The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Steelers have a problem

Episode Date: June 10, 2025

Colin believes the Steelers need to take drastic steps to get back into Super Bowl contention and just signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not good enough Thoughts on TJ Watt not showing up to Steelers camp After reports stating the Knicks and Jason Kidd have mutual interest to make Kidd the new head coach, Colin argues the Mavericks with Cooper Flagg is the better job   Guest: Albert BreerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thanks for making us part of your day. J. Mack, you know, I wear the pink shirt when I mean when I stand on business, and today I am standing on business today. Okay, all right, I hear you. I am ready to roll. So I know people think I'm crazy in Pittsburgh when I suggest considering moving off T.J. Watt. But I saw a story this morning. T.J. Watt, great player, by the way. Tough, plays through injuries, productive.

He's not at Steelers' mandatory minicamp. Mandatory minicamp starts in the NFL today. That's when a veteran show up. And so there's a handful of guys that are like, I'm not going to show up. So he's not going to show up. And you know why? Because he knows he owns Mike Tomlin. He owns the Steelers.

He's going to get whatever he wants. Everybody in Pittsburgh owns a T.J. Watt jersey. They don't want any backlash. The Rooney's small town. They don't want any backlash. And he's going to get whatever he wants, T.J. Watt. Right now, the Steelers lead the NFL in defensive spending. And that's pre-TJ. Watt contract.

And he's going to get 40 to 47 million large per year. Okay. You want to know the two teams in the NFL going into this season with the lowest defensive spending. The Eagles and the Rams, both in the Super Bowl bubble. Yeah, Kansas City, six of the top seven contracts for Kansas City and their well-run front office. Offense. Eagles, eight for eight of their biggest contracts. Offense.

The Steelers, all five big contracts. Five biggest. defense. And that's pre-T.J. Watt deal. He knows he has them. Everybody in town owns a jersey. The Rooney's don't want backlash. Tomlin's a defensive guy. He's going to take them to the cleaners. So think about this. The Steelers have a 41-year-old quarterback who's like partially committed on a sweet deal. And they're going to back up the Brinkstruck for T.J. Watt. And this is not a criticism of T.J. Watt. But in four playoff games, he's got one sack. No force fumbles.

six tackles. That's because when you get to the playoffs and the AFC or the NFC, you face the best left tackles. And it's hard to get past those guys. That's why Michael Parsons' playoff stats. He disappears. He gets gobbled up. A lot of T.J. Watts' numbers

have been against that bad Bengals O line, you know, or bad Cleveland O line. And this is not anti-TJ. Watt. He's a hell of a player. He's their best player. He's tough. He's physical. He plays through pain.

Oh, for 4. in the playoffs, one sack. So, I mean, the Steelers, and I've been saying this, they're your buddy who's got a Rolex but sleeps on a cheap mattress. Bro, get your priorities in order. Since 2019, you're 26, 28th, 29th, and every offensive staff. But hey, you got a great deal on the Aaron Rogers contract. So you're looking for discounts at quarterback.

You got a six-round draft pick, Mason Rudolph, again, 41-year-old Aaron Rogers. I mean, nobody gets more out of less or less out of more take your pick than the Steelers at quarterback. I mean, but T.J. Watt knows. They're going to pay them. So they have the number one defensive spending in the league pre-TJ. Watt.

And I was looking at this this morning. You think I'm the crazy person. Eight years, no playoff wins. The house is on fire. I bring a fire extinguisher, and I'm the crazy person. I'm the guy that's out of touch. You just keep clinging to that T.J. Watt jersey in Pittsburgh. And again, he's a really good player.

His brother, older brother, was a great player. That's not the question. The question is he's going to get $45 million. And he knows it. Everywhere he goes in Pittsburgh, there's a T.J. Wat jersey. And it translates to nothing in the playoffs. I'm the crazy one. I saw a headline this morning.

I laughed. The Aaron Rogers contract. is a major bargain for the Steelers. They never get those on defense. They pay top dollar for everybody on defense. And the Eagles, eight biggest contracts, eight for eight, all offense. And I've been saying this. You want your defense, the Rams, the Chiefs, the Eagles, they get this.

You want your offense to be experienced. Veterans, it's the smart side of the, you have to choreograph the offense. I want an expensive veteran quarterback, right? I want receivers I can trust. I want a great left tackle. The most underrated position in football is center. The Bears went out and spent money on a center. The Eagles always have great centers.

The Chiefs have the best center. The Ravens have the second best center. I want to spend money on offense. Defense, I want him to be young, twitchy, and cheap, outside of one great pass rusher. I'll pay for Hendrickson, Max Crosby. And you say, well, what about the Steelers? Problem with the Steelers, you pay everybody.

You're paying safeties and linebackers and interior defensive linemen. And I'm the crazy one. Okay, sure. I'm just here with a fire extinguisher. I don't know. Eight years, no playoff wins. I'm just suggesting something new. Of course, T.J. Watts is going to get everything he wants. Okay, so the second story I saw. I didn't like the firing of Tibbs. I just didn't like it. I thought he built culture. I think the next issues are personnel and contracts. It's not coaching. I don't think he's the most creative guy, but there's a story this morning for Brian Winhorst, who's excellent. And Brian Winhorse is saying, basic. the Knicks are interested in Jason Kidd and Jason Kidd is interested in the New York Knicks and I don't get it. There is no way I'm leaving Dallas with Cooper Flagg arriving from Duke.

There is no way I'm leaving. Cash A? Knicks. Cash Cow? Cooper Flag. Dallas. Forget the state tax thing. Which is obviously a huge benefit. But if you look at Dallas's young talent,

Cooper Flagg's the best domestic player in a decade plus. He's going to be 23 points next year. He's fantastic. And then Derek lively, another Duke, he's 21, 7-1, rim protector for a decade plus. He's 21 years old. He's a kid.

So Cooper Flagg is, what, 18, 19, unlimited. I got Anthony Davis, who, in my opinion, the last three years have been the best defensive player in the league. He's 24 and 11 every night. Kyrie Irving, we're not so sure. But you got PJ Washington, you got Gafford, you got Max Christie,

There's a lot to play with here. I like the Knicks, but now McHale Bridges, he wants a new deal. And Brunson's got a big contract. And so does Kat. And so does Mitchell Robinson. And OG got paid. And I feel with the – listen, I can like the Knicks a lot, but I know what they are. I get two things with Dallas that the New York Knicks don't get.

I get between the two teams, the best players, Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis is better than Brunson. I'm sorry. 24 and 11 offensively, unbelievable defensive player and rebounder and shot blocker. Best player on the Mavericks or the Knicks is Anthony Davis. And the greatest trajectory by far is Cooper Flagg. The Knicks are guys that are expensive and we know what they are.

They're good, but they've got a ceiling. They're limited. I mean, Brunson's never going to be an elite defender. Katz, atrocious defensively, on, you know, most possessions. Robinson will never be great offensively. Bridges plays every night. That guy has missed the game since seventh grade,

but you know what he is. Classic Villanova guys. He squeezes every ounce of talent out of it. But I know what the Knicks are, and what they are is getting really expensive. You don't know what Derek Lively and Cooper Flagg are going to be. One could end up being the best young rim protector in the league, and Cooper Flagg could be the best player in the league.

I'm not leaving that. There's no way. You cannot leave that kind of trajectory. There's no way. I mean, I was watching something the other day. I was watching somebody talking about a young Michael Jordan. And this person was like, oh, I knew he was going to be great. But nobody knew he would be that.

I mean, we all knew Tiger Woods was going to be great. Nobody thought he would be that. I mean, we all knew Shohei Otani was special. We didn't know he was going to be that. That's what you're talking about. with Cooper Flagg. You could have a 28-pointed game. He's like, I said, he's Jason Tatum, but aggressive. If you took Jason Tatum's game and you said it's 8% better and it's more aggressive, you'd have the face of the league. Cooper Flagg's got the aura, he's got Duke, he's got the

game. The only thing he doesn't have his NBA experience. So again, you can have the cash-a, I'll take the cash cow. Also, I mean, I understand the East doesn't have as many good NBA general managers as the West, so it's easier. But I mean, Brunson and Josh Hart and Robinson and Kat and Bridges, I know there's a limitation. Right now, Cleveland will be better next year. Eventually Tatum comes back. Watch out. The Pacers may never get worse over the next five years. I don't know what I get with Derek Lively and Cooper Flagg. And if I have the best rim protector and Derek Lively, 7-1, 21 years old, just getting better, that that means, Cooper Flag doesn't have to worry.

The Dallas Mavericks between Anthony Davis and Derek Lively and PJ Washington, they got all sorts of rim protectors. Translation, Cooper Flagg can get out on the break. He can just say 12 feet from the hole, give me the ball, I'm up the floor, leading the break. What a great, and Jason Kidd knows that. Kids, one of the great point guard talents of all time, and Cooper Flaggville, not a point guard, is a 6-8 wing, but he's an unbelievable transition player. So I would not take, I would not leave Dallas.

I make the argument that now that Laker fans have seen Lucas' lack of defensive commitment and lack of cardio commitment, had the Dallas Maverick stayed healthy and not fallen apart physically, I think they would have gone to the Western Conference finals. I think their roster's unbelievable, with or without Kyrie. All right, Jay Mack, we got Albert Breer last hour on some inside stuff in the errand contract. Nick Wright, Urban Meyer as well. feeling it big night of sleep, buddy. Feeling taking the guys out tonight for a night on the town.

Yeah. I got Ryan playing volleyball all day yesterday. He's, I mean, this thing, it is cooking out here. You didn't tell me that. Wait, Colin, I did. You joke that Yonah should want to stay in the east, but doesn't the same apply to Jason kids? Shouldn't he want to go east?

Win with the Knicks? Let's be real. Even though Kyrie Irving may come back in, you know, the All-Star break. We don't know what he is. The Mavs are not top five in the West next year. The Knicks open the season top three in the East. No, I totally disagree. I think A.D., Cooper, Flag, Live League, I think it's an excellent team.

Max Christie can even play. I think it's an excellent team. Wow. I really do. I am so high on the Dallas Mavericks. Top five in the West? Absolutely. No question.

Absolutely, no question. Let's just do this real quick. Are they better than O'KC? No. Are they better than Denver? By next year, yeah. Oh, stop. Come on. Jamal Murray plays himself into shape.

Denver's because, by the way, they don't want Porter anymore. They don't want to pay Murray anymore. They love Gordon, Yokic, and nobody else. Dallas's whole roster I like. Okay. Are they better in the Lakers? Absolutely not. Yes, absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

Come on. Really? No, I think I am, I am, listen, I don't like their football team. I think the Dallas Mavericks next year healthy with Cooper Flagg are the real deal. I think he's going to be so much better than people think. I trust a couple of my NBA guys. They think he's just going to excel with Jason Kidd. He is going to totally excel with that staff.

Next year, whoa, whoa, that's a hot take. And trade, DJ Watt. What a start to the show. You know, it's funny that when you suggest, you would think in Pittsburgh with a high standard that eight years of no playoff wins, the suggestion that you may want to scale back off guys in four playoff games

that have, you know, like one sack. It would be, or 45 million. By the way, have I not been trade Micah Parsons? Yeah. I mean, again, you can get, there are certain positions in football that are readily available from the draft every year, wide receivers. There's a lot of pass rushers.

There's a lot of six foot three guys that are 250, and there's so many big, great athletes. That's why there's so many good pass rushers. There's so many good tight ends. We live in a society with big, strong, fast, athletes. And it's like a lot of them play tight end now. I mean, tight in now is basically it's a wide receiver

that blocks. Half these guys run four, five, fives at tight end. So I, to me, it's, I don't know. I don't think it's crazy to suggest you have the highest defense of spending in the league pre-TJ. Watt making $45 million. You've got to make some tough choices

here eventually. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

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

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what should be. We should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamist sect. We were God's chosen, kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness.

So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant, this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?

Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies,

and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Albert Brear, a little insight on the Aaron Rogers deal with the Steelers coming up. Urban Meyer today as well. Nick Wright in 40 minutes from now. So the Green Bay Packers released Jayaeer Alexander. They were trying to trade him and there wasn't much of a market. And I've always had this feeling like that if the Green Bay Packers are moving off somebody,

including an older Aaron Rogers, they're almost always right. They draft, they evaluate out of the building and in the building as well as any team in this league for 30 years. I really think Green Bay is good at it. So if you look at the highest paid corners in the NFL, I think it's the most overrated position in football for about eight different reasons. But if you look at the highest paid corners in the NFL, not a lot of guys aren't winning teams. J.C. Horn, Carolina. Jalen Ramsey signed a big deal by Miami. They can't get him out of the building fast enough now. They're trying to trade him. J. I.J. Terrell with Atlanta, Denzel Ward, Cleveland. Not a lot of guys producing Ws. Derek Stingley is great, but

Will Anderson and C.J. Strouder, that team. The New York Giants have had great corners for like a decade. It has zero impact. One of the reasons is you can't put your hands on receivers anymore. It limits what you can do. Also, teams play zone, 85, 90% of the time. And the NFL is so offensively friendly, if you go three wide plus a pass catching tied in, what is one receiver, what is one corner going to do?

And I've been on this for years. also 90 to 95% of young quarterbacks are mobile. I mean, Jared Goff and Matt Stafford are like outliers that are pure pocket guys. Even C.J. Stroud can move. For Jaden Daniels, if you go to man-to-man coverage with great corners, that is just a green light to take off and run because you're turning your back for the quarterback. So I don't get it. Last nine years in a row, last nine years in succession, the NFL's had more motion than the previous year. everybody's moving wide receivers now get a running start you can't put your hands on anybody and you

just start looking at the highest paid corners team sign corners the big deals like the dolphins and jalen ramsie they want to get out of it a year later so there's five positions in this league that i want a a plus and i'll pay for quarterback head coach left tackle interior or exterior pass rusher and an offensive weapon or two i also think center is wildly underrated i think chiccar Chicago, great center. Kansas City, great center. Philadelphia, great center. Green Bay, good center.

Why? Generally speaking, I think Chicago's getting Drew Dalman from Atlanta was really smart. They call the audibles. Young quarterbacks especially don't want people around their feet. So if Jay or Alexander, if the Packers are off somebody, they're almost always right. They evaluate in and out of their building as well as anybody. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Kyle, let's start with your Chicago Bears. So Caleb Williams, very excited for the Ben Johnson era, said he wants to be challenged. Well, according to Chicago Tribune, last week you were on vacation, Caleb had some difficulty calling a play and turned to Ben Johnson for assistance. The newspaper lays out that Johnson aggravatedly pointed to the play clock, ordered Caleb to figure it the hell out instead of trying to get help to work with the issue.

Ultimately, the offense took a delay of game penalty, and Ben Johnson was frustrated. This according to the Chicago Tribute. Now, I think this is a good thing, tough love, right? I'm curious if you also agree and how will Caleb handle this tough coaching. Well, yeah, I felt, I'll give you that. This is what I know. When Caleb was at USC, the first year, the coach. was tougher. He could be a bit moody. In the second year, Caleb did not trust his offensive line.

Lincoln Riley didn't trust his offensive line. He was allowed to ad-lib more. So then he goes last year where he doesn't get a lot of help. It's a defensive-led staff. And again, he's kind of doing his own thing. Ben Johnson is seeing what has frustrated some with the criticisms with him. Too much hero ball. He's ad-living too much. And he can be moody. So I think Ben Johnson, is it's much easier for a coach to be hard on a player and then lighten up. Tom Coughlin did that. It's impossible to be soft on a player and then try to be tough dad, no ice cream for breakfast. So Ben Johnson is setting a standard. I'm on you, figure stuff out, we don't do hero ball, make the reeds. And I think this is all valid. I think Ben Johnson, from my people in the league, he's going to be hard on Caleb Williams and he needs it.

His last year at USC was way too much, do what you want, Caleb. And I think Caleb got into bad habits, and I don't think the staff in Chicago last year was good enough or strong enough to get him out of the bad habits. And Ben Johnson's going to make sure he does it, and he does it on his own. This is the time to learn. You don't want to be week four looking at the coach. What do I do, you know?

I got no problem with this. I actually like it. All right, let's move to an established quarterback in the NFC. Brock Purdy. Yes, you saw what I did there. Anyways, he got his big extension this offseason. In a recent interview, Purdy was asked if he feels a heightened responsibility to be a leader for the Niners going forward. And here's what QB1 had to say.

I think more than anything, honestly, is the fact that, you know, we've had guys leave. And then that's part of the game, man. Like the free agency, we had a bunch of guys go to new spots and happy for them. But we've had new guys come in. We've had rookies that we drafted that are going to have to play and be ready for the moment. And so I feel like I understand, you know, what it takes to win here. And I have to do what I can and lean on my expertise and my, you know, my leadership that I've had in the last three years. You know that video of the staff show?

Can we go back to that first piece of video? Let me guess. No, just look at that first piece of video. This is just an observation. And he looks, has he gotten smaller? Oh, gosh. Stop. His legs look good.

They look like. No, I mean, honestly. I mean, the guy that hands in the ball. Look at the guy that hands in the ball. I don't know. I'm just an observation. I think this is why we have fun on this show, because you know,

you're taking a positive Brock Purdy quote, leadership qualities. Are we sure that's not Doug Flutie? Oh, my gosh, here we go. Hey, Purdy, I got your back, bro. I think this is a Bills versus Niners Super Bowl this year. Oh. I had Bill's Vikings, but I'm waffling.

For the record, um, go ahead. I'm still not sure if it put the Niners third or fourth in division because I love what I'm hearing out of Seattle and the Rams right now. So when you said it was a good night of sleep last night, is that because you had like six beers or what, what's going on? Third or fourth in the division? I have such suit.

I mean, I don't know. I just look small. Anyway, I don't want to get into it. So you're still going Rams one. Seahawks, too. Colin. I cannot wait to make some NFL bets with you, my guy. Final story is, oh yeah, besides the TJ Watt situation in Pittsburgh, how about this one?

another star, Terry McLaurin will not be attending commanders mandatory minicamp. Scary Terry has asked for a new deal. There has been minimal progress made on it. Quietly, McLaurin is a top 10 receiver in the league. And in the last five years,

love him. You could argue you know, he's one of the five best receivers. Look at this. Last five seasons, only four guys have done this. A thousand yards. Terry McLaurin. Navante Adams, Justin Jefferson, and Mike Evans. He reminds me a lot of Amaran St. Brown.

I don't get any ego. I just get yards, catches, big third down production. I love Terry McLorn. It's an ego position, and he and Amarron St. Brown, I get all the production without the ego, so it's going to be hard for me not to defend him. He's a guy I would pay.

I think he's unbelievable talent. You get no drama. Big third down, fourth down guy. And I also think it really does matter when you bring in a young quarterback that he's got remember when Dak Prescott came into the league, and they had Des Bryant. And Des was talented, but he was so much drama.

It is so valuable when you bring in a young quarterback that you have a grown-up as one of his lead targets, like an adult, and you don't have a high-maintenance receiver. And so to me, I mean, if you could have picked a wide receiver for Jaden Daniels to be connected with his first year in the pros, you would pick like Amher on St. Brown and Terry McLaurin. Like, you know, Larry Fitzgerald had this. You get all the maturity and all the production without any of the drama.

So I think he should, I would, I would do whatever I have to do to pay him. Because, by the way, Debo, you'll get drama. Well, let's settle down on the drama. So two things, right? Number one, quarterback on the rookie deal. Pay your guy, right? Shouldn't be a difficult problem. But McLaurin turns 30 in September.

And we know basically very few positions age well in the NFL, wide receiver, not one of them. You don't have to give him a huge deal, just front low. it because Jayden's on the rookie deal. I don't understand what am I missing here Colin? I don't think I mean they spent some money in free agency I think it's all posturing there's no way in the world they're letting him out of the door there's just absolutely no way so and you know they're they're gonna have to gobble up Debo's contract and McLaurin so they want to get the best deal possible but I don't think anybody in Washington doubts his value it is hard

if I said to you great wide receiver with no drama there's no Not a lot of Pooka Naku is out there. I mean, most top receivers in this league, you're like, okay, you're getting some, I mean, I love Devonte Adams, but it gets noisy. So, I mean, Green Bay drafted another wide receiver. Why? They don't trust the guys in the room. Like, they're, to get high production and no drama at wide receiver is kind of rare.

I mean, D.K. McTaff, George Pickens. I mean, it's, I mean, I'm just saying it's a position that historically you get noise and drama with, McLaurin gives you none of that. You mentioned Devante Adams, and I think of him as like a choir boy superstar. He's on like his fourth team in five or six years, right? I mean, not great. Jay Mack with the News. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. I like when we can predict stuff before it happens. To me, that's as much fun as anything in sports. So I said about a year to a year and a half, I've been on this thing where baseball is going to go on a 10-year great run. And there's a lot of different reasons for it. One is all the best players are on the right teams. And when, remember that Fox Sports regional thing? When Fox sold that thing and it went belly up, it was at Bally's. The gap between the haves and the

have-nots grew because that was really an important piece financially for the Kansas cities and Cincinnati's and Pittsburgh's. And so the minute the Murdoch said, yeah, we're going to give that to somebody else. And there were pending massive deals around the corner. And it was like Fox squeezed every last ounce of juice out of those regional sports networks. And, you know, the valuation, they got, I think, $20 billion for it or more. It's a great move. And now their belly up. And that was important money for the middle to bottom of Major League Baseball. So baseball's got a huge financial gap issue. What the Dodgers and the Yankees and the Mets can spend and a handful of other teams than everybody else got. There's never been a bigger gap bottom to the top in Major League

Baseball. But again, if you're a network, you don't care. You just put on the top teams. Saturday on Fox, three plus million viewers for Yankee Red Sox. It's the most watched baseball game regular season for three years. This is what we told you. By the way, the Red Sox just called up the best minor league player. Baseball ratings are up double digits. on every single network this season. So people are watching the regional networks less. They're watching the networks more, and the stars are all in the right spot.

Now, here's another story with ratings, which I don't know how much you care, but I want to address it because I think this story is wrong. NBA finals ratings, not great for this series. League must learn to sell small market teams. Totally disagree. Totally disagree.

It's not about small market. it's about small stars the highest rated NBA final I think still today is Michael Jordan against Utah Utah had stars John Stockton

Dream team Carl Malone against Michael Jordan going for a sixth title when LeBron was in Cleveland nobody said you know it's too bad Cleveland's a small market nobody cared because the star was big listen the NBA and all these leagues are TV shows

You need character development. My biggest criticism of Adam Silver, my single biggest criticism of this league, and I've said this time and time again is they marginalize college basketball. One of the great strengths of the NFL is college football that gives you name, recognizable brand. We knew who Baker Mayfield, even guys that can't play Tim Tebow. They were stars entering the league. Cooper Flag is an outlier. Oh, my God.

Watch them in college. going to the NBA. Can't wait to watch him. Instead, they create the G-League, the Gatorade League. Half of these things are sideways. Awful. Let stuff bake. Let characters.

Every TV show in the world. Every movie needs character development. Have you ever watched, like, Netflix or Hulu? You watch one of these streaming enterprises. What's the first thing they do? in like a six to an eight series special. They got like eight episodes. What's the first episode all about?

Character development. That's why everybody, like the White Lotus, which drove me crazy, I hated the first two episodes of White Lotus because they go so over the top to develop character so we all know who everybody is. So they show you everybody's worst quality. The arrogant guy is over the top arrogant.

The flusie is over the top flusy. The crook is over the top crooked. So they have to sell it and develop the characters so that you buy into it for episode 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Well, that's what college football gives you and gives the NFL. They develop the characters. They develop the personalities, right? Like we all can't wait to watch Caleb Williams in Chicago. What's he going to be?

Bo Nix. He played 61 college games. Adam Silver marginalized college basketball. And just now the NIL is saving it where the best. players, I mean, Auburn just got their best player back. We're cherry picking the best euros now because of the NIL. We're keeping college kids in for another year like a Zach Edie. So by the time Zach Edy goes to Memphis in the NBA, I'm watching him play, I'm into it. I got a visceral connection. It's not about market size. It's about the stars and character

development, and the league has not done a good job of this. We don't know who these guys are when they enter the NBA. The lowest rated finals in the NBA, golden age in the in the in the jordan years do you remember the lowest rated finals it was when the nicks were in it why because they didn't have me patrick ewing and a bunch of guys they didn't have enough stars the highest rated Utah jazz and Jordan so I i think the market thing is overrated I really do I think you look at Jordan in Chicago Chicago was an irrelevant NBA franchise before he got there and after he left they get great attendance in Chicago They're not a relevant NBA franchise.

The bad boy Pistons wasn't about market size. They were the villains of the league. Nobody liked them. Miami's actually not a very big market, but they've had LeBron and Wade and Shaq and Gary Payton. So Oklahoma City, the truth is SGA is great, but he's like Alex English with better handles. He's not a wild personality.

He's nice. He's adult. These international guys, they push back on media. They don't want the coverage. They don't have an interest in selling shoes. out a story this weekend where Wembe wants to be a monk. I mean, these international guys have no interest. Yokic, Luca, give me a beer, get me back home.

That's fine. They don't want to be stars. And then, but it's the lack of character development, which you would have if college kids would stay in college for two years. I'm not asking for four. I'm not even asking for three, but if you give me two March Madnesses, I'm in, Zach Edy. Okay, I'm in.

I'm fascinated. The Yukon team. I'm in. The market stuff, I think, is overrated. You know, I remember the first time anybody talked about in my career, the first time we ever really talked about baseball ratings was the Subway Series, Mets Yankees. It did terribly at the time.

Everybody was like, oh, everybody wants to watch it. It did terribly. You had two New York teams. Nobody cared outside of New York. Albert Breers around the corner. In Chicago, it's the hurt. Be sure to catch live edition. of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubber lips. Blame and me. Well, you know what? It's called Over-Promise. You should be good at it because you've been over-promising women for years?

Well, it's a Kavino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course, but we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over-Promised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich,

make sure you check out Over-Promise and also uncensored, by the way. So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after-show podcast of all time. There you go. Over-promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us.

Listen to Overpromised with Kavino and Rich on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

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

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

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey, Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.

We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history.

You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. We're talking about baseball ratings during the break as a staff. If you give a baseball game 45 minutes on TV now, you can get three innings. If you have good pitchers, the games fly by, and people, people are more precious with their time. They don't want to waste as much time. They're on their phones.

They're distracted. The streaming services. The competition, there's more platforms. You got to deliver something within 45 minutes. I can't. Five years ago, 45 minutes was an inning. a half. Average game now is two hours and 40 minutes.

Most people, you'd be surprised when they, even when watching Monday night football, they give it like 55 minutes. People are busy. You've got to tuck the kids into bed. You've got to do stuff. You've got to prepare for work. You give a baseball game 40 minutes. You've got to give me several innings. I want to see the stars at bat and it's

doing it and the ratings are going up, up, up highest in years. Albert Brewer now joins us live. Monday morning quarterback. Okay, let's talk Aaron. They got a screaming deal on the contract because it looks like a lot of the incentives are not reachable. MVP Super Bowl, right? This is not a Super Bowl team.

Tell me about the relationship between the Steelers and Aaron. I mean, we didn't know was, you know, where did Aaron go? Kind of take us through the journey of this thing and how it worked out. Yeah, I mean, it was built on a foundation of trust. Really, this goes back to February and March and his name coming up in their planning meetings. And they looked at everything, you know, like, and so, they're building. They threw their hat in the ring on Matthew Stafford. I think they felt the same way the Giants and Raiders felt,

which was that Stafford was never going to want to leave L.A. or leave Sean McVeigh. Then they looked at the idea of bringing Justin Fields back. They decided they were moving on from Russell Wilson. And they wanted to keep working with Fields, but I'm not quite sure they were willing to say, yes, we're going to make you our starter for 2025. They wanted him in the mix. But they knew if he was going to find a place that was willing to.

to just give him the starting job. They probably lose him as well. And that left them on Rogers. And so, you know, in mid-March, they started talking with him. They quietly, at least they tried to quietly bring him in on March 21st, snuck them through a construction entrance in a white Chevy Malibu. And, you know, really, I think that that was sort of an illustration of the trust they were trying to build where I don't know if they were testing each other,

but certainly there was sort of this quid pro quo. Like, we are not going to talk a whole lot about what's going on here. But there was an understanding that, you know, once Aaron had his personal matters taken care of, that he was going to show up, and the Steelers had made it clear to Aaron, we would really like to have you here for our mandatory veteran minicamp. So you and I talked about this over the last few weeks, Colin,

about how, you know, I think if he had signed early and just said, okay, I'm going to come back for the minicamp, would have created some unnecessary noise. So really it just took a lot of trust on both sides for them to be able to continue to manage the relationship without a contract in place, knowing that Aaron was probably going to show up there for the minicamp. And while all that's going on,

Arthur Smith and the offensive staff are doing a deep dive into all of Aaron's history, going back to Green Bay, through his time with the Jets and building an offense for him while they're working with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard on the field. and, you know, now everything kind of comes together. And I think because of it, they've got a stronger relationship going into the minicamp this week, and we'll see where it takes them. So, listen, it's very, I am, I'll say this.

I'm fascinated by Shadur Sanders because I believe it's true that the organization, not, not counting Jimmy Haslam, but Stafansky and Andrew Barry, very competent guys, overdrafted Dylan Gabriel because they didn't want to get into the Shadur-Sanders sweepstay, and then the owner comes down and says it's the fifth round draft him i know this owner johnny mansell baker mayfield deshawn watson he wants a star at quarterback and i argued this yesterday is that kenny picket's a nice kid kind of dull flacko's old gabriel's small and their first five or six games albert are burrow and lamar and jillard it's dynamic off even erin rogers like week six I think Chadour, I think that owner, if they're one in five, you start looking at Cleveland

and he's going to make a phone call downstairs. I think Chadour is going to get a shot in the first seven to eight weeks. Do you? Well, I don't know whether or not the owner will be barking down directions from Mata Pi in October, but I'd agree with you. I'd agree with you like that the front end of the schedule screams 0 and 6. And I hate to say that because I think there are good people there. I think there's a decent team there, but it's really hard when you look at the early part of their schedule,

unless they're a lot better than they were last year, for them to be coming out of that in a real position of strength. And so I do think Joe Flacco is likely going to be the week one starter. Joe Flacker's been great in the building. He's been great for that quarterback room. He's been great for the young quarterbacks. I think you'll hear Chador and Dill and Gabriel talk about him that way when the media talks to him this week. So I think Joe is going to get a shot. And I think, you know, if Joe looks good in July and August,

then you'll see the team behind him. And then you get to September. And his ability to hold on to that job won't just be about his own play. It'll be about where the team is. Yeah. And so, you know, are you still in a mode where you're contending and you need to put the best player out there, which is the only way you can look at the rest of the players in your locker room

with a straight face? Or is a or is this about? developing for the future. If your team gets to 0 and 7 or 2 and 9 or 3 and 11 or whatever it is, that's when you can start to look at it and say, we need to look at the rookies. We need to get an idea of what we have going into 2026. That's where I think it becomes reality. But if the Browns find a way to succeed early on, if they're able to weather that very, very difficult start to the season and come out of it okay, I wouldn't see the need to make a change. So I think all of its relative to the team's success.

Finally, Jeyer Alexander, Green Bay is moving off him. When the Packers move off people, they evaluate in their building really, really well. I trust him. What say you on that? So this is about availability, you know, as much as anything else. And, you know,

I would say he's still a good player. Jeff Hathley, their defensive coordinator, called the defense differently last year when Alexander was in there. It's a reflection of the difference between him and the other guys they had on the roster of the position. So there's no question they think he's still a good player. They just weren't going to pay $17.5 million for a guy who played seven games a year

the last two years and who's getting a little bit older, who has some mileage on his legs. And the reality is, too, Colin, if somebody else was willing to pay him $17.5 million for this year, they would have been able to trade him. And the reason they couldn't trade him is because no one was willing to take on the contract as it stood, and he didn't want to play ball with them on taking a pay cut somewhere else to facilitate a trade. He wanted to get to free agency. So they tried to trade them in March, didn't work, tried to trade him during the draft, didn't work. And so we're here because the Packers didn't value him at $17.5 million, and no one else did either. And so now he'll get

a chance to go and pick his spot. But I think above anything else, what the guy needs to prove now is that he's got the ability to stay on the field. Again, missed 10 games in 2023, 10 games, in 2024. That's the problem. Albert Brewer, Monday morning quarterback, as always great seeing you. All right, thanks, Colin. Yep, he's got good stuff today on the Aaron Rogers deal with Pittsburgh. I know I'm crazy here, J. Mack,

suggesting for a team that hasn't won a playoff game in eight years that you're going to have to make tough decisions in Pittsburgh eventually, and T.J. Watt at $44 million, he knows he's going to get that. You are the highest paid defense in the league, pre-TJWatt contract. when I suggest I wouldn't get discounts at quarterback. I'd try to go draft a young pass rusher. No, I'll get pushback on my T.J. Watt isn't the answer over the next six years. What's what are you on that?

Well, a year ago, I was filling in for you in the summer. I was like, I would move off T.J. Watt now when he's got a ton of value. Colin, every year you don't trade a guy and he plays more and gets hurt, his value goes down. Like, realistically, do you think anybody's giving up a. first round pick for T.J. Watt at this point? Oh, I think there's always, I mean, yes. You got to pay him. Howie Roseman. Pay him a lot of money.

Yeah, I think there's always a team. Like the Rams right now pay nobody defensively. If the Rams thought, you know, all of a sudden you got the trade deadline and the Rams got an injury and they're like, listen, this team going to the Super Bowl, we need a pass record. We need somebody to blow it up. Oh, yeah. I mean, Vaughn Miller got paid well, well beyond his prime. I think pass rushers and quarterbacks, you can't live without them. You have to have them. All right, we're done.

Nick Wrights around the corner at hour number two. Urban Meyer stops by today as well. Man, summer's here, baby. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick.

Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter, Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From I-Heart Podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America. part. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patric all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown. You've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.