The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - What do we make of the Jets?

Episode Date: May 16, 2024

More thoughts on the NFL schedule and who might be close to the Super Bowl We don't know what to make of the Jets     Guest: Peter SchragerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. Live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. I was thinking about this, J. Mack, there are a lot of things I have in common with America and the audience. Is that I like pizza. Family means a lot to me.

Love dogs. Like watching football, especially pro football. And there are some things like I'm not kind of connected to America. I like Mission Impossible movies, action films. And then there are things that I'm not really connected with America. I'm not, I'm kind of agnostic politically and religiously. You know, I'm kind of like I could, you know, I could go all in on heaven or all out. You know, I go either way.

Same with politics. I vote for a conservative. I vote for a liberal. I'm kind of agnostic that way. Most people I think are more tribal, have a camp. But I will say this. And I know I care way more about one thing than you guys do and way less about something than you guys do.

I don't get the home run derby. I don't get it. It's a batting cage. I don't care. Kids trying to catch fly balls doesn't count exhibition. I don't care about the home run derby. I've never cared about it. Now, there was one year I think Griffey or somebody was in it.

I don't care. And, and I know you all love it, I couldn't care less. And I do love the NFL schedule release way more than everybody else. So in sports, generally, what the country likes, a big college football game, NFL, NBA finals or playoffs, World Cup, an occasional big fight, UFC or boxing. You know, March madness, sports betting. I like what I think America likes. I'm in tune. Not in tune, I'm in line with America.

Really not politically or religiously, but I would say where I'm really off is America loves the home run derby. Back, back, back, back, don't care. I'm back, back back to turning to another channel. And I do love this way more. And so as I sat last night up till 11 breaking down this stuff, you know, I know I'm weird. I know I care about it. People are driving in their cars in America. They're like, talk about the mavericks.

And I'm like, I like this more. No, no, I think people are into it. I think they like hearing how off-market you are on the Packers and you're going, Gaga, for a Ravens team that I'm just telling you is looking at a slide. They will not have home field advantage. And you're missing badly on the Jets. But, you know, let's neither hear about it. I've been hearing this for years about Buffalo.

Oh, yeah, yeah, Buffalo's going to win 10, 11, 12 games. Yeah, they're not winning the Super Bowl. They're not winning the Super Bowl. Nobody knows. That's all attrition, who's healthy, who's not. Buffalo's going to sniff the Super Bowl. They're not in your Super Bowl bubble. Yeah.

Oh, come on. And the Jets are not? I'm not even sure if they're in the playoff wild card bubble. So speaking of the Jets. So the NFL, when they're unsure, they want guarantees. When the NFL's not sure, like they're sure at the end of the year, Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City, San Francisco will be good. They're sure the Cowboys will mostly be competitive.

But they don't know what to make of the Jets because they have a coach on the hot seat, an impulsive owner, a brand new offensive line for an old quarterback off an Achilles surgery. And in a division with Miami and Buffalo are pretty good. So this is what happened when Russell Wilson went from Seattle to Denver. The NFL didn't know what it was going to look like and thought it could unravel. and so they put Russell Wilson and Denver on television a ton. Remember that year one? For the first six weeks, it was all Denver and Russell Wilson.

When they crashed, nobody cared. They weren't on TV anymore. So when you look at the jet schedule, they've got a lot of combustible things. A new O-line with an old quarterback off an Achilles surgery, impulsive reactionary owner, division, and the conference is tough. And so what do they do? They put them all over TV. The first seven weeks of the season, five of the first seven games are in exclusive windows.

A lot of them at night. They open at night, two weeks later at night, three weeks later at 6.30 in the morning overseas. Then it's night. Then it's night. They got that schedule all over the joint because they want to get them on TV and they want to get them on TV early. Because the NFL offices in New York are very aware of Woody Johnson and the ownership group, which unravel almost annually. All these seasons come into it with hope.

And so I think basically what the NFL said with Russell Wilson and Denver, and everybody'd heard the discussion of Russell Wilson and be a little needy, and the Seattle team didn't like him, and Pete Carroll was over him. So he goes to Denver with a coach that's never been a coach, and it's like, I'm not sure. So when the NFL doesn't know, they want to get the guarantees out of it. So even if the Jets unravel early, they'll be interesting for four to five weeks.

And if they unraveled, which I doubt they will if Aaron Rogers is upright, they're going to get their guarantees early. And I want to go to Peter Schreger, who is now joining his Fox Sports NFL reporter. It's funny. On paper, the jet schedule looks easy. Not a lot of great quarterbacks. But night games, international games, short week games. I'm like, boy, did the NFL manipulate that puppy?

It's like, it's just a lot of weird time zone. What did you make of the Jet Schedule? They have more primetime games than any other team in football. That includes the Kansas City Chiefs. And this is a team that had the top 10 pick. It's wild. But spoke to Mike North, who is part of the schedule committee at the NFL. And I spoke to him this morning at length.

And what he said was like, the Jets kind of owe us one. Thinking about last year how much input they had. and how much investment they had with hard knocks and all this. And then if you ever thought the NFL was scripted, I promise you, the last thing the NFL wanted was to lose Aaron Rogers four snaps into the 2023 season. So now they're going to load up the front of the schedule with the New York Jets. And there is an expectation that Rogers is healthy,

that this is the number one media market in the world, and that that same story that kept us afloat last year with hard knocks and all the hype and all the expectations is going to carry over to this year. and all the different networks are going to share with it and that Aaron Rogers is going to bring returns not only in ratings, but potentially a winning Jets football team. The NFL shows their cards a little bit

by who they put on early on in the season and who they promote in these primetime games. And my takeaways are the NFL is a lot higher on the Jets, a lot higher on the Texans, and a lot higher on the Cincinnati Bengals than maybe us in the media and the fans at home are going into this season. What did you make of,

Netflix now we know the streaming giants have a lot of capital Amazon got its best schedule urge I think on Thursdays there's some star quarterbacks all over that schedule and I thought Netflix going to Netflix on Christmas early afternoon game Shreggs what did that tell you interesting in that they went early afternoon and one of the main reasons why is that Netflix and the NFL view the Netflix option as a truly global enterprise gonna be the first time that the same exact broadcast that we watch here in the States is going to be seen in Tunisia, Australia, England.

Now, to get into the weeds of sports media, what we see in the States is different than the broadcast you get in London on Sky Sports or on some of these other international things. Netflix is purely an international audience where everyone's going to get the same feed. And the reason to do it in these early afternoons is that it's going to be prime time in London. It won't be overnight. It'll be at those windows. they also had to work around a Wednesday game.

And now it's two Wednesday games. And so the NFL then had to say, okay, well, if we're okay with Sunday games and then a Thursday game, I guess we're going to make these Saturday games with the Wednesday games. So there's a bit of a round-robin between those four teams.

And at a Saturday beforehand, you'll see Texans, Ravens, Chiefs, and of course, Steelers. And then on Saturday, you'll get those same four teams. So it's just cool, like, four teams, tournament almost, if you will, with those Wednesday and Saturday beforehand games. But I'll tell you, like, we're Fox.

I think Fox's got the best schedule that you could ever ask for. It's a Super Bowl year. I think Fox is an amazing standalone, America's Game of the Week schedule, and I think Fox should be very proud of it. Netflix out of the gate getting four teams that are potentially playoff teams and Super Bowl contenders, they did very well as well. You know, it's interesting. The Chief's schedule, the Chiefs are good.

and when you win the Super Bowl, you get a tougher schedule. I kind of feel like they're one of the few guarantees where they're just going to be good at the end. I mean, they're young defense. Kelsey proved it last year with Mahalms. If they have an issue, they solve it. Did you make anything substantial out of the Chief's opportunity to go for a three-peat, never done in the NFL history?

Yeah, it's interesting. So out of the gates, you have them obviously on Thursday night, but then you have them in this game against the Bengals. in week two, and then Fox has some awesome Chiefs games. And you look at it down the line, they're not only on Christmas, but they're on Black Friday, and they're on the Saturday before Christmas. So those are standalone windows. The Chief's got a lot of it.

What is interesting is Week 11 at Buffalo. Why is that interesting? Taylor Swift will be playing in Toronto that same week. Is the NFL that cut throat and that smart in their programming to say, we're going to give them the Chiefs at Buffalo to even get a chance to have Taylor Swift in the building. That's a CBS game. It's just in that right spot of the season where it's the playoff

pictures trying to form. I asked Mike North from the NFL. He said that as a complete coincidence. I'm calling BS. I think they did that purposely because Taylor Swift is in Toronto and there's a chance that we can get her in the building that day. That is interesting. I also thought the Chargers listen, Harbaugh

off a natty at high profile Michigan. The Harbaugh Brothers Back is a huge story, both in the AFC. I looked at that charger schedule and I'm like if I could have picked two games to give Jim a two and no start come on that felt strategic Carolina in the home game against the Raiders don't they want harbaugh to be two and oh yeah it sounds like those are two winnable games right and they get a nice push now I thought there'd be a chance that they would go Thanksgiving night they would do Ravens chargers

because it's the Har Bowl and its family and all this they actually gave them a Monday night game against the Ravens in week 12 instead but you're looking look at that. Home against the Raiders. Now, it's interesting. Week two, both the Rams and the Chargers are away week two. Neither team is in Los Angeles. Who is to blame for that? The band Green Day has a concert Sunday, week two in SoFi. So that was the one block. So the Rams, they start their season with two road games, and then the Chargers get week one at home. Then they got to go to Carolina. But to your point, it's a nice little cushion, if you think. Hey, let's get this thing going and let's ride this Harbaugh train. I did think.

And I said selfishly for Fox, we know the Giants are bad and they're hard to watch. It would be great if Chicago finally rewarded us with an exciting team. Because, you know, right now in the NFC, Philadelphia, cross your fingers will be good. I think they will. It's a big city. NFC's got the bigger cities. But the Rams still feels sometimes like a baseball NBA market. So it's like, boy, we can really use Chicago.

if I was our bosses, I would have said, can you keep it easy in the beginning for Caleb? And I looked at their schedule. They get Tennessee to open. No divisional, gritty NFC North games. Shregg's until week 11. It's like they don't face any elite defenses until week 11. Like that is easing.

Is it not easing Caleb into this? There's a reason why the, the Fox NFL pregame shows beat CBS every week, and it's because it's the better shows. I mean, we have wonderful talent. It's great. It also helps that we're in markets like Chicago and New York and Philadelphia and, you know, San Francisco,

as we go through all these markets. When you look at this schedule here that's lined up with you, what's interesting to me is, yes, the Titans Week 1 Fox, and then you get these games in this back half, those logos, Packers, Vikings, lions, Niners. It's like the Caleb push is going to be big in the second half, and maybe they get a little bit of a cushion here. But if I told you last year at this time that a year down the line,

week two, Chicago at Houston was going to be on Sunday night football. I know. You would have laughed me out of the game. But that is how much expectation there is for Caleb and the Bears. And it's not just Caleb. It's A, they're the number two media market in the entire country, and they're the second city for a reason. And the next part about it is they added Keenan Allen.

They added the running back DeAndre Swift. They had Roma Dunez fall to them at nine. Like, I've been prone to hyping up teams in the offseason before based on draft and free agency. And sometimes you fall in your face. There's a real expectation. And the league is showing us there's a real expectation that the bears are going to be relevant in the second half of the season.

And those games that are on Fox and those primetime games, those aren't just going to be, hey, look at the look at the, look at the rookie quarterback, get his butt kick. No, this is going to be a relevant Bears team. Seen most by the fact, week two Sunday night, and then Thanksgiving Day, they put them against the Lions where they could have put any different opponent against Detroit. They're like, no, Caleb Williams is going Thanksgiving.

Finally, again, Dallas, I have the same opinion on Dallas I have for 20 years in this business. They'll be pretty good. Not great, not terrible. It'll be pretty good. I thought the schedule, though, the three teams they play that have, unquestionably better rosters. Detroit, Baltimore, and the Niners. Shreggs, they're all done by

week eight. They don't have to face those teams down the stretch. I would say the Cowboys, because of salary cap limitations, aren't terribly deep. They cannot afford injuries like the Niners could, Detroit, Baltimore. I look at that as an advantage is I get

the Niners off a buy. I get Detroit in week six. Baltimore, I get him in week three. So the three times I face really physical teams, they're off. By week nine, I'm home free on that. And it's a lot of young and average quarterbacks down the stretch, not named Joe Burrow. I thought Dallas got a fairly workable schedule. What say you? Really interesting. So they got a Thursday night game week four at New York. And then they also get them Thanksgiving at home. The Giants, I think the Cowboys would consider that two winnable games.

Now, what's interesting to me is what you said that, you know, this is a, team that might not have the depth of years past and has all these different contract situations, but we know week one, DAC is out there, C.D. Lambs out there. And of course, their starters, Michael Parsons and the rest on defense. So let's load it up front and see how we do. What I thought was interesting was Tom Brady's first game as a broadcaster, all eyeballs on there. The NFL granted Fox a single window, no double header with CBS also vying for it. The CBS 4 o'clock slate is not even close to this game and it's at Cleveland and I'm like well that's an interesting deal like Brady has no real connection to that like why would they go at Cleveland what's interesting is

Fox also has that week four San Francisco New England game I'd be curious if if that's where we get Brady's connection where he's doing a Patriots game in his hometown of San Francisco a little off target on your question as far as cowboys go but I thought the Brady aspect of of Fox's schedule would be interesting. They gave us the Cowboys, which is the biggest show in town, and they got a standalone window in a Super Bowl year. That's pretty dang cool. And I saw Strahan and Brady at the up fronts talking about how significant that is.

And I think Fox should be very happy, and the Cowboys got their usual love and going to have a lot of standalone games and primetime windows. Peter Schreger, always fun to talk to him, Fox Sports, breaking it down. He sounds as obsessed as I do about the schedule release. I love the schedule, dude. Dude, the part I love, it's like there's a Sting and Billy Joel concert in Vegas, and like the Raiders can't play home because that's the intricacies that I love. Like what concert tours are taking up the stadiums and Fox, we cleaned up.

So as a Fox employee, I'm excited. Super Bowl, let's go. Shrague's good seeing you. Love you, man. Thank you. You bet. Yeah. And the other thing is there's so many good young quarterbacks that I think Fox is happy. I mean, Jim Nance gets the Chiefs eight times. He's happy.

I thought it was the best Monday night football schedule. Netflix now. They got to be, I mean, they get like Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, the Steelers brand and Mahalves on Christmas. And I thought it was the best Thursday schedule. The truth is, we talked about this. If Will Levis hits, and boy, they have receivers now. And if Bryce Young and you like them this year hits, the only two teams not

next year we're sure or drafting quarterbacks are the Raiders and the Giants. That's it. So you're getting to an interesting saturation point. This, like let this season, for instance, Bo Nix landed in the perfect spot. I think we both agree. Sean Payton, Bo Nix, that feels like a really good spot. Mike Penix, a year behind a grade 09 in Atlanta, weaker division. Eventually it will be a great spot.

Chicago loads up the roster for Caleb Williams. That feels right. Jaden Daniels gets, I mean, the perfect coach who's had quarterbacks like him. Drake May will struggle in New England, but J.J. McCarthy gets the tall Sean McVey loaded roster and great left tackle. Two receivers. Starback, star-tined in. If, let's say, three to four of these quarterbacks hit, there's so much good quarterback play in high school college camps now, we're getting to a saturation point.

If Will Levis, you watch them and you go, you know, 899 and 8, and you're like, dude can sling it. There's not, this year there were like five, six teams need a quarterback. We're getting a higher percentage of guys hitting to me. You know. It feels like in the last couple years the quarterbacks coming out are just more ready to go as long as they don't get a disaster as a coach. A lot of ifs in there.

But I want to, can I go back to something Schroger said about the Taylor Swift and Buffalo? This is insane. And then you mentioned Nance has the chiefs. day times. I just looked this up. So the Chiefs basically play on all three major networks and ESPN. So they're on all four networks. And then the league knows because of the Taylor Swift impact and the peacock thing that happened in the playoffs, they're just using Kansas City essentially as bait because they have a prime video game and a Netflix game. Kansas City is on six different networks next season. That's unbelievable. And it looks like it, given the days of their games,

that they're playing on every day of the week except Tuesday next season? This is insanity, Colin? They're on six networks and they're playing on six days out of the week. Because they have a Wednesday game. Think about this.

So just to let you know that the NFL, this is strategic, is going after the NBA. They smell blood. The NBA is getting more international. The NBA is going to move a lot of its games maybe to Amazon. The NBA doesn't have really

a domestic face of the league. The MVP's are increasingly. increasingly international. So the NFL's like, oh, yeah, like Netflix has like 75 million domestic subscribers. We'll add 15 by going to the NFL, maybe 20. And they're like NFL, two things that are going to work together, NFL and Netflix against the NBA. Yeah. And so they, there's a Wednesday game, to your point.

There's a Wednesday. The NFL could have punted on that. Christmas is on Wednesday. The NFL could have just punted on that. They've never played on Wednesday. except COVID. And what did they do? We're putting Mahomes on Wednesday. Well, they're basically, yeah.

I think this is a big... They're circling the NBA. Also, they know they're capped out in America. They've maxed out. They've got as many Americans as they can watching football. They've got to now covet an international audience to expand the product, right? Brazil. You got Munich, Germany.

Like, you've got to expand. NBA is a global sport. They're different. But, like, is this not a little wacky? Six days of the week the chiefs are playing out on six. different networks? Well, they'll draw every time. Give me the under on the Chiefs.

That's official. I'm in. This is going to be tough for them. By the way, Travis Kelsey turns 35 in October. Did you watch the playoffs? I did. Yeah.

It was pretty good. He was very good in the playoffs. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day seven days a week within the IHard Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where

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

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waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. NetSuite by Oracle, inventory, accounting, finance, all into one proven platform, reduce costs everywhere. Go to netsuite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D, J-Mack with a news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd-Line News. All right. All right, let's go with the Niners. How about that Brock Purdy's start to his career? I mean, goodness gracious, he can't get your respect. I think you have in 17th as

NFL quarterbacks. Fourteenth. Fourteenth, yeah. Sure. He basically dominated every category, I think finished third in the MVP voting. Anyways, 49ers legend, Steve Young believes a big contract for Purdy after this year will not hinder the team's future. You trade a superstar, but you can get a number one draft pick, and then, you know, you draft well, and now you've got a replacement. They can tutor people quickly, right? They get ingested into the system very fast. So that's why the 49ers are very bold about it, because of all the places in the league, like if I had a son that could play offense for the 49ers right now,

I'm like, yes, because you're going to be, whoever you are, you're going to be the best you can be. That's where they're going to be able to sustain Brock Purdy making $50 million a year because they're going to have a bunch of rookies that you don't know today. I'm loving this last dance narrative for the Niners, right? A lot of people think, oh, this is it. Well, I think they're going to have to move off financially some pieces at the end of the year. Right. And like McCaffrey's getting wear and tear, Kittles getting up there. The Iuk Dibeau, one of those two is not going to be here after the season. Last dances create urgency. It's not a bad thing.

No, it's a great thing. This is it. This is the last documentary on MJ. This is the one we got to win. And then it's, you know, the Brock Purdy situation. If Jared Goff's getting 53-mill, Brock Purdy's obviously got to get there. So do you have them in the Super Bowl? Brock Purdy's got to get paid more than Jared Goff. I mean, he beat him straight up in the playoffs. He came back to win that game. Beat your boy, Jordan, loving the playoffs at the comeback. Yeah, you know I'm waiting for it. Come on. Come on, let's hear it. You want any Brock Purdy slander for you today?

No, I've never offered slander to the last guy taken in the draft from Iowa State. Who can't even the last guy? Third at MVP voting, my guy. Third! No, I think if we saw San Francisco and Detroit, I'm fascinated to see what Philadelphia is going to look like, but San Francisco, Detroit, Philly and Green Bay really, really close, Rams really close. If everybody's healthy, every team in the league is healthy.

That I would say San Francisco and Detroit, meet, Kansas City, and I think Buffalo's going to be good. I don't get, again, I think Buffalo's going to be fine. I think this receiver they picked up is going to be a star. Oh, really? Yeah, well, he better be. They got no other receivers. But seriously, yes. I mean, I don't want to give away a Super Bowl pick here.

What are we made? I think Buffalo is going to be just fine. But the Niners, though. You have them at the best team in the evening? Yeah, I mean, if this Pierceall kid can play. What do you mean? He's like their number three or four receivers. What I'm saying is that will give them Jennings, Debo, Iyuk, Kiddell, McCaffrey.

He's another clever piece. Like you get to a point where you run out of defenders. I mean, the whole league needs corners. They may have four to five viable wide receivers. You just, and they get beat up over the, you know, corners get beat up because they're often tackling bigger backs and getting blocked by bigger people and tight ends. So I'm like, San Francisco's got so much offensive talent. It's an attrition game at some point. They just wear everybody down.

Similar to the NBA defense doesn't matter. Can you score more points? That's all. It's an offensive. We're in an offensive era. And we saw in the Super Bowl, the Niners had to settle in overtime for three instead of a touchdown. Yeah. You know, you got to get TVs.

Oh, that's Super Bowl. Anyways, let's get to the NBA, the Knicks. On the brink of an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Celtics, Tom Tibido, he's coaching out of his mind. wearing down his guys into dust. Apparently, the Knicks are looking to give him a long-term extension that could reach up to $10 million a year. Knicks Pacers' game six, Maniana.

Pacers favored by five and a half on Friday. Caitlin Clark has the stadium, the field house, whatever it's called. The Pacers are favored by five. Five and a half. Now, we don't have word on OG and an OB yet. He would, he's... I mean, listen, the Knicks need home court. They're not a great team.

Yeah. The great teams, I mean, Dallas, OKC, Minnesota, Denver have all shown the ability to win on the road and look like the better team on the road. That's not what the Eastern Comps. I think we're both rooting for Pacers win Friday, Sunday we get a game seven in the garden. Game seven garden doesn't get much better than that. Hopefully, the Knicks aren't losing this series of it. If it goes seven, they're not losing this series.

I would agree. I'll just remind you, Friday night game, game six, Pacers win, quick turnaround, less than 48 hours. for game seven on Sunday. So a worn down Knicks team, it's not a lot. Pacer's have a much better bench and much more depth. No question. Yeah. But Knicks have Jalen Brunson. But Indiana is such a bad defensive team. Oh, like they're painful to watch. No, I mean, Nick fans get all worked up. It is easily the worst defense in the NBA. The idea that I'm missing all my, I'm missing Mitchell Robinson and Randall and I can dumb. Dominate you on the glass is just a testament to how weak and soft Indiana is. Their power forward was Hart, who's like 6.4 maybe, 6.4.5. Josh Hart. He was their forward.

He was their power forward. And they played Hart and Stein at Center. They just were like, we're going to go small. You started four guards and not big guards. Yeah. And dominated the glass. So it worked because the screening for Brunson, you know, Brunson was just attacking. And it was, I think the pace was get it.

Anyways, let's get to the final story, which is the Minnesota. Timberwolves who have dropped three straight to the Nuggets. This is one of the bigger surprises. I'm not kidding, Colin, in NBA history, when you go up to O, blowouts, dominating. On the road, and out of gag like this, it's been pretty bad. Anthony Edwards is still confident. So he reportedly told a Nuggets locker room attendant after the Game 5 loss,

C-U Game 7. He really feels they're going to win in Game 6. Minnesota at home tonight, there are two and a half-point favorites. I don't know that I could touch the Bulls here. I don't call him. I mean, Denver's is killing them in the last three years. But there is something to be said. It is really hard to win three and four games in a row, even as a champion.

It's just, they're just human nature that Denver, because of the way they dominated that third and early fourth quarter, you just start feeling it. Like, we can manipulate this team and work this team whenever we want. So because Minnesota was so soft and was pushed around, you're going to get the most aggressive Minnesota you've had in the series. And Denver, because they scored so easily, probably doesn't come in with the intensity. So that's why, I mean, these games all, when you play a seven-game series, you don't get the same team.

You know, you start winning two and three in a row. I mean, I thought Denver in game three and four played as well as they have, I've seen them all season. Yeah, yeah. Facts against the wall. My guess is Minnesota plays like it's the last game of the season, and Denver plays like they're ending the series in Denver. So is the bet here first quarter timbrel rules?

First half, both? My guess is Minnesota will be exceptional early. I kind of like that. I think that's probably the play. Minnesota comes out, juiced up crowd. Now, we don't know if Conley's going to go. Still no word yet. It'd be nice to get two game sevens in the NBA this weekend, right?

Yeah. Actually, we could get three, although I don't think the math. When you have dynasties, you don't get game sevens. When you have what we have now, which is pretty even teams, you're going to get longer series. Not to look too far ahead. Mavs Nuggets. Can the Mavs win that series? I don't think anybody's beat in Denver.

But, I mean, the fact that Minnesota took them seven shows you... Well, maybe seven. And by the way, aunt next year is probably a better aunt. I would guess somebody will make a big swing with Cat and they'll get a more emotionally reliable number two because I do think they're defined. Gobert may get worked but in the end the way to make Rudy Gobert,

you've got to pull Rudy Gobert away from the basket. That's what you have to do. And Denver got him away from the basket and all of a sudden it's not the same defense. I think with Ant, you know, I mean, Michael Jordan broke into this league and they had a lot of talented guys around him. Orlando Woolridge, there was a lot of guys.

But Pippin was like the perfect Robin. Gassal for Kobe, the perfect Robin. And it's like, I don't think Carl Anthony Towns is a long-term too. I think it's going to be Ant and then kind of a guy that is really okay being side-saddled. And I think Carl Anthony Towns is, but he's always been talented, but a little flaky, a little inconsistent offensively and they've already got a big. I can see them going with a good scoring, whoever it is.

Donovan Mitchell. Paul George to me, Paul George doesn't need the spotlight. Paul George is a good guy. He's a willing defender like Ant. He's not flaky at all. Ant in the playoffs is going to be the go-to guy. Again, Connolly

can feed Paul George. Paul George to Minnesota's interesting to me. Ask your buddy Chris Finch about that. Hey, Chris, you want to bring that? Everybody likes Paul. George, because he plays defense. I don't know if he wants to be in Minnesota. He's an L.A. guy.

He likes those IG models. Well, it's a winter league, whatever. He's a Miami-L-A-guy. Do you like anywhere in the Midwest? I talked to the Wisconsin Dells, which you think is a mall. Chicago's beautiful. Wisconsin's beautiful. We should hit the Midwest this summer.

Minnesota's got America's best airport. According to who? Me. Best. Minnesota? What's the name of it? The Minneapolis Airport. It's great. It was way ahead of everybody on tech.

Great food. Nice people. Did they have a Chipotle or a Starbucks or anything? That's your standard? No, no. I'm just kidding. They got a Taco Bell. Isle 6.

Oh, my goodness. Good bookstores, nice people. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd-Ly News. Like in J-Mack's world, if you don't have surf, he's not interested. You've got to have some, like, white sand and beach.

He can do a gun show, or you're just a bad city. This is a bad place. My wife used to have to travel around kind of the northern jet stream, you know, and she always said the nicest people in America are Minneapolis and Buffalo. And some of it is, you know, you get beaten down by that weather a little bit. You are happy for the occasional sunny day and nice spring day. People are nice. You know how you mentioned Minnesota nice as a phrase?

Yeah, of course. So I said that to the wife. I'm like, have you heard of this phrase, Minnesota Nice? She goes, is Colin from Minnesota? I was like, I don't think so. You've heard of that, right? I never heard of it. Now I know about it.

I'm, like, excited to go to Minnesota. Yeah. Try to go in the spring or summer. Okay. Early fall. But it's nice. It's a corporate hub, great airport, good food, good people, good schools for kids. People can move our show there.

Good schools for kids. How about a twins game? Twin season tickets. Those are cheap. Dirt cheap. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and. the IHeart Radio app.

Hey, it's Ben, host to the fifth hour with Ben Mallor, and would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more.

Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast 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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, 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 Clivert 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

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

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule

of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So it's interesting. One of the things I think about, remember I told you I was not going for the first time in my career, I'm not doing a blazing five in week one. And J. Meg, thumbs down. The reason I'm doing it, we have had a cultural change. Nobody plays veterans in the preseason anymore, which has been reduced from four games to three. So the first couple of weeks of the season, I was 0 and 9 and 1 to start. I don't know what I'm looking at. I have no idea.

So nobody's playing any of their, like Caleb Williams won't even take many snaps. They don't want to get him hurt. So you're playing a bunch of guys that won't make the roster. It's a bunch of crappy football that the NFL's even said, let's reduce games. They'll get down to two games here pretty quick, my guess is. and they're going to add a regular season game, reduce another preseason game. And so a great example, because you don't play many starters, now I want you to think about this as a Jets fan,

because you don't play many starters in the preseason, especially older starters, I'm always concerned about recalibrated or rebooted offensive lines. So last year, Sean Payton did it. an excellent job coming into Denver and rebooting, restructuring their offensive line. They made some acquisitions, right, tackled, drafting. That offensive line was terrible early. They lost to the Raiders in week one, the commanders in week two.

They gave up a 70 burger and couldn't move the ball consistently against Miami. They were atrocious offensively early. But they weren't in the middle and later in the season because offensive lines go ask any football coach, high school college or pro. You got a bunch of new faces at wide receiver. Quarterback's been there. Timing. You can work it out.

Corners, safeties, you can defend or you can't. Pass rushers get after the quarterback. Doesn't take long. Offensive line, it's chemistry, it's unity, it's collaborative. And since they don't play in the preseason much, Denver's O line, which finished the season in the top 10 PFFF. was bad. It wasn't because the players were bad.

It was all new. So the Jets now bring in two tackles, an interior lineman. They draft a kid from Penn State. They're not going to get many snaps together in August. I doubt very seriously. They play more than a series or two together against another team, and they won't be facing another team's elite players. So week one against San Francisco is the first,

time. The Jets O-line will play against adult NFL players. So that's what concerns me about the Jets. I think the offensive line could be very good eventually. But older O. linemen are not taking a lot of snaps. And if they do in preseason, they're playing against second, third, and four-string guys, guys that'll be in the UFL in March. So that's just a cultural change in the NFL. And I think what we noticed last year, I think we've noticed it for two to three years here. We've never talked about offensive line play. My first 20 years doing this. Offensive line play has gotten sporadic, has gotten bad.

The CBA limits hitting in practices. 66 quarterbacks played last year. Quarterbacks are getting hit more. The offensive lines are worse. The offensive line practices less. They play less in the preseason. So even if you're rebooting it, Denver last year, Jets this year, it could be really ugly for five to six weeks. Denver's was.

So that's my question about the Jets. It's not whether they're defensive will work or Aaron will be fine. But Aaron's going to be 40 off an Achilles surgery with one dependable running back, a rebooted offensive line with a rookie and a bunch of new guys, and they're just not going to play much in the preseason together. and that's just a cultural change in the league. Denver's a great example of it last year. Russell Wilson, an older quarterback. Sean Payton, a smart offensive coach.

That offense sucked in the first six weeks. And they weren't facing the best teams. They lost to the Raiders at home. They lost to the commanders. Those were Ws on your little pocket schedule. That's what worries me about the Jets. That's just the world that's changing. Last year, the first two, it wasn't until week.

three. I felt like I had my sea legs under me. Like I kind of knew what I was watching. So the good news is, Morgan Moses has been with the Jets. He was there two years ago, sorry, three years ago in Sala's first year, the right tackle. So there is some familiarity with the locker room, the coaches, blah, blah, blah. Tyron Smith,

we've talked about on the show for, I don't know, you've probably talked about him for a decade. He is a probable Hall of Famer at left town. No, no, he is a Hall of Favorier. But right now. So we're talking about plugging in a Hall of Famer and you have major concerns at Left Taffeyer. He is no longer in his prime. He will miss four to five starts.

The Penn State rookie tackles. He's going to come off the bench or be like the swing tackle. But according to pro football focus, Tyrone Smith has not lost the step. He graded out as their fourth best tackle in the league last year. So we can say he's old. With an offensive coach. That's fair. You know, okay.

Defensive coaches, O line play. Be positive, Colin. 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 Smygill 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. or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.