The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Lakers, Burrow, Durant

Episode Date: February 9, 2022

The Lakers continue to play poorlyColin makes the argument that Joe Burrow should be the MVPKevin Durant should've stayed with the WarriorsGuest: Jonathan Taylor Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ah, here we go. Live in Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. It is Super Bowl Week. There are a lot of parties. I, of course, have been invited to almost all of them. Joy Taylor is joining me.

It looks very floral today. Joy is outworking me. You went to that mess last night at the state. or the crypto.com arena or whatever it's called? The Crip. Yes, I was there. I was in the building. It was, you know, they made a run at the ends.

Listen, there's three really good teams in the NBA. Milwaukee, Phoenix, and Golden State. Those are the three. Everybody else, you're along for the ride. We have a very defined three. And by the way, they're all incredibly likable. Milwaukee's star is humble. And the Phoenix is all these young guys and the sage.

veteran at point guard and the warriors got step and clay and injuries and they're still unbelievable so we have three great teams in the NBA and we start with this the lakers aren't one of them they were blown out last night more westbrook drama he got benched into the third oh by the way the lakers outscored the bucks once he was benched i'll get to westbrook in a moment you know i think the world of lebron james he is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and he he is probably a primary reason for the mobility of the league. If you don't consider leaving a team like Dame or Bradley Beal, we look at you and think, are you crazy?

You've got options. So LeBron deserves a great deal of credit for the player empowerment in the National Basketball Association. But there is a downside, a duality to all of this, of course. College basketball is so transactional, transitional. You can't name any starters. even if you're a fan of a team. In the NBA, LeBron has an act.

Here's what it is. He goes to a team. He prefers playing with older veterans, so you give up draft picks to craft a team for LeBron. He quickly, year two, wins a title. The old players get really old fast because they're not in the kind of shape that LeBron is. And then LeBron leaves, and you need a mop to clean up the mess.

Miami, Cleveland, Lakers. rinse and repeat. Listen, you get a title, but the difference is, for Cleveland, that's a big deal. The Lakers sold their soul to LeBron, and they've already got 17. We ain't Cleveland.

Westbrook, LeBron's idea. Mello, LeBron's idea. All the young guys, LeBron didn't want him. They're gone. So good luck, trading young legs and getting other players. Draft picks. those off to get AD and he can't stay healthy.

The Lakers sold their soul. I get Cleveland doing it and I understood Miami doing it because I think we all thought it would last longer than four years. And they got to the finals four straight years and won two titles. So I would back what Miami did. But the Lakers were not well run and LeBron was a life preserver. And he is still a remarkable player. But the Lakers now have no draft picks of note, no flexibility.

and a Westbrook contract that is an absolute anchor. I said it last week. This is a very distracted competitive city. Unlike New York, where all the teams are underachieving or awful, in Los Angeles, everybody's winning. The Dodgers are great. The Rams are great. LAAFC is strong.

USC now has Lincoln Riley. The Chargers didn't make the playoffs, but probably the best team in the league that didn't with a rising star quarterback. The Lakers are in trouble. Forget championship team. They're bad. Brittle A.D.

Aging LeBron. And oh, by the way, last week, sources say he'd leave to play with his son. Oh, great. He won't even help with the cleanup. After last night's humiliating thumping at home to a truly elite organization, and by the way, Golden State, Phoenix, and Milwaukee all do it the same way. Owners own, coaches coach, players play, GM's GM. When you're poorly run,

and a bit dysfunctional and chaotic like the Lakers over most of the last seven to eight years. You have to take big swings. They did. They're now in trouble. And LeBron admitted as much afterwards. Against the defending champs, does this one just kind of hit different, especially since you guys were kind of looking up at them when they had a 30 point lead on you guys? Does it hit different in a sense of what?

Does it tell you something deeper about your team compared to? Yeah, it tells us we ain't. We ain't on their level. I mean, I've told you that before the game started. Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? No. That what you want to hear about me?

No. Oh, great. Again, the way to solve this is with a great front office. Ugh. Not a possible solution. As far as Westbrook, I'm done picking on him. What do you want me to say?

When you bring in aging star, like Westbrook and Carmelo. One of the difficulties is self-awareness. They're rich, they're great, they got shoe brands, they got fans, and it's very hard to convince them as they age. They're not nearly as crucial as they used to be. So now it's sort of getting ugly between Frank Vogel, who's benching him and the aging star who, and I get it, all probably in 10 years be the same way.

I got my fastball, maybe once a week. The reality is, Westbrook is aging like lots of stars age. It's difficult, and here's Russell after. Do you have a sense for what benchmarks you have to hit to be in the starting line or the closing lineup more consistently? I shouldn't have to hit any benchmark, to be honest. I put a lot of work and I got a lot of respect in this game. I don't have to hit a benchmark. I shouldn't have to.

I earned the right to be in closing lineups. I mean, you know, numbers would tell you, I don't have to explain that. Be honest with you, he's handled it well. He's playing poorly. He's eroding fast. His free throws are down, meaning this thing's getting in his head. He does it with a smile. He's not snippy like he was in Oklahoma City.

I'll defend Westbrook again. You brought him on. He has a game. He's not playing well in the last couple of days. But what did you want? And with that, we segue to a. a question, why don't all these professional leagues count the playoffs in the postseason in their MVP voting, right? The MVP is a magnificent award. Karim's got six most ever. How do I know that?

Because it's the MVP. But we don't count the postseason for most valuable player. And I'll give you an example of how ridiculous that is. When I say Aaron Rogers season, do you see it as a success? Packer fans don't. Matt LaFleur doesn't. Aaron Rogers doesn't. And he'll win the MVP. How small will he look holding a trophy up?

Couldn't beat the Niners at home in a playoff game as a favorite and they didn't score a touchdown. And Joe Burrow is potentially by Sunday hoisting a Super Bowl trophy. How small, how meaningless will the MVP be? We define all these legacies based on the postseason. It's why we don't bring up Marino when we talk great quarterbacks, even though he is as gifted as anybody who's ever played the position. No titles. It's why when we mention great players have always thought we discount Barclay,

who I think is one of the 10 best basketball players have ever seen. They don't have a title. It's why Russell with 11 and Michael, we think of six for six. I don't even know how many MVP's Michael won. I just know how many finals he won. Here's how ridiculous the most valuable player award is. The MVP has not won a Super Bowl since 1999. Is that not ridiculous?

Tom Brady played forever. and in his entire career, Kurt Warner's the last to do it. And MVP didn't win the Super Bowl. What does the MVP mean? Is it really most valuable? Or let's just rename the MVP, because it should be Joe Burrow. We should count the playoffs. The MVP should be called the quarterback with the best stats in the regular season,

with this side note, helps if you play in a bad division. Yeah, nobody's won from the NFC West in over 15 years. I mean, at least in college football, the hokey Heisman usually goes to an SEC player because there's some value in thriving in the greatest college football conference. But Tom Brady's the goat. He's won three MVP's. Kind of makes it silly, doesn't it? He's got more than twice as many Super Bowls.

To not give Joe Burrow the most valuable player. And by the way, all of us know the value of Aaron Rogers. That I'm not discounting, or the value of Brady in Tampa. The Bengals arguably have the fourth best roster in their division. They were picked fourth by virtually everybody in the country that doesn't live in Ohio. And Joe Burrow will not win most valuable players. If they didn't win before him, if he left tomorrow, they wouldn't win after him. Hell, Aaron Rogers took over a franchise.

his first day as a starter, they were coming off an NFC championship appearance. Star, Farves, Rogers, Pro Bowlers, Elito lines. Aaron is absolutely valuable to the Packers, but could I not make the argument if Aaron left, I don't think he will, but if he left, and they went and got, I don't know, Jimmy Garoppolo. They'd still win the division. you think the bingles would be in the Super Bowl without Joe Burrow?

The MVP should feel grand and fantastic, and it's going to look so incredibly small when Joe Burrow doesn't win it this year. Coming up, more on Westbrook, actually calling out Frank Vogel, the implosion of the Brooklyn Nets. It is incredible. It is just imploding with the Brooklyn Nets.

Be sure to catch live editions of the Hurts. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. 1-800 flowers. Last minute. Valentine's Day deals, 24 assorted roses, $39,000 or upgraded 24 red roses, $10.99 or upgraded,000 red roses, 10 bucks more. Jonathan Taylor, Austin Eckler, Debo Samuel, one of the great players in the National Football League. will join us. I have so much fun watching Debo Samuel play. So the Westbrook situation is a lot of

basketball people hated the move by the Lakers. We on this show, at least I did. I felt like, yeah, it's not going to make them win a title, but they're a bunch of old guys. They're going to be hurt. Who's going to play 36 minutes and give you 24 points? He's a turnover machine, but, you know, it is what it is. Westbrook now is calling out his coach. His coach is benching his player. It's really ugly. It's gone public. Frank Vogel called Westbrook a couple nights ago that player. Westbrook is now complaining. He doesn't know when he's coming in, going out. Here's Westbrook. You don't never know when you're coming in. You never know when you're coming out. You never know when you're playing. You never know a bunch of things. And I'm speaking for me

personally. So it's a difficult process to get a figure out and creating a rhythm, creating some consistency where we can actually see what we're able to do as a team. It doesn't matter when you're in or when you're out. You don't shoot well. You got bad hands and you're an eroding athlete. It is what it is. Just be ready to play. How about that one? You know what's fascinating, though?

Ten years ago, KD., Hardin, and Westbrook played together 10 years ago. And people thought that was going to be the future of the league. Remember they got to a finals? The three in the last ten years have played for ten teams, if you count Oklahoma City. All three count Oklahoma City. ones. Seven teams if you don't. Harden, kind of a quitter. Westbrook, falling off a cliff. KD. Unbelievable, but left a dynasty and now as part of the NBA's laughing stock in Brooklyn. It's funny, they all have kind of quirky, interesting personalities, but that doesn't necessarily

make you anything more than a really talented person with a quirky personality. Yonis isn't quirky. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, aren't quirky. Steph Curry and Clay aren't quirky. Quirky is seven teams in 10 years, and many thought this would be the future of basketball in the country. All three right now, either aging poorly, defined by really bad things, or made an egregious decision on leaving a dynasty.

I'll say it again, we would be so harsh if Patrick Mahomes decided to leave well-run Kansas City, go to Detroit to play with a friend, we literally would crush him. KD. left a dynasty for this mess in Brooklyn to play with his friend, Kyrie. Of an exit strategy. And now they're trapped. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, is Damien Lillard trapped, or does he really want to be in Portland? Portland's Blazers traded C.J. McCullum yesterday and following the trade, Damien Lillard made a strong statement about his future with the franchise. He said, for me, my heart is Portland Chairblazer. I want to win it. I know that I have a plan that's going to put me on my best level when I come back to play. And I want our team to fit that.

I'm a Joe Cronin fan. I'm just waiting patiently to let things unfold and allow him to execute his plan. Once we get there and we see what it looks like, then I'll have, I guess, more feelings than I have now. kind of feels like it's a lost season for him. It's a regroup season. It's an injured season. He's also a very, very loyal guy. He was overlooked at a high school, went to Weber State.

He's incredibly loyal to Weber State. He's loyal to Portland. There's very much a Janus and a Bradley Beale feel to him, and there's nothing wrong with that. No. But sometimes the cultures of leagues change. Yeah. And it's very difficult to build organically,

if you don't have all the right pieces in place and do things almost perfectly. Milwaukee was able to do that. Golden State was able to do that. If you believe Portland's able to do that, then you stay there and you win a championship. But if you don't, then you've had an incredible Hall of Fame career and you won't be a champion.

I don't think there's one way to become a champion. Everyone thinks you have to go join a super team. You don't, but you do have to have more than one star. Yeah, I think Dame is going to be beloved in Portland, a Hall of Fame player, great music career, tremendous teammate. Not everybody's a champion. And I think there is, you and I have worked in this media business for a long time. There are people that have stayed in Miami where you worked or Pittsburgh for their entire lives. They have redeemable careers. Their families there, for all we know, they're happier than us.

There's a bunch of different ways to do this. Janus rolled the dice, I'm going to stay, and won titles. By the way, I remember Kobe Bryant at one point was so frustrated with the Lakers, stayed, they pulled off the Pau Gasol deal, and he won again. So there's the idea in every industry, you can jettison your town or your franchise, and I think Dame really values, for whatever reasons. It could be his parents. It could have been like the psychology of being overlooked.

Something about Dame psychology is I'm going to be loyal and I got, I'll be honest with you. I would love to see them surround him with talent. But as you know, the people that are usually available to get, have their own issues. Hardin's now available. Ben Simmons is available. Well, yeah. I mean, if you're talking about the top talent in the league, they're probably not going to Portland. Yeah.

So what kind of a star are you going to get? there and then the rest of the roster has to also be really good. They have a couple young players I like. I mean, they've got some pieces, but. He signed it for your max contract to stay with the Blazers through 24 or 25. The only thing that I would push back on with the loyalty thing, because look, you and I are kind of similar in that. I don't get caught up in the loyalty thing when it comes to business. Like family, friends, partners, great. Business, I'm not, you're only as loyal as the bottom line. And they will remind you of that the instant that they need to. So I don't get

caught up in the loyalty of business. I understand that sports are a little bit different in that, you know, you do have fan bases and, you know, you have an established part of the community. And maybe you really just like living there and raising your family there. Like there's all kinds of different reasons why you would choose to stay with an organization. Maybe you're just comfortable there. Sometimes it's the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. There's a lot of different reasons. I think people get very quick to say, oh, you should go join a, you know, a quote-unquote super team, which is just like this. Can we just stop saying that like the super team thing? It works as often as it doesn't work. Oh, no, no. It's most of this, you know,

LeBron's rare, bounce, bounce, bounce, title, title, doesn't generally work that way. Well, LeBron's also the greatest player of our generation and arguably in the history of the sport, depending on where you sit with Michael Jordan, which I think Michael is, but he's an outlier to the situation. Two franchises that have done this. well over the years. Miami and the Lakers have done that. Attract Stars, win briefly and then have to rebuild. But by and large, it doesn't work.

By the way, Tim Duncan, they drafted him. Janice, they drafted him. This Phoenix team is overwhelmingly. Golden State. Golden State. They drafted them. They won a title before KD. If you look at the history of the league,

Michael and Scotty got together. The Pistons, the Bad Boys. MJ, Kareem playing with Magic. By the way, all those teams, that draft players also bring in free agents as well. So just the title super team is just being, it's being thrown around way too much as if that's the only solution for

anything. Building an organization is actually the best way to win a championship. We always say this about the Rams. 14 of their 22 starters are drafted. What they do is they give up first round picks for the best corner and football. For known commodities. Yeah, like at key quarterback, left tackle, cornerback, like key position. Also, they're well-run enough organization to have the money to bring.

in those players. So Tom Brady has retired and many think that Gronk might follow in his footsteps since Brady's the only quarterback that he's ever played with. But apparently there's another quarterback that Gronk might be interested in playing with. He said, I kind of like this Young Buck quarterback. Isn't it kind of funny

hearing Grom call somebody a young buck? But it's true, he is a young buck to Grong. He's in the Super Bowl now. It's Joe Burrow man. I watched him in college. I just love the way he presents himself out on the football field in the pocket. He's just so calm and he slings it out in the field. I just love his swag, too. if I had to pick a quarterback, it'd be the young buck Joe Burrow.

He's killing it right now in the game. He is. Interesting. Brock is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, and he should have some suitors. He's still playing at a very high level. So I, uh, now CJ Usama is the tight end right now, but he's also set to hit free agency. I was going to, he's going to hit free agency.

Yeah. I think he's going to play. Both tight ends are banged up. Alex in the back. He's said he's, he has a, an MCL sprain, but he said he's doing everything he can to be out there and he's probably going to play. And Higby for the Rams is banged up, but he may play as well. Do we know, do we have the latest time?

They're both really valuable pieces for these offenses. Well, either of those guys, any guy who's dealing with, you know, a lingering injury at this point is going to push through to be able to play in the Super Bowl. But that's interesting. Gronk and Joe Burrow would be really fun together. It would be great. It was just for a year. Yeah. So obviously we're all on Aaron Rogers watch.

He's kind of the first big domino to fall in the quarterback movie. and free agency and trade situation. So his future with the Packers is uncertain, but Aaron Jones thinks that he is going to be back. I've heard what everybody else has heard with their reading, mom, but I think he'll be there. My heart,

you know, Green Bay, I can't imagine him anywhere else. That's where he's been his whole career. So I just can't picture him anywhere else. And I think we had a lot of fun this year. So I hope to have him back. And I hope he's back.

I believe him. my heart, he'll be back. I have no idea. I'm not going to try to predict it. I don't know either. I would not be surprised to be left. I wouldn't be surprised to be stayed. I think Denver's perfect, but I have no idea.

None of us know what's going on in Aaron Rogers' head or heart for that matter, because there was a lot of heart and emotions mentioned in that statement by Aaron Jones. Now, according to Fox bet, the Packers still have the best odds to keep Aaron Rogers at plus 100. He's a clear front runner to win MVP. The season did not finish the way that would make, I think would make Packers fans feel comfortable. about him staying, but it all just really depends on what Aaron Rogers wants. Personally and selfishly, I want him to leave.

Because the Packers' story is just, I'm done with it. There's nothing interesting about them to me anymore. If you have the number one seed in a season like this with the roster that you had, the momentum that you have on a second MVP and you lose your first game in the playoffs, and just, all right. I don't know, what am I supposed to be excited about next year? Well, no, I mean, I think this happens all the time.

In salary cap leagues, like baseball isn't. So your window to win a championship is tied to contracts. But in NBA, hockey, or the NFL, there are these windows. And we saw it in Seattle. It closes really fast. Seattle's going to win forever. And all of a sudden, Russell gets paid. And you can't keep that linebacker in that corner or that receiver.

So I feel like Green Bay will be fine, but they've peaked because they're like $45 million over the cap. That's before they've paid Devonte Adams. So there's just no getting around it. They're going to have to get rid of really valuable pieces, maybe not start. cars. Yeah, the roster's going to be different next year. Yeah, no, I believe they peaked. They were, it was perfect.

Minnesota was sort of, had peaked the year before. Chicago's got a rookie quarterback, Campbell's first year. Yeah, that's the other thing. And that might be aspirational here. But I think the division's going to be a little bit better next year. So do I. So I just, I don't think the roster is going to be the same to your point. They're way over the cap.

I've seen this story. I don't think he's going to have a third MVP level season. I don't think he's going to have a drop off. but he's had two back-to-back really incredible seasons. It's just not, I've watched this movie. Yeah. I mean, Packers fans don't want to hear that, obviously. It's a good movie.

Didn't win the Oscar, but it's a good movie. I've just seen, it's like the 14th one, and like I guess in the end, he saves the world. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. There's a video out there when the Colts drafted Jonathan Taylor. I'd probably have to go back to my Instagram and find it where I exploded with joy, because I said I thought Jonathan

Taylor was the best running back I'd seen since Ezekiel Elliott. And Chris Ballard, I told before the draft, I had a conversation. I said, you know who I love? I said, you guys could use one more running back. I love Jonathan Taylor. And Chris Ballard didn't give me any information. But I was like, man, I'd love to see you guys draft him. Well, they did.

And Jonathan Taylor, great, great running back for the Colts is joining us live. Pro Bowler this year. There he is. There's the star running back. The pride of the Wisconsin Badgers. You know, it's interesting. We talk about this all the time, Jonathan. In the NFL, it really, you as a high school player, could choose where you want to go, right?

You chose Wisconsin. But as an NFL player, you get drafted. I really think this sounds weird, but by going in the second round, you end up on a better team. If you've gone high first round and you get this Colts offensive line, and I know you want to go in the first round and I thought you were a first round player you don't get quite as much money but in the end it feels like you landed

in the perfect organization does it feel like that for you how you doing Colin I mean you kind of hit the nail on the head I felt like I landed in the perfect situation just not only the guys up front but the entire locker room the kind of leadership and the camaraderie that

that locker room holds from top to bottom I mean it's second to none I feel like I couldn't have landed in a more perfect spot. You've always been a really focused guy. Not that you couldn't have handled a big market, but, you know, Indianapolis is interesting because we had said, Joy and I had said during the year it feels like a playoff team, and then there was a bit of a meltdown in the last couple of weeks.

And none of us could explain it. When you were living in it, was it surreal that you obviously have the personnel and there was a meltdown, Jacksonville, what was it like to go through? that definitely hurt and it stung one of the biggest things that you know was talked about after was you know this upcoming year come april come camp come the season whatever it takes what are you willing to sacrifice what are you willing to put aside in order to be selfless in order to put the team first to get to where we want to go this year this next year upcoming and it was just a tough one because no one wants to go through that experience like you mentioned we knew the guys

in that locker room that we were able to go out there and win games in the playoffs. And we just had to take advantage of that opportunity. So this upcoming season, it's definitely whatever it takes to get the job done. You know, I'm not a huge fan of hard knocks. I wouldn't want cameras all over my house or at my work. You guys were the kind of experiment for a mid-season hard knocks. Again, not a huge fan of it, although I think it did show me a lot about the leadership. You could tell the team has leadership.

it a distraction to have those cameras everywhere? I will say they did a great job of making sure that things were kind of normal, or at least seemed normal. So there were cameras in meeting rooms, cameras on the field, kind of off to the side. Unless you were really doing a one-on-one kind of interview or specifically being followed, they really made it seem like it was normal. Now, of course, you realize, okay, the cameras in the meeting room, there are cameras in certain places.

But I definitely do think it was a lot less than I expected as far as camera invasive. But like you mentioned, I usually see Hard Knocks during camp. So having it during the season, it was definitely different, you know, going through your day-to-day routine, having it filmed. Jonathan, you leave college football and suddenly players now get paid. And you're probably thinking to yourself, man, I got hit a lot and I didn't get anything at Wisconsin. And now you have the NIL. what do you make? It's kind of fascinating. The transfer portal, the name image likeness,

are you a fan of it? There's no real guardrails yet. What do you make? The minute you leave college football, all these things people have been fighting for happened. What do you make of what you sees happen to the sport? I'll definitely say I am happy for it. All of these years, way before even I was in school, that was the talk. Players should get paid. Players should be able to, you know, go to another program. That's what people were fighting for. Now, I think it's a matter of fact of just making sure the guidelines, the regulations, protection for the players are set in place in order to make sure that, you know, players aren't getting taken advantage of, that things are being done the right way. So this is definitely the direction that, you know,

people have been wanting to go for a long time. Now it's just a matter of fact of making sure we're able to do it safely and being able to protect the players. By the way, Jonathan, a running back, the NFL has done a really good job, in my opinion, to make the league safer, not as many practices, no two a days, but you play a very rare offensive position. You're the last guy anybody can hit anywhere anytime. Can't hit quarterbacks, can't hit receivers over the top. You can hit a running back and you don't know where the hits are coming from. What do you do in the offseason or during the season? Take me into your routine to extend. your season to elevate your body to get, I mean, when you wake up Monday, you're sore.

I've talked to running back. Monday and Tuesday, you're crawling out of bed. How are you going to extend your career? So number one, the biggest thing is being able to build that body armor up throughout the off season, that should be your number one priority. Before you even start touching the field, trying to hit cuts and do football drills, you need to build your body armor up. And that's number one, because like you mentioned, we're the last person that can get

any time, any place on the field. So build that body armor up. Then once you get in season, especially at the beginning of the season, you want to be able to maintain that body armor as much as possible. Of course, as you know, your body breaks down over the course of a season, so you may not be able to lift as much weights

as you would be able to in the beginning of the season. But in the beginning, make sure you're definitely getting at least two lifts in a week, at least, to maintain that body armor because it's going to decrease throughout the course of the season. You came into the league, same draft as Joe Burrow. I think you guys played the Bengals last year, if I recall.

What do you make of his ascension to the Super Bowl? What do you make of it? Man, he's just a winner. I mean, and you look at his career in college and how he went about his business. You could tell he was a winner. He was confident in his abilities, but he boosted everyone else's confidence around him.

And that's what you want out of a quarterback. You want a quarterback to be able to elevate your team, to bring the best out of your teammates. And I think that's something that he's been able to do once he got into the league, which has been amazing. And I'm happy for him. And it's exciting to see and it's exciting to watch. And it pushes you to work harder to get to that position as well.

Well, joining us now, behalf of FedEx, Aaron Ground, NFL Player of the Year Award. You can go right now, cast your ballot for our guy, Jonathan Taylor, NFL.com slash FedEx via the NFL's handle on Twitter or on the NFL mobile app, an absolute pleasure. You led the NFL in most rushing attempts. Do you stand Indianapolis? Where do you go in the offseason? So I like to spend time

in Scottsdale. I like to spend time in Fort Lauderdale. And then occasionally head back to Indianapolis, you know, kind of just to reset, go to the facility. But those are the two places that I really like to spend that time building that body armor up, getting a body prepared and ready to go for a long season.

Yeah, warm places, by the way, Fort Lauderdale and Scottsdale. I don't blame it. Jonathan, what a pleasure. You're a great player. Eclipsed any expectations most people had. Love having you on the show, my man. Always root for you. Thank you again. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Yeah, Jonathan Taylor, just quality. I say this all the time. The NFL is so lucky. Their star players are such good, I'll say kids. He is just rock solid. Couldn't get better. Colts had, there's your foundation of your franchise right there. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVarrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zata and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. on game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences

loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college. football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

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 you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. That's correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. 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.

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, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Smart people know how to spend their capital. you know, smart people spend it on an appreciating asset, like an equity or a house or education for your kids. That's what smart people do. Less smart people spend it on a boat. Buy a boat. Third car.

Third house. The Rams are in the Super Bowl, and one of the reasons is they've figured out what matters with their capital. whereas the Seahawks in the same division gave up two first round picks and a third for a safety. They're spending their money on a boat. The Rams have given up their first round picks for a left tackle, a quarterback, a cornerback. Daniel Jeremiah, a three-time NFL scout, talked about the Rams game plan, which is ahead of the curve in the National Football League. figured out a way to kind of game the comp system, right?

and the way they've been able to do that, Colin, is these trades, I think everybody looks at it and says, well, you're trading premier picks for premier players. They forget the third aspect. They're trading premier picks for premier players at premier positions. They're not trading multiple ones for a safety. They went and got a quarterback. They went and got a corner. They wouldn't got a pass rusher.

You have to take those guys in the first round. Well, they don't have first round picks. They don't need to take those guys anymore. The guys they need to pick the safeties, the linebackers, the guards. You get those guys their third, fourth, fifth round every year. They play for you for three or four years. They become free agents. You let them go.

You get the comp pick. And that cycle just keeps on turning. Yeah, the Rams do a really smart job. They know what to spend the money on. And in their divisions, Seattle does not. And that Jamal Adams trade makes absolutely no sense. You can't pay a safety that. You can't give up three draft picks for that.

It makes absolutely no sense. It's what a desperate team does. And so the Rams spend the money on the right things. By the way, 14 of their 22 starters are drafted. There are linebackers and guards and centers and safeties and tight ends. But you got to be great at four or five positions in this league. Quarterback is one of them. They gave up first round picks.

Left tackle, Andrew Whitworth. They gave up a first pick. Corner. You got to have a shutdown corner. Jalen Ramsey. First round pick. By the way, edge rusher, Vaughn Miller, who's been so valuable. They gave up, I think, a second and a third round pick.

So draft picks, good ones, you can give them up. Just give them up for the right spaces, the right positions. And that's where the Rams have figured it out. The Jets spent a lot of money on an off-ball linebacker, C.J. Mosley. What are you doing? Now, the Cowboys spent a ton of money on Jalen Smith. A year later, they regretted it. What are you doing?

You can draft interior offensive linemen with very few exceptions. There's an Iowa center this year that's absolutely. Absolutely a top 10 to 12 pick. It's very rare. Quentin Nelson for the Colts is the rare first round guard best in the sport. You occasionally have an outlier. But they've really, you know, game the system a little bit. They've figured it out.

They're really smart. And it's fantastic. By the way, the wise guys, the people who are professional sports betters, a lot of them like the Bengals plus four and a half. It's interesting. So when you look at the Bengals schedule. So when the season's over, we forget this sometimes. Let's go back and look at what the Bengals really were.

Well, what they were was a team, 20 games, 13 and 7 is currently their record in 20 games. They won or lost close in 18 of 20. They had two really bad Sundays. They got housed at home by Cleveland. Cleveland has a better roster, in my opinion. And they play the Chargers at home. And it was just one of those games where everything. Burrow threw up got picked and everything Justin Herbert threw up got caught.

It was a go-either-way game. So they had two bad Sundays. But if you look at them increasingly in their last eight games, six wins, two close losses. And for those who think the Bengals will get blown out, they played Green Bay tight, they beat Tennessee, they beat Kansas City twice, and they played the Niners twice. So they don't get blown out. This is what the wise guys are saying. The smart betters is they don't get blown out.

And if you look at the end of the year, they really don't get blown out. And they played a similar team that the Rams did. It was San Francisco, and they had them beat with two minutes left to go in the game. And Jimmy G drove the Bengals down, the Niners down and won the game. So let's look at the Rams schedule. So the Rams schedule, they are 15 and 5. Here's the daunting part, if you're a Cincinnati fan. They are 8 in 1 in their last 9, and they should have been 9-0 down the stretch.

The game they lost, they led 17. nothing at half, and it's the only time in Sean Bay's career, he has let it half and lost. So they played really well. They had a really choppy injury riddled November. They had some key injury. Stafford didn't play particularly well. Then they figured it out. Jacksonville, big win.

And from that point, against some pretty good teams, they lost only once the overtime game at home to San Francisco. Again, they let it 17-0. So they're probably seen as the hotter team, although I will say this, they played in a lot of close games as well. The Tampa win was close. The San Francisco win was close. The Baltimore game was close. Minnesota down the stretch, Arizona down the stretch.

Jacksonville, they blew out. But these two teams playing a lot of close games. The Rams are flawed enough to keep it close and the Bengals are talented enough to keep it close. So very few were involved. You start looking at the Bengals. schedules and what you see, you would think they're Super Bowl teams. They've got nothing but blowouts. They're in a lot of close games. So I suspect I also, my prediction on the game is going to be, it's going to be a fast game because I think both coaches are concerned, you know,

the offensive line for Cincinnati, the pass blocking offensive line is flawed. They would love to run the football and not make Burroughs sit in the pocket 35 times. So I think Cincinnati wants to run the ball, shrink the game. And I also, also think McVeigh, Stafford is a big game. And I think he has a lot of respect. I'm not sure he wants to get into a shootout with Cincinnati either. I think they'll start conservative. I also think you can run on Cincinnati a little bit.

So I think the Rams will run the ball more than people are predicting. I think it's going to be under. I think it's going to be a fast game. More running than we predict. Less passing, not to shoot out some guess. I'll give my pick on Friday. All right, hour one is down. Austin Eccler, Debo Samuel

today as well. In L.A. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite on Humor 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, Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen 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 Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.