The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Bears fans need to be realistic, College football is changing, the Bengals are cheap

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

Colin tells Bears fans to have realistic expectations for this upcoming season after a positive preseason game from quarterback Caleb Williams He gives his thoughts on people who say college football is becoming more like the NFL The Bengals continue to show how cheap they are by pinching pennies over Trey HendricksonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis'clock, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got them. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Tuesday, and there is a lot to talk about. We're live, we're in L.A. It's the herd one hour from now, because I'm doing the rest of this week right then.

Little vacate and we're coming back for six months. I'm going to do a herd hierarchy one hour from now. And this is kind of how I see the season. This is going to be the last big one. a herd hierarchy before the season telling you who I think of the 10 best teams. A lot of familiar faces at the top. Some really good teams who I liked and maybe don't like as much as I thought are out. John Middlecock joining us again today.

John, you and I did an exercise last night on a podcast, and I'm going to do that again for the television audience about the Chicago Bears. And I think you and I agree, and we know this in life. Your happiness is directly correlated to your expectations. in life. Like, what do you expect? I'll give you an example. Let's start the show with this.

Last year, Denver won 10 games. And people are like, what an amazing season. The Bengals won nine, won fewer. And people are like, do we got to fire the coach? I mean, we're keeping Burrow and Jamar Chase.

We got to get rid of everybody. Well, the expectations for Denver, rookie quarterbacked, Sean Payton, in a rebuild, pretty low. that division with Harbaugh and Andy Reed. They won 10 games.

You'd have thought they lost a Super Bowl. They got just this close. Since he won nine, let's get rid of everybody. Right? Happiness is tied to expectations. So I saw a headline this morning. Caleb Williams looks like a different quarterback and Ben Johnson's new offense.

It's the preseason. Last year, the Jags, the Titans, The Jats and the Bears went undefeated in the preseason. Okay. Settle down. So let's just, let's do a hard count here. Let's take the Bears schedule. And I'm going to be optimistic, Colin.

So I'm going to give Chicago a split in division. They win one and lose one with the Packers. They split with the Lions. They split with the Vikings. They went one and five against those teams last year, and they're already a home dog in week one against Minnesota. They're a dog at home against Minnesota. I'm going to give them a split three and three.

I'm incredibly optimistic. They just don't do well in division. I'm going to give them a split. I'm also going to give them four more wins, hosting Dallas, hosting New Orleans, hosting the Giants, and hosting Cleveland. No upsets they win all of them. So now I got them at 7. but I'm also going to say they're going to lose at Washington, at Baltimore, at Philly, and at San Francisco.

So now we're at 7 and 7. And again, I gave them a split in division. They're 7 and 7 with three games left. I'll continue my optimism. Three games left on the schedule now. At Las Vegas, I'll give them a win, but they may go in as an underdog. At Cincinnati, they lose to Joe Burrow. That's reasonable.

and I'll have them beating Pittsburgh at home in a close game. I think Pittsburgh's got a really good roster. You know what that gives the Bears being incredibly optimistic? Nine and eight. In a division where Kevin O'Connell and Matt Lafleur and Dan Campbell have already proven their elite head coaches. Two of them are scheme guys, one of them's a culture guy. They're all really, really elite.

We don't know that about Ben Johnson. So I got nine and eight. By the way, two times in the last 12 seasons, have they been 500 in division? And I'll give them that. They've done that two times of 12 years. By the way, they've only hit nine wins once in 12 years, and I'm giving it to them. So giving them wins that are not in the last decade-plus guaranteed, you know, as a home favorite. it. I'm giving them Dallas, New Orleans, New York and Cleveland. I actually think New York's

defensive line is going to be a problem, and the Giants are going to end up being one of those teams that plays a spoiler throughout the season because they're just going to suffocate some offensive lines that are banged up or not that very good. So again, expectations. If you go nine and eight, that means you probably split in an incredibly highly functional. division. You just don't do that. So yes, they beat the bills. Yes, Caleb Williams looked good. And yes, Matt Hasselbeck yesterday on the show was cautiously optimistic. He looked great. I mean, I think it's everything you're looking for. If you're a Bears fan, you're fired up about the head coach, the play caller. This is a division that has quarterback whisperers and Chicago hasn't

had theirs. Now they have it. It looks like a great start. I would just say it's pre-season. football. So I'm not going to criticize him because it's the preseason. This is a, this is a great start. It was a great outing. There's been some up and down reporting about him. In this game against the bills, he looked fantastic. Nine and eight from positive Uncle Colin. Nine and eight. I think that's realistic. Maybe a bit positive. Tough division, good coaches everywhere, some automatic L's on the road. I think you meet Dallas, Saints, Giants, Cleveland at home, 9 and 8. Let's be realistic.

Otherwise, you're going to be miserable all year. I saw a headline, and a lot of times, headlines don't match the story. But I'm always interested when headline writers like to get your attention. So Sports Illustrated, the headline, why college football is emulating the NFL. And I know 90% of you college football diehards, and I am one, don't like that headline. You don't like that headline. I don't want to give you advice in life. I have a lot of opinions.

If I ever go speak to young people, I'm like, I'm not going to give you any advice because my life isn't your life. My journey is not your journey, but I'll give you an opinion. If you're offered outbacked steakhouse or Morton's Steakhouse, choose the latter. The first one's fine. The second one's excellent. Folks, college football has taken away the bumpers from the bowling lanes. Ohio State threw a gutter against Michigan and yet made the playoff.

That is a good thing. Go look. I'm going to give you three or four schedules. Go look at Oklahoma's schedule. Because college football always had a big game problem. If you're driving, I'll read it to you. If you're driving around listening. Oklahoma this year plays Michigan, Auburn, Texas,

Ole Miss, Tennessee, Bama, and LSU. That is seven must-watch games. games. That's before the playoff if they make it. There'd be four more good ones if they kept winning. Texas, Texas schedule, at Ohio State, at Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, A&M. That is five must-watch games. Yeah, I know they're not playing Kansas State. I don't know if I'll fall sleep at night. That's five must-watch games before the playoff. Oregon. They get to play Oregon State their rival. I covered it for years, great rivalry.

But I get at Penn State at Iowa, then two traditional rivals, USC, Washington. Five must watch Oregon games. Before the playoff, root for content. If offered multiple stakeholders, take the best one. College football has always had a big game problem. If you go look at Nick Sabin's dynasty. And I love Nick, but after about year three, he refused to play a road out of conference game. He would make sure he and the athletic director always had a buy before they had to go like to LSU or Auburn.

There was a lot of Citadel and Mercer at one point Nick Saban complained. Alabama students aren't going to the games. Our games aren't sold out because students aren't dopes and they have social lives. And they'll go to the big games. They're not going to the ugly ones. kids have lives. There's a lot to do in a college campus. Mingle.

Socialize. Drink. Party. Nobody wants to watch Bama and Mercer. So college football, look at these schedules now. In fact, I've gone on the air saying,

I think you want to take Notre Dame off USC schedule. There's too many landmines. They're so, if it's all about winning the Natty, but it's not as punitive. Ohio State can lose at Oregon. can lose at Michigan.

Root for drama, not that parochial Purdue versus Iowa playing for the giant Spatoon. That is at best a local rivalry. You can try to convince yourself it's a regional rivalry. The quality

of games, the quality of content in college football is insane. Just go look at Oklahoma's schedule. Texas, Oregon, Washington, L.S. I know, I know, Auburn, Alabama won't mean as much. When's the last time Bama and Auburn played, and it did mean anything out of the state of Alabama?

The Cam Newton years? It doesn't mean that much. Yes, college football may even expand it to 20 playoff teams. Maybe it's because of what I do for a living. I root for interesting. I root for better content. If I go on Netflix, if I turn on Fox or NBC, I just want the, best content. I get over the local rivalry. I grew up in Washington State, right? Like I was a Husky

fan. I don't need to see Washington play Cal or Arizona ever again. I'm going to be okay. Now I get Washington Penn State. Plus I get, I can still play in Oregon. I can still play an SC, but I got Washington, Michigan. I want to go to the Iowa game. I get new fun stuff. but when I read that Sports Illustrated headline oh it's going to emulate the NFL thank God college football's taking the bumpers out of your bowling alley

you're going to throw some gutters now you're going to have bad games because you don't have Mercer coming up oh god we play LSU and you're going to get blown out and it'll be okay it'll be fine go ask Ohio State lost as a 20 point favorite

what did they go in is like a four seed to the tournament. I mean, God, they wouldn't. There's a higher seed. If you're good, it's all that matters. And it didn't used to be that way. You could be good, but did you schedule right? Did you have enough buys?

Did you play any difficult road game? All that stuff's done. It's over. Yes, I wanted to look and feel a little bit more like the NFL. If you're paying players, it's time. All right. Ohio State, by the way, It was an eight seed.

Thanks for reminding me, got. An eight seed, that's why the NFL playoffs are fun. You just never quite know who's going to win. You had a feeling it'd be Brady or Mahalphi. Never quite know. Chiefs have been blown out twice in the Super Bowl. You're never quite sure. You could have looked at Sabin's Alabama schedule and go, okay, those two games,

they'll only be a field goal favorite, but ones at home, they'll win for sure. If they lose that game, they'll still get in. That's not the way you want it. I mean, I look at Oklahoma's schedule. I don't know what I'm going to get. They may lose three games and still get into the playoffs. I mean, look at that thing. I'm not even counting other games like the Missouri, Oklahoma game, which could be great.

John and I kind of disagree on that traditional stuff. He went to Fresno State, it's a powerhouse, so he loves those big regional games. I'm a non-traditionalist. We didn't go to church, child of divorce, didn't have that perfect white picket thing. So I'm not a traditionalist, so I know I have some confirmation bias and some life bias. I know that. to Memorial Stadium with my dad watching Cal. So I'm not acting like Cal is Alabama or Ohio State,

and no one is complaining about watching Ohio State, Texas, or Texas, Georgia, or Ohio State Oregon. But what about Washington State, a program that has tried, Oregon State, a program that has tried? You know who I, SC, obviously big brand, no doubt. What about UCLA? I mean, do they really care about football? And they got to benefit from it.

So I understand the little guy at Oregon State and Washington State Fresno State's always been a small market program. But those programs were in the big conference, and they kind of got screwed while they tried. But I guess it's business. They just weren't big enough. Yeah, it's like Major League Baseball wants to do realignment. People are not comfortable with it.

Guys, sports is a business. No business stands Pat. Amazon, meta, you can't stand Pat. You've got the, by the way, if you look at what happened to boxing, why did UFC take it over? Because boxing was poorly run. Why are we seeing all these changes in college football? Because college football did not have a CEO as poorly run.

If you're well run, there won't be major changes. Baseball was poorly run under Bud Seelig. Rob Manfred steps in. He's got to make multiple changes because attendance goes down and the game goes down and merchandise goes down. So Rob Manfred's like, okay, start at second base extra innings. Speed the game up. Get rid of the double down. Pitchers don't hit.

Rob Manfred had to crash. That's why boxing died. poorly run. College football changes, poorly run. If you're not poorly run, you don't have to make drastic changes. You do need underdogs, though. The Yankees can't play the Yankees. Connor McGregor can't fight. You can have underdogs. By the way, in the Big Ten, Iowa's an underdog. Now they used to be an underdog six times. Now they're an underdog nine times. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byrd. We have a fantasy football podcast called I-Wing. You Want Your Flex. That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sit, starts. Fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Byer on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers.

And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 Letter help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam, Isaiah Thomas? And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin. and finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court,

and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimless, we're joined by our first, ever guest. Sorry, our first ever human guest. I don't think I could be in the same room with Shamrock the parrot.

I'd be too nervous. That's right. The very funny Will Ferrell joins Rory Scovel and me, Josh Dean, for an episode dedicated to the many crimes committed by people also named Will Ferrell. They called to his fellow officer for the nippers. What are the nippers? Very good question. No, I was thinking, would that be a good name for like a salad dressing,

Simple assault. And it's a play on word, salt? Maybe not. I say we invest and we see. There's only one way to know. This did not amuse the cops. By the way, normally the cops are amused, but this did not abuse the cops. Will even comes clean about some of his own crimes. I didn't get caught. You know why?

If you don't want to be suspected of anything, you whistle as you walk. Listen to crime lists on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. So I watched the first couple of series. Joe Burrell played three series for the Bengals last night and completed 9 of 14 passes, had a touchdown. He had a play where he was running around and got sacked. But to win a Super Bowl, you need like a combination of things.

You all know this. When New England had their two dynasties, it was great owner, great coach, great quarterback, great coordinators. Kansas City's got a great GM, a great owner, a great coach, and a great quarterback. Philadelphia, best GM in the sport, many believe. owner, top 10 quarterback,

RAM, same thing, top to bottom. It's a combination of things. Cincinnati, you look at Cincinnati and you go, well, do we really like Zach Taylor? I'm not sure. It's just too lobsided an organization. It's Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, and everything else.

Their de facto general manager is 90 years old, Mike Brown. They have the smallest personnel department in the NFL. That's why they don't take big risks like the Philadelphia Eagles. who are constantly trying to get slightly better. They don't do that. They beat down their culture.

They beat down all their star players to squeeze every last ounce out. And I hear this. Colin, we made a Super Bowl. Oh, wake up. When you're not paying your rookie quarterback, the big money yet, you don't have to be as buttoned up. Once you pay Jalen Hertz or Mahomes or Josh Allen or Matt Stafford, you've got to be more buttoned up.

It's all about the margins. So, I mean, the first two drives of the game, Washington had 160 yards running. Cincinnati's defense is atrocious. I think it's the worst in the league without Trey Hendrickson. Absolutely the pits. And yet, they're beating down Trey Hendrickson for every penny. He's easily their best defensive player. So, you know, the way I look at, let's take the Baltimore Ravens,

in division with Cincinnati. The Baltimore Ravens are Disney. theme parks, movies, tech, AI, valuation, over $3 billion. Cincinnati is Six Flags, a step above the county fair. Yeah, Six Flags has roller coasters too, and so does Disney. And Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrough, you got the quarterback. But if you want to win Super Bowls, do you pay top money for coordinators? Do you have a big scouting department?

do you have one of the top GMs in the league it's not it's not i mean when did new england's dynasty die when bellichick started taking over the draft when they had scott pioly and bill didn't have as much power and they had better rosters like like even dynasties can die when they try to go cheap and one guy the coach gets too much money and has too much power so i i watch him like joe burrow running around last night everybody's freaking out about that but joe burrow he needs live game action in the preseason because he has to carry this franchise. Lamar Jackson, they already had a great run game. Hey, we'll give you Derek Henry.

The Rams already have good running backs. We'll draft another. They're constantly upgrading. San Francisco, Denver was good last year playoffs. They get Hufunga, Evan Ingram. Green Law constantly upgrading because they have the richest owners. I think Denver does now in the NFL. So I didn't mind Burrow running around.

Here's Zach Taylor on it. It's one of those things for him. That's what preseason football is for. Do I love seeing that? No, I don't. But at the same time, he's out there learning what he can and can't do, and we've seen him get out of that stuff before. And that's why he's playing in the preseason,

for a chance to feel what it's like to feel in the game. Yeah, I mean, listen, Joe Burrow doesn't have to prove anything. It's why preseason, I think there's some valuable snaps. But with Cincinnati, once you pay Joe Burrow, Once you pay Matt Stafford, once you pay these quarterbacks, you've got to get really good on the margins. You have to have a really good general manager. You've got to have somebody like a Brett Veach. You've got to have somebody like a Howie Roseman.

And there's a lot of good GMs. Les Snee, there's a lot of good ones all over this league. But once you pay the quarterback, unless you get like a Baker-Mayfield deal where you get kind of a deal for a really good player, that's rare in the NFL where you can get a darn old or a baker at a pretty good price point. Joe Burrell, you've got to pay. and so once you've got to pay, I need a really good scouting department. It's amazing to me, Cincinnati can't figure it out. Once you pay the quarterback, you got a hit on the drafts. It's like that's Dallas's problem.

Jerry controls the draft too much. Once you pay the quarterback, the minute you pay the quarterback, big money, you should hire 10 new scouts. You need to nail third, fourth, fifth, sixth round picks. You've got to find cheap labor somewhere because you're paying your quarterback so much of your money. John Middlecock for the news No No no no

Turn on the news This is the herd line news Okay let's start with some breaking news this morning The Indianapolis Colts Have gone with Daniel Jones Anthony Richardson will not be the starting quarterback and Shane Steichen

spoke about this and he said This isn't a short-term thing He's going to be the starter for the season Adding that he does not have a short leash To me the question is Colin? Can Daniel Jones resurrect his career? In that division, could he win nine games and sneak in as a wildcarts? Certainly possible. I mean, I'm a little surprised because it basically signals the end of Anthony Richardson. So now he doesn't even have any trade value because if Shane Steichen gives up on him,

well, do you have a better offensive coach than Shane Steichen? He is younger than guys like Caleb, Shador Sanders, Dylan Gabriel. Anthony Richardson is not like a 26-year-old play. He's a They're very, very young. But he hasn't. I mean, he hasn't shown a two-game stretch where you went, wow, gets dinged up a lot. I mean, a lot of these young quarterbacks that struggle, there have been moments with Justin Fields and Pittsburgh where he goes like four and two and you're like, why are they taking him out? Like Anthony Richardson, the easy stuff is really hard.

I've always respected Chris Ballard, but I think we got to call a spade a spade a this currently is one of the worst draft picks we've ever seen. He was drafted fourth overall and going into year three, he was just replaced by a guy. who last year was cut mid-season. I mean, Daniel Jones, you know, I know they just gave him $14 million, but the Giants cut him in the middle of the season after giving them $80 million.

The problem with Indianapolis is that the late great Jim Ursei was highly impulsive. And you had two things happen that screwed the franchise. Andrew Luck retired early. Right before the season, they're trapped. And then they go get Carson Wentz, who goes 27 touchdown, seven picks, has a bad final week in Jacksonville,

and Jim Ursay says, I want him out of here. Ballard, Warnham. him. Ursay wouldn't let him keep him. So Andrew Luck retires. Whoa. Jim Ursay says, I want Carson Wentz out. Whoa. So they go to Philip Rivers, who was pretty good and they try Matt Ryan. Well, the truth of they have been bailing water since Andrew Luck retired. They thought they had an answer with Carson Wentz and the owners like, get him out of here. So I'm going to defend Ballard on this. I think this league, what you don't want to be is desperate at quarterback. And I think once Jim Ursae said, out of here with Wence, they thought they had him

for two to three years. They have been with a life preserver since, just bailing water on the ship. My prediction is Anthony Richardson will be traded the next couple of weeks, even if they don't get much. Because you saw this a couple years ago, Trey Lance, he didn't win the backup job, and they just got rid of him. It's very hard to draft a guy high who had been the starter, then demote him and keep his credibility in that locker room. I mean, Daniel Jones has been there, what, six months? Some things? spring practices now a couple weeks of training camp. It's not like he's been in the program for three years.

The Niners are well run, and look what they gave up for Trey Lance. It's hard. It is. And when you get into these situations where, like, somebody retires or somebody gets injured, I mean, where would the Niners be if they don't get Brock Purdy with the last pick? I mean, Brock Purdy should get paid because he saved the franchise. Yeah, I mean, they would have had to go all in on Sam Donald. Speaking of dysfunction, the Cowboys, they've dealt with a lot of drama this offseason.

obviously the Micah contract negotiations have not gone well, but they also dropped their new Netflix documentary detailing the teams from the mid-90s. And one interesting bite that came away from Jerry Jones, who was asked why he hasn't hired a GM, to which he said, I like the pain. Is Jerry Jones holding the Cowboys back, Colin? Yeah, and I said this a couple years ago,

maybe I was premature, but it does have an old Al Davis feel where Al Davis was this maverick and this pioneer and really knew the game. And I think Jerry knew it better than 90% of the owners. But it does feel like he's been reluctant to surrender some of it. And I think all of us lose our fastball. You know, you get into the 80s and it's just an energy thing. And I feel the same way with Mike Brown of the Bengals,

although the Cowboys are a much more, you know, well-heeled franchise, well-capitalized franchise. The NFL's gotten smarter. and it's gotten harder over my lifetime. There's more smart offensive coaches, and Jerry has never respected coaches, and now is the time that you have to respect coaches more than ever. Look what Jim Harbaugh did in six months to turn around the chargers.

So in an era where coaching's never been better and more valuable, Jerry has almost a disdain for the profession. He does not care, and I think Cincinnati's in the same spot. They just don't think it matters that much, And it's like, folks, what is Sean Paytonworth in Denver? Whatever you're paying him from Matt Hackett to Peyton is not enough. He saved eight years of misery in Denver. Well, let's look at their division.

They've won. The Giants have won a couple of Super Bowls in the last 20 years. The Eagles have obviously won a couple Super Bowls in the last seven, eight years. Jerry Reese was a great GM. Howie Roseman, obviously, he's arguably the best GM. Now the Washington commanders have Adam Peters, who was trained by Belichick and John Elway and John Lynch. Shouldn't Jerry try to hire Howie Roseman and let him run?

I mean, Jeffrey Lurie goes, yeah, I benefit from having Howie do this. Josh Harris, pretty successful guy, says, Adam, you run the football aspect. And Jerry's just not willing to do that. Now, these contract negotiations would still be a problem because he's the owner and he signed the checks. So even if the GM was there, maybe nothing would even change. Before we get out of here, let's take a look at the NBA. My favorite team, the Warriors and your squad, the Lakers, are,

glittered all throughout the nationally televised games this year. Yes, they are. Obviously, the Knicks have been resurrected in the Thunder, but all four of them have 34 nationally televised games, which I'm pretty sure is the max allotted amount. Yeah. It's pretty clear that the NBA is still riding Stefan LeBron pretty hard, huh, Colin? Well, yeah, I thought about this this morning.

Did you see what the Sphere in Vegas is doing? So the Sphere in Vegas is this wildly popular music venue. They're bringing the 1939 hit Wizard of Oz to the sphere. No new movies? No, Wizard of Oz. Old in music, in politics and sports, old and familiar cells. I mean, Biden, Trump to Biden to Trump. They're all near an 80.

Old is familiar. We get a little comfort out of it. It's a little bit more traditional. everybody tells me about all these young politicians. They got no shot to be in the White House in three years. I look at this and I think they're going with LeBron, they're going with Steph, they're going with the Knicks. You know, they're going with a lot of Celtics

that had Jason Tatum, by the way, would be right behind the Lakers and Warriors, but they don't. So I think they're just leaning on familiar faces. I got to take for you. And listen, this could be prisoner of the moment, but I don't think we will ever see a guy or two guys in the NBA is famous as LeBron and Steph moving forward.

I mean, you bring up Jason Tatum. He's not even remotely in the same universe as those guys in terms of fame and recognition from the casual fan. That's what the NBA has always had. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Magic. That is what Steph and LeBron still have to the guy that's not watching 82 games, maybe watching three or four, but he will tune in, especially for Steph. So my theory on this has always been the downside to the NBA going international.

So when we grow up, it was a domestic league. Big time. And we watched all these college stars for three and four years at Duke and Kansas and Yukon and Syracuse and UCLA. And we built these visceral connections like college football. Now it's a lot of one and done. And it's a lot of international players. So we don't have any familiarity with the young stars who often go to bad teams, don't make the playoffs for two or three years.

And then we forget about them. International guys, I love them. They're like the top five. players in the league, but they don't have big personalities. They go to their town. They're loyal. They don't want to move. They want to hide. They just want to ball and sleep. And I totally respect that. But this is why Adam Silver is my only real knock on Adam Silver. He demonized college basketball. And now I think he really realizes the value of Duke and Carolina and Yukon and Michigan State. Please do not demonize them. They are your free marketing

campaign. I fall in love with college players and they go to the NFL. I'm already a fan. I don't watch college baseball. They go to the minor league system. I forget about him. College basketball needs to embrace college. NBA needs to embrace college basketball

because their issue is as the international pool has grown and these are remarkable players, those guys they're not personality guys. Yokic and SGA. They want to go back to Belgium the minute the season ends. I don't blame them.

But what you're seeing now is, you're right. There is no. LeBron, Steph, and, I mean, I think KV battling people on social media is actually great. Yeah. Because it makes him, I mean, he's interacting with the fans. He's international guys. They want to ball and get ready for the next game. Totally respect it.

But it's not good for marketing. They don't want to be on social media. So they're going to need LeBron and Steph and Kevin Durant to play. like their Tom Brady into their mid-40s. Luckily, LeBron looks like he's going to. John Middlok for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly. There's always a duality with good comes bad. And I think the international guys make the NBA so... I love watching Yokic. But he's not a big personality. I love Yokic. Yonis, the top five players are international. But you have to realize international guys

don't plan March Madness most of the time. That may change, but they don't plan. in March Madness. Well, what do we watch in college basketball? March Madness. So if you go to Michigan or you go, you know, you go to Michigan State, I'm going to watch you. I'm going to, I'm going to forge a relationship with you. And so that's the only downside to international basketball is the league has been grappling here with who's the face of our league. And it's, they're really struggling. I don't think you have to have a face of the league. I think there's been far fewer. Like when I was a kid growing up, I mean, my favorite player was Dr. Jay and he was

from the ABA, but I just liked his style. So I don't think. think you have to have a face of the league. But it did help when you had Magic Bird and MJ and Shaq and Kobe. It helped. I mean, Tim Duncan, great player, wasn't like a personality. So they're kind of looking for that guy, and I don't think he currently exists, and that's why the schedule is heavy LeBron and heavy stuff. And again, KD, going back and forth on social media, actually, actually is a positive

for the league. He's interacting, communicating back and forth with a customer. It's a good thing. The home you've worked so hard for is ready to work hard for you. Home equity loan. That's the part of your house you actually own. You could use that to put a kid through college, buy a rental property, learn how to turn your home's equity into cash. Visit rocketmortgage.com today. Rocket Mortgage LLC license on all 50 states. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.

And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 I-heartedly. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast point game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like,

after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it. it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Agency, the ability to know that we're the experts in our own body. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black

women can show up fully and be heard. I wholeheartedly think, you know, you hit 30, you shouldn't have to share one with anybody. Mm-hmm. From navigating friendships. and healing to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health. These are real honest conversations. We don't always get to have out loud.

Totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them? Absolutely not. During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas. Their practices. And this Mental Health Awareness Month,

there's no better time to pour back into yourself. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. With two races to go, newly crowned four-time champion, Alex Polo, continues his quest for a record 10-win season. And the most dominant run in Indycar history at the Milwaukee Mile Sunday at 2 Eastern, only on Fox. Adam Schaefter had a tweet,

there's an increasing feeling that the Cleveland Browns will carry four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. So you're probably saying, I don't get it, I don't understand it. So what I'm, I'm not going to insinuate somebody's tanking, but I do think there is a way to build a roster that doesn't prioritize winning today. Let's say for a franchise in a tough division that needs a star quarterback like Archman. So you're not going to tank in the NFL. But if you keep four quarterbacks, that means every Sunday, you have three people that will not play in already one of the weakest rosters in a tough division. So Philadelphia is prioritizing winning every day of the year because they have their offensive line.

They have their quarterback. When the Colts had an old Peyton Manning, I think they made a move in that final year, speaking Andrew Luck where they didn't prioritize winning for the short term. I have defended that. You can't tank in hockey or football. They're too physical. But you can make roster moves that don't prioritize winning Sunday. Guys, a little banged up, why don't you take Sunday off?

You're valuable to us next year. It's like quiet quitting. I would get rid of Kenny Pickett and try to get a seventh round pick. I've said before, I'd start Flacco, I'd go with Shadur after that. Many people really do believe, I thought it was interesting, Dylan Gabriel. And again, I view Shadur Sanders, better size, better movement. Many people view Dylan Gabriel as better in the film room, more serious and throws a beautiful, accurate ball. I'm not sitting here judging film.

I like what I see with Shadur, but again, he's kind of an unsurious kid that bothers me. a little bit. I've always said, I want my quarterbacks. Hat on straight, boring, all business. I'm not a Johnny Mansell guy. He's probably a great person. Total turnoff to me. Total turnoff. And Shadoor's got some of that I don't love. But I don't think he's a bad kid. I think he's a good kid. And I think he's a talented kid. Dave Wonstadt was on the show yesterday on the quarterback dilemma in Cleveland.

I think Sanders is probably your second best option. and Gabriel, will he ever get better? Is he about as good as he's going to be right now? Can he improve? I don't know. That's a real tough one. I try to keep the personalities out of it as long as they're doing all the right things

in the classroom and on the field. So again, if you keep four quarterbacks, you can see like the Philadelphia Eagles saying, listen, we have a great roster. We don't need the extra slot corner. We've already got two we like. Cleveland needs the most. athletes they can get. And so by going into every Sunday, with three guys that aren't going to play,

you could probably use another slot corner, probably another interior lineman on the roster, and you're like, now we're not going to do that. So I don't think it's prioritizing winning, but I totally get what they're doing. They want to get Jimmy Haslam wants Archmanning. There is one, Jimmy Haslam likes headlines. Manzel, Baker, to Sean Watson's ridiculous contract. He likes the headline. I get it. It's his team.

He's a billionaire. I'm not. But I think he wants Archmanning. He is very closely connected to the SEC. Jimmy Sexton. I think they absolutely want Archmanning. That is my belief. And so keeping four, a weak roster is just a little weaker.

That's what it feels like to me. Doesn't mean you're tanking. You're not trying to lose. But we all know this. There are certain things as a parent you prioritize. now and some things you're like, yeah, this is fine. Let's worry about down the road. You know, we all sacrifice some things now for later. It's called a 401k. I could have a much better car now, but I'd like to retire at 66 and not 74. Same in pro sports. Like we're prioritizing

next year's draft number one. Winning Sunday, I mean, we want to do that too. But you're prioritizing next year's incredible quarterback draft class. That's what it feels like to me. So I've said this before. When I used to work in a local television, and when I left, I mean, journalism died at a local level. So when I used to work in local TV, I had a couple of news directors that were very fiery. And eventually they were very good. And eventually they'd burn some people out, polarizing. And then the owner of the station would hire a replacement for the fiery intense news director,

who was really good but kind of wore people out after like six, seven years. And they always, without exception, the pendulum swung too far. And they hired a soft guy and a nice guy and a never mean guy and ice cream for breakfast guy and the newsroom would deteriorate over time because now we had Mr. Softie running the operation. And the truth is, sometimes mean helps. And in the NFL, building a culture means breaking stuff. It means being hard, cutting players. I mean, I love Andy Reed and Sean McVeigh.

I love those guys. They're cutthroat. Don't kid yourself. Sean McVeigh's handsome, smiles, looks good, pro player. Cutthroat. Andy Reed. That Jim Harbaugh, John Harbaugh. I love him.

Sean Payton. Love him. It'd been this. Okay. So Miami had one of those guys, Brian Flores. He was mean, but he like had a culture. By like week nine of his first year. They led the NFL in Takeaways year two, one of the least penalized team.

Didn't get along with Tua, but that team was physical and tough. I think by the end of year one, he beat Brady and Belichick when they were, you know, rolling. But he was tough, and some said borderline abusive, and so they got rid of a mean guy, and they hired a swell guy. And I think Mike McDaniel's really smart, and I like him. He's funny. He's kind of like, kind of looks like a sports writer. with a good sense of humor. And this team right now

are a big bowl of jello, and I've talked about that. And so Jalen Ramsey took a shot at him the other day, now as a Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's just a classic example of, and I've seen this my entire life, I've seen it anecdotally in my life is when you've got harsh, mean, tough guy, and he

wears some people out and you let him go, the pendulum always swings way too far the other way. And I wish Mike McDaniel had a little Brian Flores. It's been a bad camp for Miami. It's not been good, and Tewa yesterday talked about yesterday's practice, and this sounded like another stinker. I wouldn't give myself a grade.

I don't think that's fair to grade yourself. I think that's for you guys to do with however you guys report that and whatnot. I think today, offensively, was a very frustrating day. You know, in regards to what we wanted to do, what we said we wanted to do, came out. you know and and we we just weren't able to get things jump started so that was very frustrated today now the good news for miami they're in the same division as the jets and uh that could be a two and oh run this year but new england is significantly better and as long as josh allen's in his

prime buffalo buffalo is dominated dominated Miami just scores whatever they want to so but it is kind of a cautionary tale and i've seen this a lot in my life is that it if you want to bring in a coach that changes the culture, you've got to break some eggs, and it's mean guy has value. You want me, like Tom Coughlin came into New York, he was a lot.

And the owner finally said, Tom, we love you, but you look like a plum, your bright red face. Brian Kelly had some of this at Notre Dame. It was like, Brian, lighten up a little. But what's interesting,

Notre Dame didn't go get a softie. They went and got a super, hyper intense, smart guy, Marcus Freeman on staff, and he's intense, and he holds players accountable, but he's more likable than Brian Kelly. So Notre Dame did it right. Like they had a guy that was really intense, needed to lighten up a little bit, but they didn't let it swing the other way and go get vanilla soft serve ice cream. You know, they went, and Marcus Freeman is intense, smart, demanding. Now,

it's Notre Dame, so you recruit really accountable, smart kids. But it, that's the, Notre Dame did it the way you should do it. Take some of the gifts. of the intense demanding guy. Marcus Freeman, I mean, that team is physical. They play hard. He is tough, but fair. Notre Dame did it right. I think Miami kind of missed on it.

Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 Acapella band with their between-songs. banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hiring. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis coming to you. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate. youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they hit a bogo. Well, then you got them.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.