The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - QBs, Mayfield, NBA playoffs

Episode Date: April 13, 2022

It's difficult finding the right QB Baker Mayfield's latest comments  The NBA play-in games tonightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Oh, here we go. Just had a big bag of peanuts. I'm sorry. We need an on-the-call doctor to answer our random medical questions. Not to get any sports takes, but we're just like hit them. Come on, confirm or deny. What we're talking about is ludicrous and then go back to treating your patients. All right, hour three, we're live in L.A. It's the hurt.

Good to have you. Baker Mayfield was on a podcast. Didn't come online and talk for an hour and a half. Did not come on mine. Very unfortunate. But I say this to all these athletes. I'm not one of these broadcasters who's critical of a guy and I won't bring him on. I ripped T.O. for years, brought him right on the couch.

Richie Incognito, ripped him for years, brought him right on the couch. Ripped Baker Mayfield, brought him right on the couch. What are they going to do? Eat me? Let's go. I'm confrontational. Let's argue. Baker's always welcome back.

I don't problem. Russell Westbrook. I mean, go ahead. I mean, you know, he'll blame everybody else. That's his MO. This, Aaron Rogers, welcome right here anytime. You've got quite the list. Yeah, I got a lot of people that, it's unfortunate, in my thirst for journalism and as America's honesty broker.

University of Oklahoma. By the way, I brought Lincoln Riley on for years, and then I just decided I wanted to steal them and bring him up to my school. Right. But in the end, this is not some you know we backstab we bring you right on this couch anytime and we

will confront everything I don't hide from anybody these athletes hide from me they don't want Mr. journalism out here probing they don't want the smoke they don't want the smoke Uncle Colin

provides the smoke they don't want the smoke so Baker Mayfield's talking today on a podcast apparently went on and on And for people that have never watched this show before, those like four left in America, I was occasionally critical of him.

And I said, you're going to do 35 commercials. You may not want to have 35 interceptions. Okay, you make a choice. And people say, well, you've got to take all the commercials. Tom Brady did not take commercials for a decade unless they included his offensive lineman. There's a lot of money Joy and I in our lives haven't taken because it doesn't land well. It's not the right advertiser. it's not the right fit.

Money can't be the answer to everything. So I think he took too many commercials. He came in with too much of a chip on his shoulder. That said, and I was right, he was overdrafted. I did defend him righteously at the end of last year. When the Brown fans were ripping him, I'm like, the dude's a mess. His labrum, his knee, his guy's falling apart. Give me a break.

So I was right early on him and I defended him late. In fact, I've never been wrong on Baker Mayfield. Cleveland's never been right on Baker Mayfield. So I feel good if he came. here today, I'd say, well, you ready for the smoke? Because let's go. It'd be like a UFC fight without the kicks and punches. We'd get into it. But, but I will say, he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in America. He's probably like 25. He's somewhere. And he did have chaos everywhere, but he doesn't have chaos now. Stephansky and Andrew Barry are great. The O-Line's

great. The running backs are great. Miles Garrett's unbelievable. He screwed up the last year and a He just couldn't be quiet. And sometimes, we've said this, in leadership positions and quarterback's a leadership, no, receivers not. I don't care of my receiver's crazy. Pass rushers not. Corners not. I don't care.

I don't care what those guys do. But quarterback is a leadership position. That's why it's so hard to draft. Because it's not just, oh, he throws a ball a long way. Is he a grown-up? Is he a adult? Is he a good leader? Is he a good teammate?

Is he cognitively? Can he keep up with how fast the league's changing? Is he coachable? It's why there's so many whiffs on quarterbacks. There's not as many whiffs on other positions. Like generally, a running back, a guy can do it or he can't. Like you can just see in the first two or three rounds, now some guys get hurt.

But, you know, so the Baker stuff, I'm glad he's talking because he creates content. I'm kind of over talking about him because I don't think he's just fascinating. But, you know, every two or three years, there'll be a cocky college quarterback that will come out of college. Johnny Mansell, Cam Newton, Baker Mayfield. And every time I hammer them. And I'm like, you don't understand the league.

For grownups, you're going to age quickly. All three hours right. Mansell, I said it was undraftable. Baker, I said was draftable, but just not if I was a GM. And I said, Cam Newton is not going to last long. It's a leadership position. But apparently he's defending himself in Cleveland, and I'd like to hear it. I want to hear it.

By the way, here's the other thing. And this is why the maturity really matters. Quarterbacks now make 40, 50 million bucks. So when you give any young person that kind of money, it's hard to figure your ego. It's like, that's a lot. That's a lot for anybody. If you're 23-year-old, 28-year-old, thank God Mahomes is mature. Thank God, Stafford.

And, you know, most of these guys are mature and can handle it. But it's not for everybody. But Cortland Sutton of the Denver Broncos said yesterday, he said, quote, the juice is just different with Russell Wilson. And so the Seahawks made a very interesting choice. We're going to go with a 70-year-old defensive head coach over a quarterback. I don't think they'll ever replace them. The dolphins have never replaced Marino.

The Broncos have never long-term replaced Elway. The Packers, Farve de Rogers, absolute outlier, total outlier. So the Seahawks made a choice. Now Tampa, Tampa did the other thing. Tampa took Bruce Ariens and said, you go upstairs. Tommy wants. Tommy doesn't want that. So Tampa that just won a Super Bowl was willing to take the coach that just won a Super Bowl.

Say, get upstairs. Tommy's not happy with you. The Seahawks, who have been eroding for six, seven years, chose the coach over the quarterback. Well, Colin Russell wanted out. No, he didn't. He wanted out unless Pete would leave. Then he would have stayed.

So if I owned the Seattle Seahawks, and I don't think they have particularly strong ownership right now, Paul Allen's sister Jody Allen, I think it's, I don't think it's particularly strong ownership and leadership. What I would have done is said, hey, Pete, we owe you a bunch of money, go upstairs, and I'm going to go hire, you know, there was a, you know, Brian Dable, Josh McDaniel was out there. there's a bunch of good coaches. I mean, Belichick is now 17 and 16 without Brady. We all know what's happening now. You got a favor of the quarterback. If I'm Robert Kraft, Belichick, Brady, I got to go with Brady. I'll find another coach.

If I was own the Seahawks, Pete or Russ, like Pete, I'd go with Russ. Tampa's figured it out. Arians wins a Super Bowl. Twelve months later, get upstairs. So, and there was a lot of. lot of good offensive coaches out there for Seattle. And they just, nope. Kevin O'Connell,

Minnesota, I think it's going to be a boon for Kirk Cousins. Mike McDaniel, Josh McDaniel, Nathaniel Hackett, Brian Dable, a lot options. They chose the old defensive coach over the quarterback. Good luck with that. Good luck with that.

All you have to do is look around this league. Dolphins Broncos never found their next star. All these years. They've gone through 30 quarterbacks. That's why I always said I would not trade Russell Wilson unless he dragged me into the office and demanded it. Demanded it.

There's no way I'm moving on from a first ballot hall famed quarterback in their prime. We've got to figure it out. No, no, I would have. If I own the team, I go to Russell and I say, listen, what do you want to do at coach? And he says, young offensive guy. I'd have said, Pete, get in here. You got to move you upstairs. I want to pay all the money.

Move you upstairs. You can be good. I mean, we can, you know, but there's no way. I choose the old defensive coach over the young ascending star quarterback. That's not even an argument. No, I'm with you. And I think Pete Carroll's great. It's an incredible career.

Yes, great. Awesome. Also, you can't have the defense that you had, which is every year gone worse. For five straight years. And that be the quarterback's problem. So don't overthink the room. Denver's going to be really good, really fast. Like September 7th, they'll be really good.

I mean, it didn't have. Stafford's first game, I forget what it was, but Stafford's first game, we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Also, isn't it interesting that Russ is working with his receivers so publicly? Oh, he is. Isn't that interesting? So that's what Brady did in Tampa. That's what Stafford did with the Rams.

We got video. That's what Russell's doing. Not saying it didn't happen. Everything doesn't have to be documented for it to be real. But it is interesting. He's working with his receivers. At night, you see the night video there night? He had these, like, track suits.

on his receiver so he could see him. It was like 8.30 at night in Colorado. It was dark. You couldn't see anything. And he put these like stickers on his receiver so he could see him in the dark. But Aaron, Aaron's doing Jeopardy next week. Terrible. By the way, it's not going to take long.

Stafford's first game is a ram. 156 pass are rating against the Bears week one. I mean, this thing is going to work fast. Seattle will not find Russell Wilson. in 10 years, Russell will be great week one. That tells you you made the wrong decision. There it is.

And it's not complicated. So I'm just in a mood today. First, I found out I can't eat peanuts anymore. Nobody said you can't eat peanuts. Well, no, apparently you just turn into a big tub of goo. So I am not in a mood today to mess with. Yeah. So I can't have a glass of wine.

I can't eat peanuts. Avocados are bad. What's the point I live in? Seriously. Seriously. Well, you go home. Next thing I'm going to hear tomorrow, chicken parm, killer. I mean, I don't think it's recommended for you to eat chicken parm every day.

That I feel like everyone knows. I used to eat apples. Remember the old saying apple a day? What do you mean you can't eat apples? No, no. Apple a day keeps a doctor away. Ten years ago, they came out. Better wash it.

Pesticides all over it. Kill you. So you can still eat apples. You should just wash off the apple. If I have to wash my food, I'm out. Hey, I'm on the go. I'm doing things here. I've got a lot of kids.

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. 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.

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'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. 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam Jett. 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, so. 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. 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.

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Those are playoff games. I don't care how you want to label them. The intensity, the stars were available, the defense, even the officiating. Like it was, these felt big. So here's my thing with the Nets. Okay. In the history of the league, if you have the best big closer, Durant, and the best small closer, you can win a championship.

And now maybe I can bring Ben Simmons. eight minutes a half, go guard Jason Taylor. Go guard Jimmy Butler in the series. Can they win it? Can the Nets win it? Yes, the Nets can win it. The trouble for them is the fact they're going to have to get through the Boston Celtics who are the number one team in basketball in the new year. If they get past Boston, then they'd possibly have to get past the Bucks,

obviously the defending champions. And then in the East Finals, maybe you're facing the Miami Heat in that situation. Maybe Philadelphia goes all the way at that point, and they're a formidable opponent. And then never mind in the NBA final. So yes, the Nets can win it because you can never rule out Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with what's possible with them.

And never mind their supporting cast. You mentioned Ben Simmons, but it's not just guys like him. We saw Bruce Brown crush it last night in his role. Ben Simmons is going to do similar things to him. Never mind some of the other guys on this roster, Nick Clacks. And so, yeah, Brooklyn can win it,

but the path forward for them is going to be incredibly difficult, especially getting through Boston, the best team in 2022. So Steve Ballmer is the richest NBA owner, building a new arena. He's not paying all this money for an eight seed. Losing last night. Now it's Phoenix round one if they get in.

They're not going to vanquish the suns. So my question is, we know the Lakers are going to make moves in L.A. And my takeaway is Steve Balmer is a lot richer than Jeannie Bus and Primor impatient and literally lives for basketball. This stuff's not working. And for whatever reasons. Would he blow it up or at least tweak it if they, if they get whacked early.

I mean, I'll be honest with Colin, I think it is working. It worked without Kauai. It worked without Paul George for most of the year. I mean, this Clippers roster, they are just missing Kauai Leonard. I mean, you add Kaui Leonard to a team that has so many guys that can get buckets for you, at Luke Kinnard, a Reggie Jackson, never mind having Paul George as his co-star, the ability to play small with Marcus Morris at the 5, Nick Batum, or play big with Zubots. I think roster flexibility, that that's what you want moving forward.

So for the Clippers, I look at them more like maybe tweaks more so than anything dramatic. They're just going to get Kauai, Leonard, and Paul George healthy at the same time. So a lot of people don't like the T-Wolves celebration last night. What do you make of it? I love it. Like what's wrong with passion? We were stuck inside for two years. No fans in arenas.

And people are going nuts. I thought it was an amazing thing to see. And the crowd was great that entire time. So a lot of people don't like Patrick Beverly. You know, I said to Joy earlier. I watched Bill Lambier tackle people. Dennis Rodman. I mean, you watched that Michael Jordan documentary.

He was the irritant. But there are people that think, I think what's happened is salaries are so big now. If you get physical, a guy lands hard, you're like, okay, you're messing with his money. And my takeaway was, well, for what guys made back in the 80s with Lambere, you were messing with their money, too, and the tackles were worse. How is Beverly viewed around the league? Players, coaches, maybe it's a different view. I mean, if he is on your team, you love Patrick Beverly because of the. the energy he brings to your roster, the defense, he sets a tone.

If he's not on your team, I was texting with a friend who's a Clippers fan last night, they say, oh, this is why everybody hated Patrick Beverly when he was in L.A. Because he's kind of a troll on the court, the energy he brings. But playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, they need a spark like that, especially with a young core with Carl Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards and D.Lo. Okay, so on this show, although we seek justice and journalism at all costs, We do have days that we project and we predict. And I think the audience likes that it's fun.

So I said, listen, because L.A., Kevin, is so distracted and competitive, forget the beaches and the mountains. The Dodgers are going to be favored to win the World Series. The Rams won the Super Bowl. The Clippers are good. USC now has Lincoln Riley. Like, LAAFC is good. Like, our teams are all good. And I'm not even counting like the Angels in Orange County.

We have two NFL teams now. The other one's good and interesting. The Chargers won the Super Bowl. So you could just milk this thing out, A, D. Westbrook, go ahead. But this is a distracted market. It was a disaster this year. You had fans heckling Westbrook. And my takeaway is they've got to do something.

If they were in Cincinnati, where are you going to go? You're going to go to Reds game in summer. I think they have to do something big here. So here's the one I threw out is that Jordan Pools emergence with the Warriors. He's on the precipice of being a star. he and Clay, more minutes for Clay, less for him. It's not great for him. They're also Jonathan Cumminga and Poole are probably the future.

You've got to get them ramped up. They're not going to sit here and wait because Steph and Dremon, they're getting nicked up more and more. You go to the Warriors and you say, listen, Wiseman's a mess, will take him. Clay is getting in the way of the pool of Jordan Poole, will take him. You take Anthony Davis. He'll give you the requisite size you'll need to beat DeAndre Hayden. a Janus or an Embed.

Now, I got crushed for this, but there's something there, right? I think, to your point, Colin, the Lakers need to think creatively. And whether it's a context like that where maybe the Warriors say, no, we're not trading Clay Thompson. We're keeping the splash throws together.

We want three of them now with Jordan Poole. You can see them saying no. But for the Lakers standpoint, this is exactly what they should be going for. Get creative. Look for deals like a Chicago. Maybe they want to move off of Vouch, and Lonzo and picks, something like that.

Because for the L.A. here, you're not going to get much for Russell Westbrook unless you're giving up draft picks with him, the 2027 and 2029. So maybe it is moving AD who's always been hurt and hasn't been the same player since he was in the bubble. Okay, so let me throw this out there. If you did my Golden State move, because LeBron's always played great with shooters, and you did that. I'd have Clay Thompson. Forget Wiseman.

I'd have Clay Thompson. Then Westbrook to the Pacers for Buddy Heald, who you wanted to, anyway and Malcolm Brogden, who can play point when LeBron's hurt are on the bench, but can play the two. In one year, I would have Malcolm Brogden who can shoot, Clay Thompson who can shoot, and Buddy Heald who can shoot, and LeBron elevates shooters. That is what he is. That's why he in Westbrook don't work, because he can't finish the setup by LeBron off the ball. So again, these sound crazy, but my argument, everybody says, Anthony Davis is a perfect teammate for LeBron.

And I say, no, no, he's not. He and Kauai, the worst teammates. Because as LeBron ages, he needs shooters and healthy players. Kauai and AD are becoming LeBron. They're available about 55 nights a year. So what about this argument that AD is a perfect fit? I think increasingly, he and Kauai are the worst. kind of fits for LeBron?

He's a good fit, not the best fit. He's a good fit because he's one of the best defensive players in the world when he's healthy. He's an iffy fit because on offense, he's a shaky jump shooter, low 30% from mid-range and from three. And like the health factor is the biggest thing when you're talking about LeBron James is about to be entering, you know, the 20th year of his NBA career here. You know, he's nearing 40 years old for LeBron here.

Look, he needs guys who are healthy and can shoot. And I don't know about that Pacer's idea. I don't know if why Indiana wants Russell Westbrook, you better be giving up both first round draft picks in that scenario. But that's the type of deals

the Lakers need to be angling for his finding shooters. Okay, it's a great question. Here's why I give up picks. Because in 2022, they're 19 years old. LeBron doesn't want to play with those guys. I'd give up picks all day long.

This is L.A. It's not, again, it's not Sacramento. Stars want to play here. So I would, I mean, the Rams have not had a first round pick in six years. The Giants have had seven and they can't get it right. So to me,

you have to play to your market. Los Angeles, you can have all my picks, like the Yankees. So you're betting on essentially, like if you're the Lakers giving up that 27 and 29 first, you're betting on, oh, we'll get, you know, a star player at 2026, 27, 27 in free agency, like a Luca, that type of thing. You're betting on that. I mean, here's the way I look at it. 2027.

It's a long time away. People in L.A. got a beach. I got to hear it came for five years. So, I mean, my takeaway is I think other cities, and this is not a knock. Miami's the same way. They have aqua water. It's 78 in the winter. Pat Riley's a dealmaker because he knows these people have options.

I always argue if you have a beach, it's another pro team. It's another pro team. Like in Miami, it's like, they're under 500. Let's go to the beach. So, I mean, I hear this. The NBA people think I'm nuts on this. Draft picks for the heat and for the Lakers to me are just not as relevant. They can turn into something, though, because with Miami, you get a guy.

like a Tyler Hero who's about to win six man of the year, led the team in minutes off the bench. So draft picks do have value, but you need a hit on those. Like when Talen Horton Tucker, we talked about him as a steal for the Lakers. And then he dwindles this year, does not build on the success he's had in the past. They could have given him up for Kyle Lari

last year, never been in the mess where they had to make the Westbrook deal or feel like they had to make the Westbrook deal. So to your point, I mean, having picks and young players can be a great thing, but not always. And I think for the Lakers, I lean towards your side here that I'd be willing to give up those picks. Not only that about the future with signing the next star, you could lose LeBron after his son graduates high school and he might want to go back to Miami or go to a different team,

try a new organization, and then you lose a guy who's still putting up MVP production. People forget how amazing LeBron was late December, early January when 80 was first out. He was playing center and doing a good job at it. So I think with LeBron, you can't take for granted who he still is even at his age in the year he's in in his career and the Lakers should be urgent and using those picks to get what they need to do to build a championship roster around them. Who do you like in the final? I mean, I'm basic here with the sons and bucks. I just have a hard time picking against Janus. And Phoenix is by far the most complete team in the Western

Conference. Sell me on the Miami Heat. So BJ Armstrong yesterday, boy, he put the full court press on. They don't have a closer. So there's a difference. Bam and Jimmy Butler are great energizers, great players. They're not closers. And I know they got your PJs. You're Jay Tucker's, and I always trust Bolstra and Riley. They're brilliant guys. I just, there are, you know this to be true, our whole lives. There are teams built for the regular season.

It's often like the Cavs this year. Young, Phoenix, by the way. Great, no title yet. The minute you win a title, you take a few January games off. Sell me on the Miami Heat. So the Miami Heat would not be my finals pick, but if they are going to go all the way and I'm

selling you on them here, you're picking versatility, roster flexibility. A guy like Bametabio, who had he played more games, could have been the defensive player of the year. Tyler Hero coming off the bench, he is a spark plug for your team. You have these championship ingredients, never mind the top end of the roster with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lari. They have multiple shooters, Duncan Rominson, Max Struce. There's just so many different ways that they can beat you. They can kill you with dribble handoffs over and over with their shooters.

They can run high pick and roll. They can isolate. They can switch on defense or play more traditional coverage. It's just Spolstra has so many options on hand to use depending on the series. So it's really about how Miami can shape-shift who they are depending on the opponent or dictate matchups in their favor. It was fun last night. Oh, yeah.

That was a great time, wasn't it? Don't you love the play in? Yeah. Now, do you count those as playoffs? I think you have to change your. They should count as something. Yeah, like last night they said, well, Kyrie's great, but this doesn't count as a playoff.

Well, timeout. What timeout? So you're saying your play. playing in. But you have to, if you have to, you have to qualify to play in, you don't have to qualify to play in the regular season. You have a franchise. If you have to qualify for something, a college bowl game, well, then that's a bowl game. You have to qualify for the playing game. See, you come on this show, Kevin. There's a lot of stuff going on up here. So I feel those should be playoff games. They should count in your playoff stats. I think that's fair. How do you feel

about the in-season tournament? Should those count towards regular season? Because maybe playing, tack it in, tacking on the back end too. Do you have to qualify for that? You potentially Adam Silver proposed having, you know, you have group play games and then there's the four games that you might play to win the in season. Okay, then those count as playoff games. You're qualifying for them. Maybe it's a tournament section. Maybe you have regular season playoffs and tournament games, which is play in and in season.

I think the playing, I love to play and stuff. It's so fun. I thought it was so great last night. Who doesn't like single elimination? We just watch a great March madness. Exactly. And by the way, from the officiating to the coaching, to the minutes, to the stars being available, to the intensity. If you watch that, and I didn't tell you when it was, you'd be like, oh, this is a playoff game. 100%.

I mean, the intensity, never mind the crowd like we talked about. Oh, the crowd was nuts. Intense the whole game. It's going to, you know, I think we're going to see some good ones tonight, too, even though it's nine, 10 Cs. Yeah, I don't know. I may just go out and have chicken parmen beers. I'm not sure. I'll watch Atlanta a little bit.

We'll see. Kevin O'Connor, the ringer, NBA analyst for a long time. Great seeing you, man. Thank you, gone. Love having you in studio. Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Oh, Baker. What do you say? I haven't heard it. What do you say? Might be a good time to retire from the Internet for a couple months. Well, he spoke publicly for the first time about the Browns since the team brought into Sean Watson. He still doesn't know where he's playing next season,

but he made it very clear that he does not think the Browns treated him right during this transition. Okay. Honestly, I have no regrets of my. time in Cleveland of what I tried to give to that place. Right. And true Clevelanders and true Browns fans know, know that. I feel disrespected 100% because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That's what I'm in the middle of right now.

And you know what? Okay. I got my taste of it because I've had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators. I've had... Talk about the highs? They always come back. Mm-hmm. Ah.

That doesn't bother me. I mean, what a victim. Well, he did have a lot of, you know, it is Cleveland. There was some instability in fairness. Now, I do think he screwed up. I think what happened is the new regime came in and he made a couple of missteps and then they were just over it. I was told, I was told.

The regime that made the team functional and actually made us talk about them like they were a legitimate contender? I support Baker's first three years with Cleveland. I support his opinion there on that. The last year, you got the... It was the first two years. It was a disaster. Right, right. I agree with that.

But since Sopansky's gotten there, it's Sophancy's second year. This was his fourth year there. The draft well. The coach of the year. Yeah. That was the one year Baker actually had a respectable year. It's completely average quarterback

outside of that year. Yes, it has been dysfunctional there. That's what Cleveland is. So there's no big reveal here that they didn't handle this well. Well, one of the... the things Cleveland, you know, we always kind of roll our eyes at Westbrook's lack of self-awareness. The reason Johnny Manzell and Baker were dubious picks for Cleveland is because of your dysfunction,

the Brown's owners have no self-awareness that, hey, we better get somebody who can really handle some chaos because that's what we are. It's like Jared Goff actually works in Detroit because it's a... Yeah, that's his personality. It's an S show, and he never... He's really, he's not going to add to that. He will never add to it. So my takeaway is Johnny Mansell, the worst place he could have gone is Cleveland. If you put Baker or a Manzell in like New England, there may be limitations, but they're a better fit with a culture. So Cleveland lacked the foresight to understand as an owner. Listen, there's a lot of noise here. We can't get it right. Baker's a lot of chip on the shoulder. He's probably not perfect for our culture. That's where

to defend Baker, he went to a place that wasn't built for him. Now, now, in Oklahoma, which is stable rock stars, they can deal with some of his stuff because they have such an athletic and a historic and a money advantage on the Big 12. Yeah, Baker can get a little squirly with the Sooners. You know what? It'll work here. Lincoln Riley, high emotional discipline. That's also college. Yeah. Where Lincoln Riley is the face of the program. Oh, Oklahoma's going to find out they're going to miss him. Well, we also commented about being booed when he plays poorly. Oh, I want to hear that.

And here's what he said. Oh, I want to hear that. I would love to show up to somebody's cubicle and just booed the shit out of it. And see, and watch, watch them crumble. Okay, Baker. Well, people in cubicles don't make millions of dollars. They don't have 5011 progressive commercials. They don't sell T-shirts with their merch with their name on the back of them.

Yeah. There's a reason people cheers. and boo you, that's how it goes. Yeah, you got to get over that. You're the number one overall pick and the Heisman trophy winner. Can we drop the victimhood for five seconds? Yeah, no, you're probably right on that one.

You don't have a job right now. My thing is just a self-awareness thing. He's allowed to feel how he wants to feel, but he's not currently a quarterback somewhere. Like, this is what you do once you get the next job. I just don't know how big, like, how are you taking that if you're a Browns fan? Well, the key isn't the Browns anymore.

the key is the rest of the GMs. And that's, yes, what I'm saying? You aren't, you are not moved on from Cleveland right now. Who, by the way, doesn't know you anything. They have Deshawn Watson. So Cam Newton did something really interesting, and I'm not a fan of Cannes, but Cam got vaxed because he was on the market, no offers, and he wanted to send a message,

hey, I'm serious about this. Cam also, remember he did this and I defended him. Cam also started doing workout videos about a year or two years ago and showing you how hard he was working. and I'm like, this is already smart. It's been my knock on Kaepernick. Release videos. You haven't been leaked five years.

I want to see a video every week. Kaepernick went like three years. I never saw a video. Cam was like, I'm going to put it out there. I'm working my butt off. And New England's like, I like that. Cam got vaxed. It's like, oh, he's serious.

So, and Cam realized in both instances, I'm a little bit right now seeking employment. I'm interviewing while I work. work out. So Baker's in the interview process, and so when he does these pods, he should be thinking what can I say that would be attracted to Seattle? And

I think saying, I'd like to go and boo you at your cubicle, people are going to go, kid, get over it. I mean, you've got to get over that stuff. It doesn't feel what I would have said. I mean, not a, just just a crumb. Just a little crumb of self-awareness, just a crumb. I know. Well, I don't think he's as bad as you're

I'm okay with most of it. I wouldn't have. I'm not outrage. Don't get it confused. It's not changing my day. I just think it's fascinating that Baker, who couldn't tell us enough about all the things that he's overcoming in Cleveland, the whole time he was there, talking publicly about teammates, now it's the fan's fault for booing him. Like, what is this? What are you doing? You know, I would suggest if somebody could get Baker my phone and every time he's going to say something, text me. And I'll go, nope, wouldn't do that.

Yeah, that's okay, no. Yeah, these people exist. They're called publicists, and they're worth every penny. So Trevor Lawrence is getting a fresh start in his sophomore season with Doug Peterson as the Jags new head coach. And he believes the two will work very well together and are already off to a good start. I really like his demeanor. He's really, really calm. I mean, similar honestly to coach Bevel as far as demeanor, really calm, never gets too high or too low.

So I really like that. That's the type of guy I like to be around. Yeah. And then as far as just offensively, bring some different things to the table. Just think he's really smart. And being able to talk to him, I think we align pretty well. And we're on the same page. Now, not that Jacksonville was ever going to not pick Trevor Lawrence,

but to your point about picking someone that kind of lowers the temperature in a room at a mostly dysfunctional place. There you go. Trevor Lawrence gets a complete pass for me for last year. Whatever happened last year, as far as Trevor Lawrence goes, it never even happened. Has he ever at the point? podium not been A-plus-plus, every time. Just, just, again, being quarterback is not being running back. You got to fall on the sword. Your words matter more. They're more powerful. A-plus-plus at the podium.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do this year. They spent a lot of money. By the way, which I have no problem with. Let me throw this out. For all my misgivings on Tua, he's damn good at the podium. Oh, Tua's great. I mean, he's a great personality. Always, always says the world was crumbling around Tua. Always says the right. thing at the podium. I mean, he dealt with rumors about his job for half the season and never once missteps. He's good. Good at the podium.

So the Lakers didn't waste any time moving on from Frank Vogel after they failed to make the playoffs this season. A handful of candidates have already been mentioned in the coaching search. And according to Samma Amick of the athletic, LeBron is enthused by the idea of Mark Jackson getting the job.

You know, Mark last coached the Warriors for three seasons from 2011 to 2014. He had a 121, and 10 record with the Warriors and was 9 and 10 in the playoffs and a lot of people

give him credit for establishing the culture that Steve Kerr then came in and built on to I think he Van Gundy and Breene are great. No, he's amazing. That's my favorite

broadcast team on that network. A lot of them are nonsense. That's the best one over there. I love those guys. I think they're great. It's not that I don't think he would be, right? Ryan doesn't like when I say that stuff.

Why? Because I used to work there and I don't like to take shots, but they got, you know, whatever. That's the best broadcasting crew they have over there. Those guys are really good. I think he does an amazing job as well. I don't know what kind of magician that the Lakers are planning on bringing in here

to change what's going on. I mean, a good coach is going to need control of their roster, which doesn't seem to be the case. Probably some younger players to work with and develop. That's actually the thing that I would push back on Mark Jackson having the ability to come in and do this. And it's not a knock on Mark Jackson at all. what Mark had in Golden State was young players to develop and build in mold.

That's not the situation with the Lakers, certainly not with this roster. So unless you do a complete roster overhaul, what kind of culture are you actually allowing him to build? And is he going to have actual say over his personnel and his coaching staff and everything that coaches need to have to be successful? So Nick Nurse was rumored to be out there, and Quinn Snyder was rumored to be out there, and how come LeBron's camp didn't leak they were enthused about those two?

You know why? Because those guys have jobs. They're going to come in and get big, expensive, long contracts and have more power than Mark Jackson. That's my takeaway. It gets leaked. LeBron's very enthused. I'm not leaving a steady job in the booth for the Lakers unless I have full total power as the coach. And I can't be guaranteed.

Why does it bother you that I like those? I like Breen, Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson. Why does that bother you when I say that? I don't know if it bothers me as much as we were initially talking about his candidacy as a head coach and you immediately went to, he's a good broadcaster, which might tell you everything you need to know about him as a real coaching candidate right now. All right. That's fair. I thought you were upset.

His name comes up a lot in coaching. Yeah, I know Mark. I like him. I always liked him. I mean, he started that thing in Golden State. He didn't. He deserves credit for it. I just don't know how.

anybody, not just mark out, anyone's going to come into this situation and be able to turn it around with the dysfunction that's going on there. Listen, Ryan's been very uncertain of me in the last couple days. Ryan, I can't eat peanuts or drink wine. I'm off the rails. You're just going to have to own some of this stuff and deal with it. I'm just looking out for your well-being, Colin. All right.

Whatever. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed. We keep it 100. This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rice or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio 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'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 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, Untaxie. filtered 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 Cliverts 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what? went down and tried to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the AIDS. To be clear, 84 is 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, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years 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. 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. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have really. real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. CFOs that get it, get it, those that don't, don't.

Get one-of-a-kind financing netseweet.com slash h-E-R-D. So now tonight the playing games aren't nearly as good. It's San Antonio and the Pelicans. I'll take San Antonio. These teams are going to get whacked in the playoffs. Whoever wins. And then Atlanta plays who? Hornets.

I'll take Atlanta, I think. Yeah, I like Atlanta. Atlanta, that game will be fun to watch because I get Lamello and's Trey Young. Last night's games were great. They were. They were really good. Now, what's interesting in the West, we have a possibility of a Memphis, Minnesota series. So somebody's got to win that, and the average age on those teams is 24.

Yeah, there's going to be a lot of energy. The team's 24-year-old rosters don't win a lot of. the NBA. Memphis is weird. John Morant got hurt their star player. They went like 20 and 2 or something. They were better offensively. So I said, I rooted for Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.

I rooted for Darth Vader and the Joker. I like villains. So I watched Kevin Durant, and that's last night. And I'm like, yeah, I think they can get to the Eastern Conference finals. I don't know if they can, I don't think they'd beat Phoenix. I think, you know, they came within a foot on the three point line last year of beating Milwaukee in game seven. And now they have Kyrie Irving. And Ryan Rosillo agreed with me. Listen, you watch them last night. They make it look really easy.

I felt like towards the end of the season, I'm like, all right, how locked in are they defensively? But if you look at the last 15 games, Colin, they finished top 10 in offense and top 10 in defense. Durant almost carried this team past Milwaukee last year with missing basically two guys. You could say he was missing one and a half guys because Hardin was limited so much in that series as well. Durant is that special. I mean, this isn't breaking news. He's that kind of guy that I'm always going to be scared of, even if I'm not sure about the pieces around him. If Simmons comes back, his role is completely different, Colin. He's not asked to create offensively off the dribble and pull up or hit open shots. So if they have Simmons and he has no pressure on him and he's healthy

and conditioned enough to go here, yeah, I think they're a real threat in the east. There's no reason why not. So here we go. And then there was that weird situation during the game where somebody glued themselves to the floor as a protester. I thought that was the craziest thing. You know, would you think, like if I put Elmer's on the floor and stuck my wrist to it on a painted floor, my interpretation is that's not going to work. Yeah, I think the type of glue that you would need to actually glue yourself to the floor. Would be the infomercial glue. Yeah, or, you know, just something that would be very damaging to your skin. Yeah. And it needs some time to. But you've seen the glue. I don't feel like that protest was all the way.

thought through. It could have been some more effective ways. But I mean, what are you going to get into? What are you going to sneak into an NBA arena? You know, you got to think about that. Yeah. That's a good way to put it. I'm not going to give anybody any ideas.

But like just right now, I'm thinking if I were to do this. It'd be more. This is the barrier. This what keeps me from being a criminal. So I'm like, oh, if I were to do this, I would do it this way. It would be much more effective. Let's get back to that thing we talked about earlier because I think we were on to something.

What's up? You and Anne have the same birthday. My wife and Joy have the same. birthday. Seattle new affiliate KJR. A lot of stuff you're going to try to catch up on. So Joy and my wife for Capricorns are the same birthday. And it's literally like they're the same person. They're both spies. So I watch a movie with Anne. It is insane. She reads body language and clues. She's asked me questions before. And I'm just like, how do you, how did you, man, I'm more into me or something, so I don't, I can't see all these clues.

Well, I think women, you know, to take a little bit of the joke out of it, women in general, we have to be more aware of everything all the time. A lot just for safety surviving the earth things. Oh, that's a great point. So we pay attention naturally to more stuff. That's a great point. Like you just walk to your car. I have my keys out. I'm not looking at my phone.

I've got some, you know, a blunt object nearby. Like, you know. Boy, that is smart. We are just naturally more aware of things, which can also benefit us when we're being spies. I'm going to have to let that bake a little bit. I'm blown away by that. We'll see you tomorrow.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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, 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.