The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The appreciation for the Olympics

Episode Date: August 5, 2024

Colin expresses his appreciation for the Olympics as the uniter of sports fans during divisive and combative times outside of sports Why are so many people overreacting to Michigan?   Guest: Danny ParkinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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.

I mean, 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. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. 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 SportsPortes. Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Oh, it is a Monday. It is absolutely great. To be here today in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for us. Thanks to you for making us part of your day. J. Mack, off today, back tomorrow, vacationing with his fam in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, one hour from now where Colin was right,

where Colin was wrong. A Michael Red, former NBAer, one hour from now, we'll stop by as well to talk about the men's Team USA, which is rolling beat Puerto Rico over the weekend. So I was thinking about this. Got to be very careful. I tend to put my phone down for the weekend. And I do that for a reason. There's a lot of bad actors and grifters on the internet who literally make money on clicks.

I don't. I make it in radio. I make it in TV. I don't make my money in clicks. I make it in podcasting. I make it in downloads. You have to consume my show. I don't make it in clicks.

But there's a big world of people. That's where they make their money. Scareing you. This morning, the stock market. The end is near. No, it's not. Actually, the Fed's going to drop the rates here in September. probably again in November.

So for those wanting to buy a home, actually the best possible scenario is the market cools off, comes down, rates come down twice, probably should have been dropped about six months ago, and then you buy on the dip. Panic is the time to buy. That's how rich guys get richer. But again, that doesn't get the clicks.

It's much better to create a TV show that says, Oh, we found ghosts in an old hotel. Those shows sell. Not, yeah, there's really no ghosts and there's no real video. And there used to be a guy that would go on Johnny Carson's show. And he would prove that all the magicians, it was just fake. Johnny Carson loved him because Johnny Carson loved to rile people up and love magic. And he was hated, hated polarizing, but we all know magic's fake.

their job is to create illusions. And that's a lot what we have today out there. The illusion that the world is ending. The doomsday grifters. And so what does that mean for sports? Well, I'm in TV. The Olympic ratings for NBC have been staggeringly good. Massive, much better than expected.

But what's also interesting, so were the ratings for Copa America on Fox. And for the Euros. and for the WNBA. Well, well, Colin, there's nothing on now. Duh, there's nothing ever on in July and August. So they're beating their own ratings. There's nothing ever on now. What do you think the NFL is just every other year's opening up real football games?

Second week of July? Copa crushed Copa ratings. The Olympics is crushing Olympic ratings. It's a real story. What's happening? Cable TV. Subs are going away. Nobody watches TV, yet the ratings are through the roof.

Copa, Euros, Olympics, WNBA. Why? Because it's an election year. And increasingly, we're being fed doomsday scenarios. And people want to be happy. So people are putting down their phones and turning on something that makes them feel happy. Caitlin Clark, Copa America, the Summer Olympics. Americans are much more united than anybody on their iPhone would acknowledge, but that's hard to sell.

We really all want the same things, but we watch different news channels for it. But people are tired of the angst. This weekend, I turned on CNN. Didn't plan to, but they had a Kamala Harris special. It was like two hours. I didn't plan to watch it. But what I noticed between her. and the other guy running is she smiled a lot.

She was happy. She laughed. It wasn't constant finger pointing in grievance. And I found myself sitting there for two hours. It was kind of uplifting. It didn't really matter because I don't know much about Kamala Harris other than what I read, but it was like uplifting. And that's why I'm watching so much of the Olympics.

And I watch so much of Copa and the Euros on Fox. Yesterday I went to lunch with my daughter. It was a nice day out. All I saw, young couples, smiles, dogs, fun, people laughing, playing ping pong outside. People were happy. You would never know that if you sit staring at your iPhone all day. So my point being today is you are getting record numbers. And I'm not talking like beating it by 8%.

No, no, no. The Olympics, Copa, Euros, WNBA, doubling, tripling, smashing ratings. Because it's positive. We want the best in us. and we also root for our friendly neighbors to the north, Canadian athletes. And we also are rooting emotionally for Ukrainian athletes. That's what TV indicators are telling me in this business. People really do want good news.

You become what you seek. You become what you consume. You become what you eat. And you become what you watch on TV. And despite what the doomsday goes, grifters are selling you increasingly. It is crystal clear that Americans want Americans to thrive. We're rooting for Caitlin Clark, Copa, Euros, the Olympics, and you don't have to be from here. We have a lot in common. We're more united than anybody's going to let you believe. And that person at

the grocery store, that person on that park bench may be voting for somebody that you don't like. it doesn't mean everybody hates everybody. Beware of the grifters. Congrats to NBC, Fox, ESPN for tremendous summer TV ratings. I've been lectured for years. It's all ending soon. I was told that about newspapers. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, they're all doing just fine. So I saw this story. Again, talk about mixed messages. So for years and years, as a college football fan, we all know the one thing you couldn't do. I mean, it was a death penalty.

And I'll pause for a second. What was the one thing you couldn't do? And then three years ago, you could suddenly do it and you were encouraged to do it and rewarded for doing it. Buying high school players. That's why my entire career, 30 years of doing this, I have been saying this for 30 years. everybody's paying everybody stop being a do-gooder Buckeye fans pointing fingers

oh yeah you're not doing it Michigan everybody SEC George everybody I mean it's kind of well known that when Pete Carroll was rolling at USC Ed Orgeron was his defensive line coach boy USC could get defensive

linemen like nobody else I'll leave it at that but people that no, no. They got busted for Reggie Bush. You think it was the only thing? And I'm supposed to be a USC homer. Go look at John Wooden's track record. His number one booster.

That's why Bobby Knight to the end resented him. The truth is, I'm told to be outraged by pot and sports gambling, and I never am. Because if I wanted to smoke pot, not saying I ever did, it was always available. And if I wanted to bet with a bookie, not saying I ever did, it was always available.

Stop screaming at clouds. The latest controversy, the NCAA, and I defended Michigan all year on this, the NCAA has obtained information that states investigators have seen that Conor Stallions had scouted,

impermissibly scouted, At least 13 Michigan opponents on 58 occasions, including once when he was on the Michigan State sideline, the season opener, wearing a bench pass and a disguise. I actually think that's funny. I mean, I worry more about Michigan State security. Some guy walked up with a crooked fake mustache, dark sunglasses on a cloudy day, and gave the name Patty O Furniture, and a they let him in. I'm not worried about Michigan. I'm worried about Michigan State Security Team.

Come on. My name is Kent C-Straight. Here's your path. So, for the record, everybody, just like cannabis and sports gambling, everybody's stealing signs. They just do it differently. I do not believe that guy in the TV picture is the difference between Michigan and Ohio State. I think it was a better coach, better planning, and more physicality.

But you will go ahead and blame the guy in the crooked mustache. But over the last three years, the same timeline of the allegations against Michigan and Connerstallin's. Over that same timeline, there has been not only an acknowledgement, but a reality of college football, that the thing I was told would earn you the death penalty. buying a high school player is not only legal, it's encouraged. Baylor football coaches at fall practice this weekend were wearing shirts that said, we pay players. So I was told, as for years I said, everybody's paying everybody.

Texas has lambos out front for recruits, Baylor coaches, we pay players. I was told for years this was outrageous. And I said, I know. programs. I know college athletes. I know guys in the NFL. The stars were getting paid. Just like for years and years. Ooh, pot, cannabis, legalization. It's everybody I know that wanted to smoke pot can buy a bag anytime they wanted to. Wasn't ending America. Well, I told sports gambling, oh, the NFL for years, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. The minute it was legal, first people in the NFL. Stop trying to sell me outrage. Stop trying to tell me stuff is a

pot. I grew up in Washington State. It's like the state plant. I worked in Vegas for seven years. Everybody was betting sports. If you wanted to make a bet in the game, you could. So now I'm supposed to believe fake mustache guy on the sidelines, that's changing outcomes. Come on, man. That's outrageous. You can buy high schoolers, not even high school seniors. There are programs just so it gets good publicity. They'll go spend $150 in a defensive tackle his junior year. He may not even show up. Somebody else will outbid him on signing day and get the kid that the school spent $150,000 bucks for.

So my whole life, it's criminalizing this. It's criminalizing. The NFL was so anti-betting for years. They wouldn't let Tony Romo, who's now at CBS. They wouldn't let Tony Romo. go to like a fantasy football convention in Vegas. What? Everybody plays fantasy football.

The NFL was outraged. The minute the Supreme Court ruled, yeah, sports gambling's legal in America. All the NFL owners, first guys in, we're buying parts of this, this, this, this company owns part of fan deal. I got no problem with it. Why would I? I live in Vegas for seven years.

So I think Conor Stallions has the same impact on Michigan football wins. I believe that as much as you would have been a Division I football player if your high school coach didn't have it out for you. I mean, between the grifters on the internet, selling you the world is ending today because of Wall Street, and only one person can be president or everything's going sideways, and that Connor Stallion's is the reason Jim Harbaal won, although he ended up dominating in the NFL at Stanford at San Diego, he'll turn the chargers around in an hour. I'm sorry.

Slat him on the wrist. Bad guys shouldn't have done that. But, you know, paddy-oh furniture with a fake mustache got into his sidelines. If people were really concerned that it was changing outcomes, Connor Stallions wouldn't have been anywhere near that bench. All right. Michael Redd in less than an hour from now. Going to talk about Team USA.

They are rolling. You know, something else really stood out for me on the men's basketball. And I do think it speaks well of our NBA stars. And we'll talk about that coming up. 45 minutes from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. 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 which I'm 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

And I'm Alex English. We pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you 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

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So Team USA is 3 and O beat Puerto Rico Saturday. They're the top seed, and they're going to win the Olympic gold medal, I think. You think, everybody thinks. What I do find interesting is that, and kind of patriotism at the top seed, and they're going to win the Olympic gold medal, I think, you think, everybody thinks. its core is very powerful, regardless of how poor or rich you are. The numbers tell you that people are watching, but Team USA is fascinating because of all the athletes from all the countries at these Great Olympics in Paris, the richest and the most famous are overwhelmingly outside of maybe an occasional tennis player are men's basketball stars. Steph's worth $500 million. LeBron's a billionaire, KD's, half a billionaire, shoe deals, contracts.

These guys play forever, social media, production companies. They're very, very rich. And yet, Kevin Durant, one of the great get-a-basket players, top 20 offensive player, maybe a top 10 offensive player ever, is coming off the bench and is not bothered by it whatsoever. Now, as much as the top three or four players in the world right now, Yokic, Janus, very

quickly, Wembe, Luca, may be Europeans. 20 of the 24 NBA All-Stars last year were Americans. We have the most good players by a mile. Our only question is on a

game-to-game basis. Hey, which MVP candidate for the Americans is out of the rotation tonight. Is it AD or BAM or Tatum or Booker coming off the bench? I mean, those are our big questions. It is also very clear, kind of surprisingly so, how much LeBron remains at 39, 22 years in the NBA, remains a mile ahead of every other American player in terms of leadership. He not only leads in field goal percentage, he leads in minutes played and assists.

I mean, Jason Tatum is excellent, but sometimes I'm not even sure if Jason Tatum is leading the Celtics. Devin Booker's a tremendous score, and that's about it. Tyrese Halliburton, tremendous, young, talented kid. Aunt Edwards, phenomenal, rising, ascending, but not really refined or a great leader yet. LeBron leads this team and the stuff that matters. Leadership, minutes played, and assented. assists. Scoring isn't that important because all these guys were prolific high school,

AAU, college or pro scores at some point. Even the best defenders, like a Derek White could drop 28 and you wouldn't be surprised. The truth is, stories of MJ, and this is where MJ and LeBron are very different. The stories of Michael at the Olympics are folklore, where the story of LeBron is right up front to sea. No secrets about it. It's called leadership. Uniting too young to lead guys and older guys who respect LeBron so much, they allow him to lead.

It's remarkable. The best players in the world are all sort of allowing best Americans a 39-year-old. No bitterness, no fights at practice. No, LeBron, Eukary us. And again, that is the big difference. between MJ and LeBron. Michael's entire game was, give me the ball,

and I'll lead you there. And LeBron, since high school, has always been, let's get there together. The most amazing stat about LeBron is nothing in the Olympics or the NBA. It's that in high school, this junior year,

he averaged like 28 a game, and in his senior year, he could have averaged 50, and he averaged only one point more. That at his core is how LeBron operates. Michael was, give me the ball, get out of the way, and I'll take you there. And he did six times and golds. LeBron has always been more collaborative.

So this Olympic version is really the best of Olympic men's basketball. Leadership and sacrifice. LeBron doesn't need to be the highest score. He knows points come easy for us. Ant, Tatum, Booker, AD, BAM. AD is known as a defensive player. He can drop 28 a game in the Olympics, and LeBron knows that. But what LeBron really adds is minutes, leadership, assists, distribution, and this is the way the Olympics should be.

And it speaks very well of our men's basketball players. NBA players, for whatever reasons, they often voice their opinion on politics. Maybe that's it. Our view is somewhat polarizing. I don't see it, but I mean, LeBron's never been in trouble. Everywhere he goes, he wins. He's the best player everywhere. Nobody plays with LeBron and doesn't end up having their best years with him.

I mean, this is the best AD we've ever seen. We got the best J.R. Smith, the best Matthew Delavadova. We got the best D. Wade, in my opinion, the championship finals every year, D. Wade. But I like what I see. This is the way, and this speaks well for our NBA stars. Katie's coming off the bench. Tatum's coming off the bench. Guys are like, so what?

It's not about that. That's a lot harder than you think. It's very easy to, well, they're all rich. I know a lot of rich, bitter people. That's not it. They are all willing to get behind LeBron. He's smiling. He's happy.

He bears the flag. Speaks well for LeBron and our NBA stars. Our American, wealthy, iconic stars all in for the country. Ryan with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

All right, Colin, we're nine practices into Jets' training camp, including a 90-minute intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday. Aaron Rogers has reportedly not shown any signs of rust following his torn Achilles. And according to Robert Sala, Rogers looks like he never miss any time, and he's a Hall of Famer for a reason. How are you feeling about Rogers heading into this season with the Jets coming off that Achilles injury? I think they'll be fine. He goes back and forth.

Like, it's really interesting. You saw so much video coming out of camp of, you know, J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nicks or Justin Fields. It's a lot of optimistic stuff, right? Look at these young guys go. The Aaron video that got out of camp was him screaming at E. So I think you just have to, you have to be honest about Aaron and what it is. You're going to get some drama. You're going to get these podium press conferences,

passive aggressive, taking shots at people. That's what you get. And we can belly, it's like Dax's contract. It's just a constant conversation. I swear to God, Dak just signed a contract. We're talking about the next one he's going to sign. That one was like a two-year news cycle.

This one will probably be a nine-month news cycle. Aaron is always what I expect him to be on and off the field. Sure. And we'll turn our attention to an NFC team now. Caleb Williams didn't play in the Bears first preseason game last week. But Jayton Daniels in this Saturday's matchup with the Jets, although we don't know how many drives he'll participate in, Daniels is ready for his NFL debut.

I'm very excited. I love the game of sport. I love the game of football. I love playing it. I'm very passionate. I love to compete. So going out there would be a different challenge. I still got some way to go.

Just little stuff. Go out there and still competing. Obviously, what Coach DQN have said, but at the end of the day, it's their decision. I trust them fully or their plan and stuff like that and bring it along. So that's up to them at this point. But for me, I just go out there and how can I better myself each and every day and just go out there and compete hard. So what I find interesting about him is this entire organization has replaced everybody. Owner, GM, coach, coordinator, quarterback.

They've literally replaced everybody. and that would seem like a bridge too far. But that's what Houston did last year outside of ownership. And they made the playoffs in the tougher AFC. So right now I have Washington in, but I don't think, first of all, in the NFL, change is inevitable. Seven coaches get whacked a year. So basically every four years, you turn over all your coaches not name Andy Reed. Basically is how it works.

And even he lost his job in Philadelphia. So change is inevitable. It's a very fluid league. But there's this idea that if you, like in most sports, baseball, basketball, if you change everything, it's a rebuild. It's not in football because the NFL draft provides microwavable stars. You don't need years to cook it. Pop it in the microwave very quickly, four-fought, 23-year-old guys come in. So if their draft picks hit, if Jaden Daniels good, I have no problem in a weaker conference and kind of a weaker division.

you know, Philadelphia's roster is good. Everybody else, Dallas, top heavy, Giants of Mass, Washington, I can see him making the playoffs. I don't know. I've talked a lot about this with somebody that is closer to the commanders that I am. And it's a go-either-way team. Like, do I worry, defensive coach first year and Jaden Daniels? Yeah, but that was Domingo Ryan's and C.J. Stroud.

And remember last year, the number two. quarterback ended up being light years better than the number one quarterback situation. So situational football matters a lot for young quarterbacks. If you look at the Washington schedule, would you be surprised if they beat Tampa and hosting the New York Giants and went 2 and 0 to start the season? I mean, at Cincinnati is tough and at Baltimore is tough, but I see a lot of potential wins. I see a lot of two and a half point spreads. Sure.

I mean, three and one is not totally out of the question to start the season for that. Absolutely. So I'm on the positive side of the commanders today. I think, and it's not just that they replace people. They replaced people that were toxic, incompetent over their head. So if you just get solid people, you've gotten rid of, you've elevated your competency and you've alleviated, eliminated your chaos. If Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury and Adam Peters and Jaden Daniels are B, B minus, it's better than the D. that just left. Right. And to your point about that change, you know, Jaden Daniels is a part of that change. This isn't a situation like Baker Mayfield or Alex Smith, where they're a young quarterback in a situation where now he's going on his second or third head coach. This is going to be a brand new system for him regardless of which. So if he comes in and adapts to Cliff Kingsbury system, then he's a part of the new change developing in Washington, not some turn style of coaches where he's trying to learn a new offense every season. We'll wrap up with

despite Russell Wilson being in pole position for the starting job. Justin Fields has been leaving a big impression during his time in camp, so much so that Mike Tomlin recently said both quarterbacks will get an opportunity to compete for the starting role. And new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, had this to say about Fields. He's a dangerous football player with the ball in his hands. And so it allows you get creative. And maybe you change up a little bit of a defensive game playing.

And he's done a good job. And all our players, a wide-out quarterback, item fullback, whatever age, we need to play their strengths. And certainly he adds a different element. Yeah, you know, when Russell went to Pittsburgh, I think it was kind of universally believed. And I agree with this. It was a great landing spot. Great defense.

No chaos. They'd been bad at quarterback with Kenny Pickett, that this was the perfect place to go. But it's become increasingly clear once Justin Fields came to town and Russell's got like a calf injury that if Justin Fields a younger, more relatable player lights up practice, that's going to go a long way in tilting that locker room toward Justin Fields. And, I mean, the one thing Russell has struggled with, and this is not my opinion, I have seen it. Seattle and Denver is connecting with teammates or coaches.

Pete Carroll, failed on him. Sean Payton bailed on it. So I thought this was the best place for Russell, and I thought he was clearly a number one when Justin Fields arrived. But now when you have an injury, and Russell hasn't been hurt that much, and he's out for five practices, and everybody loves Justin Fields, and you know he's going to look great at practice because he's a playmaker. And, you know, practice is a lot easier than games. And so I think this is a developing story where these memories, if he has four or five great practices, you go to a two-game losing street, you can lose that. locker room really fast.

Really fast. Yeah, what's going to be fascinating with the team like the Steelers is, Russell feels like if he just goes into game manager mode and doesn't lose games, the Steelers are going to be competitive. So if they're constantly in that 500 zone and in the playoff mix

late into the season, will Tomlin want to shake things up? I mean, he was willing to do that with Kenny Pickett. I mean, he moved off Kenny Pickett and was like, we'll take our chances with the Mason Rudolph. So it's certainly in Tomlin's demeanor to be able to take a chance on changing it up at the quarterback position

despite them winning games and being in the playoff mix. Ryan with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. So it created a little stir that Tyreek Hill, the players voted for the top 100 players in the NFL,

and the players voted for it, and the players always love hyper-athleticism. I mean, years ago there was a player poll and it was 50-50 half the players liked westbrook better than step okay um so it's not surprising to me that tyreek hill the fastest receiver and lamar jackson the fastest quarterback did very well in the top 100 both over mahomes but it's it's not only is it disrespectful to patrick mahomes and i'm sure patrick mahomes is fine he's securing himself but let's not forget what we have a history of.

At any one time in the NFL, there is this one receiver, A.B. It's rarely two. It's this one receiver. T.O., Randy Moss, A.B., Des Bryant, OBJ, that gets a lot of attention. He's often big and different and unique, a one-handed catch. He's the fastest guy. They're all noisy, and that's Tyreek Hill. Right? Like, I know more about his contract than I should.

It's, it's, there's a quote every day. I'm not saying disruptive, but they tend to be noisy and go through contract stuff, and I know all about it. But it should also be noted that since Tyreek Hill left Mahomes, Patrick leads the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Yep. He does. They've won back-to-back Super Bowls without him.

Patrick Mahomes, indisputably, has become a better quarterback forced now to have 10 play drives and not lollipopet over the secondary. In this time, Tyreek Hill has zero playoff wins two years in Miami. Zero. So my take is the only, like, best spectacular receiver that has a trophy is, A, B, and that's because of Tom Brady. Those type of receivers, the fast, the spectacular, the crazy talented, they get attention, they don't get trophies.

They tend to be a little higher maintenance in terms of their contract and attention. You're seeing some of this with Brandon Ayuk. Terrific receiver. In fact, a couple years ago, I was criticized because I said he was top three or four. He's probably about five, but I think he's tremendous, but I don't think he's nearly as valuable as Trent Williams, the old left tackle, who is also holding. out. They can live without Brandon Ayyuk. If Trent Williams retired today, the Niners are screwed because the center right, their own line's not great. So like Trent Williams, way more valuable

than Brandon Ayuk and I love Iyuk. I think he's terrific. But my point being is it was not only disrespectful to Mahalms not to put him number one, but they're winning without him more without him. and passing for more yards without him, and throwing for more touchdowns without him. The top 10 most targeted wide receivers last year, four didn't make the playoffs, and four didn't win a playoff game. The only receiver who did was Amar on St. Brown,

who is the opposite of highly exposed, high-maintenance, or verbal. He's like one of the quietest stars in the NFL, very Larry Fitzgerald. You only see him in the end zone. You only see him catching first down passes. So it's my takeaway in this Tyreek Hill stuff being voted number one. I'm not surprised. He's hyper-athletic.

There's a Westbrook quality. He wins enough. He's wild. You'd pay a ticket to watch him. But it's not being acknowledged that these star receivers that the players fall in love with, they don't go home with trophies. They really don't. And the chiefs are winning more, throwing for more touchdowns,

more passing yards. And indisputably, Mahomes is a better quarter. He has had to develop a more precise surgical game. He's had young receivers, bus receivers, can't hang on to the ball receivers. He's had, and he keeps winning and leading the league and all the important stuff. So, and I also wonder, this is a weird way to look at it, but is Tyreek Hill really costing you $83 million a year? 50 for Tua and 32 or 33 for Tyreek Hill, or wherever they're paying him? because his best games tend to be September, October, November,

but the most important games are December, January, and February in the NFL. So he is giving Tua unbelievable production in the games over 50 degrees that generally don't matter as much as the one under 40 degrees that decide trophies. So Tyreeke Hill's regular season dominance got Tua to a contract that I would never want to sign. I'm not anti-2, I just don't think he's worth that money. Coming up next, Danny Parkins, in Chicago, Bears are the Talk of the Town next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot. baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport whether you believe in analytics or the i-test we've got all the bases covered new episodes drop every thursday so do yourself a favor and listen to inside the parker with rob parker on the iHeart radio app or wherever you get your podcast imagine an olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented

it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper 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 is. isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the

iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like Black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little 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 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. Now you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Two to Six Central, author a pipeline to the pros, fascinating book, D3 basketball to the NBA connectivity at Danny Parkins on Twitter.

He's joining me now. All right, Danny, let's start with this. Caleb Williams didn't play in the Hall of Fame game. I don't know what's suspected of his playing time in their first official game. How was the talk in Chicago on your show, your opinion on him not playing against Vanilla schemes, a couple series. What'd you make of it? So the only reason I advocated for him to play one snap in the Hall of Fan game was so that at the end of his career, we could say that his career started and ended in Canton.

I thought that that type of synergy would actually be really nice because I'm obviously very bullish on Caleb Williams. But they're going to do what the league trend seems to be here with Caleb Williams. They've said between 45 and 55 snaps for him this preseason. C.J. Stroud got 43. Bryce Young got 54. Teams don't play guys who matter in the Hall of Fame game. Hall of Fame game is to, it's an infomercial, to celebrate a team that is there that has guys like Mongo, McMichael, and Devin Hester, and Julius Peppers being enshrined in Canton, and you get extra practices because you report to training camp early. But if you look at who's played in this game the last couple of years, I mean, it's Kellyn Mond against Zach Wilson,

Kyle Slaughter against Jarrett Stidham, Garrett Gilbert against Mason Rudolph. That sounds to me like Davis Mills against Tyson Bayton, which is what we got a couple of days ago. Caleb Williams does not need to be playing in games that Garrett Gilbert has started in the past. Let me talk about this. The Olympics, maybe I'm being corny, but I actually think the Copa, the Euro, the WNBA and the Olympic ratings are tied together.

In an angry political time, they make me smile. They make me happy. I'm proud of America. Am I being corny at the massive Olympic ratings better than expected? Your thoughts? The Olympics is just great television, and it's nice to have it back looking like the normal Olympics in the post-pandemic world that we have.

It's just spectacular. Now we understand why these TV networks bid what they do for it. So I think there's definitely something to your theory, because I know that whenever I get a news alert, it's very doom and gloom. And so we are all looking for things that we can rally behind. And like, hey, we're all rooting for the same team. And that's nice in a very polarized context. But I also think I know nothing about any of this. And I can tune in, and in 90 seconds, I know everyone's life story, certainly the American's life story, who I'm rooting for, what they've been through to get there.

And I'm like sweating on my couch nervous with the parents of the girl on the uneven bars because they've built up their entire life to get to this moment. And one little thing could be wrong, and it's all over. The 100 meter dash, I mean, it's the purest sporting event in the world. It's amazing. We have got the fastest man in the world back here wearing the red, white, and blue. Three one-hundredths of a second slower. Not only is he not the fastest man in the world, he doesn't even get a medal. Between first and eighth is 0.12 seconds.

That is just an astronomical amount of pressure that I don't know. I smile during it. I root for it. I'm patriotic during it. but I'm also like crying and stressed and sweating. Like it just elicits a lot of emotions whenever you tune into the Olympics. Two things can be true. Something can be valuable but overvalued.

I said that's about number one receivers. There's always a guy in the league, Moss, T-O-A-B-J that we just fall for. And I'm like, they never host trophies. Mahomes is actually a better quarterback, frankly, without Tyreek. And Tyreek is still great. but a weak-armed quarterback and a deep-ball threat doesn't scream trophies in January and February. I like Tyreek, but I think we overvalue the players did in the poll. We kind of overvalue what you get.

Am I wrong? No, you're not wrong, but I honestly think, and this goes back to the political point a little bit, the polling is just off. Mitchell Schwartz, he's retired now. Old buddy of mine have covered him with the Chiefs, all pro-right tackle. for the Chiefs. He shared on Twitter how it works. He's like, the voting is done in week 14. You're not given a list of names to choose from. It's just a blank sheet of paper with the team logos around the perimeter of it. So the playoffs aren't factored in. Some guys don't vote at all.

Some guys only put five names in. Some guys only vote for their friends. And it's supposed to be about last season. Well, who cares about just last season? I care about what these players think about the whole career. But if it's about last season, why is Aaron Rogers on the list? Why is Joe Burrow on the list? Why is my guy Jaylen Johnson, who was on your show a couple of weeks ago and was excellent? He was second team all pro at quarterback.

Got a huge contract this off season. He's not on the list at all. So he's not a top 100 player based on last year, but Aaron Rogers, who played four games is, Tyree Kill is the best player, Mahomes is fourth. It's all just ridiculous. And I will say, it makes me kind of happy to

be someone who looks like me, like 6-foot-0-0-1-100-0 who has these strong opinions about the NFL? Because I can honestly be like, see, I can rank players better than the players can rank the players. It's kind of reaffirming. The very talented Danny Parkins, Parkins and Spiegel in Chicago. By the way, one minute left. If I told you as a sportscaster, who are you rooting for to win the Steelers' starting quarterback job? What makes better topics for us?

Justin Fields. Yes. I just got done covering Justin Fields every move for the last few years. He is captivating television. Who has a better highlight reel in the NFL the last two years than Justin Fields? Now, there's probably 30 guys that are better quarterbacks than Justin Fields, but better highlight reel, better television, more compelling. He's much more interesting than Russell Wilson.

So the storyline is Justin Fields, but I don't think either of these guys is the Steelers' answer to quarterback 2025 and beyond. Danny Parkins. Good seeing you as always, bud. Appreciate it. Thanks, Colin. Talk soon. All right. Love listening to him. Thoughtful guy. Michael Redneck next hour, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. You know, the other thing about the Olympics, women tend to be more supportive of each other than men. It can be medical issues, socializing, helping each other out. Katie Ledecki, Simone Biles, Caitlin Clark.

Now, the WNBA stuff's gotten real petty and a lot of skirmishy. but in the Olympics, women have really captivated us. I mean, it is unbelievable, and it's easy to pull for, not just because there are athletes. It's really been a good watch. 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 Hempherson, writer Street or SideL help an a cappella band with their between

songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. It 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. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human.