It's not lack of effort. Sometimes with Embedlead, it feels like lack of effort. AD's never lack of effort.

And yeah, he got hurt with a stinger. he stayed in the game, he kept playing. But I just, TNT provides balance. They're willing to be critical occasionally. And I appreciate that. As a consumer of the NBA, I just appreciate it. And by the way, if TNT loses rights to the NBA, it's going to be a bidding war for those guys.

They're going to be a bidding war for Charles and Shaq and Ketty and Ernie, because they provide something. The rest of the NBA media too often does not. All right, Jay Mack, and I know you could have your issues with Barclay, but I like people who are willing to say what others aren't, and he is, and I liked it last night. Well, of course you liked it. You love Charles Barkley. I think he's great.

I think he's a little past his prime, shall I say, but I'll just say this. If you want a nitpick, like Lakers fans will, they've got it chapter and verse. Why didn't Darvinham use his challenge here? Why were we out of time? Sorry for saying we. Why were the Lakers out of timeouts? Okay. When Jamal Murray hit that shot with three seconds left?

Like, if you lose 12 or 13 games to a team, you go ahead and talk about rotations and unused timeouts. I'm going to go back to talent. You know, Michael Jordan just kept winning the finals, and so did Bill Russell and Kareem and Magic and Bird. You go ahead and let that fester on the coaches that lost to Magic. Magic was in nine finals. All those Western coaches probably didn't use the timeouts as much as guy on Reddit board wanted. Pre-reddit board. Like, I'm sorry, when you watch the Chiefs play, you can start blaming everybody.

Andy Reid's great. Mahomes is great. Next, you can start arguing about coaches and play calling. Brady Mahomes and Peyton Manning made 17 and 23 Super Bowls. Go ahead and bang on Mike Tomlin. He didn't have as good a quarterback. And when you lose, as the Philadelphia Eagles did this season, cratered at the end. Hey, you better get a new offensive coordinator.

Got to get a new defensive coordinator. They lost. They cratered. The Lakers didn't crater. The Lakers went toe to toe with the nuggets until the end. I would largely agree. They just don't have the players. Okay, LeBron's an all-NBA guy.

No, LeBron was the only player for the Lakers that consistently on offense, every game provided big production. That was it. A.D. didn't, Rui didn't deal up. Porter did every game. Jamal Murray. Ad was phenomenal in this year. Defensively, but offensively.

He had like top 30 twice. Like, I know. But the series is. I know. Okay. There is no. you know. It's just production data fourth quarter. AD is

not consistent in the fourth. So the roster is the issue? Would you? Yes. Okay. So Rob Polinka, get him on the stand. Let's tear them apart. Rob Polinka's job isn't in jeopardy. What Barclay is saying is you're keeping the GMs. Like you can say what you want about Phoenix. They don't have a point guard.

They had a big. Vogel's known for Biggs. So somebody on the internet said this. They said they gave Frank Vogel, who's great with Biggs, a Mike Dan Tony roster. So you can blame Vogel, but Vogel's won titles. Vogel's been to conference championships. They didn't have a point guy. If you watch the Sun's play, the construct of the team isn't as good as Minnesota's.

Minnesota's got the point, the big, the score, the blocker. You get a whole season to figure it out, Frank Vogel. You're a championship winning coach. Tyloos is a great coach. Why couldn't he figure out the offense without James Hardin? He didn't have a point guard. That's like putting five guys on the floor an Olympic team and have no center and no point guard and go, why aren't you great?

there's a reason teams have quarterbacks running backs tight ends you need people to engineer the offense and get you into it before James Harden Tylo was pulling his hair out the team that you had Kauai who's rarely available leading him into an offense so it's easy to blame

coaches players win games players lose games people arguing about timeouts not used in rotational decisions mid third quarter how about you stop Jamal Murray they couldn't They try.

They try. Yeah. How about you stop Aunt Edwards? That's not, you can say what you're, well, you can triple team him? It's so, you know, again, I just like media that provides a view that's not mainstream all the time. These coaches, it's just, you're just running through these guys. Laker fans with Darwin Ham. I hear this all the time about, you know, the Dodgers and Dave Roberts.

Do you know the best managers in baseball, they have theorized for, years. Analytically, they're worth three wins. It's a hundred and sixty-two game season. Okay, you replace Dave Roberts and you win three and a half more games a year. Bottom line is, Walker Bueller's been hurt, the bullpen's been spotty. You can pitch around the top of the order sometimes. It's pretty top-heavy. But it's just easier to blame Dave Roberts than go, you know, the construct of it's not ideal. And the Dodgers are, you know, I'm not banging on the Dodgers. They are really well-constructed. But it's just too easy to blame the coach.

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 what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

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Join me, Keir Gaines. we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. You are now entering the no bull zone, sponsored by credible great rates, none of the bull. So Matt Ishpia is a very aggressive guy. He takes over the sons.

He's a Michigan state booster, big money guy, mortgage guy takes over the sons. And he goes, hey, let's go get Bradley Biel. Let's go get Kevin Durant takes a big swing. You know I'm a fan of big swings. Because when you make a big swing, even if it fails, you have good assets. And that's what the sons after a disappointing finish have. They've got good assets. They could move KD with the Knicks.

Get a lot of good players and picks. They could move Devin Booker if they wanted to. People think they won't, but they get a hole. That's why you take big swings. Even if you fail, you're left with really good assets. You can usually move in the NBA. So MAAShibia yesterday talking about the disappointing end of the season. He's optimistic.

The narrative around the house is burning, it's incorrect. The Phoenix Suns are doing great. Excellent. Not as good as we want to be and not as good as we're going to do next year. And that's what we're going to figure out. What do we got to tweak, modify, adjust to win the championship next year? Ask the other 29 GMs. 26 of them would trade their whole team for our whole team and our whole draft picks and everything as is.

The house is not on fire. We're in great position. It's not hard to fix. It's not like we're like, hey, we don't have enough talent to win a champion. We have enough talent to win a championship. Okay, now, he's a super aggressive guy, and you can push back. Now, the Bradley Beale contract, that's trickier. He's got a no trade clause.

And Bradley Beal was banged up a lot of the year. If he's healthy next year, you're fine. What you don't want to do is the Clippers. Where you assign Kauai Leonard, he's never available, and you double down on it. Or the New York Giants reaching on double Daniel Jones and then doubling down on it. take big swing people that sit and criticize people who take big swings have never taken a big swing half of them fail in sports who cares you're left with assets and you can start over the niners took a big swing on tray lance didn't work they found brock purdy if you have confidence

in yourself in life you're not fear-based you take swings phoenix has good assets more of matt ishpia fans like to like look in the future say hey I really like that 2013 one draft pick because maybe that seventh graders gonna be really good and we're gonna draft them and one day he's gonna be a player like you ain't gonna like the Phoenix Suns because we're gonna say draft picks are to get great players five of the next eight years we have a first round draft pick I know that's not like a cool thing to say out there because people like to you know say their nerves we have no draft picks but we have five of the

next eight years and we can trade two of them next month if we want what would be house on fire we didn't have any player signed we have our starting five signed for multiple years together. Do we have to make some adjustments because that starting five didn't win a championship? Of course we did. Of course we do. And we will. Booker and KD are the fifth and six leading scores in the league.

Phoenix is a super attractive NBA market. In a winter league, it's got perfect weather along with Miami. So, and again, you've got assets. Take swings. Don't sit on the sidelines criticizing those who do. This guy took big swings. I'm in. Now, Beal needs to be healthier.

I'd probably move KD to the Knicks, find a point guard somewhere, but there are assets here that can be moved. I would consider moving Booker, because you can get more for him. But I do think KD to the Knicks is a perfect fit. New York's got draft picks and young, nice players, not stars outside of Brunson, but really nice, willing to be coached players. Get him some size. Frank Vogel likes that. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Fiery, huh? That was, like, he's just, like, shouting practically. If I said to you, you had the fifth and sixth leading scores in the NBA. That's not the Pistons. Okay, like, and you may move one of them. Do you know what you could get for Devin Booker?

You could get a haul. If you deal Booker, wouldn't. No, I wouldn't, because Beal and Durand are older, and more prone injuries. You know, I thought about that last night. I'd move KD. So Booker's in his prime. Beal will be healthier, tricky to move.

Grace and Allen, still on the bench. Get some role players. Get some size for Frank Vogel. You'll be fine. Easier said than done. But he's saying the house is not on fire. Fine. I smell smoke.

And I think everyone else does too. Something's going on. Maybe it's not on a five alarm fire, but there is smoke in Phoenix. Somebody burnt a Pop-Tart. That's all your... A Pop-Tart. That's all it was.

Is that what, maybe it was Bradley Beale because he kept getting burned by Anthony Edwards in all series. Anyways, let's start in the NBA. So I don't love that the league is doing this continually. They released the last two-minute report from Sixers' Nix game five. And Nix fans are going to be ticked off. The league admitted Tyrese's four-point play should not have counted because he traveled before the shot. This is not the first time the two-minute report is coming to play in the series. Obviously, game two, Maxie was allegedly foul twice on the inbounds that led to that incredible next comeback.

I don't like this two-minute report thing. I just don't like it. So other sports don't do this. Why is the NBA doing this? Transparency and gambling and stuff? Tim Donagie. So Stephen A. Smith has acknowledged this. I think it was today or yesterday, and he's right.

And this is the reality of it. They want to be entirely transparent because, I mean, you always hear, you know, NFL, fans. Oh, Mahalms, rigged, whatever. Who's got the script? I mean, the NFL now jokes about that. Like, it's a running joke. Roger Goodell jokes. I got the script. Like, it's a running joke. But NBA fans, because a Donagie can say,

Hey, hey, look at that. Hey, look at that. And they're right. So, you want total transparency. I don't like. I think the NBA, and I've said this for years, is by far and away, the hardest sport to coach. I mean, think about this in the NFL. A lot of it's just

alignment and off sides. A lot of of it's like illegal motion, too many men on the field. A lot of NFL officiating is easy. Here's what's not, pass interference. That's a tough one. Well, every NBA call is essentially past interference. Two elite bodies banging into each other in the air. So you're calling pass interference in the NBA 40 times a night. And the NBA has decided, and I think rightly so, to swallow the whistles, let these guys play. It's led for very contentious, intense playoff games. But you can't, there are certain things. We do a three-hour show. I'll mispronounce a word. I'm not in the perfect business. Tom Rinaldi does a once-a-week piece. They're brilliant.

It's edited three times. He's in a different business. We're both in the media. He's in a different business. Right. So, so we're in the volume business. A lot of people do volume. Sean Hannity, volume business. Three hours radio. So in the NBA, that's the volume business. These games are two and a half hours, world's greatest athletes, it's basically 60 pass interference calls. You cannot hold officials to any higher standard than you can coaches or players. You go watch the Nick Sixers series. How many free throws have been missed in the fourth quarter in that series? But you want a perfectly officiated game.

I don't want to, I just don't, I want a better officiated ending. Like, yeah, I'd like a better ending by the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Hold on, okay, fine. But five games and two of them, the league is now admitted there. Our refs screwed up the final 20 seconds. That's not ideal. And what happens if it happens a third time? At some point, the referees are going to be like, guys, I'm going to miss some calls.

I'm not perfect. And then it's like, fine. How do we improve the product? Well, that's what I'm saying. Was I had a referee? I don't know. Every time, I've had friends do this. The referee and I say, oh, how many free throws you miss?

Oh, your team missed nine free throws and shot 28% from threes. Your basketball players, all you do is practice. So you want officials to be perfect. Go. The first thing I always do when a fan says that, go to your box score. How many miss free throws? How many turnovers? How many sloppy defensive alignments? So players give up 20 points a game easy.

A ref makes a bad call in the fourth in an arena in which he can't even hear a coach call a timeout. And we want him held to a standard that's just unreasonable in the hardest sport to officiate in the world. But that's the thing. It's not even a bad call. They made no call. Like I didn't know this was a thing. This travel? Until the NBA announced it.

Like we watched that highlight. We ran the play. Nobody was saying travel. This is all about Donagie. This is what it's about. This is the sport where you've had this disruptive person in it that did nefarious things. Which was like 15, 20 years ago. Hey, this league has been petrified of a malice in the palace for 15 years.

That is why the NBA is so quick to throw fans out of games. That thing, it's like a childhood. At nine years old, if you have trauma in your life, you could be. 79, it's still there. You can go to all the therapy you want. The NBA still, they are very quick to throw people out of an NBA building because of the proximity to players. That's all malice in the palace stuff. And this is Tim Nonegey. And now that you have the Supreme Court ruling that sports gambling is legal, it's not going backwards. And the NBA's all in on it. So they're going to make sure there's total transparency. I get it. I don't love what it does.

It makes the officials look incompetent. And I think by and large, they're good. Next up is LeBron and Free Agency. I know a lot of people think he's going to stay with the Lakers, but as we, I don't know if anyone was beating us on this, but the Olympics are coming up this summer. And just remember, LeBron will be partners with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. There's a lot of guys on that team who could be recruited. So according to the athletic,

the Lakers are planning to do everything to keep LeBron, including offering him a three-year $164 million contract and even put, potentially drafting brawny. But, Colin, there's a chance LeBron goes to the Olympics without making a decision. Now, that is risky. He suffers an injury. Did you see the silly story yesterday? LeBron to the Sixers, Brony to Villanova. I know. People expect like another six weeks of this, or maybe more. Oh, boy. Sources say. Miami Heat eliminated last night. You see Bam out of Bio will be at the Olympics.

People understand this. LeBron's won all the championships and they match up as well against Denver as anybody in the league except maybe Boston or Minnesota he's not leaving Los Angeles I don't think he is but it is fun to speculate about the potential that he might

but let's not let's not give a lot of these sources oxygen you just gave one of these dogs no I mean that Philadelphia story yesterday it's like Brody's going to Villanova and LeBron he's not going to six

It's fun, that's fun though. Well, it's fun, but it's not necessarily responsible to give it oxygen. It's not responsible or productive. Final story, oh boy, this one could take a while. Everybody's favorite former quarterback, Cam Newton, you know, he's got a podcast now. By the way, his podcast is excellent. When he doesn't rip me on his podcast, that's when he's excellent. Well, you deserve to be ripped.

Oh, come on. Yeah, it's at its best, actually, when it rips J-Mack. That's when I really, really listen to the entire thing. So Cam discussed the top quarterbacks from this draft, and kind of said some stuff about Caleb Williams, both as a person and player, and Cam seems to fear his skills and expectations could be a double-edged sword for the first overall pick.

I want to hear this. I think his gift can and possibly will be his curse. And what is that? His inability to make the bowl play. When you're in that position to be the franchise quarterback, you're created. almost shaped molded to be a certain type of person like a robot but is that really who you are so that's where I question it's like yo bro like are you gonna be bold enough to be yourself

well it's a thought piece I don't know if um is that what it is well I think what Cam is projecting a little bit based on his yeah exactly By the way, speaking of fire, is the studio on fire? Was he smoking a cigar? I saw smoke coming from... What was going on with a leather hat, but... That's how hot his takes are, by the... No, I mean, basically, he's saying they wanted me to be a robot,

and I refused to be a robot, I wanted to make bold plays, and is Caleb going to be a robot of people? Let me say this. People didn't want Cam Newton to be a robot. They wanted him to work harder on his mechanics, which went all the time into the tank. So, and I'm not saying Cam didn't work hard, But the frustration with Cam was sometimes he was a distracted player and his mechanics.

He just became an arm thrower instead of using his legs. And by the way, that happens to a lot of people. Mahomes, Matt Stafford, sometimes mechanics get a little sloppy. The more gifted you are, there's a reason the best golfers in the world have golf coaches. When you're gifted and great, sometimes you've got to keep it in the fairway. So, I don't know. Cam's issues were not about not being allowed to be who he was. He was making a zillion dollars doing all these personality commercials doing the Superman thing.

People let Cam be what he was. People were bothered that he was inconsistent. Never had back-to-back winning seasons. This was just my interpretation is that Caleb Williams is, on average, a more accurate distributor of the football than Cam is, but they're both brilliant athletically. And they both have fun personalities. but I think Caleb's a better, consistent thrower of the ball. That's how I see.

Cam Newton should address why he was out of the league at 32 years old. And it's because he refused to be a robot and fall in line and listen and be a pocket quarterback. He took a beating. Guy wouldn't sit in the pocket. Now listen, his, what he's doing here is dangerous for Caleb Williams. He's trying to plant the seat. Hey, don't be that guy. You need to be bold.

Do crazy. Do your thing. Because what was the criticism? Caleb was doing too much backyard football. Cam was Mr. Backyard Football. First of all, it's not dangerous what he's doing. It is extremely. He has an opinion.

Caleb Williams is capable of... This is Cam Newton, though. Yes, but it... Yeah, he's a popular, iconic guy. But Caleb Williams is smart enough to hear things... And go, that's awesome, but that's not who I am. I hope so. Remember...

Caleb's not 12. Well, remember that when the league had solved Patrick Mahomes to an extent, right? They were saying, we're going to take away your bold deep passes, and there was like a three or four game stretch. Remember where Patrick Mahomes was like, oh my gosh, what's going on? He started to become the robot, the pocket guy, and then he thrived. And now nobody can stop. How about this?

How about I'll defend Cam here? Oh, boy. Here we go. Give me all his great offensive coaches. Ron Rivera and Belichick, allergic to offense. If Cam was given Sean McVeigh, you think it turns out the exact same? I mean, if you were given Sean McVeigh, you'd be an NFL court. I'm just saying.

Cam Newton had two old school defensive coaches. And a lot of the times, his flaws, they weren't capable of addressing them. Sean McVeigh moves off golf, who's excellent for Stafford. He is in a world of microfilm examining quarterback. Same with Shanahan. A lot of these defensive guys are like, hey, just don't fumble the ball and turn it over. We can win here. That's a lot of what Cam had as coaches.

You could play that game with literally every quarterback. I'm just saying. I don't like that. And Cam drove me nuts, but his podcast is interesting. He makes me think, and he didn't get the best offensive coaching in his career. Let's be fair with it. What about when they were 15 and 1 and had like eight Pro Bowl? He was magical.

Oh, yeah. No good coaching that year, I'm sure, right? I mean, stop! Don't defend this guy! Plus he's coming after me. You just want to argue today. That's okay. No, I don't.

One of us is about journalism. You're just out there with smoke. You and Cam are smoking. You got takes coming. I can't wait to get him on the set of the show. He's gonna come. Also, wherever Cam gets his hats, I don't look good in There has got to be a hat store in Carolina.

A guy has a new hat every time. They all look good on him. I can't wear hats. I can't wear hats. You don't wear hats ever? No, I looked like a taxi with its doors open. I can't, I can't. I can't, no, hats look terrible on me.

They all look good on Cam. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. I got so much stuff today. I got it. Plus, who'd want to hide this beautiful?

had a gray hair. I mean, come on. You can't put a hat on this. When your business reaches a certain scale, challenges begin to surface. You deserve a tailored solution, and that's NetSuite. Absolutely free is their KPI checklist.

Go to netsuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Tom Perducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden, and we're going to be around to talk a little bit about manager

real decisions and what may have occurred into the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. It's the Book of Joe podcast. I can't wait for this, Joe. We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League Baseball. Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Yeah, well, there are no boundaries, right? Listen to the Book of Joe podcast on the Iheart radio app, on 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. A win is 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, personal health, personal 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.

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 with 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, yeah, yeah. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me. your host and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience

in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Roughnecks battle a.J. McCarron and the St. Louis Battlehawks at 3 p.m. Eastern. Then Sunday, it's a double-header as Arlington Battles Michigan, followed by San Antonio versus D.C. All on Fox and the Fox Sportsout. So American, our values, a lot of them, are economic.

If you're a capitalist, this is the place in the world. This is where the world's wealth comes. To our stock market, our pro team, this is where they want to get. go. And we give you a lot of passes. Sometimes it borders on criminal in Hollywood. If you deliver good movies, people look the other way. In sports, it doesn't rise to that level, but it is interesting. Now, the Atlanta Falcons are just being clobbered. I saw a story this morning. No adult supervision with this franchise. That's the quote. One of Belichick's boys delivering that. Bill Belichick whiffed for seven years on picks. Very little pushback.

He got rings. John Lynch, I like John a lot, has had two massive whiffs in the first round, but they win games. The Rams paid Jared Goff a bloody fortune. An hour later, they traded him and paid Matt Stafford a fortune. Nobody complained. Did they lack adult supervision? they won a Super Bowl. Philadelphia, Howie Roseman,

paid Carson Wentz a fortune. Carson Wentz, they just won a Super Bowl without him. He was always hurt, and the rumors were out there. He was bad in the locker room. Made him a fortune. But Philadelphia drafts Jalen Hertz, and they keep winning. Nobody cares.

A year ago, all I heard about Detroit, you cannot draft Jamir Gibbs are running back. Nine months later, What a gutsy move. That is some kind of GM. Because they won. And Jamir case is really good. Take a deep breath on these strident opinions about who you should draft and who you shouldn't.

Atlanta drafts Kyle Pitts, tied end. That's no good. Raiders just drafted Brock Bowers from the same football conference, same numbers in college. Brilliant. Let's just wait and let it play out. But winning absolves everything. a lot of people forget this. I'm going to give you a little test, Jay Mack.

Last year the Texans, remember they got C.J. Stroud, and then they moved back up to get Will Anderson. Now look at me. Don't look at your board. Do you remember what they gave up to get Will Anderson? I'm pretty sure they gave an edge rusher, not a quarterback. Arizona's,

they gave up a first round picked Arizona and maybe a third two or something like that. Two firsts, a second, and a third. It was a bad deal. Oh, yeah. Until Will Anderson won defensive rookie of the year. And people are now like, who? Wizards running the Texas.

Well, he worked out for a season. Will Anderson's... He's very good. Yeah, he's not kind of. He's a top five edge rusher right now in the league. Not Max Crosby or T.J. Watt. Maybe not Bosa, but he is really good. Process.

Sorry. But the point being, you win. Atlanta has the best quarterback situation in the division. Let's be honest. Baker-Mayfield's second, but they don't have a top backup. Carolina's crossing their fingers, and I don't think anybody's in love with Derek Carr. They have arguably one of the top young quarterback prospects in this draft and a guy that wins 10 games a year.

The best quarterback situation easily in their division. Let's let it play out. In Thanksgiving, when they have a three-game lead in the NFC South, and Pennix is chomping at the bit, and Kirk Cousins has 27 touchdown passes and seven picks, and they lead their division by three, it's not going to look so terrible. Like the Will Anderson move that was lamented,

or the Jemir Gibbs move, you can't draft a running back there. Well, Jared Goff's not mobile, so you need a twitchy running back, and they got one. It's a brilliant move. So you just got to, I'll die on this hill. Being loaded at quarterback and having a little turbulence, because you have two really talented quarterback, I'm going to die on that.

I'm going to go with that one. We'll call him they could have drafted a receiver. They didn't need a receiver. They had Drake London, Darnel Mooney, and Rondale Moore from Purdue. And a tight-in they like and two backs they like. And a good offensive line. They didn't need another receiver. What they needed was a quarterback for the future who was still available at 8.

Never forget this. Here's another one. Remember when Joe Burrow was getting banged up because he inherited a terrible O-line in Cincinnati? Remember that? Running for his life. And people are like, you have to draft a tackle. And the binger's like, nah. we already got T. Higgins.

We're going to go get Jamar Chase. We're going to get another receiver. A terrible move. And about an hour later, it was like, bruh, he can play. And they figured out left tackle and got to a Super Bowl. I made this mistake before. I mean, I know. I love the draft.

I'm not saying I'm absolving myself of this stuff. But if there's a position that you can have a little turbulence, but tons of talent, Michael Pennix is the best backup in the NFL right now. die on that hill. Kirk Cousins is a top 12 quarterback. I'll die on that hill. I got them both. I'm going to live with it. But, I mean, we think John Lynch is great. He has

whiffed on multiple wide receiver draft picks. I mean, there are a lot of people out there that think Ricky Pearsall, this year's first round pick was a huge, huge reach. Pierceall played Georgia this year, couldn't get open. He played NFL DBs against Georgia. Could

not get open. Got open on a trick play. A lot of people don't love Ricky Pearsall. A lot of people think the kid that went to Buffalo is a much higher ceiling, which he does. You think it was kind of easy to defend Pearsall and that mighty Florida offense? Huh? A little tougher when it's like, oh wait, they got McCaffrey and Kiddle and Debo and I you, we got to cover Pearsall one-on-on-one with our third defensive back. I'm not saying it's a bus. C. J. Stroud, by the way, love

the pick. And you love Stroud. C.J. Stroud loved the pick. No, I'm not saying it's a whiff. I'm saying John has missed on multiple receivers. He's missed on backs. He's missed on a defensive lineman, Solomon Thomas. He missed on Trey Lance. But he's hit up enough. He's made really good in-league moves. And he's hit it enough.

Funga for the safety's been absolutely, I like right when they went and picked him up at corner. They've hit it enough moves. And they hit on Brock Purdy. But it's not exact. And it's amazing what a winning does to all those. treacherous moves earlier. Hour to 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 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. 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? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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, 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.