The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - LeBron, Brady, Morant, Murray

Episode Date: March 2, 2022

This season will not define LeBron JamesTom Brady shouldn't be getting all the creditColin shares his concerns about Ja MorantYou're not hearing players defend Kyler MurrayGuest: Brevin Knight 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 I-Hard 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.

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Ah, welcome in. it is a Wednesday, a beautiful, beautiful sunny Wednesday. Hopefully where you are as well, it's the hurt, wherever you may be, however you may be listening. High Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. I ruffled some feathers yesterday saying that I thought John Morant was amazing, but I'm concerned about his future, and we have the analyst for the Memphis Grizzlies on to defend him today. I'm just out there with strong opinions America reacting sometimes negatively, and we doubled down on my jaw morant thoughts later today.

Joy Taylor is joining us. Dana White, Dominique Wilkins today. We go to the NFL Combine today. Packed show. It really is a pack show. We have a good UFC fight this weekend. It's good to be here. So last night, you know, I'm still home alone, and wife comes back this weekend.

So I'm watching a bunch of NBA stuff last night. And I tend to watch. I get home at about 4.30, and I watch NBA stuff. And the Lakers were a mess, came back, lost, blah, blah, blah. And I'm starting to hear this. with LeBron. Shut the season down. Disaster. Rest your body. There's no wins here. There are two big things, very positive things happening for LeBron James this year. Forget the Lakers, LeBron James. I'll get to that in a second.

This year, as big as a mess as it is, doesn't affect him. He's got four titles with three teams. Nobody's ever done that. Got $800 million net worth, close to a billion. His legacy is set. He's either the first or second best player of all time. You're not going to remember this year. It's going to disappear into the ether. Marlon Brando had seven great movies.

As many duds. We never talk about the duds. Ever. You know what video you never see? Brett Farve with the Jets. Joe Namath with the Rams. Michael Jordan's last two years with the Wizards. We're an abject disaster.

He went from averaging 29 in games shooting 47% and the best player in the world with the Bulls. A couple years later, he plays for the whiz. Teammates hate him. He's no longer vertical. 21 points shooting 43% from the field. Could not make the playoffs. In the NBA, Michael Jordan. Can't find the video.

I mean, it disappeared into the ether. So to all of Marlon Brando's bombs. Johnny Unitas for the Chargers. Can't find the video. I mean, even Joe Montana with the Chiefs, and he was pretty good, can't find it. Nobody talks about it. It doesn't stick. Couldn't tell you the last time Morgan Freeman had a hit movie.

Doesn't matter. It doesn't stick. I remember the good stuff. Don't worry about it. They're going to blame Westbrook. Crazy old Westbrook. Westbrook just blew the team up. They're going to blame A.D.

Guys brittle. Can't stay healthy. As LeBron chases the scoring title. And that's why this year is valuable for two things for LeBron. Number one, in life, it is very important to find out the people you think you can trust but can't. There's going to be a lot of people in your life you can trust, mostly family. And there's going to be a lot of people in your life you can't trust and you know it instantly. Where you get into trouble is where you think there are people you can trust and you can't trust them.

And LeBron has discovered you can't trust A.D.'s body. Can't get through a season. AD will not be a Laker by the end of his contract. They will move him eventually. Because I think LeBron's stand, I think he loves the city, he's got his businesses here, he feels like L.A. L.A. mostly likes him. Not as much as Magic, but they like him.

He'll be part of the rebuild. And the second thing for LeBron that's valuable is he's going to catch Kareem here eventually, and he's scoring a lot of points. He is still hard to stop. He can still put it on the deck. He's bigger, stronger than 95% of the league. He is still a handful to stop. And that stuff matters.

Because if LeBron becomes the all-time greatest score, it's another piece of the, that's the best guy ever. And that's great for his brand. Absolutely great for his brand. But it's also been important. You've got to figure out who you thought you could trust and you can't. That's AD. Westbrook doesn't matter anyway. Way past his prime.

But AD signed that long contract because he knew he couldn't trust his body. Now LeBron knows he can't trust it either. And that's got value. So I don't think you shut it down. I don't think you rest your body. I think LeBron understands the value of this season. And he also knows nobody talks about the bad movies from Marlon Brando, nobody talks about MJ with the Wizards,

and nobody talks about Favre and the Jets. Here's LeBron after another loss last night, 10 of 13, this time to the Mavs. We still have games to play. You got to, until you stump me out, cut my head off. bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance. So that's my confidence.

Let's shift to this. So sometimes people say things. They're true, but they're kind of uncomfortable. So Bruce Ariens, coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said this about his couple years with Tom Brady. He goes, they were unbelievable. I got to say Tom got all the credit. A lot of other guys had a hand in the pile.

Wasn't all Tom Brady. Whoa! That's controversial. By the way, he's right. And this is interesting. There is a difference between an investor and an entrepreneur. An investor can spot a great company. But it's just not quite there.

There's value in that stock price. There's value in that company because it's not quite there. I'm going to invest in it. And you get credit for that. And there's a difference between that and an entrepreneur who builds a company. You get more credit. You were in there. Tom was an investor with Tampa.

He wasn't an entrepreneur. He spotted the talent, moved in, saw the staff, saw the defense, saw Todd Bulls, saw the receiver. He was an investor, not an entrepreneur. When Urban Meyer took over Ohio State and they were six and seven the year before, he goes there and they go 12 and out with really none of his starters. He's an entrepreneur. He's building that thing. Urban gets 90% of the credit for that.

Tom Brady was just an investor. Tom Brady in two years won a Super Bowl and got knocked out of the playoffs. Do you believe with that roster, Todd Bowles, that front seven, you want me to believe that Tom Brady, who went 24 and 9 in Tampa in two years, is the only quarterback in the league that could won a Super Bowl. You don't think Mahomes in two years could have won with that? Josh Allen couldn't? Stafford couldn't.

You just saw Stafford. First year with the Rams. That roster, that division, pretty weak, that defensive coordinator. the truth is Brady gets credit for being a brilliant investor. Conversely, Kevin Durant gets deducted points for being a lousy investor moving off Steph for Kyrie. That's just a bad investment. Doesn't mean Katie can't be a great basketball player. He was a bad investor on that one.

So I don't think Brady is the only quarterback in the NFL. And I think Tampa's right. And I think it's uncomfortable. And I love Brady. But in two years in Tampa, he went 24 and 9 in a pretty weak division. What's Mahomes record in his division? God, when's the last time Mahomes lost a road regular season game? I mean, his numbers are insane.

And the AFC is now better than the NFC, and his division's better than Tom's. And his defense isn't as good as Tom's. And his wide receiving court is arguable is not as deep as Tom's. He went 24-9. He won a Super Bowl, gets credit for that, as a wild car. as the NFC was getting weaker and weaker, and Russell and Pete Carolyn weaker, and Aaron Rogers is out quickly and weaker.

I mean, the first year, they played Washington in one of the playoff games on the road and struggle. Then Kansas City fell apart in the Super Bowl, and Green Bay was driving for the win, and I'm not taking anything away. But I don't believe Brady's the only quarterback in the league that would have won on Super Bowl with this team. I don't.

24 and 9 in an average division. It was okay. And I think what they're saying in Tampa is Tom was a great investor, but there's an endless supply of investors in America. Now, there's not an endless supply of great entrepreneurs. The Mark Cubans, the Rupert Murdox, the people that build stuff. That's a finite number.

That doesn't go forever. But investors, people with money want to put some money into a car wash, a company, a team. There's a million of that. Endless supply. Tom should get credit for being a great investor, like Katie gets knocked for making a bad investment in Brooklyn over Golden State. But this roster is Denver. That is why it's so unbelievably appealing to me if I was Aaron Rogers,

I could go and do a Denver. Go be a great investor. The tight ends are star. The tight ends are star. The running backs are great. The O line, you got a left tackle. The corners are amazing. The safety's great.

Pass rushers. You don't know what it was. have to be an entrepreneur to get rich. You can just be a savvy investor. And Brady deserves a ton of credit for that because it shocked all of us when he went to Tampa. And as Joey and I said, about six weeks later, we went, damn, they're good. Oh, my good. That's the best roster in the NFL. That is Denver today. Just waiting to see if there's another great Tom Brady-like investor at quarterback in the NFL. All right. Fantastic. That Kyler Murray thing, going a little sideways. My John Morant opinion, I can't wait for that.

And I don't know if you, remember a couple days ago we did? It was pretty awful. It was called Herd Stradamus, where I made predictions on where the quarterbacks land. There's already one that's out. That's around the corner too. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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, 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, 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 iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Oh, it's so nice to have you in. By the way, tired of waiting around for hot water, go to Navian. Go to tankless made simple.com. Save hundreds on your lower your bills. Instant hot water, spa like comfort. Tankless made simple.com Navian. So yesterday, there's something rampant happening in our industry. Our industry, I know you're bored with it, so I won't spend any time on it. It's called safetyism. Nobody says anything. Everybody's terrified of,

people saying mean things on Twitter. And, you know, most people are timid anyway. People don't like controversy for whatever reason. My mom was not really controversial. My dad was kind of stoic. I don't know what happened. Some DNA skipped or something. I got the, I don't care what you think about me, Gene.

And my family, my dad had the math gene. My mom got the funny gene. I got the Colin doesn't care what anybody thinks about him, Gene. Whatever. And so safetyism now because of social media, everybody now, if they say anything and there's pushback on Twitter, they go run and hide and apologize. I'm going to double down on what I said yesterday. I worry about John Morant.

I never said John Morant's not great. I never said he's not amazing. I never said he won't win playoff series. I never said he won't win the MVP. I never said he's not tantalizing to watch. He's all those things. My point was sustainability. You know, they talk about that a lot with our planet.

Sustainability. John Morant's sustainability should be a concern. I compared him to John Wall, Westbrook, and Derek Rosen got much pushback. Oh, no, he's a much different player. He's more well-rounded. I'm sorry, but Westbrook won an MVP because of the triple double, which is the ultimate sign of balance. That's what you talked about Oscar Robertson, right?

Magic Johnson, right? They could score. They could rebound. They could assist. Don't tell me he's more balanced than Westbrook because you all love that Westbrook won a triple double. That's why you gave him the award. Didn't give him the award because he shot the best.

You gave it to him because of balance. So don't tell me John Morant's way more balanced than Westbrook. He won the damn MVP based on a balance stat. You don't think Oscar Robertson's the best player ever. You brag that he was the first guy that got triple doubles. He could do everything. And Westbrook won an MVP because of that. So don't give me that.

I went and got Morant, Derek Rose, Westbrook, and Walt, the four guys I compared yesterday. They're in the third season of their career. It's John Morant's third year. Their minutes are virtually identical. They're points, pretty close. They're a three point percentage. Westbrook and Morant, virtually the same. That's the problem.

None are great shooters. All had to attack the rim. And Derek Rose is 200 pounds. And Westbrook's 205. John Morant's 174 pounds. He's already been dinged up a couple of times. I'm not backing down. This is a sustainability argument.

It's not a whose great argument. It's not who's riveting. Derek Rose is 25 pounds thicker. By year three, John Wall started missing games. By year four, Derek Rose got banged up. Now, Westbrook is really thick. We talked about that yesterday. I mean, if you're next to Westbrook, he is yoked.

Year six for him. LeBron, when was his first injury? Year 15? Year 17? Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, wing players. bigger, stronger, 22, 2.30, 2.30, 2.40. I worry about John Morant.

I'll double down on this. I will not back down. The numbers don't lie. He is 117th in the NBA and three-point shooting. Therefore, he has to attack the basket to score. This is not a criticism of him. It is a reality of his game. Now, I think he's much better than John Wall.

I really do. But I don't think he's better than Derek Rose. I think this is exactly what we said about Derek Rose. Derek Rose was unbelievable. In LeBron's Prime, he won MVP. In LeBron's Prime, when LeBronom is the best player in the world, we went, no, Derek Rose. We're not doing that now with John Morant. We like him, but we don't, you know, we're not comparing him to, you know, right now it's Janice, MB.

We don't think he's as good as Kevin Durant. No, in LeBron's Prime, you literally would get major pushback. I know I did it if you said, Derek Rose is kind of small and can't shoot. He's not the most valuable player in league. He's the most exciting, and that's how I feel about John Moran. He's the most exciting player in the league. I love him. He's an all-star.

He's a Hall of Fame talent. He's going to get to the playoffs. He's going to win series. It's great for Memphis. All check, check, check, check, check. Sustainability is an issue. Go look at that chart again. Derek Rose had to attack the rim.

And it wasn't even as much a three-point shooting league then. You could still do mid-range and not get screamed at. The numbers are very similar. The minutes, and by the way, right now, John Moran, I saw a stat this morning, leads the NBA in points in the paint. Over half his points are in the paint. You 174 pounds. That is 90 pounds less than the people he collides with at the rim.

The average NBA center is about 260, 270. So, yes, it's sustainability. It's not a not great argument. I've seen this before. The one advantage to being in your 50s being a sports talk radio host, I've seen everything. And I saw it live through it and got criticized for it. But I set it on Derek Rose. The rest of the world fell in love.

I said, you know, I went in titles with that. Can't shoot. Little guy attacks the rim. And sure enough, he played LeBron with the Cavs in a playoff series and LeBron pushed him around in the fourth quarter. LeBron said, I'll take him. Remember that? LeBron's like, I'll take Derek Rose. And wore him down.

And by the end of that series, D. Rose was worn down. John Morant's 25-pound lighter. 174 pounds. Now, I think he could get heavier. But man, when you're running around like John Morant, that weight comes off fast. That kid is springy. So it's not a criticism. It's just simply a sustainability argument.

The same arguments we're having about all sorts of things in the world right now. It's not that they're not great. Can they be sustained? That's the key. And that's the key, really, to be in a legend. To be in a Kobe, to be in a Michael, to be sustainability. How long can you do it? A lot of people get good jobs.

You can't keep them. What makes Brady the greatest is not, he's the most athletic, his ability to sustain it for so long, his peak for so long. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. What really feels like the Broncos are at the top of the list for the quarterback watch? Everyone's really interested in what they're going to do.

Well, if you ask the quarterbacks, it has to be Denver. doesn't it? It seems like the best situation. GM George Payton said that the team is going to do their due diligence this offseason because they want the best guy under center. We don't care if it's free agency. We don't care if it's a draft. We don't care if it's a trade. We're just going to we're going to exhaust all options to try to get the best guy for the Broncos. It's the most important position in sports and so we're always looking and we do have Drew Locke under contract. We have Rip, but we're always looking and we're going to, No stone unturned to find that guy.

We know we need better play out of the quarterback position. And so we're going to be aggressive. I think, by the way, that is one of the sharpest new GMs in the league. I think he is one of the, I don't have never talked to him, but he is really, my people love him, super shy. Remember a couple years ago I started talking about Brett Veach and Chris Ballard and Telesco and less need? And this guy is the guy. Keep your eye on. Well, Denver's in a good situation.

They have a good roster. They just haven't been able to get the quarterback position right. I love their roster. I love it. Well, Aaron Audres has been their number one target. Should be. Should be. They have the ninth overall pick, so they could draft a quarterback.

As he mentioned, they have Drew Locke and Brett Rippen under contract. So Lock 1-0-N-3 as a starter last season. There was a moment where you and I were interested in what Drew Locke had going on, and then very quickly flipped off of Drew Locke. No, we liked him at the end of that one year. I said there's something there. And then the following year, he came in first five games. And both of us said, we're selling our stock.

By the way, some of this stuff, you've got to watch it over time. Like Jalen hurts. There's too much good video to bail. I need to see him to. And they had a successful season. Yeah. So like the Jalen hurts people that are like, he'll never win. Go watch his 22 film.

Go watch his highlight film. There's too much. there's too many 28, 30-point games to say he can't play. You've got to give him more tape. I've got to get more starts. No, he absolutely deserves more time. But when you look at the quarterback market, that's what's so interesting about this off-season.

There's not a name that necessarily floors you. So let's say they don't get Aaron Rogers. What direction do they go in? These are the unrestricted free agents at the quarterback position. Now, obviously, Jimmy Garoppolo is out there as a possible trade. The Sean Watson is going to be traded, although we don't know what's going on with that situation still. He's not going, they're not going to pay him to not play another year in Houston.

What I would do is go after Aaron Rogers and if I don't get him, I draft a quarterback. I draft Kenny Pickett. Denver's drafting nine. I would probably, their roster does not need a ton. They drafted a young safety star, young corner star, pass rusher, probably can go get another one. But I think defensive line, they're okay. If you look at the roster, they don't have a ton of needs. They could get to use a quarterback.

I think you go for Jamaicaopolo. Oh, I'll talk about that later. No, done, out. You're out on Jimmy G. Things have changed, Joy. I'll tell you why later. Things have changed. I don't know.

I just feel like they're closer to a win now situation. They're not a developing team. Oh, no. I think if Aaron Rogers goes to Denver, he is going to within two weeks of camp, Aaron's going to go, the hell was I thinking coming back to Green Bay. Why did I even question it? I mean, Green Bay had a great roster this year. They were the number one seat.

But they're not going to be as good next year. They're up against the cap. I'll argue right now. Green Bay's roster is not as good as Denver, and I don't think it's close. You take Devante Adams out. Go look at Denver's receiving targets, tight end and receiving. The guy has six guys I like. Five.

I'm telling you, Denver's stacked. I love Denver's roster. That's why I think that drafting a quarterback kind of sets you back a little bit if he doesn't come in as great right away. Well, Carson Wentz has started. The good thing is Kenny Pickett, excuse me, not Carson Wentz. Kenny Pickett started three years. So he's not like one of these. No, he's not raw.

Or he's not Trey Lance where I'm like, he's like two years out. Like, Kenny Pickett should be able to walk in and start as a rookie. Yeah, I mean, he can either play or he can't. He can play at the next level or he can't. There's not a whole lot of like he needs more reps. He's very Joe Burrow. He's not as good as Joe Burrow, but Joe Burrow came in. You're like, he's played in a football that he should come in and play.

He played started two years SEC. You're not going to sit, Kenny Pickett. At all. He played, if you have to sit him, you probably got a problem. Yeah. So the Steelers could draft a quarterback. Obviously, Ben Rothensberger retired. And they might also have their eye on some veteran quarterbacks,

according to Tony Paulina Pro Football Network. They've expressed interest in Mitchell Chubisky, Teddy Bridgewater, and James Winston. They're also reportedly high on Malik Willis from Liberty. And there's been some interest in Chibisky, also by the commanders and the Saints. Bridgewater has some general interest. He went 7 and 7 as a starter.

Now, James Winston is coming off of a torn ACL. There has been some, obviously, some talks with the Saints and James Winston for this season as well. I personally would like the Steelers to, get someone like a Trebisky, possibly in James Winston, I'm more excited about the Trubisky move or drafting a quarterback in Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett. I'm not excited about them running it back with Mason Rudolph. I don't even believe that that's really the case. I think they're just not showing their hands quite yet. And again, the whole NFL is in a

holding pattern until Aaron Rogers makes a decision. So all the speculation and everything that we're talking about could completely change the moment Aaron Rogers makes his decision because that's when all the other dominoes are going to, you know, start to fall. But I think Chibisky with Pittsburgh would be a great move. Temporarily. He's a bridge quarterback. He's not going to be the future. No, I don't.

He would absolutely, you could absolutely compete for the division. Not saying you'd win it, but you could compete for it. Which is what you need to do at this point because that division is not easy. Yeah. So the NFL implemented a new taunting rule going into last season, and I've got some disappointing news, guys. Very in favor of that. I loved that rule.

Joy did not. I loved and appreciated. We got more get off my lawn coming next season. There were 61 flags thrown over the course of the season. Should have been 90. Arrages. After further review, the competition committee determined that they were all called correctly except for five. There was also a wide agreement among NFL decision makers that their standard for the taunting penalties should largely remain in place moving forward.

Yes. One of the penalties they said that shouldn't have been thrown was a flag against T.J. Watt, Week 13, against the Ravens. have that. I want to see that one. On the play, Watt, exchanged words with a Ravens player. Okay, let's watch this right now. As he was walking away from him. Let me watch this. Here we go. Here we go, Joey. Let me see this. No, that's, that's stupid. Yeah, that's a bad call. That's stupid. That's just nice. How is that different than the other taunting penalties? The other stuff was dangerous. There was a lot of stuff I didn't like. That's just that's guys talking. That's trash talking. That's like me going to a bar. Are you in sports?

And the guy says, and I walk away. That's nothing. I mean, I'm, I'm disappointed in this. I know you are. I just find it obnoxious. It's so, it's so subjective. I mean, if by the standard of taunting, I would think that that was a taunting penalty. Here's two things in America that you are on the side of everybody, everybody in the media, and I'm not trying to be a jerk,

but I don't mind the NFL overtime. I don't. I don't know why it drives people crazy. I think the college overtime is stupid and corny. And I don't mind the taunting call because I think what they're doing is, listen, you can talk a little trash. We lightened up in the end zone. go take pictures.

But you are 24-year-old guys, and we've got to be very careful about most of you are great. But about 10% of the players go too far. You get a fight. It's bad for the league. It was a zillion-dollar league. And so I'm for the taunting stuff, and I think the T.J. Watt was a, you know, it was a crappy call. I don't know what the rule is with taunting. That's what bothers me about it.

I'm fine with egregious over-the-top stuff being called taunting. But, you know, I don't like subjective. opportunities for refs to insert their opinions into the game and then affects the outcome of the game. That's my issue with the taunting. Not that the taunting rule exists is that it just says what's the line with the taunting rule. As far as the overtime goes, I'm comfortable with it during the regular season. I don't think it should change during the regular season. But I think as rules start to lean more offensively and you've got Patrick Mahomes able to score

in 13 seconds, in the postseason, when everything is on the line, you have the best offenses in an offensive leaning game, I think you should give both sides in an elimination game an opportunity to have the ball. All right. There's almost a penalty flag right there. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lide News. If you and I were doing the Skip and Shannon show, we would do at least once a week we would do a targeting segment. Taunting? Taunting. Yeah, because I'm for it.

I don't want. But I also think guys, it's all, like, I remember when I had my daughter. By the time I'd had my son, I'd already gone through the experience of a new kid, right? Like, but I remember my daughter. When I had my daughter, I literally changed the temperature of my body. Like I was floating watching my daughter being born. I was just like floating. And I've had two or three moments like this in my life where it's like an out-of-body experience.

Like I can't wipe the smile off my face or the anger. So people have a right to be human. And if you collide with a guy, get up and pump a fist, that's human. If you're a boxer and you knock a guy out and you train for six months or you're an Olympic athlete and you trade for six years and you do something and you pump a fist and that's fine with me. My problem is seven seconds, 12 seconds later, you're walking back. My argument's always been after that initial fist pump or whatever, trash talk,

go celebrate with your teammates. Go do that. Yeah, I'm with you on that too. my issue with the rule is not its existence. It's that it is completely subjective. Yes, it is. So if you've got this get off my lawn ref that's like, I was a little too spicy for me, flag.

And then it's changing the outcome of a game. And then afterwards to determine that it wasn't really a taunting penalty, it's just subjective based off of the refs experiences. And I don't like that that can play a role in the outcome of a, in a very emotional collision, violent game. But we both love basketball, and virtually every call in basketball is subjective. Like, everything is subjective. That's the most subjective sport.

And we love that sport. No, I don't think that it's subjective. But if I, if I, and in fact, the subjective-ish calls are reviewed now. Like, if it's, is it a flagrant one or flagrant two? Like, they review those calls. Yeah. So that's, that's sort of my issue with it. It's, it's, there's a standard for what the rules are.

This is like, I think he took that too far. I don't know if there's a place with that in the game. Well, there was this year. They disagree. Quickly, around the corner, Brevin Knight, Stanford guy, former NBA player is going to take me to task for my John Morant opinions, which I stand by, and I think he's great, but I don't know if this lasts. It's interesting. I'm not going to spend a ton of this. I'm going to talk about this top of the hour.

But Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most respected players in the history of the national football. There's an argument to me, Mady's number one. he is by players, by executives, by fans. Larry Fitzgerald is the most, I can't think of anybody more, is the most respected player in league history. He's way up there. Just class, worked hard, great teammate. His dad came out yesterday and said,

kind of Marie spoiled. Well, where are we get that? Apart from Larry. Greg Jennings was on our show yet. yesterday, a friend of Larry Fitzgerald. Remember what he said about Kiner Murray? You've already given him everything that he's ever asked for. You wrote out the red carpet, you turned over the car keys and said,

here, this is your car, this is, we go as you go. And now all of a sudden, he doesn't want to drive that car anymore. He wants a brand new car. And he wants, hey, look, he wants it shiny. And you have to now make a decision, a tough one, because he controls how good you. you are. Now, you can make a decision and say, you know what? We'll let you, we'll make this ugly and we'll let you go and we'll do all these different things. And Kyler can say I'll hold out. But I believe he has that type of personality to where he's going to bet on himself. Now, Greg had said he had talked to Larry Fitzgerald and said they gave him too much too soon. This is not,

Larry Fitzgerald talks, you listen. So it doesn't mean Larry Fitzgerald doesn't like him. It doesn't mean Greg Jennings doesn't like him. but there's a lot of smoke here. There's the weird Dan Patrick interview. There's the rumors that surfaced last year with Mike Silver, a friend of mine who's been covering the NFL for 20 years. Mike Silver tends to be pro player, over front officer GM or owner. He's like, I'm hearing things.

There is the fact that he wiped his social media clean, which I thought was juvenile. There's a lot of stuff here. And when there's a lot of smoke, there's got to be, there's some fire here. That doesn't mean I wouldn't pay him. I'd pay him. But I do think Arizona,

they just announced this morning that the GM and the coach have new contracts. That's the owner sending a message. You're not going to control the situation. They did that to send a message. Don't think you're running the franchise. We got a GM we like and a coach we like. So there's some back and forth here.

There are legitimate concerns. Let's put the pom-poms down, media. Let's put the pom-poms down. Our job isn't to be fans. There are concerns about Kyler. I think they're absolutely just. Doesn't mean I wouldn't pay. him. You got Larry Fitzgerald, the Dan Patrick interview, which was a couple of years ago,

which was beyond bizarre, the scrubbing the social media. By the way, how come since his agent posted that big menu? No players have come out to defend him. Not a single one. Not a one. How many players have I heard defend Lamar Jackson? Justin Herbert. Joe Burrow. Guys like line up if there's any problems. Baker Mayfield, by the way. Baker, Mayfield just had Miles Garrett last week. Miles Garrett came out. I'm defending Baker Mayfield. Baker's had, Baker's had some scurbishes, but he's had players defend him. I got nobody defending him here. There's something here. Doesn't mean I wouldn't pay him. All right, Brevin Knight's going to yell at me next. It's right around the corner. It's the herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories.

You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

call it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman

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

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

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

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all right. Yeah, yeah, literally.

But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the 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 a ball. 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, is we have real

conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. he went to Stanford, was a great college basketball star, NBA for 12 years. Then he got in smartly to broadcasting Brevin Knight. He has been with the Memphis Grizzlies for a long time.

His first seven years, they made the playoffs. They know were bad for a couple years, rebuild. Now they've got John Morant, and they are the highlight team in the NBA. And I'm a bad guy because I said I love John Morant, but I do worry. I've got comps that concern me. Westbrook, Derek Rose, John Wall, though I think he's much better than John Wall. He's 174-4-power. He doesn't shoot terribly well. He attacks the rim, and those floors are hard, and those big guys are strong, and you can't bounce off him for four or five years without punitive damage. So Brevin, my criticism is really about sustainability, not greatness.

Is it a legitimate concern in your eyes? Well, the concern is legitimate, of course, because when you look at a guy that is of a smaller size and the way he plays the game, I understand your concern. I don't agree that he cannot continue to elevate himself while he plays at this level because, yes, he has the highlight plays. And I would say, if you watch some plays rookie year to where we are now, his rookie year, he tried to create a highlight every time down the floor. He has gone to the point now where when you talk about finishing around the basket,

I say in the paint, he's one of the best paint scores in the league as a guard. And the way that he gets it done, there's three levels. You can put it on your head at the rim, but he floater at the restricted area. And then at the free throw line area, pull up jump shot or a floater from there. So I thought what he has done in these three years has understood that I can't sacrifice my body in that fashion every night. They're giving me these other type shots. I have to take these shots too. And I think that has allowed him to be able to sustain attacking the paint, but scoring in different areas in the paint.

So it's interesting. Derek Rose, when Derek Rose won his MVP, he took over the league. That's all people talked about. But in the end, I said this on Derek Rose. I said, I like my smalls to shoot. Steve Nash, Steph Curry. I like my little guys to be able to shoot Chris Paul mid-range. Now, if you look at his three-point shooting, right now it's very similar in year three

to a Rose or a Westbrook. That doesn't mean he can't get better. But I always looked at Derek Rose. I didn't like the way the ball came out of his hands. I didn't like the spin to it. I'm like he's not going to be a good three-point shooter. Westbrook looks right, but he's not, didn't have a lot of nuance and softness to his game.

It's very athletic. When I look at Jha, can he get better as a shooter, or is this kind of what he is? He's just going to be a guy that shoots about 33% from beyond the arc. Well, if you can get, as a three-point shooter, if you can get that number up to 36, 37 with all the other things that he does, I think it'll be just fine. He just, it's 52-point night.

The highlight, of course, is going to be the dunk over Perto, the catch of the long pass by Stephen Adams. But the thing is, he went four for four from the three point line also. He had 52 with four free throws. And so I think the thing for him is you don't want to get yourself so caught up in is he going to shoot threes. The biggest thing is, are you going to continue to find ways to be effective? He is shooting a pull-up jump shot now. He can't finish above the rim. They're not going to take away his aggressive nature at how he plays the game.

And I think that he will continue to evolve. One thing he doesn't get enough credit for across the board is how cerebral of a player he is. And because of that, I think as the years add up, we'll see him continue to add more layers to his game. You know, that's a really, really fascinating topic. Because Joey and I have talked about this. Self-awareness is really important in sports. Knowing what you are? I mean, I think LeBron's one of the smartest players ever.

LeBron literally, about halfway through his career, even though he could dominate the paint, LeBron's like, I can shoot threes, it allows me to get on the brake faster. I don't have to score at the rim, because if I miss, I'm worthless on defense. LeBron figured it out very quickly. If I shoot more threes, I can defend easier. I don't bang as enough. And so when you say as a cerebral player, I've always said, Westbrook's great. I sometimes question the self-awareness.

do you think John Morant sits around and thinks about this? Like, I weigh 174 pounds. I'm small. Well, the way that I think that he thought about, though, Collins, because of how he is scoring now. Like I said, the first year, it was everything get to the rim. This is now being the ability to know, pull up, jump shot here, floater, don't get all the way to the big.

I've floated you now three times. Hesitate, get to the rim, finish. He has mixed up his ability to score in the pain. And I like to liken his ability to score to a Tony Parker. Yes, the athleticism of finishing. But if you watch, he has an array of finishes around the basket. It's not just dunk on you. It's not just jump over the top.

It is used the rim flip with this hand. Going the other way. I mean, going the other way. Finish with my left hand. He's a great left hand finisher. Finish with my left hand using the rim. So he has figured out ways to still be effective in the paint, but not having to score over the top.

of you with athleticism. You know, I want to ask you a Ben Simmons question. So you can improve a lot in sports. If you don't put particularly well in golf, you work in your putting, you can put better. There are some limitations how long you're going to be off the tee. If you're not, if you're not Bryson DeShambo, you're not a big guy. You're not going to drive at 375. But it's interesting about Ben Simmons.

We're not even sure what handy shoots with. And I don't think you can go from that to ever having confidence in yourself as a shooter. You tell me you played in this. I think there are some things that are absolutely uncorrectable. I don't think Ben Simmons is ever going to be a confident shooter in his entire career. That's my takeaway. Your thoughts on him as a player. Well, I think Ben Simmons, the one thing that you always do is you never forget what you do best.

And the one thing for him is pushing the pace of the game. He's a fantastic defender with his size and athleticism can score around the basket. the deficiencies in his game in terms of perimeter shooting, you just keep working on that. But the thing for him is, and for guys that are at his level, you still can affect the game in a way that there are wins for your team with how you play,

regardless of what his shortcomings may be. And so for Ben Simmons, the speed at which he can play the game. And in today's game, with the lack of bigs that are playing on a regular basis, he can dominate in the painted area against anyone. So for him, I would say, keep working on 15 to 18 foot jump shots. Forget the 3-point.

You can work on that as it comes as fine. But as a steady diet, that mid-range game. And also, for him, I would like to see if Brooklyn is going to use him in the mid-post. Same way that Kevin Garland, Durant likes to get scored. Catch the ball in the mid-post. So when you turn and face, now you've got one dribble and you're at the rim. Now when teams help because of his size, now he's able to look over the top and make plays. It's just about putting them in the right areas on the floor for him to have consistent success.

That's good. Hey, by the way, I got 35 seconds left. I got you. Best team you've seen in the league so far is an announcer for Memphis. Take the Grizzly out. Grizzlies out. The best team you've seen on their best night in the NBA this year. I'm Phoenix Suns.

I feel like Chris Paul is fantastic. And Devin Booker is one of those stars that we used to talk about a lot as one of the up-and-coming players in the lead. And then when Chris Paul came, it's almost like we forgot that he's at that level. And so I think with the combination of their youth and veterans, with Monty Williams, I think Phoenix went at full strength is the toughest team in the league. Yep, no, we totally agree on that. Brevin Knight, put me in my place. Good to see you again, man. Call and always good to see you, brother. Reach out whenever you need. All right, Brevin Knight, Memphis Grizzlies. By the way, Pete Pranico, a guy I know is doing their play-by-play. So I hear

repeat all the time now because the grizzlies highlights are all over the internet because John Morant is and one of the things that he said that's really important he is he understands he's creating different ways to score so and that's really important like knowing you know at some point like LeBron's like I'm big and I'm going to shoot more threes like I see the game changing I know your game is your game but you can tweak it all the time you can tweak stuff all the time all right hour two's around the corner Dana White today as well and I'm going to get to a couple of topics that Jimmy G. Things Fascinating next. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, 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 tontons 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 J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

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. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.