The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Jets are a mess

Episode Date: January 31, 2024

Colin reacts to a lengthy report about the Jets chaotic season following the season ending injury to Aaron Rodgers He believes it's time for the Warriors to make everyone available for a trade outside of Steph Curry The Chargers have finally hired the right coachSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Ready to roll. Live in Los Angeles on a Wednesday, it's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.

One hour from now. The always interesting. Greg Olson stops by. J. Mack, as we see newspapers, you used to work at a newspaper. I was a stringer 40 years ago. As we used to work at newspapers, and they've kind of, they're shuddering. there is one place that has a lot of money, the backing of big resources, the athletic. Something that I subscribe to, and I sit every afternoon and go to the athletic and read and read and read. I think they do an unbelievable job. If you like sports, it's the best place to get really in-depth coverage.

And boy, is there an article on the Jets today? 30 sources, what went wrong inside the Jets? Are you ready? I want you to take his seat. Okay, you have. Remember, I'm not saying his name. I'm not going to say his name until, I don't know, it's for a long time. But yes, it's ugly, shocker.

All right. So I've said this about Bill Belichick, is that Bill wants to win, but on his terms now, didn't know what used to be like that. Bill only wants to coach certain players. He won't relinquish personnel duties. That's not sacrifice. That's not collaborative. That's not all in on winning.

That's actually selfish. I've said this about NFL owners, a majority of them. They're not about winning. They're about winning on their terms, not relinquishing power. Jerry Jones needs to call himself a general manager. Let's be honest. Kind of silly. We don't think he's the general manager.

This article in the Athletic, 30 sources. Many had to be anonymous. They didn't want to get whacked. They're on the staff. Thirty sources. Paints a picture that Aaron Rogers is very much the same thing. Aaron wants to win on his terms, but it's secondary to Aaron being comfortable. Here we go.

The article points out, 30 sources. It is a team with an ill-equipped offensive coordinator, Nat Hackett, an excuse-making paranoid head coach, and an organizational tunnel vision on a quarterback that rubbed many teammates the wrong way. It's such an effing mess, said one coach. Something has to change. Here's the really interesting part to me. Rogers and Nat Hackett's relationship, this is something I've been told, is more frat bro than player coach.

And Rogers appreciates, Aaron appreciates the free will to sort of operate the system as he sees fit. During camp, New York's defensive lines, excellent, outplayed him in practice every day. One coach on the staff said it was concerning how little urgency Hackett and his staff showed in trying to fix it. He'd never seen a team watch less practice tape in training camp than the Jets' offense did with Hackett. Consider Aaron was new there. They had all these new pieces. During games, Hackett struggled to make a job.

adjustments against the Cowboys week two. Duane Brown needed help blocking Micah Parsons, according to multiple team sources. Hackett never adjusted. Parsons dominated. Cowboys crush the Jets 30 to 10. The story goes on. Basically, now Sala has stepped in to oversee it. There is no confidence that Hackett has the ability by himself to run the offense.

So again, Aaron wants to win. as long as he's comfortable, not pushed, not challenged, and it's with his frack buddy. This is why Bill Belichick couldn't get a job and why Aaron going forward, I've predicted, will be irrelevant. Lamar Jackson's crying on the field when he loses. Mahomes is pushed hard, often having verbal exchanges with Andy Reid and formerly Eric B. Enemy. being coached hard, being uncomfortable, growth. Now, when Brady went to Tampa, you could say, well, Tom wanted certain things, yes, a Hall of Fame tied end in Gronk that was still great in big games and a bit of a wacko,

but Hall of Fame talent, Antonio Brown, and a veteran running back, Lenny Fernette. he didn't want second and third expensive wide receivers. He didn't want old guys who couldn't play anymore. Or buddies. Tom wanted guys who could still in big games bring it. Not Alan Lazard, who was a healthy scratch late in the season and expensive. Again, why Belichick can't get a gig and why Aaron is not relevant. You've got to be able to sacrifice, collaborate, and win.

on terms that aren't always yours. You don't always get your way in this league. Add in a defensive head coach, we know, for the fifth straight Super Bowl, offensive coach versus offensive coach. The story went on with 30 sources saying, it's not uncommon for team decisions to go through Aaron Rogers, said an NFL general manager. Rogers isn't the assistant GM.

Joe Douglas is the assistant GM. So I'll say it again. I didn't think they'd be a playoff team this year. I don't think they're a playoff team next year. You win upstairs first. Ugly, sad. Inability to be uncomfortable. So I'm watching the Warrior Sixers last night.

That's a nice, nice game. But the Warriors are 19 and 24. It's what they are. And I've always found it, it's really interesting, to watch dynasties and how clunky it is when they end. Michael Jordan's bulls that did a dock on it. LeBron decided in Miami, I'm just going to leave.

Not really give anybody a heads up. I think the Spurs did about as good a job with a graceful exit as you can do. But even then, as they were pivoting to the new world, he couldn't get along with Kauai Leonard and shipped him to Toronto for a bag of chips mostly. Greg Popovich got in the way. of Greg Popovich.

When it comes to the Warriors, it's time to rip the Band-Aid off with everybody except Steph Curry and possibly based on what the analytics say and the coach says, Draymond Green. You move everybody else. Now, I push back a little, but there's an argument to be made

when the Warriors beat the Celtics in that finals, Andrew Wiggins, Clay Thompson, top of the market, time to move them. but I understand that's tough. You'd want a finals, you want to run it back, you'd break up the Splash Brothers, but you'd seen the inconsistency of that roster all year before winning. But this idea, can we move off Clay Thompson? Yes.

He'll still be beloved. He'll still be part of the greatest shooting backcourt ever. He'll get a statue. Time heals all wounds. Brett Farve. chose to play for a division rival, the Vikings, still beloved in Green Bay. Shaq wore a Celtics jersey.

The Fab Five just reunited. Take a deep breath. But this idea, do we break them up, like fans are going to sell their season tickets if the team trades Clay Thompson or moves off Andrew Wiggins? I mean, I would keep Steph without a question, And I've said before, I do think it's a defensive catalyst. The numbers bear it out.

This is an average defensive team without Draymond, good with him to very good. You've got to keep your top defensive player. But this is how dynasty struggle. Do we rip the bandit off? The answer is always yes. You don't win in this league on nostalgia. You don't win clinging to the past. You don't win romanticizing for you.

years ago, ever under any circumstances. The league's getting younger, it's getting more European, they need more size, the Wiseman thing didn't work, but the idea that the fans would be outraged, they would build Clay

a well-deserved statue. I can almost name it now. There'll be a Splash Brothers statue. Steph's statue will be a little taller than Clay's, but he'll still be beloved. Like Far Viz, in Green Bay

and like Shaq is still in Los Angeles. All right, Jay Mack. Harbaugh's salaries out there, 16 mil. That's a bargain. We had Tom Brady on yesterday we'll do this later talking about

Belichick coming back. Could I make the argument that when you're in whatever business you're in, you can be tech, Wall Street, you can be a schoolteachers get some time off, But when you're in these businesses where our bosses here at Fox are on a plane every day. I mean, scheduling a lunch.

It's hard. They're on a plane. That's sometimes saying, hey, take a deep breath. I'm going to take a couple weeks off. Step back. Look at the league. That's what Sean Payton did. He watched the league unemotionally.

And I remember having dinner and having lunches and discussing stuff with Sean. And he's like, boy, I notice this, this, this. You don't when you're in the league. And the funny thing about Belichick is this is the guy that said no days off. he was the GM and the coach. Could I not argue he needs a year off take a deep breath,

look around the league, what's working. Felichick, take a gap year, maybe travel Europe, check out, look at all the new stuff that McDaniel and Shanahan and all the smart young guys are running. Yeah, that's what Belichick's going to do. Come back at 73 and coach Jack Prescott

in Dallas? There's going to be a lot of jobs open next year, right? Philadelphia. He's going to go with Jalen Hartz. A lot of jobs open with good quarterbacks. Josh Allen in Buffalo. You know, it's funny. We were talking about a staff this morning, and it's one thing to lose to Mahomes.

But when you start losing as a favorite home playoff games, that lands differently for an owner. That's one thing you go on the road. I mean, you're Green Bay. You go out to Santa Clara. You're Detroit. You go out to Santa Clara. Face the Niners favored by a touchdown. Dan Campbell at home favored by a touchdown.

losing. That lands differently to ownership and GMs. Buffalo now is playing, Kansas City's not running through the regular season. So this loss for Buffalo is like, all right, dude, it's one thing, Arrowhead, it's one thing, but this was the weakest chief's team, the strongest Bill's offense. So I think Buffalo is one of those, I think it's a well-run operation, but I think September and October matter for Sean McDermott. That's a good point. I would argue that the loss of the Bengals ending their season last year was worse. They got destroyed like 27-10. And the Chiefs did go on to beat the Ravens this past week.

The Ravens is number one team. Chiefs win the Super Bowl. Does that Buffalo lost sting as badly? No, probably not. But it's a good point. The Cincinnati lost stock. And then this year the weakest Chiefs, so does the GM and the owner think...

We're close. We're knocking on the door. Can you hear us? Or we're as close as we're going to get. Kansas City's only getting better. Here comes Burrow. We can't beat Baltimore right now. By the way, that Buffalo defense got old, quick, secondary,

by Miller. They got a lot of changes to make there. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard 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, Clever 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple, podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. So they announced Jim Harbaugh, somebody came out, didn't announce it multiple sources. Harbaugh is going to make about 16

mill a year. That's about double what he would have made in college, a little less. They'll make about a third of that back in ticket sales and merch, I would imagine. If you get a home playoff game, that gives you four or five million bucks, probably too. So what Harbaugh is really here for, though, bigger than anything, is to get the most out of Justin Herbert, one of the really gifted quarterbacks in this league and to resurrect a damaged brand. For most of my life, though they didn't end up in the Super Bowl much, the Chargers were fun. They were wild. It was L.T. It was Fouts.

It was Winslow. It was John Jefferson. It was Antonio Gates. It was Philip Rivers. Akeenan Allen. There's always been talent there. Most of it, it feels like, on the offensive side. They've always been fun.

Little like the Miami Dolphins. Just a lot of big offensive players through the years and some really good quarterbacks. But since becoming the LA Chargers, seven years, one playoff win, bad coaches, but they hit on Justin Herbert. They just can't find him the right coach. and at the end of a fiscal year, the NFL hands everybody a check, every franchise owner. This year, the check was $375 million.

Next year, people theorize they're predicting it'll be over $400 million. So paying a football coach with a huge brand, and about three coaches have one, $16 million, that's not much to pay for relevance, especially in the Los Angeles market. Again, this is not Cincinnati or Buffalo. There's about 8 million people in Los Angeles. County, and there are billboards now all over the city with Jim Harbaugh's face on it. So this team has gone from damaged and irrelevant and enigmatic to the talk of the city. And just think about Andy Reid.

We think of Kansas City is formidable for a long time, but he's had zero losing seasons in Kansas City the minute he got there. Pre-Andy Reed, and I went and looked it up this morning, Kansas City only had consecutive winning seasons once in 15 years. They had six different coaches in 15 years before Andy Reid and no playoff wins. So the Super Bowl commercials cost $7 million for 30 seconds. Extrapolate that out what Andy Reed and Shanahan are bringing the value they bring to the franchise. We did some math this morning. $3.3 billion. Harbaugh is making $16 million.

You get to a Super Bowl if you extrapolate what an ad costs, the value you, you get a free merchandising, marketing, and promotion for a three-hour and 45-minute game? And you'll get talked about pre-and-post, so it's about four. He's $3.3 billion. Now, our calculators are old school. Ryan, we put him to the test, gave him a number two pencil and a yellow sheet. But a great head coach in this sport is worth every penny. And here's Harbaugh's first hype video.

It's going to be a team. Think of a family. It's going to be igniters. There's going to be leaders by example. That's mostly what I do. It's a great attack. You've got enthusiasm unknown to mankind. We laid it all the line.

Oh my goodness. This is where I want to be. Now else. No, my. I can't wait. I can't wait. And a lot of this is just when you get a Justin Herbert or Josh Allen or Mahalms. No, not a Brock Purdy.

When you get an all-timer, you get a. got to get the coach right. And you have to see it really quickly. The Urban Meyer thing. It's not working. Let's move on. Pay them off. We tried. We took a swing. Let's move off. That's okay. But eventually, you got to get a successful head coach. You can't go on a third. Never been a head coach before coach. So they got it right. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I'm going to offer the NFL some free advice from JNC consulting. Harbaugh-Reed opening night next year, Thursday night football, week one, come on.

At So-Fi, is that not a slam dunk winner? Come on. You got to assume Harbaal probably in the mix to coach opening. How about Chargers, Chiefs, Thursday night football, SO-Fi? Yeah, that's perfect to start the season. Let's get our consulting firm to call Roger. Yeah, Roger, hit me up. All right, let's get to the Cowboys who, oh, boy, geez.

Great season, another 12 wins, and then flame out. in the playoffs. So Dak and McCarthy are going to be back. Now, I haven't heard much about Dax restructuring. It's still early. And McCarthy looks like he's going to be lame duck coach, but Stephen Jones says Dallas needs to start winning for people to believe in them. I understand why the fans are frustrated because we have had three good years at 12 and 5, and we have had major disappointments in the postseason. So until we do something about it, which is go have another great year and have success in the playoffs. And you know, that's going to be there.

I mean, there's no way they're going to, you know, explicitly trust you until you get it done. Would someone trust Tom Brady and the Patriots that they're going to get it done? Yeah, why? Because they did it year in and year out. Does someone trust Mahomes in Kansas City that they're going to do it? Why? Because they do it six years in a row.

They're in the championship game until we compete at that level. And we get the job done, and there's going to be doubt. And rightfully so. Well, Dack's going to be a 50-5. four-point-something million-dollar cap. They'll restructure. You're not good until you're consistent, whether it's jumping rope, playing checkers. I don't even think you have to be, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't consistent, but they win

Super Bowls. Well, the Dallas Cowboys have been consistent. Okay, I know that sounds, people can laugh at them. 12 wins three years in a row. That's impressive. Listen, by the way, Cam Newton, who watches this show and comments on his podcast about us, he never had back-to-back winning seasons in his career. Not once.

Dak has won 12 games three years in a row. Like he's doing everything good. The playoffs are just a different beast. Yeah, I mean, we've had this discussion before. The Toronto Raptors are a great example. That title, or they're just pretty good all the time. That title really does matter. Would you rather be like the Buccaneers?

Like every 10 years or 12 years, you're like, Tampa Bay wins the Super Bowl. It feels like every 12 years. It's a stretch. Not once a decade, but whatever the numbers are. But they've had two or three great teams, and they can be average forever. Atlanta Falcons have been that without getting the trophy. But the Bucks have gotten the trophy a couple times.

Or would you rather be Dallas, where you're consistent, but you haven't done squat in 25 years? That's fair. I mean, like the Buffalo Bills. They've had a lot of really good teams and great runs. See, I would rather. So the great examples, the Rams and the Niners. So if the Niners don't win, they've been more consistently great for seven, eight years with Kyle Shanahan. then McVeigh's team, which has, you know, had a down year and a rebuild.

But the Rams have the ring, so I don't care. I want the ring, that's what I want. I don't care if I have down years or reboot or restructure. But then, you know, a down year for McVe the year after with the injuries and was, is he coming back? What is he going to do? And they did and made the playoffs. Took them one bad year.

I would always rather have the trophy. It doesn't, in 30 years, we're not going to be talking about DAC. Yeah. You know what we're going to be talking about if Brock Purdy wins in? 12 days or whatever it is. We're going to be talking about Brock Purdy. He's going to become like not just a footnote in the league. I don't know. I mean, do we talk about Rich Gannon? He won a Super Bowl, didn't he? We don't talk about Trent Guilfer. Well, he comes on the show occasionally. But like, I think building consistency should mean a lot. I know people

want to just throw the Dallas stuff out there. I think of being a lawyer. I think being a lawyer, or a principal's different. But in sports where you have standings, I want the ring. Now, if you're talking, if I was an accountant and I was just a B plus to an A minus accountant for 40 years or I had a couple of big years and then was a nutcase. I'd rather be consistent. I would rather be an actor. You know, no, I would say acting's interesting. So in acting like sports, there's an ultimate trophy. So I would rather be a one or a two-time Oscar winner and have 12 bombs than do 25 great movies and never win an Oscar. Like Barland Brando did seven bombs, consider the greatest actor ever, but he got trophies. Right. So are you in a trophy business?

accounting's not a trophy business, education necessarily, teachers, I'd rather be consistent. Once you have a trophy in your industry, then I'll take the up and downs, give me the ring. That's a really good one. I was going to Google Best Actor to Never Win an Oscar. Leonardo DiCaprio. He's never won an Oscar? Leonardo DiCaprio. That's, it feels like a travest. Has he won one?

Am I wrong? He's been in a lot of good stuff. I apologize. No, that's fine. Hey, Tom Cruise. Wow. Your guy from Mission Impossible. It's not my guy.

He's America's guy. He's the only guy goes, we don't watch anybody else in a theater, but Tom Cruise. Listen, he's been in a lot of bangers. I mean, come on. Top Gun, Maverick, the Mission Impossible series. My wife is not a fan of Tom Cruise.

Don't even bring him up in the house. Okay, time out. DiCaprio, oh, you're right. The Revenant. That's right. Revenant, yes, yes. He fought a bear. He didn't talk.

Yeah, he fought a bear. He didn't talk. He won. That was a good movie. Great. movie. Next up is the Niners. They made the Super Bowl four years ago. I've seen the funny parallel. Four years ago, it was a leap year.

Biden versus Trump and 49ers versus Chiefs in the Super Bowl. It happened four years ago. Now, this time they have had a tough road call and needing game-winning drives from Brock Purdy against the Packers and the comeback against the Lions. Kyle Shanahan is happy they've had some adversity this time. I always think when you go through stuff like this that hardens you

and prepares you for any situation. I mean, you want to be able to go through tons of games and be able to win games any way possible. And I always feel we're capable of winning a game any way possible, but it just hasn't gone that way this year totally. So to get in some games like this, it's just good experience for our players and to go through it and to make sure to see how important it is

to go through all four quarters, win or lose that. You're never out of it. So I don't have a problem with San Francisco struggling with Detroit because I think they have like six elite players. It does bother me they were outplayed by the youngest playoff team since the 70 Buffalo Bills in Green Bay. That's the one that worries me. I don't mind losing. I don't mind getting, I mean, the Rams were red hot, and they lost to Detroit.

Detroit's a real team. Detroit's really good with stacked young players. But the Green Bay game, where they outplayed you for three quarters, at home with a kind of rookie quarterback, kind of. That bothers me. Here's a counter. The number one stat that we see for any Niners, Cali-Cast. Kyle Shanahan has never won a game when trailing after three quarters.

That's now out the window. That's done. They're a great front-running team. Now they've had faced some adversity in back-to-back weeks. I was just checking the Chiefs. They didn't trail against the Dolphins. They did not trail against the Ravens. And against the Bills, it looks like the only trail for like a handful of minutes a couple

times in that game. The Chiefs are the one who have not faced any adversity really in this postseason. Whereas the Niners, they go down 13-3 against the Chiefs. Hey, ain't no thing. We've already done this the last. you know, two weeks in the last month. But doesn't it concern you that the AFC without dispute is better and deeper than the NFC and that the Chiefs have played 12 really good quarters and the Niners in eight quarters

have played three really good ones. Okay. Doesn't that worry you a little? We say this during the regular season. It is a week-to-week league. All right. And now we have a week off in the, and the Chiefs lose that momentum, if you will, with the bye-week. I don't.

All right. By the way, gambling syndicate gave out their Super Bowl pick yesterday. Let me guess. Let me guess. One that we've talked about. Let me guess.

The under and the Chiefs? No. 49ers money line. Minus 125. So, 125 bucks to 100. The syndicate? I mean, they,

I know a guy there. They've won all season. I see their bets on the app when they go out. So they move the line. The line went up to two yesterday. And now it's now, money line is like minus 133. So you've got to bet $133 to win 100.

The syndicate likes the Niners. They bet them, yeah. I told you, I'm rooting Niners. I'm going to find a way to be on the Niners here. So we'll be going head to head once again. Listen, I should bet against Kansas City because for those who love Mahomes, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelsey,

every time I pick against them, I'm 0 and 3 in playoff games picking against them. Did you pick the dolphins? No, no, no, not this year I picked Buffalo and Baltimore, and then last year I picked against them in a playoff game. I'm 0-13. Yeah, I picked the Eagles last year, and the Eagles had them in the Super Bowl. Come on, they were...

A lot of people have them, and then they don't. Funny how it works. We've got them, and then we don't. J. Mack with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. I saw this.

Not that it bothered me terribly, but Tyrese has Halliburton. I watched was it Celtics Pacer's last night, was on the tube, and yeah, I watched the Warriors Sixers. I think it was the Celtics Pacers I watched. I watched a lot of games. Tyrese Halliburton is a very good player.

He calls the NBA's new 65-game threshold for awards a stupid rule. So the NBA basically said to win awards, you've got to play at least 65 games. Will the NBA, Tyrese, had no choice.

The NFL ratings were pulling away. The NBA ratings were sinking. The NBA TV contracts, which pay you and other players handsomely, were up. And all the network said, why should we pay this much money for a TV show when the TV stars often don't want to work? So the NBA had to enact a 65. game minimum to win awards. I don't think it's asking too much of high-earning eight-figure employees if they're

asked to work 79% of the time. Remember, they don't play back-to-back nights, so they never work back-to-back. And if you can't work 79% of the time, then you don't get your awards-slash bonuses. You still get your salary. your fame doesn't go anywhere, your Instagram account, your shoe deals. That's stupid? No, it's incredibly tone deaf and why the NBA has been losing audience for six to seven to eight years. They were recently beat by a women's basketball game, a college women's basketball game,

and it wasn't some random Atlanta Hawks game. It was Celtics Heat, two of the biggest brands. the NBA increasingly is becoming very niche, not hockey, but closer to baseball. But I did notice something Saturday, which warmed my heart, that veteran Steph Curry and veteran LeBron James, old school smart, put on a show for fans. Both were fantastic. It was one of the best NBA second halfs overtime sessions I've watched this year. it was riveting television. It was a Saturday night.

LeBron, staff putting on a show. Productive, smartly produced. Two smart old school guys understanding we made our money because we played in the biggest games. Tyrese Halliburton? That's stupid. No, it's incredibly tone deaf. The NBA doesn't subtract your seat.

salary, your shoe deals, your social accounts, your girlfriends, your fame. They're just asking, if you want your bonuses, you've got to play 79% of the time. I don't know. I like the NBA, but it's a big turnoff to me. This isn't AAU. It's not college where you have classes in 30-some games. You're going to make hundreds of millions of dollars. and the NBA is saying to get the added bonus checks,

you don't have to show up even 80% of the time. And we don't have any back-to-back games. We have a longer All-Star break. It's just, just 79% of the time show up to work and play and suit up. Play 36 minutes. If you don't feel good, 28. I don't think it's stupid. I think the NBA had no choice and it's tone deaf to not understand it.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Pauli Fusco here with Tony Fusco. You know, as the host of the number one rated Polly and Tony Fusco show, we get tons and tons of fan mail every day. Piles of it. In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of those letters right now and read what's inside? Yeah, listen to this. Dear Pauly and Tony, your sports takes are the dumbest and most terrible...

Wait, not that one. Open this other one. Dear Polly and Tony, you suck more than anyone... Not that one. Wait, try this one. Dear Pauley and Tony, you guys are the absolute best. There you go. At coming up with the stupidest takes possible.

You know what those clowns say. Just listen to the Pauli and Tony Fusco show on the IHot Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Yeah. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related

episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I did Football League this spring on ABC, ESPN, Fox, and FS1, Spring just got strong. So I was thinking about this. Remember when Damien Lillard, Said he wanted to go to Miami and he went to Milwaukee. And you got these stories from NBA reporters fed to them by agents that if you didn't let Damon go where he wanted to,

players would never go. Free agents would never go to Portland. Total nonsense. Players are selfish. I love LeBron. He didn't even tell D. Wade he was going back to Cleveland. Players are going to take young men are selfish. Young pro athletes are even more selfish than the average young male and young males are selfish.

They live in little tunnels with their other frat boys. The bottom line is guys take care of guys in their major earning years. Portland offers a free agent big money. They're going to take it. Milwaukee's not the worst place to end up playing alongside Janus. So I saw this yesterday when Ben Johnson in Detroit offensive coordinator told Washington's owner and the people that were going to interview him, I don't want the job as they were flying out.

And there was a report, oh, this could really hurt Ben Johnson next year. Not won't, not at all. Not one bet. Josh McDaniels burned the Indianapolis Colts. They offered him the job he accepted it. He backed out. They did fine. But the point was he got another head coaching job.

And he'll get another coordinator job whenever he wants it. People take care of themselves. Ben Johnson's only 37. He'll get another job next year. if the Lions end up being a 10-12 win team, it's going to have zero impact. You can't be petty. You can't hold grudges.

If somebody's good, bygones, bygones, get over it. Let's make each other money. Sorry, you've got to compartmentalize stuff in life. Guys are pretty good at it. I need Ben Johnson. He's available. I couldn't give a rip about Washington. So the Lions and Ben Johnson staying, I understand.

So they have one more season, if you really think about it in Detroit. One more season of being a. serious bona fide Super Bowl contender and then it gets bumpier. First of all, Jared Goff, after next year, if you keep him, you're going to have to pay him about 55 to 57 million bucks. Sorry, he's a top 10 quarterback. Look at his yards. It could be a top five.

You have to start paying Amaran St. Brown. Penae Sewell's going to have an extension. You're not letting that dude go. He's a great tackle. So you only have one more year next year of great talent and you're not paying any of it. And some of those great old linemen are getting. getting now into their 30s, young 30s, but they're getting into their 30s. So Ben Johnson's saying, I want to be part of that.

It should also be noted fairly that the NFC is not nearly as stacked and as good as the AFC. And so Detroit's going to be successful next year. And I also think Ben Johnson consider this, and I wish more coaches would and be less desperate, which is next year, Jalen Hertz, Josh Allen, maybe a Dak Prescott. Trevor Lawrence, Derek Carr could all potentially need a head coach. I think there are several coaches. I don't think this is a hot take. I think there are several coaches on the hot seat in September.

Like I do think, as J. Max said, it's one thing for McDermott to lose to Cincinnati, but then they come back the next year with the only time we've seen potentially the Chiefs weakened and lose again, I think Sean McDermott has to win and has to win early and has to set the tone early. Albert Brewer yesterday on why he decided Ben Johnson to stay in Detroit. If you're Detroit and you've been building for three years now and you're at this point where you're right on the cusp

and there's even a little bit of doubt in Ben Johnson's head about going to Seattle or going to Washington, would you throw them an extra million bucks and say, you know what, don't do something you don't want to do? We'll make you whole here. We'll get another year here to develop. You'll be able to develop your voice, your presence in the room. We'll do some things to make it more comfortable for you here.

And then you go back out there in 2025. Yeah, so I have no problem with them staying. And I don't think calling the commanders as the plane is coming out and saying, you know what, I'm not going to do it. It just doesn't matter. Just don't be petty. If he's available, you need a coach, go hire him. Tom Brady was on the show yesterday, about 45.

minutes past where we are now. And they spent a good portion of time with this. One of the things I asked him about, Belichick doesn't appear to be getting the Seattle job or the Washington job. Not yet, but we don't know. We were assured Ben Johnson was getting the commander job. So, you know, all bets are off. Who knows with Bill?

But Brady, I asked him if he thought Bill would just sit out a year, retire altogether from coaching. I think the fire burns with him because he's got, he loves the sport. He loves the preparation. He's been doing it for decades. And in my mind, there's nobody better than him at it. So whoever gets him at some point is going to have, in my opinion, the greatest coach ever.

And I know he's as competitive as convenient. He wants to be out there winning football games as a coach. But I would argue this. So every 10 years, if you're an employee of Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, every 10 years, you get a fully paid, I think, It's a five-week sabbatical. And they want you off-campus. You can't come back.

Don't take your computer. Reboot, refresh, travel. They strongly encourage. Get out of the country. Travel. Take time off. Get off the treadmill. So Belichick's whole mantra,

as head coach and GM for, I think, both those roles for about a decade, no days off. And that's because he didn't take a lot of days off. So I would argue when you, live on a treadmill, and there are, you know, Silicon Valley's got some of this. When you're on a treadmill, sometimes the best thing to do, Sean Payton told me about this, is step back and watch something unemotionally where your employment, your mortgage payment isn't tied to it. Just sit back and watch something with a fresh set of eyes completely unemotionally. And I think there's

value in it. Because the last couple of years, two to three years, remember, New England's always been incredibly insular to begin with. And Bill tends to, and most men do this as they age, to get a little insular, close the wall in, I'm going to do things my way. That staff is kids and retreads. It's just not good enough. So I do think there's value in it. There's a quote this morning from Jerry Jones. He says, I know Bill personally and I like him.

There's no doubt in my mind we could work well together. None, none whatsoever. I don't know if the Cowboys job is it, although we know McCarthy has one more year. that was talked about by the Cowboys themselves about a month ago, three weeks ago. But I do wonder with Belichick, who's a smart guy, that if you're doing no days off and you're a GM and a coach, if you're not better served just stepping away and watching this stuff for a year, because I had my relationship with Sean Payton, and there's no question he felt he benefited, when you're not tied to something emotionally.

You know, it's like the difference between watching your kids perform and watching somebody else's kids. You want to see your neighbor's kids do well, but they're not your kids. You want to see your friends do well in the NFL, but it's not your paycheck, and I think it could help. I don't know if it'll solve the issue because Bill's allergic to offense, but it is hard. I think we talked about this yesterday. Some guys are built, and this is not a criticism, to just go to a golf course at 65. They've had strenuous, often physically demanding jobs, and just go golf and play bridge. I get it.

I always view Belichick as sort of one of the more academic guys. that I don't think he can just shut it down, go to Jupiter, Florida, and grab a nine iron. I just don't think he's built like that. What if he's watching and he heard you talk about Beaverton, Oregon, and they have like a sabbatical, and Bill's like, oh, who, I got some time on my hands. Maybe I'll go check out Turkey or see what's going on in Croatia.

See what's happening around the world. Like, you want to live in the United States and work in the United States. The health care here is great. You want to go visit the world and see what's out there. And I don't know, man. Maybe Belichick's a traveler. He's ready to put on a backpack and go see what's going on in Europe. You're being very snarky.

No, I mean, you just opened my mind with that sabbatical. I was going to go pitch that to the bosses upstairs on the fifth floor. You've only worked here like a year and a half. I'm getting here seven years on this show. This show, it's like dog years. Oh, wow. Yeah, okay. No, I just, it's like when you live in an insular world, no days off.

I mean, McVeigh is a guy that's like, hey, I'm getting married, I'm having a baby. I need some time up. McVey has an ability to get away from it. But like Belichick is like all in on it. And I think sometimes those people, they don't realize it. They don't give themselves that macro look. Get off the treadmill.

Take a deep breath. Watch something from 30,000 feet. No days off. You know what? I fight for days off. Didn't used to, but I fight for him now. Good thing. Don't always get them, but I fight for him.

Hour to next. Another podcast from some SNs. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

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

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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 podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.