The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Lakers, Duke, NFL

Episode Date: March 28, 2022

The Lakers struggles continueIt isn't rigged if Duke wins the NCAA TournamentPlayers have more power in professional sportsGuest: Albert Breer Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for Black. people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Heard. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Here we go on a Monday. It is great to have. you in live and wet in windy Los Angeles it's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening iHeart radio fox sports radio fs one one hour from now where colin was right where Colin was wrong plenty of both Alex curry stopping by today crazy Sunday night crazy it was great it was crazy we're going to get to the world cup we got actors and comedians slapping each We have a lot of movement in sports. It was an emotional roller coaster yesterday.

It was. Like straight up, we hit every single emotion from March Madness. As you mentioned to our U.S. men almost, we're almost there. Wednesday, they officially can clinched a World Cup spot. And then the Oscars. Yeah. Well, you know what? Let me start with this, folks.

The Oscars had gotten very, very predictable. That's why the ratings have been in the tank. The reason the NFL in sports, the ratings are, up in the NFL. They're up in college basketball. They're up in a lot of sports. And the reason NBA's ratings are up this year. And the reason is sports is unpredictable. You know what? I'm not advocating what happened last night. But Warren Beatty read the wrong winner. Steve Harvey wants Kanye West and Swift, Taylor Swift. And last night, you get, I don't know. Maybe that's the entertainment business we're in now. Unpredictable cells. I got to start with this. Speaking of

that, I'm watching over the weekend. I watch. watched last night all the available episodes of the winning time. It's on HBO. It's about the Jeff Perlman book. It is about when Jerry Bus bought the Lakers. And now Jeannie Bus owns the Lakers, his daughter, and she's in there. The casting director did an amazing job. Adam McKay, the director did a great job. It's wildly entertaining. It's full of conflict. And it shows, once again, how hard it is to run a great American business. It's really, really hard. And it was very combative. But one of the things as you watch it, one of the things I really appreciated about the late Jerry Buss, he was such an innovator and such a risk taker. The Laker girls were

considered sort of, you know, too sexualized and the forum club was too elitist, and they put actors up front. I mean, he was broke when he started running this franchise and buying this franchise. It was just fantastic. And the owners, execs, and the rosters, I read the headline for the Lakers this morning. LeBron hurt again. Lakers probably don't make the playoffs. It's time for bold and innovative again. When you watch winning time, it's

not just about Jerry West's temper, which is being portrayed a little over the top. It's not just about Magic Johnson. It's about risks and how hard it is to be great and you've got to go for it in life. And I don't see a way out

for these Lakers without doing something like that. Last night, another ex-laker, Brandon Ingram, torts the Lakers, who, by the way, were on three days rest. Young beats old, and this is the oldest roster easily in the NBA. I mean, Mello, Dwight Howard,

Westbrook, give me a break. It sounds like an all-star team nine years ago. The Showtime Lakers were bold and aggressive and innovators, and all I see with the Lakers is looking in the rear-view mirror. They are paralyzed by the past. The president is Kobe's

agent. The executive ex-lakers. Listen, they may be capable. I'm not trying to pick on people. But when Jerry Buss bought this team, they had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he went and drafted Magic Johnson. And you know what Magic Johnson did? He challenged Kareem, who could be stoic, brittle, and difficult. And they challenged Kareem. Jack McKinney was hired. Challenge Kareem. Magic Johnson, challenge Kareem. Anybody here going to challenge LeBron? Or are they run now by LeBron in clutch sports. This franchise needs bold and unique

and the windshield and less of what I've seen for years. The headline again today is LeBron is great, buddies hurt, Lakers are not going to make the playoffs. This will be, what, seventh time in nine years? This franchise was dead when Jerry Buss bought it and

innovations saved it. It feels almost dead now. Who's going to save it now? Listen, LeBron's still great when he's available, but back-to-back nights, year 19 in, are unrealistic. Last night, once again, lots of points, and he's heard again. Here's LeBron. I mean, excuse my language, but that's what it feels like, you know, I came in with the mindset. I understand it was a playoff type, it was a playoff type atmosphere, playoff implications and things that nature.

So, you know, I knew that for. to jump. You know, it feels like a wasted opportunity, obviously for myself and for our team. We're unable to get it done. By the way, highly recommend watching Winning Time on HBO. Again, it's like a business movie with a great sense of humor. How hard it is, how much combativeness it takes to really form something and create something. And it was that innovation, that craziness that made the,

the Lakers into the biggest brand, surpassing the Celtics. When he bought it, Red Arbock and the Celtics owned the NBA, and they have surpassed them. They're more interesting. They've been more compelling. And a big part of that is Magic Johnson. And Jerry Buss deserves a ton of credit from coaching to players,

to show girls, to the forum club, to putting celebrities all over the building. It's just fantastic watch. It's Hollywood. I mean, it is what it is. is. You watched the Oscars last night. It is what it is. But they need another dose of it, is my point. Let's shift to this. For years and years, as a sportscaster, people always tell me they love underdogs. And when I first went on the air at the other place, I said my first couple days on the air, I don't love underdogs. Because the truth is, you don't love underdogs because I see

the television ratings. And the ratings are bigger when Coach Kay is on the air. And when the Yankees are on the air, so quit telling me you're rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Peter's because the ratings shrink when they're on and that Cinderella is a myth. Put Boise State in a bowl game, the ratings go down. Put Ohio State in a bowl game, the ratings go up. So our final four is going to be Blue Bloods. That's what I like to watch.

We all know the backstory. Duke and Carolina and Kansas and Villanova. Feel bad for Villanova, they're falling apart. But I love a good ending to a great story. and this is Mike Shoshchevsky's last year. And there are four teams left, and Duke is the most talented with the most legendary coach. Nova, again, has now two players injured. Carolina's played well lately, but they are an eight seed.

Duke has four projected first round picks. They're favored to win, and they will. And here come the Looney Tune fringe. Here come the conspiracy theorist to say it's rigged. No, if St. Peter's won, that would be rigged. That would be too close to Hoosiers. St. Peters has no business winning this tournament. The last five winners have all been number one seeds.

We always criticize the NCAA selection committee, and they're overwhelmingly right. If anybody wins this of the four teams, anybody but North Carolina wins it, it will be the seventh straight year a number one or a number two seed wins it, because the committee knows what they're doing, despite the fact that fans and media are absolutely sure they don't. and Coach K is going to win this thing again. That is my guess. Villanova's just run out of good players.

And Caroline is playing well, but they're not as good and not as talented. I watched Kansas play a couple of times this year. I think that's the second most talented team in the final four, but I don't think they're Duke. So this is going to be a great ending. And what social media has done, it is given a voice to wackos, right? It used to be letter to the editor is about the only time you heard the wacko. And then even the sports editor or the news editor could like edit some of those out. Now everybody's got a voice.

And there's a lot of wackos and a lot of conspiracy theorists and a lot of people seeking validation with no talent. That's what social media has created. So you've got to close your eyes to it. Turn your phone off, not read your mentions because it's crazy time. So Duke is going to probably win it. And everybody is going to say it's rigged. It's unbelievable. No, it's rigged arguably if they don't.

The best coach ever, for for, round picks. The other starter is probably a second round pick, and they've got more tournament wins than anybody in the last three decades. I'm going to go with Duke's going to win it, and it's going to be glorious. Sorry, I root for great. I root for great actors. I root for great teams. I root for great coaches. I root for great franchises. I root for great history. I'm sorry. I wasn't rooting for St. Peter's. It was a cute story. It was cute. It wasn't that interesting. It was cute. Congrats to Duke and Coach K. He talked about reaching another Final Four in his final year.

We've won a lot in the tournament, and we've won a lot of games, but Final Fours are big, obviously, and then national championships. And like Wendell said, that's what you put banners up for you. There's no greater day in college basketball than when those four regional champions, four champions get under one in one arena and place. It's the greatest day for college basketball. And we're honored to be a part of it. And, you know, for the record, people often say,

why don't you talk a lot of college basketball? And I've said it's become a three-week event. There's nothing wrong with that. Marty Grau is a great event. Doesn't make New Orleans my favorite city, but it is a great event. Events are important. The World Cup. It'll be on Fox, November 18th.

I don't talk a lot of soccer, but I will be mesmerized. buy it for three weeks. I don't talk a lot of college basketball, but I am mesmerized for it for three weeks. Some things, they're on the daily treadmill, the NFL. If I was a sportscaster in Canada, I'd talk hockey 75% of the time. If I was a sportscaster in London with a name Colin, my mom was British, probably should be. I talk English Premier League 75% of the time.

In this country, I talk NFL about 70, 75% of the time. But this is a great event for three years. weeks. I'm totally mesmerized. Duke's going to win it. And it's okay. It's not rigged. I swear to you it's not. St. Peter's winning is rigged. That's when Hollywood, I'll combine the two. Hollywood would be involved if St. Peter's won. Sports is involved if Duke wins. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 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, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or where 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 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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 personal. purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search

Learn the Hardway and listen now. Football's changing fast and I think analytics is doing this to all sports. I think analytics makes baseball duller and I think analytics are making football more fun. Football now has more passing, more going forward on fourth down, less punting. I think that's more fun for sports fans and I'm a sports fan. Baseball analytics, it's all home runs and strikeouts. I get less base runners, less cat and mouse on the bases. I don't think it's great for the sport. NBA, I'm okay with a lot of the analytics. I don't think it makes it better or worse. I think the players are more skilled than ever in the NBA, although I do think sometimes it becomes a parade of three-pointers. I miss centers. You know, I miss the Kareem. I miss the big

center. But, you know, life changes. But I think baseball, it's hurt, football, it's helped, and basketball somewhere in between. But one of the things we know about sports and what's happening, and it's something that's happening all over America is employees are now more empowered. I was just talking to somebody last week who was trying to hire young people for a production assistant position. And he says, I used to get 115 to 125 applicants every time I had an opening. Now I get 12.15. People have more options. People have more power.

And that's a very good thing that employees, people are working from home. They can live where they want to live. I think it's amazing. I think we're going to a four-day work week. And as somebody who owns a couple small businesses, I'm for it. I want people to be happy. Happy employees, good employee. And we're also seeing this in sports where players are empowered.

They are going to now demand. I don't like this GM. I don't like this owner. I don't like this coach. And I want out. We saw Russell Wilson do that. Windows are now very short. Dynasties are very, very hard.

In college sports, it's sort of built. for dynasties because the better you are, the better recruiting class you get. But in football, in pro sports, in pro basketball, the egos are bigger, the money's bigger, the empowerment is greater, and windows close very fast. In the NFL, the Buccaneers, you looked at Brady, you're like, look at this team, they brought everybody back. It was a one-year window. They didn't look nearly as good as the Rams.

They got beat twice last year by the Rams and were clearly the inferior team. They went from best team in the league to clearly the second best team. just in the NFC. Kansas City a couple of years ago, Dynasty, going to last forever. They trade Tyreek Hill. You know, half of you think, more than half you think, the dynasty's over. The L.A. Rams, they just won. They've had their coaching staff picked again.

They lost the top corner. I mean, they lost the top pass rusher. It's the reality. Players are empowered. And here sits Green Bay. And so Matt LaFleur was talking over the weekend about losing Devonte Adams. And he came out and he said, listen, there's this thing called a salary cap. And the reality is it's difficult.

It's going to be difficult for us, but you have to make decisions. And it's a really interesting time for Green Bay because they've been risk-averse and allergic to big personalities and they hold firm on their principles. And the reality is from 1998 to today, they've been in one Super Bowl with a combination of Farrvin Aaron Rogers. It is why I say you've got to be super aggressive. The Rams said, okay, we got Aaron Donald to be. best defensive lineman in 20 years. We have Cooper Cup, who is this unbelievable talent. We have Jalen Ramsey. We're going to move off Jared Gough, who got us to a Super Bowl. And it worked. You can see what Buffalo is doing now. Buffalo's like, we have Josh Allen who runs around and gets

hit a lot in his prime. We saw Big Ben and Cam age quickly. Six-six quarterbacks who run around get hit. We're going to go with it. Stefan Diggs. Von Miller. We're going to go with it. Cleveland, Deshawn Watson. They got Miles Garrett. Miles It's unbelievable. They've got the best offensive line in football. Whether I like the move or not or you like the move or not, they're saying it's not going to last forever. We're going to go for it.

And even the historically tepid Cincinnati Bengals who don't make daring trades, they're like, we got Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase in their prime. These guys are great. They're great right out of the gate, and we're not paying them anything right now. We've got to go for it. They found three different offensive linemen around the league. Good for the Cincinnati Bengals. And here once again is the accounting firm of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers.

Reliable, safe, draft and develop. And I am all for drafting and developing. But I do believe, and Matt Lafleur, I think deep down knows it, the windows closed. Is that it was always hard for Green Bay to attract free agents. And that was in an era when players didn't have the money, the power, and the interest and mobility of leaving. Now they do. So Green Bay had this long runway, and because of how well they drafted and developed, it gave them opportunities to be great. And outside of one year, they've mostly just been good to very good.

The Rams, big swings. The Chiefs, knowing Mahomes was great, bought an offensive line. Frank Clark, Honey Badger. Do you see him over the weekend when Tyreek Hill was out, how aggressive the Chiefs got? So it doesn't mean Green Bay won't be good. But, you know, they're still operating on an old premise. And what is happening in the NFL right now? And the Rams are on it.

Buffalo is on it. Tampa sees it. It is becoming a quarterback wide receiver league. Wide receiver is exploding in importance. And this morning, the Green Bay Packers have, without question, the weakest wide receiving core in the NFL. NFL. Life moves fast. Be able to pivot. And Green Bay has had a really bad offseason. Here's Alex with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, speaking of the off season,

no one was more excited when Tom Brady came out of retirement than Buck's head coach Bruce Ariens. And he recently talked about how much the roster has improved because of Tom's presence. He said, they know what Tom brings and we got a shot for another ring, not reloading, not seeing who's going to do this or who's going to do that, how we're going to fit this guy in. Everybody knows their role again right now. The smile really hasn't come off my face. I'm drinking a little too much, but other than that,

it's been a constant celebration. It was huge for us to have Tom back. And I like to call this the Tom Brady effect. Number one, you always have a chance when the goats in the building. He has seven Super Bowl rings. That's more than any franical. single franchise has, which is crazy to wrap your head around. And the number two, everyone wants to be better when they're coming to play with Tom Brady.

He elevates everybody because they want to also get on his level. And I'm sure his routine rubs off on everybody as well. Not to mention he calls players and makes it probably feel like I would be lucky if you came to play with me, which goes a long way. Yeah. I mean, well, we found out last week a story that, you know, Aaron wasn't close with Avanti Adams. It was all kind of superficial stuff and that Devante is kind of a family man He's not into the celebrity and the golfing

And all that stuff in Hollywood And in the end, Brady's done a really good job As an older employee to connect with younger employees And he's done a great job He gets on the phone, he introduces himself, He tries to listen to their music And it was worked. In the end, the results

prove his way he manufactures this stuff. It works better than Nairns. Seven Super Bowl rings To one. That's a big deal. All right, well, there has not been a ton of interest for Jimmy Garoppolo on the trade market, and many believe it is due to the shoulder surgery he had this off season. One report said no one will trade for a quarterback with a $25 million compensation package after he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Now, it's also thought that the Niners might have to release Jimmy G opposed to trading him. John Lynch said last week that the Niners had been offered two second round picks for Jimmy G, but nothing has come of that. and none of Garoppolo's salary becomes guaranteed until the eve of week one. So they can kind of, they can wait it out, but they won't get cap relief without cutting him. Now, what really stood out to me was that Garapolo got this surgery without consulting the 49ers. Well, they only gave up a second round pick to get him, and he got them 35 wins in a Super Bowl, and also multiple playoff wins.

So you can say, man, to cut him, what's more important for the Niners this morning is cap relief. That's more important than getting a great pick. So Jimmy, even if he was healthy, is worth maybe a second. Well, that's all you gave up for him. Listen, if you buy a used car and that used car, you not only drive it for a couple years, you give it to one of your kids going to college and they drive it for a couple years, you squeezed every penny out of it. he paid for.

Well, you also, you probably got value. Jimmy Garoppolo is a second round acquisition. How many games did he win? You got so much, you went from irrelevant to not only relevant, but merchandise sales. You're on television. He gave you a year. Think of the value Jimmy Garoppolo gave you as a franchise. Think about this.

He gave you a year to let Tray Lance learn the system. In Chicago, got to play Justin Fields. In Jacksonville, got to pay Trevor Lawrence. They, Jimmy Garapolo gave you what every team wants, what the chiefs did with Mahomes. You sit him for a year to learn behind a really cool veteran Alex Smith and Garapolo. That in itself is priceless. So let's not worry about what we get back for Jimmy Garoppolo. He has been great for the franchise and you paid nothing for, he was a used car.

You got him for $2,000 and he got $30,000 miles out of him. And you gave it to your kid to go to kind. college, don't worry about it. Getting cap relief cut him is way more valuable today than getting a third round pick. And that's this idea that he's a first rounder off this surgery. Obviously, there's not a big market for him. So we thought that was a bigger market for Baker. There isn't a market. We didn't know what the market was for Deshaun. He ends up in Cleveland. It was a bigger market than we thought. So, you know, live in the moment. Congrats Niners. Get cap space. The players you could get on that are more valuable than.

this morning than getting a fifth round pick or a fourth round pick that you don't even know can play. You have no idea if some college kid you bring into your roster can even play half the draft picks or whiffs. So you're okay with this? I'm okay with it. All right, there you go. Well, let's switch gears because U.S. men's national team put on a show yesterday. They defeated Pamina at 5 to 1 and are on the brink of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Christian Paul Ezek. He scored his first hat trick with the national team, which was just so exciting and wild with 25 points and sitting in second in the Concaf final qualifying table,

they would need to suffer a six cool defeat at Costa Rica on Wednesday to be denied automatic qualification. But on a night, they needed big results. Polisic delivered. Well, he's such an incredible. He is a once, for us in America, he is a once-in-a-generation soccer talent. And I have a soft spot for soccer.

my mom again. When I was a little kid, I went to England. She took me there. And Johann Kroiff, I remember Holland being a big deal. And so it was in a World Cup year when I went. I didn't know anything about it as a kid, but there was soccer on constantly. And I worked in markets with Tampa and Portland, Oregon that were great, great soccer markets. And let's be honest about it. It was really sad and kind of pathetic that we didn't make the last. We didn't make the last men's world cup. In 2018. First time in 30 years.

Yeah. And by the way, tip of the cap to Canada. Yeah. The greatest Canadian men's national team arguably ever. I don't even know if it's arguable. They made it in for the first time. So our neighbors to the north, congratulations. Yep.

They are playing at a level. I don't remember my lifetime Canada playing. And we're back in because, listen, a lot of people push back on soccer. It's really popular. And it really matters to the culture in American soccer. when our greatest national players can get to the World Cup. So this is a huge deal for those who love soccer. And if you look at all these soccer venues around America,

it is exploding in popularity, despite the traditionalist trying to lecture you that baseball is the past time, soccer is exploding in popularity. And getting to the World Cup is a big deal in that growth. It's a really big deal. Colin, I was a U.S. embedded reporter for the Women's World Cup when they won in France in 2019.

and the whole thing coming off at 2018 when the men weren't in it. Polisic was a part of that team and you can tell he is playing with that chip on his shoulder to get that team back. This is huge. So Wednesday, hopefully Wednesday, deal is done.

Hopefully we celebrate that. A draw would be great. I know. Nobody gets hurt, draw. We're in. Good stuff. Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. One of my favorite antagonists. Alexi Lawless will be joining us in one hour from now. Just feels so great. Albert Brary got Joel Clatt. A lot of people will argue with me today. I love that.

You know, I saw something else. I've been on this now for a few years, and many of you have seen this, is that when you watch that Tom versus Time documentary, Brady and Belichick never had dinner. And I'm not saying you have to have dinner all the time with, you know, with your quarterback. But I don't think it's a coincidence that Pete Carroll,

a defensive coach, and Russell Wilson struggled. Mike Zimmer defensive coach. coach and Kirk Cousin struggled. Belichick and Brady, 22 years, no dinner. So Nathaniel Hackett, young, progressive, offensive guy, is now the new coach of Denver. And he was asked over the weekend about Russell Wilson. And he said, quote, we are joined at the hip.

We talk all day long. And this is why I love this move. Even in college, if you go back to Russell Wilson's entire playing career, Brett Beelma, Wisconsin, defensive coach. Pete Carroll. NFL defensive coach. Tom O'Brien at North Carolina State was an offensive coach, but never believed in Russell Wilson. That's why he had to transfer.

If you go look at Matt Stafford, the best four years he had in Detroit, offensive coach Jim Caldwell. They had a winning record, 36 and 28, made the playoffs twice. The Lions did. His best year ever, Matt Stafford was with Sean McVeigh offensive coach. They speak a different language. And so for Russell Wilson, he's had in college Brett Beelma, defensive coach, NFL, Pete Carroll, defensive coach. Doesn't mean they're not good coaches. But all defensive coaches want to run the ball on third and three.

They want to run it on first down. So Russell Wilson has to put on a life preserver and bail out the offense on third and long. And he's been doing it his entire career. That's why I think Denver is the best best. to win the Super Bowl. It doesn't mean they will, but if you go to Fox Bet and all these gambling sites, all the odds out there, I think they have the six best odds, he is going to explode in Denver.

This is going to be something to watch. You know, when Aaron Rogers went from Mike McCarthy to Matt LaFleur, we saw a gradual acceleration. It wasn't dramatic, but it was gradual. But Mike McCarthy is an offensive coach. Watch what happens to the Minnesota Vikings this year. They're a franchise. that is going to double their win total with an offensive coach.

It doesn't mean the offensive coach is as good as the just-fired defensive coach. What it means is the world has changed. And if you have a talented quarterback and Kirk Cousins, for all the criticism is, watch the Minnesota Vikings offense pop. Offensive coaches speak a different language. And they hang out. You can just see in Denver right now. This thing is going to work and it's going to work really,

really fast. The minute you gave Stafford from Jim Schwartz defense to Jim Caldwell, he popped. Then to McVeigh, seen as the greater coach, he popped again. So, you know, it's for years and years, I heard, well, Tom Brady's a system guy. We heard that for years. Two years in Tampa, 83 touchdown passes. His last three years in New England, basically the same number. He did in two years, what it took them three years to do. What don't the Patriots do well? Draft wide receivers. What does Tampa do well?

Draft wide receivers. Why? Offensive coach to offensive-leaning franchise. New England's a defensive-leaning franchise. So I love seeing that Nathaniel Hackett comes out and says, yeah, we are joined at the hip. That's exactly what these young, great quarterbacks or older guys, Brady and Matt Stafford really deserve.

All right, we are packed today. Alexi Lollis is going to be as feisty as ever. So happy for the United States Men's National Team. Antoine Walker, Joel Clatt, Albert Breer, too. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Mike check. If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game, what's good?

This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show. featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things hoops culture that you will not find anywhere else. So make your next move, your best move, and tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from.

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

me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. You remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam 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 y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so

that you're 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 Hardway 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, or 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 hard way.

Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. People still abuzz about what happened at the Oscars. I said it earlier. We've had award shows, give you crazy events occasionally. It's the headline. It's Cota, stole the night, and then the slap. Yeah.

Also, a lot of people thought it was staged. It was not staged. You could see from Chris Rock's reaction. It was not staged. No way. Yeah. And, you know, all this time, we've had the Kanye West, Taylor Swift thing was weird. What, it kind of reminded me of a little bit.

Yeah. I mean, there was one time Steve Harvey, I felt so bad for Warren Beatty and Steve Harvey, they announced the wrong winners. Ooh, that was brutal. Yeah, it's Hollywood's in a weird place right now, but I will say this. Say what you want about it. I watched Winning Time. I watched Winning Time over the weekend. It was fabulous production.

You know, the stuff that entertains me beyond sports is all from the people in Hollywood who apparently from time to time want to slap each other. It was very weird and very odd. I did not know what to make of it, but it is award shows, sometimes go off the rails. And that one did. And then we're all forgetting that he won his first Oscar. 20 minutes later, that speech was the weirdest speech I have ever witnessed. Which is kind of sad that it will overshadow his achievement. Yes.

I mean, 25 years from now, that's what you talk about. Yeah. Albert Breer at the NFL owner meetings at the Breakers in Florida. A staggeringly beautiful hotel, by the way. For the record, I made this argument. Jimmy Garoppolo didn't appear to have a market. I would argue this. They got him for nothing.

He got him to a Super Bowl. The salary cap is way more valuable. The salary space is more valuable than the draft pick is at this point. I mean, is there a market for him at all? I mean, you know, I think the market sort of dried up for him, Colin, because the music is starting to stop and there aren't any seats left. And so you're going to bring in a guy that number. And this is part of the problem with Baker Mayfield, too.

You want him to be your starting quarterback. So, you know, the Niners were looking for a pair of second round picks for him. They thought after the Carson Went's trade, they'd be able to get it. They wanted to wait out the Deshawn Watson trade because they hoped that that domino falling with smoke out more suitors. And as of right now, it doesn't feel like that suitors there. Now, I think they want to do right by Jimmy and get him in a place where you can start. But, like, if you look at the situation they're in, right,

Like, really, for them, it's like they could give Trey Lance two or three months because of the shoulder injury to Jimmy and see where he's at, you know, and see what an offense run by Kyle Shanahan with Trey Lans under center looks like through May and June and then make a decision on Jimmy Garapolo when his shoulders held here, maybe at the end of June or beginning of July. But, you know, that's the issue is that if a team's going to bring him in, A, they're going to have to pay that money. And B, they're not going to be able to see them throw until with summer. and if you're bringing in a guy as a one-year guy because he's only got a year left in his contract at that price and you don't know what he's going to look like in September or October, well, you can see why that would be a problem for other teams.

I never bought into the Baker going to the Colts because I thought post-Carsson Wentz, he was too toxic and the toxicity was one of the knocks on Wentz. So Matt Ryan, who's boring and older, to me always felt like an obvious place. How did it come down? Well, I mean, this really sort of started, at the combine. You know, the Falcons like looked at this like, we could hold on to him for one more year, but if we do that, we're kicking the can down the road and we're really sort of delaying

the rebuild that we know we need to conduct. And last year, they wanted to establish culture there and they wanted to be competitive week to week. And that's why they kept Grady Jared on his number. Jake Matthews restructured him and brought Matt Ryan back. Now they feel like they've got that kind of fixed. They got that taken care of where the culture's in place and they can really start to retool the roster and go younger and get cheaper and set themselves up for 2023 and beyond. And so the Combine, they didn't want to shop Matt Ryan. They didn't want to go back behind his back and do that. But they were able to creatively sort of value him. And coming out of there, they realized there isn't a great market for him. We might not be able to get more than a fourth

round pick. What the Deshaun Watson pursuit did for them is it smoked out interest from other teams. Right. So where at the Combine, they were kind of coyly asking, how would you value this player, you know, then they're getting calls on Matt Ryan because the other teams see them pursuing Deshawn Watson. And that allows them to, you know, look at who would be out there. They wanted to do right by Ryan and put them in a place where he wanted to go. They ask him to put Indianapolis make sense for you. They put him on a Zoom on that Saturday night. He gets on there with Frank Reich and Marcus Brady and Chris Ballard. They hit it off. And on that Sunday, they figure out, okay, like, this is something that we want to happen.

This is something that Colts want to happen. This is something that Matt wants to happen. Upshot of this if you're the Falcons is. Now you go into this year's draft. You have first round pick, the eighth overall pick, two second round picks, two third round picks. And you're going to be top three in the league and cap space going into 2023. So this is sort of that second year that Buffalo had with Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott, where you've set the foundation, you're taking your medicine from a cap standpoint,

and you can really come out flying in year three. Well, listen, historically, if we think it's a great quarterback draft, it isn't. and when we overlook it, it's better than we think. So there's two quarterbacks that feel like first round picks. Malik Willis, for me, in terms of size and sort of dynamic. I mean, you can see the kid is just physically gifted. What are you hearing? Seattle's got the ninth pick, but if I'm Carolina and I'm picking whatever they pick,

six, I'd have a hard time passing. What do you make of the combine, Malik Willis, can he pick it? Where are we? I think Malik Willis is probably the leader in the clubhouse to be the first one to go. And I think you're right to point out some of the teams you did Detroit, Seattle. I wouldn't rule out Philly. You know, Carolina, of course, is in that mix. Washington could be in that mix.

So, you know, I think there are some teams in the top half of the first round that could roll the dice on him. Yeah. The reason he has the edge on Kenny Pickett, Colin, I think this is a fascinating trend that's happened across the NFL. Teams are looking up that mountain now. And who do they see? Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert. And so part of it for all of these teams when they're looking at these quarterbacks is can you envision competing against those guys with the guy you're drafting?

Yeah. I think with Malik Willis, you at least see the ceiling there. Yeah. You see, okay, he's not there now, but maybe he can get there over time. Whereas if you're drafting Kenny Pickett, you're relying on him maybe becoming Mac Jones. And is Mac Jones even good enough to compete with those guys? Right. So I think that that's why those two guys probably both go in the first round.

But I think teams are a little more interested right now, Malik Willis, because the ceiling's there to maybe someday compete with the Herberts and the homes and gallons of the NFL. So Devante Adams signs a huge deal with the Raiders. It drives up wide receiver prices. That's probably the impetus why Tyreek Hill leaves. So Deshaun Watson in Cleveland, they give him $230 million, all guaranteed. And I think to myself, I bet you the NFL owners don't love that. I mean, did he change the quarterback market? It depends.

You know, this happened three, four years ago at Kurt Cousins when he signed the first multi-year, fully guaranteed deal in NFL history. And I remember talking to teams back then, does this change everything? And the answer I always got back was it depends on what happens with the next guy. And I believe the next guy was Matthew Stafford. He did a conventional contract. Then it was Matt Ryan. He did a conventional contract.

And so the Kirk Cousins contract kind of sat out there as this outlier. So, look, I think it's going to depend. on the next three or four quarterback contracts, and how hard those individual players are willing to push for the sort of structure that Deshaun Watson got. And so that puts pressure on Lamar Jackson. That puts pressure on Russell Wilson. That puts pressure next year on Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. Do they do conventional quarterback contracts, which generally have three years guaranteed,

and then a few years in the back end that are non-guaranteed, or do they push for the sort of structure to Sean Watson got? that's how you make it the standard. That's the only way it's going to become the standard. So I think this is really going to depend on the resolve, again, of those four guys in particular, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson this year, and then Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert next year. Good stuff. Breakers Hotel, not like they need any business.

I think it's in West Palm Beach or something like that? No, I think it's in Palm Beach proper. Okay, all right. Palm Beach proper, yeah. I get the two confused. That's where the real money is evidently. Yeah, right. Albert Breer, it's great seeing you. Thanks, Albert.

All right, thanks, Colin. Yeah, they're also going to do some update on the overtime rules. I've said it forever. We overreact on the over-react. We overreact to everything. I mean, at the Oscars last night. You know, like, it was obviously inappropriate and weird and strange, and, you know, everybody gets real emotional.

Still this morning, Twitter's a buzz. The overtime rules crack me up because, you know, you see an overtime that doesn't go your way, and everybody freaks out. And then the following weekend, you see an overtime and it works out fine. I think the NFL overtime is fine. If you want to tweak it for the playoffs, I think that's reasonable. If you look at the history of overtime, in the regular season, non-playoff games,

whoever wins the coin flip wins overtime about 55% of the time. Now, in playoffs, it changes. Why? Because in the playoffs, you have the best quarterbacks. And in 2022, the best offenses. So they get the ball first, they score. So I think there's an argument to be made in the regular season. Let's just keep what we have.

And then we alter stuff for the postseason when you have the best quarterbacks and losing the coin flip is highly punitive. Hour two, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong next in L.A. 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 funny. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars.

related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fourth. You might have seen the skits, my basketball in college football. football journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.