The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - There's a drop off when greatness leaves

Episode Date: July 12, 2024

What actually happens when a great person leaves an organization The NFL sees it's sport as a TV show and it shows in their production   Guest: Danny ParkinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome back, hour two and a Friday. Live in L.A., it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Jordan Schultz is joining me. J. Mack back next week. He's somewhere abroad. No idea where. I can't keep up.

Travels the globe. So last couple of nights, I've been staying home because I was on vacation. And I wanted to kind of get back into sports. And I watched the Dodgers-Silly series the last couple of nights. Folks, it's official. the Phillies are the best team in baseball, and I'm not sure it's particularly close. They overwhelm the Dodgers.

Now, the Dodgers have some injuries to deal with, but they outscored him 19 to 5 in the series, and it was not close. The Phillies are the best team in baseball. They have the best pitching in baseball, the best run differential. Kyle Schwerber and Bryce Harper, they have power. Aaron Nolan, they probably have the best ace,

first or second best ace. Their pitching staff is like old school, so they eat up innings, so their bullpenzo was fresh. Brandon Marsh, Alec Bone at 3rd. If you watched any of this series, like, it wasn't close. Now, Philadelphia plays so well at home.

There's no home field advantage, generally in baseball. It's the next day's pitcher. I'm sorry, but the Phillies are better at home. That is a home field. That's a football home field advantage. Philadelphia is loaded. And the Dodgers were in a weird place because they have a massive payroll, number one in attendance, stars everywhere,

but the pitching, they can't stay healthy. Yamamoto now hurt. Clayton Kershaw still hurt. Walker Bueller still in rehab. They had to demote a starting pitcher because his mechanics got off track down to minor league baseball. But if you watched any of this series, the Phillies were better than the Dodgers at everything. Starting pitching, power hitting, situational, defense. It wasn't close. And now, some of it's the Dodgers are banged up. But I felt after the Dodgers played the Yankees, you came out of that series and said, the Dodgers are the better team than the Yankees, and the Yankees have struggled. The Dodgers right now, and some of its injuries, they're not close to Philadelphia.

Here's Dave Roberts after. They're clearly playing a lot better baseball than we are. They're clearly a better team than we are right now. We really didn't do much well of this series, starting pitchers. defense. You know, we had a mistake tonight on the bases. You know, like I always said, no one's going to feel sorry for you. You got to play better.

Yeah, and Philadelphia is a great watch. It feels a little bit like old Yankee Stadium where you literally felt in later innings the crowd played a part in it. We sit at in football all the time, especially college football. But you watch the Phillies at home. That's an advantage. That team feeds off the energy of that crowd. Well, I was gone Monday and Tuesday, and Danny Parkinsville.

in, super talented guy out of Chicago. He did a great job filling us for us on the show and our staff just loved him and he is joining us live now before he does his afternoon show in Chicago. First of all, thanks for filling in. It was a real treat to watch you and the staff loved you and thanks for that. I appreciate your work.

Oh, well, thank you for the compliment and honestly it was really nice because people like oh Colin Coward, it's a one-man band. No, no, no. There's many, many people in this band and now I know true genius behind the brains that is Colin Coward. Your staff is absolutely incredible. That's right. It's like the Wizard of Oz. You go behind the curtain and he's not really doing that much. So I want to talk about the Bears. And I said this yesterday. When Justin Fields went for

just a six-round pick, it's actually good news for the Bears. Because NFL personnel people are telling you, yeah, the gap between Caleb and Justin is the grand campaign. and you still won seven games with that quarterback. So in a weird way, going for a six-round pick, to me, I felt like, oh, this team's ready to win now. And I don't want to get too hyperbolic on it because it's the Bears and, you know, culturally, they're always off. But if you ask your typical listener and fans can be, you know, they're fans, they emot. But I don't think it's crazy to say, to say, yeah, this.

This can be a playoff team. Does that seem too much too soon? Not at all. We saw C.J. Stroud win a playoff game last year, and he did not enter a situation that was half as good, at least how we thought about it 12 months ago, as the one that Caleb Williams is walking into, and we know that Caleb was a higher-level prospect than C.J. Stroud.

So we see rookie quarterbacks if they are talented and they go into good situations have success early. Justin Herbert, he had 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie. I don't know why Caleb Williams couldn't be the first Bears quarterback ever to throw for 30 touchdowns or the first Bears quarterback ever to throw for 4,000 yards as a rookie. And if they won seven games without him, the expectation is certainly to win more than seven games with him because it's not just him that they added. They should have upgraded at Playcaller.

They certainly upgraded at Wide Receiver 2 with Keenan Allen. They certainly upgraded at Wide Receiver 3 with Roma Dunesay. They upgraded with D'Andre Swift. This offense should have gotten a lot better this offseason. So we were talking earlier. We got into a debate on Dak Prescott. And I've always said if you look at the numbers, basically he's Kirk cousins with a star on his helmet. That he's a bigger brand.

But Kirk, whenever you pay Kirk, it's what are you doing? And if you don't pay Dak, it's what are you doing? And the truth is, their numbers are virtually the same. Kirk throws a better or more accurate ball. Dax the better athlete. But they're kind of B-plus guys who have made A money. And I believe there is a truth serum in the NFL. You can win a Super Bowl on a rookie quarterback contract.

Or having an all-time great making money. You cannot be a Super Bowl team with a B-plus quarterback making A-plus money. And so I think it's all fear-based when I hear, what do you do if you don't have DAC? And my takeaway is, you figure it out. I mean, the Niners whiffed on Trey Lansson, went and got Brock Purdy. You figure it out.

What do you do with DAC if you ran the Cowboys? You pay them, and you can accuse me of being fear-based, Colin, but they don't have Kyle Shanahan. They have Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy only wins playoff games if he has Aaron Rogers. So I don't think that you can say, well, they'll just figure it out. I have no faith in their ability to figure it out.

And we need to learn something from history. You're right. He puts up great stats. The Kirk Cousins comp, I don't think is wildly unfair. But Kirk Cousins, at 35 years old, coming off a ruptured Achilles, just got $100 million guaranteed up to $180 million. That Prescott is 30 years old. He's homegrown.

He used to be 23 and 6 and a conservative checkdown risk-averse quarterback every year. This past year, they led the league in points. He led the league in passing touchdowns. He's 30 years old. He's coming off the best season of his career. He's the runner up for MVP. I think it's totally reasonable to think that he's got a ceiling that is higher than Kirk Cousins. We just saw it this past year, at least in terms of how he finished relative to the league,

winning 12 games, three straight years. They have no alternative. They're too good to draft high to draft a replacement. I understand that he'll be 10% overpaid, but the Falcons said, we can't do it with Desmond Ritter anymore. We've got to get competency at that. position. The alternative is what, Cooper Rush, Tray Lance? So yeah, call it fear-based if you want, but it's a binary thing. It's a have-and-have-not league. And if you have a quarterback, I think

you have to pay him if it's Dak Prescott. The other debate I get into is Aaron Rogers. And I said Aaron's always been polarizing because he replaced maybe the most popular player in my life in Brett Farv. And they had a little few. So that's like LeBron and Michael Jordan. Michael was more loved. whether you think LeBron's better. Michael was more beloved. Whoever replaces Michael is going to get heat unless maybe you're magic. Right? So, like, Aaron, it was tough.

You're replacing in small town America the most beloved player in the league. And then he has vaccine opinions and political opinions, but I don't care. I don't care who you vote for. My guess is most quarterbacks are conservative. I'm not. I don't care. But my knock on him has always been. I always say, little bit of a bailer more than a baller.

He's not a foxhole guy. 21 playoff games, one come from behind. He's great with a lead. He's great and great weather. But he's lost home playoff games as a favorite to Garoppolo, old Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick. And I've said, I feel if you go to the heart of his career and the heart of Aikman's, Bradshaw, Brady, Manning, Ben, Warner,

it doesn't stack up. It's an NBA career where he's rich. He's got a big brand. It's aesthetically pleasing. I like Aaron. I think we've annoyed. into a class, it doesn't feel like he belongs and you think I'm nuts. I think you're absolutely insane.

There is some level of eye test that we have to apply to this sort of thing because it is, you know this, it's the ultimate team game. One player cannot just win you a Super Bowl. I mean, I lost a bunch of money when Mike McCarthy took the ball out of Aaron Rogers' in an NFC championship game where they were up 12 in the fourth quarter against Seattle, and this guy's settling for field goals inside the five-yard line. I'm like, no, I'll give it to Eddie Lacey. Like, what are you doing? That was purely on Mike McCarthy, not on Aaron Rogers. The only guy in league history with more MVP than Rogers is Peyton Manning. Only 10 guys ever have

multiple MVP's. He's got four. He's got a ring. He's about to pass Marino this year for eighth all-time in passing yards. Like if Aaron Rogers isn't an all-time great, is Drew Brees not an all-time great? He's only been to one Super Bowl. He only has one ring. He's second all-time in passing yards. He has no MVP's. I think we would say that Breeze is an all-time guy.

So if Aaron Rogers, who impacted the influence of the style of play, the off-angle throws, the off-timing throws, Patrick Mahomes has said Rogers' style of play influences him. Caleb Williams has said his favorite quarterback ever to watch is Aaron Rogers. The modern great quarterbacks that dominate football, they steal from this guy. Just like in the NBA, people steal from Steph Curry. So he doesn't have the rings. True. I blame Mike McCarthy for that.

It's a team sport. There's no doubt in my mind that Aaron Rogers is an all-time great quarterback. Not a bad argument. That's a pretty decent argument there. There is an influence thing. I've been defending Steph Curry for a lot. ever, that he's the most, he's more influential than LeBron. He's not the player, but he's more influential.

And, yeah, so I want to go WNBA. I think this is fascinating. I said, the NBA, it's not that Magic and Bird saved it, but they made it highly commercial. They meet in college, and then Magic wins a title, and then Bird wins the next. And neither one dominated the rivalry. And that's why it was a rivalry.

The reason Brady and Big Ben don't feel like, rivalries and Brady and Manning do is there was more give and take with Manning and Brady, especially at the end when Manning started winning more. Is that I said, I think it's great. If Caitlin Clark gets snubbed by the Olympics and Angel Reese wins rookie of the year, it will incentivize the Caitlin Clark. They're like Swifties. Like Taylor Swift when she was dissed by Kanye, it empowered emboldened her fan base to be more supportive. She's never looked back. And I find the pushback on Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark,

and I argue to truly change the league and not just your pocketbook, it's better for the league that Angel Reese wins rookie of the year. Am I nuts on that too? Well, I think your nuts if you think it's going to happen, at least according to the odds makers. I think Caitlin's got a pretty, I saw a minus 350, minus 400 for her to win rookie of the year. Some places it says a couple weeks ago it was minus 800. So it's moving in Angel Reese's direction, but she's still an overwhelming favorite.

In terms of what it, the rivalries are good for sports. One of my main principles in doing this is I want less hate in the world and more hate in sports. Because rivalries are fun. Trash talk is fun. It's okay. We don't need to protect these people from our delicate, fragile sensibilities. They are elite world-class athletes who get paid handsomely who have chosen to enter the life that they have. And it's okay.

We can talk about it and be critical. and debate it and everyone's going to be fine. And so I like the bird magic comparison, but another thing that I think factors into that is the WNBA has had stars in the past. They've had great college players in the past. Diana Tarossi, Sue Bird, Candice Parker, these were college basketball stars.

And you know this as much as anyone. You're as media savvy in the sports space. We weren't watching them in college like we watched Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The numbers for the women's final four in terms of TV ratings is still one of the most shocking things to me of the last 10 years in sports media.

They were getting more viewers than big-time college football games. Like non-BCS, like National Championship college football playoff games. Oh, the Orange Bowl? Nope. More people watched Iowa women's basketball

on the final four. Okay. Well, we're not surprised when college football players that we care about, Deshawn Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Baker, Mayfield,

whomever, come into the NFL and we already have opinions about them because 20 million people watch their games in college. So everyone had an opinion about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese before they got to the pros, and now we're in our corners, we're defending narratives, we're arguing about it, and that is the thing that I think is healthiest for the sport, that they have a rivalry

that dates back to when tens of millions of people saw their origin story. So I said, I got so many questions. I was kind of taken back by how many people on my vacation came up. out east and said, what do you make about brawny being drafted to the Lakers? And here's my analogy. The people angry with it, I said,

if you went to a steakhouse for 10 years, and you took clients there for 10 years, and you spent a lot of money on your Amex card for 10 years, when you go to that steakhouse, you expect a little better pour on the Pino and the table you want, right? LeBron's carried the league for 20 years. The league owes him a solid.

He wasn't in the playoffs. He and Steph this year didn't have playoff runs. The ratings tanked. So I'm like, folks, this is the way America works. You owe brought 20 years of never in trouble. Always a good guy talking about the way to play the game. Are you surprised by the outrage of it and that it bother you that maybe a G-League level player got drafted by LeBron and the Lakers? No, it's how the world works.

And I mean, it's an interesting point about what the NBA owes him, but it's really the Lakers. The NBA didn't draft Brony. The Lakers drafted Brony for LeBron, and he delivered them a championship in the bubble. So I get it. The only thing I have a problem with is the stuff that seems to be coming out of the LeBron camp of how that they don't have as much influence in our country.

all of this as it just it defies logic they hired his podcast co-host to be the coach of the team he said his favorite player in college basketball other than brawny was dalton connect and they drafted brawny and dalton connect and we're supposed to be like and lebron has no influence in this off season like that come on just just say what you just said lebron james is the biggest star in the world he's carried the league he's carried the franchise he's leading the huddle at team usa after their wins the star among stars, everybody respects him. And oh yeah, by the way, LeBron might honestly be able to say, sure, Bronny isn't totally ready for the NBA.

But you know what has a better shot at getting him ready for the NBA? Playing in the NBA, training in the NBA, watch how I play and train in the NBA, because LeBron got to the NBA as soon as possible. What is better to develop a player? The NBA or USC? It's clearly the NBA. So LeBron's doing his kid a solid because he can. Is nepotism a great thing?

No, obviously not. But I'm not going to pretend to be outraged that it exists. Well, we appreciate you filling in. You did such a great job. The staff was so complimentary. And yes, yes, part of the success of this show is the people behind the scenes. Let's not give them too much credit. You know, the egos behind the scenes and the graphic department are a lot.

So we've got to slow. Oh, yeah, no, compared to your ego. I know. That's what everybody said around there. We're just like, God, the graphics guy. It's just, can we fit his head through the door? Unbelievable. Danny Park and super talented guy.

I love seeing you again, buddy. Thank you. Thank you, Colin. Talk soon. Yep. Weekdays in Chicago. If you're in the city, turn it on. He's fantastic. Yeah, we got a heck of a staff here. We really do. I'm excited for the Bears.

I've felt for the last seven or eight years, and he made a really good point. In the AFC, C.J. Stroud won a playoff game. in the Superior Conference. It's not outrageous that Caleb Williams goes to Chicago with the best offensive skill that the Bears have probably had

since the peak Jay Cutler years. They had Alshon, Jeffrey. They had a pretty good offensive group. You go to the last 10, 12, 15 years, this is the most talented. You know, Chicago's always on the wrong side of the ball, right? As the league pivoted to offense, the Bears were clinging to defense.

Pittsburgh's doing that now, but they're just a better run version of Chicago where you have old owners. You're kind of stuck in the past, but Pittsburgh's well-run. Chicago historically hasn't been well-run. They never had a great quarterback. So it's very interesting.

They get Ryan Poles, the GM comes in, and they hire Bill Polion's part of the coaching thing. They put a defensive coach in to an organization that has been grabbing, holding on for dear life to defense. and they actually, first two draft picks both, offense, spent money, offense. And that's a big pivot for the Chicago Bears. Green Bay has always been ahead of the curve.

That's why they win the division. Green Bay has been pro offense since Holmgren, Mike Sherman, Matt LaFleur. I mean, they, and what they've done, what's interesting, they draft defense in the first round usually, And then they draft and develop their offense later. Green Bay has been dominating this division because they got offense right. They get quarterback right. Chicago's had better defenses than Green Bay. It's the bigger city.

It's the better free agent market. They have an actual owner. But they're clinging to the past. I think they finally, when they got Roma Dunzee with the second pick, they said, we're going to double down on offense again. It was like, wow, wow. I figured they'd get, you know, Dallas Turner, the UCLA edge. And they're like, no, we're going to take another receiver.

That was like a moment in time that Chicago, with a defensive head coach on the hot seat, who could really, and a team needs an edge rusher, and they didn't take one. It's like, wow, the bears have pivoted. Now will the Steelers do it? Will they pivot and spend more money on the offensive side? One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeard radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you. 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's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. What's up fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Root in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself.

We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being. being and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano.

You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the MyCultura podcast network available on the I-HartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

When protecting your loved ones, home security, get one you can trust. Go to simply safe, collin.com, 20% off your new system. There is no safe like Simply Safe. And here's Jordan with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, Anthony, Aaron Rogers, and Devante Adams were one of the premier quarterback receiver duos

when they played together and greenback. The two are still close friends and Aaron has his eye on a potential return. He even said he can't wait to play with Devante again someday and Devante confirmed that Aaron is always in his ear about joining forces. Now, to me Colin, this screams

vintage Aaron Rogers tongue in cheek. What say you? I think Aaron at this point has pivoted to towing with the media every chance he gets. So anything I mean, I think Aaron does things for a purpose. He's very intentional. Like, I think everything's planned.

So when he talks about Devante and he texts Devante, he knows it'll get out. And I think Aaron is very intentional with everything he does. Aaron at this point is not in the Super Bowl bubble. Doesn't mean he doesn't want to be in the media bubble and the brand bubble. And so I think he tends to be, he would never admit this. It's not cool to admit you like to be in the media as an athlete. You know, you want to be like low-key about it. But I think Aaron's very good at generating news about Aaron.

Aaron is calculated in the sense that I'm in a golf tournament. This is a great opportunity for me to say, hey, Devante, you know, you're my guy. We'll play together quickly. More likely that Aaron Rogers plays with Devante in New York or Vegas, if it's going to happen. I think Aaron's going to shut it down after New York. You know, he's got a lot of money. And I think Aaron's going to shut it down and do other things. I mean, listen, he didn't show up to an OTA.

He was over in Egypt. Aaron's got bigger interests. You know, like when Andrew Luck retired, people thought, oh, Andrew Luck's going to come back and play. And Andrew's like, no, I'm good. You know, I've heard this about Trevor Lawrence. One of the few criticisms is he's not defined by football. He likes other stuff. I think Aaron will shut it down.

I think if they're disappointing this year, he'd shut it down. I think if the Jets were good because they're mostly young, most of their best players are young, he'd bring it back for another year. Tyree Kill is the latest player to name his top five quarterbacks in the league. He had a surprise addition to his list. After being asked on a recent live stream about his top five, he quickly rattled off Mahomes, Chua, and Lamar. After a brief pause, Colin, he added, Dach Prescott, and then after another pause, he capped off his list with Baker Mayfield. He's a really fast receiver. He's not a general manager. There it is.

Yeah. There it is. I'll go with Lamar and Patrick. I'm with you on that. Where's Josh Allen? Where's Justin Herbert? Where's Joe Burrow? Burrow's fascinating because, I mean, think about this.

Think how good Burrow is. He's the one quarterback that can go into Arrowhead, and we feel like situationally can beat Mahomes. He gets hurt, let's say, third week of September. Where are you on Burrow? Like, we're getting to a point with Joe Burrow, like, dude's got to stay healthy. Like, it's a real thing now.

Yeah, but I've had teams tell me, I had a GM tell me last year, Joe Burrow is horrifying in the playoffs. And when you consider Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, that's, I mean, if you're looking for a team to really pop out of the AFC, I don't understand why Cincinnati doesn't get enough credit for that. I think it's all Burroughs health. But let's assume for a minute that Burroughs healthy.

No, that's a whole different conversation, but he hasn't been. Yeah, that's, that's part of his narrative now. He's heard a lot. That's just part of it. So you're saying. It's like Joel M.B. part of his narrative is... I think it's different.

Joel Embed's 7-2. He had the foot injury coming out of college. Well, he's a quarterback. Quarterbacks are not super athletic. They get hit, blindsided. I mean, the narrative with Ambide is he gets hurt a lot. You can't talk about Burrow without the injuries. Like, it's part of it now.

Okay, so if Burrow were to get hurt again, a substantial injury, then it's... Well, then I think you have to draft the quarterback. Absolutely. Even though you just made him the highest-paid quarterback. Whatever. You've got to be on the field. I mean, we have to be honest about this. Some guys, and it's just genetic thing, they just get banged up more.

We've seen NBA centers get banged up more. But at this point, like Tua, you know, I don't know about it's high school, but Tua college, two NFL. It's part of the story on Tua, concussions and injuries. We have to be fair about it. If we're saying it for Tua, we've got to say it for Joe. Yeah, that's fair. I hear you. Ronnie James and the Lakers' next Summer League game is drawing a huge audience in Vegas.

According to the league's executive director, the Lakers Rockets matchup tonight, is on the verge of a sellout. This is the same level of attention Wemby got last season when his first Summer League appearance sold out. Now, Colin, I spent time in that arena Thomas and Mac. It's cavernous. It's big. The fact that a summer league game

with the Lakers who do draw well, but the fact that it's sold out because of Brony is pretty ridiculous. Even, I think, the most anti-Broni 55th pick fan would say that's pretty wild. Yeah, I mean, it seems like Zion,

Wemby, Brony, there always tends to be a story at the Summer League. That league's done a really good job to generate like a story or two every year. If I recall last year, Wembe played a game and then sat it out and a lot of it. But I think, you know, Brony's not a sensational player. To me, he is at best a rotational middle-to-deep bench guy. Could be totally wrong, but he's much smaller than, you know, he's a 6'1

combo guard. Off guard. He's not really a true point, so I'm not sure exactly what he is, but it doesn't surprise. Summer League, NBA's done a really good job with her Summer League. It's become a thing. Now it's also a pretty Spartan time of the year for us. There's not a lot to talk about in July until camps open. Well, that's another reason why it's smart to do it now. But it's summer league's a real thing.

I mean, it's done, it's grown. I used to work there, and it was, it's exploded. Over the last 10 years, it's totally exploded. Well, he used to have it all over. They had it in Boston. now they start it in Salt Lake, they do the Sacramento thing, and then it culminates in Vegas, which is cool. The guys want to go to Vegas.

It's a good thing. Speaking of Las Vegas and Team USAB, Anthony Edwards made his debut with the national team during their exhibition game against Canada this week. He came off the bench, Colin, scoring 13 points in the W, and after the game, and admitted that he was definitely nervous for his first game action with the Olympic team. This is why people love Anthony Edwards.

not just the rim-rattling dunks and the beautiful stepbacks and look at that stroke. It's not just the talent that he oozes with. It's the charisma and the honesty and I think even more so the vulnerability. That's what fans can relate to. He's like, he's a big kid. He's super talented and he's the future of the league. But the fact that he's willing to say, you know what, I was nervous for Team USA. That was tough for me.

That's pretty cool. Yeah, I think when you go and look at most, in my era, of NBA. Bird was feisty. He's fighting Dr. Jay and Jordan. Jordan was feisty, tip on his shoulder. Most of the guys now, like Jason Tatum, collaborative.

Devin Booker, chill. Steph Curry, everybody likes him. Kyrie enigmatic. Yeah, I mean, there's not, I mean, even Kyrie, I think, kind of pivoted, rebounded, kind of likable this year. That's true. Lucas Feisty.

No question, Lucas Feisty. But Ant is very much, I mean, these guys have played together in AAU, You know, they play multiple games together. I think Ant, that's why he feels like face of the league. Likeable, not a lot of angst, spectacularly talented, dynamic sort of game. I think by the, I think Wembe and Ant, because I don't think Jason Tatum's a face of the league guy. No.

His game, he doesn't want it. They're a really good player, but he's not. No, he's not. Same with Devin Booker, really good players. I think at the trade deadline, midway through the season, we will look at Wembe and Ant as the face of the league. Yokic as the best player. I don't think Luke is the face

of the league. I think he's a great, great score. But the arguing with the refs, you know... It wears you down as a fan. He does. He wears you down. I think Ant and Wembe are kind of chill guys. Dynamic, like all-time dynamic games,

they feel like historically the face of the league. Yeah. Also with Ant, that he could be polarizing, but I think he likes to be honest. And because he's honest, you almost want to root for him, even if he's not on your team.

I found myself as a fan saying, I want more Ann Edwards in the playoffs. He understands, I think, too, the fact that I grew up playing A.U. With these guys, we may be friends, but the fact that he's willing to go out of KD, willing to say to Booker, I should be starting over you, I mean, that's, as a fan, you kind of like that.

Yeah, I do. Jordan with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. Blake Corum, who's unbelievable running back at Michigan. The Rams got him in the third round, and he'll have a major impact with Sean McVeigh, Matt Stafford's offense.

He'll be joining us last hour. Can't wait for that. Some Jim Harbaugh story. Isn't it amazing Jim Harbaugh is now in L.A.? It's awesome. It really is. It's just, it's incredible. You know, the coaches now are rock stars in the NFL.

When did that happen? When was that shift? Well, I want to talk about something next that's about that. I just saw some data on the NFL. It's really crazy. How big a part of the NFL's become, and I'll share that with you next. 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. Pauly Fuscoe here with Tony Fusco.

Yo, as everybody knows, we're the host of the award-winning Pauley and Tony Fusco show. But instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show. Quick, knowledgeable, and funny, opinionated. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? You're interrupting our promo. Yeah. He wasn't talking about you.

You took those clips totally out of context. Oh, yeah, well, after this promo, I'm going to take you out and beat you. Let me put this into context. Shut up. Yeah, anyway, just listen to the Pauli and Tony Fusco show on I-Hart Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, He has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court licking his fingers why he got the ball.

Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the I. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself.

We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Joe Dono. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need

with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified. to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.

If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network

available on the I-Heart Radio app. Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday, the Summer of Stars caps off with two huge championship games. First, Spain takes on June Bellium and England. And the Euro final coverage begins at 1 p.m. Eastern. Then in primetime, Messi and Argentina defend their Copa America crown against Colombia, all on Fox and the Fox Sports app. This is going to be great.

You know, we were talking about Aaron Rogers, almost as a rule in the United. sports. If a great person leaves, there's a huge drop-off. Brady leaves the Patriots. It's a tire fire. Belichick gets fired. Harbaugh left the Niners.

They were a mess for two years. Pete Carroll leaves USC. They've never recovered. Mack Brown leaves Texas. They don't recover. I mean, Urban Meyer leaves Florida. Like, if you go fine, quarterbacks leave, like,

Peyton Manning left Andrew Luck came in. That is so rare. So rare. But in most instances, even Aaron Rogers replacing Favre the first year, Green Bay was 6 and 10. That was a huge drop-off. Coaches, quarterbacks, NBA stars, they leave there is a noticeable drop-off. Aaron leaves the Packers. By Thanksgiving, they're a better falloff.

football team. What does that tell you? Either Jordan Love is better than Aaron or Aaron as a unifier as an elevator of others is overstated. I mean, look at what happened to Belichick when Tom left. Bill Belichick, best coach ever, can't win games. You start looking every time Harbaugh leaves a place.

Michigan this year is going to be a six-win team. Like, that's greatness. You leave awake. It's not just what you do when you arrive. It's easy to blame Aaron for the Jets problems, but he was hurt. But doesn't it say something that, I mean, listen, Aikman left the Cowboys. Never the same. Bradshaw leaves the Steelers.

Until they get Big Ben, they were just a team. By the way, Big Ben leaves. Offense is unwatchable. But Aaron leaves the Packers. they were a better team by Thanksgiving. I know you say you're picking on Aaron, but my take has always been on Aaron. He's like an NBA star.

OBJ had a little bit of this. The brand's big, the aesthetics, beautiful, unbelievable talent. Does it make teams better? Again, I get the MVP awards. I get that. But I mean, listen, have that ask yourself, John Elway left the Broncos. Until they went and bought Peyton Manning,

they were never the same franchise. guys. That's how big Bradshaw to the Steelers. That's how big Terry was. That's how big Elway was. How big Aikman was. It's very rare when Montana leaves and Steve Young steps in. That's like historically rare. But even with Farvin Rogers, I mean, Aaron got us sit for three years. The first year, and they took over a good team.

That was a good friend. That was a good team. It was six and ten. Aaron leaves. Packers are better. They go on the road to Dallas and thrash them. Either that's telling me Aaron's value to the team, he's 11 and 10 in the playoffs, is overstated, which I think, or Jordan loves just better than Aaron. That's quite a leap, considering he had eight weeks. So, and it's not that Aaron's not gifted.

I'm not saying that, but I'm saying, is he a unifier and an elevator? Because all the Jet fans think he is in a, he's, it's, it's going to change. No, he'll just be purgeant. and complete some passes and be fun to watch. Will he unify the team? I don't see that. By the way, I talked about the NFL thing I want to talk about. This is a massive number.

The city of Detroit says that the draft, just a draft. Nobody even watches the baseball or hockey drafts. We barely watch the NBA draft. The NFL draft generated an economic impact. $213 million for the city of Detroit. I think the smartest thing the NFL has done in a decade is make the draft a traveling event.

You can hold Marty Grave every year in Nalins. You can hold the Emmys or Oscars in your cities. You've got to move the draft. And the NFL has always seen their sport as a TV show. They don't get paralyzed by tradition or aesthetics. It's a television show. And the draft is a remarkable production. In fact, years ago, when I came to Fox, they asked me about some people that we should bring over or events.

And I said, in my opinion, the most underscored, underappreciated event on sports is the NFL draft. I said, it feels like a football weekend. You have the regular season, the playoff weekends, the draft feels like a regular season weekend. It's that big. It out draws NBA, NHL, and baseball games. Like all their regular season games. But if you watch what the NFL has done in recent years, they've kind of kicked the Pro Bowl to the curb. They don't care about the NFL network.

They don't care about the combine. They don't care about the preseason anymore. They have double and tripled down on the NFL draft, and it feels like an NFL weekend. And it's really interesting because I think, part of the secret sauce of the NFL is that they embrace college football. They see it as a marketing platform. So a Baker Mayfield, a Tim Tebow, a Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck, you put your arms around him in college.

You watch those Ohio State Clems and Georgia games. You feel like you know the players. And the NFL embraces it. It's like, hey, they're microwaving and marketing and promoting our stars. That's why a rookie can walk into the NFL and like be impacted. not only as a player, but as a personality. The NBA colossally bizarre to me that I've never understood that, and I like Adam Silver, but they almost resent college basketball.

Why aren't you paying the kids? You're not paying college football players for three and four years because they're college kids. Who cares? Nobody get, we're all interns in college. Nobody made me money in college. We're all eating pizza. We were all broke. But the NBA, instead of using college basketball, is this wonderful marketing platform.

Did you see the ratings for March Madness? Forget the men. You see the women's. You're not getting that in the G League and international basketball. Introduce the country to all your stars. Instead of a G-League guy who goes to a bad team, doesn't make the playoff for six years. Give me a break. Only reason I know Zion.

I mean, doesn't everybody want to watch Cooper Flagg next year at Duke? I can't wait to watch him. And as the NBA gets more international, there's only a handful of domestic players that you can have. marketed at Kansas, at Duke, at Carolina, at Yukon, embrace college basketball. It's free market. Every business that starts in America wants one thing, free marketing. Every business needs marketing. It could be Tesla, it could be Amazon, it could be a startup tech.

They're all dying for free publicity. That's what college sports is. And the NFL draft is the singular convergence of college football and NFL football. and NFL football, and it is a monster. $213 million in economic impact. You don't have to build a new stadium. You don't have bidding rights. The NFL just says, hey, let's bring it to Detroit.

$213 million. And you've seen these scenes in Chicago, Philly, Nashville, Detroit. The whole city is for two days from Goodell getting booed, the TV cameras. It makes everything look like a chamber of commerce photo. It's such a big deal. And the NFL deserves credit for understanding that college football is your ally. It's your friend.

It's free marketing. NBA, embrace March Madness. It's getting like, you're getting seven, eight million people watching a Kansas Duke, Michigan basketball game. And that kid's going to go to the Houston Rockets. Promote him. Embrace G League. Who watching the G League? You're playing to your diehards.

The NBA is doing what baseball does. They play to their diehards. Play to the casuals. The NFL gets that. They play to the casuals. They want your sister who doesn't love football. She may, you know, your brother who's not that interested. They're seeking casuals.

It's a TV show. Take the marketing and run with it. 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. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Tolodano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game. the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to you. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in with thoughtful solutions. Syke, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant,

recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite Wednesdays on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patrol all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.