The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Warriors keep winning

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

Colin points to the major hole in NBA analytics with the Warriors bringing home another win since acquiring Jimmy Butler and the value he's added that doesn't show up on a stat sheet There are a lot of people who think the Steelers have a chance to win a Super Bowl next season...which is ridiculous The Rams continue to do the right thingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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.

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on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis' keep coming to you. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to fupas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me, or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes?

They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. so let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva 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 SportsRedia.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go on a Friday, and a good one. It's going to be Mark Fugonzaga coach. Selection weekend. Here we go, Selection Sunday. Max Crosby of the Raiders. Yesterday, I made my NFC predictions.

Those are the difficult ones. The AFC one hour from now, generally a little easier because you have more star high-end quarterbacks In the AFC, we know it's a quarterback-centric and generated league. So that will happen in one hour from now. So, JMAX, so I got three different samples. I watched first quarter of the Warriors with friends, listen to the second quarter driving and watched the second half at home by myself.

And they good. This thing is getting really, really interesting. Wow, another tomato can that the Warriors beat up. Another nice victory, yeah, beat nobody's again. Steph Curry was asked about retirement. He had a great quote. He said it's not about stats or anything. It will be, can I still dominate a game?

Here's the good news. He didn't last night. And they blew out another team. I want you to think about this. Think about this. So they traded, got him out of town, Andrew Wiggins, wing player 18 points a game in his career. They brought in Jimmy Butler Wings.

player career 18 points a game. That shouldn't radically change the team, right? 18 points leaves, 18 points arrives. Nope. Our hunch, my hunch was right. Totally different players. Wiggins is soft, empty calories, floats around, forgettable, and Jimmy Butler is intentional, intense, physical, impactful.

There's a gravity. Analytics does not measure all this stuff. Wing players, 18 a game. No, totally different players. Butler generates double teams. He's creative. He gets guys shots. He is an attacking player, every possession.

He creates advantages. Wiggins benefited from advantages created by other players. And that is the big difference. Jonathan Caminger returned last night. Oh, another 20 points a game. Last night you had eight guys and double figures. Butler wasn't even one of them. Steph didn't even play well, but it shows the hole in a lot of analytics and a lot of stats.

18 a game leaves, 18 a game arrives. Totally different team. Eight guys in double figures. They got a guy from like the Netherlands, a big who has a nice shooting touch. And Warriors are now 13 and 1 with Jimmy Butler. And again, he did not play last night particularly well. But this thing is real. I know you're saying, well, it's a little.

lot of tomato cans, but when your two best players don't play well and you blow people out, it's an incredible influence. We all know Steph has always had a massive influence on the history of basketball. Combine that with the influence Butler has with the Warriors, and here's Shaq after. The last three, four years, everybody has been running three-man weave with the top of the key. Every team is shooting threes, and they want to blame the land. analytics, it's because everybody wanted to beat the gold state wars because of this guy. Yep, it's a real thing.

And by the way, not only is it influencing the Warriors and influencing basketball, it's influencing ratings. The ratings in the last three weeks, a big part of that, because LeBron's not playing again. And I still don't contend Lucas the TV draw. I think LeBron and Steph of the TV draws Warriors with another dominating win last night. So I saw this. If you want to know why they keep building casinos and companies like Draft Kings are doing well, the Steelers have attracted the second most Super Bowl bets this week.

That's the appropriate response laughing. This is why the House always wins. So memo to the people betting the Steelers to win the Super Bowl, Aaron Rogers last 30 starts, he's 11 and 19, pass a rating under 9. pass-a-rating under 90, completing 63% of his throws, and has not won a playoff game since like 2021. He'll be joining a head coach that hasn't won a playoff game since 2016. And by the way, but there is a lure, an allure to Aaron Rogers,

because who was the most bet team last year in 2024 to win the Super Bowl? Chiefs, nope, bills, nope, Niners, nope, lions, nope, eagles, nope, Ravens, nope. it was the New York Jets with Aaron Rogers so Tomlin is toned deaf to offense and Aaron's past his prime so that's just not saying that's not even saying playoffs that's not saying playoffs so and I here's something that doesn't get talked about with the Steelers and this is why I've said Aaron Rogers should go to the Giants better left tackle offensive coach great weapon

you'll have more power and the and the rosters aren't that different. They're really not. Pitchburg's just better. They're not that different. Pittsburgh doesn't have a left tackle. Giants do. But if you ever notice this, and I never hear anybody talk about this. So everybody knows in the business, Mike Tomlin's a motivator, right? That's why his teams play well as underdogs, but not his favorites. He's a great motivator. But when does motivating not work in the playoffs? Because everybody's motivated, right? But for a long, tedious regular season, the guy that can bark, boy, September, October, November, it can help. But if you go to the last 12 Steeler games, they're three and nine and a lot of blowout losses.

Motivation is nonsense. Screaming and yelling and getting guys fired up doesn't mean anything in the playoffs. Guys are ready to go. They got their bonuses ready. They want a trophy. Everybody's doing the same thing. Focusing on that moment, sudden death football. You don't need motivation.

You need analytics. You need circumstantial greatness, situational brilliance. And so, and what's doubling down on this, the raw becomes rot-row for Pittsburgh every year at the end of the year. If you go back and look at a stat, the Steelers in December or later, the last two seasons, have been one of the worst teams in the NFL. Five of the last seven seasons. The Steelers have lost three plus games in a row late in the year. why is this? Because as the game has gotten smarter and more offensive, the motivating defensive

coach, that stuff wears out by December. You can only give the same speeches so many times. It falls on deaf ears. So the Steelers have become one of the bad NFL teams at the end of seasons. That motivation stuff, it's great early. It's great over a long season. It's great when you're an underdog. It doesn't mean anything against the Ravens, Bills, or Chiefs, or Tom Brady in his prime when it's, you know, January. It doesn't mean anything. So the Steelers, five of the last seven seasons,

Russell Wilson could tell Aaron Rogers if he goes there, it gets old. Nobody wants to hear it. It doesn't have the same impact. So, you know, they are the second most bet team. Just the idea of Aaron Rogers, and adding D.K. Metcalf for $150 million. And D.K. Metcalf says, I don't even care who's quarterback here. They made me feel welcome, first off, and then secondly,

they made me feel like they had the right decision, you know, with who was going to be throwing me the football. You know, I'm not making a decision in the quarterback room. So I'm just going to try to do the best of my abilities to, you know, help whoever they have out there throwing the football. So, you know, they make the correct decisions, you know, to bring the quarterback in here, so I'm just going to roll with that. Mid-March, no idea who the quarterback is.

Does that sound like a Super Bowl team? I don't even know who the quarterback is. We got like four guys. We got offers out for guys. Now, it's interesting. So I've been saying this week, my hunch, he signs with the Steelers, I would sign with the New York Giants. I would sign with the Giants.

I think the Giants have more pieces that work for Aaron. Offensive coach, young star receiver, excellent left tackle and a couple of wins over the Cowboys. I think the idea of going to Pittsburgh, you got Joe Burrow twice, you got the Ravens twice, Cleveland's got a great coach and a very good roster, no thanks. I mean, Pittsburgh doesn't have a left tackle now. Miles Garrett, probably Hendrickson coming off the edge,

and whoever Baltimore has this year. So it'll be interesting to watch. But to me, the idea that the second most bet team, it's just the allure of the Steelers brand. The allure of the alpha, Mike Tomlin, the allure of Aaron Rogers, their bet to win the Super Bowl more than the teams that we almost feel it's an automatic they win their division. It's crazy. The House almost always wins for a reason.

Cowboys are fighting. The process in Philadelphia is officially over, and the Lakers, once again, even with Luca and Austin Reeves playing great, are awful and get blown. out. Did you notice that? Listen, you were doing so good, and then you had to throw in that jab at the Lakers. Unnecessary. It's like a flagrant foul right there. Come on, they were missing three starters, Colin.

But real quick, to go back to the Steelers. Can you just give me the thought process what you think people are betting on the Steelers? And it can't just be Aaron Rogers and D.K. Metcalfield. They have to think something else. Like, when people bet Bitcoin, I mean, there's no centralized bank in America

that acknowledges the Warren Buffets, who, by the way, ditched $80 billion of Apple stock and bought bonds a year ago. Looks pretty smart today, right? A little bit. They don't buy it at all, right? Most of the top financial people, they appease the Bitcoin crowd. But when you buy Bitcoin, you're buying hope.

You're buying essentially, hey, I'm ahead of everybody else. Buying the Steelers is, hey, I'm going to buy them before they get Aaron Rogers and watch them pop. But it's just why the house wins. Aaron in the last 30 games, two conferences, two coaches, both LaFleur and Mike Tomlin considered above average, he's 11 and 19, pass a rating in the 80s. That's what he is. That is exactly what he is. And Tomlin, between Aaron and Tomlin, they do not perform well late in the year. The numbers don't lie.

So I think it's the Bitcoin crowd. You're betting that you're smarter than everybody else, and you're getting in on something before it, exploded. And that would be 41-year-old Aaron Rogers. That's what you're betting on hope? With DK Metcalf. Ooh, wow, D.K. Metcalf, he's going to swing the title odds right there. Well, again, DK Metcalf is probably worth half a point of game. This is why the House always wins, because the general public is not that smart, huh? That's a straight-up dumb bet. If one of my friends was like, hey, Steelers to win the title,

they're like, what are you talking about? That's insanity. So now, in 45 minutes, I will give you my AFC predictions. I'll tell you, I'm looking at the AFC West. Is that the best coach division of all time? I hope you have the Broncos in the playoffs. Andy Reed, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll. You know, like they always say when you sit down at a poker table, if you can't spot the mark, it's you.

Who's the mark? I mean, that's just a Super Bowl trophies everywhere, or at least getting to them. I mean, that is a three Super Bowl trophies and a Natty trophy and a Super Bowl appearance in Jim Harba. ball. That division's hard. My guess on the AFC West this year, nobody wins more than 12, nobody wins fewer than eight. It is just going to be all jammed out. I think the NFC North is almost as good, but we just don't know if J.J. McCarthy can play. I mean, I say what you

want about Gino Smith. I know he can play. I don't know what J.J. McCarthy is in Minnesota, so I have no idea. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. FS1 and the IHard Radio. 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 podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself.

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Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your courtside seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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So, I thought last night, If you ever wondered the value of LeBron James, here's a great example. Luca goes off 45 points. Austin Reeves is excellent for the first time in a while. He's been hurt. And the Lakers get shelled. Okay. So Luca can go crazy.

And Austin Reeves can too. AD could go crazy. But if LeBron's not there, they can get blown out. Yet LeBron, without a co-star this year, is 7-1, and the team, is everything's fine without Luca, Austin Reeves, or AD. That's the difference. LeBron is the Swiss Army knife. He's the coach on the

floor. Remember when they played Brooklyn and J.J. Reddick complained? He goes, nobody communicated. He never complains about that when LeBron's on the floor. You could have Luca, you can have Austin, you could have Rui, you could have anybody. LeBron's not on the floor. Yeah, the communication's not as good. There is a presence to

LeBron, and last night's a great example. Year 22, No empty stats. All his stats matter. All of them matter. This team is 7 and 1 without either AD or Luca. Now, think about how great AD and Luke are. Arguably, Luke after SGA is the most gifted offensive player,

and AD's arguably the most gifted defensive player. They're out. Doesn't matter. We can win Homer away. So he is still the most essential player on the Lakers. And there's three guys in the league. So the Celtics are 10 and 2 without Tatum. he's not affecting outcomes he's not affecting points there are three players in this league

when they're gone fit hits the shan when sg a doesn't play for the thunder they average like significantly like what is it without it they average 18 points less a game when yokech has gone for the nuggets they average 15 points less a game and when lebron is out for the lakers they're bad. So, Yokic is the best player in the league. SGA is going to win MVP, and on any given night, LeBron is the second best player

or arguably the second vote for the MVP. Those are the three guys in this league. The Nuggets without Yokic, the Thunder without SGA, and the Lakers without LeBron. The soul of the team. So if you want to vote MVP,

SGA, Yokic, LeBron's not a bad place to go. as great as Tatum is. Eh, it doesn't matter. And I'm not denying he's really, really good. It just, it is, again, once again, Luke is amazing, Austin Reeves is amazing, Noel LeBron, and JJ Redick said, yeah, here's another ugly loss.

We didn't execute at a high level, and frankly, when you're missing guys, you have to play hard, but you also have to execute. You know, the play hard, play smart. We played hard. I don't think we played smart defensively. And again, playing a lot of lineups. We haven't played all year without practicing together. It's going to happen.

So what are the two things he's complained about when LeBron didn't play? We're not communicating and we're not smart. What is LeBron James? The great communicator and really smart. So basketball is not just hops, handles, and points. like that's LeBron's essence. By the way, that's Yokic's essence. It's not just the points in the rebound.

He is a point center. Everything goes through him. And by the way, OKC is a very good basketball team. And they're still great defensively when SGA doesn't play. But one of the reasons I've said SGA should be the MVP, they're 24 years old. He's babysitting them on offense. When the babysitter leaves, ice cream on the shag rug. Like it goes sideways.

The offense for Oklahoma City, with all that talent, Williams and Chet Holm, SGA's gone, he got 15, 18 points less. That's why you're an MVP. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, let's start the day with your favorite team out of the northwest of the Seattle Seahawks. Sam Darnold is officially a part of the squad.

No. I think that three-year, $100 and a half million dollar contract, Darnel was in. Seattle to get introduced by the team yesterday and was asked about last season's disappointing finish in Minnesota. I was waiting for someone to bring that up, by the way. I appreciate that. It's fair, man. You know, you get all the way to that point. You have the season that we had offensively as a team. And then, you know, you run into, at the end of the day, like only one team can win the Super Bowl. And unfortunately, we weren't that team. But I learned a ton. I'll say this again.

He was sack nine times against the Rams. I'm not going to put that one on him. They could not block the Rams. We lost his left tackle, Derrisal. Yeah, I mean, they could not block the Rams. Now, he was awful against Detroit in the biggest game in Detroit in a long time. But the Rams, I'm not putting that on Sammy. That old line just got mauled for three and a half hours.

Now, our great producing staff found that Darnold actually gave credit to Brock Purdy. I saw that. I thought you were going to bring that up. Well, I didn't want to lead with that. I want to kind of back in. No, I think that's, and I've heard the same thing, is that Darnold thought he was so cognitively sharp, is that Brock Purdy and Darnold got along great, and Darnold told people that I know. He said, that's the smartest player I've ever played with.

So I'm not doubting Brock smart. But to his credit, that's really why Brock's in the league. His ability to diagnose a play. We've said this before. Certain guys don't see the field. Zach Wilson of the Jets, Justin Fields, you're like, are they seeing the field? Yet C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy first start, you're like, oh, they see everything. Everything's clear to them.

It's kind of a negative, but a big knock on, like, some of these quarterbacks who don't process quickly. They have slow eyes. I don't know if we've heard that phrase. And like Brock Purdy is the opposite of that. He's like a machine, a robot. And Colin, listen. Jane Daniels was the greatest example last year. Jaden Daniels.

With a bad old line, I mean, it's really amazing. He saw everything instantly. Justin, Zach, a lot of these guys, they just don't see it. Now, listen, we're not going to be doing the show in 25 years, but I will personally guarantee the next generation listening. Brock Purdy will be an NFL coach one day. Everything that's come out of San Francisco is he's a leader in the locker room. He's a super smart exes and those guy.

Football family. This guy knows football. I think you missed the 49ers yesterday on your playoff teams. We'll see. I do think of all the teams. teams drafting. I'm really interested to what the Niners do. Twelve picks, a lot of compensation picks, compensatory.

So the Niners have 12 picks, and they have to hit on six or seven of these. When you're losing Hufunga, Greenlaw, you're losing great defensive players. You have to hit in a linebacker and a safety. You can't use Scout Team got. You have to hit. I mean, I can tell you two of the positions they're drafting. linebacker in safety near the top of the draft. They have to.

I'm fairly certain they will be getting one of the top three tight ends. Warren, Loveland, or Fanon, the kid from the Mac who's a monster. Bowling Green, yeah. Bowling Green, yeah, there you go. All right, next up, Devante Adams, was in Woodland Hills out here yesterday in California for the Rams press conference. Devante discussed how big of a presence Sean McVeigh was in his recruitment to Los Angeles. Understanding of, you know, where I am in my game, obviously having an opportunity to playing with Matthew is a heck of opportunity and can't wait to get started with that.

And obviously the rest of the team, too, being able to be with a contender at this point in my career is something I've been waiting for for a while now and been putting the work in to make it happen. But now we got it. So it's exciting. So he went well-run Green Bay, messy Raiders, messy jets, well-run Los Angeles. So the beginning of his career and my guess the end of his career, Green Bay and Rams he'll get great offensive coaches, great

structure. Did you read the story about what McVeigh did to get Devonte Adams? So McVeigh was on vacation. He said, I was on the phone with Devante Adams more than I was with my wife. This is a McVeigh move. Stafford. Remember he bumped into Matt Stafford. McVeigh bumped into

Stafford in Mexico on vacation. And he talked, he talked, he sold, he sold, and let's, you know, the owner said, okay, on the tarmac, let's make the move. is that McVeigh move? This is the guy that he sought fit. And by the way, the Rams, they get rid of people quick, but when they want somebody...

Well, when McVeigh wants somebody. That's right. Stafford and Devante, those are absolute McVeigh acquisitions. He's a closer, McVeigh, that's what he is. He could be like a college football coach because he's such a good recruiter that he sells you, he's got the high energy. You know, hearing you gloss about how he wore down Devonte Adams, you know, I got a little McVey and me. I like to wear you down

on certain topics. But eventually he's like, fine, fine, Jay, whatever, fine, I don't care. Final story, Colin, let's go to Cooper Cup, the former L.A. Rams receiver. I hear you're hot on this. He was released by the Rams, and there are odds for his new team.

The Denver Broncos are at the top of the list at plus 410, followed by, and this doesn't make sense. The Dallas Cowboys, why is he going there? I don't, it's funny about that. He does not get open anymore. more. Now, in zone coverage, could he be a decent third down receiver? Yeah, but he just doesn't run the same. He just does not get open and all the numbers tell you he does not.

You know what? Scheme him up so he's messed up against a linebacker. He's not going to get open against corners. Well, but McVeigh, couldn't scheme him up. Well, that's because he was the number two guy. If you make him the number three or four, that's a bit of an advantage, no? You know, I'd take him for free, but I don't want to pay anything. And so I think the Rams are like... for free? Well, I mean, again, I think there's some some value there, but he's closer to a 30 catch guy than he is an 80 catch guy.

He aged very quickly. You know, knees. I like to buy low on motivated athletes to overcome obstacles. Like, you know how hard this guy's going to be working after publicly getting filmed? Well, I think you can work as hard as you want, but there are

numbers and age limitations to what wide receivers and corners can do. Nothing but a number, Colin. You know that. No. Age is nothing but a number, Colin. You know that. No, age is not just a number. Age is real for receivers and corners. Well, there's a rumor that Cooper Cops on a flight to Germany right now to get that Kobe treatment that... Who's saying that?

I'm just making that. But listen, there's stuff you can do out there to turn back the clock a little bit. Come on. Well, there's stuff you can do like, you know, you can take stuff for your hair. You can get surgeries to, I mean, you know, I would say elective surgeries. but to make a wide receiver faster, that's not happening. Slow feet, don't eat. I can tell you, Cooper Cup is going to be grinding away all off.

I'm buying on Cooper Cup. I've never heard that. Who'd you steal that from? This guy I worked out worked out with you, try to get fast feet. Slow feet don't eat. You never heard that? That's pretty good. Oh gosh, I'm bringing the stuff on Friday.

You know what, dude? You make T-shirts on that. That merch will sell. Slow feet don't eat. Okay, done deal. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lye News. It's kind of funny yesterday. DeMarcus Lawrence has played for the Dallas Cowboys for 11 years, and he thought he may resign, and then Seattle came and overpaid for him. It's free agency. And then he said, hey, I didn't think I was going to win a Super Bowl in Dallas. He's been there 11 years. He knows the building.

And Micah Parsons. Dallas is my home. Yeah, and Micah Parsons wasn't happy with it. So here's DeMarcus Lawrence with a little shot at the Seahawks or at the Cowboys. my home. I made my home there. My family lives there. I'm forever going to be there. But I know for sure I'm not going to win

a Super Bowl there. So yeah. Yeah. Micah Parsons called him out, said that's clown blank on social media. Well, here's the thing. DeMarcus Lawrence, 11 years, knows the Cowboys. Micah Parsons is still in the

honeymoon phase. He's still a believer. worshiping at the chapel of Jerry Jones. And I was thinking about this this morning. The Cowboys for a long time were a... I mean, it was... They were a religion. They were getting a lot of stuff right. I mean, Jerry Jones fires the legend, Tom Landry,

hires Jimmy Johnson. Everybody was outraged. Jimmy Johnson was better than Tom Landry. And they had a dynasty. And then Jimmy leaves, and Jerry goes, I'm going to give it to my buddy Barry's. Sweetser. He actually won a Super Bowl. They found after Aikman leaves, they find Tony Romo undrafted. He's very good. And then Jerry, you know, he gives the job to a kid. Jason Garrett

was like family and won a lot of games. And then they find Dak in the fourth round, build the best offensive line in the game. They get Zeke. Don't, can't draft the running back that high. They get Zeke. For a long time, it was like a religion. Now, to be honest with you, Dallas feels more like a cult, where there's one really rich guy at the top and he's got really expensive toys, and he's making grand promises and selling a vision, and it doesn't really align with reality. So that's what it feels like. And Micah Parsons has not had the joy sucked out of him yet, right? Like, DeMarcus Lawrence has been there 11 years. He's heard a lot of promises, and DeMarcus Lawrence is like, I'm over it. Plus, Micah, he's angling for a convalued. He's

contract extension. But don't sell me on Demarcus Lawrence doesn't know what's going on. I mean, they do polls in Dallas annually in like local newspapers, cowboy bloggers. Like, Cowboy fans know the truth. Demarcus Lawrence knows the truth. There was a long time you could buy into Jerry. He got the Jimmy thing right. He, I mean, he got the Barry thing right briefly. He found Romo. They found Dak. Jason Garry. it was winning games. There's a lot, a lot. You buy into that church, buy into that religion. And all of a sudden, a lot of stuff that's being said, kind of nonsense, doesn't feel like reality.

One rich guy's got these ideas. None of it's really panning out. Where did all the money go? You always see that. Well, where did the money go? Guys got a yacht, we can't buy a linebacker. What's going on here? That's what it feels like with Dallas. So I don't buy the DeMarcus-Lau. doesn't know what's going on. If you're in a relationship at a company, I was at a previous company for 10 and a half, 11 years. My first marriage was 11 years.

Like 11 years, you're with somebody. You know the truth. And there's a lot of good in the truth. But don't tell me to Marcus Lawrence doesn't know, as they say, where the skeletons are buried. Like you can only get so many promises for 11 years. And what's really true over the last three or four, Cowboys don't feel well run.

They did for a long time. I mean, when Jimmy and Jerry were there, I mean, they were the first team to make a massive trade. The Herschel Walker trade worked. Jimmy Johnson hiring, Barry Switzer, brief, Tony Roma, worked, worked, work, work, work, work, work, work. I'd buy into it, too. Everybody was hyping the Cowboys. Last five years, show me all the great draft picks. You know, Mike NCD, congrats, first rounders.

Show me all the third, fourth, fifth, sixth round draft picks that work. Not a lot of them. Waiting too long on deck's contract, having to overpay them. Don't have a second weapon offensively. Weakest running back room in the league. You can keep selling me on a vision, but at some point I've got to look down on the paper and in the locker room and see Philly and see Washington and see us. What are you seeing? You're seeing the truth.

Just Mike is still in the honeymoon face, right? He's still buying it. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the I Heart Radio app.

Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out.

We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio on the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media.

That's Cabino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band.

Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert 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 headwriter, 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.

The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the René. A Stub's tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenschen, I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface, because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court-side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Coming up tonight, the Big East Tournament, Semi-finals tip off on Fox.

First at 6.30 Eastern, St. John's takes on Marquette, then at 9. Creighton battles Yukon. Tell me you watch a game. Oh, I was watching Warriors, but all over the... the country, everybody was getting fired up. Double overtime win. They were down like 11. Fascinating. That was

fun. I couldn't turn it off. Yeah. Mark Fuse on later. Right now, Oregon, Michigan State battling. So Steph Curry hit his 4,000th, three-point shot yesterday. And, you know, we've talked about this, is that, you know, Steph Curry's just, it's one-on

man, there's nothing else like it. And what's funny about it, all these teams, you know, remember the small ball stuff? And everybody was like, hey, Let's get small in the American sport where height really matters. It's insane. It was like all this Houston tried to duplicate it with Darry. Everybody tried to duplicate it.

Small ball. No. This is a tall man's league. It would be like if the NFL had a trend because there was one superstar player. Tiny football. I want smaller, less physical NFL players. That's the opposite of the league. It's tough guys and big guys.

The NFL is a length and size league. and small ball didn't really exist. It was just Steph Curry, coupled with, you know, Clay Thompson, the best back court since West and Goodrich. And so last night, you know, Steph didn't even play particularly well. But I'm watching them, and it's really remarkable to watch this team now. And I always say, who's your fourth best player? Because we all know the best teams have a star, and we can argue about stars. But now, with Jimmy Butler as the Warriors 2, and then Jonathan,

the Kaminga's back, and now he's the Warriors 3, all guys capable of dropping 24 to 30 on any night. Now, Pods, or Moody, those guys can be your four or your five. That feels like a team that can get to the finals. Dremont played well last night. So if Dremon Green is back to being the four, which is what he was when KD, Steph, Clay, and Dremon, now he was a catalyst, but he was your four. Well, now with pods, if he has a good night, is Dremon your five or your four? That's why this team matters.

It's not just about your star. It's slotting. Derek White is the fourth best player for the Celtics. If Porzingis is healthy, they're Knights. He's the fifth best player. That's a great basketball team. It's not just about Tatum and Jalen Brown. Because all the teams that are in the playoffs have two really good players.

And if you get to a conference finals, you're going to have a Yokic and Jamal Murray, or you're going to have an SGA and a Homegren, or you're going to have a Kyrie and a Luca. Who's your fourth best player? But last night, Steph didn't play particularly well, but here's Steve Kerr on his 4,003. It just seems like it was not too long ago that he broke the record.

And what was that? Less than 3,000, right? What was it? 29774. Yeah. So he just keeps going the way he keeps himself. in shape and condition in rhythm

he's going to make another thousand for sure I mean I just that's what I would guess isn't it crazy they were on a treadmill to nowhere three weeks ago now they've the hottest team in the league it's just incredible the jet fuel the infusion of energy

into Steph Curry here's another thing I saw yesterday so Paul George went Clippers to Philadelphia I kind of like the move but Paul's older now, mid-30s, and he's falling apart physically, shutting it down. And I was thinking about this. Years ago, because I'm not anti-analytics.

I like man-aletics over analytics. I think in professional sports, there is an alpha in the locker room that matters more than just analytics. I remember years ago when Hardin and Kobe, if you take Hardin's best four years and Kobe's best four, it's the same player one of them was about winning one of them was about hardened the analytics are like oh hardin's the better player no he's not nope not gonna go there so it's interesting uh the process was a developmental plan by a guy named sam hinky he was a business guy that came to the NBA now he's back to business really smart guy and then there was brian colangelo but then it was darrell morey so darrell mori who i know and like a lot really smart guy sam hinky really smart guy

very much about analytics. But this team always lacked analytics. So over the course of the process, which started back in 2013, here are the players, the stars they have had. Joe L.M. Bede, Jaliel

Olkhafore, Ben Simmons, Nirlins-Nehl, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Paul George. One of those guys we associate with winning, Jimmy Butler. And do you know how long he lasted in Philadelphia? you, six months.

He couldn't stand it. Because winners don't like hanging around, mediocre people, stat patters and losers. Jimmy Butler's a winner. MJ's a winner. LeBron's a winner. Duncan's a winner. Magic, bird.

That's what analytics doesn't measure. Is James Harden really into winning? James is into James. Okay? Sometimes in shape. Defense, optional, more of a hobby than a profession. So the process, it was all about analytics. And there are just limitations to it.

Just limitations to it. One guy that was with the Sixers you look at and go, winning player. By the way, here's the two people who love Jimmy Butler. Pat Riley, Steve Kerr, winners. Listen to analytics, willing to digest new information. information, but Steve Kerr's about winning. He knows how to build a team that wins. Pat Riley's done over and over,

winners. And so it's just interesting. This thing started about 15, 12 years ago, the process, and it was heavy analytics, but it was flakes, guards that couldn't shoot, centers that don't want to play back-to-backs, guys who are into padding, guys who, like, just wanted the ball. I still content about Joel Embed,

go watch the Olympics. He's the only star that didn't fit at all. He just didn't fit with the offense. So winning players, first day, first day, Butler hits the Warriors. Impact. He figured out a way to make it work.

Hard at practice, hard and game. One game. Jimmy Butler's like, okay, I'm going to play off Steph, I'm going to create free throws, I'm going to create advantages, everybody. I mean, it's the world. Wiggins, Jimmy Butler think.

Butler and his career averages twice as many assists as Wiggins. He creates advantages. Wiggins benefits from advantages. Two totally different players, although they're wings that average 18 a game. So if you don't watch them, you'd think Wiggins and Jimmy Butler, if you just look at the analytics, you'd like, about the same size, 18 a game, one guy's obviously more of a creator. Totally different players.

That's why I always push back on analytics and stats. It just tells you, there were a lot of people that were arguing. the analytics people, that James Hardin was better than Kobe in that five-year stretch. It was like, man, Kobe's in bed, he's eating salmon, broccoli, can't get him away from practice, literally yelling at teammates, screaming at management, get me more winning players. It's a totally different, totally different guy. So, J-Mack, you know, I was looking at that story. You talked about Cooper Cup.

I'll get into this next hour. By the way, top of the hour, I'll make my AFC predictions. Can I, real quick, I saw the graphic for the AFC prediction. I think they messed up. They only had Lamar, Josh, and Pat Mahomes. No Justin Fields in the graphic. Does that mean you don't have the Jets in your top seven? I was surprised.

I was like going to text the staff here. Yeah. Not that funny. Okay. I'm just, I still really like your slow feet don't eat. If you can figure out slow hands don't blank, whatever that is, then I'll give you a pass on that one. But you like analytics.

I mean, I think we're both data guys. I mean, if you like gambling, you got to like gambling. Yeah, no, no, we both, I like analytics. But I think you can get way too into it. And I've always said this about basketball. So baseball is a great example. Over a course of 162 games, baseball analytics work. You get into the postseason, you're going to use a starter in the bullpen to win a game.

You get late in a series game six or seven. Who gives a rip about starting tomorrow? You're going to use situationally. you will use Otani this year for the Dodgers if he pitched as a starter three days earlier. It's the ninth inning and he's your best pitcher available. You would pitch Otani in the ninth inning. And it's the same in basketball. Threes work over the course of a long haul.

Shooting a bunch of threes work like the Celtics. But in the end, Cleveland does a better job. The Cavaliers do a better job of generating better, higher quality shots than the Celtics do. They create more good twos. The Celtics are very relying on threes. So the fear, if you're a Celtics fan, is what happens to the three games in the series that we can't hit threes? Because Cleveland defends the three pretty well.

So they're boom-busty. They're very boom-busty. And so I think a lot of things with analytics work in the regular season. But in the playoffs, you know this. It's about getting a bucket. LeBron gets a bucket. He doesn't always shoot great threes. Jimmy Butler, by the way, gets a bucket.

That's why Jimmy Butler, what do they call him? Playoff Jimmy. Jimmy's not a three-point shooter. He gets a stop and he gets a bucket. So analytics are, you know, people laugh when I said Maniletics over analytics. I like it. But Jimmy Butler's the classic man-a-lilics guy.

Did you see the Celtics attempted 63-3 against OK-State? I watched the game. Yeah, I watched it. That's a lot of threes. Yeah. Again, it's boom or bust. Yeah. 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. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

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

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling

sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be

with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is IHeart Podcasts. Guaranteed human.