The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Russell Wilson

Episode Date: March 8, 2022

More on Aaron Rodgers staying with the PackersThe Seahawks have agreed to trade Russell Wilson to the BroncosGuest: Jeff Pearlman Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Aaron Rogers re-upping with the Green Bay Packers, four years, and a lot of money. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. I love days when stories break. The good news, I'll say this, is we work for Fox and they have the NFC, and Breeze retired and Brady retired. We did not need Aaron Rogers leaving the NFC because the AFCs is because the AFCs got great quarterbacks, a gauntlet of them. Congrats to CBS for that.

We need as many of our great quarterbacks, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, Matt Stafford. Please stay in the NFC. So good for Green Bay. Grass is not always greener. We had been predicting for months. We thought he would stay. We did think Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Denver were solid options. No place is perfect.

You know, it's the old thing. You get divorced. And all of a sudden, a couple years in, you're like, yeah, it's not I. ideal because what you take to the new marriage is you and all your vagaries and flaws and little habits. And so Aaron would have gone to these other places and he would have gotten a better defense in Pittsburgh and Tennessee and he would have gotten better weapons in Denver. They all have their issues.

The Steelers can't get the offensive coordinator right. Their old lines bad. You know, Tennessee has a Ryan Tannahill contract. So they would have been up against the cap and for a couple years. and Denver's got to face Mahomes, Herbert, Derek Cartwright. There's no perfect place. At some point, if 70, you know, I always say on the show, don't try to get happier than happy. If you're happy, that's a great place to be in life.

Green Bay and Aaron is a happy place. They get home games. They win their division. The NFC North is suboptimal. You can do a lot worse than Green Bay if you're Aaron Rogers. Plus, I mean, could you imagine the pressure Tom Brady in his first year with the new team? Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford.

first year with the new team. Super Bowl. Okay, you're just taking exceptions. These are rare occurrences. Is it? Well, I just think... The pressure would be on Aaron Rogers if he went somewhere else

that was loaded to win a Super Bowl immediately. They've done it the last two years. And as Peter King said, that division's terrible. Yeah. There is no easier bet in the NFL barring an injury to Aaron than Packers win the division.

Chicago's in a rebuild. Detroit's in a perpetual rebuild. And Minnesota, much as I like, has regressed over the last three years. This is his division to win, home games. And there's no pressure to win a Super Bowl. They've won two in the last 30 years.

A little pressure. Is there? There's always pressure on stars to win games, yeah. Are there expectations for them? I don't know. I don't think I wouldn't put him in my top four or five. I still think Buffalo is the best team in the league. I think Buffalo is better than the Rams.

I really do. I think Buffalo is the best team in the league. So, listen, even when you have the best, roster and team and coach. There's no guarantees. Patrick Mahomes, his second Super Bowl got blown out. Are you healthy? Does everything line up?

What are the matchups? Cincinnati got to a Super Bowl. Do you think they're the second best team in the NFL? I did. I watched all their games. I mean, you know, this stuff is like it's complex and it's hard. We always want the simple answer. Life's complex.

There's a lot of gray out there. There's a lot of gray. Before I go to my guest, so there's a new show out called Winning Time by HBO. and it's based on the book written by Jeff Perlman and the book was Showtime. Now he's written a couple Laker books, one about Shaq and Kobe. Lakers are fascinating.

There's a lot of egos, a lot of vanity, a lot of stars. So when the Lakers are great for a long period of time, it's interesting. It deserves a book. And he's written nine New York Times bestsellers. So you watched it already. Adam McKay is the director. So I'm going to watch it tonight.

It's HBO. It's called Winning Time. And it's fascinating because if you've not read the book, Showtime, Magic Corrine Riley and the Lakers Dynasty of the 80s. Apparently the Lakers don't love it because, let's be honest, it was the 80s, Wall

Street popped, there was a lot of things people were doing that today in social media you would be raked over the Coles for doing. It was a different time. It was very worthy of a great book. I loved it. I'm very much looking forward to the next episode. I enjoyed it. Let's bring in Jeff Pearlman.

Nine New York Times best novels. Oh, four, For the record, Jeff, what a perfect day. You wrote Gunslinger, which is another book that I love, The Remarkable, Improbable, iconic life of Brett Farr. Aaron Rogers signed today. As you talked about in your book, Aaron and Brett had their little agitation, I guess. What are your thoughts on Aaron staying in Green Bay and so forth?

I mean, I kind of agree with you. I think it's best for the Packers and best for football. I mean, I'm like a lot of people. lot of I always had I you know when I was working on that far book Rogers was really weird um I first talked to him at a golf outing and he said um to a range of time to talk and he said just call so and so he gave me the name of who to call and he'll talk and I'll definitely talk to you and then I got blown off repeatedly blown off repeatedly and then when the book came out Aaron complained about the book which I tried to talk to him about but he blew me off so my feelings about Aaron Rogers are always a

little mixed but obviously he's a great quarterback yeah yeah so let's Let's get into this. The book was called Showtime. By the way, you can still order it on Amazon. It's fascinating. And now Adam McKay is a very clever director. He's decided, I'm going to make this. And it's funny because when you write a book and then somebody does a movie about it,

a lot of times the writers are like, I don't know. I don't know. So let's start with this. Your interpretation of what you've seen so far. Is it pretty accurate? Yeah, but it's entertainment. Like I always, people say to me, I've gotten a lot. I've seen all 10 episodes.

The first episode came out a few days ago. And people would say, did this happen exactly like that? And I always say, no, basically no, because it's entertainment. And it's based on the book. They're very loyal to the book. They're definitely loyal to the time period. But it's not the same thing as a documentary. It is entertainment.

So you have to keep in mind that there are stretches and there are exaggerations. And some of the main characters are sort of stretched out a bit. And that just kind of comes with a non-documentary look at it, period. So, you know, Jerry West is one of the most, not only iconic figures, but Jerry is one of the really smart personnel people in the history of the league. But as you know, personnel is a mixed bag. Belichick can't draft a receiver to save his life. So Jerry West, the Lakers became, there was Sidney Moncrief, who I watched, he was a great player at Arkansas, and then there was Magic Johnson, who I watched, you watched at Michigan State. How close did the Lakers get to drafting Moncrief over Magic? Well, Jerry wanted Moncrief, period.

Like, wanted Sydney Moncrief. And the funny thing about it is I still maintain the Lakers with Sydney Moncrief have Kareem at Center, Norm Nix and a point guard, Sydney Moncrief at shooting guard, Jamal Wilkes at Small Forward. Like, that's a hell of a team and that might even be a championship team. Am I wrong? Like, that's a really good basketball team. Yeah, that's a great team.

Sydney was great. Great. And so they can't, Jerry West if we're just up to him, would have gone with Moncrief over Magic Johnson. And he thought that, as they say in the series, he didn't know how a six-nine point card dribbling a ball this high up against at the time where point guards who tended to be around six feet tall, how that would go over. Yeah.

So he fought for Moncrief. Ultimately, ownership wanted magic. They thought the pizzazz and the salesmanship and everything about it would be more important. And I think you have to agree they probably made the right decision. Yes. I mean, no player in the history of American sports has fit a city better than Magic Fit Los Angeles. He literally, the name, the personality, the smile, and an entertainment base. Now, Jerry Buss, the legendary owner, was quite an interesting fellow.

The gambler, a chemist, a little bit of a playboy. He and Magic, the relationship was very, very close, right? Yeah. First of all, I wouldn't just say a little bit of a playboy. I might want to extend that a little. But, you know, yeah, it was like, it was kind of like father, son, but also like brother, brother. And they really have this kinship together.

And Jerry Buss was an owner, kind of like Mark Cuban a little bit, where he wanted to roll with his players and he wanted to be part of it all. And he didn't view himself. He bought the team from Jack Kent Cook. Jack Kent Cook viewed his players in a way as possessions. Yes. And these are my possessions. These are my toys to play with.

And Jerry Buss came in and he wanted to have fun. And he wanted the experience to be all-inclusive and immersive. And he saw Magic Johnson. kind of kind of kindred spirit. As a guy who had come to L.A., just at Jerry Busset, come to L.A. from Wyoming. He was coming to L.A., and he saw all the possibilities. So I think he viewed magic very much as a brother-type figure. You know, it's interesting.

L.A. is a city with a great deal of vanity. There's a lot of egos and a lot of money here. The winners get very, very rich. And you had Riley, who's a very smart guy, and West and, you know, and Phil Jackson. I mean, it's, and then you have magic and the stoic Kareem. when you watch winning time with Adam McKay directing this and when you wrote the book, is it a little surprising to you that it lasted as long as it did, considering all the strong personalities with those magic and Buss and Riley, you know, players and coaches?

I mean, if you look at the beginning of it, definitely. It started. I mean, the rockiness of the beginning is often forgotten. And they actually do it well in the series. Jerry Bust's first coach hiring was Jerry Tarkinian. Yeah. at a UNLV. And Tarkania quit after his agent was murdered by mobsters in Vegas.

He decided not to take the job. That's right. The second coach was Jack McKinney, who had been an assistant in Portland. He coached about 15 games on an off day, goes to play tennis with his one assistant, Paul Westhead, flips over the handlebars of his bike, lands on his head, never coaches the Lakers again. The next coach, Paul Westhead, leads him to the finals. And a year and a half later, Magic basically goes to Jerry Bust and says, this is not working,

which leads to Pat Riley. And I think the stability of Pat Riley and really the emphasis on unselfishness and the emphasis on team overall. And also having a guy like Kareem who for his different warts was an incredibly unselfish player. And also for Magic, for all the spotlight, was also an incredibly unselfish player. I just think they had the right pieces and the right guy running it. You know, it's fascinating. Kareem is, this sounds strange, is one of the most underrated great players ever. because he was stoic, he wasn't flashy, he didn't care about the glamour.

Like Michael Jordan was the best-looking player, the most glamorous player. He leaned into everything. Kareem's unbelievable. Kareem was great for literally 18 years. I mean, he really, like LeBron, lasted forever. And it's fascinating because I go back to Jeff. This is so funny. There's this image that I can't get out of my mind with Magic and Kareem.

It was very early in their relationship. And they won a big game. And Magic came over and hugged Kareem. And Kareem was like, emotion, what is going on here? It's really a classic YouTube clip you could look up. Talk a little bit about Magic and Kareem. And Kareem was a very academic, very cerebral guy,

but he bought into Magic pretty quickly. Wait, so first of all, the funny thing is you actually got that memory almost 100% right, but it wasn't a big game. It was the first game of their time together. They beat the Clippers, the lowly San Diego Clippers. Was it? And Magic hugs him. And Kareem is like, you know we have 81 more of these, right?

He literally said, you know we have 81 more of these, right? The thing the Magic did that was really smart coming in is he was incredibly deferential to Kreme, like incredibly so. And he always referred to him as Kapp. He would never call him Kareem. It was always Kapp. He knew his job was to get him in the ball down low. He was never, he never complained to any of the coaches in that,

those early seasons about this is slowing me down. We should be running more. Like he recognized the status of, of Kareem. And, you know, Kareem was not into the whole like flash and dash of Magic Johnson. It wasn't his thing. But he really did appreciate, number one, a

past first point guard like Magic. And number two, just the selflessness of the guy that he really was a guy who wanted to win. It wasn't about him. He wasn't a me, me, me player at all. So while they weren't hanging out off the court at all, like probably never, their relationship was a very good one. Yeah, there's certainly a debate.

It's the greatest team of all time. I mean, if you consider the brains upstairs, the engagement of the ownership, the unstoppable center, the greatest point guard of all time, it's just sometimes it's surprising to me. Brady Belichick lasted 20 years. It's so hard to last in these gigantic relationships. So when you watch Winning Time, is there a moment as you watch, you've watched all 10, the rest of us have to watch it in spurts? Is there a favorite episode or something that really makes you chuckle that you're proud of that you found out? You know, by the way, you've done this nine times and been a New York Times bestselling author. You're a legendary reporter, not just a writer.

Is there a moment in this book that we're going to see on television that you're proud of that not everybody else knew about? Yeah, well, in the first episode, there's this moment when Magic comes to the forum for his first time to negotiate. and Jack Ken Cook, the sort of outgoing owner is there, and he still owns a team, and Jerry Bus is there, and they serve as a meal, sandabs. And I remember reporting this and having no idea what sandabs were, it's a kind of seafood, knowing nothing about it. It sounds really dumb in a way,

but the moment when they lift the plates and the servers lift the plates and the sand dabs are placed in front of Magic Johnson, who's played by Quincy Isaiah beautifully, and that kind of look on his face like, what the hell am I looking at? What is this? And when he says,

because Magic, he served him all sandabs and he's like, Jack Kent Cook is like, it's a delicacy. And Magic in real life, said, can I just maybe to get a hamburger? And the moment in the show where Magic says,

can I maybe get a hamburger? It just warm my heart. It's like this moment where like this wouldn't exist if I didn't report it. And I know, it's just like it was a nice moment for me. Listen,

I grew up on the coast of Washington State. I've eaten seafood. for 58 years. I don't know what a sand dab is. What is it? I don't actually get the entirety of it. I've never had a sand dab. I've never had a sand dab.

Joy's had a sand dab. What is it? Yeah, I think it's like a kind of fish. I don't ask a whole lot of questions. Did it go extinct? Because I haven't seen it recently on any menu. I looked the other day and I found a recipe online for sand dabs. Well, congratulations, because I'm not even going to Google it.

The book is called Showtime. He also wrote Gunslinger. He also wrote Three Ring Circus. Kobe Shack Phil in the crazy years of the Lakers dynasty. I want to ask one question on that. In the last nine years, the Lakers have had seven losing seasons. We know this to be true that second generation, third generation owned businesses can struggle, right? Like the matriarch or the patriarch hands it to somebody else and it's not always great.

When you look at the Lakers current state and you look at the Lakers, that book you write about the Kobe, Shackville stuff, where did they go wrong? Or was it unavoidable, Jeff, because that was so big and so profound, it's almost like post-Jordan, post-Bradie, that they were never going to be able to match it. On the one hand, that's true. I also think,

I don't know how much you've dealt with the Lakers. I actually have always loved dealing with the Lakers, and Jeannie Buss is a joy, and Linda Rambus is a joy. Yes. Along the way, it's not quite the family business he used to be, and there used to be a real, you know, like guys like John Black and Gary Viti and all these staffers, they'd been there for 20, 30 years.

And there was a real sense of ownership among the employees. It isn't just a team I work for. It is our team. I feel like some of that has been lost with the Lakers, where it feels a little more like a business and a little less like a family business. And I'm not saying necessarily that makes or breaks a franchise. I just know back in the day, players knew everyone who worked for the team. You'd walk Magic Johnson, Shaq, they'd go up into the front office, they'd know all the employees.

Hey, Linda, hey, Bob, hey, Steve. They definitely don't have that same thing anymore. And maybe that's just the reality of modern America. But I do think something has changed with the Laker dynamic through the years. Okay. The book is called Showtime. It was released in 2014. Still a wild read.

Jeff Pearlman, nine New York Time bestsellers. Also, he has a podcast called Two Writers Slinging Yang, a podcast. It's a writer's podcast, which is fun if you write reading, and I do. And the HBO series is called Winning Time. I will say this. John C. Riley, it looks in the trailers and stuff. It's like, boy, they hired the right guy to play Jerry Bowie. Like, seriously.

The guy who plays magic, I agree with you on John C. Riley. The guy who plays magic, Quincy Isaiah, he was a center at Kalamazoo College. He weighed center in football, not basketball. He had to lose 80. pounds to play this role, and he's ridiculously good. Jeff Perlman. Great seeing you again. Congratulations on all your success. All right. Thank you so much for having me.

All right. Jeff Perlman. Fun stuff. I have not seen it. Joy has. Sandab, species of flatfish. Never had it. It's like a, yes. Well, so I've had Dover's Soul, sea bass. Sea bass. Sea bass is great. Halibet. Sandab is like a, you know, it's a light.

there's a small type of flounder. Yeah. You think I'd know that. Grow up on a beach. But I could relate to that scene. So it's sand dab salad is a delicacy. Salad? Well, I'm just saying, you know, salmon salad is.

Oh. Not else, no. Watch the show tonight. I want to see your perspective on that scene. Because Jeff's right. It's a really great scene. It's a very endearing scene. All right.

All right. I was watching Sixers' Bulls last night. I don't know if you guys noticed. Sixers pretty good. Five and out. James Hardin, Joel M.B. Five and out. One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHard Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast.

The podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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.

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and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, and 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 taun-tons 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. 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah. Literally.

But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see 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. The 2022 Big East Tournament tips off tomorrow. with a triple header starting at 430 Eastern as Butler takes on Xavier,

followed by DePaul, St. John's, and Seton Hall, Georgetown, live from Madison Square Garden only on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. So over the last month, I've watched a lot of college basketball. Arizona's pretty good, Purdue's pretty good, Gonzaga, pretty good, wide open tournament. They always say there's about eight teams that can win it. It may be 10 this year. There is no dominant favorite, absolutely none.

So that means this thing is going to be. Somebody's going to win a lot of money in their betting pool because I don't have. It's just, it's a lot of good teams. We've seen this increasingly. The really good players, the Jalen Suggs, you get a year of them, then they're gone. And so last year we knew Gonzaga was really good. They have reloaded. That's what they do.

But it'll be interesting. Really a lot of depth this year in college basketball. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, former Lakers coach, Phil Jackson, made an appearance of the team's home game on Saturday nights. No.

And now his current relationship with the organization is being revealed, according to Sam Amick and Bill Orm of the Athletic. Jackson has been in frequent contact with Jeannie Bus all season regarding team matters. Yeah. And he's even consulted on the complicated dynamics of the Russell Westbrook situation in L.A. He should be. He smart. I'd want his opinion, too. Well, he also won five NBA titles with the Lakers. He's also been a GM. He knows the Capp situation, how it works.

Yes, he's very familiar with this organization, the city, and how things are run. I don't think this is a bad thing. I just feel... Is it being taken... Are people viewing it as a bad thing? No, I just think it's another layer of the Lakers saga this year. Yeah. By the way, I would have Phil Jackson on a retainer.

I have questions about any great brand that's had seven losing seasons in nine years. I don't think it's as formatively run as it should be. So I would have no problem paying Phil to be available to me on the phone if I needed to talk to him because they got issues here. And I'm going to talk about this later. This roster is the worst roster possible for LeBron James at this age. It doesn't need a tweak. They've got to really make some big moves here. Well, that's sort of why.

the Lakers are so compelling, right? They've had seven losing seasons. In nine years. It is a great brand. And they won a championship two years ago. Yeah, no. They've been really high and really... And really low.

Yeah. And I think that is a reflection of how fundamentally shaky things are with the Lakers. Sometimes brands the size and impact and reach like the Cowboys and the Lakers and the Yankees, get into these spaces where the expectations are wildly unrealistic, whether it's because of their past success in the Yankees or the Lakers, can't really say it with the Cowboys. They've won three playoff games in the last 25 years. So if you're still hanging on to the Jimmy Johnson era, you should catch up.

But the brand still is the biggest in all of sports. So sometimes the brand can overwhelm the reality of the situation. And I feel like that's what happened with the Lakers this year. I don't think it's not fixable, though. Like an organization that just won a championship two years ago that has had the success that the Lakers have had, I can't put them in a category of completely dysfunctional, and it's bad, but it can be corrected.

Yeah, I mean, one of the things the NBA demands, if you make trades, salaries have to match. Baseball doesn't do that. Football doesn't do that. I don't think hockey does. I think it's outdated. You know, players don't like the franchise tag. Well, then negotiate it differently.

I don't love the idea. I think teams should be able to make more trades. I don't have a problem with a trade deadline. If you could just trade and not have to worry about matching salaries, you can get out of this really quick. But instead, you have to find a salary that matches Westbrook, which is another bad contract, which limits the rebuild. Like, for instance, in college football, the transfer portal,

USC is going to be really good next year. By the second year, they will vie for a national championship. Because you can literally, Pete Carroll took two years. This will take about one and a half because you can bring in like 12 new starters. And so the NBA sometimes is an impediment to rebuilding. It takes a long time. And I think that's bad for fans. And in the NFL, we've watched this.

You've watched the 1 and 15 Dolphin team win 11 games the next year when Parcells ran it. The Cincinnati Bengals were in the Super Bowl this year. That's why in the NBA, your front office becomes very important. And I want Phil on retainer. They get in the way of rebuild. You have to swap bad contracts. What you should be able to do is just like, hey, it's an expiring contract. We'll take it and we'll give you this young.

I also think that the Lakers overall have to take a look at who is making the final basketball decision and how qualified they are to do that. There has to be some accountability for this roster this year.

And maybe some of that is being passed because LeBron has the influence that he has over the roster, but I think that also has to change. Like if you are, and I'm sure we'll find out over time, and it seems like the most solid consistent report that LeBron James is the one that wanted Russell Westbrook and overruled

everyone on that, well, then you don't get to keep making calls on the roster. Anthony Davis is, obviously they want a championship with him, but he is a injury prone player. He's not available. A lot. A lot. And he is your star. He's not like a role guy that hurts you. He's the star.

And Russell Westbrook was a disaster. So the way that those decisions are made has to change. Aaron Rogers is staying in Green Bay. Boom. Very excited. reportedly agreed to a four-year, $200 million extension to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history. It includes $153 million guaranteed in this cap hit next season will go down.

I'm old enough to remember this being categorically false. Yeah, that was what he said. That's false. That's false. That's false. Categorically false. Yeah. Listen, I've gotten out of the space that I think Aaron's telling me the truth on a lot of things in his life.

Yeah, I'm not upset about it. I just, I don't believe. I didn't believe that when he said it, when his lips stopped forming words. I didn't believe it. Aaron, I don't buy into what he tells me, but I buy into his talent and this being the best place to play. Incredibly talented. I don't think this is the best place for him to win. I actually don't know that I think that they're a Super Bowl team.

It can't get much better than last year and you couldn't win a playoff game. So, I mean. Well, here's the advantage. Brady and Tampa go from Super Bowl favorites to go. not the same franchise. So one roadblock, one obstacle, it'd be like if Golden State got moved. San Francisco might not be as good.

They have a young quarterback now. So the Rams are good, the Packers are good. We know that. Yes. Everybody else. I'm not going to be good. They're going to crush the regular season. Well, that has some value.

I don't think it has lots of value. You're not in the same conversation as Super Bowl teams. See, I still, because their division's so bad and the NFC so weak, I think I'm forced to kind of put them at the bottom in. I don't think they match it with Kansas City, Buffalo, the Rams, but it's a weird league. Year to year, it is a weird league. Year to year, teams are completely different.

I want to see how the draft goes, how the rest of free agency goes, what they do with Devante Adams. But again, like I just, I feel like I've seen this story with the Packers. I mean, he's back-to-back MVP, number one seed in the NFC and can't win a playoff game. I'm like, great for the Packers fans. Yeah. Great for the NFC that he's staying. Sorry to Chicago and Minnesota and Detroit. Your perils are not over yet because he is.

He's still going to be there. By the way, I mean, woke mob, you got to get your weight up because, I mean, I thought he was canceled. Oh, yeah, that's right. $200 million is getting canceled now? I know, it's crazy. Sign me up. Cancel culture awaits. He's the richest player in the most popular sport in America.

All right. Funny how that cancel culture thing works. So the NFL announced that Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for the entire 2020, season. Yeah. It was discovered that he bet on games as well. he was away from the team in November. He bet a Falcons game, by the way, as a Falcons player.

Complicated. I mean, in a parlay, too, which is not devoid of the jokes there. They pretty much write themselves. But Ridley acknowledged what he did, tweeting that he bet $1,500, but doesn't think he has a gambling problem. He may not. I would disagree. I think if you gamble on your own team with the very clear knowledge of what

would and could happen to you in the NFL if it's found out that you most certainly do have a gambling problem. I'm not saying he like can't control and he's like betting his mortgage, but you have no plausible deniability in this space. Teams hold multiple symposiums telling you there's signage everywhere in building. You can't bet on NFL games as an NFL player. You can bet on March Madness. You can bet on hockey. You can't bet on NFL games.

Period. Everyone knows. Everyone. Everyone knows. Like there are certain rules that someone's like, oh, I didn't. I didn't know that was a rule. I didn't know I couldn't do that. Nope.

Everyone knows in sports. You can't bet on your sport. Everyone knows that. There's no mystery. And stop with the, well, owners can own, yes, owners can own businesses where you and I can gamble. That doesn't mean players can gamble. Everybody knows. I don't, this story was not that outrageous to me.

I also have like a limited amount of things I can be outraged about and most of them are for actual victims and people that are truly being, you know, taking advantage of or harmed. this is not a surprising situation. This was going to happen. It's probably going to happen again. That doesn't mean that you can't have gambling around sports. By the way, gambling's always been around sports. In Europe, you can bet English Premier League games in the stadium.

You're going to be able to do that here very soon. You're going to be able to do that. Half time in the stadium. NBA arenas and NFL arenas. You're going to be able to do that. Everything has not to be mutually exclusive. This was a terrible decision by Calvin Ridley. He absolutely knew he couldn't do that.

Inexcusable. I am totally fine with the suspension. They have to come down hard on it, especially because of the influx of gambling money and gambling, gambling advertisers. You have to make the message very clear, although they most certainly already did. There's still going to be people that cross the line. And that's all it is.

There's no need to freak out. Gambling's not going anywhere, nor should it. You know you can't gamble on it. There are things that other people are allowed to do that you can't when you're in certain situations. Yeah. If you own something, you're a boss. My bosses have things I don't. My boss, boss, he flies private all the time on a company jet because he has to go negotiate contracts and he has to be back here tomorrow for another meeting.

I don't get a go and say, hey, can I use a company jet? I want to go skiing. I don't get that. If somebody gives you something for free and you tell your friends about it, you're not going to get in trouble. If someone gives me something for free and I talk about it on the air and they're paying me before it and I'm not paying the platform, I can't do that. It's called payola. There's different rules for different people. That's how it goes.

It's not about fairness or not. By the way, I think this is far less outrageous than the Stephen Ross allegations. No, Stephen Ross thing's way worse. He's an owner who offered money reportedly to tank games. That is, we said it at the time. That's outrageous. You got to be out of the league. This is confirmed, so it is a big deal.

And we also knew this was coming. It was going to be an NFL player who bet on a game. Yeah, this is not something. Long list of things that could shock me. This is not one of them. Yeah. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lye News. Russell Westbrook is mad at fans. Does he have a point? We'll talk about that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Mike check. If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game,

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I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or. wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me,

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, 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, deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that

don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 taun tons 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. 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 J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years. from black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, we got breaking news. Massive, massive, massive breaking news. Russell Wilson is headed to the Denver Broncos. Yeah, that's kind of a big deal.

If he wants to, Russ has to approve the deal. Seattle needs picks and players. Denver needs a quarterback. In my opinion, huge win for Russell Wilson. I am currently texting his agent and I will tell you what I hear. This is a big win. Denver doesn't need draft picks. Denver's ready to win a Super Bowl.

Denver's got excellent running back, a star tied end, four receivers, a great left tackle, elite corners. They probably have to draft. They're trying to sign Von Miller back, but they have a young safety that's fantastic. George Payton's a very good GM. I think they've drafted exceedingly well. This is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Brady got there. We've been saying this, why Aaron didn't want to go there.

Russell Wilson is just saying, I don't care if I have my homes. I don't care if I had Derek Carr. I don't care if I face Justin Herbert. I want weapons. And wow, wow, wow. And by the way, you could say, well, Denver doesn't have an owner. Seattle doesn't either. I mean, Seattle's going through a new ownership situation. It may not be the same owner in Seattle today in five years that it is today.

I'm not sure if Paul Allen's sister is going to keep it. So Russ has to approve the deal. I think it's a win for Russell Wilson. Now, Seattle's, obviously, we don't have the picks yet. I'm trying to find those out. I would say, I would guess right here. If I would give up all the first, I would give up four first round picks. I couldn't give a rip.

They don't have a ton of needs in Denver outside a quarterback. Give up first round picks. And Seattle, by the way, does not have a history of acing their first round picks. They have whipped badly, Rashad Penny to name one. They've whipped badly on some first round picks. I'm going to take a drink here. It's kind of a big one. Apparently, according to Schefter, Denver acquiring Russell Wilson has nothing to do with the Aaron Rogers decision to return to Green Bay.

the GM initiated trade talks with Seattle for Wilson at least two weeks ago per sources. Well, so this relationship was very good early. Russell Wilson and Mark Rogers were very upset years ago when the Seahawks, John Snyder and Pete Carroll, went to visit Josh Allen at his workout in Wyoming. That did not sit well. They had a Super Bowl quarterback and you're going to look at Josh Allen. I mean, let's be honest. If you and I want an Emmy and we hear that our boss is out looking at a new host for this time slot,

we'd be like, talk to my agent. So that started all this. Seattle started that they looked at Josh Allen. It did not make Russell on his camp happy. They're like, you're not paying us anything. We're winning Super Bowls. What are you doing? Now, it should be noted, Josh Allen is an all-time great prospect.

Mel Kiper puts him as his 10th best quarterback prospect in the history of it. So a lot of people like Josh Allen. He was 6-6, jumping over people, blah, blah, blah, late bloomer. That started it. The friction started with that. And I have had multiple people connected to the Seahawks, former assistants, people in the scouting department,

former players that feel like Pete's style of offense, and we've seen this with Mike Zimmer and Vic Fangio, sometimes Mike Tomlin, is very 1994. It's very run-reliant, play defense, run. One of the trades that I thought was a huge. mistake when they let go of Max Unger, the center for Jimmy Graham, the tight end. He was a finesse tight end in an offense where Pete likes his tight ends to block. Didn't like that move.

I've been very critical. I had a former scout within the organization tell me in the last several months that too often John Snyder does all his work with all his scouts and they do all their work. And then at the end, Pete comes in with a strong opinion and they let Pete get what he wants in the draft and it doesn't always make scouts happy. They have whiffed on a lot of draft picks. Their drafting has been odd. I've had multiple GMs tell me they don't like the way Seattle drafts.

It's peculiar. A lot of reaches. And so my guess is they're going to get Teddy Bridgewater, I would guess. They'll get Teddy Bridgewater and a boatload of picks. And it will allow them to rebuild. Is Bridgewater a free agent? Well, they'll have to go get somebody else. So they're going to save on money, by the way, so they can go to the market.

Carson Wentz, Mitch Trubisky. Now, they're not Russell Wilson, but there's quarterbacks out there. There are quarterbacks out there because Jim Hersey's mad about Carson Wentz. So he's available for the right price. Trubisky's available. There's a Deshaun Watson situation. If you've followed that, there's a couple of teams doing legal work on that. What do you have?

Well, I mean, the haul that they're going to get for Russell Wilson. It's substantial. First round picks and other plays. Now think about this. If you are weak this year at the quarterback position, who cares? The quarterback draft next year is going to be way better than it is this year. You can trade all the way up in the draft and get your next franchise guy if you want. Okay, that's fair.

But I'm in a division with Sean McVeigh and Matt Stafford. Yeah. The division is weakened by Russell Wilson leaving. But like you can, you already had a down year and you're moving off of your future Hall of Fame quarterback. If you have a down year or an okay year with the hall that you're going to get for Russell Will. you can make that move next year. Yeah, this division is too good to roll the dice on a bridge or a backup quarterback. You've got to go big.

You can't replace Russell Wilson. And listen, this relationship has talked to Russell at the Super Bowl for 15 minutes. This relationship has just not been great. As you said last week, you said with complete conviction, it's not going to end. Russell Wilson and Seattle will not be tied at the hip. whereas Aaron Rogers has an offensive coach, generationally same age coach. The Packers have developed offensive lines well. Packers actually draft better than Seattle.

I mean, Seattle's last four drafts, they have two elite players. One of them is a punter. They over-traded for Jamal Adams. Dwayne Brown did not have a great year left tackle. He's about their only elite offensive linemen. It's just the defense has regressed badly over the last. five years. Bring up that graphic. I don't know if we have it. We'll probably go chase it next hour. The last four years of Russell Wilson. Joy put this out there a couple days ago.

Russell's not the problem. The defense is a mess. It's a bottom five defense in the NFL. So this relationship has not been good. I've been in contact with Russell and Mark Rogers for the last couple years. They've been classy about it. But without saying exactly what they feel, it's just there's tension here. It's not right. They have real doubts about the front office. I'll say this. We always talk about quarterbacks and coaches. General managers in this league are generally underpaid. You cannot overcome a bad GM. I think the Denver GM is really sharp. I think he's really sharp. So the division's tough, but you don't know what's going to happen here. Plus, if you're a great athlete, you're going to be petrified at competing. I mean, in the end, Russell's saying, I would rather compete with

better pieces than compete the best of vision in football with worse pieces. Like I think it's a win for Russell. Do I think it would be better if he went to Tennessee? Would it be easier? Perhaps. But Seattle, I'll say this, Seattle wanted him out of the NFC.

They want him over in the AFC. They don't want to compete against Russell Wilson coming back to Seattle, running around the field, and everybody's going, oh, yeah, that was our guy. We had that guy. He just threw for 300 yards and ran for 100. Is this the best day in the history of the world right here? I mean, come on.

Russell Wilson and the Broncos. Aaron back to Green Bay next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between, songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite offers. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced 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'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 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 IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

This is an IHart podcast, guaranteed human.