The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - LeBron James is one point away

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

Colin looks at another historic milestone LeBron James is set to achieve but credits him for something most people aren't aware of. He believes Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been receiving unfair criticisms at the combine and explains why today's NFL should embrace players like himSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com. or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Tuesday. We are live in Los Angeles. It is the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.

Nick Wright, one hour from now. Peter Schrager giving us some updates on NFL stories. The Steelers, the Jets, the Giants, all sorts. sniff it around at quarterbacks, Raiders as well. J. Mack, sad story this morning, Kyrie Irving, tears his ACL. He got hurt last night. Bad news. And so he's out for the year, and it's over for the Mavericks. Done. Over for the Mavericks. So we thought there was a chance.

If A.V. got healthy and lively came back. There was a chance. When I got this news 15 minutes ago, it made me think about something. So LeBron needs one more point to score 50,000 points. Obviously, he's the most productive player in NBA history. One point shy from 50,000 career points. Nobody's ever done that, right? But one of the things LeBron has, and I've never seen anything like it, is intuition. If he was a sea captain and he was in control of the Titanic, it would have never hit the iceberg.

I've never seen a guy that can see problems before they happen. The biggest mess in the NBA is now the Dallas Mavericks. Due to injuries, an awful trade, protests outside the arena. Prices are down 40%. Fans just sick to their stomach. Now you add on an injury. They are, you've got a head coach that doesn't trust the GM. Fans who can't stand the GM.

Dallas is a complete mess. The Kyrie thing just adds to it. Awful injury, awful. And yet, simultaneously, man, Luca's starting to really look good, and the Lakers are in the championship bubble. I mean, think about the timing of LeBron.

It's always come in different forms and shapes, but think about this for a second. He bailed on Cleveland. He said, I've been here seven years. You can't get me another player. He leaves. He was right. He wins titles, goes to four straight finals,

and Cleveland becomes an even bigger mess. He was right. Then his best friend's D. Wade. He gets the four straight finals, but D. Wade is struggling to play back-to-backs. And like a good investor, LeBron is always a year early, better than a year late.

He leaves Miami. They fall off a cliff. He goes to Cleveland and wins. Then Kyrie gets in his fields. He carries, you know, J.R. Smith and some quirky guys hard to convince other pros to come to Cleveland, he bails. Cleveland goes into the tank again, and LeBron goes to Los Angeles. And in Los Angeles, people say, oh, Lanzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, they got some Brandon Ingram, but they got really good young players.

LeBron gets them out, gets A.D. wins another title. He's right again. And then, over the last couple of years as LeBron ages, LeBron privately, he did and you know it, was concerned that AD could not get him easy baskets. AD was a good teammate. They worked together, but they weren't perfect as LeBron aged. And LeBron looked around the league and thought, who can get me easier baskets? The two best outlet guys are Yokic. He's locked up in Denver and Luca. And he gets Luca. And the Lakers are now on fire. AD immediately gets hurt. The entire organization's a mess.

Now, I'm supposed to believe that LeBron didn't know. I find that very hard to believe, and you can call him selfish. But here's something you have to call LeBron as well. Right. He is always right. I've never seen anybody with this kind of intuition. Everybody told him, be loyal to Cleveland. He was right.

How can you bail on your buddy D. Wade? He was right. You're going back to Cleveland? Cleveland can't win. He was right. Los Angeles, the broken franchise. Well, at least you got good young teammates. Now, he was right.

A.D. was the star that just needed help. And then A.D.'s played a couple of really good years, and he stayed mostly healthy. And you know what that means? It was time to sell the stock. You got your title. He was finally consistently healthy. He was older. And LeBron's like, I'm still a top five guy in the league.

And I think privately, LeBron had said he's a good fit. He's not the perfect fit. And I watched the Dallas Mavericks become a mess over the last three weeks. And, you know, some of it's just bad luck. but in my life of watching professional athletes, I'll say it again, like he's a good investor. He's like Warren Buffett.

He's a year. He may be a little early, but he's never late. He always knows when it's time to move off. And it was funny, when Luca came here, and again, AD was really good for him. But he was 32 years old,

and every Laker fan would watch A.D., and be absolutely honest, weren't you always holding your breath? Weren't you always holding your breath? Of course you were. Now, and LeBron does this, when he went to Miami the first time, people said, hey, it's not going to work, it's clunky,

you don't have a center. It's not always pretty for LeBron when he first goes to a place. It's not always pretty. It's a little clunky, but he made Miami right. Oh, Kyrie's a boss. Nobody can play with him. he brings over Kevin Love

he's a stat pattern not a winner took a took about a year to get it right he got it right that he brings over AD had to get rid of the young kids little bumpy early and then he got it right so I don't know if Luke is going to win the first year but every time

LeBron hits this crossroads like Wade Bosch and LeBron they were still good and the calves were still good and LeBron and AD were still good, but LeBron seeks great. And I do believe he may have been given a day or two heads up, but I think he had grumbled privately that as he aged, AD was a good fit, but not a perfect fit,

that LeBron still had to always be the initiator of the offense. And LeBron knew I'd rather be a receiver on some nights, not just the quarterback. back. So as I watch this just sad mess in Dallas, it reminds me a little bit of the mess in Cleveland and the mess in Miami and the mess in Cleveland and nobody avoids stepping in it like LeBron. It's not always perfect. The takeoff can be bumpy. Always makes the landing. I mean, the Dallas situation now between ticket sales, the lack of trust. I mean, Mark Cuban, ask yourself this. Mark Cuban a year ago said, I'm going to sell the franchise.

You don't think LeBron James looked at that and thought, Luca may be available. I really believe this. I absolutely believe this. I believe every time LeBron was around Luca, remember when Luca came into the NBA first year? go back and look at the tapes. The kid was 20 games in.

LeBron's like, that kid's great. LeBron's like a talent scout. LeBron's like, that guy's great. He just makes sure everybody around Luca knew that LeBron thought you were great. He tried to get Steph Curry a couple years ago. Steph's like, now I'm a warrior. Remember, he kept saying nice things about Steph.

What Steph do? Steph can initiate the offense. LeBron can play off ball. LeBron can get easier basket. So initially he wanted Steph. And Steph wasn't available. Steph pushed back. Then he moved to Luca.

Slowly, saying nice things. Keep it in contact with Mark Cuban. Cuban leaves the Mavericks. You know, Cuban and Luca, they were tight. What does LeBron see when Cuban leaves? An opening. An opening. You lost your owner.

New people in the building may not trust them. LeBron saw it, made sure the right people knew, and he ends up playing with them. I don't think it's a conspiracy theory. Too much of this stuff is public and well-known. But how does LeBron end up once again? He tried to go Steph two years ago. I mean, good God, that was a two-year rumor. He made sure he always hang out with Steph and see Steph and talk about Steph and step was great.

That was what he wanted to do, and Steph's like, I'm going to step here. Then he moved through the channels in Mark Cuban. Cuban cells. LeBron sees a moment. I'm going to go get him. And it took a year of working the channels behind the scenes, but the idea this was a big surprise caught everybody off guard. I don't buy it.

I don't buy it. LeBron is intuitiveness. You call it selfish. I call it right. I've never seen a guy that, I mean, stuff just implodes. And LeBroad's like, oh, what happened back there? Who-hoo! Boy, did I get lucky.

Wink, wink, wink. I avoided another disaster. Nah, it ain't luck, man. I think he had this Lucca thing planned out. The minute Steph said officially no, I think he had this Luca thing planned out the last year and a half. I really do. I absolutely do.

So we started hot take happy hour here on the room. It's not even a hot day. No, no, no. This should be tin foil hat Tuesdays. Because that is deep. You're well in your bag here. I don't hate it. I'll say that.

How in the world can you go seven for seven in your career? You know how you do that? You're working the channels behind the scenes a year early. Do you think LeBron just woke up in Cleveland and decided to leave? No, he went to the Olympics, the first time in Cleveland. He played with those Olympians and flying back, he's like, the hell am I doing it in Cleveland? I finally played with great players. He worked that Bosch D. Wade thing for a year.

And then all of a sudden they get to the finals and they lose that thing and Pat Riley's getting a little this and I won't give you that. And LeBron starts telling his guys this time and all of a sudden he gets a hold of Dan Gilbert. Dan Gilbert flies and apologizes. Suddenly he finds his way a letter of sports illustrate. You think that thing happened in six hours? And then he goes to Cleveland. Kyrie leaves. By that time, Dan Gilbert's like, you got me a title, we're good.

He goes to the Lakers. Again, everybody thought he would go Sixers. Everybody thought he would go Chicago. Everybody, where's he go? The biggest brand Los Angeles. For the time he got to Los Angeles, he had meetings with nine billionaires. Okay, and then the whole time, oh, he likes

Lonso, he likes Coosem. He like, no, he didn't, and he's working the channels. And, by the way, the AD thing with Rich Paul, who represented AD, Rich Paul. I'm just saying this stuff isn't happenstance. It's not just random. And it's not a criticism of it.

LeBron is a great intuitive businessman. He is selling the stock early, never late. And all of a sudden, once again, he's got the perfect teammate. The Mavericks are swimming in chaos. Ability to see around corners, see what's coming down the pike. LeBron, listen, you just made a case that he might be the greatest executive in NBA history. The way he's pulling the strings and moving around, everywhere he goes, he wins, Colin.

Everywhere. This is not a criticism. No. He bailed on Wade, and he was right. Dee Wade couldn't play back-to-backs anymore. Bosch was having some physical stuff, but it was mostly about Dee Wade. His Robin couldn't play.

Remember those games against Indiana? D-Way would be great, and the next day, you weren't sure if he could play in the next game. And all I'm saying with this Lucas stuff is you look up today, and it's like, are the Lakers the best team in the league after Boston? I think the answer is yes. And I'm supposed to believe it's just all happenstance. I think LeBron knew a year ago he started swimming for Steph for a year plus.

Steph turned him down. He said, who's my next target? Luca. And I think it was behind the scenes and send a text and a little emoji just enough to let him know. Believe me, LeBron knows everybody in the league, back channel it, make sure Luca know. And when Mark Cuban sold that team, LeBron James said, there's my moment. That is my moment because Cuban and Luca were tight. And LeBron, the great businessman, said, I've got an opening.

In my head, I see Michael Douglas. Remember the movie Wall Street? He wakes up on the beach and he's got that clunky cell phone and he calls Charlie Sheen and he goes, money never sleeps. Winning never sleeps for LeBron James. He's always got something in play. the next move on the chess board, he knows it. Oh, Colin, this is it a great start to a Tuesday?

I'm fired up. Positive. I love it. Conspiracy theories are you have to basically, from soup to nuts, a conspiracy theory, there's a couple of loose fits. This isn't a bunch of loose fits. Cleveland, Miami, Cleveland, L.A., bail on Lonzo, the young players, AD, Luca. This stuff all happened.

and I I this the the Luca thing is too perfect it's just too perfect LeBron's basketball IQ he looked around this league and he thought Steph Yokic Luca those are the guys well Yokic didn't go anywhere because Denver will never give him up Steph I tried he didn't want to go Cuban sells the Mavs there's my opening and I'm not hey it's it's I've been called selfish people get called selfish if they care about their careers, whatever. By the way, I invited Colin to hang out with an NBA coach tomorrow night. Colin gave me the stiff arm.

No, I'm busy. I was like, all right, fine, okay. I got things. I got things. 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. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts.

We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis,

and I know firsthand, because I, competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenschen win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface, because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open.

Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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. Yeah, we're talking about the Kyrie Irving injury and what a mess the Mavericks have been. I guess my overall arching point is every team LeBron Bales on goes into the tank, and every star he moves off of goes into a worse situation. And, I mean, it just, the Kyrie Irving, injury, by the way, because of all the injuries and because Luca shared offensive responsibilities, when you took Luca away from the Mavericks, it forced Kyrie to play more minutes. So it was very taxing on Kyrie's smaller body. Kyrie, since the Luca trade, I was just told, leads the NBA and minutes played. So again, like this is another reason you don't make that trade. So Kyrie,

a small player who's had injuries, you're asking him to put so much responsibility, so many minutes on his body with the rest of the team beat up that Kyrie's body gives out after a while. So it's just, it is crazy how often LeBron's timing is just perfect. I mean, the minute he leaves a team, they fall off a cliff. The minute he moves off a star, that star goes into a worse situation, or his year is bad, or he's not the same player, or the circumstances are off. And I just after a while, I don't think it's luck. I just think LeBron's got an intuition. He sees problems. He's problems, much better than most coaches or executives in the league. There's an argument. He's the best executive in the league. I mean, you could make that argument. LeBron's the best executive

in the league. He has made that many smart moves. And I think he knew about the Luca thing. I think he saw that thing. The minute Cuban sold that team, I think he saw it. There's an opening. Go get my guy. I prefer Steph, maybe Yokic. They're not available. And I tried with Steph. So I saw this, this story. This is a big story yesterday. Kind of infuriating to me. So apparently in the combine over the weekend, you had these Chador Sanders, you know, the quarterbacks, they'll interview with teams. And the report is Chudor Sanders was a little brash. According to Todd McShay, two people that I spoke to left the meeting with Shadur, and Shadur was not overly concerned with what they thought of him.

Would you be, you watch the Cleveland Browns the last 10 years? So this idea that he's going to drop in the draft cracks me up. Tennessee, Cleveland, and the Giants, all messes that could need a quarterback, could use a quarterback, and should draft one. These teams, one of them, two of them are all three of them apparently, didn't love what they heard from Shador Sanders. So I want you to think about this. Let's just take the New York Giants. Go back to week 12, 2017 season. It's kind of the end of Eli Manning.

He has a terrible game against Washington. The Giants are two and nine. He's awful. Until today, March 4th, that is 379 weeks, that you knew that Eli Manning was washed until today, and you still are a disastrous quarterback. And you think Shadur Sanders, in an interview, is supposed to walk in there and be blown away,

and that you as a team have the leverage. You think Cleveland has leverage. You think Tennessee has leverage. It's okay to sometimes admit as a business the employee may have more leverage. All right? So this idea that this kid who grew up rich because of NIL got richer and who's really good and you're a terrible franchise, either Tennessee, Cleveland or New York, that he didn't bow down to you.

because Shadour Sanders realizes, let's say it's the New York Giants or Cleveland, you're a hurdle to his success. He'll be successful if he goes to Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, Brock Bowers, and Cappspace. The Giants are a hurdle, an impediment to success. So this idea that you're desperate and you think you have all the leverage,

no, Caleb Williams had some leverage. Cam Ward has some leverage. it's over that the employee doesn't have any leverage. In my business, in pro football, college athletes now, the coach doesn't have all the leverage. And I think there's executives and coaches. Rick Patino said this the other day, St. John's coach. Adapt.

You can complain or you can adapt. You know, the late Bobby Knight would complain about Transfer Portal or you can adapt. John Calipari, to his credit, it's like, okay, one and done. That's how I get the best players. I can grumble and complain about it, or I can, like Rick Bettino. We don't even recruit high schoolers. I can complain about it or just adapt. And so it's kind of infuriating to me.

I don't know. I mean, Shadour Sanders grew up rich. NIL got rich. I'm sorry he didn't come in desperate. But this idea that these kids now, these quarterbacks in a bad quarterback class, and he may be the best one, and you are a tire fire of a franchise, guys. And, you know, he came in here. I mean, the quote from McShay is actually funny. You know, the quote is that they left the meeting feeling Shadour was not overly concerned with what they thought of him.

Well, I mean, they thought Daniel Jones was great. They thought giving Deshaun Watson a guaranteed contract was brilliant. Somebody drafted Will Levis. I wouldn't be over. I'm overly concerned if I was a quarterback with three teams that don't appear to know what the hell they're doing. I'm sorry. He gets a little say too. You're bringing your attitude because he doesn't come in and bow down to you. The business doesn't always have all the leverage now. It's 2025. Sometimes the employee has a little bit.

You know, sometimes, you know, I was talking to a friend the other day, and there are two companies battling for him. and one of the companies was sort of outraged that he wasn't just totally committed to them and he said well I've got another company that's a bigger company offering more money like today you're if you're an employer and you think you have all the leverage

or you're an NFL team and think you have all the leverage I mean I think Shador Sanders and Cam Ward they would like to be passed on by Tennessee Cleveland of the Giants they'd rather go to a winning friend franchise. J.J. McCarthy. Bo Nix, best thing that ever happened to him, he fell to Sean Peyton. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, we're going to start with that disappointing news where Kyrie Irving has

suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Happened right there on that plague, drive into the hoop last night. Really bummer, just a bummer for the Dallas Mavericks. Kyrie ended up shooting the free throws while crying on the line. It had like a feel of Kobe Bryant. Remember when he popped his Achilles and John Fri-Threat-Though? He was playing so many minutes now without Luca. Yeah, you know, this is a, listen, I don't want to crush the guy, but Nico Harrison pushed all the wrong buttons. Yeah.

He legitimately thought, oh, we can move off Luca. We're fine. We've got Kyrie. That's not how it works. And the problem with Dallas right now is Kyrie is their only playmaker. Spencer Dinwiddie can get shots, but whereas the Lakers have Austin Reeves, Lucas and LeBron. They have three playmakers.

So the ball can be in three different players' hands. The Mavericks now, without Luca, the ball's always in Kyrie's hands. And now that their centers are banged up, he had to play more minutes and carry more of the offense. So it's just, yeah, I feel, you know, Kyrie can, not my favorite player, but he's absolutely historically gifted. And this organization now is the biggest mess. You think Phoenix has issues? Well, wait a minute. Phoenix and Philly are in really bad spots.

spots. Dallas can turn around next year. Everybody will start the season healthy. They'll be fine. I just, I go back to Nico Harris's move. Like, we can move off Luca and be fine. And literally, everything has gone terribly for them since that trait. Between 80s injury, Gafford got hurt. Now, Kyrie's out for the season. The ticket sales have plummeted. Last night they're getting blasted. I mean, they'll lose by 30 last night. At home in the third quarter fans, just a mass exodus start leaving the stadium. I don't know what to say, man. This is between the Cowboys being a dumpster fire. And now Dallas, everybody's hurt. You go to the finals. I'm sorry, they're not sniffing. At least Phoenix can start over. I mean, this thing, look at this. Look at people heading to

the exits. Like this organization now is, and again, it's not just the Kyrie injury. I mean, Kyrie was the last little bit of hope. But we had said this. You couldn't take them seriously as a big playoff team. They're just, it's just. Are the Dallas stars in hockey still in Dallas? I don't know. Maybe there's some hope there. Rangers will be okay. It's a terrible feel. I mean, Colin, remember, six, eight months ago, they were in the NBA finals. They were in the finals. And now it's all downhill. Just terrible stuff. No, this is why guys like LeBron are always willing to move off, because there are bad executives all over sports. I mean, the Cleveland Browns gave Deshawn Watson a totally guaranteed contract.

There are terrible executives. Daniel Jones was not only a reach at number six, they gave him an extension and let Seekwon walk. Was that the executive of the owner? Well, I'm just, whatever it is, all I'm saying is when you see certain players like Brady wanted to control and LeBron wants to control it, you know why? Because they're better than the executives often making those decisions. By the way, do you think Mark Cuban would have traded Luca? No. You could go with Hellman. There's zero chance that was happening.

No shot. Next story is Matt Stafford and his decision to restructure his deal. Stay with the Rams. Huge sigh of relief for Sean McVeigh, who was pleased by the decision when he talked to reporters yesterday. Obviously, that was always the end goal in mind. We've always had great dialogue, and I think it's really kind of been a year-to-year thing. He's obviously under contract for two more years with us, but as long as he wants to play, I know we're feeling really good about that.

And I think ultimately it's about the partnership and how important it is to have him leading the way. And so couldn't be more grateful, really excited about it, and I've been sleeping better these last couple days. Yeah, the Rams, I was told after the show yesterday, listen, he was still in a contract. You have to give us a first rounder and something. The Raiders kicked the tires and would not go there, which I think is a mistake. I would have given up a first rounder for Matt Stafford absolutely with Chip Kelly, Brock Bowers, Pete Carroll. A future first or this current?

It doesn't matter. Oh. Oh, I would give up a first. For a star quarterback? Who's in his late 30s? Again, this is not 1984. LeBron it, 40 is great. Oh, Matt Stafford's not LeBron.

Stop. Well, Matt Stafford last year was outstanding. He was very. I like him. Other good news for the Rams, Jordan Schultz reported, Jackson, the left tackle has been signed. They're going to keep him. So it's been a nice little start to the week for the Rams here.

Keeping Stafford, keeping their left tackle. I think they have some interior line issues. Maybe they got to sort out at center. But otherwise, now they just need to target receiver in the draft. Well, they have to get a corner. They will get an offensive tackle probably in the third or fourth. because Rob Havenstein's getting old. He is, yeah.

But it's basically they need a, they need a weapon on the perimeter. They need a corner, probably an inside linebacker, and they're ready to vie for a title. They might need two weapons. Higby always hurt, right? So you probably need a tight end. So the Ramser need some pieces. Would you put them in the top six in the NFC right now? I would put them in the top six in the NFL.

Wait, NFL? NFL? Yes. Okay, so let's take Bill's Chiefs, Ravens off the table. They're top three, obviously. Yeah. Eagles, Super Bowl Defending Chance, that's four. Lions, and then Rams.

Just say it out loud. McVeigh-Stafford. Great defense. 49ers, bounce back. Packers. Not McVeigh-Stafford and the great defense. Washington Commanders. Well, we'll wait.

Still an average roster. Got a hit in about six. Robbins top six NFL. Yeah, I don't think there's any question about it. That is bold. Well, I mean, at the end of last year, who gave Philadelphia a game? One game. It wasn't.

I mean, go. The second half was close. First half. Well, they play four quarters. That's how the sport works. Okay. Well, final. Final story, Colin, is Debo Samuel going to the commanders for that fifth round pick.

Their reports, Debo might have had some ill will toward the Niners, but he took to social media to shoot down the rumors. Niners know where I stand with them. It's nothing but love. Love Lynch, Shanna Hand to Death, no bad blood and no way, shape, or form. They know I'm more than appreciative of everything they've done for me as a player and as a man. Nothing but love. Debo also did address his weight concerns. Remember last year people said he was looking a little tubby?

Well, he was playing at 225 last season. The Niners wanted him at 210, 212. So Niners, a little bit of a gripe, right? Debo was not at his playing weight. He did throw a punch. Remember at the backup or the holder on the kicker for that play late in the game? Yeah, I mean, it was time for him to go. I think he probably keeps weight on because as they use him as a running back,

he wants to be a heavier player. Well, they have Echler and Robinson at running back. So I don't, hopefully they don't, I don't think he's, at this stage, I don't think he can carry a load as a running back, right? Well, he'll be a chess piece. He's not a beat people down the field receiver. He is the late, he's a back kid. Well, it's a little bit like the late Aaron Hernandez.

He was a tight end on resume, but he could be, you could put him in the back field, you could put him in constant motion, jet sweeps. I think Debo is just, he's a. really good football player. I wouldn't label him as a wide receiver. He's just a really good football player that a smart play designer can figure out how to get eight touches a game. And he's great, hard to bring down, great after the catch, almost impossible first man to hit him almost never brings him down. I saw one of these yak stats. Then the last four seasons, Debo was number one by a mile. Jammar Chase was number two. And, you know, if you line up Debo in the backfield to start to play and then motion him out,

which Kingsbury will do, and Jane Daniels says, oh, that's, That's a linebacker on Debo Samuel. You know, barbecue chicken. We're going right to them. It's game over. And I think we're going to see a lot of that with Debo. Remember, motivated after getting kicked to the curb by the Niners, this is a home run. All these people online, oh, Debo's washed. I would ignore them, pal.

I think this is a great, great get. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. You ever heard that saying it's just a vibe? Some people are good energy. Some people are good juice.

Nick Wright top of the hour. The Golden State Warriors won again last night with Jimmy Butler. The Butler's not even playing well. I mean, honestly, that's what's crazy. Luke is not being that consistently great. He's still playing in his shape. Jimmy Butler is shooting 11% on threes. And the Warriors are 8 and 1 with him.

We'll talk about what he brings to the table. It's not just production now. That's next. Live in L.A., it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis.

And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss.

And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio

on the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media. That's Kavino and Rich. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it. one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, Hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad,

Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know first hand, because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what

it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerner Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know what, it's funny. I believe in analytics, but there are certain players that are just a good vibe. they're just good energy in the room and it's like that's Jimmy Butler

like in Golden State Steph's like showing off like you're a good hang he's a good hang I'm going to tell a story let me tell a story before we go in a video low energy coward before this Sunday the NASCAR

Cup series ends to FS1 with some door to door action at the jewel of the desert in Phoenix Free race kicks off at two Eastern with the green flag flying at 3.30 on FS1. So, like, if you're ever going to go, like, on a Vegas trip with buddies or a golf trip with buddies, there's a saying or a question you often ask when you're organizing it, is he a good hang? Can you hang around him for four or five days?

A lot of guys are a bad hang. They're cheap. They're weird. They're needy. They drink too much. They say inappropriate stuff. they're not ill meaning but like are they a good hang if you're going to be with guys for five days you're going on a rafting trip or a Vegas trip are they a good hang some people just bring really

good energy they're easy to be around uh they may be intense but they're just something about it the analytics said jimmy butler to the warriors may not be a perfect fit they're now eight and one they're eight and one the night that step had 56 jimmy butler had five it doesn't matter it's like step curry's taking one more shot of game since jimmy butler arrived and averaging seven more points. I looked at the stats. Turnover differential. Warriors are now first in the league.

Assists the game first. Free throw percentage, first. Like, it's just good vibes. He's just good juice. He's tough. He's intentional. He's physical. In the NFL, we call these force multipliers.

They're just guys you put in a room and they make everybody better. And a lot of times, analytics can't capture this stuff. Analytics will like certain guys, and I'm like, yeah, they're a bad hang. It's bad energy. and that's why I kept saying, just get Jimmy Butler on the Warriors. I'm watching the Warriors play. Steph had no energy. Nothing against Draymond.

Draymond's not a big score. It's like they just needed a second behind their ace. And sometimes you need a great motivational speaker. You have a Tony Robbins come in and talk to your company. It's nothing against your boss. It's nothing against Steve Kerr. But I mean, it's the NBA. If you get to the playoffs, there's 100 games a year.

How many times can you give a pep talk? and this team just needed juice. It just needed good vibes. And Andrew Wiggins was sort of Jimmy Butler is the, he's the anti-Andrew Wiggins. He comes with physicality, intensity, even a shoot-around. Like you never have to ask, is Jimmy Butler on the floor? And I'd said this for years about Jimmy, Andrew Wiggins. I'd seen him play live four or five times.

He could drop 28 points when he was at Minnesota. I never knew if he was on the floor. Like you always know when Jimmy Butler's on the floor. He's getting fouled. He's fouling. He's getting to the line. He's trash talking. And it's the same with LeBron and Luca.

LeBron, like, has a new energy and a new joy. Steph Curry's playing out of his mind. Even guys like Michael Jordan and Kobe sometimes had to create obsessed guys, had to create motivation. And, I mean, Steph Curry, how fired up kind of guy that's going to be first first out of Hall of Fame get trying to be a tenth seed? So right now, they are in the playoffs, and I've said this, here is my NBA finals bubble. I think there are six teams.

Lakers, Warriors, OKC, Nuggets, Celtics, Cavs can win the championship. Knicks, I feel like, just may not be able to defend the pick and roll good enough. Robinson's back, they'll be better defensively. I don't buy Houston. They can't shoot. And I don't buy Memphis. I still think they're too young. But here is Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler and what he brings.

I think they compliment each other really well. Jimmy's a phenomenal all-around basketball player, two-way player. He's at his best when the ball is moving. I think we can do a better job of getting him involved. It's still a work in progress, but I love Jimmy. fit here. I think he's perfect next to Steph and Dre and it's showing. Obviously, I think we're 8 and 1

since we got him with him in the lineup. That's not by accident. Yeah, it's not at all. One NFL story, and I was confused about this yesterday, as a staff this morning, we're kind of trying to figure out this jigsaw puzzle in Minnesota

with Sam Darnold. And I don't have a real strong take because any take I could have could be wrong. They could franchise tagged him. I don't think they will. Tom Policero and Ian Rappaport are reporting yesterday they're working on a deal with Sam Darnold. And it is, no, it's a crazy story

because they drafted J.J. McCarthy. They have Daniel Jones, and they're working on a deal. So it's funny. I think we forget this. Josh Allen was the MVP last season, right? It was going to be Lamar or Josh Allen. you do realize that Josh Allen last year had a couple of stinkers.

He went nine for 30 in a game against Houston and had a 56 passer rating. Remember that game? He also was awful against the Colts, no touchdown, two picks, and a passer rating of 60. That's the MVP. We watched Patrick Mahomes struggle twice against the Raiders and be awful against the Eagles. Let's just remember that we have to be totally honest about this. Let's just talk about last year with Minnesota, a team pick for fourth. Okay, Sam Darnold played with a roster that wasn't as good as Mahomes roster

and wasn't as good as Josh Allen's roster. Let's look at the splits on Sam Darnel. I think what Kevin O'Connell is saying is this guy's insanely talented. We're not sure J.J. McCarthy is as good as him. So if you start looking at Sam Darnold last year, yes, He had a couple of really bad games. But in the first 16 games of the year, 35 touchdowns, 12 picks, 14 and 2, 68% completion percentage. By the way, he lost his left tackle midway through the season and a passer rating of 106.5.

Yes, did he lose to the Rams? They had a better roster. Did he lose to the Lions? In Detroit, game of the decade. Yes, they had a better roster. So, I mean, go back to Mahomes and Josh Allen that had, you know, better rosters. They had awful games. And so I think, and Minnesota was picked for third or fourth.

Remember their over, under was like, was it like six or something? So I think what Kevin O'Connell is saying is, listen, guys, don't go crazy on the last two games. Is that Sam Darnold is in his prime, put up insane numbers. in a division in an NFC that was better this year that it was the previous two years and we're going to negotiate with him. And I'm trying to figure out why they have J.J. McCarthy and people are like, well, the injury,

I don't know, I watch these young athletes, they're always healthier in rehab sooner than later. I don't think it's an injury. I think they're looking at Sam Darnold and they're thinking, well, I mean, the Niners drafted a quarterback. They never played him much and they were fine. like you I mean RG3 you know Washington moved off him to Kirk Cousins

in the fourth round of the same draft and they were fine I just wonder if Kevin O'Connell is saying is everybody watching what happened like this guy was a step below Josh Allen last year you don't do that out of luck or good fortune Minnesota was not a great roster they had two really good receivers so that's the only thing I mean that's that's really the only thing I can

figure out in Minnesota right now because the story is, according to legitimate reporters, they're working on a Sam Darnel deal in Minnesota. They're working, and they're not doing franchise tag, which is a one-year deal. They're working on a contract. I mean, honestly, we sat there this morning, I'm like,

isn't Kevin O'Connell telling you? I mean, yesterday, I theorized they're just saying nice things about him to get him on the market and pay him back for what he did to the team. But when two legitimate reporters come out and go, yeah, they're We're working on a deal with Sam, and it's not a franchise.

Maybe Kevin O'Connell is just saying, go look at the numbers. You're being way too harsh on him. We watch Mahomes and Josh Allen have terrible Sundays. Okay, how about this? Listening to you, I just internalized, and I'm like, well, what if Darnell looked around the landscape and said, I don't want to go to Vegas? Colts or nothing. I'm definitely not going back to New York.

Hey, guys, I'll stay in Minnesota on a cheap deal. Give me $25, $30 million. Forget $40, $40, $40. If I don't need it, I'll take a cheaper deal to stay here, and I'll tutor McCarthy, you know, what if he's willing to take less to stay in Minnesota because he loves it there? Well, first of all, it's always been a, you know, it's funny, they don't have Super Bowls, but I've never thought of Minnesota as poorly owned or poorly run. They've always been viable.

They just, you know, it's like I've always thought the Minnesota Vikings, because the Packers are in their division, we don't talk about them a lot. I've always thought they draft well, they develop, they're well-owned, the Will family, Never, you know, you don't hear about chaos or nonsense. They always have the quarterback situation. I mean, I don't know. I just, I look at it and I think if Kevin O'Connell is willing to draft a quarterback and want to resign Darnold, then Darnold's better than all of us are giving him credit for.

We are punishing him because he didn't work with the Jets. Who works with the Jets? Nobody does. That's a fact. Who asks Aaron Rogers? Who works with a Jets? Didn't you say Minnesota Nice was like a thing? Is that like a known thing?

I'm not, I've never been to that part of the country. Oh, it's beautiful. But I hear good things. No, it's great. It's a great place. Hour two next. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey, Jonas, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. 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.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jen should win.

She's an outsider to win the French name. and she likes Clay. Listen, Lerabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. This is an IHart podcast.

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