The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Watson, Rodgers, Lakers

Episode Date: August 10, 2022

Roger Goodell's comments on Deshaun Watson is more proof the NFL wants him suspended more than 6 games Players like Aaron Rodgers don't need to play during the preseason Another story has leaked about the Lakers and it shows Russell Westbrook is a bad fit   Guest: Albert BreerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Joy Taylor is joining me on a lively show today. Nick Wright shows up later in the hour. next hour, I should say, one hour from now. Joy, how are you? I'm doing great. Football season is here. I'm excited. There are some really interesting stories for this season to watch. Yes. And it's been an unusually slow July and early August. There's not a lot of controversy. We were talking about this yesterday. Athletes make more money. They've got more handlers. I think they're smarter. They make fewer mistakes.

And so we haven't had major controversies except one with Deshawn Watson. So an independent arbiter came out, Sue Robinson, and said, give Deshawn Watson six games. Roger Goodell said, that's not enough. As I had said, I would double it minimum six for the preponderance of evidence and six for lying about it. Roger Goodell talked yesterday. They are now pushing for a one-year suspension, and here's the commish. We've seen the evidence. She was very clear about the evidence.

She reinforced the evidence that there was multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior. Those are things that we always felt were really important for us to address in a way that's responsible. If I own the Cleveland Browns, I'd take my lumps, take the suspension, and move on. But that's my personality. I'm somebody, if I have issues in my life, I clean them off the table. My wife and I talk about this all the time. There's no reason to create anxiety for multiple people and the kids and the family.

Make a mistake. We all do. Own up to it. Pay it off. Clear it off the table. Whatever you got to do. I am not a big believer of fighting, fighting, battling, conflict. because I think it starts to deteriorate lots of people beyond yourself.

That's what I would do. Now, first of all, this is one of these stories. Either get it or you don't, and I'm not going to argue with the people who don't. Deshaun Watson's a creepy predator. That's the behavior I have seen so far, and he's never been honest about it. Plus, Cleveland made it worse by rigging his contract, so he makes nothing in the first year. They knew he was going to get suspended by paying him $46 million in year two, and only $700,000 in year one. And I've heard people argue, oh, that's a brilliant strategy. And no, it's not. It's

actually dumb because it's morally corrupt. And because it's so transparent, you can see it from a mile away. It didn't catch anybody off guard. It just ticked off all the owners who don't like the Haslam's to begin with. So if I was Cleveland and I own the team, I just take my lumps, deal with it. And then I know I have Deshawn Watson for the following five years after that, and I would crush it. But that's probably what they won't do. because billionaires often don't surround themselves with people that challenge them. And the Haslums have made horrible decisions time and time again. They gave Freddie Kitchens a head coaching job.

Nobody would even consider him for a coordinator. He was a position coach. Why did they do that? Because they don't have enough people in their life that would say, what are you doing? A lot of people in power don't want to be challenged. They drafted Johnny Mansell because a guy on the street told him to draft Johnny Manzell. Nobody pushed back in the building.

Hell, I saw that one from a mile away. They brought back Hugh Jackson after he was 1 in 15. He went 0 and 16 and they brought him back again. So people that don't surround themselves with people that hold them accountable tend to make bad decisions. I had a situation in my life about three days ago. Long story, won't get into it. It was an advertiser. And I called four people I trust.

my industry and sat down, listened to all of them. And not that it changed the course of where I was going, but I took their advice. The Haslams make bad, bad decisions over and over again with quarterbacks and coaches and Deshawn Watson. So I'm pretty sure they're going to absolutely butcher this. To me, it seems so obvious. The league is going to punish you. They're not going away. You're not popular owners. By guaranteeing the contract, you ticked a off all the other owners, so you have no allies in this fight. Deshawn Watson did creepy stuff and predatory stuff, and it's right there. It seems so obvious to me.

The franchise has been a mess for most of the last 20 years. What's one more year to get it off the table and eventually appeal or appease the league? But I have no confidence whatsoever the Haslams would do that. Some successful people have done it despite themselves. and the fact that this team made the playoffs and has stumbled into a really sharp young GM is almost unfathomable because if you look at the last six or seven years, they just make bad decisions. This franchise, and they're not the only one, Chicago makes bad decisions, Houston makes bad decisions. Jacksonville's made bad decision.

The league leader in bad decisions have been the Haslums and the Browns. I would take my lumps. I doubt they will. So, you know, in an act of fairness, that's the only way this could be assessed is I'm going to say something nice about Aaron Rogers because I didn't love him talking about psychedelic drug use. I think if you want to change your life, you could go to a licensed professional, not out in the forest and take a tea that makes you vomit and poop. But that story has now passed. Aaron Rogers doesn't really want to play four snaps in a preseason. game. He thinks it's, well, let's

let Aaron describe this. I don't see any benefit to it. I definitely don't see any benefit to play in one series. You know, if we're going to play, we should play. And play a quarter, a couple series, two or three series. If we're going to just suit up for four plays,

to me, is a waste. I think that's kind of a no-win situation to the outside the building, and if somebody gets hurt, oh, I can't believe they played our guys. but if we go out and have a stinker, I can't believe they didn't play them. So I think you just got to do what's best for the squad. Aaron doesn't need to play in the preseason.

One of the reasons I've always loved the NFL is, and I've said this many times, I'm just not somebody who lives and romanticizes about things in the rearview mirror. I'm a windshield guy, not a rearview mirror guy. And all the products we have, you ever had a product and it's new. and improved. And I love that because a company has a product and then a company goes, hey, new research shows, our audience doesn't love this about our product. And so we're going to offer a new and improved product with some of the same foundational qualities, but we're going to elevate it. So I like new and improved. And one of the reasons I love the NFL is they could put a banner

over the league every year, new and improved. They get rid of stuff. If it doesn't work, They elevate or adapt or evolve if they can improve it. The NFL is the new and improved league. Baseball struggles with change. Football doesn't do things simply because somebody before them did things. Love that kind of business. So Matt Stafford last year didn't play a single snap in the preseason. Not a snap.

How do you do game one? Perfect against the Chicago Bears. three touchdowns and 156 passer rating. Daniel Jones played all sorts of snaps for the New York Giants in the preseason. His first week, he lost by two touchdown, 22 and 37. You can either play or you can't. In college football, think about this. It's 19, 20, 21-year-olds.

They have no preseason. And they're limited on the hours they can actually practice. NFL's not. Bryce Young, Alabama, goes from California to Alabama, first game, four touchdowns, no picks, 344 yards. Limited practice, no preseason, 19-year-old quarterback. You're telling me NFL quarterbacks need preseason games. They simply do not. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl in a year in which there was a pandemic.

he had no OTAs or exhibition games. In fact, he had to practice in a high school field with a helicopter hovering overhead. Aaron Rogers, I hear this. Well, he's got new receivers. Yes, so four snaps means nothing. The NFL mostly does everything right. They really do. They're the new and improved league.

If it was up to me, I would reduce the preseason to one game. And I would play undrafted free agents, rookies, borderline guys, guys holding on by a string. and I'd play them for three and a half hours. And that's what I would do. I think the preseason is about injuries. It looks aesthetically awful with empty seats. There is absolutely no proof that playing in the preseason makes you better. Matt Stafford did not take a single snap and was brilliant with a brand new offense

and brand new teammates in week one against the Bears, a team that had a pretty good defense. Daniel Jones played all sorts of snaps. He was awful in week one and lost by two touchdowns. this is one of the few things the NFL needs to get right. They went from four preseason games to three. I would reduce it to one. There's an argument to be made, scrimmages with other teams, one three and a half hour outlet, every other year you get a home preseason game.

By the way, the attendance would probably improve if you only asked people to pay for one more game every other year instead of two home games a year, which they previously had. So I agree with Aaron Rogers. Kind of a waste of time. Four snaps, ten snaps. Aaron can play. The young wide receivers, it's called practice. You can get better there, too.

Oh, so they had another... You know, I've been on this for a couple years for the Lakers. So everything gets out. And, you know, sometimes, usually when stuff gets out, it gets out, somebody wants it out, and it's messaging. So the Lakers yesterday had, or recently, had a big private meeting with Rob Polenko, LeBron, Rich Paul, who runs Clutch sports. He's a big agent. LeBron's agent, AD's agent.

And the messaging was so obvious they were directing it to Russell Westbrook. It's painful that coming up next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years.

from black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

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

because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. All right, nice to have you back. So stuff gets out when somebody wants it out. So recently, four important people with the Lakers met together according to a story I'm reading.

LeBron James His agent, Rich Paul, who represents LeBron and Anthony Davis So LeBron is agent, the head coach, the new head coach, Darvinham and Rob Polinka who runs the organization, right? At least basketball operations. Those four people met. And there were, the story has four or five different leaks according to sources. And listen to what is leaked.

that they all agreed on four or five things. And it's very important in this story that everybody was on board with these four things. Constant cohesion. That means playing well with others. Westbrook doesn't. Foster an atmosphere of selflessness. Westbrook is ball-centric, often has a very, my best friend is the ball attitude. players have to play new roles.

We know Westbrook has one way to play. And the offense runs through AD. According to Chris Haynes, well, AD wasn't at the meeting. I think he would like that. All four of those leaked seem like wake up calls for Westbrook. None of those four, because remember, LeBron's the star. There's only two other stars in the organization, AD and Westbrook, and neither was at the meeting. None of those four sound like a shot at AD.

AD does play well with others. He and LeBron's chemistry, Joy and I talked about this, like the second game together. It was great. They want the offense to run through Anthony Davis. He wasn't at the meeting. It didn't say Westbrook. He wants players to play new roles.

Well, I mean, Anthony Davis plays the five, plays the four. Again, he's always listened and been a very good teammate of LeBron James. and they want to hold everybody accountable to be unselfish. We have never one time, said Anthony Davis is selfish. That's not his brand. He's not always as committed as I'd love. Like if there would have been in this meeting a couple of other boxes, like you have to come to camp in great shape.

Westbrook always does. A.D. sometimes does. That would have been a shot at A.D. or if you're a big, we need you to stop shooting threes all the time and be a big. That would be a shot at AD. Instead, and Chris Haynes' story, the four or five agreements according to LeBron, his agent, the president, and the coach were all things that Westbrook has to work on. Westbrook has a new agent.

He wasn't in the meeting. Russ wasn't in the meeting. AD wasn't either, but his agent was. His representation was. So this is a great example of getting something out. So Russell Westbrook and his agent see it. And this is what you're going to get in camp. So you better get your mind to understand this is what we're asking of you.

Be less selfish. Be willing to play other roles. The offense isn't really going to go through you. and be more cohesive. Like play defense, try. A.D., by the way, is an elite defensive player. Westbrook has regressed badly over the last five years. So stuff gets out because somebody wants it out,

and it's real clear. LeBron, his agent, the coach, and the GM. Those four or five boxes were all very much aimed at Westbrook. And all simultaneously... Things AD or he does well. He is cohesive. He is unselfish. He's willing to play multiple positions.

And he certainly is going to like the offense run through him. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, it's that time of year, unfortunately, where we will have some bad news on injuries going into the season for different teams. And it's out of Jets camp.

Offensive tackle, Mackay Beckton is expected. to miss the entire season due to a chip fracture in his right knee cap, which sounds extremely painful. He is still seeking outside medical opinions, but is expected to need surgery. And this would be his second surgery in 11 months on his right knee. He suffered an injury last season in week one, and that was season ending. So the Jets are in talks with former Seahawk Dwayne Brown to replace him. Beckton's under contract through 2023 to make fully guaranteed $3.1 million in the final year of his rookie deal. But if he misses the entire season,

he will have missed 35 of a possible 50 games. Yeah, he's a bust. So at this point, he's a bust. So this is what often happens is you get a young quarterback, like the Chargers, get Justin Herbert. And then the following draft, they go get a left tackle. Yeah, he was the highest graded offensive lineman for the Jets in 2020. Yeah.

So the Chargers got their quarterback and then got a left tackle, and they're both a A plus. The Jets go get a quarterback, and then they get a left tackle, and the left tackle's a bust. So now you're reeling. Dwayne Brown's past his prime, but he's certainly serviceable, not great,

but he's a veteran, he's a pro. He'll be fine. You can live with Dwayne Brown at left tackle. He's fine. But we always talk about you've got to get the right positions right. It's hard. That's where the Chargers have hit a couple of home runs where they got the quarterback right

and they got the left tackle right. That's two of the five positions, and they're not paying either one of them big boy money yet. The Jets, we don't know, and this is the difference in organizations. The Jets, we don't know if the quarterback's right, and the left tackles a bust. So this stuff's not easy. It is hard. No, it's not. And to the Jets credit, at least they did draft the right positions that they were supposed to.

Yes. But sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. They allowed 53 sacks last season. That was fourth most in the NFL. That's not generally a good. recipe for a young quarterback. Now the Giants have done the same thing. The Giants went and got their quarterback and then went and got a left tackle from Georgia. I think the left tackle

is their best offensive lineman. I think they whiffed on the quarterback. So again, the chargers are rare. Two years, two picks, two positions, A plus plus plus plus. Yeah, all the more reason why the chargers are viable. Jets may have gotten the quarterback right, left tackle wrong. Giants got the left tackle right, quarterback wrong. So some more injury updates. Adam Schefter reported that the Browns have placed wide receiver Jakeem Grant on IR with a torn Achilles. They're not great at wide receiver anyway.

He's a return guy. And then at Bucks Camp, Russell Gage had to leave practice early with a left leg injury. We were watching that live this morning. So they got Mike Evans has an injury. Gage has an injury. Their center could be out for the year. The backup center's been hurt. So Tampa's got some major offensive.

of injuries right now through a week of camp. Yeah, I mean, this is the time of year. You want to just get through training camp as healthy as possible. You were just talking about Aaron Rogers, and, you know, I completely agree with him, especially for veterans. There's just no value to being on the field. I mean, they know how to play football. Aaron Rogers has won back-to-back league MVP's.

He understands what he's doing. Training camp is the important part, and you just want to get out of training camp healthy. So the Broncos are opening their new season with a new franchise school. quarterback and Russell Wilson, and now they have a new ownership group. So James Palmer reported the NFL owners approved the sale of the Broncos yesterday to the Walton Penner Group for a record $4.65 billion, breaking the previous American sports franchise records set by the Nets when they were sold for about $2.3 billion. Yeah, these numbers are only going up.

Absolutely. So the group is led by Walmart Air Rob Walton and his family, and they now own the Colorado Avalanche, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Rapids, through Stan and Ann Walton Cronkey. Stan Cronkey obviously owns the Rams and Arsenal FC. He's married to Ann Rob's cousin. Yeah, they've got a lot of money in that family. The Walton's and the Cronkies. They can pay for a wedding.

Let's just say that. Yes. Yeah, so also Condoleezza Rice has joined their ownership group, former U.S. Secretary of State, as did the co-CEO. CEO of Aerial Investments and chair of the board of Starbucks, Melody Hobson, and Lewis Hamilton, Formula One Star. So they have an interesting group there, collective, that owns the team. The Broncos will be fine.

They are a very well-run organization. There's a lot of money behind this ownership group, as we just mentioned. So as long as, and I would anticipate this ownership group is going to continue operating things as they are, which is when you have someone who is extremely wealthy and this isn't a mom-and-pop shop type of place. You just keep it well funded and let the football people do what they do, which is what I think will happen with the Broncos. So the Broncos were listed as the 10th most valuable NFL franchise in 2022 and climbed 22%

from the previous year. We talk about this all the time. Sports in general as a whole, any type of competition that you can air on television has skyrocketed in value because the way that we as a consumer consume content now is most on demand. YouTube, social media, streaming. The rarity of a live event has created such urgency that even any type of sport that you can air on television has extreme value for advertisers. Well, I mean, if you were really rich and you could put your money anywhere, you know the Denver Broncos won't go belly up over the next hundred years. They will be in Denver and called

the Broncos a hundred years from now. You have no idea about your tech company. I mean, it, it Instagram was the hottest thing in the world five years ago. It's been engulfed by TikTok. You just don't know. So if you're really, really rich, you could have another home and have real estate, but we have housing bubbles, we have equity bubbles. We don't have sports bubbles. These things keep going up. Also, think about this.

When you start a company, every company is essentially, almost every company is looking for free publicity. Can you imagine having a company that every Sunday you put the company on TV and 15 million people watch it? That's why the richest people in the world want to own English Premier League teams and NFL teams. Because in Europe and in America, the eyeballs on that business, I've said this before. If the Cowboys were for sale tomorrow, and I mean, we have so much money in oil. I mean, the Saudi money is essentially creating a tour overnight. And somebody said Jerry Jones could sell it for $20 billion. That number is not outrageous.

When Steve Balmer bought the Clippers, I could be wrong, but it was $2 billion, I can remember listening to people say there were $800 million. My takeaway was he bought him cash, okay, and he's not selling them. So they're going to be worth $10 billion in 20 years. So I have the money. I'm moving out of Microsoft. I'm buying them cash. Also, by owning them, I was in the same building as the Lakers.

And to me, so you had this elite facility that you were buying as well. You were buying into that. And so in the entertainment capital of the United States. So when people said it's $2 billion, folks, they always say trees don't grow to the sky in investing. They do in pro sports. Yeah. This is the last place you can put money in the world. But it's not going to go anywhere.

Except up. And the only pushback from that would be. an unprecedented global pandemic. Or a pandemic shuts the game down or a really bad strike. That'll be temporary. Right, right.

The pandemic obviously was one thing that was out of everyone's control. But other than that, you're good to go. So Josh Allen has been one of the rising stars in the NFL since he was drafted in 2018. Led the bills to double-digit wins in each of the last three seasons.

And Aaron Donald has an interesting comparison for him in the league. He's a big guy. He's a tough guy. he's athletic. In my opinion, he's like a futuristic kind of Big Ben, a little bit more athletic. He can move a little bit better, but it's a guy that ain't going to go down easy,

so you got to come with your Big Boy Pais when you get to wrap him up. Yeah, I think he's actually more talented. He's more mobile. Well, I think that's Aaron's way of saying more talented. I think futuristic is his way to say that Josh Allen is more talented. I mean, look, we shouldn't just evaluate Big Ben

off of the last few years that we've seen Big Ben. Big Ben and his prime was quite spectacular. And the real part that Aaron is talking about here is how hard it is to take him down. There are certain quarterbacks that are easier to sack. He might not have been the most mobile guy, but Big Ben would literally stand there and make a defender drag him to the ground. And Josh Allen is also mobile to add to that, which Big Ben wasn't the most mobile quarterback. So I see the comparisons from the size perspective and from the perspective that Aaron's talking about, which is you're not just going to go bump into him and he's going to fall on the ground.

Also, small school guys overlooked by the big schools, small town guys who end up in cold weather NFL cities with defensive coaches and rabid fan bases. So there's a lot of similarities to the two that just if you look at their journey and where they've landed, I mean, Mike Tomlin was this young ascending defensive coach. Sean McDermott is this young ascending defensive coach, both playing. in cold weather. So their ball cuts through windy weather in Buffalo or Pittsburgh. I mean, it really is the ultimate spot-on comp.

It is a good comp. And I love listening to defensive players talk about which quarterbacks are harder to take down. Because, like, who's hard for Aaron Donald to tackle? It's Aaron Donald. He's the best player in the league. And he's instant Hall of Famer. He would knock over anyone.

But it's like, it's always amazing to me to see the guys that they're like, oh, I had to put in a little more effort. Yeah, good stuff, Joy, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. So Hard Knocks was on last night. That's the Detroit Lions.

Dan Campbell's interesting. So he had a run as an interim coach in Miami. It didn't work well. I thought his initial press conference in Detroit, he butchered it. Campbell is an incredibly passionate guy, loves his players. I find him infinitely like a lot. highly emotional. He cries at the drop of a hat.

That's a great quality. And his players similarly are very emotional because that's kind of the passion he spreads. So this was Jamal Williams from the Lions last night. It's like he's taken a cue from Dan Campbell about I'm all in. The world doesn't believe in us. And it's become a very, very emotional team. Bring it up. Bring it up. Well, I'll let's let you all know, man.

Today is the minimum of effort. Do not give up. Do not feel like you tired. When you tired, think of last year and think of that fucking record. Every time I get tired or I think I can't go no more, I'm thinking that fucking record. Last year wasn't it. Ain't us. We can make it.

Have some heart. I get emotional about this. I'm about to cry because I care about y'all. Do your best. Let's go. Lions on three, one, two, three. It's fun. I mean, it's incredibly infinitely likable.

I tend to think it doesn't win you any games. I think there's four things in the NFL that win you games. Talent, situational excellence, elevated quarterback play, and don't turn the ball over a lot. That's the game. That's the league. Can this give you a lead at half against the bad team, maybe? But Detroit is unique in that mostly in this league, you and I are going to agree on the really good teams at the top about 10, and they're really bad teams at the bottom.

Detroit, when you look at their schedule, they may be the only team in this league. I could talk myself into them winning nine games or four. They get a real break with their schedule. Seven games on their schedule, they face a team with a fairly shaky quarterback situation where Jared Goff will get better prediction and be a better quarterback than who they face. Washington, Seattle, Chicago, the Giants, the Jets, Carolina. Chicago. Those are young quarterbacks or Carson Wentz, mistake prone quarterbacks. They also face two talented quarterbacks both at home and both young, Jalen Hertz and

Trevor Lawrence. So they're going to have a quarterback either experience edge, home field edge, or consistency edge in nine games. Okay, so that's 60% of your schedule. Could they go 8 and 1 in those games? Absolutely. They were very, very competitive last year against good teams often. They just didn't have any depth and they were terrible defensively. They didn't have a pass rush. They were bad on the back end. Nobody gave up more late touchdowns that felt like than Detroit. So they are a very unique team and that you start looking at this schedule and if they stayed healthy with their offensive pieces, you could see them win in nine games. I don't. I see them in like six, seven. But I think the emotional stuff makes them easy to root for. I've always felt

this league comes down to four things. You've got to have talent. You got to be excellent. situationally because the games are close. You have to have elevated quarterback play off script, and you can't turn the ball over a ton. An occasional pick is okay. Can't fumble it. And if the ball's on the turf, you better pick it up, not them. So easy to root for, rooting for them. We said last year they were the most interesting bad team in the league.

My guess is they're a seven-win team. That's it. But I will say this. A friend of mine who gambles for a living thinks they're going to beat Philadelphia. it's the bed of the week and week one, and he thinks they're going to win nine games and be a playoff team. So there are people who do this for a living

that gamble professionally think they, not my Vikings, the lions are the sleeper in the league. Hard Knocks, by the way, is currently streaming on HBO Max, which does a nice job with sports. They were in a lot of really close games last year. Oh, absolutely. Not as many as Minnesota,

but against good teams. They were a Rams game was tight. the Ravens game was tight. It just felt like they needed a little more, like a little more polish, a little more experience, a little more situational, but they were right there. So I don't really feel like that's very far off.

Yeah. So you know what they needed? They needed another draft. They needed four starters out of the draft and three starters in free agency. But you have to build on something. When you're trying to create a culture, when you're trying to turn around a habitually dysfunctional place, you want to build things.

At the beginning, you know it's going to be rocky, but you want to see things that you can build on. There you go. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time,

but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it.

I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack,

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark, Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

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

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Say Biggin your water bills with Navian. 15-year limited warranty. Go to tankless maidsimple.com. Efficient, durable Navian. Albert Breer has been to the Cowboys, Ram and Charger Camps. Today he's at the Cardinals. Tomorrow it's the Raiders. Well,

Arizona had quite the noisy offseason. I tended to be a supporter of Kyler Murray. To me, the organization was a mess. He makes them viable. They can win any Sunday with Kyler Murray. I don't believe he doesn't watch any film. If he's this good with no film, he's the greatest player in league history. But it's been a lot of noise, and there feels like there's anxiety.

What's your sense of what you've seen so far? Yeah, I mean, a couple of things. I mean, first, they have to say healthy. That's a huge part of it with the age of their team and older players. And you see it out here today. I mean, there are a lot of guys taking vet days. And so that's something they're going to have to manage over the course of the year. And then I think the other thing just relates to Kyler's leadership.

And that's why you had those clauses in his contract is they're looking for him, looking for him to be more of a front of the room type of guy. Yeah. And that's really naturally not who he's been. And I talked to Cliff before practice. And he said they're starting to see some of those things for Kyler. It's going to have to be there when things get tough, Colin. because I'm not sure that they thought that was there last year.

But when they gave them the contract, I think those clauses were sort of meant to be. And obviously they were taking a lot of different ways, but they were meant to be sort of a little kick in the behind and telling you, you're the quarterback of the team, you're the face of the franchise. We need you to take care of the other responsibilities outside of just being a really good player that come with that position. Yeah, I like the way you put it. Be a front of the room leader, not a back of the room leader, which is we understand in the NFL with quarterback. Not every star in every sport has to be a front of the room guy. Quarterback, it feels like you sort of do.

So you went to Cowboys Camp. I have real concerns about losing a right tackle, losing Amari, losing Cedric Wilson, Michael Gallup. If you look at the way this league is going, we are pivoting toward an offensive league and the good teams are adding weapons. They lost to, and I think Cedric Wilson is a wildly underappreciated weapon. What was your feeling about the camp there? Yeah, I mean, I feel like they're going to have to like sort of tread water over the first month of the season.

It sort of feels that way at least. Michael Gallup might not be back. James Washington, a guy that they brought over broke his foot. And so beyond C.D. Lamb now, they don't have a whole lot of the position. Noah Brown has been there for six years. They're optimistic that he can take a step forward. But can he be a true number two? How does Dalton Schultz factor into that?

How do they manage Zeke Elliott and Tony Pollard? And so much of this to me, Colin, is going to be, can you tread wall? early in the year and get yourself into contention in October and November when you start to get some of those guys back. And a big part of it, too, is going to be C.D. Lamb, you know, and I think one of the things that's sort of interesting, he really popped in camp last year and had a really good year last year, but that was with Amari Cooper on the team. I'm not sure they've seen the same sort of leap forward year that they did last year from C.D. Lamb. And so I think his presence is going to be really, really important, whether or not he can become a true number one guy who's going to bring

attention with him, who's going to open things up for everybody else. I think CD-LAM is a very, very important piece of the puzzle for them over the first month of the season. I have to ask you a Patriot question. There are some things that even a dim bulb like me may be able to figure out, I don't like defensive coaches taking over a young second-year quarterback Mack Jones' responsibilities. I think it's clunky. I think if you look at what the chargers have done with Herbert.

what the Bengals have done with Burrough, what Arizona's done with Kyler Murray. They keep furnishing them with offensive help. It can be coaching. It can be weapons. I mean, God, they brought in Zach Ertz. Arizona just keeps giving Kyler more help. This New England thing, I mean, I watched Mack Jones at the podium yesterday. He looks defeated.

Yeah, and I've heard that he's frustrated. I don't like the logic here. A big part of the logic for Bill, my understanding, and not bringing Bill O'Brien back from Alabama was that he was afraid he was going to lose him after the year. The same thing happened in the front office where Elliot Wolfe, who had been a GM candidate, the Vikings and the Bears in the offseason,

he gets passed over for Matt Groh. And I think a lot of that is because Bill Belichick knows Matt Groh is going to be here, probably long term. And Matt Patricia and Joe Judge probably aren't going anywhere either. And I just compare that. And you look at the juxtaposition between that and where the Rams are, and where the Rams keep cycling through assistance,

and they're okay if they lose a guy after a year or two. They view that as a good problem to have. And you see Bill, and now he's in his 70s, and is this just because he doesn't want to go through a lot of change over the next few years? That piece of it's really hard for me because if that's why you're making decisions with something so critical as the development of your second year quarterback on the line, I'd have an issue with it. So there's a lot of change there.

There's no question about it. They're trying to untangle the offense and simple. it a little bit because it did get, you know, pretty complicated over 20 years under Tom Brady. And, I mean, to me, I just, I look at the logic behind these moves and then I look at the execution of these moves. And I'm just telling you, Colin, if it wasn't Bill Belichick doing this, I think a lot of people would be very, very critical of what's going on there. A couple of minutes left. You were at Rams practice, a little tendonitis or sniffness for Stafford. I mean, they're bringing the band back. It's mostly upgrades at linebackers.

I think Alan Robinson's an upgrade. What was your take? Yeah, I mean, this is something that Matthew's been dealing with for a while. It's not new. So he's got to manage it. That said, I mean, I've learned over 18 years covering the league that anything with the quarterback's throwing elbow, throwing shoulder, you have to take those things seriously. And I think the management of Matthew Stafford through the early stages of camp is fine.

If we start to see this a week or two out from the season, then we're talking about something else. As for the rest of the team, it does seem like it's a motivated group. And I do think one of the things that really helps there is the quality of person they have at the top of the roster. And I know that's something Sean McVeigh really has bought into and where they've invested their draft capital and where they've invested their contracts, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Cooper Cup, Jalen Ram Zero, high-level competitors. And I think that that's what they think is going to be able to sustain them through the challenge of defending a championship and keeping the group hungry. So I think really it's about like that those four guys they built a team around

keeping the team where it needs to be from a mindset standpoint coming off of a championship. All right, Albert Brewer's bouncing around. He's attending the Raiders tomorrow. And I'll say this for the Raiders, that they got a lot of weaponry, man. There's a lot of really interesting players. Horses. Horses. They do. Albert, great seeing you. All right. Thanks, thanks. I mean, look at a prime example. Look what the Raiders did.

They brought in Josh McDaniels and Devonte Adams. let's give our star quarterback an offensive, I mean a brilliant offensive coach and a star receiver. What did Cincinnati do this off season? We're going to fix the interior of the O line. They went out and spent a lot of money. You know, what did the Chargers do last year? We're going to go steal the Packers Center, best center in the league arguably, and we're going to draft a left tackle. And they continue to draft wide receivers.

Like that's the game. New England, we're going to bring over defensive. of coaches and then go spend money on Devante Parker who doesn't separate and then take weird odd reaches in the draft. It's just, it's just the aesthetic of it's bad. It doesn't, this is not what you do for rookie or second or third year quarterbacks. Hour to Nick right around the corner next. 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 acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.