The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Odell Beckham Jr., Cowboys triplets, DeMarcus Cousins, Tom Brady

Episode Date: August 15, 2019

Colin comments on the issues with Odell Beckham Jr. and his latest injury, how he ranks the big three of the Dallas Cowboys, what to expect from Tom Brady going forward, and Boogie Cousins latest injury. Guests include Brian Westbrook, Greg Cosell, Kyle Turley, and Oliver Luck. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. We are live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, a Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me today on a Thursday. I woke up this morning, and it was a little cooler this morning. just a little cooler this morning where I live. Little dew starting to form in the air. Do you feel that football now, Joy Taylor? I feel the football, but L.A. definitely has different...

Depends on where you live in L.A. Different temperatures, yes. It felt like I was in the middle of the desert yesterday. Okay. So it was hot where you live, but I live near the water by the beach. It's beachy, and I'm feeling it's football. They play football in the heat, too. Yeah, they do.

Yeah, they do. You know, we hear a lot about all-time great, and there's very few all-time greats. You know, we've talked about it in the NBA. You know, as much as it's a star-driven league, there's been like six guys who have ever moved the TV ratings. There's a lot of good in sports. There's a lot of very good in sports. There's very little awful in sports. I mean, there's some major league baseball teams at the bottom right now, Baltimore, Miami that are just brutal, AAA baseball teams.

But in the end, if you want to be an all-time talent, it doesn't matter where you're went to college. It really doesn't. It doesn't matter to a large degree who your coaches were in high school college. If you want to be an all-time great, the only thing you got to be is healthy. You can't name all-time greats that were hurt a lot. And when I hear about OBJ having another injury in camp, this is the safest the NFL's ever been. This is the least hitting on receivers they've ever been. Camps are lighter than they've ever been. You go talk to NFL players. You talk to NFL coaches, they just don't hit in camp. And OBJs hurt again. Well, it's no big deal. 32 games, he's been hurt in 16 of them. Last 32 games, he's missed 16 of them. He's not going to

be an all-time great. He's an all-time great talent. But if you're asking me over the next four years, who's the Brown's number one receiver? It's going to be Jarvis Landry. This is comparing a sports car to an SUV. Sports cars are flashing. at peak performance. They're amazing. They're faster. They are wilder. But you can't trust them in the winter.

They break down more. They're not as durable. Jarvis Landry is going to have more catches than OBJ this year. He's the SUV. Groceries, kids to soccer practice, use it year-round. Not as flashy, not as fun. It's dependable. The NFL is all about availability.

That's why Carson Wentz is far more talented than Dak Press. got, but DAC may get more money. If DAC was getting injured and Carson was healthy, their salaries wouldn't even be close because their talent's not close. But DAC is available and Carson isn't. And that's why people in Philadelphia, there's some fingers being crossed. Brett Farr, John Elway, Tom Brady, Drew Breeze, every Sunday. Marcus Marriota, really talented.

You don't know if he can get through a season. OBJ has heard too much. Listen, Larry Fitzgerald didn't miss games. Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice played every game every year except one. Heinz Ward. Tim Brown went 11 straight years didn't miss a game. Michael Irvin got beat up a little, but in seven of his 12 years, didn't miss a game. If you want to be an all-time great, you've got to be available to play.

Jarvis Landry, people forget this. When Jarvis Landry and OBJ were at LSU together, the last two years, You know, because Jarvis Landry didn't play much as a freshman in LSU. They had a bunch of good players. OBJ played earlier. But in the last two years of their careers at LSU, Jarvis Landry had more catches. You had more catches.

And Jarvis Landry, the last four years in the NFL, has had more catches. Now, now, the sports car, OBJ, is spectacular in the one-hand catch in the Paris hotel room, and he gets talked about, and the hair and the look and the shoes. I'm not denying that. Sports cars are a lot of fun. But sports cars are everybody's second car. You need the car that you can get your kids to practice, get the groceries, put the dogs in the back, go to the park. That's Jarvis Landry.

So we talk about OBJ, and I think he'll never be an all-time great because he's just not going to be healthy enough. And by the way, he's a young OBJ. So athletes that get hurt early get hurt often. He's not going to get healthier. I mean, his body is what it is. His style is what it is. But I think in Cleveland, all this talk about OBJ, in four years, are you sure OBJ is going to be in Cleveland? I say it's a coin flip.

I say it's 50-50. Jarvis Landry's going to be there, catching 88 to 98 footballs, doesn't miss starts, doesn't miss games, totally dependable, just not nearly as flashy. OBJ heard again.

So we've been talking about this for like a month. Because basically after NBA free agency ends, I go right into football. And the big story has been, man, the Cowboys got a quarterback in a running back in Zeke and a wide receiver in Amari, it's their triplets. Everybody's like, got to pay the triplets. Got to pay the triplets.

And my takeaway is, in the NFL, outside of top quarterback talents, you don't got to pay anybody. And there are certain positions like running back, I'm going to rarely pay, you know, over $8 million a year. Zeke wants double that. Clarence Hill covers for the Fort Worth Press telegram. He covers the Cowboys. He says the Cowboys have money, pay them all and pay them all well. The goal is to win the Super Bowl, not to balance the budget.

So they shouldn't have to pick between one or the other. They have the money to pay them all. And Jerry's 76, he says, I don't have time to have a bad time. So they need to get those guys and pay those guys to win now. They've already paid Travis Frederick, Zach Martin, and they've already paid to Marcus Lawrence. They're already under contract. They're in the fold.

Tyler Smith is in the fold. We'll see on Jayla Smith. He has two years to sign him. Hard cap. They got the money. They got $75 million in the cap room next year, $25 million this year. Okay, they've got the cap room. But let me ask you, are we overstating how talented the cowboy triplets are?

So let's just look at DAC, who you keep telling me. and I think we agree is kind of a middle of the pack guy. Zeke, terrific running back, and Amari, good but not transformational. He's a good receiver. I like him. So are they as good as the Saints triplets, Breeze, Alvin Camara, and Michael Thomas? No. No, those guys are all pro bowlers.

No. Are they as good as Matt Ryan, Devante, Freeman, and Julio Jones? Matt Ryan last year had 35 touchdowns and 7 picks. No. Okay, so he's a Pro Bowl quarterback, and Julio Jones is arguably the best receiver in the league. Now, Devonte Freeman's not as good as Zeke, and he is hurt, but when he's healthy, he's damn good. Are they as good as the Chargers big three? No, because Philip Rivers is better than Dak, and Keenan Allen is absolutely better than Amari Cooper, and Melvin Gordon is top three in the league.

So they're not as good as the Chargers triplets. Are they as good as Brady, Sonny Michelle, and Julian Edelman? Well, Brady and Dak aren't close. I would take Edelman over Amari Cooper. I would, and Sony Michelle is one of the top two to three best young running backs in the league. He's not Zeke, but I take New England's big three. Let's go to Cleveland's big three. Baker, Nick Chubb and OBJ.

Well, I think they're all more. I think Baker's a more natural quarterback talent than Dak. I think Nick Chubb's not Zeke, but he's close. And I think OBJ is better than Amari. Well, let's go to Green Bay's big three, Aaron Rogers, Aaron Jones, and Devonte Adams. I don't think it's really close. I think Devonte is better than Mari. I think Aaron's better than Dack.

And I think Aaron Jones is good. He's a top 12 running back talent in the league. So those are five or six. By the way, then you start getting into a bunch of triplets where I know two of three are better. The Rams. Jared Gough is better than Dack. Robert Woods, Amari, close, close.

I'd probably give Woods by an inch. Gurley's not Zeke, but he's still going to be a 16-carry stud. Indianapolis, Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton are better than DAC and Amari Cooper. Houston, Deshawn Watson, D'Andre Hopkins, two of three are better than Dak and Amari. Pittsburgh, Ben and Juju are better than Dak and Amari. Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes, Tyree Kill are better than Dak and Amari. So my point is, how good are the triplets? You want to back up the truck on this stuff.

How good are they? They're not as good as Romo, DeMarco Murray, and Des. They're not. Tony Romo through 34, let's take the 2014 season. Romo threw 34 touchdown passes. Dak last year at 23. Tony Romo threw for at least 26 touchdown passes seven times. Tony Romo is better than Dak.

and then Des had 16 touchdowns and 1,300 yards in that 2014 season. Amari's career touchdown average, it's six. Now, DeMarco Murray's not as good as Zeke, but behind that offensive line, which was young and great, he did lead the league in rushing. So when you start talking about just pay the guys, how good are the three guys? How good are they?

DAC is viewed as middle of the pack. Amari is a very good B receiver. You've got a superstar running back who's demanding a new deal two years out, immaturity issues, judicial consequences every offseason. Before you load up the Brinks truck, just ask yourself, the Cowboys' previous triplets, Romo de Maquemarle and Des, were more talented with higher ceilings than the current triplets. And how did that do in the playoffs?

Not great. Greg Coasell and Kyle Turley, the former Pro Bowl offensive lineman, both next hour. Oliver Luck final hour, his son, Andrew, more injury concerns. Brian Westbrook, the former Eagle and Niner. Pro Bowl running back will be joining us as well. Coming up next, Chris Collinsworth joined the show yesterday,

talked about Brady's decline. And one of the things that wasn't discussed but needs to be and why Tom is going to keep on trucking to the AFC championship every year, that's coming up. In L.A., it's the herd. Butcher box, yeah, you know butcher box, high-density meat, protein. Butcher box, free shipping, delivered to your door, uses the best farms, no hormones, an ethical process to deliver human. mainly raised, 100% grass-fed beef, organic free-range chicken, heritage breed pork and my favorite, wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Free shipping, under $6 a meal, delivered directly to your door. In curated boxes, customize your own box with all your favorite cuts.

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Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard 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.

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Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Come out. Quarterback on office, Blue, 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Obviously, Tom Brady's the best quarterback in the history of the league, the goat, right?

We don't really argue it. Until LeBron James, we didn't really argue it with Michael Jordan Munch. We thought Magic was really good and Kareem was good, but MJ was the goat. And then LeBron came around. It's like a talk show debate topic. Nobody made a big fuss when Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl. and then all of a sudden his sick Super Bowl and everybody's like, okay, the Joe Montana stuff,

it's over. He's just got more. But there is a decline for Tom Brady. Chris Collinsworth talked about it yesterday. When he joined us, the former all-pro wide receiver, the NBC Sunday night football analyst next to Al Michaels, he talked about his decline in our show yesterday. I don't think you get to 40, whatever he is, one and a half, 42 years old,

and you don't decline in some way. I mean, Tom Brady used to be able to throw a ball about as far as anybody in the league. So has he declined? Of course he has. I mean, he's not that age. But if you're declining and winning Super Bowls, that's pretty good. Listen, there's so much intellectual dishonesty on any debate in sports or in politics.

Doesn't matter if it's guns, it's Trump. There's a lot of intellectual dishonesty by the media, by the public. I love Brady. But I would be intellectually dishonest. if I didn't acknowledge, one of the reasons Tom's very gradual slight decline is mostly hidden is because the division he's in. If you go look at the history of dynasties in this country, generally you need what I would call a local break. When Pete Carroll was dominating college football, the Pac-12 was atrocious. He had like seven laydown games a year.

He could rest starters. They were healthy at the end of years. You know, when Michael Jordan had his dynasty, the Celtics and the Pistons, he couldn't get through them for years. They got old. They could get to the finals every year. I mean, in the Eastern Conference, their rival was the Knicks, a roster of guys who would win a bar fight but couldn't shoot. So by the time he faced Utah and Phoenix, Seattle, really good teams, he'd had a local break. I've said this about LeBron and the Eastern Conference.

I mean, you can take games off. You don't have to play as hard. These Western teams, they fall apart. The Warriors fell apart this year. Houston fell apart last year. Toronto's healthy as an ox. Why? Because the East is easier. You get a local break.

Listen, Tom Brady is not only 30 and 3 against the bills, 27 and 6 against the jets, and 22 and 11 against the dolphins. But I'll give you an example of the little breaks, and they don't last long. but the little breaks Tom is now getting because of the dysfunction in the AFC East. And these two and three week breaks, other teams don't get these. Go look at the Patriot schedule. So week two, three, and four, it's Miami, Jets, and Buffalo.

Two of those three have brand new staffs, and it's early in the season. So you're facing brand new coaching staffs that are just now implementing the system. All three of them have quarterbacks in their. second year in the league. That's a real break. If I got Belichick, Brady, a system, a 70-year-old offensive line coach, and I bring back overwhelmingly my roster, that is what I would call a break in the NFL schedule. Because of dysfunction in the AFC East, they go into October at worst three and one, and actually not really facing a veteran staff, a veteran quarterback, a veteran offensive line, a completely built, motivated, and rolling culture.

Now, their schedule in the middle is like everybody else's, but let's go to the end of the Patriot season. Buffalo at home, Miami at home, which presumably gives them a buy into a home playoff game, another three-week break. Buffalo, second year quarterback. I like their coaching staff. They're rebuilding. They don't have a great fluid.

momentum-based offensive system. Then it's Miami. We don't even know who the quarterback is right now. So in the NFL season, everybody, what does every player do in the NFL season? They go to their schedule and look for the buy. It's rest. Now, I'm not insinuating playing Miami Buffalo and the Jets is rest.

But there are two micro, what I would call, respites in the schedule when the veteran patriots will face, young quarterbacks, young staffs, young position coaches, new cultures, dysfunctional organizations, those are breaks. Those are real breaks. And it's those micro breaks. There's no question. And that dysfunction that is given Tom what I would call a local discount,

and that is why his decline has been so granular, so hard to detect. Listen, if you put him in certain divisions in this NFL, I mean, right now you've got Houston, Tennessee, the Colts, Jacksonville. There's pro bowlers on all those rosters. I mean, Tennessee you look at and go, oh, Tennessee, they've been nine and seven, three straight years. Best offensive line arguably in the league. So I do think Pete Carroll at USC, MJ at the end of his career winning titles, LeBron and the Eastern Conference. Let's be honest about Nick Saban and the SEC. LSU can't get the coach right.

Auburn can't get the coach right. Tennessee can't get the coach right. And until now, Florida can't get the coach right. Dan Mullen finally got the coach right. It's a little bit of a local break for Nick. Then you put a buy here, Citadel a few times here, and you generally go into the playoffs a very healthy or healthier than who you play football team.

Here's Joy with the News. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So there haven't been a lot of seasons where the Steelers could be considered to fly under the radar, but that's what Bill Cowher thinks they are doing at the moment. Here he was on CBS, KDKA. For the first time, they're kind of flying out of the radar a little bit

because all the talk has been about Baker Mayfield and, you know, in O'Dow up in Cleveland and Lamar Jackson's second year in Baltimore after, you know, getting the playoffs last year. And then, you know, Zach Taylor coming in New, coach in Cincinnati. So that whole division, I think, has really got something to be looking forward to. We'll see how they get through the preseason. But the offensive line, defensive line are very, very solid.

And if they can stay healthy, they're going to be a tough, tough out. Also, Devin Bush, the two players I've watched in the preseason, Joy, Quinn and Williams for the Jets, you're seeing him and he'll play tonight. And Devin Bush for the Steelers look like they're going to be impact play day one player. So they both have great young rookie talent. Well, the biggest question with the Steelers is how are they going to replace the talent in Antonio Brown and Levyon Bell that they lost? Now, obviously, Levyon Bell didn't play last year, but they didn't make the playoffs last year. So they do have something to prove.

And it's kind of a weird space for the Steelers to be in because while in Pittsburgh, the expectations are always high. Around the league, it's kind of like the Steelers are just being overlooked. Cast aside. They're completely being overlooked. And that's what Cowher is saying is they're really flying under the radar. It's a great position for the Steelers to be in because they usually are the folks. of everyone's conversation in the AFC outside of the Patriots. And they're kind of just being counted out.

I don't really know what to expect from them this year. Obviously, there's a complete culture breakdown with the Steelers last year. And there's a lot of things happening around the organization that were very unstealer-like. Even the conversation about possibly moving on from Mike Tomlin is not a conversation you have. Steelers don't talk about replacing coaches. It's three coaches. It's just not, that's not the organization's way. So it'll be an interesting.

year for the Steelers. I personally feel like they're going to win the AFC North and be a problem in the playoffs. I don't think, I do not know if I have any confidence in Rathesberger winning another Super Bowl. So if Rathesberger and Tomlin are connected in that way, like that if they don't win another Super Bowl, Tomlin, they move on from Tomlin. I think it's would not be the ideal situation, but if they keep Cleveland out of the playoffs, uh, the Rooney family, regardless of a Super Bowl. I mean, that's my takeaway is they don't have to win a Super Bowl

to have a great year, although people in Pittsburgh would disagree. Do I think they're one of the top four teams, five teams in the AFC? Absolutely. And that means they'll win their division. I think they're going to be a very good football team. I'll say it again. Noise inhibits winning in the NFL. It

doesn't in the NBA. It does in the NFL. And they just got rid of a lot of noise. Well, they are not favored to win the AFC North right now. So we'll see. I mean, I just don't see how the tradition and culture that's lasted as long as it has just disappears because of one bad year, as opposed to Cleveland, who is establishing a culture and moving towards the future. So with Dak trying to negotiate a new deal with the Cowboys, a lot of has been made about his raw talents. And yesterday, Jason Garrett took the time to point out the improvements that Dak has made this offseason.

Well, I think just go down the list. If you want to talk about physical improvement, his footwork has gotten better. I think his motion is cleaner. He's throwing the ball better. He's throwing the ball more accurately. He's throwing the ball with more anticipation. I think that goes a little bit to his understanding of the game. He goes about the right way.

He's a great example to us as coaches. Certainly a great example to his teammates. Why can't I do this? Why can't I watch Dak in the preseason and Dak for the first three games? And why can't I, if I'm the Dallas Cowboys, if I determine that Jason Garrett just said is true. So he's been winning games and he's getting better. why can't I make a determination if I'm 3 and 0 that I don't need Zique?

Why is there a rush to sign Zique? If Zeeke's holding out, why can't I just for the next six weeks? I'm going to watch Dak. And if I come to a belief that DAC won this division and now he is 20% 25% better, doesn't it give me more leverage on the Zique deal? Well, the Steelers tried that last year and they were watching the playoffs from home. So I don't know. I mean, Ben Ravasberger is certainly more talented

and a Super Bowl-level quarterback. Mike Tomlin is a Super Bowl-winning coach, and they basically took that option of waiting to see what would happen without Levy on Bell. And they had a good rusher, but they didn't have enough. And I'm not saying that it's all missing Levy on Bell. There were clearly some other factors, but he was not there and they didn't make it to the playoffs.

So there is something, too, if you have a superstar running back and you have a quarterback of Dax level, you need superstar pieces. Like the Dallas Cowboys need Ezekiel Elliott. There's no confusion about that. It's unfortunate that he's holding out for them. It's unfortunate that he's holding out a year early

from his contract and they have DAC up. But it's like Clarenthill said, they have enough money. You have a small window. Put all your chips in the middle of the table and see what happens. Like, what are you hoping for? Are you building this long-term situation? Whether I'm rich or not, I'm never going to overpay for a car.

So the way I always look at my budget is it doesn't matter what I make. I tell my wife, it doesn't matter what I make. I'll take a little better vacation. Right. But if you're buying a car to drive to San Diego down the PCH, so you know, you could buy a very, very, very expensive car. You could buy like a moderately expensive car and have a nice ride either way. Right. But if you're driving in, you know, the Daytona 500, you might want to pay a little.

little more. You have one chance in Daytona 500 and this is it. You've got two years to try and win it. You may just want to splurge a little bit and get the couple upgrades. Like, you have a small window to win in sports. But Todd Gurley got, Todd Gurley got hurt and the Rams got to the Super Bowl. They didn't win. Well, but I think getting to the Super Bowl with Dallas would feel like a win. I mean, getting to the Super Bowl and the NFL is a win. I don't think that the I mean, yes, it's not a discredit. They had an incredible season. They made to the Super Bowl, yes. But the goal is to win the Super Bowl. I think you have to pay DAC and you have to pay it. I'm on an island. I trade Zeke.

I'm on an island. I'm okay. I'm comfortable with it. That makes me nervous. I don't think it's a horrible idea, depending on what you get back. But I think you just have to pay them. Finally, I'm starting to get worried that Andrew Luck is not going to be available for week one. It's starting to get there. He remains out. He still has the left ankle wrapped each day. Brings a new injury report.

And yesterday, Frank Wright gave a time frame on when he will call it if he's going to be the week one starter. I think with that, you know, I'd, Ideally, the more time you have, the better. But by the end of the third preseason game, I think you just have to know something. You know, you've got to be able to make a call and move. And move from there and whether we're full speed with Andrew, you know, after that third preseason game or at that point, are we, you know, are we going to go with Jacoby? So we'll make that decision when that time comes.

That is 10 days from now. Yeah. Well, I think he'll whatever hurts him, I just read a story in the athletic. It's concerning. Thankfully, the Colts have a lot of pieces around Andrew Luck, like they have a real defense and a real running game, excellent O line. I'm not in catastrophic fear.

I don't feel it's man overboard. I think it's a, I think Andrew Luck's become an enigma physically. And this goes back three years. I, whether there's confusion by the Colt staff or they're really good at hiding it, have we ever really known how Andrew Luck is physically in the moment in the last four years? No, it's always kind of a question mark of whether he's going to be available or not in what condition he is if he is available. And that's where we are right now.

I mean, it started as a lingering calf injury and then, you know, the dreaded word Achilles got thrown out in there and now it's a bone issue and a high ankle sprain. And my concern is just what I've been saying this whole time. He's not practicing. If he was practicing and they were holding him out of the preseason to just kind of slowly bring him back, that would be one thing. But he's not practicing. And there's a different report about what the actual injury is from day to day. Because like you said, they're very vague about it. He does have to make a call after the third preseason game.

The third preseason game, once that's over, you kind of feel like most of the rosters are set. The fourth preseason game is really for friends you guys that are trying to make the team or get on the practice squad. You pretty much know what's going on at that point. This is very concerning to me. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Line News.

I ran into Melvin Gordon of the Chargers at the airport over the weekend. Super, super nice kid. And what I loved about Melvin, Melvin wants about $12 million a year. Chargers offering about $10 million. And we talk back and forth about value. But Melvin Gordon understood what's happening to the running back situation. He's like, listen, we got good running backs. We have a great roster.

It's a hard cap league, unlike the NBA, which has a lot of exceptions on their cap. baseball, which has no salary cap, and you have to be, you have to use great discretion in the NFL when it comes to player salaries. If you have more than two or three big stars, uh, like Atlanta, then you're going to have a bad O line and bad corners. That's what I worry about with Dallas. They've got money now, but once you load up, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dak, Amari, Zique, uh, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, you're going to lack depth. You're going to have units that are one injury away from chaos. With that, Brian Westbrook comes in.

Nine years in the NFL, eight with the Eagles, two-time pro bowler, is joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Brian, you know this league. It's a hard cap. It's tough. Running back is that position now in the NFL that analytics say, be careful what you pay it long term. You got three great young talents people thinking Amari, Zeke, and Dak.

Would you pay all of them? You know, I think that there's a couple things going on. When you talk about Amari, I think that he can wait. I think that he's continued to prove himself there in Dallas. He's done a good job so far, but I think he can wait. I think Dak, for what he's trying to do, he's trying to get north of 30 million. So he still has a ways to prove himself as a pastor that can win without the help of run game. And hopefully, I think, to his credit that he will never have to prove that.

I think the truth is that the best. case scenario for the Dallas Cowboys is to have all three of them. And the most important piece to me, obviously the NFL feels a little bit different at this point is the running back position, especially in Dallas. That offense has been built around Zeke's ability to get through holes, to carry the ball and get 1,400 yards a year and then catch the ball out of the backfield. When you think about last year, he had 322 rushes. He has 77 receptions. That's impressive for a running back to basically have 400 touches. To be. me, you can't devalue that. You can't take that away from the team. They built an

offense from line that's very, very strong, and it's built to run block. You need Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield to make sure that everything. We're talking about DAC and Amari Cooper continue to excel and get the contract that they're looking for. Ryan Clark had said, when you pay Antonio Brown, watch out, he'll change. I do worry about Zeke's lack of maturity. His dad called him out going into the pros. We've seen judicial issues off the field. Is there any concern if you, Brian, were a cowboy general manager that I'm going to pay this young kid and he's going to go off the tracks? Well, I mean, I think you have to address it. And I'm sure that Jerry and Stephen Jones have me, they've addressed all of these

things. There's no doubt in my mind. That's something that Zizekio Elliott has to mature. That's the big thing about, you know, young men. You're talking about 25, 26, 27 year old young men. They have to mature. They have to experience things. He's not any different than a lot of young men. He needs to wake up and say, listen, I can't do these things because it's hurting me when it comes down to the contract negotiations. So for me, you know, that's a bit of a concern, but I'm having a conversation way before we pay him that, listen, if these things are happened, then we're going to take some of the money back. And somehow you have to give them some incentive to do the right thing to act properly. And I think he will fall in line with the

maturity as a young man. Have you ever been in a locker room where you had an Antonio Brown where he's unbelievably gifted, but he can suck the oxygen out of the room? We've seen through the years, wide receivers. I mean, there are guys that are a little higher maintenance. You've been in a lot of locker rooms, Brian, with a lot of players. When you're in a locker room and one of your best players is what you would call noisy and high maintenance, does it affect Sunday performances?

does it affect the overall team? Well, I think, you know, the guy that I was with, T.O. And he's similar to Antonio Brown, because you watch the practice here, is that he took our play, our level up a notch. And you're talking about two different scenarios. Antonio Brown is going to a team that hasn't been very good in a very long time. Tio came to the Eagles team that we went to the NFC championship games without TEO. We obviously were able to go to the Super Bowl with him.

And so it's a little bit different. When Tio came to our team, he was able to elevate our play. He was able to elevate our practice. He was able to take our swagger to a whole different level because he's that talented. Antonio Brown is just the same amount of talent there. You know, of course, he has done this for six over six years,

over 100 receptions, big time touchdowns. The stats absolutely say that he can get it done. The one thing that you mentioned earlier, and I know Joy may disagree, is that the noise. That's the thing that it was very, very hard. in our second year with T.O. Because he had a problem with Donovan.

He had a problem with Andy Reed to get over. We weren't able to get over the noise because at the same time is that we had the same, basically the same exact team as we had the year before, we couldn't get over doing the crunches and pushups in the driveway. We couldn't get over the arguments with the head coach. As a team, it's my belief that 53 guys have to be headed in the same direction. And you can't have a locker room divided. Now, unfortunately for Antonio Brown is that he's the best player in this football.

football team. When he walked back into that locker room in that field, everyone embraced them, everybody welcomed him back in because they understand how bad they need him. It was a little bit different for us. I think Antonio Brown is a special, special player. To me, what he did in the last couple of days

was quiet down the noise. He didn't come back saying, rah, rod, this, that, and the other. He came back saying, I'm going to find the helmet. Now I'm ready to work. John Gruden knows what he's going to get out of him when it comes to practice. Same thing that you would get from Tio as well. Brian, we're up against the clock.

Good talking to you. Good luck this year. And your Eagles, by the way, which I have, getting to the Super Bowl out of the NFC. Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Thank you. Greg CoSell, Kyle Turley next hour. It's interesting.

In the last 30 years, every year we have four new playoff teams. Now, you know, we tend to think, we look at the standings, we go, well, they still have a good quarterback and they still have a good coach. But this is a sport that has more injuries than other sports. It's a hard cap. You lose good players to free agency. So there's going to be four teams minimum this year that did not make the playoffs that will make the playoffs this year. And I'll give you my four, who I believe they are, that's coming up next. All right, traveling about three weeks after Labor Day, got to button it up, kids are in school,

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And on my podcast, The Clivert 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?

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There's an NFL game tonight. What is it? Packers Jets tonight. Is that what I get? I don't think I get Packers Jets tonight. Very excited for that. You know, it never fails. I think one of the funniest things about social media is that you get an urgent and exact response

from fans. You know, it used to be years ago before talk radio. The only time the fans had a voice was a letter to the editor or a local newspaper. Then sports talk radio is developed and, you know, you get people calling in and they're very emotional. Social media has just enhanced that where people freak out when you suggest a good team last year won't be as good or a team last year that was average will be better. That is outrageous to predict, even though we know it happens every year. One of the things I'm proudest of is my Blazing 5 picks. I've hit almost 60%. Professional sports betterers get about 57%. We're on that number. We work hard at Blazing 5. I love it. I also like my ability to go and say,

these two teams that were good won't be. These two teams that were bad will be good. We're pretty good on that. Last few years were like six for six or four for four around there. So in the last 30 years, four teams that didn't make the playoffs will make the playoffs in the NFL. So you look at the playoff teams and they all look good Chiefs, Patriots, Texans,

Chargers, Colts, Eagles, Seahawks, Cowboys, Bears, Rams, Saints. You know, you'll be outraged if I told you four of those wouldn't make it and four new ones are in. So I'm not going to tell you who's not going to make it. We'll be optimistic today. I'll just tell you who I think is going to make the playoffs. Number one, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were 9, 6, and 1 last year with massive turmoil.

They were a good football team last year. now they've added Devin Bush, who looks like about the best draft pick, they got the AB drama out the door, by the way, bent through 10 of his 16 interceptions when targeting Antonio Brown, meaning he had to feed him constantly or A, B, struggled emotionally.

They have the best offensive line, according to pro football focus. They were good last year. It looks like, from what I've seen so far in the preseason, James Washington will fill in nicely. It's also an organization. It's always done a great job replacing skill people. I think they make the playoffs.

Let's go to the NFC. The Packers last year were not a terrible team when Aaron Rogers played. He just missed a lot of games. I think Green Bay wins the division. First of all, Aaron last year was 25 touchdowns two picks. And that was not a full season. So, you know, extrapolate that out. to 36 touchdowns and five picks.

Aaron's still elite. Number two, they made defense up priority the last two years in the draft in free agency. They've added really good linebackers, Preston Smith, Zedarius Smith. They went to their secondary. They've drafted corners and acquired safeties the last couple of years. I also, like about Green Bay is, I do think they have a new energy and a new young coach. It puts Aaron in a better place, little more dynamic practices. Anytime there's a new boss or a new coach, everybody's a little bit more in line.

The apathy leaves the building. I think Green Bay makes the playoffs. I also think Minnesota will be a playoff team this year. Again, they were 8, 7, and 1, and that's firing your offensive coordinator before the year was over. They had coaching chaos. I think Minnesota is a really good football team. Kirk Cousins now in his second year. He completed 70% of his throws.

I still believe they have the best wide receiver tight-end group in the NFL between Diggs, between Thielen, and between Kyle Rudolph. Dalvin Cook is a remarkable talent. He's missed 17 games the last two years. He's finally healthy. They also addressed their offensive line. That's their weakness. They drafted Garrett Bradbury, who I think was the best center in the college draft. So I think they addressed their weakness.

They added to a strength. I think they have an excellent staff. And now Kirk Cousins, who has struggled in big games, has an offensive coordinator that I presume will last the year. And finally, I think the Atlanta Falcons get in. Listen, last year, both starting safeties suffered season-ending injuries in September. Their Pro Bowl linebacker, Dion Jones, missed 10 games. They addressed offensive line in the draft. that was a weakness.

They've replaced Steve Sarkesian with Dirk Cutter offensive coordinator. Many in-house see that as an upgrade. You forget how good Matt Ryan was last year, 35 touchdown seven picks. And I frankly, as I've said, I think New Orleans takes an emotional step back. Drew Brees getting older. So I see Atlanta as a team. And again, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Atlanta, Atlanta last year was 7 and 9. These were quality teams.

suffered injuries, Pittsburgh suffered drama, and Minnesota had coaching chaos. Plus, Aaron Rogers got hurt. So I think the Steelers, the Falcons, the Vikings, and the Packers are the four new teams that make the playoffs this upcoming season. Greg CoSell, you love him, so do I, right around the corner. Former Pro Bowl lineman Kyle Turley in house today. It's The Hurd. One more Hurd?

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. Ah, this is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening live in Los Angeles, Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS1, Joy Taylor is joining me. By the way, before we get going, Joy, I'm going to do one of those dumb poll questions today. Okay. So during the break, I was eating a bag of sun chips, and John says, I can't believe you're

eating junk food. You never eat junk food. And I said they're not junk food. It says on the bag, heart healthy, and 100% whole grain. So I don't believe sun chips, I think they taste delicious. I think they're healthy. Sun chips harvest cheddar are a very underrated chip, I would agree. They are definitely in top 10. Three grams of protein. Protein is good.

Almost no sugar. How much salt? Well, there's some salt in there. There are chips. You can't have a dry chip. There is salt. Listen, it's sodium is not great. Let me see where the sodium count is. Colin, what does whole grain matter when you cover it in cheese? And is it cheese?

Well, it's a derivative of cheese. Listen, when a bag says heart healthy, you can't just put that on. They don't put it on Starbursts. That's true. You can't just throw that on. But you don't eat a bag of Starburst. You generally have one. Hey, hey, listen, you're not going to.

No artificial flavors. That's important. I don't consider sun chips to be junk food You don't do I, that's my point Especially in that quantity I'm not if you're eating the bigger bag Maybe every day You put

I don't even know if it's FDA approved If you put heart healthy on the bag It's not junk food That's the new rule Is that a rule? They don't put that on M&Ms We are not doctors people So they do not put it on Kit Katz

Follow up with your position I don't think that's junk food though You're in the clear Okay Joy's got a breaking news story Go ahead Joy, what is this big thing? Yes Well, Boogie Cousins is torn as ACL. Shams Sharania just tweeted

it out. So Boogie's done. He's done. Yeah, unfortunately. He was in Vegas working out and it appeared that he had to leave Vegas. He had to leave the court. And he was not in good condition when he left and he came to LA to get a second opinion

or get diagnosed and as an ACL. When you pay these two max contracts you have to get some parts. There's a reason Bougie was available and Rondo was available and Rondo struggling to stay healthy and Bougie's now not healthy. And this is the reality. If you have those two big contracts out there, you're going to take a little hit on your bench, unless you draft exceptionally well. Lakers

had to give up almost all their young players except Kyle Kuzma to get Anthony Davis. So we've said with the Lakers, we don't doubt AD and LeBroner great. And Kuzma's a really good young player. The question is how's their old, Danny Green's old and Rondo's old and a lot in that now. And so this is the problem. So boogie's out. Boogie's done. I mean, it just, that's a, coming back from an Achilles injury at Boogie's size is really hard to do. It's just, it's kind of, I mean, it's obviously very sad. But Boogie, like, when he came back for the Warriors, everyone was just excited to see him there. And then it just, it feels like he's done.

Yeah, it feels like he's done. So not great news for the Lakers. All right, without further ado, a guy I rely on in Thursdays in this time slot from now, we started two, three weeks ago until February. Let's go to Greg Kosell, NFL films 30 years. So what we've been doing in the preseason, Greg, we've been taking two divisions. Today we'll take the NFC North and the AFC North. So let's start, Greg, with the NFC North, where Aaron Rogers played a lot of games,

but never felt healthy for the first four to six weeks. I didn't think he looked healthy at the end of the year. You know, our takeaway is Matt LaFleur's system, Aaron Rogers' talent. How do you think it works? System. You have to remember where Matt Lofluf, floor came from, Colin. His background is Kyle Shanhan and Sean McVeigh. It's a system where the quarterback's predominantly under center. It's focused on this play action pass game. It's

very defined. And Aaron Rogers has not been that kind of quarterback. Now, we certainly capable of that, you know, but he's not been that kind of player. You know, a friend of mine actually posted something on Twitter I thought was interesting. Let's say a play is called, and the design of the play works perfectly, and Aaron Rogers does not throw the ball, and it's third and five, and then he runs for six yards. Is that a good play by Aaron Rogers or a bad play by Aaron Rogers? And that's what you get a lot with Aaron Rogers. The design of the play works.

The route is open. He doesn't turn it loose within structure and then make something happen. And that's going to be very interesting when you think about Aaron Rogers in a matto-floor offense. The Chicago Bears have lots of things I like. Matt Nagy, the coach, excellent defensive personnel. I think Ryan Pace is an emerging top general manager. But you are as good when it comes to January as your quarterback and the ability to protect your quarterback. When you look at the Bears, Mitch Trubisky, and Matt Nagy, I thought Nagy looked frustrated with Trubisky in the playoff game, a limited thrower of the football.

Where do you fall in the Bears and Trubisky specifically? Well, I'm going to isolate him. He's not a truly natural thrower. He's got a little bit of a hitch in his delivery. His arm slots a little low. He tends to lift his plant foot off the ground before he releases the ball. What that does is it locks your front leg and that impacts negatively both your velocity and your ball placement.

So he's not a natural, easy throw over the football. So now you get into how you can help him. Their offense is very multiple from a formation and personnel. standpoint. It's very diverse. They have a player like Tariq Cohen who can use in multiple ways. They move him all around. Nagy did a really good job on third down with his route concepts and his combinations. He helped Trubisky a lot. I think when all said and done, that's what you have to do with Mitchell

Trubisky. Then you get into the debate about can you do that in the playoffs against better defenses and teams that study you in greater detail than perhaps is done in the regular season. I don't think we know the answer to that, but Mitchell Trubisky will not all of a sudden become a smooth, easy thrower. Let's move to Minnesota.

One of the reasons I think the Bears pull back is I think Green Bay will be better defensively, and frankly, my eyes tell me, Minnesota is still a well-coached, excellent roster with explosive, dynamic, offensive pieces on the perimeter. Kirk Cousins, he is a competent, 70% completion guy. I like,

Minnesota. I like their roster. I don't break down film, but when I watch them, I think they're fairly complete with a slightly below-average O-line. What say you? Yeah, I think ultimately what they're going to try to do now with the change in offensive thinking is they're going to try to be a run-first team, the stretch-run action, have Delvin Cook be the number one focus of their offense and the foundation, and have Cousins work off that. And ultimately, that's what Kirk Cousins is. think back to, because Gary Kubiak is there now, think back to Houston with Matt Schaub. Matt Schaub put up 4,000 plus yard seasons, three or four of them, had some really good years in Houston. They ran the play action game.

He was very efficient, very effective. I think ultimately that's what Kirk Cousins is, and I think that's the way they'll structure their offense. What do I do with Detroit and Matt Stafford? Stafford mechanically sometimes is hit and miss. He's a huge arm talent. But this organization, Greg, never feels like it can gain momentum. Sometimes in the division can't get out of its own way. Doesn't ever feel like they can, they never feel like, I just keep waiting for the seven-game winning streak.

I keep waiting for momentum. What is the tape say on this team and this roster? Well, I think what Matt Patricia is trying to do is to change the focus. I think for years this team was built around Matthew Stafford. the idea that he's going to be the reason we win or lose every week. And he's a tremendous armed talent. He's very smart, but it's very hard to play that way in the league on a week-to-week basis. There's really only a few guys who you can do that with.

And in an ideal world, you don't really want to build your whole team that way. So I think what Matt Patricia is trying to do is take the focus off of Matthew Stafford as the guy that we're dependent on. So they've built a really strong D-line. They're going to try to be much better on defense. I think they're going to try to feature the run game more with Carri-on-Johnson. And I think not that they're going to make Stafford a system puzzle piece, but I think that they want him to be more of a part of a team as opposed to the entire team.

And Stafford is a very, very talented guy. And by the way, he has not missed a game. And remember when he was viewed as fragile? I don't think he's missed a game in seven, eight years. Yeah. Let's go to the AFC North. with Baltimore. What concerns me is this, is that I kind of feel like they're going to be contrary into the league, very collegiate, but they've lost some top defensive personnel.

I don't think they're built for shootouts. What do you make of how they're trending and what they're trying to do with their offense? To run the ball, my guess is their offense will look very similar to what Greg Roman, who's now their offensive coordinator, did when he was with Colin Kaepernick for those couple of years in San Francisco, including the Super Bowl. ball year. They'll be very diverse with their run game, which will include the quarterback. They'll be judicious in how they throw it.

They'll try to create big plays off run looks with run personnel, and they'll try to control the pace and tempo of the game so that they shorten the game by using clock, and that their defense won't play as many snaps. That's going to be their approach.

And obviously, for a couple of years there in San Francisco, it worked extremely well. And I think they're going to try to replicate that and hope that Lamar Jackson continues to improve through this process as a passer. So last year they missed the playoffs, but Pittsburgh was 9, 6, and 1. Their offensive lines got road graders. They always seem to find the next great wide receiver target.

Devin Bush looked good in the preseason. They do get to the quarterback. Don't love their corners, but there are very few cornerback units I love. I have Pittsburgh winning the division. I think AB's drama. 10 of Big Ben's 16 picks were throwing to A-B. I think he's the kind of guy you've got to feed, especially early in games. And they did.

And they did and sometimes force. I like Pittsburgh. When I watch them play, physicality up front, I like him. I have him winning the division. Yeah, the guy who stood out to me, and I know it's one game, but I look at movement more than anything, not the number of catches in the preseason. I thought James Washington looked a lot quicker and more explosive than he did a year ago. and even at Oklahoma State.

And I think he's an interesting player to watch because we know what Juju Smith-Schuster is. He's a really good player. I think you can line him up inside. You can line him up outside. You can move him throughout the formation, and he's a quality NFL receiver. You know, I think they need that second guy,

and I thought James Washington in the preseason game. You know, he looked to me like a guy who worked out in the offseason. You know what I mean, Colin? Like he worked out, probably ate better, and he looked more explosive, and I think he's critical to what they do. this year. All right, go to Cleveland.

We know the things they're good at. They have very good defensive line personnel. Excellent perimeter players. Baker's obviously talented. Some dynamic stuff in the back field. Here's my question. That offensive line, it doesn't look great on tape. Safety back end.

Do you see personnel-wise? We know what they're going to be good at. Is there any part of this team up front offensive line you don't like? What concerns you with them? certainly young, but I mean, O-line, I think, is somewhat of a question. Okay, right now it appears Greg Robinson, who's been around the league quite a bit, a former number two pick, is going to be their left tackle. They're probably most consistent O-Lignment will be the left guard, Joel Betonio,

but I think the rest of the O-line is a little bit of a question mark at this point in time. We'll see how that plays out. Look, we know that Baker-Mayfield can certainly move if need be, But I don't think he's really that kind of quarterback overall. He's a very efficient kind of player, very compact. They've got really good weapons. So it's a team with a ton of weapons, and I think a quarterback who can at times compensate and camouflage offensive line weakness

as the offensive line develops through it being a work in progress. You like their defensive personnel? They've got a lot of really good players. I mean, Miles Garrett could be a star. Look at their D-Line. It's Miles Garrett, Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernal. Even a Gunjabee is a good player. You know, I think that they're solid.

They're going to play Denzel Ward, who's a really solid corner. We'll see if Greedy Williams ends up starting. So they will have two young corners who can line up and play man coverage and can play press man, which is what you want in this league. Whether they're ready to do that week in and week out at a high level, only time will tell. But they have the prototype for what you want at the corner position in today's NFL. Well. Cincinnati feels like they're destined to be fourth in this division. Like it's one of the only guarantees I feel like in this league.

I watched them in the preseason. I don't see it. I don't see the dynamic quarterback. I don't know. I kind of feel like they're in a rut. We'll see. I mean, look, they hired Zach Taylor who came from Sean McVeigh. So you're going to get a lot of that offensive look.

Now, you could say what you want. Jared Goff under Sean McVeigh, very efficient player. It was a system-based. Goff was somewhat programmed. There's nothing wrong with that. That's not a negative term. I think Andy Dalton can fall into that category. You know, Dalton's taken a bad rap.

You know, there were a number of years ago before he got hurt. He may have been the league MVP. I think he fits this kind of approach. I think Joe Mixen certainly fits this run game, the stretch run game. And it wouldn't surprise me if Mixon became a big, big time player in the context of this offense. Yeah, no, I mean, Mixon is a big time player. I misspoke. is a very dynamic power running back.

Again. Very good receiver, by the way. You watch a ton of college football. You know what they did with him at Oklahoma. Yeah. I mean, he lined up all over the formation. He's a terrific receiver. And then Zach Taylor will use him that way.

Greg CoSell, NFL films. Great talking to you. Thanks, Colin. You bet former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Turley today as well. Steve Kime of the Arizona Cardinals explains why precise. They drafted Kyler Murray and moved off of Josh Rosen. That's coming up. Few things in life can ruin a day like a check engine light.

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Mention the code heard. Or just go to carshield.com code heard. Either way, 10% off. 10% off. A deductible may apply. It is extended vehicle coverage. and you will at some point need it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports

Radio, FS1 and the IHeard Radio app. 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 Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, Kier 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.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Look. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Dude. Hey, Red, my mama want you to weigh better.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Premier Boxing Champions returns to FS1, August 24th, with interim super band-and-weight title bouts. Undefeated Brandon Figueroa and Javier Chaconne go toe-to-to-to.

Don't miss all the hard-hitting action. 24th on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. Brandon, the younger brother of Omar, who was a lightweight champ. By the way, Steve Kime yesterday of Arizona explained why they traded Josh Rosen. He told the ringer.com, it's unprecedented. I take Rosen in the top 10, and then I take Kyler the next year. He said, basically, we just thought he was a generational talent. I just couldn't pass it up.

I don't think it's, I think it's very difficult. Years ago, the Portland Trailblazers in 1983 drafted Clyde Drexler, a great player. The next year, Michael Jordan at the same position was available. And Portland's like, all right, we got a great player. They loved Jordan, but Sam Bowie was available. They didn't need a two guard. Can you argue they should have drafted Jordan because, regardless of position, he's a generational talent. I was told Arizona liked Rosen.

They loved Kyler Murray. And so Kimes going public now, sort of backing up what I was told. They like Josh. They love Murray. Listen, this is what the Colts did with Andrew Luck. They like Peyton Manning at the end.

Peyton Manning still won a Super Bowl. Peyton Manning was still very good. His last year, look at the numbers. But they thought Andrew Luck, and I think they were right, is a generational talent. Here's the thing we're all back, Arizona. If you feel that somebody is special,

in the NFC West right now, specials winning the division. Sean McVeigh is a special coach. Russell, Wilson, and Pete Carroll are special quarterback coaches. I think Kyle Shanahan is a special coach. We'll see on Garapolo. We'll see on Jared Goff. But Arizona didn't have a special quarterback in their pipeline, and they went and got Cliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray largely

because they think they're special generational coaches. Now, I still contend. This league is overwhelmingly won by six-foot-four quarterbacks who sit in the pocket have good movement over mobility. But we'll see. But the argument is basically, listen, the Warriors did this. Monte Ellis was averaging 25 points a game. He was averaging 25 a night.

The organization's like, we're going to trade him because we think Steph Curry is generational. He's going to be an all-time player. That's what the Colts did with Andrew Luck. It's what the Blazers passed on Michael Jordan. I think Special wins this division. You know, the other thing I was thinking about, you know, we were talking about the Cowboys and all these players, you've got to pay, and everybody's like, you know, pay everybody, is that the reality in the NFL, because it's a hard cap, we've talked about this a lot in the last two weeks. The NFL's not about having the best individual unit anywhere. I believe with professional football, the key is not having a terrible unit.

The New York Jets are very talented. They are bad at corner. It will cost them seven or eight games late. The Atlanta Falcons have three or four star contracts, but because of it, they have to rebuild their offensive line. It's got to be cheaper. You know, with the New Orleans Saints, they pay a lot of money for Michael Thomas, their offensive line, and Drew Brees.

There's going to be other parts of that football team that one injury and the linebacking unit, can be in chaos. New England does not have a pro-bowl pass rusher, a sacks leader. But yet they led the NFL last year in pressures. So they didn't pay a star, but they force opposing quarterbacks through a series of really good football players. They force quarterbacks like Jared Gough or Patrick Mahomes

to be just uncomfortable enough to make the play. So New England is a sprinkle the infield franchise. Stefan Gilmore is one of the highest paid corners. But by and large, Brady's not top five, Edelman's not top ten, their offensive linemen. I mean, Trent Brown of the Raiders, right tackle makes more than six of the Patriot offensive linemen combined on that roster. So if you're going to pay stars, Zeke, Dak, Amari, you're going to have thin units somewhere else. It's the way it works. Now I understand You know, it's all play money, right? We got cap space.

We got room. You can have room today. But NFL teams are a lot like a human beings budget. This is what your boss pays you. This is what you make. You may be able to afford things now, but are you looking for your college, your kids going to prep school? He's going to college.

Does it work three years from now? The league's not hard to figure out. Minnesota's another team. They pay Kirk Cousins big money. They pay a receiver, big money, a pass rusher, big. money, their offensive lines not very good. Houston, D'Andre Hopkins, big money, J.J. Watt, Clownie, big money. What happens? Their corners stink. Their offensive lines pathetic. So just because you have money now in the budget, it will mean, and the NFL, remember,

the NFL is a coach's league. This is why Belichick and Andy Reid are so good off a buy, because they will find your hole. The key in the NFL is not being great at everything. It's not being terrible at anything. That's where New England wins. New England doesn't have a hole. They don't have a pro-bowl pass rusher, but they led the league in pressures. They don't have a pro-bowl offensive linemen. But they always seem to run the ball and protect Tom.

So be careful in a hard cap about star, star, star. Dallas's defensive line, they pay all these guys. They are an injury away from being a bottom six NFL defensive line and never getting those offensive stars the football because they can't stop the rush. If you can't pay for Byron Jones, what happens when you play the Rams who have a good tight end, girly can catch, and three excellent receivers? You can't stop any of them. Joy with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So, bad news for the Lakers and, of course, for Boogie Cousins. According to Shams Sharania, DeMarcus cousins tore his ACL while he was working out in Las Vegas on Monday. He has had quite a round of injuries in his career. This is obviously devastating for Boogie. We remember seeing him come back for the Warriors in one game.

I had 9.9 rebounds and 4 assists. And then 4 minutes into the second game, he was injured again. It's just really disappointing for Boogie. This kind of felt like a good situation for the Lakers to have Boogie. He can ease his way back. And, you know, he's a nine-year veteran, four-time All-Star, incredibly talented. Average is 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game over his career. But if you look at the list of injuries, it's just...

It's over. I don't want to say it's over. I mean, he's 29 years old. But it's just... I mean, the injury list is hard to argue with. And it's very, very difficult to come back from an Achilles' injury, but especially as a big guy. people were comparing the Kevin Durant situation to Boogie, but I don't think Kevin Durant

has the same, I mean, he clearly doesn't have the same body type as Boogie or injury history and he just plays the game differently. I just it's really, it sucks. Like there's just no way around it. This is bad to the Lakers, but it's just, you really kind of felt the energy

that the Warriors had around Boogie when he came back and he had that game and everyone was just happy to see him out there and just like relieved that he is playing well and then for him to get injured again. And now this, the report was by, um, by Woj that he had left the court in Vegas. It wasn't sure what it was. And we were waiting for the results here in Los Angeles.

And, um, now, uh, Shawnee is reporting it is a torn ACL. So what the Lakers do to replace him will be interesting. I think Carmel's name might get thrown out there. Oh, God. Well, I mean, LeBron and Mello have discussed many times about wanting to play together. I don't, I don't think Mello is going to hurt them. At this point in the situation, I think Mello knows what, what his role would be with the Lakers. It's like he's going to come in and discuss.

expect to be a starter, expected to be his team. So I don't think that's the situation, but really disappointing news for boogie. So the Patriots are currently down in Tennessee. We're working on joint practices with the Titans, and Brady's been having some fun with his former teammate and current Titans head coach Mike Brable. And here was the first moment. Love that competitive fire by Brady. That's competitive fire.

I love that. That's playful trash talk. It's hardly competitive fire. about yourself. I count my rings over here. Well, they were having some fun with each other. It was also Brable's 44th birthday yesterday, and the Patriots rookies saying, happy

birthday to him. And today, Brady gave him a gift of his own. It was a small trophy with the score of last year's game on it, and it says Titans 34 Patriots 10. I actually think Tennessee is really interesting. You like Tennessee a lot. Well, listen, they're one of these organizations that you

just don't talk about, right, because you got spectacular Deshawn Watson, then the Jags for a year were crazy town, and then Indianapolis and Luck and Peyton Manning. They've been 9 and 7, 9 and 7, 9 and 7. Good old line, run the ball, Corey Davis, Braybill looks like he can coach. Now they have the best backup in the league in Tana Hill.

I'll say it again. Best bet on the board week one in the NFL is Tennessee Plus 5 at Cleveland. That is a very good bet. They hammered the Cowboys last year. They hammered New England. They tend to go on the road and show. They're like Miami. Right.

They'll go on the road and you're like, are they better at home or on the road? Or just like, why are you winning this game? Yes. Miami does that twice a year. Yes, they usually do it at home against the Patriots. So finally, it's been almost 600 days since Leveon Bell's last NFL game. And after not playing the preseason opener, he's getting antsy for some action. But he knows that they're trying to do the best thing for him long term.

And he told the New York Daily News, I understand they're trying to protect me from myself. It's hard having to be patient. wait, but at the same time, I know it's for the better good. When week one comes around, I'm going to be happy out there playing. Okay, now the lights are on. It's time to go. I think Leveon is in a, Levyon is in a, he's in a position like Hawaii Leonard. For different reasons, obviously, Kauai was injured. But it's kind of out of sight, out of mind.

Like, we have these conversations about who the best running backs are in the league right now. And Leveon's not even mentioned because he hasn't played in a very long time, obviously not due to injury. But, you know, there are some because he hasn't been out there. They're getting hit and in live action. There's probably some concerns about how his body is going to start taking that again. But he is, does that fresh legs. I think that the jets are, the jets are to me clearly in the best position moving forward in the AFCs. Like, in the next three years, I think they'll be at the top of that division.

I do. I actually do. They, you know what I like? They went and got Joe Douglas. They went and got a grown-up general manager. And their coaching staffs a little combative for my taste. Greg Williams and Adam Gays tend to be yellers and intense. But I'll say it.

They went and got a GM that all my guys love. They immediately went and got Ryan Khalil. They found him. It's a great get by them because Center was their worst position. So I don't think they're, I think they've got a unit on that team that's atrocious corner. So when they solve that, Darnold goes into his third year. That's a playoff team. I don't.

I think they're going to lose shootouts this year. I think they're actually predictable. If you look at their early schedule, they're going to play Baker, Tom Brady twice, somebody else they play a good quarterback. They're going to lose shootouts early. But at the end of the year, they face almost no Pro Bowl quarterbacks. So those corners will not be the liability. I think the jets are predictable, real bumpy until about mid-October.

Then they catch fire, put some Ws up, and they end up looking upstairs and going, we're eight and eight, and we've just missed the playoffs. I think they're going to make real progress this year, I think, in two to three years. as there will be contenders. That's what I think, too. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Lie News. All right, good stuff. Kyle Turley, it was a great player. Fascinating life story. Didn't play football until, like, senior year in high school, didn't even think he was going to go to college. Ended up being a dominant pro-bowl offensive lineman, a rock and roller, a surfer.

Not many NFL offensive linemen are great surfers. He's got a great story, and he is joining us next. Yankees, Battledy Indians in our Discover card key matchup, get your free credit scorecard today, even if you're not a Discover customer, Klujur-FICA credit score. Check your scorecard, won't hurt your credit. Go to discover.com slash credit scorecard limitations apply.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed the 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 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, Keer Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, The podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Kyle Turley did what was virtually impossible in his day. he played at San Diego State.

He was an offensive lineman and was the seventh overall pick in the draft more than any of the Big Ten linemen drafted all over the SEC linemen, went on to be a multiple-time pro-bowler, played in the NFL just shy of a decade. And now you were always a rock and roller, a bit of a surfer.

Your story is frankly amazing. Half the NFL is undrafted, which is unlike the NBA or baseball, almost all the players are drafted. You didn't even play high school football to the very, very end. Yeah, yeah, to my senior year of high school. It just escaped me. Young kid, parents going through divorce in the teenage years, Southern California,

skateboarding, surfing. And you did all of it despite your size. Yeah, you know, had to. You know, it was a passion. I always loved football. It was something that was with me since I was born, it felt like. Even when I was a baby, I got a picture with a football when I was a kid. It just escaped me.

And then my senior year, the opportunity came back around. It was either, you know, all in or all out, you know, leave with some Al Bundy stories or go on to glory. And, you know, the rest is history. San Diego State got a good coach, went to the NFL. You know, a couple of different things. You were outspoken as a player, hard knocks. You were on it back in about 2007. Now, it's changed a little bit as a TV show.

It feels a little bit more scripted than it did initially. when it first started, did you feel, because you were in the early years of it, did you feel it was a distraction? At that time, yes, because we weren't used to all this social media like these kids are today. It's no big deal to have a camera. I was coaching junior college football. I'd hold up my phone and be like, y'all are live right now. And the whole, you know, demeanor and attitude would change.

Oh, let's go to practice. Just because they think I have a bunch followers. Right, right. So much different back then. It was, you know, camera. It was two a days for a month, you know, so you're living with these people with a camera in your face for that long. Yeah, I think that it's, they probably don't even notice it, you know, today.

Yeah, that's what they say. Today they kind of disappear into the fabric of practice. I want to talk about a couple of interesting topics. And you have always defended players. You and I years ago got into a pretty good debate on radio at the other place when I was there about players and injuries. Andrew Luck, I've never liked the NFL. disclosing injuries.

I don't want people to know if Kyle Turley has a bad left knee. I don't want that out there. First of all, I think it's an insurance issue. Secondly, do you want the defensive linemen to know you've got a bad left knee? So the Colts have done a pretty good job to be discreet with Andrew Luck's injuries. Something's not right. He got hurt in May, and I got nine different answers here. If you were Andrew Luck, Kyle, knowing your history in this league, something's wrong.

calf, high ankle sprain. How would you not solve the problem, but attack an injury in camp? Would you play? Would you ask coaches? Let me rest. How do you attack it if you're Andrew Luck? Well, I mean, again, we'll go back to what is camp nowadays, right? So this is a fun camp now, you know, especially with quarterbacks.

I mean, they've got a protective bubble around them. I think they walk with people surrounding them these days, I'm sure, keeping them away from everything. So at the end of the day, it goes back. to this is an injury, this is a medical situation. And so we need to have the proper people advising on these things. And unfortunately, in the NFL, from our last conversations, nothing much has changed.

And these needles and pills is what the advice is. And I've been, I don't know how much more I have to say it, you know, but continuing to be present and relevant in how I'm feeling, being away from all those things, and how much faster my body recovers. I mean, if Andrew Luck could have the full potential of cannabis, recovery opportunity today in what is available. He could be back on the field in a week. There is a cannabinoid system.

There's no Vicodin system, an aspirin system, a wellbutrin or a tortall system. There's a cannabinoid system. And until we expose this, then you're going to have these injuries where he's walking around. He looks fine. He's hopping around. Things are okay. But there's this, oh, it's still right there. It's still right there.

It doesn't have to be. You know, the recovery process is paramount in. what you use to recover. And unfortunately, still to this day, they're only investigating the opportunities that are, if I have what I have now, could go back, I'd just be retiring. I promise that.

I would go back if I didn't have the brain thing where I can't be outside for about an hour or more in the heat where it really weighs on me cognitively. I go back to play right now. I'm coaching more than ever. I train guys all the time, and I'm better than them. I'm in better shape than them.

you know, again, if I could go back, I know what Andrew Luck needs, and he doesn't have to miss any time. And, you know, at the end of the day, what he does need is to just continue to grow up and realize that he's a great pocket quarterback. Don't get whacked. Don't get it. Yeah, get rid of that ball. Let's talk about Kyler Murray, because there is this sense now, hey, run around.

And I look at Russell Wilson, I'm like, okay, Russell's different. He never gets popped. Russell's got like this alien sense that he runs around and doesn't get hit. Cam Newton's a huge man. Andrew Luck's a huge man. Kyler Murray's fascinating. There's a Russell Wilson component here where you can't watch any film where he gets tagged. What do you make on Kyler?

Is this the new NFL? The runaround, the see a guy, move, Cliff. Do you think the NFL is going to start looking a little bit like the Big 12? Because we've seen this in the last about four years. There is a college movement moving to the pro level. You left the league. It started now. what do you suspect we see with Kyler Murray?

Well, hopefully that he stays healthy, you know, because he's a guy who can't afford to have that lower leg injury. You know, he's a guy that's got to get outside the pocket. So like Russell Wilson, Drew Bree, these quarterbacks that have set the tone for a talented guy like him who is unbelievably accurate. What we saw in the first preseason game from him was insane, I think, to all accounts and the things he was able to do moving around the pocket, outside the pocket, in the pocket even.

You know, he's got a wrong. Are they hard to block for? Well, of course, because you don't know where they're going to be. For sure. Did you like a pocket guy or a move guy? You know, as an offensive lineman, you always like to know where they're going to be at, you know, but at the same time to know that it's the NFL, a guy can get out of a situation. He's going to sit in there as long as he possibly can.

You know, that's a guarantee because that's what his first read is, is to sit in the pocket, unless it's been a play call. So as a lineman, you definitely want a guy. to sit in there, which is, you know, you've got the contrast between luck and him here, where a guy who can have a lower leg injury, he sits in the pocket just fine and has a great season where Kyle Murray's got to stay healthy. He's got to stay on top of it. He's got to continue the success.

And that's a team that because of a player like that could potentially even make the playoffs because it be so explosive like Mahomes in Kansas City. But they've got a lot of new, you know, factors there and dynamics. But an unforeseen guy coming out of. nowhere. Watch out because you have a lot of success. People think I don't like Baker Mayfield. I don't like some of his antics, but I do

think he's a really good quarterback. Now, I don't, people say he's the next Drew Breeze. Drew's one of the best quarterbacks in my life. That's ridiculous. And that's like saying you're the next, you know, Reggie Jackson in baseball or Kobe Bryant, whatever. I'm not a big fan of the, you know, drinking beer, pounding, talking, calling out your running back.

It just doesn't, I think quarterbacks, you play with Drew Breeze. I do think quarterbacks are different. I don't care if my wide receiver. are outspoken and my offensive linemen are in rock bands and they're I like that I actually like it right I do see quarterbacks differently some of the stuff Baker does in college and pro I don't love it are you okay yeah yeah what we'll see again you know he has that propensity to potentially have an off-field issue right and that's the concern with him is the the game off the field going to interfere with the game on the field because he's amazing talent but you know

it's Cleveland and there's a lot of pressure on him right especially with all the talk and, you know, the draft and as high as he win and all the things about him. He's got a lot of questions to still answer. So, you know, with a chip on his shoulder, I kind of like him, you know, because he's a guy who's, you know, he stood up to you, right? He came on the show. Right. Stood his ground. And that showed a lot of character, you know, and I think for a leader to hopefully if he stays humble, he's going to have a lot of success.

You know, we got about three minutes here. I've also been critical of Aaron Rogers while acknowledging he's one of the great talents of my life. You know, I do think I've seen enough players, I've talked to enough sources, I do think Aaron can be a little condescending at times, saying stuff publicly, I'd rather you call me out in the room.

It's a mustache. Maybe it's that. When you watch Aaron, the McCarthy thing at the end, the throwaways, again, are we being too critical of Aaron? Should we just say, let's just suck it up? He's a great arm talent. He's not perfect. Let's get it. Not everybody can be Drew Breeze.

You know, like leader, worker. You know, like... Hey, he's done a pretty good job of being his own Aaron Rogers, you know, up there, and winning Super Bowls, MVP's. It's all there. It's in there, you know what I mean? The whole coaching thing, it's Green Bay. You know, they've got to change it at some point.

I mean, everybody goes up there and expects to die like, you know, Lombardi, but it's not going to happen, you know. So hopefully they can put it together. It's Green Bay. It's Aaron Rogers. He's got a chance, you know. It's all dependent on his health. health. So again, you know, back to, hopefully these players are understanding the importance of that

and using the right thing so that they can stay on that field because if Aaron Rogers stays on the field, he's as good as Drew Breeze, he's as good as Tom Brady, he's as good as anybody in the league to get your team to the playoffs and give you a chance at a Super Bowl. And a guy like that in a Super Bowl who's won it, you know, again, chances. They come and they go and in the NFL, they're fleeting as you don't have 130, 80 games or whatever baseball gets. And back, you know, basketball gets, you've got 16 chances. Yeah, you got eight home Sundays. You've got to win seven generally to be a home team.

Finally, you played in New Orleans. You also played Kansas City, St. Louis. Let's go to New Orleans. Do you miss the vibe? What is it like to be a saint in America's Party City? I was just down there for convention. Unbelievable. You know, every time I go back there, I don't realize how bad I missed it.

You're coming from California. When I got drafted by the Saints, I was like, where is that? from Southern California. I don't know where Louisiana is on the map. Honestly, I couldn't have told you, especially where New Orleans was. I had no idea. And after being there for that long,

and then over the years, going back, playing music, and continuing to do that and be a part of the city in those regards. And, you know, all the guys, you play for the Saints. It's a different thing. And at the end of the day, when my wife and I are done,

we've already said we're back in New Orleans when the kids are out of the house. you'll find me living in the uptown somewhere. I'll be walking the streets or I'll be on the trolley. Do you have a website or anything I can send people to? Find me on social media, Kyle Turley everywhere, and neuroxpf.com. That's my CBD company. We're the only THC free brand out there that people can trust.

Down to the kids, even pile on seven on sevens allowed us that conversation. It's about the brain. It's about protection. Cannabis noise system's real, I promise. Kyle Turley, great stuff. Thanks, man. Thank you guys. 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 Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

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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, 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, 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 imagine an olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably ten days i'd put on ten pounds i was having trouble stopping the muscle growth listen to superhuman on the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert 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 guy 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, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So one of the things that Joy Taylor has to deal with is my obsession with the architecture of sports. I like data.

I like metrics. I'm a bit of a nerd, a wonky recruiting junkie. And I'm fascinated. I said this years ago about the MLS. I tried to invest in the MLS because I said it was. 35 million of franchise and I said, the academy system, it's going to take a while. We're not La Liga. This thing's going to work.

And the XFL fascinates me because I do believe we now have 35 sports networks. They're all dying for content. That was not the case 10 years ago. We also have an NFL, which looks more and more like college football. So an NFL rosters do not carry third quarterbacks. So half the NFL is undrafted. you're going to have as more quarterbacks at the college level work in professional football, it seems to me, and none of the teams want to carry a third quarterback, there is room for a

spring league. There's going to be eight to ten quarterbacks out here that are NFL quarterbacks. And if the XFL can find them and sign them and keep them upright, this league will work. Leagues work if quarterback play is good. That period. That's when football's out of best. And with that, my obsession with this stuff, I bring in Oliver Luck via the Coward Global Satellite Network. He's the XFL Commissioner and CEO. He's been an athletic director. So he knows the college game. He was a GM of the Houston Dynamo, MLS. Five years as a quarterback sons, Andrew, obviously. So now, here we go. First of all, you may agree or disagree, but I do believe if you just look at the NFL rosters and their sort of rigidity at two quarterbacks,

the advent of all these spread offenses, which make college guys work in the pro game better, I think quarterback's going to define your league. So you now officially have your first player, which not coincidentally, Oliver, is a quarterback. So tell us who it is. So our first signed player, Colin, is Landry Jones, great college player, All-American.

I thought one of the best backups over the last two or three years, of course, in the NFL. He was primarily with the Steelers backing up Big Ben. But you're absolutely right. Think of all the good college quarterbacks coming out of the college ranks. The pro guys, like, you know, Philip Rivers or Eli or Ben or, of course, Tom Brady, they're playing for 20 years. Right. Very few opportunities for those guys to get playing time. Hardly anybody is carrying a third quarterback. So we believe the XFL that we can take, you know, the best eight, the best 10 quarterbacks and get them signed to play in our league. The other factor is, as a quarterback, you have to play, right? As a backup, and I'm a former backup so I can say this, you can't

sit in the bench for two or three or four years and play here and there. You need real playing time when the bullets are flying. And we can offer that to young guys, you know, like Landry Jones, who we think is going to be a star in our league. Okay, so now it's very interesting. You will have a draft, but to ensure, I think this is brilliant, to ensure that that the league works at quarterback. The league, yourself included, you're going to sign eight quarterbacks as

a league, then you'll have your draft. So explain that to the audience that, and I've never seen this before, what it says to me is to ensure success, let's get the best eight quarterbacks in the market. So right now as a league, you're making calls, you're talking to agents,

you need to sign seven more quarterbacks, right? So we will sign seven more quarterbacks. believe along with Landry, those eight will be the best eight quarterbacks that are going to be available through the month of September in terms of the big NFL cut down on Labor Day. So we'll sign these eight guys and then working with our coaches, we'll get them distributed before our draft. And then every other player, including backup quarterbacks, will be in the draft. The point is to make sure that the top eight players from our perspective, and we've had lots

of input from our head coaches, guys like June Jones and Jim Zorn, guys that know quarterback, play. We've had lots of input, so we want to make sure the best eight guys are represented on each of those eight teams. That's our goal, because I fully agree with your belief that, you know, top quarterback play will ensure good games, good exciting competitive games for the XFL. Okay. Now, when is your official draft, though, Oliver? Our draft will be in October. Okay, this is interesting. So your draft is all the cuts are made, players are available, and you have your draft. Now, the other interesting component is, is your league doesn't have to wait, unlike the NFL, for a player to play at least minimum three years.

Is it possible? When do you believe you will, do you believe this draft will have some college, maybe sophomores? Can you draft a college player? So we are not subject to the NFL's eligibility rules, which, as you know, and most everybody knows, is three years out of high school. We're not a party to that agreement. that's the NFL's CBA collective bargaining agreement. So we can sign and will sign college players. I don't think we'll have that many this first go-around our first year.

But I think as the college players realize the quality of play, the quality of coaching, that they can use our league as an opportunity, I think that we'll begin to see much more interest coming from guys who might have played a year or two years in college. Now, I do think it's fascinating. So you're going to, as a league, as a business, find the best eight quarterbacks. And, I mean, New England's a prime example, Joy, where they have Brady, they have Jared Stidham, who they like out of Auburn. Then they have Brian Hoyer, whose buddies, a veteran who's buddies.

So New England's a prime example where a Jared Stiddem or a Brian Hoyer, both capable, talented guys. One of those two could be available. That's exactly right. And that's the case with probably 25 of the 32 NFL teams. We're watching a lot of these, I call them, backup QB battles, right, to figure out who has their nose ahead. and then, you know, we'll see what happens at the big Labor Day Cup, but we think there's a significant number of really good quality players who will become available.

And we can offer them playing time. And that's critical for guys at that third year, fourth year, fifth year in their career. Do you guys have a salary cap? Like, like, how's the money structure? Because that will be a formidable part going forward of this league. What is the salary situation? Well, let's suffice it to say that we can offer some of these premier quarterbacks a little bit more money than our core player.

average player. Okay. So is it position-based or quarterbacks play by a separate structure? Quarterbacks are like, you know, the emperor in Rome, first among equals. That's very funny. Oliver Luck joining us. Okay, so here's my question, though. So you're going to go get eight quarterbacks as a league. And like Bob Stoop's coaches in Dallas, and he's going to like the Oklahoma guy, Landry Jones. But what if somebody else, one of your other coaches said, hey, wait, time out? Well, you know, we want 19 Jones. Yeah, a lot of it's going to depend on the style of offense that each team is going to run. It's at a West Coast.

Is it an air raid kind of a thing? So those are all issues that we have to resolve with our coaches. Right now, we're focused, again, with a lot of input from our head coaches on signing the best eight guys possible. We'll sort out later how they get distributed. So this is fascinating. So you're going to sit there, Oliver, as an organization, watch all these cuts. You're currently talking to agents. So now, I do wonder, like, if.

If I was an NFL team, let's say I, let's take the Patriots, right? And it's like, I know that Jared Stidham, I want to keep him on the roster because he's the future, but I love Brian Hoyer in the room. Do you think there'll be a time that the XFL will work in conjunction with the NFL and perhaps have some sort of ability to, the NFL, but he's allowed to take snaps in your league. Is that fundamentally part of it? Now ever, you think? Well, I wouldn't rule anything out. That's not certainly on our radar screen right now. But here's what's interesting. So take the Patriot situation. So Hoyer is clearly an experienced backup. Stidham has done marvelously in training camp.

He'll probably end up on the practice squad. And that's probably a good thing for a rookie, but a practice squad for a third year guy, like a Paxton Lynch who's up in Seattle battling with Gino Smith for the backup spot, right? That's not. a good thing for a third or a fourth year guy. So there's a, you know, there's a profile of a player who's talented, very capable, and needs to play, right? Having, you know, run NFL Europe for 10 years, I saw Kurt Warner and Jake Del Ome and John Kittner and, you know, all these other guys, right, have a chance. Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl after playing 10 games with a London Monarch. So that's really what 10 games of live bullets can do for a quarterback, kind of resurrect that career

and bring them into a place where, you know, that's all of a sudden rarefied air, high cotton. Okay, so Landry Jones is your first, your drafts in October. So I would guess here, Oliver, you got about three weeks to get those quarterbacks? Yeah, we've got about three, four weeks. I think after the September cutdowns, you know, people want to kind of regroup a little bit. So we've got about three or four weeks to continue to sign these top eight guys. And I truly believe because of the quality of our coaches, our broadcast partners, and the exposure we're going to get that we're going to be very, very attractive to a lot of guys

who really need to play. They need that playing time. Oliver, luck. Great talking to you. Thanks for coming on the show. I find this whole thing fascinating. Oliver, thank you very much. Thank you, Colin.

So, see, Joy, isn't that crazy? So the league's saying basically this. Listen, this thing works if we get quarterbacks. We're going to have our draft right after cuts in the NFL, very early in the NFL season. And then you can take college guys. you probably have to get a great high school player. I doubt we'd see that unless you had like a bow Jackson type player.

But they're going to do this as the NFL season starting, they're taking the cut players putting them in their team. I think this thing's going to work. I'm fascinated by this. That's a pretty brilliant strategy. So basically they'll watch the NFL guys get cut and the league, before the team's

draft, the league's saying we're going to set every one of our teams up with a legitimate NFL quarterback. See, that's the problem with a lot of these leagues. They try to be developmental leagues. Don't, I don't care about your development. Yeah, I mean, the developmental thing is not, that only works if you have the structure that directly feeds into the professional.

Now I want players. Major league team, like the minors or the G league. Right, right. Those bigger teams can actually go and take a player from that and bring them up. If it's just a completely separate league, what are you developing? How can you possibly get better development there than you would? to me and the majors. The XFL works. If they don't worry about being a

developmental league, they worry about being a really good television product. I thought the AAF tried to be a developmental league. No, no, no. Put your games on Fox, ESPN, promote it with Vince McMahon, go get 8. I mean, it's why the big three has been successful. Because they are an independent league.

They are their own entity. Trying to create a very good television slash in arena product. Forget about, I'm not interested in Nobody goes to single A baseball. I want good television in February and March after the NFL season ends. I think it's a great idea.

I'm as excited about it when the rumors were going around. By the way, I tried to invest in this one, too. I don't know. It's a bagel every time. Russell Wilson gets to buy teams. I try. Well, you know, I mean, you are Seattle royalty. I don't know what the problem is.

That's exactly what I am. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So while Dak is trying to negotiate a new deal with the Cowboys, a lot of has been made about his raw talents. And former NFL quarterback, Sean Salisbury,

joined the Dan Patrick's show and offered his opinion. He thinks that Dak may be better than people are giving him credit for. I actually think that Prescott is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. When he came out his year, I had him as the second quarterback on my rankings. He ends up going on the fourth round. The one weakness for me with him is, can you carry a team like Rogers or Brady? They can carry a team?

Can Dak do it? And right now I think that's the big question mark, but he's pretty accurate underneath, get better throwing the ball down the field. I do think there's something to prove, but I also think he's extremely disrespected when you look at who you compare him to. Preach.

I do think Dak is disrespected. Yeah, I think that's, I think, disrespected the right word. think he is undervalued? Undervalued is a nicer, is less harsh than disrespectful. Yeah, disrespect. It would be like nobody's, nobody's, except Nick Wright, nobody's dissing him. I just, look, I understand that the money, the money is very daunting when it comes to Dak Prescott.

But we do this every time. The market is what the market is. Dallas could have locked this up a long time ago, and the market wouldn't be what it is. You wouldn't have had Jimmy G. You wouldn't have had Carson Wentz. Bring the market up. Now this is what it costs for starting quarterback with no matter what your talent level is.

What do we just have a conversation about? You have to have a quarterback. We literally just spent 10 minutes talking about how important the quarterback position is and why the XFL is valuing that the way that they are. You have to have your quarterback. And DAC is low-key, disrespected. He is. If you look at their record,

you look at the success that they've had in the playoffs, I mean, he's one and two in the playoffs. He's been in the league for four years. What more are you actually asking for? Has he been in the league three or four years? Three years? He's fourth year. Yeah.

I mean, he's completed 66% of his passes, 7.4 yards per throw. He's at 1 15.7 passer rating on deep throws, ranked fourth in the NFL last season, behind Dries, Bruce, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers. Well, it's funny. It's a little like Russell Wilson when Russell Wilson, because he was different, he was smaller and ran around a lot. And everybody for years was like, I don't know. And then all of a sudden, one day, the staff. came out that Russell Wilson had the second best passer rating in league history. Everybody went, he does?

And then he led the NFL in touchdown passes with a battle line and they're like, he did? There are some metrics that eventually if you have 115 quarterback rating, even Goulet, who's a very on the fence, at some point, you're just going to have to own that quarterback rating, John. That's a pretty good number. I noticed Joy didn't mention his touchdown passes, which top out at 23 every year. Look, Gleigh, you're very welcome to let that go. And, you know, run the risk of seeing if you draft the next Troy Aikman.

That's available. I mean, I'm trying to warn all Cowboys fans. It is on the horizon that you don't sign DAC, you let him walk eventually, and then you're the Dolphins for the next 20 years. We can use some friends. Cowboys fans are welcome in Miami. We can all join in the misery of not having quarterbacks together. So there hasn't been many seasons when the Steelers would be considered flying out of the radar this year.

It kind of feels that way. And Bill Cower thinks that. he was on CBS KDKA. For the first time, they're kind of flying out of the radar a little bit because all the talk has been about Baker Mayfield and, you know, and O'Dow up in Cleveland and Lamar Jackson's second year in Baltimore after, you know, getting the playoffs last year. And then, you know, Zach Taylor coming in a new coach in Cincinnati. So that whole division, I think, has really got something to be looking forward to.

We'll see how they get through the preseason. But the offensive line, defensive line are very, very solid. and if they can stay healthy, they're going to be a tough out. Two players for the Steelers that looked really good in game one. Devin Bush, the draft, the linebacker from Michigan, I thought, looked really active. James Washington, even Greg Cosell said that. James Washington looked great. You know you're a pretty crazy stat when you're thinking about the Steelers

and kind of how they're flying out of the radar. The Steelers only need two more wins to give Tomlin and Big Ben the third most wins by a head coach quarterback combo in NFL history. Brady Belichette. and Peyton Breeze are the only two ahead of them. Listen, if you take out, if you took out, you know, Roger Federer, you can make an argument that Rafi Nadal or Jokovic are the best tennis players ever. If you took out Tiger Woods, we'd think differently about Phil Mickelson.

The bottom line is if it wasn't a guy named Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, we may have a different... Well, yeah, I mean, if you look at the Jordan era, how many amazing players all-time legends played during the Georgia? but he separates from the rest of them. That's why Brady Belichick is such an outlier, and we're not going to ever see it again. Ben played in Brady's prime and Peyton Manning's mid-prime. So, I mean, listen, Pittsburgh.

And he's had a lot of success. Yes. So there's nothing. I just, I think that they're flying out of the radar because of all the drama that happened last year. Obviously, they missed the playoffs. And because of what Bill just said, there's a lot of buzz in that division. They're paying attention over here and paying attention over there. I think it's the best case scenario for the story.

Steelers. Not a good situation for the Lakers, though. Finally, Boogie Cousins has torn his ACL, according to Sham Sharania. He tore his ACL while he was working out in Vegas on Monday. According to Woge, he left Vegas to come to L.A. to get the diagnosis on his knee, and it turns out it is a torn ACL. So in the past 566 days, Cousins has torn his Achilles, his quad, and his ACL. We're showing a list of his injuries right now. Back to November 2015. Strained right Achilles. Soar back, left ankle sprained, sprained right ankle, sore right Achilles, torn left

Achilles, torn left quad, and torn ACL. Yeah. Now, he is a four-time all-star, and he average 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds throughout his career. Very good offensive player. Incredible force of nature. Very talented. His body is just failing him.

It's really disappointing. It's unfortunate for the Lakers because he was a big X-Factor piece for them. And, I mean, it sucks for Boogie. I mean, you saw the reaction from the Warriors when he came back after that pretty impressive game back. Lakers are a pretty old team. I mean, Rondo, Boogie, LeBron, Danny Green, Jared Dudley. So one of the old pieces is out. And so, you know, we knew this.

They'd have two stars and really only one young emerging potential star in Kyle. So that doesn't mean they won't be good. I mean, Toronto last year had one star, one emerging star, and old guys. Now, Toronto was lucky the old guys didn't get injured. But I still think the Lakers were a championship level team. If LeBron comes back and gives me 75 games and is healthy, none of this will matter. But we knew this going enjoy. They're an older roster.

They have even LeBron, a star is like year 17. And he's coming back from his first major injury. This feels like more of a disappointment. for boogie. Like individually for boogie. I'd feel worse for boogie than I do for the Lakers. Because to be honest, I didn't know what kind of factor Buggy was going to play with the Lakers in this system in this year alongside LeBron and AD.

It's more just as disappointing for Boogie because we'd like to see him get back to his form. Yeah, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. What you think I want to happen. I know as an audience is Colin, you want to be right. but as Joy and I talk about all the time,

we're not in the right business. We want stuff to be interesting. So my staff's going to give me extreme scenarios in the NFL, and I'll tell them which side I land on. I think I haven't seen the questions yet, but they're lining them up. You think I want to be right. No, fans want to be right.

Go to Twitter for five minutes. That becomes clear. What we want to be is interesting. Scenarios, wild ones, could happen. How would I land on them? That's coming up. Just got my aluminum carry on from away luggage. It is absolutely spectacular.

Right now, the aluminum away luggage perfectly engineered. Go to awaytravel.com slash Colin, get 20 bucks. You got to enter the promo code, Colin at checkout. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Own a sports team need to be informed. Same when you're making decisions to buy a car. Go to truecar.com. All the fees and accessories.

They line it up for you. So when you go to the dealership at True Car, you feel more confident. So this morning, the season's three weeks away, Joy. And so this morning, the staff came in, and they were throwing around. We were just kind of preparing for stuff and our show about an hour in. The staff's like, you know, they were throwing me scenarios out for the NFL season. You know, would I rather see this or would I rather see that? And a lot of times, I think the audience believes I want to be right.

I don't get paid to be right. If I was right all the time, the show would be boring. Sometimes I'm catastrophically wrong. It's whack-a-mole. You come and beat me up for it. And that's not a terrible thing. I don't have any insecurity based on I missed on a pick. What I am worried about is I'm boring and not interesting.

So I root for interesting. So the staff created a game today. It's called Would You Rather? and they're going to give me options on things in the NFL and how I would rather they turn out. So you ready to go, John? Joy, whoever's doing this? Joy, you're doing it. All right, here we go.

Would you rather the Browns go 12 and 4 or 4 and 12 this season? This feels like it needs music, John. I would rather they go 12 and 4. Yeah, I mean, bottom line is if they go 4 and 12, that means they start the season probably 1 and 5. if they're no longer, we're not talking about him. I want to talk about Baker, Mayfield, no, BJ. You and I love topics like this. People think I don't like Baker.

Why do you think I talk about him? He's interesting. He's captivating. The Brown's going 4 and 12. By week 5, I'd be right. By the way, I wouldn't be right, because I'm not predicting they go 4 and 12. I'm predicting they battle for a playoff spot at 9 and 7. There's no value them going 4 and 12 for me.

Yeah, you'd be wrong and you'd be not interesting. It would not be interesting. Yeah, so I'd rather be closer to right and interesting than 4 and 12, and by week 7, we're done talking about it. I don't want them to go 4 and 12 either, although I will be relentless to Browns fans on Twitter if they do. Would you rather see Aaron Rogers win MVP or Matt LaFleur get fired? Selfishly, I'd rather Aaron win MVP, which I predict he's going to have an MVP-level season because I work for Fox.

Fox has the NFC, and when the Packers are good, it is great for our business. outside of the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay and Pittsburgh are the biggest brands in the NFL. Let's be honest. When Aaron's really playing well, he's great television, period. I like good television. Aaron hobbling around in third behind the Bears and Bike. Do you really think I want Tribusky to win the division? That's what I want in my playoff game on Fox.

Spoiler, we want every quarterback to be good. It's better that way. Speaking of quarterbacks, would you rather the Cowboys pay DAC 40 million, year or see DAC leave in free agency. I'd rather see DAC leave in free agency because I think it would be fascinating to see who bids on him. Listen, player mobility in the NBA is really interesting. I mean, you could argue it's way more interesting than the regular season.

Yeah. So if DAC was available, he'd be a free agent. I mean, he'd be out there for bidding. Wouldn't that be a little bit what we love about the NBA? Quarterbacks are almost never on the market. Peyton Manning was on the market for an hour. Kirk Cousins was, to have a Dallas Cowboy quarterback who's won playoff games on the market would be in, if he signed for 40 million, we know the end result. They can't pay for everybody.

Right. And they're just kind of good, not special. So if he hit the market, I'd love it. It would be one of the craziest bidding wars in NFL history. Well, there's no, there's no question that he's very rarely do quarterbacks hit the market to begin with. They just don't. Right. So would you rather see or rather have Tom Brady retire after the season or see him play for another team?

Oh, I'd rather... After this season. I'd rather see him retire. I cannot... I never want to see Tom Brady in a Cincinnati Bengal uniform. I just can't... I can't do it.

It's so bad. I can't see Derek Jeter wearing an Oakland A's uniform or Kobe Bryant wearing a Charlotte Hornets uniform. Listen, man, you know I love Brady, but one more great year, and then that's it. I'd be...

I think he'd regret it 10 years later. He'd see that picture in a Bengal uniform and you'd be like, or a dolphin uniform, you'd be like, oh, so for that. So here for that one. Would you rather have Cam Newton lead the Panthers to the playoffs, or this be Cam's last season in Carolina? I'd rather it be Cam's last season because I'm tired of having this argument that everybody in Carolina thinks he's great

and the rest of us right-minded people saying he's talented, but wildly inconsistent. I feel like I've done this topic too many times. Cam's not great. he's super talented. But you can't have a career without back-to-back winning seasons when you've been surrounded by pro-ball offensive lineman, Greg Olson, good backs, good coach, stability, good defenses, good defensive line,

Josh Norman. I'm tired to argue in how great he is. I'd rather, you know, it's over. He plays, it's done, they move off him. By the way, if he hit the open market, that would be interesting. If Cam at the open market, you know, you can't, Cam can sell tickets. You can't tell me Cam in the open market. more interesting than a 9 and 7 Carolina team going to Philadelphia to open the playoffs and get

smoked. Yeah, that would be. Would you rather see Kyler Murray win rookie of the year or see the Cardinals draft a quarterback in the first round for the third straight year? Oh, that's an easy one. We want to see him be great. That's the easiest one yet. Yeah, I want him to be great.

Listen, you and I always say this. We're rooting for all the college quarterbacks to come in and be good. Cleveland went from unwatchable to must-see TV. Right. The Jets this year will be really interesting. And if Arizona hits... I'd rather everyone be competitive and let's see who the best of the best is. Yeah, bad quarterback...

Bad quarterback play hurts my eyes. Yes. All right, good stuff. Speak for yourself. Around the corner. Good show. See you tomorrow on a Friday. I'll be here.

We'll be here. 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 the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments

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