The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Justin Herbert's new contract

Episode Date: July 26, 2023

Jason McIntyre filling in for Colin Thoughts on Justin Herbert's record breaking contract with the Chargers Jason defends Bears QB Justin Fields The 49ers just got some good news about QB Brock Purdy   Guest: Tracy McGradySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Happy Wednesday, everybody. It's me, Jason McIntyre here on the herd, filling in for Colin. Fear not.

Ladies and gentlemen, Colin Coward, expected back tomorrow from a vacation. So Alex Curry and I will just enthrall you for the next three hours. And I know everybody's waiting for Colin to get back from his vacation. When can he get back? It's looked beautiful out on a boat, kayaking, just living the life as he should before the start of the crazy season. Yeah, let's just say, I don't think it's his final vacation of the summer.

No. But, Alec, do you post all the updates on vacation kind of person on social media? Oh, yeah, I'm shameless. I am shameless with my content posting. I always like, I put out a disclaimer like, I'm sorry. I am about to blast you with all of my vacation. My husband gives me like, you get like one crazy thing a day and then let's be done. And I'm learning to be more in the moment, which is fun.

In the moment. Very present. Yes, that's the theme, obviously. We got a spirited show today. A lot of fun stories. I do want to start with a positive, I think, in Justin Herbert. The big news yesterday, the young strapping quarterback of the L.A. Chargers, inks a massive contract. Look at this.

Five years, 262.5 million dollars. It looks like he got 133 million guarantee. Justin Herbert, the big 6-5, rangy quarterback, career playoff win total of zero. but the Chargers had to do it. And this is an exciting moment for San Diego. L.A. Chargers fans. L.A. Chargers fans are so stoked right now. We got Justin Herbert.

We got him locked up. He's not going anywhere. We got our next franchise quarterback. By the way, we had a spirited discussion this morning in the staff meeting. Is Herbert already the best quarterback in franchise history? I'm the lone guy saying, oh, trust me, he's going to be better than Fouts. I think he's going to be better than Rivers. They put up big numbers.

But I'm just, Justin Herbert, everything we've seen. in three years is very exciting. So, Jay, what's the problem here? Well, you know, guys, I have this situation where I think I have kind of weak teeth or I have a sweet tooth, but I brush a lot, I floss as good as I can, and every time I go to the dentist, they find cavities. And it's disappointing. I got to come home, face my kids and be like, guys, another cavity.

And they're like, pay up, dad, you know, and they're kind of embarrassed for me. But I blame it on external forces. You know, I just can't resist the sweets. I kind of have a sweet tooth. And maybe I have weak teeth. I can't really handle ice cream that well. I'm doing everything right and it's just still not working. And I feel like that sums up the Justin Herbert Chargers experience right now.

Man, since they drafted him in 2020, they've done everything right. You know that playbook that says, draft the quarterback high, build the offensive line. Check. They drafted two offensive linemen in the first round right after Justin Herbert the next two years. Okay. Then they're like, hey, you've got to add defenders. add skill position players. They've done all of this.

J.C. Jackson comes in. He was unbelievable with the Patriots. They'd sign J.C. Jackson. They trade for Khalil Mack. They've done everything right. And there's still the Chargers. Unable to get the victories, unable to stay healthy.

They seem like a cursed team. We're talking about a Chargers team that went to the playoffs last year, grabbed a 27-7 lead, and promptly blew it, and lost to the Jags. So what do they do in the off-season? well, they dumped their OC and they get a new defensive coordinator as well.

Like the Chargers can't get anything right. They got Herbert right, but is this going to fix their problems? I do have a couple buddies who are hardcore Chargers fans. I mean, they follow them up from San Diego up here to L.A. They go to the games. They're feeling excited. You look at that roster, and the case is there. They have one of the best rosters in the NFL.

Colin has mentioned this many times. Position group by position group, they're loaded. So, folks, why? have the chargers the last two years been dead last in yards per carry defensively. They've tried to do everything to fix the middle. Rotating dudes in never can stop. They can't stop a nosebleed. The run game just, they can't do it.

And when you can't stop anybody and you put all the pressure on Justin Herbert, well, Jay, we're paying Justin Herbert. Why isn't he delivering? And this gets to the root of the problem. The offensive coordinator they had, Mr. Lombardi last year, came from New Orleans where he was with Drew Brees. and Lombardi had an aging quarterback in Breeze. His arm was kind of shot.

So they structured everything. We're going to do short passes. Everything within five, 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, nothing downfield, quick two-step drops, and we're going to unload it. And it worked. And Drew Breeze was phenomenal. It was in the playoffs every year.

They were contenders in the NFC. But Lombardi tried to bring that to the Chargers, and it was a colossal failure. You've got a superstar quarterback who is the prototypical 23 quarterback, strapping six-five. guy, cannon for an arm. Oh yeah, he can run better than Fouts and better than Rivers, for sure. Like, there's nothing Justin Herbert cannot do. And the Chargers had him throwing the checkdowns.

Justin Herbert led the NFL last year in passes to running backs. That should not happen. Now, part of that was because everybody was hurt because that's always the case with the Chargers. Bosa missed at least seven games. You had injuries to the offensive line. Their star offensive line, they missed seven games. Yeah, Keenan Allen going down. Nobody can stay healthy. Every year it's something. The Chargers are doing everything right and nothing works out. The biggest piece of optimism for the Chargers heading into the season is Kellynne Moore. And the only reason that's dampened and Moore, of course, was a great, great offensive coordinator with Dallas. The Cowboys will miss him greatly. But the only reason I'm not excited is because

Brandon Staley, the head coach is on the hot seat. Okay? This would be if Staley gets fired, they missed the playoffs, this would be Justin Herbert's third coach in the NFL. already. The Chargers continue to do everything right and they can't get out of their own way. And oh, by the way, did I mention they play in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid? And there's a new coach in the division named Sean Payton, who's had a little bit of success in the NFL. And Russell Wilson is not going to be as bad as he was last year. Frankly, the Chargers are lucky. They're lucky that the Raiders are the dumpster fire that they are. That should be two automatic wins, two layups against Josh McDaniels and Jimmy Garvey.

But I want to sum up my issue with the Chargers and Justin Herbert's numbers against the Chiefs. He has been incredible in six games against the Chiefs. The numbers are staggering. 67% completions, 1,700 yards, 15 touchdowns and 4 picks. Justin Herbert rises to the occasion. Yet they're only 2 and 4 against the Chiefs because the defense stinks. And Brandon Saley, the head coach, is a defensive guy. So Chargers fans, cautious optimism surrounding the Justin Herbert contract in his future with the Chargers. Now, I want to pivot to a positive story, apologies Chargers fans, centering around Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears.

This story kind of surprised me this morning. I saw Justin Fields was asked to be on the Netflix documentary, the smash hit quarterback. Patrick Mahomes was on it last year. Obviously, Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the league. Kirk Cousins was on it and became kind of a likable hero. He was kind of one of these dull, boring quarterback. And, you know, on the Netflix documentary, a lot of people warmed up to him off the field. Seems like a nice guy.

Like, if you were your neighbor, you would like Kirk Cousins. And then you had Marcus Marieto, who's kind of the aging guy, got benched in Atlanta, didn't go great. But you needed kind of, you know, the high quarterback in Mahomes, the middle guy in Cousins, and kind of the bottom guy in Marietta. And Mariotas did not come off looking poor. He just wasn't great. It wasn't a great season.

So they ask Fields to come on the show and Fields says no, which kind of surprised me. Now, I do want to rewind real quick to what Colin Cowherd had said last week when he was blasting Justin Fields. Here's Cowherd last week on Justin Fields. I don't think he's one of the top five running quarterbacks. He'd get banged up, can't win games. It's not the end of the world. By the way, who would I put in that list? Russell Wilson, you know, Super Bowl winner.

I'm sorry. The list of five best running quarterbacks, if you're a great running quarterback, you win games. I've always been 60-40 on Justin Fields is going to succeed. I'm coming back 5% J-Mack. I'm 55-45. He's going to succeed. I'm pulling back 5%. Lack a little self-awareness.

right now Justin Fields a bust. He's 5 and 20. 10-game losing streak. Pass a rating in the 70s. That's harsh. You guys remember that. I had to come on staunchly defend Justin Fields.

I know Colin loves a good quarterback record. Sneakily, don't tell him, but my goal this fall is to get him not to think about quarterback records. By the way, Justin Herbert's quarterback record, 25 and 24. He's a 500 quarterback. Yet we love him, and he got all the money.

I digress. Back to Fields. Yes, 5 and 20 record. Yes, they were three. and 14 last year, total disaster. But I'm a glass half-full kind of guy. Sometimes you need to look at it with a positive lens. Do I need to tell you the Bears were one in seven in close games last year?

We know historically that tends to flip. Maybe the defense actually shows up. By the way, they gutted the defense last year, right? Traded Roquant Smith, dump Robert Quinn. Those are two of your best defenders. Dump them, and then they couldn't stop anybody the second half of the season. Okay? The Bears defense was bad last year, but it was a trade.

transition year. And that's why Colin bagging on Fields felt a little harsh to me. I'm like, can we give this guy a chance? Now, I was here on the set one day when a former position coach in the NFL came by. I happened to know this guy from many, many years ago, and he was in the room

with Justin Fields when he was a rookie. And he told Colin and I straight up, like, man, Justin Fields would walk in like one minute before the meeting started and he would kind of slouch in his seat and he didn't want to be there and he was pouting and moody. It wasn't a good vibe for a young quarterback. And this coach told me he challenged Fields straight up like, bro, this doesn't work. You want to be a

quarterback in this league? This isn't going to work. And again, it's tough to say whether or not we've seen growth from Fields, but I want to play you his answer about why he did not elect to be part of the Netflix series quarterback. Listen to Justin Fields. Rather keep everything the way it is around here. I think, you know, just having cameras around the building. I think that might change the vibe of, you know, everyone and just want to keep it, you know, natural, organic and really just focus on what's going on in the building. I think a lot of people realize, like, how much work goes into being a quarterback, especially on the mental side of the thing. So, you know, just how much we have to prepare and kind of know everybody's job. You smell that?

Smells like maturity to me. I don't know. Justin Fields sounds very mature. I know we're bagging on him. Well, not me. Other people, Colin, for that interview he gave to the podcast where he said he was one of the five best running quarterbacks. get that. I totally understand that. It's a podcast. Come on. The vibes are different. In front of the media, Justin Field sounds very mature there. Now, I do wonder secretly

if he thought, geez, if they're looking for a great and a middle and a bad quarterback, am I the middle or am I the bad? Because this is kind of a make or break year for Fields, right? Iber Fluse, the new coach, they gutted everything last year. Now they're running it back with the same offensive coordinator, the same quarterback head coach. We're going to find out with Justin Fields is a guy. And, oh, by the way, really strong college football quarterback class coming into the draft. Could be three, four first round picks, maybe five, depending on how some of these guys pan out. And the Bears could say, listen, Fields can't win games, can't deliver. We want to pivot to another guy. That could very well happen. I'm going to say no. And I do believe the Chicago

Bears will be in the mix for a wild card spot this season. This team, the arrow is pointing up. I'm just going to point out a couple numbers. The gamblers who enjoy watching the show, you know, Jordan Love against Justin Fields in the opener. Justin Fields favored in that game, by the way. Also, Justin Fields favored in week two as well against lowly Tampa Bay. There's a chance. Bears start 2 and O.

And we start talking about Chicago Bears, potentially a playoff team. I'll say this. The schedule is a lot easier. Last year, one of my buddies found this incredible stat. So last year, 12 of the Bears' opponents exceeded their Vegas win total. Twelve. Now they play a last-place schedule.

One of the best in the league. And Justin Fields is going to love this. As a running quarterback outdoors, three dome teams come to Chicago in December. You know what? It's really cold and Chicago has an edge. I'm a believer in Iberfluse. I like what he did in Indy.

I didn't love the offseason defensively, but they have, like the Chargers, done everything in their power to help their young quarterback. Let's go grab DJ more via trade. Let's stockpile draft. picks. Let's go fortify the offensive line. They got Chase Claypool at the deadline. It didn't pan out yet, but we'll see how it works this year. I do believe this is a Chicago team won three games last year, yet their Vegas win totals up to seven and a half this year. Hmm. I think the guys in the

desert know something that this could be maybe seven and ten, eight and nine team. I don't think nine and eight is that much of a reach. I'm a believer in Justin Fields. I'm not saying he's a franchise quarterback for sure. But I'm definitely thinking this is a year where he looks the part as a passer in addition to being one of the great running quarterbacks of all time. Yes, Colin, of all time.

I'm sure Alex Curry agrees with me on Justin Fields. Come on. And what's not to love about this guy? I'll agree with your take that it was mature of him to realize it probably wasn't the best call for him to be on the Netflix quarterback show. But as you mentioned before, you said

we're talking to a coach, talking about kind of his work ethic where he would come in and maybe not be as enthused last minute into meetings. That's also a side you might not want to be exposed. If you have a different way of going into preparing for games, it takes a lot. It takes a certain human to be able to kind of pull back the curtain and be exposed for all of your great and all of your maybe things people don't agree with. You're a little high on Justin Fields. Probably a little irrational. You're a little high on Justin Fields. I think I'm trying to make up.

I think I'm trying to make up for some of the comments I made about Chicago earlier this year. Trying to earn back to Chicago fans? People, let's just say Chicago denizens were not happy with me. But coming up here on the herd today, we got a lot to talk about. Brock Purdy, cleared to practice in Sanfran. What is the future hope for T. T. Lance. Also, Hall of Famer.

Yeah, Hall of Famer. T. Mack. Tracy McGrady, one of my favorite players in the league about 15 years ago. He joins the show in 15, minutes, don't go anywhere. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, 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. 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 ton-tons 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. Good news, San Francisco 49ers. Huge, huge, huge news. Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, has been cleared to practice. According to the 49ers, he is good to go, ready to return. he had that gruesome elbow injury in the NFC championship game against the Eagles.

By the way, P.S., if you remember that game, I picked the Eagles. I thought the 49ers had a good chance. I would have loved to have seen that game with a healthy Brock Purdy. I think he went down on like the second series. And with him as a starter, games he completed, they were 7 and 0. Yeah, 7 and 0, the dead last pick in the draft, 7th rounder. he did much better than a gentleman named Trey Lance, who was supposed to be the guy who had next in San Francisco.

The 49ers famously moved up to draft Trey Lance. He was the kid out of North Dakota State who had kind of a limited college experience and that he started one year and was lights out and then kind of COVID disrupted it. And he just didn't have a lot of starts. So there was a lot of questions as to, oh, what kind of quarterback is he going to be? Well, Kyle Shanahan, the quarterback guru whisper or whatever you want to call him, if he's trading up for Tray Lance, well, wow, Tray Lance must be the guy. Now, there was, if you want to go back, some dissension in the ranks. Apparently, somebody liked Mack Jones.

Everybody thought that was Shanahan. Ultimately, they go with Tray Lance. And listen, you don't want to bury a guy like Lance who's barely had a chance. But he plays very sparingly as a rookie. didn't look totally ready. They put him in on some gadget plays, some runs near the goal line. He showed limited ability, not much. Then he gets a chance to start last year. And his opener is a monsoon against the bears. He looked kind of lost like he'd never played in rainy weather. And it was a disaster, and they lost the game. And then he started two more games. I think he shredded Houston.

Ooh, killed Houston. Wow, way to go. And then ended up breaking his angrily. ankle in a really nasty injury, and only his fourth start. So I think we have his career stats on the screen. Trey Lange's career stats. Not great. Now, he hasn't really had a chance. It's weird, it's weird because Jordan Love has sat for three years. He's taken 83 passes, and there's, like, massive optimism about Jordan Love and Green Bay. But here's Trey Lance, who has, I mean, this is very limited. We're talking, he hasn't even had a chance, like half a season or anything. But the problem is Brock Purdy has zoomed past him in San Francisco. And this is where it gets dicey. Lance had a bad injury. Coming back from that probably will not be easy. So the 49ers went out

and they picked up Sam Darnold. And that was a big flashing red sign like, uh-oh, what's going on with Trey Lance? And Albert Breer and many other reporters said that the Niners tried to move Lance in the off-season. And one would think that there was a robust market for a young, um, agile, um, dual threat quarterback like Trey Lance. And oh, by the way, there were some offensive coaches from San Francisco who had moved on to other places in the league. And you'd think, oh, well, they got to see Trey Lance and San Fran. And now they're in Miami, Houston, wherever.

Surely they would take a chance on Lance, no? By low? Hey, we'll throw you a six-round pick. Give us Trey Lans. We can rehabilitate them. We'll take a chance. Crickets. That's another sign that maybe guys who have seen him been up.

close, we're not that enamored with Trey Lance's abilities. And so now you've got a quarterback controversy, if you can call it that. I mean, Brock Purdy's set as the number one guy. They love him. He was 7 and 0 last year. Humble can make all the throws, appears to be loved by teammates. Like, Brock Purdy is the guy. But what do you do at backup?

What if Trey Lance isn't the backup quarterback? And they trust veteran Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold's been around the block. He was with my job. Jets. Let's just say it was not a great tenure, but he didn't have a lot to work with coaching staff-wise. So then he was in Carolina, and he had a couple moments. Nothing spectacular. However, coaches all think, oh, we can rehabilitate this guy, I can fix it. And you just start, you kind of start wondering, like, hmm, does Shanahan think he can rehabilitate Sam Darnold?

And now Sam Darnold is his pet project in Not Trey Lance. And you've got to start to wonder. Are they going to showcase Lance in the preseason in hopes of moving him quickly? Folks, listen, when the writing's on the wall, it should be obvious to everybody. Brock Purdy's back. He's the guy, no questions asked. Who's the backup? And it starts to get a little dicey for Trey Lance in San Francisco. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Well, let's stay in the NFL where Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have kicked off training camp following last season's disappointing playoff exit. Now Dallas will hope to reach an agreement with all pro guard, Zach Martin, who is holding out for a new contract. But despite the drama, Jerry Jones has one goal in mind for this season, saying we came to camp with the idea in mind that if we can have the kind of camp that we want to have, that we've got a team that can compete for the top spot. Now, when I look at where we're with DAC and when I think about where we're at with Smith, when I see what I've experienced on players that have played great for the Cowboys that aren't here today, we need to get to. We need to

get it done while we got him. That causes you to really pop up in the morning and be ready to gnaw a leg off of them. So I'll be very urgent. Cowboys got a lot of work to do. First of all, we've talked about it a lot. This is kind of a make or break season for Dack, who coming out had a season with 15 interceptions last year with an injury in there. Now, J. Mack, I'm sure you're aware of these numbers, that the Cowboys have only won four playoff games in the last 23 years. That's all? Uh-huh.

Four playoffs. For playoff games. Mark Sanchez has that many. The last time the Cowboys made a Super Bowl appearance. Do you know when that was? 95? 1995, almost 30 years ago. Oh.

Yeah. So is, I feel like this is the question every season. Do you think that the Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders? Listen, the NFC is weak? You know, if there's a, injury to Jalen Hertz, it's like, whoa, Cowboys can win the division. And the 49ers have the Brock Purdy question at quarterback having seven starts and we're crowning him.

I'm not a huge believer in Dallas, but Alex, yeah. A chance to get to the Super Bowl, I would say there's probably like a 15, 20% chance. I don't want to call it delusional, but I feel like every season, everyone has high hopes for the Cowboys to make a run and there's some sort of weird situation or just dramatic loss towards the end of the season that cuts short. Four playoff wins in 23 years. Alex, rank these quarterbacks in the NFC. Hertz, Goff, Dak, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr.

Oof, Hertz. Say them all again? Carr, Cousins, Dak. You said Goff too in there, right? Goff's been to a Super Bowl. He has? He has. Cousins works really hard. We've seen that behind the scenes.

Right now, maybe DAC and card, like, I didn't even say Stafford. I mean, Stafford's coming off the big injury. It depends, yeah, where he's at after the injury, because he also just won a Super Bowl two seasons ago. If you've got the fourth best quarterback of the NFC, you've got a shot. It's in play. I just, I wouldn't, it's not something I would bet on. Yeah, okay. Well, stick in in the NFC.

The 49ers got great news on the quarterback situation with Brock Purdy, cleared to practice, but the bad news, Nick Bosa is expected to skip training camp until he receives a new contract. Now, Bosa is currently under his fifth year option and coming off a career year, leading the NFL with 18 and a half sacks along with a defensive player of the year award.

So not a great situation when you don't have your best defensive player and your best pass rusher that won't be at camp and you are a top-tier defense, arguably one of the best throughout the season. Now, if they do end up figuring out, you're still kind of losing precious time right here at the beginning of training camp, however long he holds out till they can get this deal done, to where you can really be refining things, refining your defense. Do you think it's going to be this big of an impact? I think they'll be all right.

I mean, they're not paying their quarterback, right? So you've got to pay him, right? Get it done. He's got to be top three highest paid at his position, right? He's definitely one of the best. He should be. Whatever Watt gets, he should get. Should be.

Right? I don't know. I mean, Watt's getting 28. His brother's getting 27. I mean, you're taking him over Chubb, Mac. Crosby's really good. Yeah, I think, you know, Nick Bosa. Yeah, he's not in the top seven right now.

Get him that money. I don't think it's a big issue, right? Everyone's getting paid this week. Yeah, he probably wants an extra week of vacation. I had a training camp, right? Okay, so you're thinking they'll get this down within a week. This feels like much ado about nothing to me. Okay, a little bit.

All right. Well, then let's move on to the NBA, where there have been lots of conversations regarding load management over the last couple of seasons. But don't count Jason Tatum among them after he played in 74 regular season games last season. He's the latest player to speak out against players taking time off and here's what he had to say. I don't decide. I'm playing the horse tonight. I'm a chill. I only get to go to Charlotte two times of years.

Somebody paid their money to come watch me play. like not trying to be arrogant like it's a bunch of kids in there my shoes and my jersey and just because we're playing Charlotte on NBA League pass on a Monday but ain't nobody watching I'm chilling

tonight that's not what the great players the best players do two takeaways from this one I love his attitude this is the attitude that every professional athlete should have you're getting paid millions of dollars to play a game

and kids and families are spending their hard earned money to come watch you play So you figure out a way to be on the court as often as you can unless you're injured. That's a different story. The second takeaway here, subtle little jab at the Hornets. It's understandable. You know, they're a bottom feeder. But listen, this video is, you know I was born in New York and I just, it's ingrained that I don't like Boston teams.

I love this dude, Tatum. You have to. I hope he comes to the Lakers one day. Let me just put that out there. He loves Kobe. You know he wears Kobe jersey all this stuff. Tatum's one of my favorite players in the league. And everything about him is awesome.

When you hear the attitude and the mindset that he has, it's also like very much a Kobe mindset. As you mentioned, he's a big Kobe guy. It's like you leave everything out there on the court every single night no matter what. But to be clear, I am kind of pro-load management because, you know, no disrespect to Charlotte, but who cares about a Charlotte game in February?

It's all about May and June. That playoffs matter. They do matter, but. then the league needs to figure something out to make it so these players and every single player is okay to play every single game. That's why you have a certain amount of games in a season, regardless of what sported is. You need to figure it out, especially when you're the star player on the team. And as you mentioned, you're going to a place where you have kids who have been waiting maybe their whole life to see you play. This is the one opportunity they get to see you play.

If you're injured, they know you're going to be on a list saying you're not playing tonight, then they don't go. But if you're just choosing not to play because of load management, you're crushing some kids' dreams. and you were that kid one day. Well, I didn't go to a lot of NBA games growing up. We were in D.C. and the bullets were awful. I only went to a handful of games, but they were the bullets at the time. But I guess my argument would be like the league needs to do something like you said. So they can try to eliminate back-to-backs, which are not great.

All the science says avoid back-to-backs. And then the other thing is you want fewer games, but the owners aren't going to give up games because they're giving up gate and money. They're not doing that. There needs to be something done. Do the players want to give up money in their contracts because they're playing fewer games? No, they're not going to do that. No, it'd probably be more of something along the lines of you have to play X amount of games to be qualified to get this award. Things like that where there's different kind of incentives for the players.

Like you need to play. I think it's 65 next year? Yeah, injury is not included. So yeah, it's what it's the next step to figure out how to control this whole load management situation. Yeah. Because it is. It's a lot of wear and tear with the travel, traveling like right. after games. Yeah, you're on nice planes and stuff, but it's weird hours of the night.

Your body does start to break down. I understand. I've been on the team charters. I've traveled with different teams like throughout the years. The league needs to figure it out. Yeah. And it's not like you're traveling and you're reporting, but these players are performing at a high level and then they've got to face the media. You're showing up to the hotel at 4 a.m. After a flight to get to the new city. Like it's exhausting. But figure out the schedule. Figure out the schedule to make it work. So players play when they're head. healthy every single game. There's probably people listening right now driving around, oh, just play. How hard is it? You're flying first class. They just don't get it. Think about

when you get off a flight. And then now think about if you're getting off a flight twice a week. Yeah. Oh, I always said. I know you're staying in five-star hotels. Never going to be never going to play, never going to say I'm tired. Like I am not playing. I am just talking. What do you do when you get off a long flight to Hawaii from L.A.? It's like five hours. Oh my gosh. First thing I want to do is just lie down and do nothing for hours on end on the beach. These guys have to like train and practice and lead up to the game. Listen, I'm not defending the sitting out, but something should be done. I don't know what the answer is.

Maybe you make the regional flight so it's a little easier than the cross-country stuff, but maybe our next guest will have an answer. There you go. Yeah, Tracy McGrady, former NBA great, joining the show next. Very excited. One of my favorite players when he was with the Orlando Magic. Thank you for the news, Alex Curry, and we can't wait for Tracy McGrady. That's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Next on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great buy. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines.

And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to this league uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping

is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within

probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 ton-tons 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. Back here on the herd, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd, a special guest joining us right now.

One of my favorite players when I was a young guy watching him dominate the league, Tracy McGrady joining the show, T-Mack. Hopefully I can call you T-Mac. How you doing, man? You're having a great off-season there? Doing well, brother. You're still young, man. What are you talking about?

I'm not that young, man. My jump shots fading. But at any rate, I got to jump into some NBA news here. I know you're a busy guy. I got to start this. Just Jalen Brown contract in Boston, Tracy? He's now the highest paid player in the league. And I know some people were like, hey,

Mike Conley was once the highest paid player in the league. But, I mean, we're talking about now $69 million in the last year of his contract. everybody in Boston is still a little shocked. He ain't even the best player on the team. I don't know. Like, I'm not upset that he's getting paid, but just we're going with these NBA salaries for guys who are not even top 10, top 15 players.

It just feels a little weird, no? I mean, that's the state of the NBA. Can't hate on it. That's just where we are. He's well deserved of getting that contract based off of how he played over these last few years, how he played last year. He's well deserved to that.

So shout out to him, man, for getting five years. is a $304 million, but that's just the state of the NBA. It's top heavy right now, so if you want to those top tier players for your team, that's what you're going to get paid. Yeah, Jason Tatum is his teammate the better player, obviously. Maybe he's in line for, I don't know, $75 million a year coming up. Let's pivot quickly to Damian Lillard, who has made a trade request after spending his entire career in Portland.

I guess my issue here is his agent is saying, hey, other teams don't. He wants to go to Miami. It just feels kind of weird. That doesn't mean he's not going to report if he gets traded to Philly or he gets traded to the Clippers. But I don't know. Do you have an issue with this? I mean, you know, you played on several teams in your career. Do you have any issue with Dame saying Miami or nothing?

No, because I think Dame has done his job of doing everything he possibly can and won the championship. In Portland, he's giving them everything. And I think Dame and his agent is just looking at it. Like, they don't have too many great years left in that box. So he wants to win a championship and he wants to be, you know, a really huge part of why he wins a championship. And that's with a particular team. And he sees that in Miami. I have no issue with that.

I mean, the man has really done everything he possibly can. So to reward him and be rewarded is to go, you know, with the team that he feels his best chance of winning the championship. I have no problem with this. I think the opposite would be, of course, the James Hardin situation. I think he's made now three trade requests in something like 13 months. It's getting a bit obscene for Hardin. You're laughing. He's a Houston guy.

He's living it up. He's telling the Sixers, I don't want to be here. Trade me. I don't know. Do you feel the same way about Hardin that you do about Dane? No, I do not. And I've been on record saying this. I don't understand the trade requests out of Philly.

There's an MVP that you're playing with. They have a young team. talent and Tyrese was going to be extremely good this year. I just think the talent that you have around you is best for you is structured to win a championship or at least compete for one. You know, you guys were one game away from getting to the Eastern Conference finals last year to compete against Miami. I think Joel and B being that he was the MVP last year, I don't think Miami had any

answer for him. And I think you guys could have went to the championship. championship and competed for that last season. But game seven of, you know, that Boston Philly series, it was just brutal. But again, I don't know why you would leave that situation. And I've said it's got to be something deeper than, you know, any of us know about because it's just, to me, it's the perfect fit. Yeah, Hardin is one of these great one-on-one players. And you're obviously doing the four-part documentary series chronicling the inaugural season of the One's Basketball League. It's on.

showtime. Tell me a little about your one-on-one game growing up. I was never a great one-on-one guy. I'm a team player, Tracy, but I do love me some one-on-one. Like Chris Paul's a great one-on-one player. Kobe Bryant, obviously. I think Michael Jordan, the greatest ever in one-on-one. But I don't know, talk a little about the series. I think it's just really giving guys a platform. Everybody's not cut out to make it to the NBA. It's only 450 players that play in the NBA every year, but there's thousands and thousands of guys that leave college basketball and just looking for a platform to really showcase their ability. Then you have the guys that are streetball players that just play basketball, you know, just for the passion of it that are out here and

not really have a platform to, you know, for you guys to know who they are. So I created this platform as you see on the screen right here. You never heard of these guys, but they're guys with great ability, great one-on-one skills, and really a great competitive spirit about them that I think you guys should know about. So that's why I created this platform to give them a great opportunity to showcase, you know, a league skill set that you guys should know about. It's interesting, Trady, I got to ask real quick. So we're seeing a lot of international players coming to the league and they're more team-oriented. And a lot of the American guys coming up in college, they're more one-on-one. What's the different? Like, where's the league headed right now?

Like, is there a market for some of these one-on-one guys from your league, maybe making the jump to the NBA? Or will executives say, you know what, they're just two ISO ball? We're now into the team passing era, the Steph Curry, pace and space kind of era. Well, the goal is. I mean, there's a lot of alternative leagues out here, whether you plan overseas, you have the G-League. There's alternative leagues.

And you have the big three as well. I just, you know, if there's an opportunity for any one of those guys to make it to the NBA out of my league, you know, I wish it. You know, I definitely think there's a great opportunity for them. We had, what, four or five guys get G-League invites from last season. We didn't even advertise that. Just happened to have some league officials in the building for our championship game last season and saw some of the guys and wanted to invite them to a G-League invite. So if there's an opportunity for guys to make it to the NBA out of my league, you know, I think they will be able to handle that.

Awesome. Thank you so much, Tracy McGrady. One of the great three-point shooters. Before three-point shooting was super popular, congrats on the league, T-Mack. Appreciate it. Thank you. Boy, Tracy McGrady.

You guys, I know everybody played video games as a kid, and I forget which one it was, but whatever the NBA one was, Tracy McGrady was so good on that game. I remember I had moved to New York after college young guy and my cousins were living in the area. We would just play and I was Tracy McGrady in the Orlando Magic all the time. I love T-Mack so much. Happy for his success.

Before we get to the end of the hour here, you know me. I'm a nice guy. I'm not out here lobbing grenades at people. But sometimes you got to call guys out. And Tiki Barber. It was a really good running back with the New York Giants. Man, he was dynamic. He was good.

And I guess he's got a media career now and he's making some things happen or trying to. And he went on a radio show this week. And he said, Daniel Jones can be a top five quarterback. And in the staff meeting this morning, I was like, wait, wait, maybe he misspoke. Maybe like a top five quarterback in the state of New York.

Right? Josh Allen, Aaron Rogers. I haven't seen who's the quarterback of the Syracuse Orangeman, but maybe somebody else ahead of Daniel Jones. And I was like, all right, fine. NFC East. Is he a top five quarterback? I don't know.

Cooper Rush? Who you take? Cooper Rush or Daniel Jones? I'm not even kidding. Cooper Rush at a significant discount or Daniel Jones for $39 million. So, again, I used to be in the media with the website that I created.

I used to work at a newspaper. I freelance for magazines. And I get it. It's tough. to cut through sometimes. So Tiki Barber, a former giant, is out here trying to pump up his guy and get people excited that Daniel Jones could be a top five quarterback. Folks, he's not even a top five quarterback in the NFC. Like it's not, he's not even sniffing top five quarterback in the NFC. I would challenge you. You know, we should get Jay Glazer on the show. I think he's on

his honeymoon or maybe visiting camps or whatever. I follow him on Instagram. We're kind of friendly, but I haven't texted him in a minute. Hey, Glazer, if you pulled 30, let's just say 20, NFL GMs, who would they rather have? Daniel Jones or Brock Purdy, I guarantee you overwhelmingly the answer is Brock Purdy. Brock Purdy, the last pick in the draft. I mean, Alex and I were just talking like,

you know, is DAC a top five quarterback in the NFC? We didn't even mention Daniel Jones. Like, he's not sniffing that. territory. And I know a lot of Giants fans, you know, listen, Giants fans, they got their own problems. They've been coming after me on social media for months. Jason, you're not respecting Daniel Jones and the awesome season they had. Like, guys, it was the luckiest season outside of the Minnesota Vikings. And then they beat the Vikings in the playoffs. Okay. Sequin Berkeley is the best player on that offense. That's undeniable. And now the Giants are like, whoa, we're going to go out

and get us some Darren Waller. He's going to help Daniel Jones out. Okay, good luck with that. Maybe Waller's healthy. We met Waller at the Super Bowl. He came on the show. Gigantic, kind of scary-looking guy. He's big. Like, hulking, like, you know, he's just intimidating present.

Maybe he helps. But this idea that Daniel Jones is ascending and could be a top five quarterback in the NFL. It's just preposterous. It's just a guy in Tiki Barber, who I don't know personally. I think I might have had his brother on my podcast back in the day, Ronde Barber.

Some might say the better barber. I didn't go there. I'm just saying some people might say that. But Daniel Jones' top five quote, like, just stop. Now, you know, I got to give you an applause because you did get on this show, right, Alex? Like, you go out and say preposterous garbage and then we make fun of it, but it's a win for you because we're talking about him. Am I being too harsh on Tiki Barber? Yeah, I mean, it's a pretty like Homer thing to say, right?

He's a New York guy. He's a Giants guy. So, yeah, you're going to pump up your team regardless of who's on it right now. just like how you shamelessly talk up the jets. Yeah, I do. Yeah, I do. This is pretty equal here. Well, I don't know that.

I mean, I never said Zach, I never said Zach Wilson could be the Mormon Mahomes or anything. It's not like I went, okay, but that was hopeful before he threw a pass. And then as soon as he was, you know, vomiting all over himself and hitting on his mom's friends, I was like, Zach Wilson, I'm out.

It's over. Done. All right, hour number two coming up, assuming I don't get. in trouble for some of those comments. McVeigh is stunned that people don't believe in the Rams next season. Geez, if you think I went after the Giants, stick around for hour number two.

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

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.