The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Thoughts on Cooper Flagg

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

Colin looks at presumptive number 1 pick Cooper Flagg as he enters the NBA Draft tonight His thoughts on Aaron Rodgers saying this season will be his last He makes the case that both the Cowboys and the 49ers are headed for tough seasons when he shares his “Bold NFC Predictions” for the upcoming seasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Coming to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is NBA Draft Wednesday. It's a good draft with a college. Superstar at number one. We are live. It's the herd wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.

John Middletop, who has been so great filling in this week. J. Mack comes back tomorrow. John's been crushing it. Rick Fettino in one hour from now. Everybody tried when Louis Carnaceka left to rebuild St. John's. He did virtually overnight. They were one of the most entertaining teams in the country, So he's got a great sense of the draft.

We have one star player, and then there's about 10 guys that people think could become really high-end players, all-stars. How deep of a draft is it? I don't think, you know, these days I don't know. But I want to start with this. I believe, John, the college basketball, and I thought this about two years ago, college basketball is having a renaissance.

For the previous 20 years, I mean, you'd have guys that would win college player of the year. They'd go to the NBA, and they're the fourth guy off a bench, the third guy off a bench. I believe between NIL keeping really good college players in college for another year or two, and that NIL money going to Europe and Spain and poaching their best young players, I noticed it two years ago with a UCon team that had like seven NBA guys, and I'm like, okay, that team could compete against the Christian Leightner Duke team.

That team could play against a Ewing-Hoya team. Size, aggressiveness, coaching, NBA guys. guards and we've seen their players come to the NBA and crush. So my take is about two years ago, I'm like, okay, we're back to what I remember in college in my 20s and early 30s. We're a college basketball team. If they were great, they had like five guys that could play in the NBA. Legitimate players.

So Cooper Flagg is the best domestic product. I think he has a more well-rounded game than Anthony Davis or a Carmelo Anthony. the last decade we've had two stars two stars be a number one pick wemby and zion were stars small markets and bad rosters cooper flag is going to dallas Dallas Dallas has the deepest front line in the NBA PJ Washington uh Daniel Gafford Anthony Davis who I think is the best defensive player in the league

Derek lively four guys he doesn't have to defend the rim like in these highlights he can get out on transition he doesn't have to worry about and he's a good defender he's going to be out in transition Dallas also needs because they have size but they need more ball handlers playmakers guys who can shoot clay Thompson's getting old so I think he's a perfect fit this is very rare just like duke he's going to walk in and he's not going to waste four years waiting for the coaching staff the draft picks to develop and that's what wemby's having to do and san an san antonio's to be really good eventually.

But what do they win? 34 games last year? This team, I believe, along with Oklahoma City and now Houston with KD, I think Dallas, if Kyrie Irving comes back at any point next year with Cooper Flag and that front line, I think that's a team good enough to play for the Western Conference Finals Championship. So the top NBA teams, you know, they don't get the best draft picks. The last draft I remember where you got a top pick for a top team was when, and honestly,

It was Jason Tatum was a top three pick. He went to the Celtics. He was good, and Cooper Flagg is going to be good. Now, I think Cooper Flag is a better defender at this point than Jason Tatum, and he's more aggressive than Jason Tatum. And aggressive matters. I mean, one of the great qualities of Michael Jordan, he was just aggressive. Kobe was aggressive.

Shaq was aggressive. Some of our guys now, they're more collaborative. They're AAU guys. It takes a while for it to work. They want to be good teammates. I mean, our biggest criticism of Jason Tatum is. would you take the ball? Would you take the final shot? So Cooper Flagg has an old school. This kid was a high school phenom in Maine. And if you read his life story, they very early started having him play like a European player against older players. They were beating him up. His trainer was beating him up. And this kid was super hyper aggressive playing against older players at 15, 16, 17. So he's got an old school physicality and an old school aggressiveness. with a really, really nice handle, good length, nice shot.

He's got the modern skills, but the old school mentality. And that Jason Tatum Celtics, remember as a rookie? They got to the Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, one of the most iconic moves in the history of Jason Tatum's career, remember that early dunk is a rookie. Remember that? He got that early dunk on LeBron James, and that's his rookie year. And I think Cooper Flagg, he's not as good as Jason Tatum now.

and he's not going to be as good as Jason Tatum for a while. But defensively, aggressiveness, this dude can play. And he's not going to be the Mavericks Foundation today, but I would say at the end of his second year, he's that good. Remember, he should be in high school right now. He should be walking on the stage getting his diploma.

So to me, this is a really exciting draft. There's a couple of Rutgers guys to keep your eye on. There's a couple other dukies. There's a kid from Arizona I like, but this draft is about Cooper Flag going to a really, really good team with an A coach, and LeBron James this week

was talking about how good he'll be and what a perfect fit it is for him. He has the benefit unlike myself. He gets to join a team that's established with Hall of Fame guys, Clay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irvin,

right off the bat, Hall of Fame coach, Jason Kidd, that type of presence, that type of leadership, that type of just basketball, IQ and knowledge around him every single day from those pieces. So I think he's going to be amazing. I mean, what happens usually with the top pick is they come in at 18 or 19, and they have to be the centerpiece of the team, at least the second best player, but they also

have to be uniquely mature, and John Morant and Zion weren't. Jason Tatum wasn't asked to do that. They had a good great GM. They had a good coach. They had a good roster. Jason Tatum came in and it was like, hey, kid, can you add your youth, your energy, your legs to a really good team

and give us a spark in key moments? That's all that Cooper Flagg has to do with a more aggressive old school mindset than Tatum. He's going to be a great player. I can't wait. Rick Patino in one hour from now. Okay, so yesterday, Aaron Rogers, Pat McAfee's show, comes out and says,

this is probably going to be it. This is the last year I'm playing. And I was thinking about this this morning. It's just incredible. Maybe it's the water in Green Bay. Because Brett Farve from the deep south, and Aaron Rogers is California cool. And what is remarkable if Aaron has some success this year?

And I'll talk about that in the second. Aaron Rogers and Farv had identical careers. and let's face it, the Steelers over or under is eight and a half. They can absolutely win nine or ten games. They won ten games last year, and they were terrible on offense. Now, I think they're going to pull back, but they have a number one receiver, great culture, good coach, excellent defense. Joe Burrow goes down. They have the second best roster in the division to the Ravens.

They could certainly make the playoffs. But I want to take you through the ABCs of Fav and Aaron Rogers similarities. It's crazy. So they both enter Green Bay as backups. And then eventually one due to an injury and one due to Farr of leaving, B, they eventually get the starting job. And immediately you see A plus talent. The game Fav came in for an injured quarterback.

He led him to a late game victory. Aaron's first year he goes six and ten, but everybody's like, whoa, whoa, this guy is good. C, both have profound decade and a half packer seasons. Farr for 16 years, Aaron for 15. And in their prime, John Madden fell in love with Fav, felt he was the most talented quarterback. And Aaron wasn't posting all the trophies that Tom was, but the feeling was Aaron's the most talented thrower of the football in the league. That's what we thought about FARV. D, one, they both win one Super Bowl and multiple MVP's were left with both thinking,

should they want a little more E, they both get a little weird, a little prickly, a little testy with management, they don't want to learn new systems. You hear this kind of early retirement talk and you're like, F, Aaron, you guys got years left. F, they go to the Jets and it's a disaster. So you say, well, Colin, Favre went to a really good team in Minnesota. Well, Aaron wanted to go to Minnesota,

but do you remember the Minnesota team Favre went to? They won 10 games the year before he got there. Well, what do the Steelers do this past year? They won 10 games before Aaron signed up. So most of us learn from the alphabet. Aaron Rogers learned from the Alpha Brett. It's the same career if Aaron can win nine or ten games and squeeze into the playoffs. Remember, Cleveland's in a reboot.

Baltimore's the best. you are fighting Cincinnati, which has had constant controversy with contracts. Their number one pick may not show up to the team. Their defensive end pass rushers furious. Joe Burrell has a history of not getting great protection, being upset and getting dinged up. It's very possible. They're battling a New England. They're battling a Houston or an Indianapolis for a wildcard spot.

So, you know, I mean, listen. They won 10 games last year. They have the 23rd offense. With Aaron, you think it's going to be around middle of the league. They got D.K. Metcalfe. They have maybe the second or third best center. Arthur Smith appears capable. Aaron at the end in New York played okay.

Some thought good. Okay. So it just to me, it's so funny. I don't know if it's the water in Green Bay. But you couldn't find two personalities that are more different. sort of the southern good old boy Farve and the California hipster with a chip

on his shoulder Aaron and they have morphed into the exact same career a decade and a half we thought they should have won another Super Bowl in their prime were thought of as the cool quarterback Peyton Manning and Brady weren't cool Farv was cool

Aaron was cool and here they are at the end Aaron wins 10 games, sneaks into the playoffs it will look you'll look at this thing 20 years later and think, how did that end up the exact same? John, you know a lot about those Packers. I don't think they're going to win 10 games,

but I also think I've been doubting the Steelers for three years in a row, and they keep winning 9 and 10 games. I will say this about Farvin, Minnesota, old body indoors, a little easier. Can you know, close your eyes? Picture Aaron Rogers 41 and some of those cold weather, AFC North games. A little harder on the joints, Colin. No, I will say, do you remember the Minnesota season, though?

Well, they had Adrian Peterson, too, who was a rocket ship at the time. Yes, but it was one, in terms of one of the more galvanizing, likable teams in the last 20 years in the NFL. It was fun. It was wild watching Farr have come back to the division and face the Packers, and Packer fans didn't know what to do because they all had his jersey, and now he was playing for the rival Vikings. It was this weird confluence of, of, I don't know. angst. I love him.

He's driving me crazy. He's my guy. Now he plays for the rival. So you don't get that. And I do think Minnesota was the perfect place for Aaron Rogers. But they kind of line up. Their careers. And at the very end, Farve got a little odd.

And I don't want to take any shots at Aaron. But yesterday, one of the things he said was, I'm going to go hide in retirement. And I'm thinking, it's the off season. You're on a TV show. You're not exactly a guy who hides. Okay? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

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Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paul and Tony Fusco show on the IHart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. He's still moving. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

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

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. 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 s nl late night comedy guy not quite unhumor me with robert smigle and friends me and hilarious guests from bob odenkirk to david letterman help make you funnier this week my guess s n l's mikey day and head writer streeter sidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter where does your group perform we do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the 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.

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I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen she won. I mean, she went down in three to Rovachina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina 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. If there's one thing I have learned about really a really professional, But specifically the NFL. Over the course of my broadcasting history is that the gap, like the rest of society probably,

I mean, there's no license. You can't major in general manager. Like the owners, it's always their second or third toy. Coaches are hit and miss. Most coordinators don't make it. But if I've learned anything, is that the gap in coaching is actually greater than the gap in quarterback play. I mean, Patrick Mahomes last year, I mean, Joe Burrow was a better quarterback in his own division. In the regular season, so was Herbert. And we think there's a big gap. The gap in coaching

in this league is unbelievably large. It's the biggest gap. It's not GMs or owners. It's not quarterbacks. It's general, it's coaches. I'll give you an example. So PFF came out today. The top 10 coaches in the NFL, and they had Sean Payton number two. So we give Andy Reid. everybody sort of understands how good Andy Reed is. But I want you to think about Sean Payton. Not only has he had, you know, he's got a new ownership group. So those are always interesting. When you have new ownership groups, even if they're good, there's new owners.

So just think about what Sean Payton has done in Denver. Denver was a shipwreck. He takes over an insanely expensive regressing quarterback in Russell Wilson that did not connect with the players. The offensive line was terrible. They finished last in the NFL in points the year before he got there, six straight losing seasons. Everything was broken. Everything. Year one, he gets Russell Wilson back to being capable.

He fixes the O line. I don't know how. Top seven in the league. They go eight and nine. In year two, he still has $89 million of dead cap money. He drafts a quarterback. Half the league was out on two small Bow Nicks. They make the playoffs in a division with Herbert, Mahalms, Andy Reed, and Jim Harbaugh's rivals.

The defense last year led the NFL in Sacks, and they were top ten in scoring. Last to top ten in scoring were they a rookie quarterback in the better AFC in the tough division. And the people in the media keep telling me, oh, it's that guy in Miami, and Mike McDaniels. They won 19 games two years before Mike McDaniels got to Miami, his first year. years in Miami, they won 20, and last year there were sub 500. You guys like Mike McDaniels, you media guys, because he looks like you. You're not very big, he's kind of quirky, he's kind of academic, you like him because you think he kind of looks like my sports writer friend. And Sean Payton's not. Sean is unapologetic. Cocky. Little cocky. A storyteller. It's going

to remind you from time to time he's pretty smart. He's direct and outspoken. Remember his first day on the job when asked about Russell Wilson, here it is. had a personal coach, Jake keeps in the building with access, who wasn't on the staff. How do you feel about players having their own people off the staff in the building, access to the players?

Yeah, that's foreign to me. That's not going to take place here. I mean, I'm unfamiliar with it, but our staff will be here, our players will be here, and that'll be it. And a couple other times in the first year, he said things that made people very angry, including Aaron Rogers,

didn't like what he had to say about Nat Hackett. You know who's also a little arrogant, unapologetic, direct, and outspoken, your orthopedic surgeon. Who cares? Seek competency. Too many people in the world have to like somebody they hire, have to like somebody or relate to somebody to be a fan of them. He's not a politician. Politicians need to be somewhat likable, somewhat relatable, galvanize the public. Football coaches have to be smart, competent, productive, and win. Think about what he had overcome. Russell Wilson, the culture was broken. The O line was broken. He comes in with new owners. You got Andy Reed and Harbaugh on the

division. Now Pete Carroll. The defense was okay. Now it's number one in Sacks. The offense was completely broken. The culture was broken. The locker room was broken. And here's another reminder. In the history of the New Orleans Saints, take Sean Payton out of it. With Sean Payton in 15 years, nine playoff wins, seven division titles. Without him in the other 43, An argument, look at the numbers. Worst team in the league, worst franchise in the league. The minute he left the building, they got bad. And I think this year there's an argument,

Giants, Jets, and Saints are the worst teams in the league. They can't figure out how to reboot it. With all the roadblocks in Denver, Deadcap, Russell, broken culture, horrible offensive line, dealing with a new owner, Harbaugh, Andy Reid, Herbert, Mahomes. They'll make the playoffs again. Always like Sean. Always appreciated Sean.

Yeah, sometimes he's a little direct. So are most of the really good people I've ever worked with. They'll ruffle feathers. He ruffled Russell's. But what he's done shows you the gap. In all the years I've been broadcasting, the greatest gap is coaching. Mahomes may have the trophies. Last year, Mahomes was not a top three quarterback in the league.

I mean, let's be totally up. Burrow was better. Josh Allen was better. On a lot of Sundays, Jalen Hertz was better. Jason McIntyre would argue Brock Purdy was better. The Gap is coaching. John Middlokoff with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Okay, sticking with football, let's start with the Minnesota Vikings. Uh, whose biggest question heading into training camp this fall is just how good is J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy obviously missed all of last season with a messed up knee, but has been a full participant so far this offseason. T.J. Hawkinson spoke

to what he's seen from his quarterback so far. A young guy that's hungry and he wants to learn and he wants to get better. I mean, you know, he's making a trip down here soon and so, you know, he wants to be great. And I respect that. He really wants it. He really wants everything to be perfect. He's a perfectionist for sure, which is awesome, because that's how you need to be as a quarterback in this league. What's really exciting, if Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy hit. Yeah. And they both have really good offensive coaches.

So Jaden McDaniels flourished with a defensive coach. Drake May, really, really talented, looks like he's going to work. He had a defensive coach that didn't work. So these two guys have offensive coaches. If they hit, and I think we both think Pennix is good enough, especially indoors, he'll be good. You could have a five-quarterback first round because Bo Nix works. And Payton's going to make him work maybe to a higher level than anybody outside of Andy Reid can make him work. I always get excited when you have one of those Herbert, two of Burrow drafts.

Like, it's like nothing's worse than the one o'clock window on Sunday, John, with bad quarterback play. So I'm rooting for it to work. Totally. Three-for-three is a little easier, though, than five for five or six-for-six. I mean, historically, some of these guys are not going to work out. Jaden Daniels is Bo Nix clearly is going to be solid. There are some, you know, a lot of pressure on Drake May. Obviously, J.J. McCarthy, I think it's very difficult for a young player.

And he's essentially a rookie, right? Because he didn't play last year. The expectations aren't just, hey, just be competitive. It's when, I don't know, 12, 13, 14 games. Because I'm Sam. Yeah. Win games in the playoffs compete for the NFC. On paper, subtract the quarterback.

You could argue they have a top two or three roster in the NFL. They upgraded their own line significantly. The thing that kind of gives me pause is their head coach, who's an offensive guy, fantastic play caller, is a pass game guy. It likes to throw the ball. JJ comes from Harbaugh, who likes to call runs. So it's going to be fascinating early on. I'm pretty sure week one, Colin, Bears, Vikings, Monday night football, everyone's going to be watching. So welcome to the NFL kid.

That is a, is that the first Monday Night Football game? I'm pretty sure that is. Wow. That is a good Monday night football. game. Sticking in the NFC, speaking of young quarterbacks, Jane Daniels, Dan Quinn, and the commanders had a hell of a season this first year together, finishing with the best record since 1991. They went 12 and 5, making it to the NFC title game. That was insane. Austin Declor is expecting more growth from the young quarterback as he enters his

second year. He crushed it last year. What I've seen from him going into this year, we have the same offensive coordinator, and so bringing that into the mix, has now made it. So now when we go through OTAs, Jay's already on it. You can tell him that growth, and he's starting to get more comfortable, which allows him to even play mentally faster

and make better decisions. We're going to be looked like a powerhouse out there. He is, I always thought Andrew Luck, all things considered, had the best rookie season I'd ever seen. I thought Jayden Daniels was better. And I think he had a better roster than Andrew Luck did, but he didn't make the Andrew Luck mistakes.

I thought he would be good. I said before he got drafted, he's Lamar, but better in the pocket. I did not think he would be this good in late game situations. I knew he would run away from people. I knew he was good in the pocket. His ability, two-minute drill, late in quarters, late in games, I'll say it again. Not even Elway did this. I've never seen a rookie quarterback this cognitively aware, this poised, and this accurate.

Burrell wasn't this good first year. I don't even know how to describe it. To me, poise is something that you gain as your career goes because of experience. He had it so early. They did get to sneak up on people last year. They did. People were not expecting them. If you think about the Lions a couple years ago, got to sneak up.

For the last couple years, the Lions have been most teams' biggest game on a weekly basis. That's going to be the case. You add Tunzel, you add Debo. I think the one thing they really have going for him, Dan Quinn's been around the block. He's a veteran head coach. Adam Peters has added a lot of talent. but it's hard not to bet on the I mean if he was a stock you would just continue to buy

more stock of Jane Daniels but they do have the Eagles in the division the Lions are going to be healthy the Packers we know the Rams are good like the NFC might not have the quarterback elite star power that the AFC does but the teams are good yeah and I think the thing that really impressed me about Jaden Daniels

now you know this means a lot to me it doesn't mean a lot to everybody else but one of the first things that blew me away with Jalen Hertz was how good he was at the podium as a quarterback, and this was the thing I crushed Baker Mayfield for, which he's gotten much better at. Baker was starting fires. Jalen puts them out. And that Wednesday presser is sort of the, okay, now you're getting injury reports.

Now there's somebody, someone of your players. Jane Daniels is so good in terms of media, because Washington, D.C.'s media is aggressive. This is a northeast media. Feisty talk radio is very big. Fire start about every five days. The kid is so adult. He is so mature. I remember watching last year, and if you didn't know,

you'd be like, is this his ninth or his tenth year in the league? Remember that video when he transferred from Arizona State and all the kids in the locker room were like throwing his stuff in the trash? And it was like, what's going on here? And then a couple years later, seems like Arizona State screwed that one up. And Brian Kelly and LSU got it right. But yeah, incredible season.

Okay. Last but not least, on to the NBA, where the Nuggets held a press conference to discuss their news, front office setup heading into next season where they'll rely on a little bit of an unorthodox approach, kind of a co-partnership of their executive vice presidents, not quite sure what's going on. But the biggest takeaway was that team president Josh Kronky and what he had to say about roster construction. For us as an organization going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we're scared of. I think that there are rules around it that we needed to be very

careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured and very quickly you're into a scenario where that I never want to have to contemplate. That's trading number 15. Yeah, I wouldn't even bring that up. I mean, Colin, if you were a Denver Nugget fan and there was ever a trade that included number 15, you are fully allowed to just quit your fandom, move to a different team. You might have to disband the franchise, Colin. There is not a player in the world less tradable than him. You can't trade him. It would be like Jeter in his prime.

It's beyond just being great. It's Jeter was the soul of the Yankees. He was the captain. This guy was the coach at the end of the year during timeouts. He's not just a bucket. He elevates it. There's two players on this roster. You can never move.

I think Gordon is one of the more underrated players in the league. Length, hustle, toughness, smarts. Yokic number one, Gordon, two. Everybody else to me is movable. Can you imagine if right before the draft, Brett Veach was like, yeah, you know, if things got weird, you never know with Mahomes? People would be like, what? Can it a full stop there?

Yokic, I mean, these last couple years, has turned into one of the greatest players we've ever seen. To even bring that up, you would trade the arena, the every player, myself as the owner, before you traded that individual. Yeah, listen, when you're live on a hot mic, I can attest to this. Sometimes it goes, things come out, and you just don't love them. and that's when you want to pull back a little bit. These guys are making a lot of money.

I wonder if these people, you know, are you trying to sell high maybe? I know he's due maybe $350,400 million. Well, here's the thing. The new max for the elite players, and this is why I said, it's not that they traded Luca and Dallas. They didn't get enough for him, but Luca had missed back-to-back camps. He doesn't defend.

The Lakers found out he's not really in great shape. And he spends way too much time on stuff like arguing, at referees. I thought I had no problem. If it would have been AD Austin Reeves and three number ones, I would sleep on moving Luca. This is an untradable player. Like Janus, by the way, can't hit a free throw late, doesn't have a jumper, had injuries. I would sleep on stuff. There are most guys in the league that I like I'd sleep on. LeBron in his prime, absolutely not. Yonkich now, absolutely not. Totally agree. It is Mahomes. It's the Mahomes. It's the Mahomom. Holmes Josh Allen comp.

We're not taking the phone call. And to suggest it on a hot mic, his three days of his radio fodder in Denver. Exactly. John Middlecob of the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News.

You know, we did this yesterday, and we're going to do it again today. Yesterday we did the AFC, and today we're going to do the NFC in terms of our sort of projections for the biggest surprises in the conference. John has the Colts with Daniel Jones racing to a playoff spot, which was funny. I went home yesterday, and I, you know, as I'm prone to do with no life,

I go to the two deeps on Indy, and I'm like, I've got a really good roster. They just don't have a quarterback that can complete 64% of their throws. And their schedule, by the way, is an AFC South schedule. There's wins all over. I thought you were going to say you checked your phone. He said, Ballard said, I like this middle cough guy. Well, he does. I already know that. So we will make our big surprise picks

And the NFC coming up. It's The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to 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 did we? 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, for people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, 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.

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 Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs.

And on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rovachina, but I'm delighted. Yeah, she's an outsider to win the first. French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard 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. Texas shootout at Live Golf Dallas. Catch coverage around one Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern. Round two Saturday at 3.30, all on Fox.

There's a live a golf Chicago coming up. My friends are excited for that as well. So yesterday we did the AFC. John's a former NFL scout. And if you've heard our podcast at the volume on Sunday nights and Monday morning, we like to chop it up and talk a lot of NFL. So yesterday we did our three things that would be surprises to I think a lot of people. I mean, we didn't want to go too over the top.

I bought all of yours because I think Daniel Jones and the Colts could win the division. I don't think they could win the AFC West. I think they go in the AFC South. So here we go. Here the surprise moves. Number one, this is the least surprising of any I've done in the last two days. Brian Chottnheimer is a one and done. Jerry will know by Thanksgiving he made a huge mistake.

Forget the fact that Philadelphia and Washington will probably both blow them out in division twice. We've got a lot of one and done's happening now. David Cully, Steve Wilkes, Urban Meyer, Nathaniel Hackett, Antonio Pierce, Jared Mayo. People liked Antonio Pierce. I mean, the Raiders played a lot of people tough, including the Chiefs. One and done happens all the time now. And as the NFC, there was about a three-year window to make hay in the NFC where it was kind of soft.

As Johns pointed out, the coaching and the NFC are no longer soft. And I think Dallas is going to be humiliated on a lot of Sundays. That's my first surprise. You know, I'm going to go with the Packers win the North. I think a lot of people, Minnesota, Detroit, Minnesota, New Corps. A new quarterback, right? Detroit, two new coordinators. We don't know if Ben Johnson can coach. The Packers went one in five last year in the division.

They won 11 games. Their quarterback also got hurt week one, which kind of threw them off. They have one of the best offensive coordinators in the league, who's their head coach in LaFloor. Their defense last year, getting halfway from Boston College, was the top five unit in the league. And they got a lot of young players. I think the Packers are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

I wouldn't be stunned if they were the number one over. overall seed. Well, here's what's interesting about that pick. I had this kind of inner conversation. I was thinking about this the other day. My problem with Green Bay is every team in the league I like has at least three elite players. Who's their best player? It's a group unit. It's a team unit. I mean, I love their operation, Colin. It is, but I, you know, they don't get free agents, so they can't solve holes. So if they have a hole, they have to get it in the draft. Like, I like their wide receivers. They saw it as a weakness and attacked it in the first round. Like, I thought Jaya Alexander two years ago was their best player.

I don't know who he is right now. I'll say this about the Packers. A lot like the Ravens, they draft and develop as well as any team. They do. And their offensive line is always excellent. So to me, Jordan Love, obviously they need him to play at a higher level, but I just trust the infrastructure there. Okay, you're not going to like this.

Number two is Niners missed the playoffs. So first of all, they lost Dre Greenlaw, who Funga and Debo Samuel. They didn't really want to. Those are good players. the players they have now in offense get injured. They have a sub-500 record. Kyle does without Christian McCaffrey. How many games do you get?

They're a sprained knee on Trent Williams at left tackle from having a bad offensive line. Again, McCaffrey coming off an injured season. They were 6 and 11 last year. I think Seattle's got an excellent roster. That Rams defense only getting better. And I think the Arizona guy can coach. I don't know how great they are, but they're going to upset, including the Rams. They're going to get some upsets next year.

Brandon Iyuk is still recovering. Ricky Pirsall, Joanne Jennings are ones. I think the schedule helps them, but they are a key offensive injury, Christian or Trent Williams or Kiddell, from being a different team. Yeah, I don't think you're going to like this, Colin. The 49ers are making the playoffs.

You just talked about it. Coaching, right? They have one of the best coach in the league. Oh, yeah, they also added Robert Sala back in the mix. Excellent D.C. They were terrible last year in one school. games, especially in the division. They lost a close game to the Rams.

They lost a close game to the Cardinals. They lost a close game to the Seattle. All in the last final couple of minutes of the fourth quarter. Christian McCaffrey is healthy. Kyle just said it a couple weeks ago. He's full go. Trent Williams, healthy. They have been a lot like an NBA team.

They've been making these deep runs, deep runs. And they just ran out of juice last year. It happens. Well, last year, they've been off since January 1st. So you get extra rest. I think Brock Purdy is going to have a big year. I think Kyle has a lot to prove. and I just think based on the schedule,

I don't think it's inconceivable. They get 10-11 wins. The Chicago Bears will make the playoffs. First of all, I think Minnesota is going to regress. I don't think Detroit will be as good because I don't know if the coordinators are. And Green Bay could be good, but they're not dominating.

They don't have dominating personnel. First of all, I think Ben Johnson's got a Sean McVey field. First thing he attacks is the offensive line. Sean Payton, first thing he attacks offensive line. Andy Reid's done it multiple times. Fix the offensive line. The Bears' offensive line was awful. Some of that's Caleb, absolutely.

But young quarterbacks, even Jaden Daniels, it's Cliff Kingsbury. They need a mentor. They need a king, a guide. Iber Fluse, defensive staff, your passing game coordinator becomes your head coach. Jonah Jackson, Drew Dalman, Joe Tunney. That's a really good guard center guard combination. I think it's a 9-to-a-10-win team. Detroit's good, not done.

dominating because as Philadelphia showed us, you can get to a Super Bowl. If you lose good coordinators and replace them with B&Cs, things get ugly by Thanksgiving. I think the Bears make the playoffs. Don't hate it. Tyler Murray, he's one of the best athletes we've ever seen. Is he a good quarterback? I think this will be his last season on the Cardinals. This GM and head coach did not draft him.

He's never won a playoff game. I don't think they're going to make the playoffs this year. How many years can you go with a high. high-priced quarterback and not win. Usually those guys get moved. He still has value. You could put a highlight tape together, just 10, 20 plays at Kyla Murray. He's as good as anyone in the league.

That's right. But when you watch him over the course of a game, over the course of a month, he leaves a lot to be desired. I don't think he can always see receivers like two has talked about because of size. He's 5'9. But he can move. He's got a huge arm. I still think he'd have a market.

He's not a bad player. He's, if anything, he's a frustrating player because the talent's there. he's pretty accurate down the field. Obviously his speed is pretty special, but can he slice and dice the good teams when he has to in the third and fourth quarter down the stretch of a season? I don't see it happening.

So I would expect Kyler Murray in 2006 to be in a new home. Yeah, he will have a market because he's still in his athletic prime. So I have Dallas blows out the coaching staff after one year. Niners close but missed the playoffs. A little too old offensively.

There'll be injuries. I think the NFC North is very even, but I don't think Detroit's coaching is as good. And John has the Packers win the division. Niners do make the playoffs, and Kyler Murray gets moved. I think over the course of two days, the one that people go, whoa, is Daniel Jones makes the playoffs. Last year, C.J. Straub pulled back. They blamed the offensive coordinator.

They blamed injuries to receivers. That one, if that's the crazy one, I think. that's got legs. Yeah, to me, we've seen it in recent, you know, with Baker-Mayfield, Sam Donald high picks resurrecting their career. And to me, the Alex Smith comp, he's going to hand the ball off, they're going to play defense. They're not looking for 40 touchdowns. They just need like 22. Okay, so the Boston Celtics over the last couple of days have made moves. They made another one yesterday. First, it was Drew Holliday, who said, his words not mine. He was pissed. The Celtics traded him to Portland, and now Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and a three-team deal.

two big trades in a year coming up that Jason Tatum probably doesn't play. And this is the right thing to do. Okay, there is maximum punitive penalties now with a luxury tax. So financial negligence is severely punished. It was sort of punished. Now even for billionaires. It's severely punished. So the Celtics saved $180 million in taxes making these moves.

and it shows once again the value of front offices. The Celtics have done this multiple times. They're in a rebuild or a reboot, and they can still vie for the playoffs. In fact, I think with Jalen Brown, Derek White, Peyton Pritchard, and Anthony Simons can score and hit threes, they will vie for the Eastern Conference finals. They'll vie for it. Nick's don't have a coach.

Halliburton's gone with the Pacers. Orlando's good but really young. The magic didn't get KD. I never trust the Sixers. And, you know, what is Cleveland? We're not even sure. Milwaukee, is the honest there or not? Even if he is, they don't have the pieces.

So Boston's going to buy. They're going to hit a lot of three-pointers. They're going to be a young, very good regular season team. Porzing is gone. Horford probably next. Jason Tatum down. Drew Holiday was aging. He's gone.

And this is the classic Boston Celtics. Optimize the presence. Don't get yourself. Don't be the Phoenix Suns. Go all in. Make mistakes. grab a shovel and keep digging. This is why Danny Aange and Brad Stevens

keep over and over winning trades. They've got a big picture plan and they have no problem rebooting. Generally in sports, when you reboot, you get bad. But I think the Celtics also looked at Halliburton, Knicks don't have a coach, Miami didn't get KD, and I think inside the building, Boston's thinking, we're going to end up in the Eastern Conference finals.

Because nobody trusts, nobody trusts Cleveland. We like Cleveland. We liked them for four years. They never done anything without LeBron. We don't trust them in the playoffs. So Milwaukee, with or without Janus, they're not a championship level team. So this is classic Boston.

People will say, well, I mean, they only have two, titles in 30 so many years. Aren't they almost always good? They're almost always viable. Danny Angel was doing massive rebuilds, and they were viable. Jason Tatum's rookie year. They made the Eastern Conference finals.

So I look at them today, even without Tatum, and my take is, yeah, yeah, they're going to be, I mean, Peyton Pritchard 3, Anthony Sinem's 3, Jalen Brown defends and threes. I mean, why not? So this is another example of the gap.

This is what, you know, for the record, Oklahoma City, as they were getting all these draft picks, remember when Oklahoma City was getting all these draft picks and were like, man, they're going to be good in three years. Remember this a couple years ago? And they made the playoffs. And so the playoffs, Celtics have made the playoffs 17 of the last 18 seasons. They've had a complete overhaul. Remember when they shipped all the guys to Brooklyn? It got all the draft picks.

You're like, well, that was a good run. tears, no over beers. Let's go hang out into Shoney's. This is going to be a rough stretch. No, they made the playoffs. That's what they do, and they do it with great ownership, great front offices, and when they reboot, they look around the league, and they're like, okay, save money, save money, save money.

Once again, they're going to be viable. I mean, I'm thinking this morning. I love Orlando next year. I think Orlando is going to end up in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks do not have a coach. The New York Knicks, and when they hire him, he won't be as good as the last coach. It's what the Celtics do. Our two next.

Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired. and sick, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement home. 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 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 hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark 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. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit season two is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority of black city in which there were more Omaha. to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.