The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Rams-Bengals, Rodgers

Episode Date: February 9, 2022

The 10 best players in the big game this SundayWill the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers?Guest: Austin Ekeler Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor it? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind 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 Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh! Welcome an hour two live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, F.S.1. Joy, did you see this morning who was on Good Morning America? I did not. Caleb Williams, USC quarterback. All you quarterbacks out there, all you football players, you come to USC, you're on Good Morning America. For your brand. It is big for the brands. It's big for the brand. It's big for the brand. USC is big for the brand.

A lot of NIL money out there. Caleb Williams. I was supposed to go to dinner with a Monday night. You got very, very busy. Well, that's what happens when it's Los Angeles and Super Bowl weekend. Hey, he was scheduling a good morning of America. The great Robin Roberts.

What is your number one brands, like when people go out, when people see you out? My number one, what? Like, the biggest thing about your brand, your personal brand. What do they say? Like, what do people tell you? I don't know. A lot of times they just scream.

stuff, they're incoherent, babbling and drunk. People are nice. The number one thing people tell me is that they love how I clap back at trolls on Twitter. That's that's become my brand, which I'm fine with. It's fine. I don't know what they say. You know, a lot of times it's, you know what people

They ask about Baker. They ask me about Baker. Baker and I, I think, are moving toward a more less hostile relationship. Yeah. Yeah, I support it was ever hostile. I don't have, I said, Aaron Rogers is welcome. I am not one these cream puff talk show hosts that bad mouse guys they get here and then i ask softball questions i

confronted a baker mayfield on stuff he was great by the way he was fantastic yeah i think people i actually think people forget that baker mayfield came on the show people people ask me like why don't do what i didn't have baker on the show like we did have baker on the show it's a live television radio show he was here right there five feet away from us like he came on the show by the way Anybody's what. Westbrook can be on the show tomorrow. It's like, by the way, I've defended Westbrook. He drives me nuts. His game is what his game is, but I've defended Russell this year.

I think he's handled it like a pro. He's just struggling. You know what I do get when people stop me. They appreciate that you are America's honesty broker. I am. That is a line that sticks in the right line. This America's honesty broker. As an honesty broker, so whenever there's a big game, Joy knows this.

I get a paper and to figure out who's going to win the game. I go 10 best players, who has the most of the 10 best players. And that usually signifies to me. That's the better roster, more flexibility, more depth. So here are, in my opinion, in order, the 10 best players in this Super Bowl, starting with number one. And I don't think this is an argument. Aaron Donald, who I think outside of Lawrence, Taylor and Reggie White,

is the greatest defensive player I've ever seen. He's the first defensive player to earn seven straight, first team, all pro selections in the Super Bowl era. He is unblockable. he will be double-teamed. I think he is the key to the game of Cincinnati's interior lineman can't block him. With a double team, it's going to evaporate the protection. Only player in the NFL with 10 plus sacks each of the last five years.

A humble, great player. By the way, what's remarkable, he's an interior defensive lineman with those numbers. He is, to me, the only player in my life that compares to Reggie White on the defensive line, interior. And you could move Reggie around. You can move Aaron around. He's remarkable and a wonderful guy. Number two would be Cooper Cup. He had the best season in the history of the league.

Folks, he had almost 200 catches. So, I mean, he can do everything. He runs after the catch. He runs great routes. He led all players this year with almost 400 receiving yards in the postseason. That's being doubled, bracketed, and all the attention. 13 games this year with 100 plus receiving yards, including the playoffs. That's the most in a single season in league history.

he went to the Harvard of the Palluse, Eastern Washington University. You should grant it some money if you can. It's a fine school. I went there, too. Number three, Matt Stafford. The reason I put Matt Stafford ahead of Burrow is one thing. He had the highest quarterback rating in the league in the fourth quarter, and I think this Super Bowl will be decided in the fourth quarter.

He also had the highest passer rating this year in the league in the second half. He had fewer, you know, the Bengals had more dips. They lost to the jets. they lost to the Bears, they lost to five non-playoff teams. Matt Stafford, number three, I would put Joe Burrow at number four. The one thing I'll say about Burrow, he's got a very short memory. Bad throws, he forgets him. 19 touchdown passes of 20 plus yards.

Some of that's Jamar Chase, and some of that is he loves to sling it. He has kind of got a little bit of a gun slinger mentality. He'll make mistakes. He'll throw interceptions. He does not care. He plays with incredible confidence. I'd have him at number four, which considering it's his second year in the league off an injury, a major one is remarkable.

Number five, Jamar Chase. Most receiving yards by a rookie in a single year in NFL history, postseason history, most receiving yards by a rookie in a single season in the Super Bowl era. So we knew he was really great coming out of college. He wasn't a shocker. Everybody, you know, they were going to go offensive line or they were going to go wide receiver. And Joe Burrow lobbied for the wide receiver thing. It has paid off.

He is really a difference maker in these games. Again, a guy that can make catches like a Devante Adams. When you have him doubled and bracketed, he can still blow it up. Number six, Jalen Ramsey, he's a spot below because he plays a defensive position and it's an offensive league. He's the highest graded corner in the league this year. And by the way, it's the second time he's been graded as the highest graded corner in football since 2017. He led all cornerbacks with nine tackles for losses. He's a very physical corner.

He will get up and smack you. He will tackle run. running backs. He is hyper aggressive, occasionally burned, but he's as gifted. He was the best high school corner seven, eight years ago. He was great in Jacksonville, and he's remarkable with the Rams. Number seven, Trey Hendrickson. They got him from the Saints. He is a tremendous acquisition. 16 and a half sacks. This year, a career high. All he does is get after the quarterback. The Rams have the better defensive line, but the best edge rusher in this game is Trey Hendrickson. He is one spot ahead of Joe Mixon.

I would put him at number eight. The Bengals, I think, have a star power running back with speed in Joe Mixon. He ranked top five in carries, rushing yards. He also gets into the end zone, rushing touchdowns. So he's kind of got an old school feel to him. Big, strong, powerful. You can use him in screens out of the backfield, Joe Mixon at eight. I would put Vaughn Miller at nine.

I didn't think he was washed, but I thought it was an interesting move. he has been absolutely fantastic in the playoffs. Since he joined the Rams, he has 16 tackles for losses. That leads the league. That is really shocking. So again, you put an aging player, it took him a few weeks to get ramped up, but he has been in these big games so many times. And the thing I like about Vaughn Miller, he's better on big downs.

He is one of those players. There's a Draymond Green effect. When you really need him, he is there. And that's just certain players have that DNA. He's one of them. And number 10, Andrew Whitworth was the highest pass blocking grade among all tackles this year. Second highest graded player on the Rams to Cooper Cup. He is left tackle.

So I'm going to put him below skill players or quarterbacks or pass rushers. But Whitworth remains as good a pass blocker. In fact, I can only remember once this year, giving up an ugly sack. And the reason I remember is he doesn't give up ugly sack. sacks. So he'll have his hands full this weekend, but it is six Rams. It is four Cincinnati Bengals. Man, we got a lot of good players. I was just thinking how many are first round pick? So Aaron Donald was, Jalen Ramsey was, Von Miller was, Burrow was, Stafford was, I think Cooper Cup second round. Was Cooper Cup, first or second round? Third round, Cooper Cup.

A lot of first round. Whitworth was second round. But one of the things that's interesting about the NFL, and I've always thought it's cool, half the league is undrafted. That is unbelievable. Austin Echler played college football at Western Colorado, undrafted, and now he's a touchdown machine. If you play fantasy football, you want Austin Echler on your roster. Chargers running back tied the NFL lead in scrimmage touchdowns 20. By the way, I have been to Colorado. It's a beautiful state.

And you ended up in Western Colorado, so I don't want to sound like an idiot. I don't know much about Western Colorado football, but I want you to tell me. First of all, what's the nickname of Western Colorado? I don't know. Yeah, we're the Mountaineers. Okay. All right, you're by mountains. The Mountaineers.

Okay. What kind of offense did you run in college? I'm going to spread offense. Okay. All right. So we were, yeah. You were a good person. there. Before we get going,

I want to appreciate you bring me on the show. I've been trying to get on the show. Get it scheduled anyway. It just didn't end up working out, but finally got it. So I appreciate you having me on. Well, you're a good-looking guy. You should be on TV a lot. Look at that. That guy is good- looking guy. I appreciate that. You bet, my man. So let me ask you, I want you to give

me the moment, Austin, when you thought to yourself, I'm going to make the league. I'm a, forget the Pact 12 and the Big 12, they overlooked me. When was the moment you thought you call mom and dad you call maybe a sister i'm going to make the national football league man um i think probably after my last preseason game um because my journey it was it was it was wild

as far as like my perspective because when i was in there i was six string running back and i never moved up the depth chart i never really got more reps because i did well or anything like that i would always get sprinkled in a few reps in practice i had a few standout players i remember i caught a touchdown and a joint practice from Philip against the Saints. But just little blurbs here and there that were like, okay, this kid maybe can play. But that wasn't even really what got me into the league. It was my special teams play.

And after my fourth preseason game, you know, I had a solid game on offense, but special teams is where I really showed that I could play in this league. And, you know, after that game, I was like, I don't know if I did enough to make the team, but I know that's everything I had. There's nothing else you could have got out of Austin Neckler. So, you know, if that's good enough,

great if not that I'm not to move on to something else. So do you remember the moment they told you you made the team? Yeah, so it wasn't even a moment. It was like the lack of a moment because it came down to the day of cuts and it's like, okay, all the cuts have to be in by like 2 o'clock or whatever the cutoff time was. And it was like

130 and I hadn't gotten a call yet and I'm like, oh snap, you know, that I get a call from our player director and our player director and he's like, hey man, I'm going to have to help you get some living scenarios going because you're probably making the team. I was like, let's go.

So that was the moment. Call my mom and all that. Oh, good for you. You have, it's really interesting. You guys played the Bengals this year, and I watched every second of it. It was one of those games. It was a weird game. So Herbert and Burrow, both are big deep ball throwers.

They love to throw it up. And there was a lot of jump balls in that game, and you guys caught them all or intercepted them. It was a weird game where it was just, it was just, I was just a Chargers day. What about the Bengals defense? If I hadn't seen them play, what's the strength of their defense? Because you guys beat them up.

Most teams didn't. What is it about their defense? Yeah, I mean, they were pretty stout in the run game when we played them. And I think that's something that they've been able to do all year as just watching games. But like you said, our big plays definitely put us in positions. And we turned the ball over just like they did that game. I remember I had two fumbles that game. So they definitely got some opportunities.

But like you said, we were catching our deep balls. I remember we were struggling to get the run game going, which, I mean, we have Herbert. So it's not the end of the world if that happens. So we were able to pick up a different one of our strengths. But that's what it's going to be. I mean, they're going to have to stop the big plays from the Rams too that you're going to see. You know, you were just talking about the Rams player. You know, they got Cooper Cup, who's having a special year.

My league MVP, if you asked me. But, yeah, it's going to come down to eliminate the. the big plays for the Bengals. First time you saw Justin Herbert. So I'm sure you had a, you know, Western Colorado, you had the spread, your quarterback could throw it around. But when was the first time you're watching, you start your career with Philip Rivers, you go to Justin Herbert, and nobody knows, you know, I know him because I'm from the Pacific

Northwest, so I watched a lot of his college games. And Joey and I kept saying, this guy's going to be great. Does everybody watch the Rose Bowl? But when was the first time you knew at practice, Austin, you're like, yeah, this guy's different. Yeah, you know, in practice he always was making, you know, great throws and making him on the run and things like that. But it was the mental part where, like, okay, he's going to be able to call the plays. Like, obviously, you know, playing a quarterback at this level, there's a huge mental gap that you have to catch up to as far as understanding the disguises and all the other things that come with that.

So the talent and the skill was there. And you can see him just how he moved and how he's so big and how fast he can actually move for his size and just continue to look down the field. for his, you know, his stature. So he has all the pieces. And it was like, okay, how is he going to mentally translate? And, you know, come to find out, you know, he has a 4.0 average at Oregon. Very dedicated player, as I've gotten to know him, as just all he wants to do is play football and hang out with the boys.

Like, you see him, like duck in the media and all that stuff. And so once that dedication started poking through, it was like, okay, yeah, this guy's, you know, destined for greatness if he has this head on his shoulders. And so I feel like he's only up for him. He's just going to continue to get better, even from last year to this year, his leadership and his understanding of how offenses work and how his role is actually really crucial to our confidence and us seeing him perform and bring the confidence to the plays and knowing what to do, put us in the right spot, actually has a big effect on us.

That growth is going to continue to come. And, you know, I just ran past him over here sitting on media. So he's getting into it. He's becoming a pro. You know, people forget this is a young player and they got to catch up with what the NFL is. it's a lot more than college. So really looking forward to being his back foot buddy for the next couple days. So Jonathan Taylor,

yeah, Jonathan Taylor was on the first hour, a great running back. Quarterbacks often, like they find a quarterback they grow up with and they're Joe Montana fan or a Brady fan and they kind of play like him a little bit. Was there a back that you watched and you're running style and size and you thought, yeah, I'm a little bit of him? So I actually did not watch the NFL growing up. I grew up on a tiny little ranch town.

And, like, I was in the cowboy life for, like, the early parts of my life. So, yeah, mainstream sports were really in my life. So I didn't watch the NFL until, like, my junior year of college. Wow. So you were, were you, like, a rope and calf and stuff? Like, you were a rancher? Yeah, you know, I was, yeah, I grew up on a ranch. We had 80 acres, had cattle.

We had horses. I rode bulls for a couple years. I was straight-up cowboy life. And transitioned out of that. as I got a little older. Have you seen the show Yellowstone, by the way? I haven't. I haven't been watching many shows, but yeah, people keep telling me too.

Okay, go watch Yellows. It'll just be perfect for you in your ranch life. All right, sleep number, the official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. More NFL players sleep on sleep number 360 than any other bed. Most comprehensive league-wide sleep initiative in pro sports. And what a pleasure to bring on Austin Echler. are you guys are allowed to play fantasy football

if you play in the NFL? Yeah, we can play fantasy football. There's just like a prize limit. Like if there's cash involved, which is no cash involved in any of my leagues for my gain anyway, it's got like a limit to that. But yeah, I'm definitely in fantasy football.

Obviously, I have my own show with Yahoo. And then, you know, I was in three leagues this year. Oh, how'd you do, by the way? Terrible. I was terrible. In my leagues, I'm really there for the engagement, not necessarily because I love fantasy football, but I just wanted to kind of bridge the gap and dabble in fantasy a little bit. Hey man, great meeting you.

Love to have you on again. I love your personality. And undrafted Western Colorado, tied for the NFL lead. Scrimmage touchdowns of 20. He finds the end zone. Nice talking to you, Austin. What a pleasure for us. Thank you.

You as well. Thank you. I appreciate you having me on. You bet. Didn't watch the NFL until his junior year. college. Isn't that crazy? Junior of college is pretty fascinating. Like, how do you even get into football

if you're not watching? Well, he was a rancher and he played college football. Probably got a scholarship and just, you know. That ranch life is not for me. Oh, I love rope and calf. I am a city mouse. There's dirt out there and the bugs. Oh, I love, I love

the nature. Ranch life. I ride horses. I'm allergic to all kinds of green stuff. Oh, you'd be surprised. Horses are so, horses are dinosaurs. Who gets on a horse? Oh, I do all the time. They're so big. I yell giddy up and I go get hay and I feed the goats and the pigs. Oh, rancher cow.

Yeah, like I convince myself every year. Every year I have this conversation with my girlfriend. So I'm going to go glamping. No. I mean, which is like essentially just like sort of sleeping near a like normal facility. Like you're not out in the woods. I am not a woods person. Yeah, yeah.

My dad liked the outdoors. We went to Mount Rainier as a kid. So I got used to campfires. I worked in a state park for years. Yeah, you did. I like being outside, but just near, you know, like a CVS. There are pictures of me in a cowboy hat. I'm not joking, on a horse, like many of them.

Listen, Uncle Colin keeps that private. Yeah, didn't you go horseback riding recently? I go horseback riding 10 times a year. Yeah, you posted on your socials. With a cowboy hat? Gidia. Or do you wear the helmet? Well, I prefer the cowboy hat.

But did they make you wear the helmet? My problem is, well, I'm not going to get into it, nobody cares. But it's, yeah, I'm not Kevin Costner, but I like it. I do enjoy it. 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 you're 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 Cliverts 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 Jette.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 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. Trip 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 Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Terry Bradshaw still has plenty of money to give away. So Fox Bet Super 6 is running Stack the Cash one more time. The last two jackpots surpassed $325,000. And they want you to make this one,

even bigger. Scan the QR code, download the Super 6 app, and enter your picks in the Super Bowl contest for your chance to win. And invite your friends to because the more people who enter, the bigger the jackpot gets. Things are really happening for USC football. And I continue to mock Oklahoma football. I'm having the time of my life.

You are being very petty with Oakland football. They're saying mean things about my football coach, Lincoln Riley. And until they're stalking subsides, I will mock Oklahoma football. It is feeling, it's feeling a little bit like Cleveland when LeBron left for Miami. They can't get over it. It's feeling a little bit like, and that's even, that's saying a lot because Oklahoma has been great. It's embarrassing. Like Oklahoma football fans are.

Cleveland, I expected Cleveland to behave that way. Yeah, that's low, low sport self-esteem. Oklahoma's been great forever. But if you keep mocking Lincoln Riley, I'm going to keep mocking your football program and telling great high school players don't go there. The fans are not nice, very mean. Joy with a news No No

Turn on the news This is the herd line news It feels a little bit that way Right Like it's like a Like the initial saltiness I understand Everybody's mad for a day

Right And then you grow up But like we're still doing this Oh no He trends at least Twice a week We're like two months past it It's like sorry

If you keep bad mouth In your ex-girlfriend She in your head Yeah he's in your head Tell him yourself So the Lakers fell to the Bucks 131, 116 bad. And for the second straight game, Russell Westbrook was on the bench for the fourth quarter.

And after the game, he was asked what it might take for him to get back into the end of game lineup. Do you have a sense for what benchmarks you have to hit to be in the starting line or the closing lineup more consistently? I shouldn't have to hit any benchmark. To be honest, I put a lot of work. And I got a lot of respect in this game. I don't have to hit a benchmark. I shouldn't have to. I earned a right, you know, to be in closing linesups. I mean, you know, numbers will tell you, I don't have to explain that. So a lot of I and me in that answer. Yeah.

Well, yeah, I mean, I think it's hard to age. Carmelo struggled with this. I think it's very hard when you're going to be a Hall of Famer, you've made a lot of money, you had a shoe deal, and you start to, some people come up to you. Remember what Carmelo? They asked him. Right. And he laughed.

And he laughed. idea. He'd be a bench player and that's what he is. And I'm not saying Westbrook's a bench player. I'm just saying. No, he's not a bench player. But it's hard. This is what he is. You're also averaging four and a half points per game and one and a half assists and one and a half, one point seven rebounds in the fourth quarter this season. What numbers are you talking about? Yeah. I mean, I just, I feel like I'm kind of with you. This is what Russell Westbrook is. So none of us should really be surprised. I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I moved off that a long time ago. When I know someone in my life and I know enough about them,

I stop expecting things from them that I shouldn't expect. Because that's a waste of both of our time. Again, I don't be friends with someone if you expect this person to be someone other than what they are. You're not going to change people. And if you're going to have them around you, then you should allow them to be who they are. So maybe it was our expectation that he was going to adjust his game

or be something other than what he was. And clearly the Lakers thought this as well. But it's not about Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook is not Anthony Davis to LeBron James. He's not. So this idea that like, oh, like he's earned the right or whatever, like, you're not better than the two stars that are on the team. And it's really about them. Like if, like, championship teams have everyone knows their role and plays their role to the highest of their capability.

If Russell Westbrook's contract, if he made four million a year, you could move off him, it would be fine. The issue with Russell and the critics of the trade were like, it's really expensive. Right. So that's the, I mean, it's a salary cap sport. So I'm not anti-Russell. The issue, it's gotten worse than I thought. It was fine for the first 30 games. He is what he is.

It has deteriorated. It's become toxic. And his free throw percentage, Joy, is plummeting. So that tells you now it's in his head. He's struggling at the free throw line. He's averaging 18.4 points per game. That's his lowest mark since 2009. And shooting 43.7% from the field and 30% from the three point range.

But that's kind of who he is. I thought he'd be about 20 a game. Right. But listen, this is, it's a big brand. It's LeBron. a different pressure playing with the brawn. He's struggling. It's getting bad really fast. So he needs to, you know what my theory on this is? Get him out of town. Let's get out of Los Angeles where the fans are kind of eye rolling him. Let him go on the road, go to an Orlando,

have a good night and he'll bounce out of it. Right now he's at home, getting criticized. It's in his head. But it's also affecting the team. It's not just a Russell Westbrook thing. If you have expectations of the Lakers this year, this can't be going on every night. It can't be about his disagreements with Frank Vogel, who has every right as a coach to say, I'm not putting him in the end of game lineup if he's going to take a ridiculous shot at the end of the game. What you've earned and what you're doing now are two different things when it comes to sports. You've earned the respect of you are a Hall of Fame player.

So maybe some communication. But to be in a lineup where you are not earning that space by your play is something else because it's a team game at the end of the day. So there's a lot of layers to the Russell Westbrook situation. the trade deadlines tomorrow's, it doesn't look like he's going anywhere. So if he's not going to go anywhere, you've got to find a way to make all of this work. And I don't know what the solution is because Russell West's book is clearly not going to be anything other than what he is. And it's kind of disappointing because Russ is a great guy off the court, does a lot for the community.

He's a great family guy. He's a Hall of Fame player. And I do think how this is deteriorating is kind of affecting his legacy. Because when you do play with LeBron, there are other expectations. No question. You're not one. You're not even one B. Well, and you know what, Joey, I saw this this morning. The guys put together, our team put together stats.

Russell Westbrook with LeBron and Russell without LeBron, he deteriorates with LeBron, which is crazy because most people are better with LeBron. But the way Russell's style is, and this was always the question for all of us coming here. He needs the ball. Right. That's his style. He needs the ball. He doesn't play off the ball because he's not a shooter.

Clay Thompson's great off the ball. But if you look at Westbrook's number with and without LeBron, this is weird. Almost all players are better with LeBron. I don't know that it is weird when you think of the style play that Russell Westbrook plays. Yes, he plays very much. It's kind of, he's the son, everybody rotates around him.

That's why he's often a good player on a bad team. He just has the ball. He gets big stats and production. But on this team, they ask him to play off ball with LeBron, and he's just not, that's not his style. This also doesn't surprise me because the reason why you and I thought that it might end up being a good trade is because he was going to be the juice for

when LeBron and AD were not available or needed time off. They had nobody on the roster that could give you 28 points. He was like, we knew AD was going to miss games. So to me, he was like 27 points on games AD's out. That's what it felt like to me. Yeah. So the Rams played in Super Bowl three years ago, and Jared Goff was their quarterback.

And although Goff admitted to having feelings of missing out, he's happy for his former teammates. And Matthew Stafford. He said, most of all, I'm happy for those guys because I know how hard they've worked and they deserve it. Of course, as a human, you feel like you feel like you can be missing out at times. I've always been a huge fan of Matthews as a player and a person. I know what he went through. The first part of his career was tough. And seeing him battle through

that and get his opportunity now, it's amazing. Very nice, classy answer by Jared Gough. Obviously, the Rams lost 13 to 3 to the Patriots in Super Bowl 53. And now Jared Gough is with Matthew Stafford's old team in Detroit. And for the record, I don't know Gough's numbers for the year. He was, he has 67.2 completion percentage. 3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns, 8 interceptions. Yeah, I mean, they don't have the offensive line. I didn't think Jared Goff was the problem for the Rams or for the Lions. I thought they're defense.

They're in a rebuild. Last year they hit on a couple of offensive players like Amarron St. Brown, the wide receiver. They got to go heavy with defense. I don't think, I thought Jared Goff was fine for Detroit. Yeah, I think he was the issue. Detroit has, they need to. a lot. They need a lot. They have the second pick in this year's draft. They finished three and 13. Look, Detroit fans couldn't wait until the end of the season to tell us how wrong we were

about Dan Campbell. You won three games. You played hard. You won three games. So I do think they're trending in the right direction. I think he established at least an energy in a culture there. That's good. So it takes time to build things. They played hard. They played hard. And you know, you should feel good about that. I didn't expect them to be great this year. And they weren't. So the Broncos announced on February 1st that the franchise is for sale. And comedian turned media executive, Byron Allen, has announced he'd like to enter a bid to purchase the team. He said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, came to me in November of 2019 and asked me to take a good look at buying an NFL team and after

serious consideration. I strongly believe I can effectuate positive change throughout the league. And for that reason, I will be making a bid for the Denver Bronx. First of all, this is amazing on a million levels of obviously some diversity and ownership in the league. But Byron Allen was on a show I watched as a kid as a comedian. He was always very likable, very gracious, you know. Wasn't a real edgy comedian. He was just a really smart, likable guy. And he made a lot of money on like overnight television doing these deals selling stuff to local TV. And then he became very prominent. Then he lives in Beverly Hills down the road. And then he bought the weather channel, which is crazy that a comedian would buy the weather channel. I would buy the weather channel too if I

can afford it. And if you look at his career, Byron Allen's career, it's amazing what he has done. It's an amazing American business story. And he's the perfect kind of owner. So he's an entertainer. So he understands the pressure to be an entertainer. He's the greatest kind of owner is that he understands, these are performers. He's a performer. He's not going to be a heavy metal guy. He's not going to ask them to, you know, he didn't want somebody on his content. He's a content creator. He'll be very good in marketing, very smart guy. This is the kind of owner that excites me. He's like new school marketing. And build his way up. He built his wealth himself. He understands content. The NFL in the end is a television show and content. So they'll be very shrewd the way they do their business.

The public can see. It's very exciting. I've never met him. I've always wanted to meet Byron Allen. Well, he's the first. He would be the first, would be the first black majority owner of an NFL franchise. And Forbes says the Broncos valued at $3.75 billion. The franchise is reportedly to get more than $4 billion for a price for, I mean, that's, they're very expensive. These sports franchises, it's the best place to put your money if you're extremely wealthy. So it'll probably sell for closer to $4 billion. Forbes has it at $3.75. So he would likely define other investors, which most of these teams do.

You have a majority owner and then most of the teams have groups of, you know, other minority owners. owns the mavericks? Other minority owners that have big chunks of the team. I think Mark Cuban I read owns the Mavericks, but there's like four other people that are minority owners. Yeah, most teams have minority owners that own a significant chunk of the team, but there is a majority owner and that's the, you know, front facing owner, if you will. So this would be great for the NFL.

Obviously, there's a huge problem with diversity at the head coaching position still, even after this coaching round of hires. And, you know, many people feel that having some more diversity in the ownership level would help to change that as well. and it would be a good change for the NFL. I would love go Wikipedia, Byron Allen. Yeah, it's an incredible story. It's an incredible story.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd line. 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, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast.

called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow pro bowler, T.J. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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,

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So Charles Woodson, Hall of Famer, former Packer, great. He's throwing his opinions out. there on Aaron Rogers and says maybe it's time to move off him. If I'm putting on my GM hat, you know what I'm saying, hey, what are we going to do this next season? And I look at the roster that we have. You know what? I'm thinking about trading Aaron Rogers and see what I can get into getting in return for him. Maybe I can get a quarterback that can help kind of steady my quarterback room and get some competition for Jordan Love.

Listen, I'd have no problem doing it if Jordan Love could play. The Kansas City Chiefs sat Patrick Mahomes for a year. And then you went, oh, yeah, he's really great. Jordan Love has sat for two years. We've gotten glimpses. It's not good. So there's the problem. Moving off Aaron Rogers, if Jordan Love was ready to play is exactly how you do it. Probably one year or too many. When you draft a quarterback in the first or second round, especially the first, what you want to do is get them on the field fairly quickly. So you get three to four years where you don't have to pay them like Baker Mayfield. and you can surround him with good players. That was Russell Wilson.

Third round pick, Dak Prescott. You're not paying him anything for like four years. You can go get an Amari Cooper or in Seattle. You can get a Cliff Averill. You can get a Percy Harvin. But the problem with the Packers now, they've now moved into year two of not playing him. What we've seen is not good.

If he could play, even as good as Aaron Rogers is right now, if Jordan Love was 85%, 80% of it. I would move off Aaron and I would go to Denver and I'd say I'll move him to the AFC. Can you give me a starting corner? Three draft picks. And that's not a shot at Aaron Rogers.

He is now a massive cap hit. He's 38. And you would have to know that Aaron would go to Denver and win. But if you're going to commit to drafting a quarterback in the first round, then you've got to commit within the first couple years to play him. Or you're wasting the greatest opportunity in the NFL. That's what the Rams did with Jared Gough. You can go load up your roster. So you see, you have traded.

And it wasn't like he felt. to you. The Packers traded up to get him, moved up to get him. So you gave up capital, draft capital to get him. And now you're not playing him. And the truth is, the Packers drafted love because Aaron had had a couple of declining years. And they're like, hey, we got to get this thing, you know, we're going to do what we did with VARV. We're going to get this guy, let him set. Now you're moving into year three. If you don't play him this year, by year four, you may have to pay him and he's never started. So, I mean, here's what really happened to Green Bay.

They're a mile over the cap. And there's a reason, this happened to the Saints. There's a reason the Packers are a mile over the cap because they're very, very well run. They went all in the last three years. They went all in and they couldn't get to the Super Bowl. They lost to San Francisco at home and the Niners didn't even score a touchdown. So they went on, this should have been their year. Tampa fell apart at the end.

Arizona eroded. is Dallas. McVey and Stafford, it was their first year together. You would figure your continuity wasn't advantage over them. Seattle was a disaster. San Francisco had injuries. They're a wildcard team. This was your year. You got to buy. You were at home. You had the Niners. They didn't score a touchdown and beat you. So the reason they're so far over the cap is, and I agreed with it. They pushed all their stuff in. Teams do this. The Saints did this. We're going to be a mile over the cap. Drew Breeze is getting older. Let's go big in the next two, three years.

Our cap bill is going to be outrageous. By the way, Tampa did a little bit of this with Tom Brady. They loaded it up. And then, you know, we're going to be going to re-sign everybody. We're going to get another Super Bowl with Tom. And then whatever happens happens, you know, we'll sell a bunch of season tickets. We'll be good. Well, that's what Green Bay did.

And like New Orleans, they didn't get a title out of it. And so they peaked. And so they are 45 or something million over the cap. That's having not signed Devante Adam. So if Charles Woodson is suggesting I'd move off Aaron, the problem is if you move off Aaron, Devante Adams goes. He's not going to stay there, nor should he. So now you don't have any offense.

You got Shanahan, you got McVeigh, you've got teams that can score some points. I mean, say what you want about Dallas, but they can score points, right? And you don't have Aaron or Devante, and you're, I'm not sure at that point. I'll say this. Devante, if Jordan Love could play all this assault, it's all solved. You gave up picks to move up to get him. If you could play, it's all solved. So this is not an errand problem.

This is a U problem. And I will defend Green Bay. I think they're really well run. I have said this. They don't get free agents. That's not their game. That's not how they jam. They draft.

They develop. They're excellent at it. And they do it well with skill people, offensive linemen, DBs. It's a very well-run organization. but they've pushed the chips all in, and now they're trapped. It's the Saints. This is where they're at. And I don't see a way out.

So I wouldn't trade Aaron because what do I got? I mean, Aaron keeps me relevant. Aaron scores points. It's an offensive league. I wouldn't trade him. If I would, I'd go to Denver or Pittsburgh. I'd get him out of my conference. And I've said, I think Denver's the perfect place to trade him because the division's

got so many good quarterbacks. You'd rather trade a guy to a place where you don't have to face them again. And it's going to be hard enough. at Super Bowl. It's going to be hard enough to get out of the AFC West with Mahomes and Herbert and Derek Carr. So that roster, by the way, if Aaron Rogers went to Denver, that's the best quarterback division in the history of the league.

Herbert, Mahomes, Carr, Rogers, that would be the greatest quarterback division in the history of the NFL. You have four pro bowlers. You have two guaranteed Hall of Famers and two guys, Derek Carr and Herbert, my guess is they'll end up getting a lot of votes. So there you go. So wouldn't get rid of Aaron because I don't know what you are. In 2022, there's guys I can get rid of.

I can get rid of a linebacker. I can get rid of a number two corner. I'm not getting rid of Aaron Rogers. I'm not, I don't even know, as Joy said, what is the value? What could I get that would make sense? Now, now, if you want to get rid of him and go get Jimmy Garoppolo, I think you'd still win the division, but then that really looks bad because then you're saying Jordan Love can't beat out Jimmy Garoppolo. And that just that is, you've got to come to terms. with how bad a draft pick that was. You also have a relevancy issue. Yeah, they like to be relevant there.

It's the only game in town. Yeah, I mean, you can't be the one that moves Aaron Rogers off back-to-back MVP seasons out. If Aaron wants to leave. That's different. Then that's different. But he should be the priority, even if you don't have a great roster around him, like he is that big of a star that you have to keep him. It's similar to Russell Wilson.

Like, you don't move off of Russell Wilson. I don't care what your cap space situation is. It doesn't matter. If the rest of the team is bad, so be it. You have to keep Russell Wilson. He's the quarterback. He's a future Hall of Famer. And still in his prime, he's there in the building.

But Aaron's a, we know Aaron's a smart guy. Regardless of what anybody says, Aaron's smart. I do wonder if he looks at Brady going to that loaded roster and Stafford going to the Rams and he doesn't say to himself, man, it'd be really nice if I could inherit some great players. And you start looking at Denver's running backs and tight ends and receivers. I'm sure he does feel that way. but he plays in a division that he can win every single year, and he has a great roster.

But if Aaron came and demanded a trade, I mean, the Packers wouldn't like it, but it would let them off the hook. No, it would. It absolutely would. So, like, Aaron needs, if Aaron, if I was Aaron, and I kind of looked at the footprint of who's got skill people, look at my age, Denver's incredibly attractive.

Yeah, I think Denver is great. I think Denver, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, Indies. all good i would not go to the bucks you got to win a super bowl in your first year yeah that's make any sense car shortages what car shortage go to driveway dot com today driveway dot com car buying delivered on your terms on your turf more than 25 000 new and used cars driveway dot com hour three debo samuel around the corner another podcast from some s nl late night comedy guy not quite unhumored me with robert smigle 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 headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's, experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the

capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.