The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - NBA Finals, Sean Payton

Episode Date: June 14, 2022

More on game 5 of the NBA Finals Sean Payton was offered a lot of money to coach the DolphinsGuest: Gerald McCoySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered 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 I Heart 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 here, 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two.

We're live in L.A. It's the herd, wherever you may be. However you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me, so it is now three to two Warriors' lead heading back to Boston. This will be game six. That is what I had predicted for the Warriors. I thought they had more good offensive players. Celtics had more good defensive players, but the NBA and the NFL, the last seven

eight years have pivoted even more dramatically to the offensive side of the ball or offensive side of the court. So I think Golden State has eventually kind of found their way. What you've also seen in this series is you've got to pull a lot of levers as a coaching staff. These games, they don't look like each other. This is the first time in the series where back-to-back games kind of look like each other. Game one is a shocker.

Game two, Golden State Drubs. In game three, Boston dominates, and we question the Warriors in game four. It's like, how can the Warriors lose again? And now finally in game five, it looks like game four. And we think like, okay, it's settled into this. I do feel like Boston has matchup advantages, but Robert Williams' knee is not 100%. He's not playing as much. By the way, Robert Williams had the best plus minus on the Celtics last night.

So I'd said he's not going to win MVP. He doesn't score enough. You know, the NBA writers are never going to give him an MVP. No. But his plus minus shows you. When he's on the floor, they're better. When he's off the floor, they can't protect the rim. There was a moment last night.

I forget if it was second or fourth. Robert Williams went out. And immediately the Warriors attacked the rim. Clay Wiggins, they went right to the rim. So he is the dead end sign at the start of a cul-de-sac. If Robert Williams is in, there's no reason to go to the basket. If you're the warriors, you better shoot floaters or shoot outside. The minute he leaves, it changes the temperature and the offense.

So I still think if he plays 28 minutes in game six, we're going to have a game seven. But right now, he's been and he hit the floor last night twice hard. The other thing is, Steph struggled. First time in four and a half years, he didn't hit a three. Would you rather he be Ben Simmons and stop shooting or James Harden and stop shooting or Jason Tatum and shrink? Like, there's no money, no fame and no win in defending your talent. Do what you do.

the critics, the evangelist winning society, not the critics. Nobody writes books about the critics. They write them about people who believe in something strongly. And Michael had bad games, and LeBron's had bad games, and Brady's had bad games. You can't worry about it. What you don't want to do, years and years ago, a football coach told me this. He said, you can't let a bad game beat you twice. You just got to get over it.

And Steph Curry had a bad shooting night, and I don't believe it'll have any effect on him. Because, again, you can't sit around in my business. There's no money in defending your content in basketball. There's no value in sitting around defending it. You're a shooter. Shoot. And we know that Steph hits more tough shots than anybody in basketball. And those can look really bad.

It's kind of like Phil Mickelson and golf. Phil's the great tough shot maker of all time. Sometimes that seven iron goes into the trees. It looks awful. but that's the essence of what Phil was as a golfer. This is the essence of what he is. He is a great, difficult shotmaker, and Steph talked about his bad night after the game.

Keep shooting. Very simple. Like you said, like there's never, I'm not afraid to go off or whatever because I'm going to keep shooting and taking shots that you normally feel like you can make. And I've responded well, you know, when I've had games like that,

from the group online. It should be noted the gap between Steph Curry and the next best three-point shooter is greater than the gap between Michael Jordan and the next greatest player ever. That you can argue with LeBron. Some will argue Magic or Kareem. The gap between Steph shooting and the second best shooter ever is, I mean, it's the Grand Canyon. So you're just going to have, if you're a risk taker, there's been a lot of successful people that have gone bankrupt or had a company. he goes sideways. That's the reality of aggressive, difficult shot making and decisions. You can publicly look really bad. You can't worry about it. You just got to shoot your way through it, not think your way through it. So good for Steph. And with that, he played in the

NFL for 11 years, six consecutive Pro Bowls, a friend of the show, a free agent defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy for the first time ever joining us. Fam joining us in the student. Hey, listen, y'all tried to stay away from me, but there's no way I can stay away with family. You can pull that right up. With family. So you are a free agent, you are listening to offers? I am. I am.

I'm just rehabbing and staying in shaping, waiting to get a call. You know, this years and years ago, Sean McVeather Ram said, no more starters in the preseason. This is ridiculous. Right. And the NFL coaches, oh, they can't do that. Then they went 8-0 to start the season. Everybody was like, they'll be rusty. And I look at these OTAs now, and I say to myself, well, God, if veterans don't need to play right before the season, do they really need to practice?

And so I'm not as tough on guys, even quarterbacks who miss OTAs. As a veteran, how do you look at it? No, I just feel like as a professional, they pay you to be a professional. You're not a kid anymore. In college, you need every rep you can get. And I think it's really just based off who you are. Like me, I love practicing because I need it. I'm a player who has to get his timing down.

I have to, you know, feel the hits, take on the double teams, work on whatever move I'm working on because of my film study. Whoever I'm going against that week, I need to work on it that week in practice. I'm just that guy. Some people are not. I've seen people like Michael Bennett. He's one of my closest friends in the world. And he didn't need to practice.

And he can go dominate like what y'all seen on Sunday. He didn't need to practice. He was more concerned about making sure his body feel great. Right. Yeah. So, I mean, it's just, it's per person to me. But as a person on the team, if a person's not there, as long as you show up on Sunday, I'm not the guy who can give you a hard time.

I'm just not. Yeah. Players don't resent it if you deliver. As long as you show up on Sunday when it can't. You know, it's, so I said one of the things, you don't need to put every meal you eat on social media. Right. you don't need to give every comment.

There are a lot of things I think that don't need to be public. Right. And I haven't quite figured out, I'm letting it bake in my head before I thrust it out there. So when Aaron Rogers talk retirement, I'm like, no, I won't put that out there. Well, Devante Adams says over the weekend, yeah, that's why I left. He's like, they offered me more money, but I don't want to get stuck. And I thought, Aaron, you probably should keep that retirement thing. Right.

Like, and that's why I think when Brady was going to leave New England, Gerald, he didn't tell anybody because he knew it would be the question for 20 weeks. Yeah. And so sometimes, I don't know, I look at Aaron and I think, Aaron, you're smarter than that. Keep that to yourself. Yeah. I mean, he's my favorite player. So I kind of have to, I get biased at times. But in reality, if I'm his receiver, I feel the same way.

You can't keep doing that. I'm about to be locked in here for the next five years, and I want a quarterback that I could trust. Of course. I mean, we've seen the backup play. It wasn't pretty. So I don't think he's really confident on being there five more years we love. But if you're here, okay, I'll stay.

But I need some security. Yes, I want the money as well, but I want the security because I play a dependent position. So if you're in and out, in and out, I can't, I don't trust that. So I understand and I respect it. So San Francisco is an interesting situation. We think Trey Lance is good.

We've seen him twice play. And it was, his accuracy is not great. It's kind of aesthetically, it's not a beautiful, he's not a beautiful thrower. He's not Mahomes or Justin Herbert. It's not pretty. And I just saw a story, morning where Kyle Shanahan is given the team, we're done with mandatories. Go home. I saw everything I wanted.

Trey Lance is like, I want to keep working on stuff. So, Joe and I are like, there's way too many people saying, talking about Trey Lance. Like if he was good, when Mahomes, we hadn't seen him yet. The only thing anybody ever said is, wait, do you see this guy? With Trey Lance, he's going to be fine. I think it's good. He's working very hard. as a player how long would you have to watch a quarterback in camp to know we got problems or we're going to be fine how many practices how many what do you need to see if we don't see vast improvement from the first week of pads and teams don't really practice against each other at all camp anymore

they go against somebody if we don't see vast improvement from the beginning camp to the end of camp. You go into game one, like, I don't know. So you say the light goes on for the great quarterbacks fast. Yeah, you can see it. There's something that flashes. You're like, okay, it's in there. I just, it has to be more consistent.

But if you see, like, this is, like, who he is, this is happening, and you go into a practice, like, because in training camp, you compete. If you go into a training camp as a defense law, yeah, I know we got this. That's not good. You should go into a training camp, worry about the heat and worry about it. And then when you know, man, we got to deal with him in this offense. And I got to, you shouldn't go into a practice like, you know what? Let's work on us because we need to go against somebody else because I don't know.

I don't know. You know. The guys in the locker room, they know. They know who's on the team. Yeah, you can't lie to the players. You can't. You can't. I don't know if you'd have a strong opinion on this.

But, well, you're an Oklahoma guy. So I've been critical of Baker, not necessarily always his play, but I've said, I like my presidents to be presidential. I like my quarterbacks to be quarterbackial. You're the one that Wednesday addresses the media. You're kind of the coach on the field. And I always said, Baker becomes his own worst enemy, all the off-field stuff, calling out the medical staff, calling out Duke Johnson. It's like, dude, just go play. You got a nice arm.

You can play. Now there's a report that the Panthers may bring him in. How surprised were you considering his talent? I do think he throws a really good ball. There was literally no market for him. What does that say for Baker? I don't know if it says a lot about his character or who he is as a quarterback more than why would we pay him all this money. And y'all going to have to do something with him at some point anyway.

You know, and I've been saying this, my son, we've been having this conversation. I feel like teams know the Browns are going to have to do something. It went to got to Sean Watson. So they have to do something with Baker. So why would we jump out the window and pay him all this money when we don't have to? At some point, he's either going to get released or something's going to happen. So there's no rush to go and throw out all this money. And I believe Baker can be good for somebody's team.

But for other teams looking at the Brown situation, I think they're looking like there's no rush. We can wait because they have to make the decision. We have enough here right now that will be okay until something happens. but there's no need to hurry up and go get Baker. Yeah. You know, you were at a college football power. Then you went to the box where they had some good teams. You always had talent there.

Right. And this is interesting because in college football now, we have the transfer portal and the NIL. I'm a fan of both. Free agency. Yeah, I'm a fan of both. It's free agency. Basically. Yes.

They're pro athletes. Yes. So let me ask you this. I always felt like star players. Maybe I'm wrong. I always felt like star college players. I don't know if it was a Hyundai. I don't know if it was free stakes.

I always felt like, especially college basketball. If you're the big man on campus, you get in a free smoothie here and there. It's not like you're, and then you talk to a lot of guys and they're like, no, dude, I starved for four years. Like at a college football power, were you ever hungry? Did you ever feel used, exploited? How did you feel? No, I never felt exploited. I know most of us, I have a group chat with a lot of my friends, and a lot of us see, like, we go back and see, like, how they treat these kids now.

We're like, man, y'all getting all this because of the work we put in. You know, that's how we felt. We never felt exploited, but I tell you this, yes, I was hungry. Anybody telling you that a college student is not hungry at times and looking for how he's going to eat and all? That's we were. I don't know how these kids are now, but I know we were. I dropped my son off at OU and we went to Target and we came back and he had meals waiting on him at his door in his dorm. But we got dropped off and we was all looking around like, where are we going now?

What do we do now? It was food everywhere. We went back for the spring game and they had a sign up. This food was for active players only. It's like all these alumni come back and we can't get something to eat. That's how they treat these kids now. So I know us. I never felt exploited, but I know we didn't get it.

treated like these kids get treated now. Right. You look at the world, the empowered athlete, and it's funny because we've talked about this in the NBA, even when I was like in the 70s, the NBA is always been known as a players league. You fire the coach. It's not the players. The NFL's different.

NFL's been about the GM, the shield, the league. You can be cut. You can cut Brady tomorrow. So the NBA is not. But it is funny, Steve Kerr hard coaches. Emayadoku, hard coaches. You know, Phil Jackson, hard coaches. And my takeaway is, I think empowering the players is great.

But the reality is the best teams in sports, the players have limitations on, they're not making personnel. I mean, Aaron Rogers is like, I want Randall Cobb. Dude, he's number four. Can't pay him like a two or a three. Your takeaway on professional athletes, more power. More money, more leverage. Do you see issues with it, or are you all in on it? I personally feel you should just consult with them.

And don't make a decision without going to your guys. Because when you bring these guys in, you still are going to depend on me. If I'm your guy or one of your guys, you expect me to be me when I play. Well, I feel like you should consult with me about who I'm playing with. And if you're not doing that, I see a problem with that. But I think it's funny if anybody thinks that a person is brought in and they don't go to their top guys and ask, hey, what do you feel about this person?

You think it's cool if we bring this person in, this, this, and this. You know, was it Jerry Krauss? Yeah, GM. I think you got to go way back then to where he said, I don't care how you feel. This is what I'm doing. You know, now after LeBron did what he did with Miami, the player empowerment, it skyrocketed.

And a lot of people do a lot of different things for the game. He did that for the game. And guys are just saying, hey, listen, if you want to bring these guys in, you should consult with me. When I was with the bucks, when we would bring people in, GM would call me, hey, we think about getting this guy, thinking about getting this guy, thinking about drafting this guy, yeah, I like him.

I don't know. I like him. Yeah, I think you should just do that with your guys. I think they've earned that right. Well, you and I have worked in the media long enough. I've done this before where I've gone to media people and said, what do you make of this person? Trustable, coachable, like him.

I mean, you know, you're in the business long. Yeah. You just kind of know. So you were with the Raiders last year. I was. And it's really a remarkable story. So I've been a defender of Derek Carr forever. And I say, what I think Derek Carr illustrated last year that people doubted is even

with chaos, a defense that was inconsistent. Darren Waller was out. The Henry Rugg situation. I'm like, he got him into the playoffs. Like, that's a star to me. Were you surprised, was Derek better than you thought from the outside until you joined? No, I've always been a Derek Carr fan and he'll tell you that. I told him that from afar.

When I got there, I told him that I've always thought he was underrated. I've always said, anybody who knows me knows, I've always said Derek Carr is underrated. I ask my son, my friends, anybody knows I've always said he's underrated. I mean, you don't have that many fourth quarter comebacks or game-winning drives and not be special. and I just think he got a bad rap. I think he had a lot of bad situations around him, but he showed his resilience last year, and I'm excited to see what he can do this year

with that type of team around him, with McDaniels, you know, giving him a system that fits him. I'm excited to see what he can do. What was it like to be a Raider last year with all the noise? I think what that team did was remarkable. I think it's a testament of the character of the guys in the locker room. Those guys band together.

from what was coming out of the locker room, the message in the locker room, hey, we have to do this. And I just want to give a shout out to Rich Bessatia what he was able to do. He's one of the greatest coaches I've ever been around in the history of the NFL. And he's been kind of funneled to a special teams coach,

but he's one of the best coaches I've ever seen that can get men to band together for one cause. That Indianapolis went on the road? I'm telling you. That was the biggest Raider win in a decade. I'm telling you, man, what he was able to do with all those guys in that locker room and just the men in the locker room, that's why I'm always going to rule for the Raiders because one of what Rich did and what those guys in their locker room represented

and how they banned together. No, they didn't win in the playoffs, but they got there. And if you look in the history of NFL, if something like that happens to most teams, they fold and they break down. But those guys, how they would play. And it's not like they were a group of vets. Those guys, Max Crosby going to year four. You know what I'm saying?

Hunter Ray. Jacobs. Everybody's young. But also, when people question Derek Carr, go back and look at what he was able to do last year as a leader. If your quarterback is in place and he's rocking, your team can go. And they did. Yeah.

You know, we were saying this earlier that Andrew Wiggins was with the T-Wolves and everybody said he's a bum, and then he put him in a good culture. And an actor needs a script. Doesn't matter how good the actor is. He can't overcome a bad boss or a bad director. And like Matt Stafford last year, I found myself rooting for Matt Stafford, not because he played for the Rams, but because that poor guy had the deal with nonsense in Detroit for years. And were you surprised how great he ended up being in the playoffs?

I wouldn't say I was surprised. You played against him a few times. Yeah, I wouldn't say I was surprised. I mean, he just got put in a great system and a great something that fit him. Did you know he was that good? I always felt like he was really good. I'll tell you what I was surprised about

is the instant connection between him and Cooper Cup. I mean, that's a historic connection and they just met. You know, I don't care what nobody's say. Having coffee every morning, don't do that. They can say whatever they want. Oh, we talked and we had breakfast together

or not, man, listen, nobody would have expected that. Maybe, yes, we were a quarterback away. We went to the Super Bowl. We were a quarterback away. But that, what they gave you? Now, that surprised me. I think that surprised everybody. Now, I got to ask you this, and I think I asked you before, when Lincoln Riley left, your alma mater, as people got really worked up. And my takeaway is, talented people leave all the time. Talented players leave Oklahoma. Absolutely. That's life. But when you're in a smaller town and the university is the center of it, loyalty is a big deal in Oklahoma in Auburn, Alabama. And we should not mock that.

That is the reality of smaller town America. Your economy can be very dependent on the team. People, a lot of the employees work at Oklahoma. And it's also the center of your fund. I mean, if the falls in Oklahoma are unbelievable. Yes. Do you think people will ever get over that? I think they already have.

You know, I think it bothered them at first, but hiring Brent Venables. It's like Lincoln Riley's an afterthought because a lot of people felt like what Brent Venables was able to do at Oklahoma, he deserved this opportunity because he showed that it wasn't just in Oklahoma he can do it. He went to Clemson and did it. And being at the spring game and just hearing the rumblings and all to talk, Lincoln Riley, God bless you, but it's the Brent Venables era. people have already moved on. Are you going to help the university? Am I going to help them? You know, you're a business guy out there. Yeah, I mean, I tweet a lot about my school.

Nothing wrong with tweeting. Hey, listen, I'm a hugest advocate for my school, man. I love my school to death and anything I'm a part of, I'm just going to rep. You know, anybody at the gym I go to an exos, they'll tell you, if we have new interns in, one of the first questions I asked your name and what school you went to. And if you didn't go to a school that's at the level of over, Oklahoma, I'm going to give you a hard time because I love my school and I rep my school to the fullest. Gerald McCoy joining us if you're listening on radio. One final question. If, let's say you play, let's say you don't, what will you do? You seem active. You seem curious. You're not going to just sit home and golf. No, I can't sit at home. Right now I'm just... Coach? I'm, I can't coach.

Like, coaching takes up more time than playing. And if I coach, I'm going to coach my kids. That's I'm just being honest. Like I help my kids' teams right now, my son's little league team. I help coach them, but I can deal with that. But coaching coaching, like college or it, it just takes away too much time. But for some reason, these lights look good on me right now. Maybe I might do something in front of the camera. Nothing wrong with that.

When you look back at your career, six straight pro bowls, would you give a bunch up for a Super Bowl? Or are you really satisfied with your career and understand that, Super Bowls is a lot of luck and timing, and you can't control it. Would I give up my Pro Bowls? Would you give up four of your six Pro Bowls for a ring? Would you give up three, two? Yes. Okay, so you're about winning.

You're about winning. I want to win. I want to win. My little league team won a national championship. I got to middle school. We won the City's championship. We got the high school, and we got the OU. I won three Big 12 championships and went to a national championship.

I got to the league. last year, technically I made the playoffs for the first time, but I wasn't playing. So I'm all about winning. I want to experience winning. Winning feels great. It feels good. And what comes along with winning, everything else that came with what came with my career. A lot of people make the Pro Bowl or be all pro or get the money because they win.

How many people you see and get paid because the team won the Super Bowl? And everybody's looking like, how he get paid? Because he's on a Super Bowl team. Right. And then Super Bowl brings everything outside of that. You can never take that from somebody. Ever, a Super Bowl champion. You'd give up the Pro Bowls.

Would you give up some money? I don't know about that. Okay. I got five kids, no. I give it up the money. Yeah. I totally get that. Totally get that.

It's great having in the studio. You're always welcome. You know, during the season, if you ever made your way out. Now, why are you out here now? I'm over at NFL Network working. Oh, good. Doing some analyst stuff. Oh, great.

The camera is calling. I don't know why the camera keeps calling me. I don't know. But I had to come visit my family. You thought I was coming to L.A. and I see my family? Well, and also, you're comfortable in front of the camera, which took me a long time to get there.

Look, you still could play in the NFL. Great, seeing. You'd have a Twitter account or anything anybody wants to go to? Yes, Geraldini 93. I'm trying to get my TikTok going. I don't even know my TikTok name, but it's tagged to my Twitter and my Instagram is Geraldini 93. I'm trying to get more active with it.

Sure. But I have a lot of children. I do a lot of work now. I do a lot of moving around. But I'm working on my TikTok. Working on getting my TikTok going. Great seeing you. Thanks for having me.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeard radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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, 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from Batsy, 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 a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it 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 is 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 cracks. I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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, care 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? Are you a good person because you're free? 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. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. The final weekend of USFL regular season is here in Saturday. the championship favorite Birmingham stallions

look to get ready for the playoffs and a showdown with the Tampa Bay Bandits at 4 Eastern on Fox. Then on Sunday, the New Orleans Breakers and the Houston Gamblers square off under the lights at 8.30 Eastern on FS1. USFL football, Saturday, and Sunday on Fox and FS1. You can tell when you really love a sport

because you miss it dearly, and there's three sports to me where they just feel different. A big NFL playoff game, a big college football game, and a big NBA playoff game. I get nervous for the players. Sometimes I feel that way with a big fight, a box for UFC, like a big moment. And I will say for the United States men's and women's national teams, I feel the same way.

There's four or five things where, like when the World Cup ends, let's say the men win three matches and we're not, you know, we're not winning the thing, but it's vibrant. That high I'm on rooting for our American men and women, it's like it's hard to replace. And I feel like that. Last night, I was watching that game. And it was like, I just, I want another game. And that's when you love a sport. It just takes you to a place that you can't duplicate without that sport. And, you know, there's a lot of happiness in my life.

But the sports happiness, watching that last night, just the intensity in the crowd, and they're right on the players. And you're seeing careers and legacy shaped. It's nothing. There's a reason why the only thing that gets big ratings on TV, the only thing is sports. And last night's another exam. is people will talk about ratings. Compare sports ratings for big college football, NFL, NBA, to dramas. You can go ahead and compare them to other things. Compare them to non-sports events on TV.

It is here and here. And I thought last night was just incredible three hours of American professional sports. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the conversation around game four when it ended was that Steph would definitely need more help if they're going to get this done for the rest of the postseason. And Andrew Wiggins had himself a game in game five, putting up 26 points and 13 rebounds, which prompted Steve Kerr to throw out some praise his way. We knew we needed his athleticism and his defense and his versatility. and we had no idea, you know, that he would make this kind of contribution, but I think it's a reminder that for every, almost every player in the NBA circumstances

are everything. You know, you just kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff. And Wiggs has been a great fit. I love seeing people thrive in. situations that work for them. Especially when they failed before and you knew they had talent. Yes.

You were just talking about Matthew Stafford with Gerald. Oh, I don't know how you could not root for Matt Stafford, unless you're a Rams hater because they're in division. The guy spent 13 years being the life preserver for a franchise and never complained. He was such a good guy that when he said he wanted out, the Lions found him a team that work. The Lions, traditionally a team that has handled their greats terribly. They've a long reputation of messing things up with their best players. Took care of them. Yes.

Yeah, it's, you know, it's like when Kevin Garnett was with the T-Wolves and you're like, God, can you imagine if he was with a contender? And he goes to Boston. And you almost forgot all the years of Minnesota. I think of Kevin Garnett. Now, all the highlights in my mind are Celtic highlights. Yeah. It's same with Stafford. It's like two or three more years. Yeah, I don't even remember him with the lines. I don't want to even think about it. And I think that that's really what's happening with Andrew Wiggins. And it's also speaks so much to how much we put on where you're drafted and how badly people are at evaluating intangibles and trying to force things and force people into being things that they're not. Everybody doesn't have to be a one. In fact, you should be

very, very sure that you're not making someone or pushing someone to be a one when they're not. That's just a role that is, you shouldn't even actually question it. It's kind of like making the Hall of Fame. Yep, Hall of Famer. Yep, that's a one. You're not going to grow into it. It's just a factor that you have. You knew Joe Burrow was going to be somebody who was going to come in there and make an impact. Now, we didn't know that he was going to take him to the Super Bowl, but you saw immediately that he was going to be able to be that guy. There's just certain personality types that lend towards that position. Andrew Wiggins, having the performance that he's having in the postseason, is nothing but

fun to me. I'm the same way. I'm so happy for him. I love watching him. And he's such a fun player. You can see the pressure lifted off of him, too, that he can just go out there and perform and play at the level that he's playing. I just really just unbelievable.

That's why I try to tell my kids, your first job is not probably going to be your best job. Right. You're probably going to find a job. you really click on, third or fourth job. I go back to my career is this was the perfect fit. I got it in my 50s. And I'm like, you know, I put my head down. And I'm not saying the places I work were bad places, but like a perfect fit.

So it's like, it's hard. So when young people, I mean, we have such a mental health struggle in this country right now and young people doubt themselves. It's okay. Like, remember, it's. Well, we have a, we, and I think we probably all need to be better at this in the sports space, particularly, this idea that you're supposed to be good immediately, that you're supposed to make an impact immediately, that you're supposed to understand everything immediately. And you can overcome anything.

It's just not true. Think about this. So I'm old enough. I remember when Michael Jordan broke into the league. I watched his college career. And you forget this. He had the wrong coach and he had teammates like Orlando Woolridge, who was a score. He was the opposite of Pippen.

It was his team. And this team had a cocaine problem that Jordan talked. about. They were called like the traveling cocaine circus. And Jordan laughed out loud. So Michael came into this nightmare of undisciplined players, wrong coach and a teammate who wanted to score. And it was like, that's Michael. Michael could never beat the good teams for six years. And that's Michael. And LeBron's first finals swept, humiliated. But what they both did is stay optimistic, elevate, keep working, you'll find your way. But I tell my kids all the time, for the greatest athletes, it's hard.

Tom Brady was doubted. Jordan was doubted. LeBron's Cleveland experience. Like, that's for the most talented ever. So just take a deep breath. It's not linear. If you go to Tom Hanks' IMBD page, I think they call it. Yeah.

He's like an actor for over a decade. Oh, yeah. I was about to say, I mean, you look at some of the best actors in the world. most of them did not start as child actors. Like, they've been doing this their entire lives. And even in those situations, you'll have ups and downs. I think it just, we probably need to reevaluate how much time we're giving people to fall into the right places. And for that matter, really lift up the organizations and programs that facilitate good culture and development and are a little bit more patient because we as a society aren't really that patient anymore.

Yeah. So the Lakers have had a lot of drama over the past couple months, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. So LeBron is eligible for a contract extension as of August 4th. But reports indicate that he won't be giving L.A. any clarity on commitments regarding his future before the NBA draft or free agencies. Now, this is very similar to what LeBron did in Cleveland's during his return there, his second stint in 2018. he didn't say anything to the team and then obviously ended up leaving for the Lakers the following season.

This is sort of expected and this is where LeBron is in his career. If he wants to remain with the Lakers, I'm sure the Lakers will have him for as long as he wants to be there. Unlike the Cleveland situation where we knew there was a lot more that LeBron was going to do in the league,

I really believe, even though I know he's putting out this Golden State stuff and look, it wouldn't shock me if he finished his career somewhere else at this point. I think he's staying in Los Angeles, regardless of how things go with the Lakers, regardless of how this season goes with the Lakers, until Brony is eligible to be in the NBA and he's not with the Lakers, I think that LeBron finishes his career here. This always felt like the mogul stage, the final chapter of LeBron's career. Is it going to limp to a close? Well, look, everything doesn't have a storybook ending.

I don't know that it necessarily needs to. LeBron doesn't owe the game anything. That's right. So at this point, I don't have a problem with LeBron handling his career in this chapter of his career, however he wants to. He got a championship in Los Angeles. So it's not like this, however chaotic it's been over the past year, it's not like this was a complete failure.

He got a championship here. He got his two rings in Miami. He got his championship for Cleveland. I mean, I don't need to go over LeBron's. resume here. However it ends, I don't know that that's changing how I feel about LeBron's career at any capacity. I just don't. He had an

MVP level season this year. Now, how he, the influence that he has over the roster and how things have gone with that and how he leaves the Lakers, I think that's the deal you make when you bring in LeBron James. So you could not do that, but you don't bring in LeBron James if that's what you want to do. So I don't think

he's going to give any long-term commitments. Obviously, they have Anthony Davis under contract through 2024. So there's that, but as we know, he's not a leader, he's not a number one. But even if everything, if LeBron does leave, they'll still have AD, and then they'll just have to begin building the roster for the future. So speaking of changing the rosters up, following Quinn Snyder's exit from the Jazz, there were some reports that Donovan Mitchell was unhappy with the direction the jazz were going in

and, you know, could try to get out this offseason. Well, one of the teams that would be interested in Devon, Donovan Mitchell is the Miami heat. And it seems Jimmy Butler already has a relationship with him. He was spotted with Butler. Donovan Mitchell was attending a birthday party for their trainer. There they are. To train her together. Just so you guys know, we are approaching NBA off-season. So any breadcrumbs will be investigated in overturned to the highest degree. Bradley Beale and Donovan Mitchell are exactly what Miami needs. And they have a history of landing free agents. And this is, and this is one of my favorite times of the year. NFL offseason and free agency was insane, but NBA

free agency kind of set the table for that chaos. And like, it is a fun chaotic time. Yeah, because you know one guy can change everything in the NBA, unless it's a quarterback. You're not guarantee, Devante Adams is great. Does he mean another win? Maybe. Right. Like Donovan Mitchell to the heat changes you into a championship. It changes the conference. Completely changes it. So he also posted a picture of Bam and him working out together. So that fueled the rumors a little further. So Donovan Mitchell's 25. He's still under contract for four more years at 135 million.

He's entering the second year of a five-year deal. So he has a player option for 25, 26, and then he's an unrestricted free agent in 20206. So if they were to try and acquire someone like him, they'd probably use players like Duncan Robinson or Kyle Lowry, Tyler Hero, which when you're talking about trading for a player like Donovan, and Mitchell. You do it. That is a very good trade that the heat would do tomorrow, I imagine. But as soon as as soon as the finals will over, we are thick into the rumor mill, and I am

so ready for it. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. The Dollar 6 Shave Club 6 Razor Blade is bringing noticeably smooth shaves, six stainless steel blades. Dollar Shave Club razors

are sold at Dollar Shaveclub.com or in stores back in the second. 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. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong

podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100.

This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rights or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio Apple, 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 what 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 Podcast, 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 Jay 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 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. Thank you for finishing that. sentence. 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? 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. Join me, Kear 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. By the way, I don't know if you saw it. Sean Payton was offered $100 million to coach the

Dolphins. There's a lot of variables here. Brian Flores lawsuit was involved. Was Brady coming? There's a lot of movement here. I do believe. he would have said yes if Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Joe Burrow were the quarterback, or Matt Stafford, I really believe he would. I think if you look at four of the six best quarterbacks in the NFL are like MVP favorites are four of the six Super Bowl favorites. So I think it's really hard to overcome, you know, Kirk Cousins, Tanna Hill, Tua. You know, Sean McVeigh got into this situation where he had to be. a good solid B quarterback.

Thank God he had an owner that was willing to go, so I'm going to give up Jared Goff, still pay him, and bring in Matt Stafford. And Shao McVeigh said, yeah. And he gave up a bunch of draft picks, yeah. And I'm still pay Goff. Yeah, that's how good Stafford is. And then Stan Cronky, he owned the ramp said, all right, he was on the tarmac and his Gulfstream. And he said, all right, let's do it.

Not every owner would do that. Not every owner would do what Joe Lakeb of the Warriors is doing, pay $130 million in tax. I mean, in California, you're taxed enough. Here's another $130 million, a league imposed tax. So a lot of this is like Sean Payton, we all know he's going back into coaching. I think he would have figured out a way to make Miami work despite the Flores lawsuit, the Tom Brady variable. I think you just, if you get him a Holmes or a Josh Allen, I mean, like a Kyler Murray. and you're like, he's good, I can win a Super Bowl.

I think it's hard to say no on that. But I don't think two is that. I think two is talented. I just, but I think you can get trapped. I think he's Mack Jones. I think he's Kirk Cousins. I think you could wake up one morning and go, we're not beating Josh Allen Sunday.

We just can't do it. If you're a valued customer, you deserve a gesture of appreciation from a credit card company. That is Discover matches all the cash back you earn into your first year and automatically. Learn more, discover.com slash match. Limitations apply hour three 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, 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. 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 iHartRadio.

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

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered 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 IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.