The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - NFL holdouts

Episode Date: July 24, 2024

Thoughts on some of the NFL players holding out  Colin gives some predictions for the college football season   Guest: Nick Wright See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, hour two. It is a Wednesday. Who says this time of the year is slow? Who's kidding who? Got a lot of stuff to talk about live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt.

Wherever you may be, however you may be listening or watching. Thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright in about five minutes. J. Mack, it's always good to be prepared. Right, it's always good to be prepared. and most really good sports teams, you are one of the owners of a soccer team and a basketball team somewhere. You're trying to basically not get into a pinch,

kind of see the problems before they happen. That's how well-run teams operate. And I'll give you an example. So the Rams did something. I think we both believe this is a well-run operation. But the Rams did something that was very interesting. So Matt Stafford and the Rams have been working on a contract.

So first of all, they knew two years ago there was a strong likelihood Aaron Donald was going to leave. So they didn't react. They were proactive. The last two years, this draft and last year's draft, four of their top picks have been defensive linemen.

The guys they picked last year were outstanding. The two guys they drafted this year, higher draft picks, should be equally outstanding. They will have more sacks, in my opinion. the year after Aaron Donald leaves because they prepared for it. So Matt Stafford, what do we do? So the Rams know, like Aaron Donald, they've got about two years left. So what they did, they gave him a contract.

They're not going to give specifics, but I'm told they just gave him more guaranteed money. He didn't have a lot of guaranteed money in his deal. They wrote a big check, gave him guaranteed money. So that will keep Matt happy. I think he'll be a ram absolutely with a Super Bowl shot the next two years, and depending on his health, we'll play a third year. But what are they going to do once he leaves?

They're going to draft a quarterback next year. Because the roster now, outside of maybe having to draft an offensive tackle, a corner, and another wide receiver, though they're fine at wide receiver, they don't have a lot of immediate needs. The O-line, D-line are both good. Again, next year, get a tackle. Could be a second, third round, or probably a right tackle over a left tackle.

But this is what well-run teams do. They did this with Aaron Donald. They prepared, so when he left, the defensive line actually will be more talented the year after Aaron Donald leaves. This is the most talent they've had on their defensive line. since the Super Bowl year when they went and got Von Miller and had Aaron in his prime or late prime. So what they're going to do, they already have Stetson Bennett.

That's the backup. They're going to draft a quarterback next year or possibly the next year. I would guess this upcoming year. There's about four or five guys. One's going to fall mid to late first round and they'll grab him. But this is what you want to do. You want to be able to figure out what you don't want to do is be in a situation. Like, you know, Denver got into one where they had to massively overspend and give up

draft capital to get Russell Wilson and now they're still digging out from that two years later. What you don't want to do is, you know, miss on a quarterback like the jet, so you have to give up draft capital and overspend on Aaron Rogers and can limit the roster. Limit the roster. Now, I will say it's hard to draft quarterbacks. Nobody's quite sure. So I think the Rams this year are going to draft a quarterback. And if it doesn't hit and McVail know in a year, they'll draft another one the following year.

So watch the draft, the next two years for the Rams, first second round. They're going to get a quarterback. You're not going to play for two years. That's what Green Bay is done. It's the Green Bay model. You're going to sit. You're not going to replace Stafford. There's nobody in this draft coming up.

Shadur Sanders is talented. The kid at George is talented. They're not better than Matt Stafford. They'll sit for a year. And with that, we bring in my friend Nick Wright. Haven't seen him in a while. He's been on vacay. Certainly deserves it.

By the way, first things first. Now, a two-hour show, 90 minutes previously. So if Nick's poking and prodding and stunts on a daily basis, left you feeling hungry if you wanted more. Right. There's now more. 33% more. Still, you know, still shy of the network gold standard of three hours staring into the camera. But now we're more than half.

We're two-thirds of the way there. So at some point, you know, we'll see, but I'm very happy. And also, it's cleaner. three to five just feels better than ending on a half-hour market always. So, yeah, that is true. That started Monday. Unfortunately, Chris Broussard gets more vacation than anyone on this network other than Colin Coward. So he's not here for it, but he'll be here Monday.

So we'll have us all back Monday. All right. Here's who doesn't get a vacation ever, LeBron James. It's interesting. When Michael got into his later years, I mean, his teammates and why, his teammates in Washington didn't like him. There was resentment. The fact of the matter that he's the flag bear for

Olympic basketball means even the young people like him. You're not surprised by that, but I've always felt LeBron, because of stylistically, he's kind of a lubricator, not an agitator. He tends to be an elevator. He's aging really

well, not just his game, but the flag bearing is like notable, right? Well, so the flag bearer stuff, I'm not that surprised by. I mean, I guess it's a little surprising because no male basketball players ever been given that honor. But the things that did surprise me was the players voted, who's the best player on the team, the only person to get more than two votes is the oldest player in the league, LeBron James, he got five. They have been, they have shown you at the end of

these last two games, who they think the best player on the team is, and that's LeBron. What is remarkable, Colin, is that right now on a team with Jason Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry, who's older, but not nearly as old as LeBron, you know, the most talented Olympic team maybe ever, a soon-to-be-year-old LeBron James appears to be the best player on the team. And this is the thought exercise I've done because I understand if folks want to say that given the injury risk and given the fact that because of his age, you can't rely on him for 80 games, you have players ABC ahead of him over the course of a season. That's one thing. But the question I have is this, aside from Yokic, Luca, and Janus, who are obviously

international players, under these circumstances, which is you're going to play an Olympic schedule and everyone's healthy. There are no nagging injuries. Is LeBron the best player there is? Other than the three guys, Luca, Yokic, and Yonis. Is LeBron at age 39 still a top five player in the world? He appears to be proving it, which is utterly remarkable. Yeah. By the way, flag bear for all of the Olympics, so not just basketball, which again, points to the fact there's no animosity,

despite his net worth, his titles, his fame. there's no animosity. Everybody said, let LeBron bring out the flag. That's pretty cool, in my opinion. So I said this. I think the last eight years with DAC have been good, and that's kind of what the Cowboys always are. But they have an 81-year-old owner who thinks he's the GM,

calls himself that, and C.D. Lam's holding out, and because they have such a scarcity of weapons offensively, they'll have to pay them. they'll have to pay him. They don't have to pay Micah yet because of DeMarcos Lawrence. And Dak wouldn't hold out. That's not his personality.

But they're going to have to pay CD-Lam. He holds out. They're not winning football games. And Mike McCarthy's on the hot seat. So my takeaway here is this year will mark in a much stronger NFC than previous year. San Francisco, Detroit, Green Bay, Philadelphia. Really good. Washington, Chicago could have star rookie quarterback.

Rams are out of their rebuild. This season will mark the slow decline. Maybe not in New England. Yeah. I think the Cowboys from this point forward, slow decline. Don't make the playoffs. Your thoughts? Well, the don't make the playoffs.

I saw you say this the other day. That, to me, it would not be a slow decline. That would be a very rapid decline. That, to me, is maybe a bridge too far for a team that has won 12 games, three consecutive seasons. but they obviously and undeniably have had a disastrous offseason. They have now painted themselves into this corner, Colin. Their three most important players, their quarterback, their best defensive player, and their best skill position player, all of them expect to become the highest paid ever at what they do.

And that's not tenable. DAC is not going to sign a contract. That is not the highest paid quarterback ever. Micah is not going to sign a contract that is not the highest paid defensive player ever. And because they waited so long with CD, he's not going to sign a contract that is not, forget highest paid wide receiver. That is not highest paid non-quarterback ever. And so once they signed CD, Micah's, you know, price actually goes up because he likely wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback ever. And them waiting on Dak, Dax sees what Trevor Lawrence got.

He's about to see what Jordan Love's going to get. They have not handled this well at all. And to me, Colin, their only escape hatch is hoping and praying that a year from now, either Trey Lance is ready or they can reset the quarterback carousel price-wise by drafting a guy. It is not tenable to keep Cedi and Micah, who you must keep and to keep Dak Prescott. I think they're going to have to choose, and it would appear, I shouldn't say it would appear. I think they're going to choose to keep the two non-quarterbacks and recoup that money there. So I defended Jordan Loves holdout the other day for this reason.

Sure. He's been in the building three years before he started. And once an employee is in the building for three years, you can watch leadership, judgment, practice video that I don't see. This is not Anthony Richards, and 13 starts in college, Indianapolis gets hurt. You have no idea in the building what he is. Is that Jordan Love has more than proven. I know, I know, just eight great starts, but this position is about intelligence, leadership, maturity, and judgment. And I think he's passed that with flying colors, plus the eight guys.

games. There's some pushback. We haven't seen a lot of them, but I would pay him even a little overpay to get him back on the field. Your thoughts? Well, listen, I think this is the most interesting of all the quarterback situations. I think the Miami one's pretty straightforward. I don't think they are certain he's excellent, and they're very squeamish about paying him. The DAC, when I talked about, I think DAC wants $60 million a year, and the Cowboys don't feel like they can make that happen right now. Love and the Packers, I think, will get done because I think they're aligned. I think the Packers really like him. And obviously, he just wants to get paid and stay there. I think that the fly in the ointment for this deal actually is the deal my guy, Trevor Lawrence got.

When Joe Burrow was at $55 million or $54 million a year, it's easy for the Packers to say to Jordan Love, listen, you're not Joe Burrow. this look at his resume. But when Trevor Lawrence gets five years to 75, Jordan loves people can be like, oh, Trevor Lawrence, you mean the guy with one playoff win and one excellent start to finish season? Well, that's the same thing my guy has. And so I understand your point, and it's not so much that I don't believe in Jordan Love as much as it is. I understand the Packers' anxiety about this, because this would be the smallest. sample size we've ever seen for a quarterback to get top of market money. And I think that's what's going to happen. I do think eventually they're going to pay him. And by the way, I don't

blame Jordan at all for not practicing until he gets paid. I think that's something that Tua should have been considering because it's the only leverage you have. But I don't think I am more confident, I guess I would say, in C.J. Stroud being this level of quarterback than Jordan Love. I think Jordan Love might be, but I don't have enough yet to know it, but it doesn't really matter. The Packers are going to have to pay it on the hope that he is. So a couple days ago, Jay Mack and I got into a conversation. If you could pay quarterbacks based on what they deserve. Now, it never works in that linear fashion where, you know, everybody, it could be CEOs, broadcaster, whoever's the last guy to get paid is always top three.

otherwise Mahomes would always be the highest paid and Kirk Cousins won't eventually make more than Brady. But I said, in a perfect world, here's how I would pay the quarterbacks in order of what they accomplished. We have two superstars in the league. Mahomes is number one. Alan, a highly productive touchdown machine in terms of raw production is two. They're different. A lot of Allen's shortcomings have been a bad old line. a defensive head coach.

No run game until last year. He's got better support. The second tier to me are great quarterbacks with a flaw. Lamar postseason, Stafford's age, Burroughs' health and golf's immobility. And then four young quarterbacks, I'd like to see more,

maybe more wins or more time, but I do feel like I'd pay him as a GM. Herbert Stroud, Love, and Lawrence. Jalen hurts, the odd man out, he would be 11. anything jump out to you that you strongly agree or disagree with? So, listen, I, you know, I've noticed in sports media,

quarterback pyramids, ranking things by tiers with names, have become very in vogue. I'm not sure who really got the ball rolling on that, but I imagine that everyone else in sports media is very grateful for it. I think your top tier is perfect, Colin, because between those two guys, you have a combined, let me get this, seven Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl MVP's and league MVP's between Mahomes and Allen. Wait, hold on. What's that? Oh, all seven of those are Patrick's. Yeah, he probably should be

on a tier by himself. So I don't like that. I got to tell you. You were listing Josh's flaws. The biggest one is, of course, the inability to beat the guy you have on the same tier as him in any game that matters his whole career. So I would adjust it like this, Colin. I would have Patrick by himself, and then I would have Josh and Lamar on a tier by themselves, which are like, and I don't know what I would call it right now, but objectively excellent with just a little voice in the back of your head that concerns you, but the raw talent and ability is so high, it doesn't really matter.

Like, for Lamar, it is, why do you always play your worst in the postseason? For Josh, it is why do you go from month to month? It's like, oh, my God, this guy is going to run away, with league MVP to, oh my God, the reason that Bill's turned their season around was they stopped letting him throw the ball. But they're still clearly, probably second and third in the league or certainly in the top five. The biggest gripe I have is I wouldn't have golf up there with those other guys. Yeah, I knew that.

Because golf's flaw, you knew it was coming because you have a soft spot for Jared golf. And I don't know why. I mean, he's good. But I think that golf's total inability. You called it lack of mobility, but total inability to function if the offensive line is not excellent, it to me knocks him down one. Where I will give you credit is for having the courage to not include the last two quarterbacks to lose in the Super Bowl out of the NFC. And Jalen Hertz and Brock Purdy.

Because I think Jalen, we now have a large sample size of his college and pro career and only one excellent season. That's right. And the problem for Brock Purdy, listen, the numbers are great, the stats are great, the win, loss is great. What works against Brock Purdy is the fact that the games are televised. And as long as that continues to happen, people are going to have questions about if he's a top 10 quarterback in the league. By the way, congratulations on that additional hour. I'm sure compensation it will now increase.

You know, see, this is, I don't, like, Colin, I don't negotiate through the media. That's, you know what I mean? That's not what I do. I feel like me and the bosses here are on the same page. We value each other equally. And, you know, I'm sure if an adjustment needs to be made, then it'll be made.

But I'm not, you know, I'm just here. Today shows the most important show I'm going to do and just one day at a time. Pro tip. If they like you, still, you're not asking for enough. So that's just a pro tip on that. That is your philosophy. Oh, my good.

You're really revealing a lot. That is great. All right. I'll talk to you later, but you. Nick Wright. All right. Deshawn Jackson showing up last hour. I like my bosses today.

J. Mack, I went to my office, and you did get me a present. It was Warren Sharps' Football Encyclopedia, which he tried to send one in my house, and he's like, what's wrong with your address? I literally sent him the wrong address. Yeah, yeah. You've got some problems. I moved too much. It was the wrong address.

Yeah. So he sent me one and said one to drop off to you. Yeah, he's a nice guy. That's a good content in there. Yeah. You've got to be a serious football fan. You dig into it on one of your six-hour flights across the country. One more herd?

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So for years and years, when I was a kid growing up, I used to watch a show called The Jetsons, and they're flying around flying cars. And for decades, space nerds have been telling us that flying cars are right around the corner. Just a heads up, a literal heads up. August 1st, some municipalities in America. It's called the Jetsons Law will allow for flying cars. Minneapolis, I believe, is one of them. So you think there's a lot of UFO sightings now. Flying cars, I don't know what to make of it.

The idea that my mother would have ever been flying a car. I mean, she would have her turn signal on for nine miles. Flying cars come into a city near you, apparently. The nerds won. The sci-fi guys won. They were right. 40 years, 50 years. It took a while, but they were right.

J-Mack with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd-line news. Have you ever got in one of those self-driving cars? No. So there's no way you're getting in a flying car.

None. I don't, none. I like travel. I'm fine. You're an airport guy. You're not a flying car. Major airline, I'll buy a little nicer, seat, I'm good, I don't need to go private, don't need flying cars, I don't need any of that stuff.

It feels like a mild upset that Minnesota is going to be the first one of flying cars. No, it's a very progressive city. It's a great corporate hub, a lot of money there. I mean, they had at one point, they had the pro wrestler was their governor. Oh, Jesse the Body Ventura. And then they had a comedian, what's his Saturday Night Live guy. I mean, they, what's the comedian on Saturday? Oh, oh, oh, oh, the guy who did, it's packed. Yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they've always, Al Franken. That's it, yeah, Al Franken. Minneapolis has always been a city in Minnesota State that is willing to take big chances on stuff. Big swings. Yeah, it's a progressive state. It's almost like Illinois, your new favorite state. I like Illinois.

All right, let's go to Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys entering his first. fifth season with Dallas, but is on an expiring contract. He admitted it's a challenge to not have a long-term plan, but he's looking at it as an opportunity that could work in his favor. He said he's betting on himself going into 2024. Well, they didn't get any schedule breaks because, thank God they play the Giants twice. But if you start looking at that schedule, I argue there's not a single two-game stretch that you feel like, I mean, you get the Saints, but right after him, you get the Ravens. And then you get the Giants, but then the following week, you're at Pittsburgh. And then you get the Lions and a buy, but then you open up with San Francisco. You get Atlanta

that I think's better than Dallas into Philadelphia, into Houston. Oh, you get the Giants again. How is Atlanta better than Dallas? But it's Joe Burrell the next week. Oh, you get Carolina, and then it's Baker and a pretty good roster in Tampa. You don't get any two or three game space. Like the Jets get like a three game space early in the year, and you're like, oh, they should go three and O. The Cowboys, every time they get a cream puff, it's followed by Baltimore.

Wait a minute. Washington Giants, Bengals, Panthers. They should be win three of those four. I'd be very careful about them going to Washington. That's a tough place to play. You can't just expect to go to Landover, Maryland. It's easy to say Washington's easy, but you will have come off at the Niners, at Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston.

There's a chance you're going to be fatigued and beat up. It's like a slump buster. Come on. I don't know. So here's the weird thing. I had a buddy who's a Cowboys fan, and he was proposing to me that they are a homeless man's version of the Rams when they won the Super Bowl. Right? You're top heavy with some top end talent, C.D. Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Dak.

However, you've got a vastly inferior. coach and all of your top-end talent is a little worse than what the Rams had. Yeah, the Rams were a mile better at quarterback and head coach. Exactly. And I like Micah, he doesn't resemble Aaron Donnell. Homeless man's version

of, no? Yeah, yeah. Yes, very much. Poor, poor man homeless? I don't know. But I don't know. The Cowboys are not going to be worse than the Falcons this year. Let's not no, no, Atlanta's winning 12 to 13 games. Have you seen their schedule? They will have a quarterback advantage in 14 weeks? Oh, will they? So, Kirk Cous

is that much better. Put up Atlanta's schedule. It's unbelievable. It's the weakest schedule I've ever seen. And remember, Atlanta, you don't have to worry about Kirk Cousins bad weather, playing a dome. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're worried about Aaron Rogers coming off in Achilles being an old guy. Kirk Cousin, same deal.

One has the second best offensive line in the sport. One plays in a terrible division. One plays indoors. I mean, Atlanta's got a stacked offensive roster. Jets have a stacked defensive roster. Big different. By the way, Rahim Morris is not on the hot seat. It's not the relentless New York media.

They're not on TV every week. New coach, new quarterback, new offensive coordinator. A lot of newness. Jets have everybody coming back. Everybody's. Bobby Sala. Rogers. Continuity, baby.

Outside of weeks two and three. Atlanta's going to be favored throughout this schedule. Wait a minute. Wait, hold up. Hold up. T.J. Watt against a hobbled Kirk Cousins in week one can potentially be dangerous. TJ Walker. Atlanta's O-line is sensational.

Oh, my goodness. Wow. The toughest part of their schedule is the first three weeks, and then just look at the quarterbacks you face. It is. It's rookies. Baker Mayfield, he's a push-over? Bryce Young?

It's two rookies, Gardner Minshew, Gino Smith, Bryce Young. That schedule is... And by the way, you get a buy before one of your toughest games. Harbon Herbert. Where's Gardner Minchew? Oh, the Raiders game way late in the season. Boy, there's a lot of doubles use there.

There's a lot of doubles. That's the weakest NFL schedule I've seen in a long time. It is pretty bad. I think there's an argument. The safest bet in the NFL this year is Atlanta winning the division. But that was the Saints last year, remember? No, no, no, no. That wasn't the safest bet in the league.

The Saints schedule was a joke. Yeah, but it's Kirk Cousins is better than Derek Carr, and Rahim Morris is better than Dennis Allen. Well, marginally on both. Anyways, let's get back to it. Let's get you a good team. The Jets. Ah, yes, the Jets.

This Hassan Reddick thing, I think you were early on this. It started to get troubling. So they offered Reddick a new contract when they were making the trade earlier this year, but he declined the new deal. New York told him that if he wanted more money, they needed to see him perform first,

and he was on board with that. However, now he has skipped the full off-season program, and the Jets are not willing to negotiate until he shows up. So listen, I know Joe Douglas, Joe Douglas is a beloved GM in some jet circles. Oh, he's such a great drafter outside of the top 10. This is a massive whiff if they get nothing out of Hussan Redding. Now, hopefully they do, but they lost Bryce Huff. They basically traded Bryce Huff essentially for Redick.

And it's turned into a spectacular disaster. Now, the Jets fortunately have defensive line depth. They got a lot of guys. Some. They need to get Reddick. in the fold. Yes, they lost their sack leader. They need to replace their sack leader. I mean, Will McDonald, a kid drafted last year, very promising. Quentin Williams' elite defensive tackle. Yeah, I'm not denying that. The front seven is one of the best in football.

This Redick thing is kind of embarrassing. Hey, we trade it for you and he's like, now I'm not showing up. That's a little disrespectful, isn't it? The Rams roster, considering they whiffed on a left tackle and quarterback, is actually very good. They've hit on so many other draft picks. I mean, Garrett Wilson Major hit. Brees Hall, major hit. Several defensive home run. Sauce Gardner, major hit. So, I mean, usually if you miss it a quarterback and a left tackle, you're done. They're actually, it's a top 7-8 roster. They won seven games last year with arguably the worst quarterback play in the NFL.

Let's give them a little bit of the defense kept them in games. I said 9 and 8 is where I have. Why I would bump that up to 11 is if they're able to get leads with that defense and Sala can get the defensive rushers, past rushers to pin their ears back. I'll give them 10 if they beat the Niners in the open. You'll get what? If they beat the Niners in the opener,

I'll give them 10 wins. But I see them as a nine-win team. And I will tell you, the sneakiest game on the schedule is week two. Oh, stop. Titans are going to get just boxed by the Bears in week one. They're going to be like a wounded animal against an angry Jets team off a loss of the Niners.

That could be a bloodbath. Final story is the commanders. your new team, your sexy pick in the NFC East. They drafted Jayden Daniels to be their QB in the future. Can't wait. Even though he's the overwhelming favorite to start week one, the team is not confirming that just yet.

Dan Quinn said when Jaden is ready to take the starting role, everyone will know. It's not a secret, but it is a journey and a process. And so as we're going, when he's ready, we'll know. And when he's ready, he'll also know.

But as far as the reps go, obviously with him and Marcus and moving around, there'll be certain days that will feature more of another. But I guess I did want, I'm glad that you brought it up and certainly not a secret. It's a journey and a process. And so through practices, through scrimmages and preseason games all the way down, that's where the journey will take us. And then not trying to hold back the info, but when we know, we'll say. Go ahead. I know you want to say it.

Not going to get into it. He's a coach. He's a coach. He's a coach. He's a podium. him. Not an issue. By the way, so new owner, new head coach, new offensive coordinator, new quarterback, new running back one in Austin Eckler.

Yep. If they're able to pull this off, this will be just a phenomenal job, given all the newness. Because historically, continuity matters, that's one thing you can use wisely to bet on teams. I usually, when it's a new coach, new quarterback, usually it's safe to go under. There's just, there's a learning curve. You don't seem to be worried about any of that with it. No, I think the people that were replaced were bad, and they replaced them in all situations with potentially excellent people. It's like saying, well, we made some changes.

Well, it depends on what the changes are. Tom Brady replaced whoever the quarterback for the bucks was. They made a lot of changes. Gronk, A, B, Tristan Wirthes. Change is great if you're replacing terrible. The owner was terrible. The GM wasn't good. The coach wasn't good.

Quarterback play was erratic. They've upgraded at every one of those positions. Offensive coordinators. I'm not afraid of change. Now, it may, because no starters play in the preseason, it could be choppy in September. But Washington, I look at it as they upgraded it, owner, GM, coach, coordinator, and quarterback. I look at five upgrades. I don't even remember because of their quarterback was last.

You see change as a pejorative. No, no, no. It's not negative. By the way, the Chargers have a new coach. Yeah, I think it's an advantage. It's just not easy, and it takes some time. I mean, we had a unique situation with you and I. We knew each other.

So I came in, and it was like a glove. It was just like we hit the ground running. I don't see it quite as a glove. I don't see it as a glove. But the point being is, even we took some time. So everything takes time. But Washington was a tire fire, and they put it out. Now, it doesn't mean they're going to be a Maserati,

but at least there'll be a BMW. No, there'll be a full focus. They will not be a BMW with Jaden Daniels. Come on. They're a playoff team. Go watch Houston, which was even, I would say, Washington has more talent than Houston did when D'Amico Ryan's got there. Washington's got some players.

Washington's got talent. They have a couple of defensive tackles, defensive linemen. They have wide receivers and weapons I like. Washington's not without talent. They're without leadership and a quarterback. Closer to CJ Strach. than Bryce Young's rookie year. No, they basically hit in a coach,

an offensive coordinator, a quarterback, and a couple of receivers. And it changed everything. Washington, I think, upgraded coach, coordinator, quarterback, and already had receivers. Scary Terry McClure. And both divisions where you can win games. We like Austin Echler.

He's getting up there in age quickly, but... Oh, I like him a lot. Okay. Are you done? Yeah. Mr. Glob Guy? Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. You know, sometimes you hear things. And I don't want to be a West Coast homer. But I'm hearing stuff. And about all these Pac-12 teams are going to struggle in the rigorous Big Ten. No, dead, dad, dad, not going to happen. Get ready for Oregon to win the championship, potentially, and USC to finish third.

Just get ready for it. Lincoln Riley's talking. about going to the Big Ten and soon owning it. Next, it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern.

But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. we never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is overpromising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubberlips. Blameen me.

Well, you know what? It's called overpromise. You should be good at it because you've been overpromising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course. But we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Overpromised.

Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, Make sure you check out Overpromise and also uncensored, by the way. So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino and Rich on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without looking. Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Who? Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions.

Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know.

Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can't stop me. Friday nights on Fox, the baddest superstars on the planet are unleashed in prime time for WW Friday Night's Smackdown. Don't miss Network Television's biggest spectacle live at 8-7 Central on Fox. I don't think I can recall ever being this excited for college football. I grew up with a pack 12, but I said years ago, there's no money here. They're going to get gobbled up.

They did. and Washington and Oregon and USC and UCLA. I wish Utah would have been part of it too. They're going Big 12, but the big four are going to the Big Ten. Big Ten fans, of course. Oh, Colin, the cold weather. Have you been to Seattle and Oregon in like late October, early November? It rains and stuff, even snow sometimes.

They're going to be fine. Now, UCLA's in a rebuild, Washington a little bit. Oregon and USC are fine. So here was Lincoln Riley today on Big Ten Media Day on the first year in the new conference. Going into the Big Ten conference this year, we're certainly looking forward to the new venues, the new challenges, getting a chance to compete

against other great players, other great coaches throughout the league. But one thing that I've been steadfast on since the day I got to Los Angeles was our standards will never change there. Our standards at USC are to compete for championships. you know, whether we're in the beginning of this rebuild that we undertook two years ago and throughout our entire time here, which is going to be a long time, we are certainly looking forward to competing for championships every year,

and now it's just Big Ten championships. So USC, first of all, gets a big break. They don't have to face Oregon or Ohio State, the two best rosters, in my opinion, easily in the conference. I have to play them. They get Notre Dame and Penn State. state, the next two really good teams at home. Michigan, Washington are good, but both in total rebuilds, having to replace great

quarterbacks. LSU and the openers, the tough game, that's in my opinion, that's probably a competitive L. But they don't play any cold weather games. November 2nd in Seattle, they'd play that anyway. The entire idea of cold weather affecting USC is laughable, considering how early the Big Ten season ends and that the last game will

generally be UCLA in Los Angeles, home or away. And that game's late November. So they're not going to face. They may have a November 17th game in an Iowa, a Rutgers, they'll match up just fine. It's rain.

Even in Iowa, you don't get a lot of snowstorms, November 17th. Climate change. it'll probably be sunny in 54. But this idea that these West Coast teams are going to shrink, how about Penn State having to fly 3,300 miles to Los Angeles this year? USC gets a big scheduling break in year one. Even the best team on their schedule, LSU is replacing a great quarterback,

and frankly, since Brian Kelly arrived, they can't get the defense right. Now, USC will not be as dynamic at quarterback, but in fairness, Miller Moss in his one start was great. And the truth is, Caleb Williams sort of ad-lib the offense the last six games because of offensive line issues. They're better virtually everywhere outside a quarterback. The schedule for an opening Big Ten season is really fortunate, really, really fortunate. For our radio audience, take out the LSU game, which I reportedly they tried to get out of, this thing would be about as easy as a Big Ten schedule gets. So I think they're just going to be fine.

I mean, Lincoln Riley has also talked about the NIL, which USC now finally has right. So in the Big Ten, the best NIL where you buy players is Oregon, buy a long shot. But the second best NIL, and this is a real thing, is arguably USC. Now, they're not Georgia. They're not Oregon. They're not Texas. They're not Texas A&M. That's not where they are with NIL.

They're not one of the big five. But I've been told USC's collective is $12 million a year. That is top 12 in the country. And that is arguably number two in the Big Ten. So the Southern California boosters have stepped up. They're at 12. They've solidified that. They've got new facilities coming in.

This idea they're just going to will to, away. The burdens of bad weather and Big Ten football, the Big Ten's been a two-team conference, 90% of my life. Michigan or Ohio State win it, and Penn State's always interesting. That's been a conference most of my life. When Barry Alvarez was there, watch out for Wisconsin. Michigan State's hot and cold, usually cold. So I think they're fine. For the record, J. Mack, you're a college football fan as well. Texas, Oklahoma, going to SEC, and the four pack 12 teams going to the big 10. It's going to start looking like the NFL, AFC, NFC.

By and large, word now that Clemson and Florida State could go ACC to the SEC. So it's going to really start looking like the NFL, semi-pro football with two major conferences, everybody on the outside looking in. For all the people complaining about the 12-team playoff hurting rivalries, I'm going to go the opposite. The truth is, if you look at USC scorer, schedule, I think they'll be in sights of the 12-team playoff going into their last two games with their biggest rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame, which will add a dimension whether they make the

playoff or not to the rivalry game. So there's this idea, Auburn, Alabama is going to hurt the rivalry. Bama's getting in the playoff period. Auburn isn't. But USC, if you look at their schedule, there's a lot of wins here on the schedule. I think at UCLA home Notre Dame. They will be an active team for the playoff going into their two rivalries. So that'll just add intensity to those two great rivalries.

Can I go with a possibly? See, this is so new, the 12th team playoff. Like, if I told you right now that a three-loss team made the playoff. Yes, yeah. So that could, we don't know. No, if it's a big brand, like let's say, for instance. Notre Dame. Notre Dame loses three games.

They would be, they'd get in. By the way. I don't. I think Penn State's a great example. Penn State schedule is there's a couple of losses on it. But because of James Franklin recruits elite talent, they'll be good eye candy. And because they have a really, really good young quarterback who will be,

he's a great player, potentially, that Penn State will lose a couple of shootouts, but they'll be eye candy. They'll look, and that's my thing on USC. USC is stacked at receiver, better old line, running back, Lincoln Riley. My take is USC and Penn State. at various times in the year, if they finish with three losses, both possible, will look like a playoff team.

They'll go, you know, they're going to, USC's going to average 35 points a game. I think Penn State's going to score a time. You feel that good about the quarterback? I think they're, it's the most talented receiving core they've had. I think quarterback. He's fine. He's fine.

Okay. I don't know yet. He was an LA kid, four-star, look good against Louisville in the ball game. It's fine. 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 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. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, hope. from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then

shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Will Ferrell's big money players and IHeart podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne.

Yeah. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast.

We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

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