The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Jimmy Garoppolo, Chiefs-Niners, Matt LaFleur, & QB needs

Episode Date: January 21, 2020

Colin defends Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo while saying his critics can't see talent. He goes on to explain why he feels the 49ers will be beat the Chiefs, why the Packers have the wrong coach in Matt LaFleur, and what certain NFL teams should be willing to do to get a quarterback in the upcoming draft. Guests include Danny Kanell Joe Staley, Albert Breer, T. J. Houshmandzadeh, and Byron Scott. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Markeep coming to, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Herd. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. And a Tuesday. We're packed. Live in L.A., this is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening,

IHeartRadio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Oh, a week from today, we'll be on our second day in beautiful Miami. I have been scheduling cocktail parties. And dinners in Miami. And I tell you, when you tell these celebrities that you don't have time for them, it gets very emotional. Are you in high demands? I had to turn down a lot of celebrities. And I said, listen, it's uncomfortable listening to a celebrity cry.

But we are packed for all next week. We have a massive set. It's unbelievable. And Joy Taylor is joining me. I'm so excited for Miami. I'm very excited. I'm going to get to see some family, a lot of old friends. I was there for 10 years.

Are you going to wear, like, some tropical shirts? Oh, yeah. That's who I am. Because I have a whole Miami wardrobe plan, so get ready. I bet you do. So let me start about this. I don't think it's terribly difficult to spot talent. You know, American Idol.

Remember that great show that was on Fox? They dominated TV, domestic TV for about a decade. There's a reason they only gave people about 40 seconds to audition. That's about all you need. About 40 seconds, you can be lousy, lounge singer, could make a decent career out of it, or Carrie Underwood. It doesn't take much to figure it out. I'm not a big music guy. I sat there for years watching American Idol,

and you can just spot it sometimes in 15 seconds. Sometimes if they're awful, the first note. My wife used to be in the restaurant business, helped build some restaurants. She can walk into a restaurant, and I've said this before. I've been with my wife almost 15 years. She'll walk into a restaurant 90 seconds.

He's like, big hit, big miss, moderate success. Never been wrong. That's what she knows. Every scout I know likes Jimmy Garoppolo. 50% of the fans are struggling with it. Folks, he got to a Super Bowl. He carried this team in the middle of the season when they fell apart physically. I'm not a stat guy.

I'm an eye guy. Watch the games. But here's a stat for you. He is eighth in the NFL and passer rating. That's losing both of his offensive tackles this year, losing his all-world tight end. With so many young receivers they don't trust, they had to go get Emmanuel Sanders at the trading deadline.

in the toughest division in football with the most brutal gauntlet of a schedule the last two months, and he completed 69% of his throws and has the eighth best passer rating in football. Okay, there's your stat. Their schedule was brutal. The Packer's schedule was Cupcake City. Kansas City got schedule breaks.

Not San Francisco. It was brutal at the end of the year. By the way, Kyle Shanahan, we all admit, you're all saying this. Oh, Kyle Shanhan's the reason they're winning. He's 4 and 20 without Jimmy Garoppolo. He's 21 and 5 with him in San Francisco. Colin, that's not fair.

What coach can win without their star quarterback? I don't know. The Saints went 5 and 0 without Drew Breeze this year. The Eagles won a Super Bowl when Carson Wentz got hurt. Belichick went 11 and 5 without Tom Brady. And the Steelers on their fourth quarter. quarterback this year. We're in a playoff hunt. Week 16 and 17

went 8 and 8. Carolina without Cam was spitballing it for about week 12. You can win in this league with backups. You just can't win Super Bowls generally, but you can win with backups. Kyle Shanahan

is a brilliant coach. 4 and 20 without Jimmy Garapolo. What are you not seeing? I got down this rabbit hole last night was somebody, and he's, oh, Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins is a talented kid, but he's defined by shrinking in big spots.

Will he beat New Orleans? Yeah, even a crappy real estate agent can sell a nice house occasionally. We define Kirk Cousins by he kind of shrinks in big spots. Doesn't mean he can't win an occasional one. I want you to think about, remember, the Vikings were 13 and 3 with cases. Keenham. You can make the argument that Kirk Cousins, it's about to coach, the receivers, the roster, the defense. They were 13 and 3 before Kirk Cousins got to town. Okay. San Francisco, in the three years before Garapolo, two of those with Shanahan were

8 and 35. I don't know. Like, listen, they say studies have shown that 10 to 15 percent of people don't get sarcasm. They don't even get sarcasm. So I don't think it's crazy to think that 50 percent of can't figure out if a quarterback has it or not. But I can remember when it's not just about winning. I remember when Tebow went in a winning streak, and I worked at the other place. And I would go on the air and be like, are you people crazy?

This is not a franchise quarterback. I remember when Vince Young won. And I told people, are you people crazy? You can't win 15 years with Vince Young at quarterback. I remember watching Russell Wilson win his second year and going, oh, crap, we get another great quarterback. I don't think it's that hard. If you just go to wins, that's a little bit of a barometer,

but you can't do it solely on wins. because Tebow won and Vince Young won. Mark Sanchez won games. But I don't understand the Garoppolo stuff. Did people not watch the middle of the season? Okay, so San Francisco in the middle of the season lost both of their tackles, their Pro Bowl tackles. They lost Kittle.

They had injured receivers. They lost Kwan Alexander. D-4. They lost multiple people. They lost their Pro Bowl fullback. Garopolo had to carry them. And by the way, if you forget how tough their schedule was, I think people are forgetting how tough their schedule was.

The last eight games, here is who San Francisco faced. The Packers twice, Baltimore, New Orleans, the surging Falcons, Minnesota, Seattle, and a Rams team fighting for their playoff life. And Garoppolo completed 69% of his throws against that. That's the toughest eight-game stretch in the National Football League. What is everybody not seeing? Trent Dillfer yesterday on Jimmy G. You go back to the middle of the football season.

Jimmy G is the reason they won football games. They didn't win despite him. So just because he didn't have flashing numbers, doesn't minimize his impact on the 49er season. We judge a quarterback. You don't just judge it for a couple of games. You look at the entirety of the season. I think he's really had a great year,

and he's the right quarterback for this team. Yeah, I read these comments on, is it because he's good looking? just because he's got a great coach. All legendary quarterbacks have great coaches. What did Joe Montana do without Bill Walsh? What did Bradshaw do without Chuck Knoll? What did Aikman do without Jimmy Johnson?

Won a Super Bowl won with Barry Switzer and probably wanted to strangle him the whole time. What did Dan Fouts do without Eric Coriel? You don't think Andy Reid helps Patrick Baholmes? Of course, coaches matter. But if you can't spot Jimmy G's talent, you're the person that watched American Idol and sat there with somebody with a bad voice and were like,

I don't know, sounds like a superstar to me. Some people just can't see it. I don't think it's that hard. Let me shift to this. I like the Niners to win the Super Bowl. I think it's close. I think it's exciting. And I do think the lead up to the Super Bowl,

I think they played a much tougher schedule at the end of the year, San Francisco. Both teams are healthy. I like the fact they're coming in as an underdog. I like their defensive line better than Kansas City's D-line. and I actually like their offensive line better than Kansas City's offensive line. Obviously Mahomes is a superstar. Jimmy Garoppolo is super talented.

He's not Patrick Mahomes, but he's really talented. But the discussion is, and I think this does matter, when you have two teams that are both great and they're both really, really good. I mean, nobody's going to be surprised if the Niners win or if Kansas City wins. I like San Francisco by an inch. You know, that's how much I like them.

And again, it's mostly on line. play, not on anything else. I just, I feel I get a good enough quarterback and a great coach, and I have a big edge on the D line and actually a slight edge on the O line for San Francisco. But here's the other thing that I think can matter. I think teams do occasionally get tight. The pressure's on Kansas City, not because they're a favorite. Ask yourself this. What are the headlines the day after the Super Bowl if San Francisco loses. So let's create a headline. San Francisco loses to Kansas City. Here's the headline. Jimmy Garapo, no, but the future's still bright. Jimmy G's young, Shanahan's young.

Outside of Joe Staley, Richard Sherman, the team's young, the defensive lines all 25 years old and younger. George Kittles is young. It's a bunch of kids. This is the beginning of a rebuild in San Francisco that finally got the quarterback. This is a young roster. Again, outside of Richard Sherman and Joe Staley, Emmanuel Sanders, this story, they've already paid their quarterback. They've already paid their quarterback.

They don't have to worry about that. Now here's the headline if Kansas City loses. Read it and weep. Andy Reed, couldn't win the big game. What's going to happen now? We're paying Mahomes $44 million a year. You know, some of those veteran players, we just can't afford anymore.

Told you this wouldn't work. Andy doesn't develop running games. What are the headlines after this game? Narratives will start to cling to Andy and the Chiefs. There are no narratives here. There are no narratives. I mean, if Garoppolo loses to Patrick Mahomes, welcome to football for the next decade. Mahomes is going to beat virtually everybody.

He's going to beat everybody. Even the great quarterbacks he's going to mostly beat. even Travis Kelsey after the win talked about the narratives that are on the Chiefs. I love Coach Reed, man. He's definitely a part of the motivation. You know, we're sick of hearing what the media says about him, how he can't get the big one done. And you know what? We knocked one off the list, got the Lamar Hunt trophy back here in Kansas City for the Hunt family.

And, you know what? we still got one more to, one more goal to knock off the list. I do think when you wait two weeks for a game, you can come in tight, and I do think the pressure is more on Kansas City, may not decide the game. But when people are asking, and I'm reading and I'm hearing, you know, who's got a little feel where this is going to be a little tight? I think San Francisco can come in here with house money, play their butt off. They got three veteran guys.

They've paid their quarterback. Shanahan Garoppel are here forever. Young receivers are here forever. Kittle if he can stay healthy is here forever. The right tackle here forever. The Young Corner Witherspoon here forever. I think it's a different vibe leading up for San Francisco than I do Kansas City.

All right, coming up next, how about this? Joe Staley is going to be a Hall of Famer. Left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers. It's going to stop by our show. How cool is that? As I said just moments ago, I think the D line for San Francisco is a big story of the game. I think we're overlooking the offensive line, which manhandled Green Bay, and

most of the teams they played down the stretch. Joe Staley is around the corner for us. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise.

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follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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, Kear Gaines, as we have 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, mom, I'm a one. I want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet.

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

Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream of chicken suit.

This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, as a kid growing up, there were the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70s, the 49ers in the 80s, the Cowboys in the 90s, then the Dynasty of the New England Patriots. And when you live out in the West Coast, San Francisco Sports is so rich. The Warriors were great in the 70s, dormant for a long time, then exploded. And I really feel like the Niners were great, had a couple of rough years, went down,

and I think we're looking. We're on the precipice of something that's going to last for a long, long time. Very few veteran stars. We get lucky once in a while on this show, and we have Joe Staley, who's going to be a first ballot Hall of Fame or 13 years in this league. Half of them as a pro bowler. If you don't have a good left tackle, I don't care about the rest of your offensive line. It doesn't work.

He's great, joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network. You know, Joe, it's funny. Your Niner career is interesting. It was bumpy at first, then you get Harbaugh, and then after Jim, it gets bumpy, and now once again, you got it streamlined. When did you know, Joe, with Kyle Shanahan? When did you sense, like, this guy is high-end, he's smart, and this structure works. When did you know and sense it was going to click?

Well, just watching him throughout the league as he was a coordinator, I just really was interested in playing in a style of offense, and then getting the opportunity to have him here as a head coach and then meeting him face to face. And then he really just kind of sat down with me when he first got here, was just set his vision for this franchise and what he wanted to accomplish and how he was going to go about doing it. Him and John Lynch make a great pairing in front office and coaching staff

and the staff that he brought in. So it was pretty immediate as far as once I got to be around them, see how he sees the game of football and how he wanted to attack it and then built this franchise that I was really excited because at that point, like you said, I had gone through a lot of different coaching changes and a lot of down years in a row there after Harbaugh left. And, you know, I didn't know how many more years I had left in me of kind of doing a rebuild and, you know, football wasn't that much fun anymore. So, you know, Kyle, I get him a ton of credit of just reigniting that fire into me and just

happy I'm still here. You know, you got hurt this year, and I remember when Jimmy played Garoppolo was a patriot. And I kept saying on the air, I worked in another place, you people are nuts. This kid can play. Somebody go get Jimmy Garoppolo. There's like nine teams in the league that need a quarterback. And then San Francisco went out and got Jimmy G a few years ago. When did you know, I mean, again, you're watching them at practice every day.

You've had a lot of quarterbacks you played with. When did you know your epiphany like, this kid's different? We can get to a Super Bowl with him. It was, I mean, it's a cliche to kind of say it, but it was pretty immediate when he got here and just the kind of command, the natural command that he had in the huddle. You know, he had no idea about the offense. He had no idea about, you know, the play calling,

the intricacies of running Kyle Sanahan's scheme. But he just had a presence about him and the way he came to work every single day and the preparation that he put in. He just knew that this kid had something special. And then he got to be out there in the field in that 2017 year led us to five straight wins to end the season. So we had a lot of confidence going into 2018 year,

and then everybody knows about the injury that happened. But people really were fired up about him being our quarterback, pretty much the moment that he got here. You know, it's interesting. You were one of the young stars at left tackle in the first Super Bowl. You're now one of the few old stars at your position on this team. Did you prefer being the young star or the grizzles? veteran guys look up to?

Both are unique in their own ways. I'm really, you know, cherishing the moment of being an old veteran player on this roster. I think we have a lot of, you know, great leaders in this football team, and I'm privileged to be, you know, considered one of them. But, you know, I think each year kind of brings its own challenges. And this year was, you know, more so for me just because of the said, like the injuries that I had gone through this season.

and it was more about, you know, guys having to lift me up. And, you know, I was going through about, you know, six, eight weeks there where I was, you know, real down just the rehab process and wanted to be a part of the football team and be on the football field and not being able to be a part of that. And so, you know, trying to do what I could, behind the scenes and making sure that our, you know, young guys were ready. And also just the great leaders that we have in this football team like Sherman

and Buckner and Jimmy and Juice and, you know, Rahim and just across the board, you know, guys making sure. than I'm ready when my time came back. Listen, you at left tackle, you have to deal with the best pass rushers in the National Football League. You know, the Khalil Max are the guys that you have to face. So here's Nick Bosa. He's a kid.

He's a baby. He leaves college early. And, I mean, I don't recall. I covered Warren Sapp as a rookie in Tampa years ago in my media career years and years ago. He didn't look anything this good this early. Are you shocked? Nick as good a defensive line talent out of college as you've ever faced?

Yes, and it was pretty immediate as well. Typically there's a kind of a learning curve coming out of college and going to the NFL. It's for a defensive alignment. It's much more nuanced and it's not just about winning with athleticism or speed. And he completely skipped over that learning curve. It was pretty immediate from the first time I faced him in training camp as this kid was different. I think a lot of that has to do with his family, his older brother, teaching him and his dad teaching him at a young age

about the nuances of defensive line play and pass rush and how to use your hips, how to use your hands, and obviously he's super talented physically and all the athleticism in the world, but he has a real knowledge-based rush plan through his game that he uses every single day and an extremely hard worker. So when you pair those two things together, along with the crazy athleticism and natural talent,

you're going to get what you get. And it was actually kind of relieving for me once we got to the regular season because of the battles that we had in training camp. And I was kind of starting to a little creep in my mind and starting to go, maybe you don't have it anymore. He's kind of getting old. And this young guy coming out of college is working a little bit in training camp. But it was kind of relieving to be able to see that he was doing it to every single person that he faced this year.

And what a special talent. Well, you are as well, Joe. By the way, I got to show this video. You were a sprinter in high school. You were a track and field star. Not many guys who are 6, 6, 3, 15, or whatever you are, are high school track and field stars. I was told we have a piece of video of you lead blocking for Alex Smith against the Saints in 2012.

So this will verify it. I want to watch this because I want to, oh, good God, that is you. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Now, can you still put him up, pick him up and put him down that much? Are you still that fast? Yeah, not as. frequent and not as consistent as it once was.

But also, when I wasn't 310 pounds when I was in high school, I was about 205, 210, so I was a lot leaner. Believe it or not, I actually played a receiver in high school, kind of receiver tight-end combo and then got recruited to Central as a 220-pound tight end and then just kept on growing. So I played my first game at tackle about 245. I kind of had quite the journey to get here. Well, the Niners don't need you to play tight-in.

anymore. You guys have a guy killed. He's pretty talented guy. So I think you're safe staying at tackle. Joe, you're an all-time great. You're going to be a Hall of Famer and good luck to you on Super Bowl Sunday. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. You bet. Joe Staley. Can you imagine that?

You know, it is amazing. J.J. Watt story is the same. Wisconsin, you know, they recruit J.J. Watt and he's this skinny tall kid and all of a sudden, like two years later, he goes in the weight room, puts on 45 pounds. Like, JJ Watt was a no-star recruits. And then his brother comes up

and everybody's like, no, no, no, no. His brother looks just like JJ. T.J. Watt, who's a monster for the Steelers. Men grow a lot in that year between your senior year until about your third year of college. Seven inches. High school. My junior year in high school, I have my driver's license

in my senior year. I left my junior year. I was a tiny little point guard. I came back for my senior year and I quarterback my high school team. Yeah. I grew seven inches. My brother grew two inches in college

and I think he put on 60 pounds. So yeah, you could be two different people in that year. So you can definitely change positions in the football field. Good stuff with Joe Staley, Joy, Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, you know, this is kind of interesting.

Who is Joe Montana going to root for in this Super Bowl? Oh, he's a nineer. He's in such a pickle. I don't know. He played for both teams, 49ers and the Chiefs in his career, and he's having a hard time choosing between the two for Super Bowl 54. He said it's hard to pick between. We live here in San Francisco, so there's a little bit of a different field.

just because you don't have that touch with Kansas City all the time, but there's a place in my heart for them both. Kansas City was so good and accepting of us coming in there. It's not easy, and there's a lot of expectation. But like my wife, Jen says, I'm guaranteed my team will win. He also grew up in Pittsburgh. So he said he tried to go to the Steelers before he went to Kansas City also. Look at the brands he was with.

He grew up in Pittsburgh with the Steelers. He went to Notre Dame. He then goes to Bill Walsh in the Niners, then to Kansas City. Those are pretty good football brands. Well, I mean, many still consider Joe Montana to be the greatest quarterback of all time. I mean, I think most of us collectively have kind of given that to Tom Brady. But, you know, depending on how connected you were to Joe Montana, you may still feel that way. But he's going to be all over the Super Bowl, I'm sure.

That's just a hard spot to be in because I'm sure he does have a lot of loyalty to both teams. So he's good. Just play it right down the middle. Both of my team, one of my teams guaranteed to win. And then, you know, he's not getting any fan base against him. So years ago, I'm in Seattle. I'm at staying with, I'm at the four seasons downtown in Seattle. And I'm sitting there with a coffee in the morning, waiting for my wife to come down.

And Joe Montana walks through the lobby. And he's like, hey. And I'm like, hey, we sat there. His son was playing for the Huskies. We sat there for 15 minutes. He is, Joe is such a nice guy. There is no errors about him. There was nobody around him.

He walked down the elevator by himself in Seattle, didn't have sunglasses and a hat. He was just Joe Montana. And he just sat there and we just talked for 15 minutes. You're not going to meet many guys. better than Joe Montana. He's a great guy. You know, ironically, Jerry Rice is kind of the same way when it comes to that. He has no arrogance about him. Talk to anybody anytime. I've tried many times to get him to admit he's the goat. He will not do it. He's just, he's not going to touch it. He's the exact same way. So Tom Brady has represented the AFC and the Super Bowl for the last

three seasons. Obviously, this year it's Patrick Mahomes. And Mahomes has also taken the top spot from Brady as the NFL's highest seller of licensed merchandise. Brady was in first place during the first sales return between March and August, but Mahomes came out top through November. You then have Ezekiel Elliott number three, Baker Mayfield, number four. It's a bunch of kids and an old guy. O'Dell, Khalil, Aaron Rogers, Dak Prescott, Sequin and Juju, Smith, Schuster. Yeah, I mean, Aaron Rogers, I wouldn't consider a young guy, but I wouldn't, he's not in Tom Brady's category.

But, yeah, this always surprises me. I'm like, how much Tom Brady merchandise do you need? I think he's segue joy into iconic. Like everybody now is like, you got to get your Brady jersey. Like, same with Aaron Rogers. Aaron's a Hall of Famer. Aaron, I think, I'm surprised actually Drew Breeze isn't on that. This year, yeah, I am actually spies.

I think Rogers, Hall of Famer, Breeze, Brady, you get to a, like, at the end of Farb's career. Oh, God, I got to buy a Brett Farb jersey. Right, but, like, how many Brett Farb jerseys do you need? I don't know. I don't know how many Tom Brady, like, you know, hats. Can you get your hands? on. I don't know. It's, it always surprises me just because he's played for so long that he's still at the

very top of this list every year. Finally, Patrick Mahomes has been incredible through the Chief's playoff run, and when he suits up for Super Bowl 54, he will be the fifth youngest quarterback to ever start in this game. Damarino, Ben Rathesberger, David Woodley, and Jared Gough are the only quarterbacks who have started the Super Bowl

when they were younger than Mahomes. None of them fared very well, except for Ben Rathesberger, who was the only one to win his Super Bowl, but he did have the lowest pass rating for winning quarterback in Super Bowl history. So managed to get that done by the rest of the team.

Didn't really rely on Ben in that Super Bowl. But I think it's interesting about this narrative because, you know, obviously it hasn't worked out for any of the younger quarterbacks in this game. Patrick Mahomes actually has more starts than Jimmy Garoppolo. So Jimmy Garoppolo is 28. Patrick Mahomets is 24. Patrick has 35 starts to Jimmy Garoppel is 28.

So technically, Jimmy is the lower of their experience in this game. Also, Jimmy G. got a sit for a couple years. Patrick got a sit. First of all, they're both very lucky. They've had great coaching. Right. I mean, Belichick, Shanahan, Andy Reed.

I know, you know, Lamar Jackson gets Harbaugh. You know, Russell Wilson gets Pete Carroll. Jimmy G. gets Kyle Shanahan. There's, you know, say what you want about Mike McCarthy. That's a pretty good first coach in the NFL for Aaron Ryan. I think sometimes we undervalue. Josh Allen has Sean McDermott in Buffalo. You and I both said this all year.

That's a well-coached football team. He's definitely a candidate for coach the year. Mahomes is good enough. He's the rare player that's good enough to overcome an average coach. But most great quarterback, and almost all, I can't think of any. I can't think of a quarterback that has had a great career. A great career that hasn't had a good coach for most of their career. No.

Marino had Jimmy Johnson and Shula. Elway had Shanahan. I mean, to think of one. Because it's also too much of a team game. Right, right. We know that LeBron can go to an organization and overcome average coaching because that's a different sport. There's too many moving parts in football to overcome an average or lower level coach if you're

going, even if you are a great talent because you don't control the other side of the ball. You don't have any say over special teams. You can't bring in the players that you need to have around you. Like there's so many things to go into being a successful NFL quarterback. If you don't have a great coach, you're up against it. but we are getting two young quarterbacks in this game. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. So Kobe Bryant said something yesterday. I watched the Lakers last night. 80 didn't play. Boston was hot. LeBron struggled. They got the, you know what, kicked out of him.

It happens. It's the NBA. It was Boston's night at home. Lakers. LeBron went and saw his son play earlier in the day. Maybe not focused. Who knows? LeBron had a rare night where he stunk. I mean, by LeBron's standards,

not by anybody else's standards. He had 13 assists and about 15 points. Kobe Bryant was talking about LeBron James the other day, and there's this sense, and I do think Kobe sometimes rolls his eyes at LeBron's race to social media. He grew up in a different generation. And I do think LeBron kind of looks at Kobe

and thinks I'm better than you, even though people like you hear more. I don't think they're ever going to be best friends, but Kobe came out and said, you know, when LeBron came to L.A., he's now a Laker. He's part of a brotherhood, part of our fraternity. We should embrace him. Appreciate this guy.

celebrate what he's done because it's truly remarkable. Here's what's funny. I live in Los Angeles. LeBron doesn't feel like a Laker. Kobe does. Magic and Kareem and Riley. And LeBron feels like the new NBA, which is he moved here for business and basketball decisions,

but he doesn't feel like a Miami Heat. He feels like a cavalier. When I think of the Lakers, I think of their announcer, Chick-Kherne, the late Chick-Hurne. I think of Kobe. I think of Magic. I think of James Worthy.

I think of Jerry West. I think of Gail Goodrich. I don't think of LeBron. He came here for business. Part of his business was basketball. That is not a downside. But I don't think Kevin Durant feels like a warrior. Rick Berry does.

Steph does. Clay does. The NBA, and I got into this conversation the other day with a friend, and he asked, why are the NBA ratings down? I like the NBA. And I said, so do I. The players are good guys. I said, but it's different.

The NFL does a very good job to create a sense of community. The franchise tag. NFL owners did that because even if you're a great quarterback and your contract is done, I can keep you around for a couple years. It's a sense that Mahomes, he's not a great quarterback. He's a chief. And Aaron's a Packer. And Ben's a Steeler.

And Rivers was a charger. And Breeze is a saint. And they don't even come up. The NBA empowers the individual. It is more of a me league over a Wii League. And I have supported all NBA stars. I've moved around. I would be an utter complete hypocrite

to not defend professional mobility. The downside to it is you sometimes feel disengaged. When you move around for better jobs in your life, and I don't think LeBron feels like a Laker. I think he feels like a really talented superstar basketball player that currently lives and plays in Los Angeles.

I think it's one of the strengths in the NFL where people are loyal to brands. There are multiple great brands. The Bears are a great brand. The Packers are a great brand. The Cowboys, the Eagles, the Saints. There's great branding. In the NBA, Lakers are a big brand, kind of the Celtics.

And then it's about the dude, the star, who is always ready to pack his bags. That's why you have a handful of NBA players who are absurdly rich. And most NFL guys, Mahomes will be very rare, hit the lottery. Look at the Lakers today, though. Frank Vogel, LeBron, Danny Green, A.D. Rondo. It doesn't feel like Lakers. It feels like rented parts. You cross your fingers.

Hope they're healthy, late, and win a title. It's not a knock on the current players. It is a reality of the current NBA business model. It doesn't feel like community. It feels like the empowerment of individual stars. They get rich. I'm not sure big picture. It helps the sport.

Coming up next, Danny Cannell, I don't get Danny enough in my life. He is always very outspoken. The former NFL quarterback will join us. His thoughts on the Super Bowl matchup. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed. a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions

everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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. Trip 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, Kear Gaines, is we have 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 Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes,

hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that.

I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian.

I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit.

Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, it's great to have you in.

I haven't talked to Danny Connell in a while, played in the NFL for six years. He and I disagree a lot, but I always find him to be fascinating. He was on first things first this morning. He's terrific. Joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network brought to you by Mercedes-Benz,

the best or nothing. Okay, I'm tired of defending Jimmy G. Kyle Shanahan was 4 and 20 without him, and he's 21 and 5 with him. You know, I don't think he's far, I don't think he's Mahomes. but I do think he's a notch above a DAC and a Kirk Cousins. What say you?

Yeah, I think that's a pretty accurate assessment. He's not a greatest of all time yet. Those two guys you mention him, I think, are in that conversation for top 10 quarterbacks in the history of the game. But I don't really get the criticism of Jimmy Garapolo going into this game. I guess I understand because he was only asked to throw it eight times in the NFC championship game. But why is it a knock against him if in the playoffs his team is, able to completely dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides, and they have the luxury of

not relying on their quarterback to have to throw it 40 times. I think that's a good problem to have. But what I've seen from Jimmy Garoppolo, three times this season, he's been over 300 yards passing. Twice of those came against the Arizona Cardinals. I would throw those aside. But his most impressive performance is the game that he had against New Orleans Saints. That was, you know, two of the top teams in the NFC were squaring off. He's going against a Hall of Famer. and Drew Breeze. He had to go into a hostile environment against a really good Saints defense.

And what do he do? He went toe to toe with the Hall of Famer and put up 48 points and beat him, by the way. Yeah. But most impressive, more than the four touchdowns and then one interception, Colin, was the last drive of the game when he stepped on the field.

If you watched him, he looked like he belonged. And he was not overwhelmed by the moment and said he was cool, calm, drove his team right down the field for the win. I think he's more than capable of winning this game for the 49ers. You know, it's interesting. I want to talk.

I'm going to get to Kansas City in a second, but it's interesting. I think the Green Bay Packers, listen, Tennessee loses and we're all like, I get it. Baltimore lost in the playoffs, and we're like, okay, they're young. New England loses. We're like, well, they're old. Green Bay loses. I still don't know if Matt LaFlewer is great. Offensive numbers came down from McCarthy.

But I think you and I may agree on this. Aaron Rogers generally avoids criticism. The State Farm commercials, the good looks, the ring. I said yesterday, I think Aaron's a bailer. I think he bails on plays, bails on teammates, bales on throws, bailed on a coach. His road record is abysmal compared to his contemporaries. And I think some of it is the road is hard. That's why Russell Wilson's a great road quarterback.

He is just a fighter to the last play. Is my criticism unfair of Aaron? No, I don't think it is. I am on board with you on this one. And at 36 years old, I think Aaron Rogers has to do some self-evaluation. And look at his, not his style of play because he's insanely talented. He can still make all the throws. But in his style of leadership, and I think Aaron Rogers, you've heard some rumblings from his teammates.

Some guys have defended him. And that's great. But you have heard some teammates say, well, you know, that's the smartest guy in the room and he's not afraid to let you know it. And it's never Aaron's fault. And I thought on full display, when adversity strikes, that's when you as a franchise quarterback and somebody who is considered one of the best to ever play, that's when you have to inspire your teammates. And it's not fun, but that is your job. And for Aaron Rogers to pretty much have an attitude of indifference throughout the first half and the body language, and I'm not a huge body language guy. but it can permeate on the sideline. And by the time he got his game turned around, it was too late. And I saw the play where he fumbled the snap and he walked away from it.

Did not even make one iota of effort towards the ball. Didn't even yell at anybody to alert his lineman that the ball was on the ground. I was astounded. I'm like, that's the way a quarterback reacts in practice, not in the NFC championship game. And I was catching a little bit of heat of it from some critics saying,

no, no, no, there was no chance he got the ball. and I was with Trent Green and Steve Burline, two guys who played a long time in the NFL and I said, am I crazy on this? Or should Aaron at least have dove and tried to get on the ball? And they were like, absolutely. And even if you don't have a chance to get on the ball, at least you show your teammates.

I'm willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win. So I thought that was a really negative message. Kind of the body language, the lack of effort, the indifference was an alarming sign for Aaron Rogers. And I think he needs to do some self-reflection or he'll be the most underutilized piece of talent that's ever played the quarterback position with only one Super Bowl to show for it.

It's interesting. I've known people through the years that have a relationship with Aaron and he'll just ghost you if you push back and criticize him. He doesn't like discomfort. He can be passive aggressive. It's his personality. He'll drop you as a friend if you criticize him. And I think that creates sort of an aloofness

and a shield around him. And I've been saying this for years. I don't doubt he's a Hall of Famer. I don't think he's a great leader. I think Russell Wilson is, and I think his lack of leadership for Aaron is starting to show in his road record where it's really hard to win. Okay, let's go to Kansas City. We've got about three minutes left. Do you sense, though, Mahomes and Reed, it feels like there is a little pressure the Andy Reid can't win narrative.

The Mahomes is the best of the two quarterbacks. They've got the pressure on them, right? Yeah, it's not even close. I mean, when you hear Travis Kelsey after the NFC championship game, reference Andy Reid's playoff history and the knock against him. They are aware of what it would mean for Andy Reed to win a Super Bowl.

So I do think it is firmly there. I mean, Kyle Shanhan is still a baby in the coaching circles. You know, he's got a young quarterback, too. Even John Lynch have this contract. They're going to be together. I think they expect they're going to be back. And so do the Chiefs.

But for Andy Reed specifically, look at what it would do for his resume, his Hall of Fame legacy. If he wins this Super Bowl, I think he's a lock to get in the Hall of Fame. If he comes up short, it's a much longer road for him to get in. And he'd probably have to coach another 10 years and add to the total win total. So that's where I think it's a massive importance for them to win. I have a take for you that I think you might like because

I think the Kansas City Chiefs are similar to the Golden State Warriors when they started their dynasty. They're a young team. I think Patrick Mahomes is similar to Steph Curry, the way he's changing the way the game is played. They're fun. They're incredibly an offensive juggernaut. and yet they're better defensively than people give them credit for. And they will make some mistakes, which the Warriors did early and throughout while they're embarrassing people, they'll have turnovers. And they always had the confidence they could win. And similar to the Warriors, I do think the Chiefs are about to go on a run where they get

multiple Super Bowls. Yeah, no, no, Danny, I think the Warriors take is one that we've talked about. Mahomes feels like he's kind of changing the parameters on what a quarterback can do. I mean, I liked Andrew Luck. He didn't look like this. Good stuff. Danny Connell. Love having you on the show, buddy. Thanks. Anytime you want to come on, just tell us. All right. Next time I want to do it in L.A., though. All right. Good for us. Danny Connell, who I've known for years. That was one of the guys I got

told our management. Get on the phone and get Danny Connell over here. He just drives people nuts. I love him. You ever notice I like all the people that people consider annoying? I love Nick, McIntyre, Gottlieb. Well, we root for chaos. I root for chaos. I root for people that create chaos. Except, Joe, I don't want chaos from the Heard Line desk. You don't create chaos. I try not to. No. I think I'm pretty low maintenance.

I think you're very low maintenance. Thank you. I mean, you have a birthday every year we have to celebrate. We do have to do that. You must be very excited for Miami. You're a Miami? I can't wait. Because I think of you as a Miami girl.

Yes. I mean, I grew up in Pittsburgh. I was like, yes. I mean, it's like my second home was there before I came here. And it's going to be a great time. And Miami is an event city. So everything is going to be top of the line. And it's, you want chaos.

It's going to be Miami. Here's a word I don't use much. For one week, I am going to be lit. The only way to do it. That was just an embarrassing moment in the history of my feeble career. Hour two in L.A. next. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app.

Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise.

Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action. with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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.

suit 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. Join me. Kier Gains is 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Brett. My mama want you to weigh better.

What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help!

Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian.

I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream of chicken soup. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know.

Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura podcast network available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here we go, hour two live in Los Angeles. This is The Heard. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. baggy shirt today. I never wear button downs, but I'm going cash this week until I go uptown in Miami. I'm going cash. I never wear button down shirts. I'm starting to get concerned. Next week. Is it going to be a Red Bull week? Oh, no, no, I'm telling you right now. I don't even know how I'm getting back from Miami yet. I haven't told you that. We have no flight. I can't.

You need to help calling out. We've got to make sure he gets back, so I'm not doing the show by myself. Anybody have a Gulfstream or a private 747? We're not joking. We got to get a call back. I have no idea. I'll say, though, if you haven't had Cuban coffee. Oh, I have. Oh, Cuban coffee's great. I can't wait. So I lived in Tampa, not to bore you folks, but I lived in Tampa for a couple years, huge Cuban community. I love the food.

The food's Cuban sandwiches, red rice and beans, the Cuban coffee. I'm going to smoke a cigar next week. And I haven't smoked a cigar in 15 years. 15 years? Yeah. I had my son. I'm like, I got to get out of that cigar thing. Were you like a steady cigar smoker?

Once a week. Oh, okay. Once a week. So that was like something to quit. I played golf back then, too. I'll probably have a cigar next week, too. All right. But I smoke a cigar like once a month.

Next week's show, sponsored by lit. Okay, let me start the hour with this. Okay, so, you know, there's a lot of, I've been very critical of Aaron Rogers. And, you know, I mean, they're cheeseheads. You know, middle of the country. You're mean, you're a coastal guy. You hate Aaron. No, I don't.

I think Aaron can be condescending. I think Danny Cannell points out what I point out. I don't think he's a great leader. I think he's a great player. He's Jay Cutler with way more talent. Doesn't get along with all those teammates. Condescending aloof, and I think he's a bailer as a person. He bails on friends.

He bails on teammates. He bails on coaches. He bails on plays. But here's the thing about Aaron Rogers. Are we sure Matt LaFleur can coach? Tennessee's offense got better without him. Now, you can say that's Ryan Tannahill. Green Bay's got slightly worse with him.

Well, it's a new system. even though I disagree in both cases, I'll just give you those. Here's what concerns me. Green Bay was a lousy second half offense. With Aaron Rogers, they were 26th in the league in fourth quarter scoring. And they weren't a bunch of close games. They needed points. They were 13th in second half scoring.

26th in the fourth. Seattle, Seattle, down three offensive linemen and three. running backs. I mean, Seattle was on a third string center, outscored him 20 to 7 at Lambo. So is that not concerning? Aaron Rogers was outgained this year. What? They didn't have a tough schedule. And they played several awful defenses. They got a ton of yards on the lousy cowboy defense, a ton of yards on a lousy raider defense. They got a lot of yards on a Kansas City defense at the time that was all banged up. Isn't that concerning? Here's what I worry about

Matt LaFleur. So the first thing I look at when you hire a new offensive coach, do you get a pop? Sean Payton's first year in New Orleans, NFC championship, pop. Andy Reid's first year in Kansas City, two and 14 to 11 and 5, pop. Now those are legends, but a great offensive coach, Sean McVeigh to the Rams, pop. I got a good. I got a no pop from him this year. Historically, even Chip Kelly, who you criticize, Philadelphia with backup quarterbacks, you got a pop. Kyle Shanahan didn't win a lot of games, but go back to his first two years when he had,

was it Nick Mullins? And we were all saying on the air, how's George Kittalo was this open? How are they competing against anybody with Nick Mullins at quarterback? They looked clever. I got an initial schematic IQ pop. I didn't get that this year. First thing that worries me. The second thing is with great offensive coaches.

They give you all the great ones give you a pop. It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Rams McVeigh, whoa, whoa, Chip Kelly, Andy Reed, Sean Payton. Matt Nagy, by the way, in Chicago, I had that written down. Remember Nagy? First year, we would go on the air regularly and say, It's a bunch of smoking mirrors with Trabiski, but it's damn fun to watch. It doesn't look like anybody else's offense.

By the way, Bruce Ariens came to Tampa this year. James Winston, a lot of picks, but good Lord, that offense was all sorts of dizzying throws. I got no pop. Here's the second thing. Defensive coordinators never figure out the great offensive minds. Nobody's ever figured out any read. Belichick still can't figure him out. Nobody's figured out Sean Payton.

Drew Breeze got hurt. I'm 5-0 with Bridgewater. Nobody's figured out Bill Walsh. Nobody figured out Kyle Shanahan. He was good at every stop. You don't figure out great offensive people because great offensive people tend to be very cerebral. They're revolvers, their adapters, they're constantly scheming, staying ahead of defense. But here's the other part. I not only didn't get a pop from LeFluur's offense, people started figuring it out. They were a bad second. half team. People figured out off the script. And in their last four games, Green Bay scored 2021, 23, and 20. That's with Aaron Rogers. The offense second halves later in the year, people started to figure it out. So, ah, we can blame Aaron for everything. This was a guy that went to Tennessee. They were like 23rd in the league offensively. He took over. They went to 25th. Mario to Pre, Mario to With. So forget the Tannahill thing. I just saw two things this year

that I think are problematic. I got no pop with Aaron Rogers, who's a smart guy who can pick up playbooks quick. And I also think teams started figuring them out at half and figuring them out, figuring them out Green Bay in the second, third, fourth quadrant of the season.

So I think it's, I don't know, if he's the right guy. I just don't know. I think they had a very easy schedule this year and got a ton of breaks with their health and their schedule. Let me shift to this. So there was a story yesterday

on another sports network that the Bengals are picking Joe Burrell. They're not moving the pick. And the Bengals came out to their website. They played it safe and said, that's not true. We have not have, we don't have our first real evaluation of Joe Burrow. We watched them on TV. He's very good.

We haven't done the evaluation process. We haven't really made the deep dive on Joe Burrow, and we may possibly trade it. I don't think they will. Historically, Cincinnati plays it safe with their top picks. But there was another story out yesterday that shows why the New England Patriots, and I know we all want to bury him, but it's a 20-year dynasty. Remember when they got Jimmy Garapolo? They sent him to San Francisco for a second round pick.

Do you realize they got four players and two more picks? with that second round pick. So they got all sorts of stuff for Jimmy Garoppolo. Because New England, and they do this as well as anybody, Philadelphia is good at this. They manipulate other teams in the draft. So they got one pick for Jimmy Garoppelow and turned it into a running back, a linebacker, and a couple more picks.

Damien Harris, Jared Stidham the backup. Joe Juan Williams, the defensive back from Vanderbilt. He's going to be a starter. Christian Sam a lineback. Four players, two picks. Six out of one. this is what the draft is for. The draft is to manipulate good picks to get more picks.

Okay, there's no reason to pay a fortune for first-round picks. You're better off having about the 12th to the 32nd because the money comes down and, you know, the top 10 picks, you're paying a fortune for guys. You don't know if they can play. Half those guys don't can't play. Cincinnati, in my opinion, should trade the pick. I don't think Joe Burrow is any guarantee that he's going to be a great player, especially in a division where you have the Rooney family.

The Ravens are brilliantly coached and run. The Steelers are. Cleveland say what you want, but I think their defensive personnel is out of this world. It's not about Baker and OBJ. I think their defensive personnel is really good, going to get better. But I'll give you a prime example of a team that I think would almost be bordering on negligence. Now, I do think if Cincinnati does the evaluation, and their scouts, say Burroughs a star, then draft him.

You know, Andy Dalton, we're all tired of it. But I'll tell you a team that would almost be negligent if they didn't manipulate their pick is the New York Giants. So the Bingles may just say, we need a quarterback. I get it. Washington has a quarterback. They're going to take Chase Young. He's a great player.

The second, Detroit has a quarterback. They also need defensive help badly. And there's an Ohio State corner everybody likes. but the Giants are in a rare spot. They don't need a quarterback. They don't need a quarterback. They've got theirs on a rookie deal. And the two teams after them, three actually,

Miami, a Chargers, Carolina, they all need quarterbacks. So you've got two quarterbacks left. You've got three teams that need a quarterback. They are all knocking on that door. You rarely get in a situation where there's a handful of game-changing quarterbacks. All the teams right after you in the draft need it. You don't need it. And frankly, the teams above you, only one of them needs it.

This could be a massive draft for the New York Giants. They are in the sweet spot in the draft. The sweet spot in the draft's generally not the number one, unless Peyton Manning's coming out of college or Dan Marino. The Giants have the best draft pick available. Got our quarterback. Everybody around us needs a quarterback. There's a bunch of viable college quarterbacks.

The league's never been more into quarterbacks. And we need lots of defensive help. So I think there are times the Patriots getting six players out of Jimmy Garapolo is how you do it. We initially thought, yeah, they got nothing for this. They got six players, couple draft picks, four different players. that's how you do the draft. I don't think Cincinnati has the guts to move off the Ohio Kid Joe Burrow. The Giants, I would be on the phone now.

I'd be working it until five minutes before my pick. I think they have an opportunity of a lifetime to move it and get multiple pieces to solve that defense. Giants' offense, I think will be fine. Solve that defense. All right, that's coming up. Also around the corner, Albert Breer, Byron Scott, the former Laker head coach,

going to be stopping by anybody see last night what Oklahoma City? did to Houston. Houston's in the tank in Oklahoma City. We don't talk about them and probably won't. Are they one of the stories of the year in the NBA last night? That team's winning basketball games. Chris Paul's having an unbelievable year. He's babysitting those guys

on the way to the game, but God, is Chris Paul having a year? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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, Kear Gaines, is 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me.

I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope I'm a Hypocrite. I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice, known to man.

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

available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're headed to Miami, starting Monday The Herd and all of our FS1 shows will be like. Live at Luma's Park on South Beach as we get ready for Super Bowl 54. We'll have great guests, wall-to-wall coverage, giveaways, and a whole lot more. FS1 Super Bowl Week live from Miami is only six days away.

Look at that. I'm going skiing this weekend. Then I'm going to Miami. Mountain to the beach. It's a crazy week. Take some vitamins. You're right. John, what was I here?

That snarky? Real tough life you got out there, huh? No. By the way, for all the Jimmy Garof. critics out there. It's funny. Quarterback is a position of questions more than answers. Just think about this. If I gave you the top seven or eight quarterbacks in the league, Mahomes and Russell Wilson are about the only two guys right now playing that I have no questions about. I get the leadership. I get the brains. I get the talent. I get the arm. I get the athletic ability.

After that, Breeze and Brady, a little too old. I mean, look it behind me. So I'll go left to right on the TV dial here, okay? Breeze. Old? Doesn't hold the ball down the field anymore. Lamar at this point playing way better playing ahead than playing from behind. There's a style he needs. Brady's old. Wence gets hurt a lot and can be erratic as a thrower. Deshawn Watson, I would say not a natural thrower, tends to hold the ball a little long, puts himself in the crosshair sometimes of getting hit.

Aaron Rogers, I think he's a mediocre leader. I think he's a great talent. He's had two surgeries. I'm not as big on Rogers as everybody else is. I think this weekend, the body language, the first half, tells you a little bit about what I crow about with Aaron Rogers for years. Let's go back to the quarterbacks. And then after you get about to 8 and 9,

again, Mahomes and Russell are the two guys. No questions. All in. So I got how many there? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Okay, now we're looking at 9. Garoppolo doesn't get an argument for 9? Dak, Matt Ryan, Garapolo?

Isn't he in the conversation? Derek Carr? He's kind of in the conversation for nine, isn't he? Folks, there's 32 teams. There's only two teams who have a quarterback I don't have questions about. Kansas City and Seattle, I got questions for the next six. And you're banging. It's okay to have questions about Garoppolo.

Is he really talented? Yes. Is he Mahalms or Russell? No. These guys are first ballot Hall of Fame guys. But the argument is Garapolo got to a Super Bowl. This team San Francisco fell apart this year. Both tackles, kittles, wide receiver, fullback.

The offense fell apart and he carried them. Well, Kirk Cousins won in New Orleans. That defense shut down Drew Brees. The Niners defense did not shut down Drew Brees and Garoppolo on a wild shootout on the road. That's a big difference between making one big throw if you're Kirk Cousins in New Orleans and the defense doing the trick. Defense didn't do anything in New Orleans. Garopolo had to save him and drop in the 40s.

He had to bail them out. He had to bail him out against Seattle. He had to bail him twice out against Arizona. He had to bail him out multiple times this year. So you can have questions about him. But if you're denying he's talented, you're one of those people that watches one of those voice shows or American Idol shows and thinks the crappy singer sounds good.

Or doesn't get how good the good singer is. And after watching Carrie Underwood, you're like, I don't know if she's any good. She's good. She's good. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Emmanuel Sanders is heading to his third Super Bowl, but many of his teammates will be participating in their first year, and he shared some advice to those who have never experienced Super Bowl Week as a player before. Hey, lock-in, obviously this week is going to be big, because when we get to Miami, it's going to be a frenzy. So this week we got to practice like it is Super Bowl Week, just so we can stay focused.

But then next week still have that same mentality, but we know it's going to be crazy out there. So, you know, all the teams that I've, the times that I've been, you know, that first week was the most important week. And so, you know, that's my message to the guys as well, just like Kyle said. By the way, he has been such a good get. They have really talented skill people, but they're babies. They had Dante Pettus, then they got Debo, then they have heard, then they have Kittle.

And by the way, they were a good football team and they rolled the dice on this. He made, remember, he made an impact the first week he was there. He's been huge for them. Huge. And he's certainly right. Kyle Shanahan also said Super Bowl Week is crazy and hectic, and he hope his team doesn't get caught up in the event. It's just a game. To me, that is what it comes down to.

Now, obviously, we're going to a very unique city for the Super Bowl. It's not Minnesota. It's a little level up than that. It might be a little more temptation. It's a port city with a lot of attractive... There's a little more reasons to leave your hotel room. Yeah. It's not cold,

so you don't have to bundle up. So, yeah, I could see teams getting caught up into the hype of the Super Bowl when it's, you know, a normal place. In Miami, there's nothing normal about Miami. So he's right. But it's hard to treat a game like this like a normal game because it's not a normal game. So the preparation is going to be different.

And I mean, you and I are both the same. We really like our routines. Yes. Our routines are going to be a little different next week. Yeah. But also, you know, if we. I've never gone. I've never done a whole week in my life of being lit.

I've never been lit for a week. We've got to buy a different word for you. But it's going to be different. Like our routine, we'll try and keep it as mostly the same as we can. But it's my own preparation. But it's going to be a little different. The show is also going to be a little bit different. The Super Bowl is going to be the same.

It's just the game. And that's what I'm getting at. To me, the team that's going to win this game because I think that they are two very evenly matched teams. Yes, they're both great. That it's going to be the team that locks in and locks in early. And that's going to depend on if you lock in during the week. Emmanuel Sanders being there, you know, having those veterans on that team will be huge for them.

So Hugh Jackson went 3, 36, and 1 as a Brown's head coach. And he hasn't got another head coaching opportunity since being. fired by the Browns in 2018. He said he hopes his resume in Cleveland isn't holding him back. He said my coaching record over 32 years speaks for itself. I don't think two and a half years that Cleveland should tarnish my whole career, but at the same time, people have to know that you're out there and willing and able to work. No, look, I didn't think that Hugh didn't want to coach again, but it is kind of interesting with Cleveland this year. I don't think that we really gave them enough credit for what a disaster that year was. I really thought they didn't make the playoffs.

It was going to be just an absolute firestorm raining down on Cleveland's. Yeah. And maybe it's just because we really should have expected that anyway from Cleveland. How about we stop blaming the coach for all of Cleveland's problems? Well, yeah, absolutely. I think that's kind of what he was getting at. And also, I will say in Hughes' defense and in all coach's defenses, if you get fired as a coach, if you want to be paid, you can't talk about what actually happened, which is kind of a catch-22.

It's why Magic Johnson, obviously Magic Johnson wasn't a coach, but that situation was very unique with Magic where he felt like he could say whatever he wanted, he could go on all these talk shows, because magic is good. Magic's not worried about his paycheck from the Lakers. He's going to be fine. But if you're a coach, you do want to be paid out your contract. Sure. So you're stuck in this position where, you know,

do I say I wasn't the one who wanted to pass on Sam Darnel, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson for Baker Mayfield? Can you say that? Because then you're not going to get paid if that's what really happened. I don't believe that Hugh wanted Baker Mayfield. He did not want Baker Mayfield. I know that Hugh did not want Baker Mayfield. Hugh played the good soldier for the media and for the owner.

Hugh wanted Carson Wentz. Well, do you think you win the Browns will be in a different position right now? Again, not all on Baker either. I just think that this is kind of a unique situation, and it's why this cycle continues to happen with Cleveland, because obviously when you're a coach, you do, like I said, want to get paid, and I think that's the situation that Hughes in. And I don't know what's what happened with Stefini,

but I don't have high hopes. If you redid that draft, no general manager would take Baker. you'd be fired if you didn't take Lamar. Right. So he wasn't the best quarterback to pick. But also, I think Lamar went to the perfect situation for Lamar. Yeah, we know. I mean, that's clearly...

Right. So finally, the notorious black hole is on the move from Oakland to Las Vegas. We were wondering if this was going to be a thing. Raiders president, Mark Budane, said that fans who sat in the black hole section in Oakland have bought tickets in the south end zone of Allegiance Stadium. So leaders from the Black Hole group said there will also be members spread out around the stadium, not only in one end zone section, so they will be well represented. And Badain also noted that 40% of the PSL purchases for the 65,000 C stadium came from outside of Nevada.

Isn't that great? You know, it's crazy. So there's going to be a lot of Raiders fans traveling to Vegas to watch the games. For years and years, I worked here, but Las Vegas is where I got my career start. And I always felt the one pro sport that would work was the NFL. It's only eight home games and it's played in the fall when the temperatures are. Okay. Like baseball is ridiculous.

First of all, dome baseball is awful and it's way too hot. But football works for Vegas. It starts really after Labor Day. And about one week from, you know, about the third week of the year in September, Vegas is not brutal.

It's in the 90s. And by the way, October's great in Vegas, November, December grade. And the travel is not that bad for for L.A. Raider fans. So I'm excited to see how this all turned out. I personally have always felt like,

and I know it's like fun. Like, obviously we're going to Miami for the Super Bowl. we're going to love it. I felt like they should just always have the Super Bowl in Vegas. Because it's like the perfect event town. There's a zillion flights, a zillion places to stay. Everything is just perfectly set up for the whole week. Like have it there every single year. My son and I, we got into this conversation. I told him I was going to Miami for the Super Bowl. And I explained why it's in Miami. And I told him if it was up to me, you would just have a three city revolving.

You'd do Miami. Then you'd do L.A. Then you'd do L.A. you do Vegas. Nothing against Phoenix, but it's always disjointed because half of the people are in Glendale, half in Scottsdale, those downtown. If you just did Miami, Vegas, L.A., I'm good. That's not fair, Colin.

Hey, Mardi Gras does a move. Should we take it out of New Orleans? Goal, what about us? You guys get Mardi Gras every year. New Year's celebrations in Vegas, New Orleans, New York. We don't change that. I mean, certain cities, the Grammys don't change every year, yeah. I mean, I just think it's more convenient. But look, like, you know,

It is what it is. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Senior reporter lead content guy for the Monday morning quarterback Albert Breer, joining me via the Coward Global Satellite Network. So Albert, you know, this whole Tom Brady thing,

I'm over-discussing when he retires, but I do think the transition potentially of moving. I didn't buy into it initially. I just can't see Giselle saying, yeah, let's move the family to Indianapolis. But, but I read a story this weekend. from a Boston reporter at NBC that said, Tom is kind of over being the 13th highest paid quarterback in the league. He sacrificed a lot.

And that's the kind of thing where I have seen, even athletes I love and respect, there is a respect card on the money. That made me think this thing is real with Tom. What did you make of that story? Well, you use the right word, Colin. The word is respect. This isn't about money. It's about respect.

And I take it back to what happened in July when they gave him that pay bump. Really the problem there, the reason Brady was upset coming out of that negotiation, it wasn't about money, it was about years. He wanted them to get him to the end of his career and ensure that he would finish his career with the Patriots. And for the first time, the wording you heard coming out of ownership was uncharted territory. Now, that sounds logical to me and you, but if you've given an organization 20 years, how are you going to read that? like you're going to say yourself, well, wait a second, I just gave you two decades. I add how much value to your franchise. I put six Lombardi trophies in your trophy case.

And now you're talking about me creating uncharted territory for you. So I think that there's a respect thing here that I think was part of it in the summer and certainly as a result is a part of it now. And if they're not going to give them the years, then it's going to have to be made up for with money. And look, like I've said this to you a few times, Colin. he enables everything about their program. The fact that they can coach him hard, enables them to coach everybody else hard.

The fact that he's taking less money in the past enables them to ask others to take less money. All this stuff is sort of part of the 20-year relationship between the Patriots and Brady. And I think when things broke down over the summer, it sort of got Brady to look at it and say, well, wait a second, this is a two-way street. Let me throw this at you.

Let's say he looks around. He doesn't want to move to Indy. Chargers move on and draft two are Justin Herbert. And you look around, he doesn't want to live in, he's above Tampa, Jacksonville. Would there be the potential that Tom looks around, he doesn't get the money or the years from New England, the teams, the Carolinas, the Chargers, they move on and draft people. And Tom just said, you know what, I'm out. Is there any chance of that?

Like, I'm done. I'm 43. I've got my money. I'm not playing for that dollar figure. I don't think it's, I don't think it's his intention now to retire. I will say that. Do I think that there's the potential that he looks at, you know, his options doesn't like them and maybe decides to hang it up?

Yeah, I think that's possible. I mean, there's been a couple of things that he said. He said he doesn't want to suck, right? So if he feels like he's losing it, then I think he'd be comfortable walking away. And I don't think he wants to be in a situation where he's with a team that isn't going to be competing at the highest level. And so I do think that there are a couple of boxes that need to be checked. One, of course, is feeling that he can continue to play.

I think that box is already checked. And then the other part of it is finding a winning situation for himself. And Colin, the one thing I would point out here that I think is sort of an important piece. You know, you talk about the real estate where he's going to live and everything else. He has a kid who lives in New York, his son Jack, lives in New York City. And I think ultimately because of that, because Giselle likes New York City, that's eventually going to be where they're going to settle. So let's just put this in real life terms for you, right? Say you didn't know where you were going to work over the next year, but you didn't know where your family

going to be for the next 20 years. What would you do with your family? You'd probably move them to where they were going to be for the next 20 years and say, you know what, I'm going to be the one who's going to move around over the next year or two while I continue to work. And so I think there's certainly a chance that Brady says with this family, we're going to put you in the New York area for right now, and I'm going to go where I need to go work-wise. And I certainly think some of the teams that you mentioned there could be on the table, the Chargers, the Titans with the relationship with Mike Brable. You know, I think there are some winning situations out there. But, you know, But I don't think he's just going to go somewhere to go somewhere.

By the way, I want to throw, you were in this living, breathing situation with Jimmy Garapolo. This is not a surprise. Take us back to when we know why, you know, Tom wanted him out and he wanted more years and Garapolo wanted to play. But watching Garoppolo now, this is what Bill Belichick saw, I imagine. Yeah, you know, I'll take it back to 2017. and the Combine in Indianapolis in February, Kyle Shanahan and Bill Belichick sat down, and they were talking about a number of different things

as coaches do during the Combine, things that might happen in a free agency in the draft. And Jimmy's name came up, and Bill stopped Kyle and said non-starter, he's not on the table, we're not moving him. Fast forward in eight months. The Niners, I believe at this point, were 0 and 8, 0 and 9,

and they were coming off a really bad loss of Philadelphia Eagles. Kyle is driving into the office. in California, it's five in the morning, he gets a text from Bill Belichick says, call me when you get in. He calls Belichick, and Belichick says, here's the deal. I don't want to negotiate. I don't want to talk about it. You can have Jimmy for a second round pick. Kyle almost drops the phone. Kyle then walks into John Lynch's office, says to Lynch. The only concern I have is that he's not signed beyond this year. So this might be a little bit of

an unstable situation at quarterback. Lynch responds, that's what the franchise tag is for. He goes back and calls Belichick and the deal is done. And so the big question you have then is how did he go from untradable in February to all of a sudden being moved for a second round pick in October, particularly when I was told that the Cleveland Browns were willing to move the pick they got from the Houston, Texas, which wound up being fourth overall for Garoppolo. And to me, the easiest answer, Bill Belichick wanted to do right by Jimmy Garapolo and put him in a place where he thought he could succeed. He's got tremendous respect for Kyle Shanan. And I also think, that Bill Belichick looks as Jimmy Garoppolo's development as part of his legacy.

So by putting him in San Francisco and making him look good, it would make Belichick look like the winner in that whole situation. Boy, that was a great story. I love stories like that. I like hearing about, that's like a mob story where somebody gets called on the phone and the car on the way to work and big stuff happens. I love that, Albert Breer. I want to ask you about this.

Andy Reed is one of my favorite coaches ever. But there is a sense with me that there's a sense. narratives if they lost that would come down hard on Andy Reid. He's given Belichick problems. He's had B to B minus quarterbacks and gotten out of two Super Bowls. I think Garoppolo, I mean, Mahomes is obviously the best he's ever had. Is, you know, if when you look at Andy Reid, when you talk to people around the league, you do more than I do.

I think they're rooting for Andy. I think coaches around the league are rooting for Andy. Just your thoughts on that? Yeah, he gets tremendous respect around the league. Obviously, the first part of it is how great he's been as a coach over the years. But there's a second piece to this, too, in what he's given to the profession. And if you look at his tree and the people who've come out of his tree and succeeded, guys like John Harbaugh and Ron Rivera, he's not only a great coach,

he's been a great developer of coaches. And you've seen executives come out of the Eagles front office. Now the Chief's front office, you see Chris Ballard, the success that he's having in Indianapolis. there's almost like this professional development, like, area that Andy Reid's excelled and beyond just the success in the football field. And so there are a lot of Andy's people out there across the league. And even people who haven't worked with Andy have a tremendous respect, not just what he's done as a coach, but also what he's done for the business of football. And so I think that's why you've got so many people out there rooting for Andy Reid. The crazy thing about it, Colin, is, you know, you mentioned sort of his record and everything else.

The guy is elite in just about every area. there's one hole. It's game management. He's elite at developing quarterbacks. He's elite at calling plays. He's elite at designing an offense. He's elite at putting together a team. He's elite at setting up an organization. And there's just for whatever reason been this one hole in game management. And it's going to be really interesting to see what happens in the Super Bowl. If that gets tested and he can pass that test, maybe he can finally plug that one hole on his resume. Albert Brewer, Monday morning quarterback. Great talking to you, but thank you so much. Awesome. Thanks, thanks Colin. Coming up next, The NBA likes to think we're catching the NFL.

But who you choose as the face of your league matters, and it's why the NFL is in a really, really good spot for the next 10 to 15 years. That is coming up. Plus, T.J. Hushmanzada, Byron Scott, last hour here in Los Angeles. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the truth. Triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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, Kear Gaines, as we have 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 Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Park. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help!

Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful. solutions.

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

If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite,

the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, my God. I'm already lit this week.

I'm not even waiting until Monday in Miami. I am lit. You are on fire today. Sometimes the brakes are better than the show. Do you own or rent your home? Of course you do. Geico makes it easy. Bundle your home and auto insurance, geico.com.

It's easy. All right, I got so many things going on in my head right now. All right, let me say this, is that when you're building anything, I'm building this show, you're building a company, you're building a league, you can't worry about the outside noise. You have to have a strong belief that you know what you're doing. The NFL's made a bunch of changes over the last four and five and six years, and everybody's whining about them. The media's whining about them, fans. What are you guys wearing dresses?

Let these guys hit. Don't listen to meatballs and dummies. Kansas City's in the Super Bowl. Nobody's hurt. San Francisco's in the Super Bowl. Nobody's hurt. All you meatheads out there that ripped the NFL, what are you guys wearing dress?

Because they modified the rules so quarterbacks don't get hit as much, so wide receivers don't get hit as much. You can't hit guys up top. You all whined about it. Kansas City and San Francisco. are in the Super Bowl. Nobody's hurt. The old damn rosters

are all healthy. Tennessee was all healthy. Green Bay was mostly healthy. Got a couple guys ding. What about Philadelphia? Yeah, the last two years, Philadelphia can't stay healthy. Some of that is they're old. But this league has done an incredible job. And I didn't even like all the moves. They got into the

celebrations. Let's have more end zone celebrations. Kids like it. Ratings are up. Let's protect the quarterbacks. Don't hit them. They're all healthy. Not as many cheap shots. The star players are healthy. Seven years ago, I went and looked this morning seven years ago who the quarterbacks of note were in this league. And the quarterbacks were all pocket guys. Brady, Breeze, Ben Rogers can wiggle a little. Manning, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, and Andy Dalton made a Pro Bowl. Seven years later, it looks like college football.

Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar, Rogers, Carlin. Wendt, Deshawn Watson. The NFL, again, modified rules, started inheriting some of the college stuff, started hiring more college people. When you build a company, don't worry about the outside noise. The NFL said, we're going to make some changes. We're going to get heat for all of it. We're going to go back and change the catch rule. We're going to change quarterback hitting.

We're going to change all hitting. And you know who's number one in sales right now, merchandise today? Patrick Mahomes. Folks, I know you NBA lovers, you palm-pom-pawvers think the NBA is overtaking the NFL. This is the new face of the league. There is, he is great. He's a great kid. He's got a great story after he scored that touchdown.

He's got a little dance. He's got a little flare. He's got coachability. And you know what? He's not going to move around. He's a Kansas City chief for life. He's going nowhere because the NFL won't change one thing. franchise tag.

We're not letting you leave like Kevin Durant. We're doing all this work to get you, and we'll pay you, but we're not letting you leave when you get good. And I look at the NFL this year. It's the best NFL year I remember. They took a ton of heat for not as many hits, can't touch the quarterback, change the rules. They've all worked.

They have all worked. And the new face of the league, number one. And by the way, look at the NFL player merchandise sales. Patrick Mahalms. You've got a couple old dudes, but it's young guys with personality. Baker, Khalil, and Dak and Juju and Beck, all kinds. Receivers, backs, talkers, non-talkers, cocky, humble. That's a healthy league right there.

By the way, let me throw this out there. Basketball is amazing, right? We know how hard it is to make the NBA. 1% of college players make the NBA. Only 450 NBA players. 1% of college make the NBA. But people often say to me, Colin, why do you talk so much about like three guys mostly LeBron?

And I've always said, because LeBron changes the league. Kobe changed the league. Shaq changed the league. Michael, Magic. There's been about 10 guys in my life who have changed the league. If I would have been doing talk radio in the 70s and 80s, I'd have talked about Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan every show. I'll give you a prime example.

So there's 450 guys in the NBA. And yet there's about seven guys. in a global sport who can get their own shot whenever they want. They don't need a screen. They don't need help. LeBron, Kauai, Hardin, Janice, Dame, Luca, and I'm running out of people. They can get a shot whenever they want it. They don't need a screen.

They don't need a coach. They don't need a timeout. They don't need an inbound play. Last night's a great example. LeBron, for the best team maybe in the league, the Lakers, a collection of all. star talent. LeBron struggled. Lakers' offense couldn't do anything. On maybe the best team in the league, a collection of all stars. LeBron struggled. They couldn't score. This is why I talk about LeBron. Do you know how hard it is to make this a global sport? NFL is a domestic sport.

Basketball is global. On the planet right now, there's about seven guys. I'm a I watched Damien Lillard live about three weeks ago. He just gets shot. Smallest guy on the floor. He gets a good shot every time he wants. He doesn't even get a shot. He gets a good shot. There are seven guys in the world right now who can get a shot whenever they want it.

Luca gets it. Hardin gets it. Hardin struggled last night, but he gets a shot. LeBron, Janice, Kauai, Dame. Luca, by the way, is maybe at 20 years old. I'm not sure if we've quite seen a guy that gets this many good shots at 20. without a screen. So when people say you talk about LeBron,

think about how good the Lakers are, think about how good the roster is. I mean, what are they 18 and 4 on the road this year? It's like insane. LeBron as an off night, nobody can do anything. They're solely leaning on LeBron James. He is completely the engine.

He didn't have a good night shooting, but he had 13 assists. I mean, that just tells you. LeBron is still the catalyst for the first, second, or third best team in the NBA. That's it. I mean, by the way, the best team in the East East Easley's Milwaukee. They have one of the seven guys in the world that can get a shot whenever he wants at Yannis. The first best team, in my opinion, the Clippers, they have maybe the best mid-range

shooter since Michael Jordan, Kauai Leonard. So when you wonder why I only talk about three or four teams, now I do love Utah. I think they're the best, I think they're a really interesting. I think they're the best team outside of the big three Lakers, Clippers, Milwaukee. I love everything. The coach, the bench, they develop players. They got a star. They got a big. But if you I never wonder why I can talk about a lot of NFL teams, but I largely talk about a handful of NBA teams. Last night's a great example why. I mean, they couldn't score against a young, solid Boston defense, not great, not world-class rim protectors, like, you know, the guy in Utah or Yonnas. Not like those kind of rim protectors.

So that's why I talk about, you know, LeBron a lot. Even on the Lakers, only guy that can get a shot. Doesn't need a screen, doesn't need a timeout, doesn't need a coach. doesn't need anything. Give LeBron the ball. He's off. They're terrible. Whether it can be unpredictable, doesn't mean you have to have problems driving by the Michelin Endurance XT silicone wiper blades. Real world proven. Two times longer than other blades, they'll last forever, only available at Walmart. Our three is coming up, NAC. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

We're heading to Miami, starting Monday, The Herd, and all of our FS1 shows. We'll be live at Lumas Park on South Beach as we get ready for Super Bowl 54. We'll have great guests, water to wall-to-wall coverage, giveaways, and a whole lot more. FS1 Super Bowl Week live from Miami is only six days away. Hey, I've got to ask honest question of T.J. Hushmanzada. So you played in the NFL for 11 years. How many times you play in Miami? Probably three.

Did you go out and party the night before? No. Come on. Once? Never. Not a cocktail. Never. Not a beer.

I don't drink. At all? No. What happened there? I might drink like once a year. When you grow up in a household, when drinking in the house is like drinking water, I just never wanted to drink. Oh, I see.

Yeah, my mom and then was drunk all the time. Okay, so you didn't want you part of it. Nah, no part. But it's funny about Miami because there have been incidents at Super Bowls in Miami where, you know. Oh, now, I play with guys that will go out and drink. And part of it, Miami is the most, it, Miami doesn't, how do I, say this. You know, there's the old joke. The great thing about Miami, it's

so close to America. It's international. It's Brazil. It's New York. It's a melting pot. It's incredible. It's a very international city. It's a completely international city. And when I go there, one of my favorite things to do is walk along the boardwalk. You hear all the voices and the languages.

It's the best people watching you'll probably have in the world. In the world, snake handlers and magicians. It's crazy town. So you've gone, you've gone on the road, And Miami can make turn you a little upside down. Oh, guys will. And then they wonder why the next day they're cramping.

It's hot. You were drunk. The South Beach flu. And they're cramping and they're pulling hamstrings and muscles. You're like, and you wonder why? I remember years ago, the Steelers played a game there. And the players were throwing up. And I'm like, I don't understand this.

And I'm like, well, Tomlin's pro player. You know, it was a bad Miami team and a good Steeler team. It's possible maybe. We all have curfew. But as soon as you get there, guys are going. As soon as you hit the hotel, you check in, you're out. And so you just make it back by curfew, and then you get the dummies at soon as curfew comes.

They check the room. You put dummies in? No, you get the dummies that after curfew, they want to leave. And then they'll come back to like five in the morning. Isn't amazing adults have curfews? And they really check on you in a hotel in Miami. They'll check on the guys that they know they need to check on. They didn't check on you.

Well, they did because me and Chad a room together. So that came every Saturday night there or there, every Saturday. And Chad liked to get squirley. A little bit. Yeah. That's okay. Yeah, a little bit. Just have fun.

You guys played at Oregon State. Can you imagine Ocho Cinco and him at Oregon State? Can you imagine that? Two star receivers at Oregon State. I covered you. Chad was crazy. You were very reliable, smart, hardworking. He had a 45-inch vertical.

He didn't look like anybody I'd ever seen at Oregon State before. So when you go into this game, when you have extra time off, I mean, these are both kind of young teams. I think San Francisco feels really young. I wonder when you get, I talked to Tony Gonzalez about this yesterday, I would just be get me to the game, get me to the game. I wouldn't even want a buy week off of the Super Bowl. Did you like buy weeks? For a player, if you're beat up, you love a buy week. Kansas City, for Chris Jones, it's going to be big for him just to make sure now he can play more than 25 snaps.

Andy Reid is fantastic after a bye week, so he looks forward to that. You can really dig into what San Francisco likes to do. And as a player, if I feel good, I want to play. But if I'm a little banged up, you want the buy week. Yeah. What do you make? We've talked today. Our show is focused a lot on Jimmy G.

Is that, you know, it used to be if you were like 24 and 5 as a quarterback, that was good enough. And I think people struggle with the fact. I hear this. Well, he's got a great coach. All quarterbacks who are great, have a great coach. Well, he's got a good defense. Well, so did Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw and Kenny Stabler and Tom Brady. I look at Garapolo, and the word I come down to is it.

He's a dude. He's not. He doesn't shrink. Maybe it's the looks. Maybe it's the confidence. I love him. I think he's a really special player. What do you see?

I like Jimmy G. And it's what you said is it's the looks. He feels confident about how he looks physically, and that confidence just doesn't. and disappear when you step on a football field. And so he's just a confident person. People are talking because the 49ers literally this past weekend played like they were in a Snoop Youth Football League.

They played Pop Warner Football. We're bigger than you. We're fashioning you. We're going to run the ball every play. Stop us. And the Packers couldn't do it. And he only threw the ball eight times. So it's like, oh, Jimmy G.

They couldn't stop the run. Why would you go away from that? I wouldn't. I'm trying to get to the Super Bowl. I don't care of whose feelings are hurt. If we can just run the ball and win the game like we're little kids, that's what we're going to do. Did you ever play in a football game in Cincinnati or Baltimore

where you knew you just weren't going to get touches? Man, I'd never forget this game. We played the Cleveland Browns, and I believe we threw, Chad didn't even play. He didn't play this game. I'm guessing we threw the ball like 12 times. Not one ball came my way. We ran the ball like 50-something times.

And won. We won the game, but it was like negative 8 degrees. The sun was out. But we didn't, Chad didn't. play. I didn't get one ball thrown my way, but we won the game. And you were okay with it. I would have liked the ball, but when you win the game, you're cool with it. No problem at all. But of course, everybody wants, you want to play a part in that win, but you're perfectly fine as long as you win the game. Well, I look at this matchup. I like San Francisco close.

I, you know, I would say last year, New England Rams, I felt very strongly New England. I think I said it before. I thought the Rams had in October were really special. They lost Cooper Cup. Todd Gurley, I said, if I don't know what I'm getting for Cooper Cup, New England's winning the game. But I also thought New England was going to beat Philadelphia with Nick Foles, and that didn't transpire. I generally, I thought, I generally thought New England was going to beat Atlanta, but I thought they were going to beat the New York Giants and didn't. So I'm, I'm kind of all over the place. I do feel like the more physical team is San Francisco. and I think that matters in big games.

I feel they're more physical, they're tougher, their line plays better. That's what it feels like to me. Their line play is slight, like you got, we got, okay, I'm on the flip side of that. I like the Chiefs just a little bit. And I look at the games of San Francisco play in their division when they play Seattle

and they play the Arizona Cardinals. What do they, both teams have, two mobile quarterbacks. Both games against Seattle were close. You call a pass and a friend. maybe the 49ers aren't even in this situation. Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray, both games very close,

mobile quarterback. And I think we can all agree. Neither one of those teams being the Cardinals and the Seahawks have the weapons that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have. And Lamar Jackson beat him. And Lamar Jackson beat him. So the mobile quarterback kind of negates that pass rush, that defensive line.

So I like the Chiefs just a little bit. And the 49ers are very physical and good on the defensive line. but listen, 19 carries 69 yards. That's what Derek Henry has. So the Chiefs up front on that defensive line, they figured it out here in the second half of the season. He ran for over 180 yards against the Ravens and the New England.

The Chiefs held him to 69 yards. They're playing physical up front, too, on the defensive side of the ball. Do you make a good point? I may have to revisit that. I didn't think about that mobile quarterback thing. I'm telling you go look at the scores. No, I did.

I watched, by the way, I watched. The Cardinals played them tough. Both, I watched both games. Kyler Murray gave him massive problems. He gave Kyler Murray's way better than people think. Nobody watched him. No, it's right. Russell gave him problems both times.

Kyler gave him problems both times. Lamar Beatt him. You know who didn't give him problems? Jared Goff, pocket quarterback. He's going to be back there. They know where to go and they're going to rush the passer. And then you throw in Sammy Watkins, Tyree Kiel, Miko Hardman. Oh, we got Travis Kelsey to work them up.

They got weapons and a mobile quarterback. So I'm slightly leaning to the Chiefs. Granted, nobody goes to Miami and does something stupid on the team. All right. By the way, I want to touch on something because you work out a lot of people. I have my doubts about Joe Burrow. I don't get it, man. But go ahead.

I'm sorry. I just, I think he's fine. I think it's way overheating. If I was Cincinnati, I would trade the pick. And I'd get a bunch of picks, and I'd move down to like four or five, and I'd get one of the other quarterbacks and get two or three or four more picks. So I think Cincinnati's O lines a mess. I don't love their secondary. I think AJ Green's getting old.

I think Cincinnati's got all sorts of problems. I think that division's great. So there's a chance you may work out with Joe Burrow. Oh, yeah. We'll start training them here as soon as we get back from the Super Bowl. Probably do a little something next weekend in Miami. If I'm the Bengals and I can get a bunch of picks, oh, I trade it. Oh, so you would trade it too.

Yeah, yeah, I would. If my consolation prize is two, I'm cool with that. I live with that. Now, if you can't get what you're looking for, like the Bengals, the Bengals entire secondary is first round picks minus Jesse Bates, who was a second round pick. Offensive lines should be better with Jonah Williams from Alabama coming back and if Cordy Glenn can play.

They need to resign. Like, AJ Green is getting old, but when AJ Green is healthy, he's one of the best receivers in the league. They have talent. Now, if you can bring Joe Burrow into that equation, you should be a little better. If you can trade it, you should be a lot of, better because now you can get to a and a ton of to me Joe Brady you're in this position because

of Joe Burrow you got to do whatever you can to go get them you I believe you have to go up there and say listen we got to get Joe Burrow be I believe he's in that position because of Joe Burrow and it's not so you think Carolina would make the run to get to number one they should I don't believe they will but I yeah you reunite them the bingo should have been out in front of this and said hey let's see if we can bring in Joe Brady You know we got the first pick. Get out in front and see if you can bring them in. Yeah.

So you and I think alike. Outside of like a Trevor Lawrence, John Elway, Andrew Luck, I am always for trading out of the first pick. I like Joe Burrow a ton. Like, you're on Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence started more games in college than Joe Burrow. And when they were on the same field at the same time, I'm just being honest.

T. Higgins is going to be a first round pick. Trevor Lawrence is playing with dogs. Joe Burrow played with dogs and he did something in college football that none of us have ever seen. I don't care. Trevor Lawrence is big, he's fast, he throws a nice ball. He didn't play well.

What happens when you work out Burrow and Justin Herbert's better than Burrow? Then I'm going to say Justin Herbert's better. But when that pocket presence that Joe Burrow has, you're not going to see that in a workout. What I will see is maybe Justin Herbert throws a better ball. But the pocket presence, his ability to throw the ball on time, so accurate because he throws an anticipation

and he understands coverage. You don't see that in the workout. But what I will say is that season he had is we've never seen it. I don't think we ever will again. T.J. Hushman Zardt, good seeing you on speak today. I'm on speak. Yes, sir. All right, buddy. I enjoy with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know, T.J., I like Burrow a lot too. We were like one of the first on that. Were we not? Yes, we were. We were. I would like all the credit for it when he's a Hall of Famer one day. When two. Played he's back.

No, Burrow. Two is going to end up on that charger team with all those players, all those backs and receivers. Two is going to be winning 13 games as a rookie. You guys watch. Joe Burrell is going to be pulling himself off the turf for getting sacked for the night time. The Bengals O' line right now is just as good as the Chargers. And they go have a first round pick that didn't play last year, come back with Cordy Glenn. Not so sure that.

We'll see. All right. Well, the NFL draft is taking place unless. Vegas this year. And the NFL has some ambitious plans for the event. The league wants the draft stage to be on the water at the fountains at the Bellagio. What? Yes, Arash Makazi just put this out on Twitter.

The players will be transported to the stage by boats. Oh, good God. There will be a draft theater and viewing section for fans next to the Caesar's Forum. And parts of the strip will be closed to traffic during the three days of the draft to accommodate accommodate the expected attendance of over 400,000 fans. Oh my God, really? 400,000 fans? Well, you remember Nashville last year.

It was crazy. It was insanity. So what do you think Vegas is going to be? Oh, my. And they're going to boat them out there? I mean, I've been to Nashville. Vegas is easier to get to. Yeah.

And the NFL is making their presentation for approval today. This was one of the great moves. This was one of the great moves the NFL ever made. Yes. We're going to move the draft. It's a great idea. And the presentation has been incredible. Incredible.

Which is probably why they're expecting 400,000 people. I want to go to it. Are you going to go on the strip? I lie. This sounds fun. It does sound fun. It also sounds crazy. But yeah, so he'll be floating to the stage pipe.

I mean, if you're, it's going to be in Vegas. You might as well be ridiculous. Why not? But I'm looking forward to that. So we'll see what the whole presentation is, I guess, later today. So the Rockets are in a funk right now. They lost four straight games for the first time this season. The 112-107 lost to the thunder.

Last night came after Houston blew a 15-point lead with less than seven minutes to go. And Mike D. Antony did not mince words when he was describing the state of his team right now. Right now we're in a period where something's going to go bad, it goes bad. And when it rains, it pours, and it's pouring. We can choose either to fight back, keep your head up. That's the choice. That's our choice. you can choose to not listen to the noise.

You can choose to look at yourself and do better. I'll do the same. Everybody does the same. We're fine. But if we don't do that and then we start listening or question or this and that, then we all have problems. Yes. Westbrook and Hardin don't play well together.

I'll tell you that when they're on the floor. Individually, they're both very good. Well, they're 26 and 16 right now. Westbrook actually became the second player to record a triple double against every NBA team. The first was LeBron. still second and all time behind Oscar Robertson in Triple doubles. James Harden didn't have a good night last night. He was one of 17 from three point line.

So that tied to personal record for most misthrees in the game. I'm not going to be negative today. How about let's be positive? The Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to have eight wins this year. It is Stephen Adams, Chris Paul, a bunch of kids. They play hard every night. They've been the shock of the league. No, they're seventh in the west right now.

behind the rockets. That makes no sense. By the way, who left the Thunder? Oh, Westbrook? And the Thunder are one spot back? Yeah, I mean, I think that's probably going to even out by the end of the season. I don't get too crazy. But I just

I don't know. I have a lot of talking of rockets, but I just think it starts with they're doing better than I thought they were going to be considering the chaos at the beginning of this season. So that's at least simmered down. But they're going to have to get back on track. And that's going to be on hard. in Westbrook to get that together.

Thunder lost a player that wasn't as good as everybody thinks. You don't think that's how it's going to be at the end of the season. But you didn't have the Rockets making the playoffs, right? I had the Rockets, I don't recall. Missing the playoffs. Yeah. By the way, that's right. You're right.

I said, rockets don't make the playoffs. Then the Warriors fell apart. And I'm like, they probably in 8 seats. So I have the Rockets at 8. It's funny how they're trending. Well, we'll see. Finally, Mahoms has been nothing short of incredible throughout the Chiefs' playoff run.

He's going to suit up for both the three. in Miami as the fifth youngest quarterback to ever start in that game. Dan Marino, Ben Rathesberger, David Woodley, and Jared Gough are the only quarterbacks who have started a Super Bowl younger than Mahomes. I remember Big Ben. At 24. Yeah, he got that Seahawk. Remember that poor?

That was the worst officiated Super Bowl of all time? Yeah, he had a, did not have a good style in that Super Bowl. No. It was 9.21, 123 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions. And 22.6 pass a rating, which is the lowest for a winning quarterback in Super Bowl history. But Patrick Mahomes actually has more starts than Jimmy Garoppolo's. Jimmy Garoppolo is 28 years old. Patrick Mahomes has 35 starts.

Jimmy Garoppolo has 28. Obviously that's due to injury. And they both sat. Jimmy Garapolo sat longer than Mahomes. But actually, the 49ers have the 12th youngest team in the league collectively. And the chiefs have the 16th youngest team in the league. 25.7. That's the average age for the 49ers and 25.9 for the chief.

So two very young teams. in this league because we were just discussing how does, you know, a buy work for a younger team. Now, obviously, there's some very good vets on both teams. And the vets on both teams are big boy football. What I like about this game so much is that it really is balanced. Like you were just mentioning last year with the Rams and the Patriots. I thought the Rams would play better than they did, obviously. But that was all through Todd Gurley.

But it wasn't in balance Super Bowl when you look at the experience. Like, obviously we felt that the Rams had a lot of talent. But this experience on the other side of the ball with the Patriots. was just insurmountable. I mean, you had Gronk and Belichick, obviously, and Brady going up against Sean McVey and golf and their first Super Bowl. I don't feel that way.

Shanahan's played in a Super Bowl and lost terribly, so he knows how to prepare for this. Obviously, Andy Reid has been there before. Neither Patrick Mahomes or Garapolo have been there before and are both young and don't have that pretty equal amount of experience. So I think it's going to be a very balanced game. It doesn't have the same feel as last year. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. Bird line news. Byron Scott, the former Nets and Lakers coach, going to be stopping on by to close out the show today. Look forward to that. Some interesting stuff developing in the NBA. How about Oklahoma City? No Westbrook. Chris Paul off an injury. They've been unbelievable. Celtics hammered the Lakers last night. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Played in the NBA for a decade and a half. 17 is a coach. New Orleans, Cleveland, Lakers. Byron Scott is joining us. All right, let's get right to it. I was surprised.

I think we all understood LeBron and A deal work, Danny Green. They're smart. They're veteran players. But it worked on the defensive end quickly. I thought it worked on the offensive end quickly. Were you surprised at the swiftness of how it all molded together? I was. I was.

I think any time you put a brand new team together and you bring superstars together, the chemistry sometimes takes a lot more time than people expect. This team seemed to really gel and mush together well early. And I think a lot of people in L.A. were a little surprised by that because when you have an Anthony Davis, you have a LeBron James, you have two of the best players at their positions in this league, you throw in a Danny Gring, a veteran guy, you got a Rondo. So you have all these other different pieces

and this other different ingredients to the pot that you have to put in there and you've got to see if it's all going to work. And I thought for the Lakers at the beginning, it was going to be until February before they really start to gel as a basketball team. So I was really excited and surprised that they jailed so early. Are you worried that as LeBron takes control of the basketball, I got nothing against Caruso, but I've never seen him in big spots. There's a big difference between the NBA playoffs. Right, right. With the refs swallow whistles, he's a small regard.

It's very physical. And LeBron, are you concerned at all that LeBron would have to be? have to log a lot of minutes in his 17th year on both ends, kind of running the show. A little bit, Colin, I still think they have one piece missing. You know, and this is a guy who I loved drafted this guy in New Orleans. He's free right now. He said, you know, he was Darren Collison. Darren Collison surprisingly retired.

Yes, surprisingly is right, because I thought he still has a lot left in the tank. He is a guy that I think could fit in extremely well with the Lakers on both ends of the floor. And the one thing about Darren, he makes outside shot, doesn't make a ton of mistakes. You know, he's very good with the basketball. He can run a basketball team. But on the defensive event, he guards people. And I think that's the ingredients right now that they're missing with the Lakers. LeBron has to have the ball in his hand so often and so much that at the end of the day,

you hope this doesn't wear him down when the playoffs comes. And if it does, then we'll all be sitting here pissed off about it. Well, Collison has a reputation as a smart guy who's humble. He can fit in with stars. Yes. He's like Victorola Depot. You're not getting a lot of nonsense. You're just getting a grown-up.

Right. And you're getting a guy to understands how to play the game of basketball. Right. Let me shift to the Clippers, who I think are deeper than the Lakers, but depth can be tricky. There are nights I've watched the Clippers, and they've got 10 guys who can ball. Byron, that's almost counterintuitive to what you coaches want. Could I make an argument? Doc's going to have to trim that roster in the postseason, and that's not going to be,

not everybody's going to be happy getting less minutes. Do they have too many players? Well, I think the great thing about what Doc has done with this Clipper team is that he's played 10 guys on a regular basis. When you get to the playoffs and you get to those big games, you know, especially Western Conference finals and in the finals, you don't want to all of a sudden start doing things that you hadn't been doing in the regular season. So I would say if this has been working all this time and it works all the way throughout the playoffs, you stick with it. I did the same thing in the Jersey. We had a nine-man rotation.

everybody said, well, you might have to cut that down to eight. No, the nine worked extremely well during the regular season. It worked just as well in the playoffs. So I don't necessarily think because he has a 10-man rotation right now that during the playoffs that this is going to have to be cut down to eight, those 10 guys understand their roles. This team has no agenda whatsoever but to win basketball games and try to win a championship.

I think these guys understand what they're supposed to do every single night. And if you have that, then some of those guys will be even more fresh when the end of the season comes. I, you know, it's funny, for years, when Kobe first broke into the league, he sounded like Michael. But I never saw, I saw occasional similarities to their game. I thought Kobe was a better long-range shooter. I thought Kobe was a better passer and ball handler. I thought Michael was better on the defensive end, a little bit stronger.

But you played, you know, in the Michael era. Kauai's the first player I've seen. Hand-size, mid-range game. There's a Spider-Man quality where he, you know, may not look strong, but he puts his hand on you. He pushed Janus around the floor. I do see some MJ Kauai. Do you? It's a very quiet MJ Kauai. You know, he's just a totally different athlete. But from a standpoint of being able to guard people, take people out of their game completely on the defensive end. Strong as he is, like you said, a lot of people didn't think MJ was that strong.

I'm here to tell you. He was extremely strong. Wiery strong. You know, I had a lot of players tell me that. strong. Kauai is basically like that as well. You know, he's a big guy at 6-7, 6.6.8, you know, 2.30. He's a little bit bigger than MJ. His handle is not as great as MJ, but he's not as fancy. You know what I mean? He's not

the artist. He's not the artist that MJ was when he played the game of basketball. But when you look at what these guys bring to the table on both ends of the floor, a lot of similarities. So Houston's obviously very talented. James Hardin is one of the best ISO acts I've ever seen. He's

It's not as athletic as Kobe, probably a better pure shooter. Kobe is a little more vertical, a better athlete, and Kobe again had no stock moves. Kobe just kind of, you know, he's the blank canvas. Kobe was just Kobe. Kobe was in. He got to where he wanted to go. And Kobe's a better defensive player. Yes, yes.

But I do worry about Hardin. I've seen him, that game that he plays, I just don't think, Byron, by June, you can have the ball in your hands for that long. And when I watch Hardin go one for 17, I've seen him look tired. Yeah. What would you do if you're Dan Tony, who's always been kind of a passive-aggressive guy, he's not a barker and a screamer. Right. How would you diplomatically tell James Dishmore, less ball-centric?

Oh, man. I think, first of all, you've got to get the ball out of his hands a little bit more. You've got to cut his minutes down a little bit more because, like you said, he's looking tired now. And we're in the game 44, 45, 46. These guys still got 30 plus games left and the playoffs. So you want James Hardin to be as fresh as possible. The one thing we do know, James doesn't put out the greatest effort on the defensive man, so he's allowed to save a lot of that energy for the offensive.

But he won't miss games, Byron. He plays every night. I understand that, too. He's got an old school mentality that if he's not hurt, he's going to play. I understand that. But to lessen his load, sometimes you've got to get the ball out of his hands. And you've got to, you know, let him be the decoy every now and then. You know, one for 17, you know, I don't think I shot 17 threes in three games, you know, let alone one for 17 to one game.

Right. So, you know, and like you said, Mike has to be a little diplomatic about it as far as making him understand that for the betterment of this basketball team, sometimes we need you to beat a decoy and maybe Russ takes over for, you know, certain period of time just to keep him fresh and just to get him to the point that when the playoffs start, hopefully he's there again. I think the story of the year in the NBA is Oklahoma City. They trade away Westbrook. It's a bunch of kids, Stephen Adams and Chris Paul. Chris is having an unbelievable year. Is there sometimes two minutes left of freedom in knowing,

listen, we got two guys who I want shooting, and it's young kids. When I watch OKC bits and pieces, they play so hard. Do you ever coach a team that you knew out of ceiling, but you loved coaching them? Yeah. My new oldest team with Chris Paul. You know, they just played, like you said,

they played hard every single night. There was no excuses. They went out there and they laid it on the line. They wanted to win for all the right reasons. They played together. They played for each other. And when you look at this OKC team now, you're looking at the same things,

a Chris Paul team that plays together, care about each other. They want to win. And I think one of the things for them is they got a chip on their shoulder. Everybody counted them out when they made all these trades. Chris Paul is going, you know, He's at the end of his career. He's not as good as he used to be.

This team won't make the playoffs. I think Chris Paul and Donovan have used all these things to hype this team up, to get them ready to play each and every game that they're being doubted. And I think that's why you see OKC playing great basketball at this particular time of the season. I would not be surprised to see them in the playoffs. By the way, you got along very well with Chris Paul. Some say is difficult. Why did it work?

I think mutual respect. I respected him as a point guard and the things that he brought to the table. I kind of handed the keys over to him. You did. You're earlier in his career. I think the fact that I played in the NBA in one championship's game, he respected that. And the fact that, you know, Colin, I was always honest with him. I was straight up always honest.

Were you tough on him? Yes. Yeah, I was tough on him. But he was one of those guys that wanted to be pushed. He wanted to be coached. And you've got to love superstars like that. Yeah. They've had a, it's been a great story for them.

It really has. It really has. And I don't think it's not going to be a good ending to it. I think they're going to make the playoffs and it's going to be fun to watch. By the way, I watch Utah a lot because I occasionally go skiing in the winter. Keep your eye on Utah? Oh, and Denver. Yeah.

I'll tell you, you know what you figure out when you watch Utah Live? The big guy from France, Rudy Gobert. Yes. He's so good. He is a stud. Rudy is a stud, and that was a diamond in the rough that they found. And they brought him along fantastically, nice and slow, really developed him. and he is one of the best centers in the NBA.

Great seeing you. You too, always. Byron Scott, former Laker. Folks, feel better MDrive. MDrive for Men.com. The code is H-E-R-D, 20% off your first order, more lean muscle, more energy boost, healthy testosterone level.

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