The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Tom Brady

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

Colin has more thoughts on his interview with Tom Brady and how he will do in the broadcast booth Taking a look at the franchise QBs in the NFLSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thanks for making us part of your day. So generally, when I get a bigger, more prominent guest, I get about a three or four-day heads-up. A couple of times I've had Tom Brady on. I sort of knew a week out. I was going to get Tom Brady. But I also think many of you who are listening to me on radio, you listen to me at certain times of the day. Like there are people that just listen to 15 minutes a day. It's in the second hour.

That's when they drive to work. So radio listeners of ours deserve love too. Our XM listeners, I know I listen to the radio basically at the same times every day as I'm morning errands. So Tom Brady was on yesterday in our third hour, and I thought it was too good and too newsworthy to not bring back a big chunk of it as he now pivots from, you know, being a great all-time football player, a brief retirement to now he's going into the booth. And so one of the first things I asked him about, I said, you know, Tom, you're very methodical, you're known as a guy that loves and really embraces the process. Has it been difficult, transatlantic?

from that to the booth. I think anytime you transition into something new, there's a bit of a challenge because you're so programmed and wired to do things a certain way. As an athlete, there's so much physical prep that goes along with your life, even in the offseason. I was always thinking about, was I prepared? If there was a game on Sunday, could I play? And I would think about that in April and May and June and July. And I would watch other great athletes, Floyd Mayweather comes to mind. Like, he always seemed ready to go.

If someone called him, say, hey, you got a fight on Saturday, he'd be like, cool. And I think that's how I always physically train my body. Mentally, it was a little bit different because there was old game plan element to the process of preparing for the games. So I think the biggest challenge for me is I just, the structure is very different now in my life because you don't have the routine. But I actually believe that the broadcasting at Fox this year for the first time will give me a lot more structure like I'm used to. and I really actually will look forward to that. So you were in the booth this weekend, a UFL championship,

so it's kind of your first taste of doing it. You've also been probably a half dozen times that I'm aware of been practicing upstairs. So I want you to take me from the first time you put on a headset upstairs until the UFL game and your last, you may have practiced today. When you watch the tapes,

do you notice a difference with you? Yeah, I would say yes, and I also think there's still so much more room for improvement. And I just, it's almost like when I was a player, I never felt like I did things the right way. There were games where I'd go in afterward and think, God, I'm the worst quarterback in the NFL. Like, why would they even want me to play quarterback for this team? And I'm sure I'm going to feel that way here at Fox where I finish a game and I go, God, I didn't even give them what they wanted. And it's a very challenging thing in your own mind.

I've asked a few people, like, how do you know that you did a good job? And I think for me, so much of this is going to come down to the preparation. And did I feel like I was prepared? Did I feel like our crew was prepared? Did I give them the best over the course of the week so that we could give ourselves the best opportunity to be successful for the fans? Because really, the game is to show.

We're there to add our take on it and our analysis. But it's also, did we feel like we added to the broadcast? And from my standpoint, I'm going to work as hard as I can in the process of it as you talked about earlier to make sure that I do deliver because I don't want to let anyone down. I don't want to let the people at Fox here down, and I certainly don't want to watch. Let the great NFL fans down either. Well, both quarterback and broadcaster takes the ability to compartmentalize

and then quickly pull things and put them in a game. So it's very similar, is that when you went into a football game, there were things that you practiced waited to see. That may not happen until the fourth quarter. And then you have to take that film study, fourth quarter, loud crowd, can't hear, and implement it. That's what broadcasting is. I've said this before, Tom.

I think what you're doing is the hardest thing in sports, 200 times for 8 seconds, be smart. Yeah. And if you have one, I kick it all the time. Yeah. People are just used to it. You're not a guy. I think you do pretty good.

I've done fine. Are there nerves for Tom Brady? You haven't had nerves forever, right? No, I've always had nerves, because it's a performance when you'd go out there on the field, and you would feel like you put a lot into it. There was probably anxiousness and there were nerves, because the outcomes weren't guaranteed for any of us. You'd go into a game, you'd feel like, oh, we got a great advantage this week.

They got a few of their guys out. We're playing at home. This is exactly the game we want. Next thing you know, it's middle of the third quarter and it's a dog fight. So you never really know how sports are going to go, which was why we all tune in. We tune in because the outcomes are very unexpected, which if they're unexpected, there's a chance of winning and losing. And because of that, there's anxiety and there's nerves going into every single one of those games. So the only way that I knew how to combat the nerves and the anxiousness of the game was to prepare.

So I was someone that got really good at my preparation over the course of my career. I got really efficient with my time, especially as you added a lot of the things to your life, like children. You know, that's a big addition. So it's how can I prepare knowing that I have other things going on my life? And I really want to be efficient with my time to make sure the time I am spending preparing is really worth it. I'm working on the things that are actually going to add to the broadcast, rather than I'm just working on things to work on them that will actually know.

never come up. Right. I'll throw a theory at you. And I've used you as an example on this show and Matt Stafford. Offensive lines matter. I believe offensive line play has deteriorated due to the CBA. They practice less. I think it's the most cohesive unit and they're practicing less.

Outside of the Lions, I'm not sure there's a great O line in the league right now. There feels to me very powerful. What worries me, I saw this with Russell first year in Denver. I saw it with Aaron first year with the Jets. The reason I think you succeeded and Stafford did, and Kirk Cousins will, because older quarterbacks are a bit more reliant on guard-center guard protection. It's very important. In Tampa, you got Tristan Wurfs.

You were very good guard-center guard. Sure. And you got very comfortable quickly. That's what I worry about the Jets, is that two things are converging, Tom. Yeah. One, they've got all new offensive linemen, and two, many are older, an older offensive lineman, don't play in the preseason anymore. Yeah. I don't worry about

Aaron. But take me through that. You went through it with Tampa, where you had to move it. When you wanted gronk, it may have been for blocking as much as catching. Sure. Yeah, there's so many nuances to the success of an offense. I don't think you can ever make a bad o line good.

And over the course of my career, I always, I believe I played with the best offensive line coach in the history of the NFL and Dante Scarnacia. and regardless of who we drafted free agents, we got free agents in the draft, free agents and NFL free agency, veteran free agency, we always piece together

a unit that played really well together. And all of them may not have been pro bowlers, but as a unit, they played as well as any team in a league. And that was a tough challenge for every D-line you would play. You'd go, okay, I know they're going to block us well. I know Brady's, the ball is going to come out quick. I know they're going to have good plans when we, We play man coverage.

They're going to have man beaters. I know when we get in the red area, they're going to challenge us. They're going to have some different schemes in there in the run game that we're going to prepare for. We put a lot of pressure on the defense all the time to do things the right way, as opposed to the five, the offensive linemen, having a draft first round pick, first round pick, first round pick to put together a great O-Line. So so much of great O-Line play is a great O-Line coach. And I think we could talk about there's not a lot of great O-Line coaches anymore in the NFL. Jimmy Johnson has said for years. there's about six good ones on the planet at any one time.

Absolutely. And there's probably about six to eight good quarterbacks on the planet. And there's probably about six to eight good head coaches. And there's about six to eight good defensive coordinators. So to try to get all the things right, which is why the NFL is so competitive in my mind. Because there's so many challenges to keeping people together. Because when you have a good old line and everyone says, oh, this is the first ranked or second rank or third ranked offensive line. Well, in free agency, all the teams come in, they pick those guys out of that team and say, all right, well, we were going to bring you.

from the Patriots to the Bengals. We're going to move from the Patriots to the Chargers because they knew that our guys were developed really well also. So we would lose a lot of offensive line and you'd have to replace them and you'd have to develop them. I think one of the pet peeves I have, one of the great things I would say in my experience with the Patriots was every player was coached. Even if you were on the practice squad, even if the scout team offense was out there. Dante Scarnacki was coaching the scout team offensive line as if it was the starting offensive line. And I think a lot of coaches coached, hey, I'll just coach the starter, maybe a few backups as opposed to I'm going to coach every single position. So when people go down,

we're going to fill those guys in and they're going to just step in and play a great role for us because they're going to know all the calls. They're going to know the timing. They're going to know the precision. They're going to know exactly what we want to do on every play. So that was the development part. And I think, yeah, the CBA changed a lot. There's less practice time. I don't necessarily love that. There's a lot of areas of, say, the techniques and fundamentals, which because you don't have the time tackling, run after catch, you know, special teams has basically been eliminated from the NFL with a lot of the rules.

So that saves some time, but you know, you lose the kicking game, parts of the kicking game. So I think there's a lot of because we don't have as much time on task, there's a lot of less time for us to develop the techniques and fundamentals that these players need to be successful. So they go to the outside and they look for coaches in the offseason to develop some of those things. Some of it works.

It may work as an individual, but at the same time, football is a team, So I would see quarterbacks throwing the receivers that weren't their receivers. Well, that's fine. It might be good for you, but it's not good for, let's say, the team. That's right. You know? You know, before I get into some other stuff, I'm going to be a little bit of a fan on my last

question, but I want to ask you this. I have another theory. Yeah. Is that this is subconscious, and you were able in a better spot to handle this. But I have been arguing for years that number one receivers, there's a duality to it. They're great. They're great. They're great.

Yeah. But subconsciously, even a great. quarterback will feel to some degree he's indebted to get him the ball. Always. And I thought when Dak Prescott broke into the league, he was better without the great Des Bryant. Right. The pressure left. Sometimes receivers are verbal.

Yeah. And I'd Stefan Diggs would take on any team. But he's verbal. Brandon Ayuk is verbal on his social. Sure. And I want you to go to that as I have argued, now Justin Jefferson to me is too good not to sign. Sure. But I have always had this feeling.

And if you could, subconsciously when Randy was there, he rewarded you. But was there a feeling sometimes? Where's Randy? Sure. I want to make sure Randy's happy. Sure. Yet you always felt like you had to do something to get them the ball. And if they hadn't touched the ball in practice, I'd make sure, oh, God, you know,

hey, I've got to get so-and-so ball because I want him to keep running hard. And I want him to be ready for when the ball does come. And, you know, you see it a lot in NFL games, been practicing a lot of these games. I want to see the best players touch the ball early so they can break a sweat. They can get into the flow of the game. And good coaches do that. When you script plays at the beginning of the game, you're saying, okay, you're the Niners coach. I'm going to make sure McCaffrey touches it either first or second in the game.

I want to make sure Debo Samuel touches it first or second in the game. I'm going to throw it to him quick. Somehow I know the ball is going to be in his hands so he can do something with it. I want to get him into the flow. So we would always try to script so that everybody would feel like they were in the flow of the game. The last thing you want is your number one receiver to go two of the flow. and a half quarters into a game and not see a ball to get one target because he's going to get discouraged he's got to go out there he's got to break the huddle it's got to run out 25 yards to his

alignment he's got to run down the field as fast as he can try to get open he's got to run back to the huddle it's a lot of effort that he's putting into not getting the ball now you get you when you can reward that guy early in the game and figure okay where is he at how do i get him the ball and there's certain guys that are really easy to get the ball too certainly the guys that line up closer to the ball the tight ends and the slot receivers there's way more route options for them. It's way easier to get them the ball because they can go to basically every part of the field. Whereas that perimeter receiver, he's got the sideline to deal with. He really can't break out. If he breaks out, he's got five or six yards to deal with. A receiver at the

tight end position or in the slot, when he breaks out, he's got 18 yards to deal with. So you have much more space to get him actually the ball. So, you know, it wasn't hard to get Welker the ball. It wasn't hard to get Edelman the ball. It wasn't hard to get Grunkowski the ball. It was hard to get a perimeter receiver the ball. If they decide that they want to take a perimeter receiver out of the game. Roll out coverage. You just roll the coverage to them. You play cover two.

You jam them at the line of scrimmage with someone over the top, and it's very, very difficult to get that guy the ball. But that also gives up a lot of the things, and you've got to be able to take advantage of those things. And that number one receiver has to understand, okay, they're making a concerted effort to take me away. Therefore, my other teammates have to produce when they're playing these coverages. Sean McVeigh years ago did something that it was kind of a maverick move, kind of

a baller move. He said, I'm not going to play my better. stars one snap in preseason. And people are like, whoa, whoa. Yeah. You're not going to be ready. They went eight and no to start the season. And now people look at it and go, yeah, I don't want anybody hurt.

Now there is a line here because you're going to want a couple series of snaps. Like, I get it. You don't want to go cold. Yeah. But it is interesting that I believe, and you have touched on this, that the NFL is the shield and corporate. And a lot of these coaches, there's a dogma and a rigidity. and they just don't want to change stuff, and it's hard to flip the telescope. And I think coaches struggle allowing quarterbacks like you and Breeze, it's your offense.

Go to the line and call what you see. I think quarterbacks can be overcoached at the line of scrimmage, not at practice. Sure. You have touched on the fact that you don't think quarterbacks are developing that sort of pre-sent snap. Is some of it the rigidity of coaching? Okay, so it is. Yeah, and the ability to develop that player to give him the tools so that when he gets to the line of scrimmage and he sees blitz.

Okay, if they're blitzing me, these are the two protections I can use when they blitz. These are the two or three routes that I can signal to my receivers that can beat the blitz. Or vice versa. We're anticipating blitz, so we call a play that's going to protect. And nope, they're actually playing a very safe zone. I want to make sure I can get all my players out into the route, and I can change the call, the protection and the routes that everybody can get into the defense. So what are you trying to do?

You're trying to give the quarterback to really be a field general. Quarterback, you got the last swipe at the pencil. You know, the defense can call their play. They're going to line up. Offense calls the play in the huddle. They walk the line of scrimmage. Defense calls a play. They adjust to the formation offense is lined up in.

They have their call set. it was always my job to say, well, I know what my play is. Now I look at the defense. Okay, I think I know what they're in. Does what I have call, is it going to work? And that was my judgment. And they would have to live and die with my judgment, the entire team. Now, I developed the trust within the team, my teammates in the organization to say, Tom, we want you to have that. We trust you to have that final swipe at that pencil. But we're not going to snap the ball into, let's say there's a safety blitzing off the right side. And I got to run right at the right side. that nobody can block him. I'm not going to snap the ball and run it into the strong safety blitzing and tackle our running back four yards in the backfield. I'd say, okay, if the strong safety is coming on the right and we got to play to the right, what do you want me to do? You

want me to run to the left? You want me to check to a pass? Those are the options. That's how I would think about the game. There was always a reason why he did something. If he was blitzing off the left and I wanted to run the right, great. Let's snap the ball as fast as I can. Everything's intentional. Everything was intentional. Yeah, there wasn't a time. I would hope that I would have never snapped the ball into a bad defense. Now, did I? Of course I did, because sometimes the defenses wanted to disguise a lot of things. They didn't want to show me, okay, Brady likes to get a great pre-snap read.

Let's really mess with them. Let's kind of toggle the safeties back and forth. And we're going to make it challenging for him to really decipher. Buffalo, when I played Buffalo, they wouldn't move until after the ball was snapped. So if the safety was coming down on the left or on the right, they were going to do it after the snap all the time. And they would just play in this little shell defense. ball be snapped and here they go they rotate because every defense has strengths and weaknesses to it

my job as a quarterback was always to delineate where the strengths and weaknesses were and was the play that i had called was it able to take advantage of the weaknesses of the defense and if it couldn't then i was supposed to get to a play that would and i think that's part of the development that i had as a player was they gave me the tools to be able to do that and they gave me the trust over a period of time that i was ultimately going to make the right decision for the team Intentional is sometimes confused for intensity. Knowing and reading the temperature in the room is important. And there's a story about John Wooden, the late legendary coach,

and he was very strict, you know, the pyramid of success. And he felt his team before a championship game was tight. Yeah. And so he made the decision. He said, all we're doing is dunking at practice today. And everybody was having fun, and he sensed the temperature in the room. My team is tight. Yeah.

We got to have a fun practice. You had what I would view as a highly efficient, don't mess around head coach. Yeah. Were there times... That's a polite way to say that. Yes. I'm trying to be very different. Good job.

I would think you would have to provide the question I'm going to ask. Were there times because of Bill's manner that you felt on a Saturday night when you go into that meeting were way too tight. I got to lighten this room up a little. I think the answer would be no, and I think that's where Bill was actually so great. And no one saw them in those moments like we did. And Saturday night, we were so prepared and so focused, we were the opposite of tight. Really? We were always relaxed because we had the answers to the test.

I knew that I went through the call sheet. Let's say we had 150 calls on the call sheet. There was a meeting at a squad meeting at 8 o'clock. I would meet with the quarterback starting at 6.30 in the offense corner. We go through every single play on the call sheet, and we do exactly what we did. Okay, this is the play, this is the run. What's the one thing that can mess this run up? Oh, a safety blitz off the right side.

Okay, great. What do you want to do if that happens? So I'd walk to the line of scrimmage. That call was made. I'd break the huddle. I'd look to the line of scrimmings. I'd say, okay, the only problem I have on this play is if the safety is blitzing off the right side. And then I would just look for it.

Oh, and he only did it, let's say 5% of the time. So most coaches would just say, I'd just run the play, whatever. If they get lucky and call at the same time, one for them. And that's not how I played, because that one play could mean everything. So I would say, no, no, no, no. If it's a 5% chance, it could happen, what should I do if it happened? So we're all on the same page. So I would tell the line, okay, if this guy's blitz is what I'm doing,

I'm going to check to this play called Wolf or called Beetle or called Python, whatever we wanted to call it. This is what I'm going to do. Or I'm going to check to a screen, Liz, Rip. I'm going to change the protection and go to Greta or Grape. So there was all these different code words what we had that we can get to them so quickly because it's hard to do when there's 70,000 fans. Right.

It's hard to do with it. Communicate to everybody in 10 seconds to go from one play to another play. But that's what the continuity allowed us to do over a long period of time. That's what the same coordinator, the similar core group of players could do, the same offensive line coach. Oh, yeah, we did that two years ago. Yeah, I like that solution. That worked great.

That allowed us to win the game. Great, we gain confidence in it. So that continuity that we had with all of us allowed us to succeed in those little small percentage chances that they did something or made a call that could beat what we were doing. I think so much that's what the beautiful part about the sport is. That's the chess game in football. It's not checkers. It's not soccer where everything's reaction.

It's not hockey. It's not basketball. They're all set pieces. There's a play. When I looked at the real field generals when I played growing up with where that was John Elway, Dan Marino, then you got to the Peyton Mannings and Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Like that's all we tried to do. We tried to say, what's the defense doing and how can we beat the defense on every single play?

And then we'd come out of the game. that's how we would judge ourselves. Did I make the right call there? Not always did I make the right throw. Did I snap the ball into a defense that that play would actually work? Tom Brady from yesterday, and as I watched that, it just increased my anticipation to watch Tom in the booth. He's really become, and I'm sure I don't know Tom personally,

I'm sure he was always a good storyteller. But, you know, and I've said this before, you will become the broadcaster that you were as a player. If you are sort of go with your gut, that's how you'll be as a broadcaster. Maybe instincts over prep. If you are into work ethic, almost to an obsessive nature, that's what you will become as a broadcaster. And that's why I've kind of theorized that I think Tom is going to be very effective. He's going to start and be good, get better over time, because he just simply puts the time in it.

I think in my life, as I've watched broadcasters, athletes become broadcasters, their personality that steered their athletic endeavors. It's eventually the same qualities that steer their broadcasting. Charles Barkley was an artist, didn't know he wasn't a great practice player. He wasn't know as the best at prep, but he was really funny and dynamic as a player and as a broadcaster. He was highly memorable, both. And I think Tom's just going to be really good and just keep building on it and building on it. That would be my guess. But as I watched that interview, as I was in it yesterday and watched it here,

it just makes me, I can't wait for his opener, which is Dallas against Cleveland. And for a million reasons, that game is a fascinating opener. So I hope you enjoy Tom Brady. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the I-Hard Radio app. heard 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'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-Hart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The 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 we're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake 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. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend Janet. And we have been joined at the hips since high school.

Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. with all the snacks and drink.

Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. Oh, what are y'all doing? Microphones?

Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on. Can you move? I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky.

I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky. I'm not an alcoholic. You are. You are. I love this team, and I'm really. trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life, one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a parameda menopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen XVI

squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy?

That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to speak this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva

as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Still having given me an answer in between breaks, J-Mack, on why there's all these Dodger fans all over stadiums with the best seats. I'm looking for an answer. I don't, you know. Gee, you peppering me with questions today. You had that one just now, Derry.

That's a thought-provoking question. About the thing we just talked about? Yeah. I mean, listen, there's a lot to take in. Plus, I'm monitoring this England situation with Denmark. Copa America starts tonight. Like, there's just a lot happening. Now, is when?

United States, Bolivia is when? Sunday. Sunday. So Monday's show will be a banger. Caitlin Clark Angel, Rees Sunday. USA Bolivia Sunday. you'll be on an airplane. Well, I'm leaving, I'm doing an overnight flight on, you know I like overnights.

Yeah, those red eyes. You and I fall asleep instantly anywhere. We just can't stay asleep. Yes, yes. But my wife will not do, my daughter and I love overnights. We can fall asleep anywhere instantly. And my wife will not go with me because she can't sleep on playing. So she's like, you won't talk to me.

I can't, I'm just sitting there wide awake. Talk to me? She's like three in the morning. She's like, I'm sitting there by myself in a six-hour flight, and so she won't do it. So I love overnight flights. Get a glass of wine when you first get on, and it's just like maybe throw something down and boom. Are you one of those pop a pill guys? You know that there's a pill for that.

I don't need to be on planes. I don't know. No, I'll do a huge workout in the day, no nap, so I'll be exhausted by plane takes off at 1030. You are Mr. Airport. You should write a book about airports and flights in general. When my daughter was young, she wanted us to take connecting flights. because she loved airports. Let's not go direct.

I'm like, honey, you'll learn over time. You want to go direct. You don't want delay, especially during like the summer when the airports are packed. But J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Some news in the NFL. Denver Broncos look at a bounceback after last season's disappointing run. They just made it interesting hire. According to Adam Schaefter, the Broncos have hired former Stanford head coach David Shaw as a senior personnel executive. The two worked together with the Eagles way, way, way back in 1997. Shaw, of course, was a great coach at Stanford with Andrew Luck.

And, you know, Stanford is tough to get big-time recruits. They fell on hard times. He's looking to go the executive route now. A nice hire, I guess, for Denver. You know, I don't know what Shaw is going to bring to the table. Just a different set of eyes. Yeah, I think he's a smart guy that brings a different perspective. I think that's always a good move.

He's been a pretty quiet guy. Remember there was a time where he was ticketed for the NFL. A lot of people had him going to the New York Giants. Well, then there was a lot of regression at Stanford, and Stanford's a hard place to win. There's a reason Stanford is usually rebuilding than been building into a power. Twice in my life, they've been, you know, Harbaugh is one of them,

one of the occasions, but Stanford's a hard place to win. It's just, they have a hard time having 85 players on scholarship because they don't qualify for the school. Yeah. They're usually at 75. It's hard to get kids in. It's interesting. Remember,

Sean Payton did not give Russ the contract. It was the front office that did. Now Sean Payton's quietly remaking the front office in his own liking. That's very interesting take, you know, because Peyton worked with David Shaw before. Yeah, so they've worked together before on the offensive side of the ball. Yeah, interesting. There's a world where people are like Peyton Hot Seat, and I thought about it. I'm like, I don't think they would put it up.

I don't think Peyton's on the hot seat this year. You know? Sean Patent? No, absolutely not. No, it's his rookie quarterback. And for the record last year, the offense wasn't the issue. If you're honest about it, the defense was a sieve. Denver's defense was like 27th.

Sean resurrected and saved Russell Wilson. So first thing he did is he rebuilt the offensive line. That ended up being a really nice offensive line, a top 7-8 offensive line. He saved Russ and then kicked into the curb. Well, right. But he had to resurrect Russ to get anything to move him at all. So, in the end, if you're going to be honest about it, because I know Sean's polarizing, it was the defense that was a problem.

He didn't draft any of that defense. So they don't blame Sean Payton. Sean Payton got the most. I still contend that Denver is the safest overbet on draft kings and all these companies. Five and a half wins. If they are competent, look at this schedule. Until you get to week 10, week 9, there's doubles here. So I get that, and I like looking at schedules.

There's a problem when you don't even have a quarterback. You don't even know who the quarterback is. Before we even look at the schedule, who's starting under center? Is it Zach Wilson? No. They know who the quarterback is. Zach Wilson's got the liveest arm in Cam. A lot of smokescreens in Denver.

But they know who the quarterback is. All right, let's pivot to the NBA. where reports indicate that one of the better players in this NBA postseason, Pascal Seacom, good player. Four year, $189 million max deal with the Packers. Sorry, Pacers.

It's not official, but he intends to sign it. Yeah. Seaccombe. Good player. Can sign it when the league's free agency moratorium ends July 6th. Yeah. Pascal Seaccombe, Tyrese Halliburton, those are their guys. They got a good court.

They got a good court. And they play with a lot of tempo. So it's not a... I like what they do. I think they're an atrocious defensive team. Right. So they've got to get some 3-&D guys, some wing defenders. They are bad on the wing.

They are a bad defensive team. Very rarely do I watch a team. They're frustrating to watch defensively. Yeah. They just, they're awful. That being said, and this is not a hot take because the numbers back it up, they played the Celtics much tougher than the Dallas Map. Yeah, they did.

They just match up better. I know people don't love Seaccom. They're going to see, oh, he's getting like $47 million. No, no, no, no. It's a very, very good B-plus player in this league. This ain't the Tobias Harris deal back in the day with the situation. Seacom, he's a good player. Yes. He's a very strong NBA.

I like Stiakum. Smallball 5. Like, I think he works. Oh, I think he absolutely works. He's a problem. Yeah, no, I think Pascal Seaccom's a good player. You'd prefer he be your three, not your two. I think you're a championship team if Pascal Seaccombe is your three.

But are the Celtics now doing that where it's like, hey, we don't have a one. We've got like. Yeah. Well, I mean, clearly. and whatever, you know. Clearly you'd prefer a one historically, but I think Boston has kind of, you know, sprinkled the infield,

but we've got a bunch of really good players. But you've got to remember, Boston still comes down to two guys primarily, Tatum Brown. It's the best duo in the league. Yes. Okay, so it may not be your alpha, but it's the best duo, just like Jordan Pippen was,

that was your best duo. KD and Steph was your best duo in the league. Now, those are higher-end duos, but we've got to be honest here. and Tatum are borderline first team all NBA guys. Oh, Tatum, first team all NBA the last three years. He's good. Just a final award on the Pacers.

I know people are excited for the Sixers. What are they going to do with their max salary spot? We'll talk about that. I know people like the Knicks, there may be one move away. I'm just telling you, the Pacers went to the in-season championship game. Yeah. They lost Halliburton who missed a bunch of time. Otherwise, they're looking at a much higher seed.

And they made the conference finals. Just keep an eye on Indiana. No, I don't. Not sexy, but the fever are popping. And now you got Halliburton and Seattle. No. I got no problem paying him Ciacom. He is an absolute pro, highly productive. I think he mostly plays. There's a lot of games. I don't, in my mind, I don't think of him as an injured player a lot. No, I like him. He's good. Final story is Paul George, biggest name heading into the market this off season. The Sixers want him. That's obvious.

Clippers, they didn't want to pay him the max money. So Paul George now on what he's looking for in free agency. for sure contributing to winning basketball but I mean at this point I'm not even necessarily like it's not even about like you know people saying chasing the championship like it's not that but it's playing the right style of basketball

is what I'm chasing right style of basketball so I just went through it with a producer I can only tell you three styles of basketball in the NBA right now. Three, the Warriors, Steve Kerr system, Celtics and their five out, and the Miami Heat Heat culture. I mean, maybe I'm missing one, but is Paul George trying to send a signal here with, I want to play the right style of basketball? Because I'll tell you right now,

through Joel Embed is not a style of basketball in Philadelphia. I don't think that's a style that Paul George is. I thought it was very interesting that Jeff Van Gundy was highly paid to be Ty Lou's top assistant. And Ty Lou, Van Gundy's known as a very very strict, detail-oriented guy. And not to say Ty can't be both, but the Jeff Van Gundy hire, what signal is it sending?

We know Ty's a good coach, and we know he's, he, it is somebody, here's my theory. Jeff Van Gundy will be the bad cop. Is that you don't want to lose the room with a Hardin and a Kauai. You don't want to lose the room.

So Ty knows that. He played in this league and he's coached it. He doesn't want to lose the room. But he wants a bad cop to get on Kauai, to get on Hardin. I don't think Terrance Mann and Paul George are the problem. I think the other guys are. So he comes in, Van Gundy comes in, he does not care if he ruffles feathers. So is your read that the Van Gundy hire means Paul George is more likely to stay or go? Stay because I think Paul's excellent and I wouldn't want to get rid of him.

I think Van Gundy's been brought in to be the buffer that can deliver harsh, intense, detail-oriented news. Ty is playing the long game. He got a new contract. He doesn't want to lose the room. You can very easily in this league lose the room. In the NFL, you don't. You cut somebody. In the NBA, you can't lose the room.

So I think Van Gundy is going to be a little bit of the bad cop. Well, it's interesting. Ty Lou and Jeff Van Gundy or, hey, what's going on in Orlando, Paul George? You want the Maxio from the Orlando Magic Gun? I don't know their coaching staff. Why do you always bang on Orlando? I don't know their coaching staff. I don't know their style.

I like Orlando's. Orlando is a lesser version of. the Indiana Pacers. They're coming. They're not quite good as Indiana, but they're coming. They got a big they like, Boncaro. They got guards they like. Jalen Suggs now is turned around. Like, Orlando's, no joke. I don't think they're quite ascending.

I don't know, I shouldn't say this. I think they're Indiana and East. Just keep your eye on them. Indiana's ahead of them right now. They push Cleveland to seven games. No, no, no. Orlando's, no joke. Orlando's coming. The Paul George, I mean, I'm not banging on Orlando. I'm just saying, like, that's this team that has been linked to Paul George.

Yeah. I don't know. If he leaves the Clippers. There are worse places and places to live in America than Orlando. Oh, tons of worst places. No, I mean, your family's from the, I used to live in Tampa. I went to Orlando all the time. Not in July there.

Well, it's a little hot. So what? You don't have a pool, the Butler Shane? Lakes, I got lakes everywhere. Have a pool. You're going to lakes in Florida? You'll go in. Alligators every.

Oh, out of your mind? Come on. You couldn't pay me. I would need to least. least six figures to go on the lake in Florida. I have water skiing or attempt to do on the butler chain many times. You remember, those

alligators, they don't like boat engines, so they stay away from your boats. I know you're going away on a big vacation. Please don't go on a lake and get eaten by an alligator. Come on. They don't like boat engines. They like humans. They like flesh. You know about the alligator spin when they take you underwater? Please.

You're getting me concerned. Come on. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. Thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Yeah, Orlando, Winter Park. You know Winter Park in Orlando?

It's one of my favorite little areas in the country. One of my favorite little suburbs in America. It's good enough for Tiger Woods. Winter Park, Florida is outstanding. It's good enough for me. 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. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for, 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor, the podcast. forth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you

behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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-master. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time.

You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be.

Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Reva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like, I think. After you go through a training camp with that, I said, 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. Tonight will be one of the most special days of the baseball season when the Giants take on the Cardinals from historic Rickwood Field in an amazing tribute to the Negro Leagues. We've got some great collectibles on set for the occasion, including commemorative Rickwood, apparel and special tops trading cards of icons like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. Coverage for the game begins tonight at 5.30 Eastern on Fox. Bruce Ariens, now upstairs in Tampa, right? Coach Tom to the Super Bowl and his great NFL career was talking over the last couple of days with a reporter in Phoenix about Kyler Murray.

Bruce obviously used to coach in Arizona. And the quote was interesting. He said, I think Kyler's evaluation, it's still up in the air. He makes amazing plays and poor ones. He said the problem with guys that depend a lot on their legs is they have leg injuries. All of a sudden, now you've got to go back to worrying about it's the arm and the brain over the leg. And I think he's still in the process of figuring out can he win without the running. Well, I do think Kyler should keep running. Jared Goff is one of the only successful purely pocket guys.

I like all my guys to move a little. Even Brock Purdy can move a little. So Kyler shouldn't stop doing that. But he's in a very strange place, is Kyler Murray. He is really super talented. First of all, he completes like 67% of his throws. So he's an accurate thrower behind very average O lines. He's a playmaker, and he got his team to the playoffs.

Yet he doesn't have one of the three groups that like him, fans, media, or his own team. And that's very rare. Usually you get buy-in from some. Now, the media may push back on Trevor Lawrence, but the fans in general. Jacksonville of him, and so does the team. The fans, you know, some media and fans can push back on Tua, but they're going to give him a big contract, so the team's into him. Kyler doesn't have any of it.

And generally, when a quarterback's young and evolving and is struggling a little like a Jordan Love early last year, you hear a lot of this. Be patient. Be patient. You don't hear that with that with Tyler Murray either. The owner put a stipulation in the contract that he, you know, he has to stop. studies so much time daily. The fans push back on him.

I don't think the media necessarily likes him much. He never gets a head coach who's been a head coach before. The owner is low on cash and he's running for his life and has been injured. The one thing, it's like he's really the only young quarterback in the league who's really, really talented and has like no, like significant fan base. media fans, even his own team feels a little bit like they're guarding themselves, they're paying him because they have to, but if you asked them privately, you wouldn't be sure they were all in. And I go to this.

I think it's the video game thing. And not just that he likes video games. If it was crossword puzzles, he liked to read books, watch documentaries, it would feel different. There is something about being a gamer as you grow up. That people look at it and think you've got to kind of grow out of being a gamer. Like you grow up eventually. Quarterback is an adult position.

It's an adult position. And it'd be dead. When you sit down to game, that's not something you do for 15 minutes. It's not reading a chapter of a book. You're in for a while. You're in for 90 minutes. And we were talking about this this morning. Now, I'm not a gamer.

But I will tell you, if I found a 45-year-old guy that was a gamer, would you think less of him? Would you? A 45-year-old man. Define gamer. Like, that's your occupation? Literally in front of a screen, playing games. Well, that's impossible if you have a wife and kids. You can't do that.

That's right. That means you have grown up. Yeah, you have a wife and kids. Why don't know. I'm saying why, I think a lot of this gaming stuff that in the league, I have had, I couldn't tell you the last time I had an executive in the league, say something positive about Kyler Murray, who is one. of the best playmakers, got Arizona in the playoffs,

is running for his life, has never had a good offensive line, has never had a head coach, he's been a head coach. And I think there is this stigma, the gaming thing, being a gamer, I think there's a stigma with it. And I know gamers don't think there's a stigma. I mean, when's the last

time you went up to a young woman and said, oh, you're single, what attracts you? And she said, oh, I love gamers. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart radio app.

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.