The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - NFL, Cowboys

Episode Date: August 10, 2022

Looking at NFL teams who don't have a feel for offense You need to spend wisely in the NFL News from Cowboys training camp   Guest: David HelmanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I do think there's, you know, I have. handful of guys I do want to see get take snaps not a lot but a handful joy taylor's joining i mean i want to see kenny picket yeah that that that's going to be interesting i i just said this previously is i do think there are organizations that struggle with offense and they're mostly organizations with defensive coaches i don't think bellichick is going to finish in last place i think robert Sala will. But I think what you're going to see in the AFC East is, I would just say New England doesn't, there's a difference between offensive and defensive people in football because offense is about creation, defense is about blowing stuff up. Defense is about

literally running, putting your body in harm, blowing stuff up, disrupting a play. Offense is about choreography and learning a playbook and multiple motions and sets. And so there's a different sensibility is that the defensive guys tend to be kind of, they have just kind of a working class ethos, they're tough guys, they run through a wall, they played the game, they were linebacker, and offensive guys feel like they're often very good teachers, not that Belichick's not a teacher, but defensive guys, Pete Carroll, big emotion, Mike Tomlin, big emotion, offensive guys, like Kyle Shanahan's in his brain, he's in his head all the time. You know, that's the history of offensive coaches.

So I think what happens is offensive coaches just naturally personality-wise, they work very well with quarterbacks. It's kind of the same sensibility. I'll give you an example. You and I've been doing this a long time. Yeah. So once or twice in my TV or radio career, I've had somebody that was on air be a producer. And it's helpful.

That is not to say you have to do it. But they sort of understand having to fill time. You know, the interview doesn't show up. there's an understanding of, oh, I've been there, I've been in that chair, I've been on the air. Now, I'm not saying you have to do that. But I've worked with a couple of people that have done that. And there is a certain clock they understand as somebody that's been on the air. You've probably similarly had that situation.

Yeah, when someone has had the same experience as you, then they tend to be able to empathize with your circumstance and work with you more closely to overcome those because they know the space that you're in. Yeah, I mean, like Dave Wanstatt, a friend of mine and my wife, and we loved it. He's a defensive coach. He sees the world in, you know, offense can only screw stuff up here, which by the way, until about seven years ago, that won a lot of championships in the NFL. But I do think, like the Steelers are a great example. I know Mike Tomlin's smart and experienced. They can't get the OC right. They didn't show enough urgency getting a quarterback.

And they can't get the O line right. And they're not spending enough money on that side of the ball. So whereas McVeigh, the first thing McVe did was get the left tackle right, right? They addressed it. So they have had, since he's been there, they've had weaknesses on defense. Linebacking core for the Rams has been hit and miss. You know, safety, they've drafted well, but it's been okay. If you look at McVeigh's weaknesses, they've not been on the offensive side. And then not, again, when I say weaknesses, Rams have been very well run.

But if you watch the teams right now that just don't have a feel for offense, last several years, Russell Wilson complained about that in Seattle. Right now with Belichick, the Steelers don't have much of a feel for it. So I think it matters. I think there's, you know, there's just certain personality traits that work for certain professions. Like, if you're really detail-oriented, like there are certain careers that you should choose. If you're really detail-oriented, If you're more of an artist, there are certain careers that wouldn't benefit you, right?

And so I think what we're happening, what's happening in the NFL right now is quarterbacks are 70-30 the league right now. College football 70-30 coach over player, right? But you still have to have good players. NFL at 70-30 quarterback, a Brady is more important than Belichick, a Mahomes more important than Andy Reid. That doesn't mean a coach can't screw it up. but Drew Breeze popped when he got Sean Peyton. So, you know, coaches help. But Drew Breeze, had he gotten a competent coach, would have been fine.

And so, you know, I guess my whole point is I just feel like we have this kind of transformative movement in the NFL and you're seeing it over and over and over. These defensive coaches do not, I mean, think about this. Sean McVeigh got to a Super Bowl with Jared Goff. He got to a Super Bowl. Trubisky ain't getting to a Super Bowl, and I doubt Kenny Pickett is. Yet Pittsburgh was in no real urgency with Big Ben's erosion for like three years. Goff got to a Super Bowl, and Sean McVeigh, not good enough.

Garoppolo got to a Super Bowl. An offensive coach, Kyle Shanahan, not good enough. Look at the urgency those coaches are putting at that position after getting to Super Bowls. So what does that tell you? They understand the value in it. And I think right now, if I, when the Bears, with a young quarterback, when the Bears chose a defensive coach, it's classic Bears. They don't get where the league is going.

You could have done that 10 years ago. I think the Bears are going to pay for it. Dan Campbell's an offensive guy. Matt LaFlewer is an offensive guy. The new coach from the Rams for the Vikings, an offensive guy. The Bears have the defensive coach. I think they're going to pay a price for it. Seattle's three offensive coaches and Pete Carroll.

And what has happened to that Seahawk offense last several years? Down the tubes. I just think that more than analytics in the NFL, you got to get the quarterback right. He's more important than the coach, and you got to hire an offensive coach. I mean, even Belichick now is a mess. They're a mess in New England. The only singular ascending defensive coach in the entire sport is Sean McDermott, and he's yet to win a conference championship.

Now, he may, and I thought they were the best team last year, and I think Buffalo is the best team this year. But you know what? When you look at this stuff, like when the Bears went deep, and Matt Eber Fluse could be a great guy. But if you, this is why I say this about Brandon Staley of the Chargers.

I don't doubt he's a smart guy. Is he a great football coach? Is he willing? Now, to his credit, he has been Mr. Risk taker offensively. So he doesn't appear to be the old school defensive coach, you know, run it in first down,

run it in second, throw on third punt, play field position. So Staley looks like he's got a little bit of an offensive mindset. That could be because he hasn't been coached very long, right? He doesn't have those bad defensive like habits or this sort of built-in, embedded emotional belief that defense and running wins games. It just doesn't.

I think Mike Vrable's one of the best coaches in football, defensive guy. I think he's really, really, really good. And to his credit, he like saw we got to get better at quarterback. because Marcus Marioo was not a disaster. We got to get better. Now, Tanna Hill, argue all you want, but at least I think Vrable understood we've got to upgrade here. But, I mean, I just, I watch this league right now, and you just can't, you got to be able to figure out the quarterback thing. You've got to be able to get along with him almost to a person.

The bad quarterback coach relationships in the NFL last year, all of them, Russ and Pete, two years earlier. Brady and Belichick, Zimmer and Cousins, Flores and Tua. It was all defensive coach, offensive guy. Now, that doesn't mean some offensive coaches don't whiff. It's hard. I mean, everybody gets fired in this league. Belichick got fired. Andy Reid got fired.

But if you look around the league at the tension, the relationships that struggle, quarterback coach, almost always a defensive coach. That is really, and it's happening fast, and I said this last hour, if you start looking at this year, the last place teams in the NFL, I got five defensive coaches and often the only defensive coach in a division. So it's, I think the Jets are last. I think Pittsburgh's going to be last. I think Seattle is going to be last.

I think Houston Lovie Smith's going to be last. Did I say the bear is going to be last? And Washington, I think, would have a, chance to be with Ron Rivera, and I like Ron. But again, what did we complain about the previous year? They didn't take the quarterback position seriously. There were all these guys in the market. I thought the, the Steelers this year. We kept saying, get Carapolo in there. What are you doing? Get somebody. They didn't do it and they settled. Or just, you know, make an effort to draft someone to sit behind Ben, who's obviously going to retire very soon. It is. It does take, it does take industry's

time to adjust to new things as well. I get it. I get it. And not new things. It's not that it's that I think even some fans still haven't moved towards the very obvious situation that the NFL is in right now with the offensive side of the ball. The best thing in some ways that could have happened was that 13 seconds in that game with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Because you watch that and you're like, he's not going anywhere.

He's the best quarterback in the league. There's nothing you could do. defensively to stop that from happening. Just isn't. And if that's what you're going up against, you have to be able to match that blow for blow on the offensive side of the ball. It's not that defense isn't valuable,

but the days of the Ravens with Ray Lewis winning a championship, that's not going to happen anymore. You can't play that kind of defense. The league doesn't allow you to grab receivers. It's a new era. And with any kind of new era, we've seen this in the NBA, you see it in any sport.

When there's a new era, doesn't, everyone doesn't adjust to that or believe in it or recognize the value in it or where the direction is headed right away. This is also something I see in the front office. There are, and it's been a change here in recent years. The Rams are on the forefront of this. You can only pay big money to about six positions. Quarterback, left tackle, pass rusher, weapons, and a corner.

So a prime example. The Rams, they pay the quarterback, they pay two receivers, they did pay Whitworth left tackle, they'll pay an edge, and they'll pay Aaron, Donald, and Jalen Ramsey. I've been told this by the really smart guys I trust in the league. You cannot pay big money to a guard. That's the Colts problem. Their two best players are a guard and an often injured linebacker.

You can't pay big money to linebackers. And some of those contracts are from a few years ago. That's right. The Bears, Roquan Smith is unhappy. To me, it's so obvious what you do. You can't pay big money. Now, there are guys like Micah Parsons who are like hybrids, like their linebacker pass rusher. Now you've got to consider keeping him.

He's a playmaker. They're a disruptor and one of the faces of your organization. Also, Micah's a rookie, so he's obviously going to get paid. But like if I was Chicago, so you already butchered it, you hired the wrong side of the ball for coach. You have a second year quarterback. And if it doesn't work, and this is a historic franchise that, just doesn't get offense right. The bears just don't do offense. It's that kind of tough guy. We like our defense. That's just the ethos in Chicago. So you got the defensive coach in a division

with three offensive coaches, and that's where the league's pivoting. So you butcher that. Now you've got a linebacker that wants a big contract. Well, you already spend way too much money in your front seven and safeties anyway. Like Seattle, you're paying the wrong positions. You're paying safeties. Okay. And so what I would do with Roquan Smith, I would go find a team that's going to overpay for him because he's a great player. And I would go get a number one or two receiver with Moody because the Bears have this young quarterback, a rebuilding O line, a defensive coach. You've got to give this, get a shot. Cole commits a good tight end. I like their running backs. They got clever little running backs. You got a tight end. You got Moody. You need another

receiver. And so like to me, this is a great opportunity for the Bears to move out of yesterday. Let somebody else overpay for O'Kwon Smith. Go get offensive help. Go get a great There are teams in this league that have a surplus of wide receivers or get a number two receiver and a first pick. But it's just like

there's seven of seven last year, NFC teams and offensive coaches. You've got to be able to see around corners. This stuff is obvious and I'm going to predict five last place teams in the NFL this year will have defensive coaches. Belichick. is flailing. He's flailing right now. And Pete Carroll's

absolutely going to finish and forth. All right, Cowboys Camp, we're checking in next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. 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, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped 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? a little kill. 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

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Dave Helman has covered the Cowboys for 9, 10 years. We have hired him at Fox Sports to be up in Oxnard, which, by the way, excellent strawberries. I don't know if you know that as a Texas citizen. Very good strawberries. He has a new article on Fox Sports.com. How come Micah Parsons plans to be a matchup nightmare all over the field? I said, I would not pay linebackers. Michael Parsons is that rare exception that he lines up in four different spots.

So when you talk to him, what does he think? I mean, he plays with such urgency. I mean, there are guys in pro sports among pro athletes that you can spot them on the field. They're just moving. What does he think is secret sauce is? I think just, well, one of the most insane competitive drives I've been around for starters. I mean, he's absolutely that guy when it comes to just wanting to win everything. And then, you know, it's nice to just have an absolutely freakish athletic profile as well.

I mean, when you're 6.3, 2.30 and can run a sub 4-4. It speaks for itself. And the funny thing for me is, I heard y'all talking about this on the previous segment, I mean, Micah is a pass rush phenom. I mean, he had 13 sacks last year.

He looks like he could move down on the line and be a fantastic pass rusher full time, but he doesn't want that. He's like, put more on my plate. I want to be versatile. I actually asked him last week when I was, you know,

I was doing research, getting quotes for the story I wrote. I was like, what would you prefer to be IDed as? How do you want the offense to see you? And he was like, see me as a big, but know that I can do more than that. Like, I want people struggling to ID me because it makes things easier for everybody else on our defense.

Well, basketball, Dave, I'm not sure if you follow it, but it's become positionless. Like Yokic for Denver can. Absolutely. Mike is kind of a little bit positionless where he can guard the back. He's the rare guy that can size up a tight end, run with a back, and pass rush. He is really the ultimate hybrid defensive player. I'm not a basketball savant by any. means, but I use like a LeBron James when I talk about Micah a lot, just in the sense of, I mean,

LeBron can play all five positions. Absolutely. Micah Parsons, you probably don't want him in the slot against like a true slot receiver, but like he can carry guys down the scene. Mike McCarthy was talking about it up in Oxnard last week. They track, you know, everybody tracks GPS and these numbers these days. He went down the scene with Tony Pollard, probably the fastest player on the Cowboys offense and clock 20 miles an hour.

So he can do that. He can rush the passer. He can drop in coverage. He doesn't have a position. And I really think when you look around the league at the most successful players and the most successful defense, you need a handful of those guys. Yeah, no. And he may be the best in the league. You know, I've said this before that, you know, there's – Bucky Brooks always says there's kind of tractors and trailers.

There's guys that can pull a team, Josh Allen, that literally he can pull a team. And then there's guys that need to be kind of pulled. What worries me about DAC is his number. without Amari or a healthy Tyron Smith. I did not think it was a good offseason. I understood with C.D. Lambs' emergence saying, we're going to let go. We're going to move off Amari. But boy, Cedric Wilson was a darn good three.

And now Michael Gallops off an ACL. This does feel, Dave, like a little bit like, hey, Dak, we kind of need you to pull instead of be pulled. and I'm not sure he's that guy. The funny thing, like, we don't have to debate, Colin, because we're going to find out in two or three weeks. Because I agree with everything you just said. I really think the Cowboys are putting the impetus on Dak Prescott to, and I think he's a hell of a quarterback.

He's easily top eight for me on his best day. I think he's top five. He's not all the time, but like he has played games at that level. Now he's got to do it consistently. And oh, by the way, he's got to do it with a lesser supporting cast. Now, Dack takes issue with that. He's said it many times. But like I said, we're going to find out.

You have C.D. Lamb, Dalton Schultz. That's a decent enough one-two punch. Amari Cooper's gone. Cedric's gone. Michael Gallup isn't ready. The third guy you're asking to lean on after those two, Schultz and Lamb is Jalen Tolbert, who is a rookie. He just got here.

He's having a very nice training camp. But, man, when it counts for real, week one, and you're starting with Tampa Bay and Cincinnati right after that. like you don't have a ton of time to feel this out. So I really think the Cowboys are saying, we paid you like one of the best two or three quarterbacks in the league, and we need you to play like it. Yeah.

Listen, the way it ended last year, I have defended Mike McCarthy on this, is that when he was in Green Bay, the division was better. Chicago actually made a Super Bowl at the beginning of his run. Detroit had Matt Stafford. And Minnesota's always had talent.

My entire life, I feel like they've been talented, a little dysfunctional. Matt LaFleur comes in. The Bears are lost. Detroit, Stafford's gone. Zimmer's a good coach. We'll see how that works out.

But LaFleur is doing no better than McCarthy postseason. He's just crushing it in division. So Mike has been labeled as kind of, you know, just an abject failure. Well, I look at the Cowboys record last year. I look at his record against the better NFC North. Mike can coach. I do think situationally, he leaves a lot to be desired. But we've got something working here that is undeniable that a lot of people.

that a lot of people, I said, if you ask privately, Cowboy reporters in a straw poll, they'd take Quinn over McCarthy, they wouldn't do it publicly, right? Because you got to interview, Mike. It is a weird, David feels kind of a weird dynamic to me, and I look at that early schedule. Joe Burrow, Tom Brady,

they're Owen, too, right? They got the Rams Week 5 as well, I believe? The league didn't do them any favors, and it's such a weird dynamic. And Mike McCarthy's saying all the right stuff. Dan Quinn said a lot of the right stuff as well. Mike's my guy. The relationship there seems to be very strong.

Dan made a big show of pointing out, you saying, like, I'm looking out for Mike. Like, I'm not looking for that job. I'm looking to help Mike. And I believe that. But, I mean, you've done this for a long time. Like, it's the Dallas Cowboys. It's a pressure cooker. The minute things start to go askew, all hell breaks loose.

And honestly, that's what I said about Mike. McCarthy when he was hired is we can make all we want to about how long it's been since they've been in the Super Bowl. Mike McCarthy will be a success if he can get the Cowboys into the playoffs on a consistent basis because that has eluded them for 25 years. Yeah, their standards lower now. They don't make consecutive playoff appearances. And Mike McCarthy was so good at that in Green Bay. Of course, he had Aaron Rogers, but year after year after year, they were in the dance. That's what he needs to do with the Cowboys. And if it doesn't happen this year, you've got a guy in Dan Quinn who has done that as well. It's, it is prime to be a lead topic on shows like this all season if they

don't get the job done. I, uh, as Joy, uh, mocks me for this. I love training camp video. Of course. I mean, I make all my predictions based on it. And, uh, but, um, I thought last year, I didn't think this was a hot take. I had said Tony Pollard's got more juice than Zeeke. He's just got more juice. Now, I did see some. I did see some. Um, I did see some. video, Zeeke looks a little thinner to me. So lay it out. You've been at practice. What do I expect to see from Zique? If Zieg Elliott's healthy, I think he can be just fine.

And it's easy to forget. He heard his PCL and his knee ligament last year, week four, week five. First month of the season, he looked like the guy they drafted. He looked like that young guy from 2016, 2017. he was averaging 115, 120 yards per game until he got hurt. Now, it's interesting that the cowboys knew he was hurt and still kept using him as their bell cow. That's a different conversation. But he looks healthy.

He looks thin. His footwork looks fantastic. I think Tony Pollard, I mean, there's no debating he's faster. There's no debating Tony Pollard has more juice as a pure runner. I still think Zeke Elliott is the better overall running back when you're talking about everything a running back is asked to do. and if he's healthy, I absolutely, I mean, you know, 1,200 yards is certainly on the table. Like, his health is the only thing that gives me pause about how good he can do. So when you, listen, the advantage, if you put this cowboy team in the AFC West,

or maybe the NFC West, it's a different conversation. Yes. But they're in the NFC East where I still think Philadelphia is kind of rebuilding. Washington is, the Giants really are. So I think there's argue, I have Dallas finishing second, but if they won, would not be a shocker. You look at their schedule. There's some moments here. It's a little rocky early.

When I say to you, 11 and 6, am I reaching? How does it feel to you, Dave? 11 and 6 is, for me, I usually fall on like 10 and 7, so I'm right there with you. I think, I mean, the NFC East has gotten better this offseason. I still think. Philadelphia clearly has. Clearly, clearly. And I think Washington has upgraded, at least marginally. I think, you know, I know the end of the year in Indy was a debacle for Carson Wince, but he quietly had a decent season. 27 TD 7 picks. If he can avoid the one or two boneheaded things he insists on doing per game, I think Washington is a sneaky good team.

All right. So let's just go over this for fun. Okay. We all at some point in our life, David Hellman, joining us radio audience, have grabbed our pocket schedule and a felt pen and gun WL. Why are you a football fan if you're not doing that? You know, like that's the whole joy of it. Okay, so let's say, I'll give them a split with Brady and Burrow. They'll win one of those games. Okay. Okay, that's read.

Okay. Okay. Joy, can you keep track of this? Okay. Sure. Thanks, Joy. Yeah. Thank you, Joy.

So they're one and one. Let's go to week three. They beat the Giants and they beat Washington. They're three and one. Okay. They lose at the Rams, three and two. At Philly, your call. I lean toward Dak Prescott against the NFC East.

I mean, he's owned that division for most of his career. I agree. So now we're at 4 and 2. I agree with you. Detroit Bears at home. Should be wins. Okay. We're at 6 and 2, we're feeling good. We've got to buy. Wow, this is optimistic because that is the, I mean, that's the brutal stretch of the schedule for sure.

Well, Dave, at Green Bay, at Minnesota, I'm going to tell you something. I think Minnesota is the dark horse team in the league. Absolutely could see two losses there. Okay. Oh, now we're 6 and 4 and the McCarthy. Now people are depressed for sure. Giants, then they get a really favorable stretch. These are go either way games.

Giants, Colts, Texans home. I mean, again, Dacrescott doesn't lose to the Giants. Okay, so we're at 7 and 4, I think 8 and 4. Let's say they lose to the Colts. Okay, is that fair? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so now we're at 8 and 5. All right, then the season comes down to at Jacksonville, W9.

I'll let you call the last. three. Philly, Tennessee, Washington. I think Philly's, I mean, put some respect on Philly and say that should be a season split. Okay. One way or the other. Nine and six. Nine and six. And at Tennessee.

Uh, Vrabel's really good. I give that to Tennessee. Nine and seven. Yeah, and then they beat Washington. Yeah, 10 and seven sounds about right. That, that, I mean, six and two would be a hell of a start with Tampa, Sincee, and L.A. all on the schedule. Yeah, so Cowboy fans, we gave you a win over Matt Ryan and the Colts.

Pretty good team, and we gave you a win over Brady or Burrow. So we were not negative. We were pretty positive. Now, we do say you split with the Eagles. That seems reasonable. I mean, this, to me, they're lesser on paper than they were last year. I agree. So unless something crazy happens, and, you know, maybe they've found another Micah in this draft class.

Maybe somebody that we're not talking about is a star by the end of the year. But just looking at it right now, which is all we have to go on, Yeah, this is like a nine or ten win team. I think I would pick them to win the division if you were asking me to do it, but they'd probably be the three or four seed in the playoffs. That's what I expect. Excellent stuff. David Hellman never had a mom before.

Fox Sports Digital, read his stuff. He's got a Michael Parsons interview. Twitter is Dave Hellman underscore. Is that what it is? That's me. So you use the underscore at the end. That is, you're our progressive. There were, well, you know, I guess there's like a rap video director named David

Helman, so I, you know, I had some trouble with that. You didn't want to be connected. You want to be your own guy. That's right. All right, David Helman, read his stuff. Fox Sports.com. Thank you so much for stopping by. Anytime, y'all.

Thanks for having me. You bet. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know what? 10 and 7, you start looking at that.

You start looking at it. We were pretty good. We gave you a win over Matt Ryan and a win over like Joey Burrow. That's, that's... I felt like you had them with more wins this year. No, I have him second. Yeah?

Yeah. Oh, you're Philly within the division. One of my things is, I've always told you situational football, wins or loses about four games a year. I don't like, I don't love McCarthy with a clock. I'm just going to tell you right now. Don't love it. That playoff loss was not good.

And then he doubled down after the game saying it, I don't like his situational awareness. And I think in this league, I mean, the average game is decided by four. You know, college football, situational awareness. Alabama is going to line up. Yeah, yeah. But in NFL football, it becomes every day. That's why in the NBA veteran teams tend to beat young teams is because their situational awareness, end of half, end of possession, end of game. You get about six points a game being a veteran player.

You just manipulate the official. You manipulate the clock. Yeah. So LeBron and Rich Paul met with Darvinham and Rob Polinka last week. And the contract extension for LeBron was briefly discussed. Chris Haynes reports that the majority of this meeting was to make sure that they, don't have the same type of season they had last year. Yeah.

He said that LeBron preached the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion. Getting along with others. Everyone needs to be accountable, foster an atmosphere of selflessness. Oh, don't hog the ball. Focusing on defensive tenacity. Westbrook doesn't play defense. Also, Ham agreed that everything on the offensive side of the ball should run through

Anthony Davis. Oh, that's not going to sit well with you know who. And in terms of potential rock. roster moves. The group agreed that patience will be key. I want to see how the roster plays before making any drastic moves. Overall, the meeting was deemed productive. And Polinka made it clear that he wants LeBron to retire a Laker and will provide him with all the resources necessary to compete for a championship each year. I thought who was included in the meeting was interesting. LeBron and Rich Paul. Rich

represents LeBron and AD. Right. So Westbrook's agent was not included. It was the coach. Well, Westbrook has a new agent. Well, because remember he parted ways with his... Well, the phones don't work with new agents? No, I don't think that anybody else should have been in the room. All right. I think this was a... The room was full.

Small room. And that's how it should be. Four chairs. Well, I mean, traditionally, that's been the problem with the Lakers. I'm all about hearing new ideas. Yes. Everyone on the team should feel like they have a voice. Yeah.

But how big is the team? The team doesn't need to include everybody that you've ever known that you've ever had a cocktail with. I want LeBron. If you told me one player's in the room, LeBron has earned the right. He's one of the smartest players in league history. Not only has he earned the right. The only reason your Bible is because LeBron is there. That's it. LeBron is the connecting fiber with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. There doesn't need to be everybody in the room. You're seeing what's going on in Brooklyn. One person should be in the room. Rich Paul represents both Anthony Davis and

LeBron James. So he should be there. And then you have Rob Polinka and the head coach. That's it. That's the room. That should be the decision makers. Yeah. And when you set what you're going to do moving forward as an organization, those are the voices that are going to carry that out anyway. Yeah. So I like the plan.

I like the ideas behind it. Again, all of this has to play out with the most important factor for the Lakers from the very beginning, which is, is Anthony Davis going to be healthy? Yeah. I don't care what else happens with the Lakers. I don't even know why it's worth talking about if Anthony Davis is not on the floor. LeBron James, we know what we're going to get with LeBron James every single year. He's going to miss a few more games than he used to miss.

He's going to come in in the best shape of his life. He's going to take care of his body. There's no reason to question what LeBron James is going to be. And at this point, we know exactly what Russell Westbrook is going to be. The only question with the Lakers has been and has always been, is Anthony Davis going to be healthy. Anthony Davis is unbelievable. We tend to forget how effective and great Anthony. Davis is because he is never on the floor.

If he's playing, they are a playoff team and they are viable. If he's not, they're not. All of the planning, all of the roster tweaking, all of the resources, all of the conversations about accountability, none of it matters. Anthony Davis has to be healthy. He missed 42 games last season. He's got to be on the floor. So sticking in Los Angeles, there were rumors this offseason that Sean McFay was flirting

with the potential of leaving for television. Amazon offered him a lot of money. A lot of money. A lot of money. He ended up staying with the Rams and they have now capitalized. He announced that he signed a contract extension yesterday. The terms have not been released. It's supposed to be a big article.

Seth Wickersham wrote a long article on McVeigh and his torment. You know, he's a tortured genius, but he is very driven and he's, you know, when you're young and you're really good, like McVeigh and you look at all these legendary coaches and how they age, what about like winning two. Super Bowls and 39 years old, sea crest out. Well, I think the world has changed a lot. Yeah. A big part of that was the pandemic. I think everyone kind of took a step back and evaluated how are we spending all of our time. And I think a little bit of globalization and learning how other people, how other

workplaces operate, how other countries, you know, we're not the only ones with Wi-Fi. How do their workforces operate? They have, you know, paid time off. They are not allowed to answer emails. It's illegal to answer emails past a certain amount of time. You know, and they're still productive and make lots of money and still manage to have a different kind of lifestyle. So there is not just one way to be successful. And I think particularly with younger people, they're now moving into a space that says, I'm going to have a work life balance.

Like I know my particular age group, we were not brought up with the idea that there's a work life balance. It was like work all day long, never take time off, never take a sick day. drag yourself to work every single day and do this all for the company. Yeah. And now things are changing. But I think that said, Sean McVeigh is going to be with the Rams for a while. Yeah. And he talks about how he is linked with GM Less Need.

It is something that we've been taken care of, but it is very important for Les and I to kind of have that represented as we're a partnership and a pair. No, I mean, I feel good. I mean, it was kind of always, you know, a really good dialogue that existed. These things, they take time. But I think it is important. You know, we had a respect for the process. We wanted it to be able to be announced when both Les and I got done because of the partnership, and I think it's only gotten better as we go, but that's kind of where it's at right now.

Obviously, they're coming off of a Super Bowl victory, and Leslie has done an amazing job there. I've said this before. I feel really bad for fan bases who have operations that feel like they don't know what they're doing, like the Bears. Chicago's such a passionate city. If you're in Los Angeles, you know, they used to say when Belichick was rolling, it was like in Bill we trust. I mean, I am literally with the Rams. They are an A plus at everything. They're operations.

Their stadium, their owner, their GM, their quarterback, their coach. They walked into this city, which is a wildly distracted city with incredibly popular teams like the Dodgers and the Lakers. And they have walked into the city and they just haven't made any mistakes. Good guys. I mean, I'm not saying this just because I know some people. This operation, they draft well. They develop well. They PR well.

They've really figured out they're really ahead of the curve. And I've sat here and watched it in L.A. Because they got here about the time I got here. And the Dodgers are very well run. Don't get it twisted. UCLA basketball wins. I mean, everything wins here almost. I mean, we knock on the Lakers.

They won a title three or four years ago in the bubble where everybody else imploded, right? So but to watch them come into this city, a wildly competitive city, city and the ownership down, they just do not make big mistakes. And if they make a mistake, they own it and they move off fast. It's really a sight to behold. It's very impressive. And that's why I love studying and praising organizations that do things the right way, because it always fascinates me when organizations who don't do things the right way are yelling and screaming about how we're supposed to give them some kind of respect or something. Earn it. You guys have done absolutely nothing. You've had one season

where you pot. Okay, do it again. Be consistent. I don't know it's boring to like doing the right thing and treat people with respect. But there are benefits to it. And when the rings are following organizations that have those cultures, Milwaukee,

Golden State, the Rams. In our life, there have been great franchises. I mean, the Bulls with Jordan were amazing. But it was a constant circus between the GM and the coach and the owner. They just had so, Phil Jackson was so great, Michael was so great, Pippin was so great, that they just overcame a lot of nonsense.

The Warriors and the Rams are just, that's how you do it. That is literally how you run a pro sports franchise owner down. Now, Joe Lakey of the Warriors gets a little over his ski sometimes. He can get very techie cocky. You know, sometimes he'll say something. I can see Steve Kerr going, God, Joe, would you just stop saying we're the light years ahead of people? Never say that in any business. You can earn it.

One of those. Once a year. He also writes some checks. That he does. He pays for it. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

It never lands well in any industry to say you're light years ahead of it. People take umbrage with it. People don't like that. I am light years ahead of this industry. Well, they can always just go beat them. Good point. Point taken. No lies told by Joy.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players.

We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 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 put on 10. 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 which I'll say it. Yep, that's me. Clever 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. They're 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark, Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Or are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. You know, I was just talking during the break with Ryan on the board. We were talking about what makes a great pro sports franchise. I think there's

several boxes like, do you draft and develop well? Do you draft players and they get better? Do you have continuity, coaching players continuity. Is your commerce strong? Like you can sign the big checks for free agents. Are you culturally progressive? Are you in on analytics? Whatever it is. Are you moving with the times?

There's an argument to be made that the Rams, the Dodgers, and the Warriors are the three best in all of professional sports. Like the Red Sox do a lot right, but their commerce isn't great. they let Mookie Betz go. The Dodgers stole it from him. Is that the Dodgers have won eight or nine straight. Now, I've always thought the Braves are very well run. Houston wins, but they cheated.

Yankees have won, but not enough titles. And also, they just have a huge payroll. I think the match right now are a fascinating team because I think they're making some really smart moves, but they haven't done it long enough to put him in that classification. And I'm talking about the four, do you draft and develop well? Dodgers, Warriors, Rams. 14 in the Rams starters.

It'll be 15 this year because they drafted a Wisconsin guard who's going to start. 15 of their 22 starters are drafted. Which is interesting because when you think of the Rams, you think of free agents. But you think of guys coming in, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, O'Dell. So that is crazy. And I think the Niners are not in that class, but they're not that far down. We'll see if Trey Lance can play. but to have three in the three big sports in America,

that all of them are in, how lucky are Californians, Warriors, Dodgers, Rams, those organizations are being poached constantly. People are sending their staffs to visit those teams, monitoring, taking their coaches. We're very lucky in this state. And people often say, Colin, you moved to California. You talk a lot of California teams.

I didn't in the first two years because the teams weren't as dominant. Right now, just the state of California, the quality of athletes coaching development GM's owners is remarkable. And you have to do the winning also. Yes. So they've all won titles. So there are lots of teams that are trending in that direction, but you have to get over the line and actually win the championship while moving in that direction.

I actually think the clippers are really, really well run. They just can't stay healthy. But I think they have the right coach, the right owner, the right GM. Well, you need a little luck on the way to a championship. There's no question. No, no, no. I mean, the Rams have been bizarrely healthy. This year, the Dodgers, Kershaw's hurt.

Walker Bueller's hurt. So the Dodgers may be getting a bad health break this year. I don't think the Dodgers will win it. I don't think, I think as DeGrom and Scher get healthy, the Mets are going to have the momentum. So this year, the Mets, the guys got hurt at the right time. The Dodgers' arms aren't. I think how things go for Milwaukee over the next few years

would be very interesting. Who's that? Milwaukee. If the Milwaukee bucks won another championship, I think you have to put them in that space. Well, I mean, Green Bay's been well run. Milwaukee's well run. Believe it or not, the brewers are actually pretty viable.

Stay motivated, stay energized. Try mDrive.com. Check it out. Five bucks free shipping. Try their most popular supplement. Thanks to us, MDrive Boost and Burn. For joy and everybody, we'll see you tomorrow. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, Not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I'll say. Yep, that's me, Cliford 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 Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfills of 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 IHeard 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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. 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. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.