The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Straight Fire - Travis Kelce Goes Down, Joe Public is All-In on Colorado & LeBron's GOAT Candidacy

Episode Date: September 6, 2023

On today’s episode, Jason discusses the short and long term impact of Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce suffering a knee injury at Tuesday’s practice, whether or not the Colorado Buffaloes’ hype train has already gone off the rails and Rich Paul’s rationale for LeBron James being the GOAT over Michael Jordan. Follow Jason on Twitter and Instagram. Click here to subscribe, rate and review all of the latest Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcasts! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. The volume is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. What is Upstreet Fire, fam? It's me, Jason McIntyre Street. Fire for Wednesday, September 6th. first week of NFL and the bodies are dropping like flies. Oh my gosh.

Little did I think there would be so many instrumental NFL players going down for week one. It's brutal, folks. If you had your fantasy draft, I've had several of them and you got Cooper Cup, you got problems. If you had your fantasy draft and you have Travis Kelsey, you might have major problems. We'll talk about the Kelsey situation, the Cooper Cup. We'll get into that. Rich Paul, we'll do a quick little NBA thing because Rob G's back. And we got to, I know Rob G loves NBA saying.

segments. And it's like LeBron, Rich Paul, Michael Jordan. I mean, listen, it's September. I know we're in football mode. We'll do a little more Dion Sanders. But we have to start with Travis Kelsey and the huge news that broke Tuesday, mid, you know, maybe 2 p.m.ish Eastern Standard Time. Travis Kelsey practicing with the Chiefs ahead of Thursday night football's season opening matchup, Lions at Casey, and Travis Kelsey suffers a hyper extended knee, whatever that means, Andy Reid had said his availability for the opener is uncertain. TBD for Travis Kelsey. Well, you know, people can speculate and have opinions all they want.

Let's trust the market. This line was six and a half, Chiefs. It instantly went down to six. And then at some of the respected shops, I've talked to you guys about it, I downloaded this app and they're not paying me, so I shouldn't really promote them. It's called Bet Stamp. And you could just go ahead and pick the best sports books to monitor minute by minute, hour by hour, and I have the three, or the two biggest ones are bet Chris and the Superbook.

Those are the two big ones. Then you have like Caesar's MGM and Fandul and whatever. And you can see where the lines are. Well, Superbook, one of the sharpest, because they take the big bets, went down to five. A point and a half on the Travis Kelsey News. Now, some of that has to do with the Chris Jones factor that Chris Jones, he ain't playing. Even if they come to a deal right now at this very juncture, Chris Jones signs with the chiefs. It's all good.

but he's not playing. He hasn't played any preseason. Hasn't been any steps. You can't rush him back and have him suffer some kind of soft tissue injury. You can't have that with Chris Jones. So you're just going to be down your best run stopper. And if you look around on the internet,

the splits for the chiefs with and without Chris Jones, they're bad. Like, yeah, they got some good defenders, a couple good cornerbacks. I like Bolton. But they're not going to be able to stop the run. And if you look at Dan Campbell, he likes to run the football.

They sign Montgomery from the Bears. They drafted Gibbs, who's kind of a dual threat, a lot of pass catching. I think this could be a slowdown game. I know everybody's saying points and pointed. That probably will happen. But there is a world where Detroit says, you know, we're just going to ball control attack

and, you know, death by a thousand Montgomery's short yardage gains. And then all of a sudden you've got the defense sucked in to stop the run. And Amara St. Brown is hitting deep. And this could be a problem for the chiefs. And Rob, we haven't really talked about it. because the Chiefs largely are immune to everything, okay? Kansas City essentially loses Tyreek Hill best receiver in football, and they don't miss a beat.

Their offensive numbers improve, and they win the Super Bowl. Okay? So they're immune to seemingly everything. They lose Honey Badger. And no big deal. We lost Honey Badger, a really good secondary player. He was excellent with them. Didn't matter.

They lose their two starting tackles, and nobody's batting an eye because it's Patrick LaHolmes. Well, now you've got no Chris Jones and the Travis Kelsey situation. Folks, like, are we giving too much credit to Andy Reid off a buy? Well, first game in the season. Patrick Mahomes, I saw a breakdown for pro football focus. Patrick Mahomes is literally the best week one quarterback in the history of football. Because he's absolutely lit up everybody in a small sample size of, what, five games?

like Patrick Mahomes crushes everyone and even if he's throwing a Sky Moore and who is it Noah Fant or no I'm sorry Noah Gray is the backup tight end he's throwing a Sky Moore and MVS

like Jerich McKinnon Isaiah Pacheco like that's the skill position players if you look at them remove Kelsey what they bring to the table now is inferior to the Lions it's inferior to a lot of teams

it'd probably be below average in the NFL and yet everybody still just believes it's Reed, it's Mahomes, they're going to be fine. I think there was a stat where Andy Reid had not lost a September game with Patrick Mahomes in many, many years. And it's like, they're just immune to everything. Nothing gets stopped Kansas City.

Well, I don't know, folks. I'll admit, I took a nibble on Detroit to win Money Line plus 243. And then I saw it go down quickly in like the hour after that on Tuesday. And I got to be honest, you look at this Chargers roster. I'm reading reports that J.C. Jackson, who suffered that gruesome busted kneecap. J.C. Jackson might play and start against the Dolphus. I'm like, what? How is that possible?

And it's, I don't know, Rob. You look at his Chargers. I think there's a world where Denver starts out hot. They could go three and one to start the season. They should go two and O their favor in the first two games at home. And KC's got this tough one against Detroit, the Kelsey. You know, is Travis Kelsey out

a week? Is he out two? Or four weeks? And like, I like Sky more as much as the next guy. I, I I like this Rashid Rice, I think, is his name, the young kid they drafted. But can Patrick Mahomes turn this mediocre group of guys into superstars like that quickly with two new tackles? I don't know, Rob. I'm not saying your Raiders are going to come win the division or anything crazy like that.

But it feels like a lot is happening with Kansas City. And I might take a flyer on the Chargers to win the division just for fun. I do believe, to be clear, for me, the Chargers are the biggest boom busts. team in the league. The Chargers will be in the Super Bowl or they will be eight and nine miss the playoffs and they fire their coach and bring in Jim Harbaugh. One of those two things happen with the Chargers. I don't see like a first round exit. Like there's just too much talent for them to screw this up unless Brandon Staley messes it up. But as for the Chiefs, I'm not going to lie, Rob. I'm a little concerned. Yeah. And rightfully so. I mean, well, first off,

as it relates to this specific game, I will go big picture Chiefs in a minute. There's a lot of hype surrounding these Detroit Lions, right? They're been the most bet team, both in terms of total handle and in total bets at BetMGM, to make the Super Bowl out of the NFC, more than the Eagles, more than the Niners, more than the Cowboys, people are betting with the Lions. According to Caesar Sportsbook, they have, I mentioned it, the most bets to win the NFC, the most bets to win the NFC North, the most bets to have coach of the year, the most bets to have offensive rookie of the year, the most bets to have defensive player of the

year. Like, everybody is betting on the Detroit Lions. we are going to find out very, very, very quickly if all of this off-season hype is legitimate. Because you just mentioned it. Kansas City, for all of their success recently, a case can be made that they are a more established, a steroided up version of the Rams team that won a Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford.

Because this roster is, is unbelievably top heavy. It's Patrick Mahomes. It's Chris Jones. It's Travis Kelsey. A huge drop-off. Maybe four or five really. You mentioned I like Nick Bolton.

A lot of things are a good defensive player. They got some good offensive linemen. And then what? You're banking on a lot of unproven guys who haven't done a whole heck of a lot at this level, yet individually. As a team, of course they have. Because Patrick Mahomes is that special.

Him and Andy Reed and Chris Jones and Travis Kelsey, they can make, you know, lemonade out of chicken shit. Like, they are that good. And so you're banking on Patrick Mahomes being able to overcome for my money,

mine is Travis Kelsey is probably a bottom third group of skill positions in the NFL. I mean, there's nobody established in that group. People are optimistic about Sky Moore. I'd be a guy high of your fantasy league. That's great. MVS is, you know, very boom or bust. Kaderius,

The idea of Goderius Tony is fantastic, but the problem is he's always hurt, so you don't know if he's actually good or not. This Travis Kelsey thing is so interesting on so many levels, because as you mentioned it, what does it mean for them in the AFC West? What does it mean for them in the

AFC? The AFC as a whole is a juggernaut. There's only one bi-week to go around. If you start off the season, whether Travis Kelsey misses two or three games, one in two or O and three, because they don't have any other legitimate go-to weapons on offense, then can you just count, you know, the first seat, say bye-bye to that immediately?

Like, can you afford to start off slow in the Fs? I don't think so. So that's number one. The other one, this is something that we didn't even talk about before we started recording. But if I'm Travis Kelsey, I am livid right now as we've recorded this podcast. Not only because of the injury, like that sucks. I don't want to get hurt. I understand that.

but he is without a doubt their most important offensive weapon and has been, you know, outside of the quarterback since he's been there. Seven straight seasons over 1,000 yards, NFL record for tight ends. Last season leads the team in both receptions and receiving yards 110 and 1,338. And yet, according to my research, doesn't have any more guaranteed money on his contract. is currently, I believe, the fourth highest paid tight end in football. And he has gone on record at least once, the vanity fair saying that he knows he's underpaid

and that he sometimes feels like he's being taken advantage of. So you're giving up money. You're giving up security with a guarantee contract. So you're the best offensive weapon that they have, right? And you're doing that with the intention of saying, hey, I'm giving up, I'm taking less so that we, can surround me with high-end talent so that in the event I do hyper extend my knee or I spray my ankle or separate my shoulder, whatever, something that's maybe not season

ending, but it could take you out a couple of weeks so that we can weather the storm until I get back. And now we're talking about Skymore, Isaiah Pacheco, the ghost of Cadarious Tony. Like, how pissed must you must be that you're doing all these sacrificing for the franchise your second most important player, Chris Jones, is not even there right now. He's going to hold out to midseason, he says, and now you go into the season with zero established weapons on the outside because Kelsey's hurt. Not great.

It's not good at all. Now, you did bring up an interesting point. You know, Dan Campbell is not perceived as a great coach, right? We agree with the offensive coordinator, Sharp. We like the Aiden Hutchison pickup. Defense was still leaky last year. But even with all these chiefs problems, let's be realistic, Rob, even with all these issues, top heavy team, I like the Rams comparison that you had.

You know, like, I haven't heard anybody say that. I might have to drive that into the ground. I like that. That's good. You might see it on the herd coming up. Yeah, I might see that on the herd. Might make it appearance on the herd this week. But it's weird because I still can't get over Andy Reid against Dan Campbell.

What is that? like Mike Tyson against Mike Spinks. Remember how it was like a 30-second fight? Right. Andy Reed versus Dan. Like, who are you backing in that? And so part of me thinks like, Reed and Mahomes will figure this out.

But how much can we just rely on that? Oh, they'll figure it. Those two will figure it out. And I just start to wonder like, okay, let's say the Lions pull the upset. Well, guess who they got in week two, the Chiefs? Maybe you would know Kelsey. You know, you said it could be anywhere from a one to three week injury.

Jacksonville rematch from the AFC playoff. And that was closer than a lot of people thought. Jags played them twice last year. A lot of people think Trevor Lawrence makes the jump to light speed this season, year two with Peterson, they add Calvin Ridley. I mean, let's be real. The Jags have better skill position players with Ridley and Kirk and ETIN. They have better skill position players right now than the Chiefs do.

There's no doubt about that. Evan Ingram over Noah, whatever's name is. I think... Noah Gray. Noah Gray. I think there is a possibility, Rob. that the Chiefs could, could, could, maybe, start 0 and 2. That's how big of a deal Kelsey is.

Week 3 will give them the win against the Bears. Well, you know who they have in week 4. They travel to New York for a date with Aaron Rogers and the Jets. And if Chris Jones delayed back, let's say Kelsey's not 100% but you know he's going to go. That's a big time game. That is a Sunday night football game. I mean, goodness, that's going to be a tough ticket in Gotham.

And now it's like one and two. We'll give him the win over the Bears. Kansas City Jets. changing of the guard. Like, that's why, Rob, when we do these off-season breakdowns of like, oh, well, this team looks amazing and look at their schedule, they get this here and this. Like, you could kind of toss that out the window. I mean, Bose is not signed in San Fran.

Maybe that changes here in the next 24 hours, but he's not signed. Chris Jones, not signed. All of a sudden, did you see this George Kittle news? George Kittle is hurt and may not play week one. It's like, damn, Brock Pernie's coming back, faces dealers and no Kittle? Like, I know they still have D-B-B-O and C-MAC, but George Kittle. It was really, really good, excellent blocker. And then you start, like, looking around the league in these injuries.

I mean, Denver wide receiver room's been gutted. Like, injuries, every. Terry McLaurin's probably not going to go. Cooper Cup probably not going to play in week one. And, of course, I kept him in my fantasy league. I'm so such an idiot. I did not think it was as bad. And we had the draft last week.

And, you know, it was like, oh, Cooper Cup's not 100%. But it's going to be fine. He was hurt all last year. He can't be hurt again. Now it's like, whoa, what are the rest? Ram's going to do. It's like Matt Stafford working with Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson and the kid from BYU who, by the way, I'm hearing through Rams people that he could be a breakout guy that Stafford's vibing with him. So if you're looking for a deep flyer, you know, take that kid from BYU who I think

is number three receiver this week. But Seattle's going to score. The Rams are going to have to throw. And if there's no Cooper Cups, somebody's going to have to catch passes. Just file it away. But I don't know. This Chris Jones thing, this Travis Kelsey thing, Rob, not great. news for the chiefs heading into the can I call it a Titanic clash with the Lions? It's week one. Of course it's Titanic. According to the betters, it's the Super Bowl preview.

You know, so just got to be prepared for that. And I must say, full disclosure, if anyone thinks I'm hating on the Chiefs, my Super Bowl pick is Chiefs over Niners, and you just brought up four key players on those two rosters. Wait, wait, you have a Chiefs Niners rematch? Yes. From like three years ago? Okay.

Yes. So, I'm not feeling good either about this America. Yeah. Like, no Chris Jones, no Travis Kelsey, no George Kittle, and no Nick Bosa. No, I'm not feeling great about my preseason Super Bowl pick right now. It's weird. Just hearing you say that, I haven't, I don't think I've made a Super Bowl pick. I think mostly because I'm like, you know, doing the fantasy and the gambling and the week-to-week stuff.

It's tough to project out. Right. And you probably have so many bets for futures that, you know, it's- Yeah, yeah, it's tough to like keep track. Right. But if you, if you said, Jay, you've got to pick two, I guess I would go. Bengals Eagles and my backup Super Bowl would be Chargers Eagles. Okay.

Can I just say quickly before we move on to something else? I publish my preseason division picks and, you know, things like that. Me and friend of the show, Peter King, have the exact same seven teams in the AFC. But more importantly, myself and Peter King, the legend, the sharpest football mine in America, also has the Jacksonville Jaguars as the one seat in the AFC like I do. Ooh, that is bold. That makes me feel smart. So if Peter King says it, I feel good.

I hear that. Don't they have an offensive line suspension? And then they've got another issue with the other tackle. They also have a very light schedule. Similar to the New Orleans Saints, where we talked about them last week on the part, or a couple weeks ago on the pod. Very light schedule for Jacksonville.

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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye They said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite things.

Careers, Care 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.

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We did a lot on Dion Sanders. And folks, a peek behind the curtain. Like, I knew the Dion Sanders thing was big. But when I talked about Dionne on the herd, and it made me some video from what I said, and they put it online. And it did crazy numbers on Instagram. I'm like, what's going on?

They were like, look at the numbers on TikTok. I'm like, I'm not really on TikTok. But I need a TikTok presence now, I'm told. And the numbers were massive. And I was like, wow. People are obsessed with Dion. Now look at the gambling. Are you ready for this?

So we talked about it. Nebraska was a seven and a half point favorite in Colorado before last weekend's games. It has now moved to Colorado favor by three. But it doesn't stop there. Various betting websites are now saying, Darren Rovel has tweeted out that one sports book, let me get the exact name here. But one sports book said that the number one bet

to win the national title is Colorado. What? Who's lighting money on fire betting Colorado to win the Natty? The most bets to win the Heisman. This is at Draft Kings. Travis Hunter and Shadur Sanders. Are people dumb? Are you really betting them to win the Heisman trophy off one week?

And Colorado to win the national title? Have you looked at the schedule? I mean, this is insanity. Rob, this has the feel of, like, the meme stock era during COVID, where people were just like, oh, my gosh, we got to get bed, bath, and body, what was it, bed, bath and beyond? We got to get that to the moon, and we got to get, what, AMC theater? I've already forgotten what the game stock.

GameStop. People were freaking out and unloading, and you're like, what are we doing here? The problem is you could sell those stocks. You can't sell your tickets here. Yeah, I mean, nobody's buying any of these. That's lunacy. Shadour Sanders has one 5,500-yard game, one of the greatest games in school history.

And you're betting them to win the Natty and the heisman? I mean, Rob, this has gotten a little out of control. Now, as if that wasn't enough, we had this guy on here, Dave Mason of Bet Online. We had him on last season. He says he's never seen anything like the Colorado action. Saturday's game is on pace to be the biggest bet college football regular season game in the history of Bet Online.

Not an SEC game. Not a massive Michigan, Ohio State game. Colorado, Nebraska. There is, according to Dave Mason, Bet Online, there is now more cash on Colorado spread than the spread of all 32 NFL teams. Rob, if this isn't MemStop, this is everybody wanting a piece of Dion

and I got to get on board. I love Dion's story. and we're not coming, we hear. I mean, I kind of like it. It sounds good. Dion's a great, he's a great carnival barker. Pretty good coach. And the other one was,

there was another great line that Dion had. I mean, I had like 50 of them because he's just a great public speaker. But he's got people irrational. And folks, I think, I'm sorry, I know the audience isn't going to love this. The only way to bet Colorado, Nebraska is to take Nebraska.

as we get closer to kickoff. We'll see how far. If it hits like four. If it is four, we're talking about an 11-point swing on the line. That's unforeseen. That does not happen. So just think about it.

Joe Public shoveling all his money on Colorado. Joey College Kid, taking the money his parents gave him to spend, maybe, you know, for the month. He's dumping all that on Shadur Sanders. and Travis Hunter, two really good players. Folks, I'm just going to preach some caution. Now, I know Rob loves to throw caution to the wind.

He's, you know, the guy's spending money like it's water. I've been to Disney once in like the last three years. This guy goes every month. And it's like, it's super expensive. But Rob, Colorado, Buffaloes, they're taking all the bets, all the money. Everybody wants it on the action. Are you getting in on this? I personally am not.

But there was another nugget that I saw that fees into your, your narrative here. According to bed, MGM, there are more bets on Colorado, Nebraska, than 14 NFL games this weekend, week one. 80% of that money, of course, is on Colorado. 80. Like, this is incredible. Now, wait, Rob, Colorado, hold on, Rob, does Colorado,

it's legal to gamble in Colorado, right? Yes. Ah, that, you know, when you see the Jets like Breast Hall and Garrett Wilson, and all these bets on them to like, Garrett Wilson, offensive player of the year, like, whoa, you can legally bet in New York.

So fans of the Jets with Aaron Rogers are excited. Colorado, you can legally bet. Everybody's stoked to get on the Buffaloes. So I think a lot of that has to do. Would you agree with the fact that you can bet there legally? Where's the state you can't bet? Oh, I don't know, California. I don't think we're going to see everybody backing up the brinks for Caleb Williams.

Do you? No. I mean, they should, but they won't. That would be wise. The thing that I find the most interesting about Colorado is not just, you know, the betting because betters can be swayed pretty easily, you know, media manipulation, things like that. The thing that I find the most interesting about Colorado is they're feeling themselves too, like probably even more so than Joe Public is. I don't know if you saw some of the quotes coming out of Boulder. You know, Dionne Sanders says an undisputed earlier on Monday that Travis Hunter would be a top overall.

quality pick either in the NFL both at wide receiver and defensive back. Like he could go top of the draft in either position. I disagree with that. I don't know if damn you're hanging. I think Dion Sanders in his prime could have went top overall as a wide receiver coming out of Florida State. But then you got Shadir Sanders telling the media to say, hey, what's the difference between playing at Jackson State and playing in Colorado, FBS versus FCS?

And he's like, oh, it's really not that different at all, you know, other than a couple defensive linemen get off blocks faster. But other than that, it's just guys playing football. It's like, no, you've played one game against TCU, who if memory serves, they only had three starters from last year's championship team left over. And you're talking like, this is no different than playing at FBS. Like, I appreciate the excitement. I'm excited about the story.

I'm going to be watching, of course, against Nebraska. But you got to pump. the brakes a little bit, man. Like, it's only been one game. Yeah. It's been one game. So, Rob, I'm looking at the schedule for Colorado. I just called it up here.

They'll beat Colorado State after Nebraska. But they travel to Oregon. They will be decided underdogs. The week after that, they host USC. So that's going to be a brutal back-to-back. They travel to your UCLA Bruins, October 28th Halloween weekend. After that, they face Oregon State.

Oregon State's very good folks. They're good. DJ looked better than the Clemson quarterback, that's for sure. And they closed the season at Utah and Kyle Winningham on Thanksgiving weekend. There is no chance. I'll just take, I'll shoot my shot. There's no chance that they win the national tournament. I will say there's no chance they're in the playoff.

Way to go on the limb on that win, Jason. I mean, no chance. People are betting them to win it. I'm telling you, no shot. Like, they'll probably beat Nebraska, but I'm not certain. And you know, Matt Rule. Oh, by the way, decent coach in his time. Great coach is an underdog.

I think he's going to be motivated. They have extra time off because they played, I think, on the Thursday. I'm going to probably bet Nebraska, probably. We'll see where this goes. I don't think that's a heavy play, but, yeah, I'm going against Joe Public. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball, college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. That's correct.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

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Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Rob, we'll quickly wrap up with this Rich Paul thing. I got to be honest. I saw the clip. Rich Paul went on some podcast, and it's odd.

Gilbert Arena's podcast. Who? Oh, was it the Gilbert? Okay. Yeah. So. Everyone's talking slick on the Gilbert Arena's podcast these days. Yeah, people know, oh, we got to get some pickup.

I got to get loose and fire the juice. But for some reason, Rich Paul, this isn't the first time he's talked about LeBron v. Jordan, right? No, it's definitely not. Yeah. I don't think he is. technically PR for LeBron, but it sounds like he's running PR. Bro, what are you doing talking about LeBron Jordan?

Like, I mean, it's easy to take the bait, right? Steph Curry went on Gilbert Arenas, was asked who's the best point guard. He took the bait. It became an issue. So now, Ritz Paul, I didn't love his answer about, well, Michael Jordan, when he became the best, who were they comparing him to before?

like there was no LeBron before Michael to compare him to. And then it's like, well, LeBron has to deal with social media 24-7 and I agree. I thought his point was a little clumsy on that. But it just comes off I hate to say this because I do like LeBron.

And I do think he's the greatest of all time. It comes off like LeBron's trying some type of PR campaign to get people thinking he's the goat. Those never were. work. I don't, at least Rob, in my recollection, that stuff doesn't really work. Now, I know that, I forget which politician said it, but it was like never underestimate

the stupidity of the American public. And I'm sure there's a lot of people who are going to lap this up and be like, oh, Rich Paul, he's spot on. But it just, I can see through it. And it's like, bro, you got to, isn't he the one dating Adele or is that Maverick Carter? No, that's Rich Paul. Oh, it is rich. Okay.

You're dating Adele. You've got a multimillion-dollar company you're running with LeBron. You're doing great. What are we doing here? There's no win. You're not going to be able to convince people. That'd be like me trying to convince someone saying,

I think that the candidate that we need to get behind in the Republican Party is Susie Q. We do not want, I need to convert the DeSantis people to Susie Q. I need to convert the Trump people. I need to convert the Vivek Ramoswamini. That guy. I need to convert his people. I need to convert you guys to Susie

because that's where the action's at. You cannot do that. People these days refuse to come off positions. Now, you know, this podcast, rob me. We know, hey, new information. I got to change. Like, I don't think the general public, they want to be with their tribe.

They want to be, hey, I'm with the Jordan guys. Yeah, we will defend forever. Look at all the teammates LeBron had that were all NBA. Michael Jordan didn't have any. And they just keep to their talking points. It's just like politics. It's frustrating.

So I try not to get dragged into it for the longest time I got it. I thought Magic was the goat. Obviously, Michael Jordan passes it. And then there was, Jordan was the greatest of all time. And then LeBron's creeping. LeBron's creepin. And I said, oh. And I sent a video for Fox.

If LeBron goes to the Lakers and he wins another title, basically anywhere he goes, he's the system, he wins title. Doesn't matter the coach, doesn't matter the teammates. He wins? That's a goat for me, and he won the title. I know it was the bubble, some people want to push back. Lakers got to the conference finals after that. Like, Denver got to the bubble conference finals.

Denver got to the won the championship. Like, the bubble was real, guys. And I don't know. I just, Rob, I can't get worked up about this. I just don't love the idea of Rich Paul feeling the need to do this. Yeah, it's not the best look, right? Especially when you consider, and he's not the only one doing this, by the way. Like there's been, as you mentioned, a concerted effort by LeBron James himself and some LeBron James sympathizers in the media to really push, you know, his narrative.

And that's fine. Like I understand the game. Like I've been in sports media over a decade. So I know how this, I know the sausage gets made, right? My only real issue with the Rich Paul thing, and we talked about that, you mentioned it, is his rationale for calling for, why LeBron is the goat and why his, what is it, his horns are dipped in platinum and MJs are dipped in gold, you know, like that, that was his big. I don't understand that.

I mean, I understand what he was saying. It was just like a weird thing to say. What are Steph Curry's, what are his horns? Oh, is he like silver. What is magic? What's Shaq? It's just dumb. Right.

But the problem is he's been working on that for a while. Right. You can tell he's been workshopping that idea. And it's like, that's not good. But like, you know, you, you're, you're, you're, you're, brought up. His reason was, oh, LeBron came up in the social media era and he didn't have anywhere to be compared to. And if that's your argument, that's a really, really weak argument. Like, I know you have LeBron as the greatest and you have reasons, which are, even if I disagree

with you, which I do, your point about him, you know, three different franchises, winning championships, going to the finals half of his NBA career, no matter where he goes, his team is a competitor. All the longevity stats are in his favor, right? First and scoring, fourth and assists. Only player to even be in the top 10 in both of those categories. He averages 25, 6 and 6 in 19 seasons. Next closest guy is at 9, right? You know, all the all-NBA teams, all the all-star teams. Like, it's, at some point, the NBA record book is going to say,

Will Chamberlain and LeBron James present the NBA? Because their names are just going to be up and down the NBA record book. So you could make a case, and whether I agree or disagree, you could make a strong argument for LeBron being the best player of all time. but him having to come up during the first take undisputed era of sports media or you know there was no one to compare you know lebron and jordan he had a fight to go to jordan yeah like larry bird and magic johnson didn't exist like kareem never existed like wilt chamberlain and all his staff never existed like just because there was more coverage now doesn't mean you can just omit certain things in history to fit your narrative and that's that was my issue of the richly Paul. It's like, you can make an argument without having to play mental gymnastics. You know what I mean? I didn't like that. So, and again, we're deep into the pod here. We don't need to go longer.

I just, not only is wherever LeBron goes and he being the system and winning, but Rob, this idea, you know, the cross-era comparisons are so difficult. And I love the 80s NBA. That was my favorite era of all time. until, you know, the 2010s arrived. And Steph Curry and LeBron set the league on fire and went to the finals every year practically against each other. It was unbelievable. And then you start drilling down, Rob.

And you say, okay, so the 1980s had like, you know, in 1986 it was like 23 teams in the league. And I think I joked on this pod that there are more Atenacompo brothers in the NBA right now than there were international. players in like 1986 when Jordan was like starting his MVP rise. And I know there was some Drazen Petrovac and Vladay Divak and okay, I got a couple good ones. There are MVP international players dominating the NBA now.

Janice, Luca, Joker. I'm going to put, I know Embed is considered, you know, international, but he went to Kansas. So I, if you went to college in the U.S., I can't totally cause. you an international. Is that fair? Like Eladjuan went to Houston, we don't consider him an international player, right? Yokic didn't play in college. He's an international player. Rob, would you agree that we could just agree to that, Rob, or no? I could sympathize it. I mean, Elijah won't play for Team USA, so it's hard to call you an international player when you played for USA. Yeah, that's perfect. I didn't even think of that. And it's like, the era, and I'm not poo-pooing it. By the way,

Rob, are you watching winning time on HBO? Absolutely. Absolutely. It is. one of the best those shows. It's awesome. I love it. It is the magic, Riley stuff, the West, is it Westhead or West Paul?

I forget which one. Westhead, the guy they just bounced. Yes. Who's played by Jason. Jason Siegel. He's all, I like that guy.

But, like, I love the 80s. And seeing this, like, you forget, I forgot Magic demanded a trade. Steph Curry ever demanded a trade? LeBron ever demanded a trade?

Like, magic, openly. to the media was like, I'm demanding a trade. It's me or the coach. Some diva action from magic. I forgot. I was like, too. I was a kid. What do I know? But like, I just feel like the league as a whole right now is just

so much stronger than the league back then. And I know people are going to say, well, we had Ewing and Olajewan and David Robinson and, okay, great. Yeah, there were great players. The great players in every era. But Rob, I think you're with me. The players

right now are far and away better than they were in the 80s and 90s. Would you agree with that or no? I know you're a big Kobe guy. Kobe's closer to this era than the 80s. No. Because he was like, what? Oh, oh.

So I think... What draft was Kobe, by the way? He was 96. But he didn't really become Kobe until like 2000, right? Right. Okay. The first championship is when he really took off. Yes.

The players today are better than they ever been. Bigger, stronger, faster, more skilled. Anybody who is objective, can see that. And a deeper pool of talent. Exactly. Exactly. I think where people take that as like an insult is because they'll point to like the top of the top.

You'll say, oh, well, in the 80s, they had bird and magic and Kareem and the 90s at Jordan and, you know, Shaq. And you can play that game with any decade, right? The top is the best players are going to be the best players no matter where you drop them. If you put LeBron in the 70s, put Steph in the 80, like they're always going to be great. where you see now what I think that you touch it on is because of the influence of international basketball, just the interest level in basketball, period, there's going to be a higher talent pool because there's more people who are interested in it. And I think that's, yes, today's players as a whole, as a collective, you know, from the first man to the 15th man,

up and down these rosters are better than they were definitely in the 90s and 2000. That's for sure. So let me ask you. A lot of people are positioned, hey, Jason, remember Clyde Drexler? You leave him off the talk of, like, amazing players in that area. I'm like, all right. How many MVP's for Clyde Drexler, Rob? Zero. How many finals for Clyde Drexler?

Did he? How many did you win? Oh, zero. I don't have first team all NBA is off the top of my head, but I'm going to go ahead and guess it's not many. Who do you think had a better career? Clyde Drexler or Dirk Novitsky? Oh, Dirk Davitsky. Yeah, I don't even think it's particularly close, right?

And Clydexer was in the middle of pulling up his bio for Clyde Drexler. I wanted to make sure I do that. Okay, yeah, pull up. How many first team all NBA is for Clyde? One. Two second team, two 13. Dirk has an MVP. So he was the best player in the league.

But like my point is, I mean, guys will send me articles. Clyde Drexler was considered a peer of my, it was on the same, line as Michael Jordan. Of course, Jordan took that as a personal insult, and, like, that's when he had the six threes and hit the shrug. Okay, cool, I got it. But, like, I don't know.

What is Clyde Drexler right now? I'm going to say a name, but you're going to hate it. My guy, Zach Levine. Like, I mean, I know Zach Levine hasn't been first team all NBA, but so who's like a comp for like a Clyde Drexler, who apparently in the early 90s was the man? I think he went to two finals. They lost the Pistons and Jordan.

Uh, I mean, I guess right now, what, Jason Tatum? Just in terms of accomplishments? No, in terms of accomplishments, right? No, I think Tatum's been like two or three times first team all NBA. Yeah, but, I mean, Tatum is still halfway through his prime. So you're saying the first half of Jason Tatum's prime is the entire career of Clyde Drexler. Yeah.

Is there a guard weekend? I mean, I know you don't want to hear Levine. He was on the Olympic team. He was really good. What about? Damian Lillard? Damian Lillard or Clyde Drexler? I think Lillard's considered the,

greatest Portland Trailblazer of all time, no? Yeah, he, yes, he is. That's a tough one. Clyde Drexler is like a unique space. How good is Clyde? I don't know. And I'm sure there's a lot of young kids who are like 26 listening to this? Like, who the hell is Clyde Drexler? But it's like, it's really tough with the 80s because we think some of these guys were

amazing. And then you drill down a little, you're like, ooh, this guy was good, but like. I read somewhere that Carl Malone and John Stockton combined have a losing winning percentage in the playoffs. No. I have to fact check that, but I think I saw that and I was like, wow, that's... A losing record in the post season?

Yes. Holy cow. I mean, listen, by the way, those jazz teams that Jordan beat, it was like Carl and Stockton, and then after that, it was like, Jeff Hornacek, Byron Russell. I mean, are those guys even cracking the rotation

of any of the Curry teams? maybe the one that lost in the playoffs of the Lakers this year. But like no team of Currys that went to the finals. Is Byron Russell starting? I don't even know if he's top seven. Hornacek. Again, it's just, again. If you really want to go down this rabbit hole, we talked about this.

Actually, it wasn't with you, was with one of the producers, Josh, before we recorded to the podcast. I believe we talked to him about it. I was watching NBA TV and they showed a replay of Lakers, Celtics, game seven of the 2010 finals. Oh, gosh. Was that the ugly, like, 93-89 game? Yeah, when you get beyond, like, the top of, like, Kobe and Pau and the big three in Boston,

and you see the Lakers' rest of their roster, it's like Luke Walton, Josh Powell getting minutes, Jordan, Farnas, Sasha Wuyichich, and it's like, none of these guys would have played in those Cavs Warriors finals at all. Like, they wouldn't have got off the bench. And, yeah. Was Shannon Brown on those Lakers teams? Yes, he was. He was a Skywalker.

Yes, Shannon Brown could dunk and then not much else, but yes. Yeah, he didn't have much in his bag. Anyways, we just spent 10 minutes on the NBA when we shouldn't have, but Rob loves it. I like the sparring. It's always fun. Anyways, we'll be back tomorrow. We're dabbling with guest ideas, I think college football. And then, of course, on Friday, we will have Mr. Baker, the great NFL prognosticator.

If you missed TA's interview yesterday, I implore you to go listen to. It was phenomenal if you're betting or doing Fantasy Week 1. We're out. See you tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the Fourth. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversation. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.