The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Kevin Durant is a mercenary, Luka Doncic looks in shape, comparing Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

Colin Cowherd dives into Kevin Durant’s rocky debut with the Houston Rockets and what it reveals about the 2x NBA Finals MVP’s current place in the league. Is KD still a franchise-changing superstar, or has the league passed him by? In the NFL, Colin makes a bold comparison between Packers quarterback Jordan Love and a prime Aaron Rodgers, explaining why Love might already be outperforming the legendary QB he replaced in Green BaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart 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 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless.

And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. She can win. She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any service. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcasts on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and hosts Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be. played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD 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 SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Wednesday. NBA opened up last night. That was fun. Way to go NBC. That wasn't bad at all. Little MJ. Here we are wherever you may be.

However you may be watching or listening, we're in Chicago. It's the hurt. Little crisp this morning. In Chicago is the NBA season. starts in earnest last night. Jay Mack, everybody yesterday is talked. We've discussed this. The West is loaded.

It's insane. I don't think Golden State's going to be a playoff team. I think the Lakers will struggle like a six or a seven if LeBron is healthy. I think Minnesota could win it. I think OKC's good. I think Denver could win it. I think Dallas is wildly underrated. Houston is the team to keep your eye on because there's elements.

They have two young stars I love. But they brought in an old guy last night. Kevin Durant and let's talk about Kevin Durant. So Kevin Durant came in last night, played okay, but if you watch the game is, you know, they got to figure out how to get him more shots. He was kind of lost, especially late in the game. So they're a collection of talent at this one. I'm a little bit of a pushback guy on Houston. They lost their point guard. Fred Van Vleet, injury. So they're a team without a quarterback. They're a collection of really talented musicians with no conductor or lead singer.

And at the end of the game, I mean, they led by 12 and the third, they led by six with four minutes to go. But when two good NBA teams play, it always comes down to the final four or five possessions, final two and a half minutes. That's what it comes down to. And Katie was lost. They were disorganized.

He called a timeout they didn't have. He wasn't bad. He looked like he was a hired mercenary. Oh, wait. That's what Kevin Durant is. At this point, he is a 36. year old, gifted bucket getter. And Oklahoma City, all these guys been playing together for a couple of years.

OKC, you better beat them soundly. If the games are close, especially now with all the KD brand new to Houston, they're not going to look good late. They look good first half. They look good third quarter. They look good with about five minutes to go. But late in the game, OKC has been through this. These guys been playing together three, four years.

So at this point, Kevin Durant's not a culture guy. He's not a two-way player, actually. he's not a grind for 82 game guy. He is a mercenary. In fact, his Twitter handle is Easy Money sniper. And that's only because I get paid to shoot a lot

was too long. That's what he is. And in the final, I mean, he had more fouls than buckets made in the second half in OT. He just didn't do much. And that's because it's brand new. He's kind of a limited great sniper. He comes out and makes big shots.

And OKC's got defenders and depth and size and experience now and youth, and they're just better team that's been playing together longer. So he has value. Kevin Durant clearly has value. But when I watched Houston last night, without a point guard, it's point guard by committee. Amen Thompson, great talent. Alperin Schengun, best player on the Rockets, much better than KD at this point. Kid made the All-Stars at 22. He's now 23. Alperin Schengun's their best player. He's basically about 90, 80% of Yokic. He's not as big and forceful as Yokic,

but the touch, the finesse, he can pass, he can hit threes. Kevin doesn't need to be their best player, and he's not going to be. He's not the athlete of the Ben Thompson. He doesn't have the youth and the overall skill and ability of Alprin Cheng. That's not what he is. He's paid to hit buckets, and he'll hit a lot of them. But I watched them last night, my takeaway on Houston,

and again, it was a fun game. And Houston for three quarters was rolling. But it reminded me of the clippers for years when they had Paul George and Kauai Leonard, and who's the point guard? Who's running the show? Who's getting us into the offense? That's what it felt like last night. And so the Rockets late looked a little lost, and it's a team without a quarterback

with a lot of good receivers and a lot of good bucket getters. Because a man, Thompson's a stud. He's one of the best athletes in the league, not a point. I mean, he can play it, but he's not a point. And now Prinsengoon is unbelievable, like you. Jokic, he can handle the ball, but he's not a point either. And Katie down the stretch, fouls calling the timeout they didn't have. He took the hit for the loss after the game.

Fowles from my end, foul shake, put him up more. I think those two players, the reason we lost. That's fair to you? Yeah. I got to be better. I got to knock that free throw down. I got to stay down, be more disciplined. Those opportunities to get a stop to seal a game.

That don't come around to offense. so I've got to be more taking more advantage goes. Okay, meanwhile, as we predicted, Skinny Luca, Skinny Jeans Luca is going to score a lot of points. And he did, 43 in the Lakers lost to the old warriors. So Skinny Luca, as we told you, he's going to lead the NBA in usage rate. I think he has a chance to win the scoring title. Last night you saw that he can attack the basket now. I'm sorry, he lost 20. I can actually see his shoulders now.

He's going to attack the rim, attack the basket. He beats guys quicker off the dribble. So that is what we thought and what we saw. Secondly, the game, same issues the Lakers had last year. They have them this year. They lack athleticism on the wing. They're going to struggle against teams like Minnesota and OKC on the wing. They're bad defensively in the post.

They were last year, but they are this year. and LeBron's older and will be available in spurts and he'll be great in spurts. But Luca, skinny Luca, he's going to score a lot of points. They are a top heavy roster. Last night, Austin Reeves, who scored a lot of stuff late, and Luca combined for 69 points. Nobody else had more than 10. Okay, that's what they're going to be when LeBron doesn't play. By the way, the Warriors had four guys, 15 or more.

So essentially the Lakers are Luca plus old LeBron plus lack of athletic. plus really lousy defending the rim. And that is not good enough in the West with the T-Wolves and the Thunder and the Mavericks. I mean, the West just loaded. The Nuggets, I'm not sure who I like. I think Dallas is better than anybody has given them credit for. And the other thing the Lakers are, and JJ Reddy got ticked off about this, last year the Lakers were a terrible third quarter team.

And last night, despite the fact that Luca, in 12 minutes at 13 points, last night they were a terrible third quarter team. Why? This is my opinion. Because the third quarter is when you go in at half and the really smart coaches pull some levers, let's have a good set. How many levers are there are a pull? They can't defend the rim.

They're not athletic enough. LeBron didn't play. Heavy reliance on Luca. 13 points, 12 minutes. There's not a lot of levers here. Right? They're just so much. I mean, it's just like sometimes NFL teams, the writers can go in at half.

Gino's Gino. Where are the levers? Some teams have multiple levers. Denver's got levers. Eagles have levers. The Tampa Bay's got them. What are the Lakers? What do you do at half?

What are you going to change? So, my takeaway is, remember, this is very important to remember. And this is why LeBron felt a little disengaged last night. And this is a real thing. So Laker fans, don't forget this next sentence. They have got new ownership. But they made the Lakers' new owner. made a very public statement this summer.

They want to be flexible in 2026 and 2027. It's 2025. It's the first time in LeBron's career. They're not going for a ring. Games are going to be sold out. Skinny Luca, LeBron, maybe his last year. For the first time ever, the ownership is not afraid of LeBron, and they're not building a team for LeBron.

The Lakers are Luca, J.J. rhetoric in the future and flexibility next year and the year after. The draft next year is going to be very good. There's going to be opportunities down the road. So the new Laker owner, and it took this Laker ownership, this new group, when they bought the Dodgers, it wasn't about winning a World Series the first year. They identified their stars, moved off some, embraced others. Long-term build to be viable like the Dodgers are, 13 straight points.

seasons. So these new owners, this is a Luca JJ Reddick long-term build. They would love to be a playoff team. They would love to have home playoff games. They would love to drive that playoff revenue. They'd love to win a title. They're not one in the title. They're not getting out of the West. They're not getting to the Western Conference Finals. Luca, Old LeBron, lack of athleticism, no rim protector defensively.

In the East, you could get to a conference final. In the West, it's going to be hard to win a series. So LeBron's not happy about it, but for the first time, he's not driving this bus. Luca, though, the weight loss, he's quicker. He attacks the rim. He didn't do that last year. A lot of fallaways. A lot of settling.

He's back to attacking the rim. Here's Luca after. Yeah, I feel like I say, you know, less tiring, a better shape. So just trying to get a win. You've got to try and be physical. Obviously, if they're a bonus, it's a little bit harder. By the end, you've got to get a stop. That's what's going to win in the game.

Yeah, this is not going to be a great defensive team. Great defensive teams are great protecting the rim and hyper-athletic. That's why, like Minnesota, when they played them last year, Gobert protects the rim. They got their very highly athletic wing defenders. There are certain components you need to be a good passing team in the NFL, like a good offensive line, a quarterback over 510, maybe a viable veteran tied end, good twitchy young receivers.

It's the same thing in the NBA. You want to be a great defensive team? You have to be a great rim defender. You got to have somebody at the iron. They don't really have that. They didn't last year. They made a move. They don't this year.

It's what they are. And they're not super athletic on the wing, at least not athletic enough to beat an OKC or a Minnesota in a series. But I do think if you love Luca, I can see his shoulders now. I mean, what has he lost? 27, 28 pounds. He's much, much quicker.

Placed downhill, much more often. That was fun. J. Mack, I know you're a bit of a Laker fan. That must have felt really good last night. Oh, my gosh. It was excellent. First of all, happy the NBA's back. Second of all, Luca Donchitz looks again like the best player in the league.

I don't want to hear this. SGA's better than Luca nonsense. But I think you're overreacting just a tad on the Lakers. Okay, two new starters. You're missing an all-NBA player in LeBron. The top two minutes guys off the bench just join the team. Like, let's pump the brakes on the panic, can't win a series. I think this team definitely has the players to get to the NBA finals, undeniably.

I wouldn't, would not surprise me at all. Problem is you got to get everybody healthy. Is that after a Yonis trade at the deadline? I think you're under. Hey, are you giving up Austin Reeves in a package for Yonis? I don't know if I am, Colin. Okay, I probably am. But Austin Reed was really strong last night.

And by the way, that Warriors take? Warriors not going to the playoffs? That veteran team looked really good together. Yeah, three months off. It's easy to look great in the opener. Yeah, check in, check in February 8th and see how young they look. The dog days of February. Right.

Oh, there's a lot of stuff going on today. Sean Peyton insulted Russell Wilson, and he clapped back. Joel Klatz stops by. I am going, Michael Jordan showed up for NBC. I've got some thoughts on that around the corner as well. 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. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport, whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, it's us, the 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, 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happens. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

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

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay.

Jen she went. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open.

Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. All right, welcome back. Joel Clatt, top of the next hour. So, very interesting game. For the first time ever, former Packer Great, Aaron Rogers, now a Steeler.

He and the Steelers will host Dream Bay. Aaron tends to have a long memory. He's going to face the team the Packers. He built his legacy on. and it let him go and moved on to Jordan Love. So the Packers and the Indianapolis Colts are the only teams in the NFL left with only one loss. Packers also have a tie against the Cowboys,

and nobody quite knows what to do with Jordan Love. So I went back this morning, and I went to Aaron's Super Bowl winning year. That's 2010. And I went back and looked, where was he through six games? And I looked at Jordan Love through six games, their first six games.

Jordan was way better. pass a rating fewer picks team was scoring more much better completion percentage one more game so jordan loved this year through the first six was better than erin in the year he won his first super bowl and both were 27 years old uh erin was cooler

erin's personality was more out there uh Aaron kind of plays the position although i think jordan loves cool uh Aaron the way he lets go with the ball was kind of you know throws it with no feet on the ground. Aaron was a very unique quarterback, and he was cool. And he was carrying the torch at that time when he was 27. It was a very thin group of ascending young quarterbacks.

Farv was in his 40s, and McNabb was still around. And it was, you know, Aaron's making a Pro Bowl, and he's in, you know, mid-20s, 26, 27 years old. And it was Brady, and it was Breeze, and it was Manning and Farbs around. And there's McNabb, and older Tony Romo was getting beat up every week. before the Cowboys had a great offensive line. And then there was Aaron.

Well, the difference is Jordan Love. There's all sorts of great young quarterbacks now. Even the ones were not totally sold on Caleb Williams are insanely talented. Drake May looks like a pro bowler. Jaden Daniels last year. Unbelievable. Justin Herbert. They're just more good quarterback play.

You go back to Aaron at Jordan Love's age, and it was like Aaron and a bunch of old guys were stealing the headlines. It was. It was a bunch of Fav and Brady and Manning and, Breeze and McNab was still hanging around. Now, Aaron's the old guy, and the league is all young quarterbacks. It is just a bunch of kids. And so I actually think Aaron is going to do very well Sunday night.

I think Aaron's the kind of guy that I think when you're older, you could be a broadcaster, you could be a political figure, you could be a football player. When you get older, you can't work 70 hours a week. You can't grind like you used to. but your best game is still great. The late Great Kobe, 60, last game he played. Like you can stuff, Brett Farr was old and rickety. He was still great at the very end, right?

So I think Aaron's going to play well. Steelers are at home. The Packers are very talented. They play with their food a little. They let you hang around for a while. Here's Mike Tomlin on the matchup of Aaron and the Steelers against his former team. Aaron's been at it a long time

You know he's got an awesome relationship with this game I haven't been with him for a long time But he's been fired up every single week I'd imagine it's going to be the same I'd imagine some external things are going to make more out of it Than it is for him He's playing and playing to win That's what he does

It's just interesting is when Aaron was Jordan's current age He felt like he was the young star that was going to carry the next generation of quarterbacks. And as good as Jordan Love is, better numbers than Aaron at his age, right? Like in space, it's just so many good young quarterbacks. There are so many. We're still waiting for Caleb to be great. Jaden already is.

I mean, Bo Nicks, 33 points in a quarter. Jackson Dart looks like he's a player. So it's just a different world now. The quarterback play in the NFL, this is the golden age. Don't listen to anybody. Don't listen to anybody, you know, glamorized and romanticism. the Illinois Marino years. There's never been close to this much quarterback talent. It is unbelievable. I mean, this year, the next NFL draft may have six quarterbacks drafted. May.

And the best one of them may be the younger redshirt freshman at Notre Dame car. He may be the best. He's not draft eligible. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, let's start with the only thing more exciting than Cooper flag in Dallas. That's the Cowboys offense. Holy cow, it has taken off like a rocket ship. C.D. Lamb is in the sixth year of his career, and he says he has never seen this good of an offense in Dallas. This one, the best one I've been on, and I've been on some great ones.

It's just the way that we can move around these pieces and these players and everybody know everywhere to go. We can line up faster than any. It's tough. It's tough. Yeah, I said yesterday, Schottenheimer deserves a lot of credit. I mean, obviously, Dak Prescott's been sensational. Pickens has been big, but I got to give Schottenheimer props. This was a guy who languished with my jets for many years,

bounced around the league as an OC never did anything like this. So pretty impressive stuff. I didn't see this coming. Yeah, I don't think anybody did except diehard cowboy fan who thought they were going to be great the last 30 years. I will say this. I like draft picks, by giving up just a third round pick,

which is about a 50-50 hit rate to get George Pickens was a smart move. Like I understand when people, like I like accumulating a lot of picks, but even in the first round, what is the hit rate? 60%. By the third round, it's 45-50%. I think a big part of this is George Pickens. it forces safeties can't cheat in the box.

What does that mean? It helps the run game. When C.D. Lamb goes down without George Pickens, you'd just cheat. You'd put your safeties in the box, Javonte Williams, nowhere to go. Because it's not a great offensive line. It's not the Lions or the Broncos or the Eagles. But with Pickens and Cedley Lamb both in there, you have to be honest with your coverage. So absolutely, the receiving depth elevates the run game.

You can't cheat on the Cowboys with Pickens. and C.D. Lamb. So it's made, I mean, I think the biggest surprise isn't that George Pickens is good. We knew he was good in Pittsburgh. The run game for the Cowboys with an so, so offensive line, I think it's been surprisingly good. Yeah. Interesting matchup with the Broncos. So Certan has not been amazing. We know he's talented and a former defensive player the year. Do you have him follow around one of those two or do you just have him go to one side this weekend, I'm interesting to see how Dallas combats this. This will be a much different opponent defensively than the Cowboys have seen recently come. So I don't know that it's a lock that they

cook this weekend. No, I think, first of all, if you've watched the Broncos this year, all their games are crazy. There's no, there's no non-crazy Bronco game. They're all weird. They're all dramatic for different reasons. Other than the Tennessee game in week one, which we, that was one of our blazing five picks. Like, you know, Cam, Cam Ward against Denver. Remember that first game of the year? Yeah. And they won, but it was choppy.

It did not look good. I remember that. It did not look good. They won, but Cam Ward actually had some success. It's had less since. So all Denver games are wild. I think they'll beat Dallas, but it will be crazy. Yeah.

Well, let's move on to the San Francisco 49ers. And Brock Purdy, one of your favorite targets. He hasn't played much, Colin. Two of the seven games. That's all Brock Purdy's played in due to shoulder and toe injuries. I know you're going to blame it on his size, but sometimes guys just get unlucky. Now, Purdy did try to work out leading up to last week's game. Didn't feel good.

Now, Diana Rusini is reporting his status is up in the air. Everybody thought he would be back. They got the Texans this week. Texans have their own issues with Nico Collins concussion. But this Brock Purdy stuff is starting to get depressing. I just looked around the league. There's 10 week-one starters who will not be suiting up likely this weekend. Brock Purdy, one of them.

I know Mack Jones has been good, but Colin, Brock Purdy's better and gives this team a much higher year. I think Brock Purdy's ability to move is better, but Mack Jones is healthier, throws as good a ball, and is sneaky athletic, not like athletic, but he runs in some key spots. I think let's be totally clear here. If we're going to give love to Baker and we're going to give love to give love to to Darnold and Gino Smith on their reclamation projects. That's what Matt Jones is.

He's just a younger version. Like, Gino disappeared for years, and Darnold bounced around, and Baker went to Carolina. Mac Jones, wasn't that long ago, I made a Pro Bowl, disappeared in Tampa. He's just a young reclamation project. But we have to be totally fair here. Behind a very mid-offensive line,

Mac Jones has been very good. We have to be fair. He's been very good. He's a younger reclamation. Usually it's like you got to get humiliated. I mean, at one point, you know, I mean, a Baker basically got cut. You know, Darnold was a disaster with the Jets in Carolina. Mack just sort of disappeared.

He went Bermuda Triangle in Jacksonville. Now, as a young guy, Mac look like, I'll be totally honest. He looks like a franchise quarterback. Well, wait, let's slow down. So first of all, Darnal won 14 games in Minnesota, and he's great again this year. So a little, it's like a 20 game sample size of good. Donald's a world-class athlete. Max not.

But right now, look a quarterback playing in the league. With a battle line, Iuke, Kittle gone. He has McCaffrey who's still, you know, but he's got no weapons and he's winning. And they're asking him to throw 40 times a game. Mac Jones has been one of the revelations of the season. 100%. I'm not ready to say he's a franchise quarterback.

He has Kyle Shanahan. Okay. He looks good. Can we leave it? I mean, we don't need to go overboard. That's I'm saying. He looks good. If a quarterback's good in 2025, he's a franchise quarterback.

The Jets would take good in a heartbeat. But he would ruin him. But he looks good. Stop it. Final stories of Baltimore Ravens, Colin. Things not looking good. I just saw that the Baltimore Ravens have removed ping pong tables from the locker room.

No more video game content. souls, the basketball hoop, it's all gone. According to some Ravens Beat reporters, it's all business down. And listen, here's the worst news. Lamar Jackson, not at the podium today? Meeting the media, this is just happening right now. This is when Lamar's supposed to talk if he's a starter. So the Ravens media is panicked.

I don't know what to make it is. Are the bears going to get a free win here? First of all, ping pong tables and video games? What is this? Google? It's football. You're supposed to have like a laid-back atmosphere. It's chill.

Football. It's not a tech company in Palo Alto. It's not bring your dog to workday at Apple. These are professional athletes. Go to work, do sit-ups, lift a lot of weight, learn plays, and go play. Ping-pong tables. Listen, it's practice. It's during the week.

Now I see why we don't have a ping-pong table on the set here. We got room for it. Yeah, we used to have a basketball court. Somebody got rid of that. I'll just leave it at that. Man, you sound like what? of these hard driving bosses. I just say, if Lamar doesn't play and they lose this game and fall to one and six,

it's over. They're not coming back from one in six. One in five, you can come back from. Let's go back to the real story here. The fact that they allowed ping pong tables in video games in a workplace. Yeah, one of the most successful NFL franchises in the last 20 years. Oh, man, sorry to allow fun. I didn't know you were the fun police calling.

You know what it's called? When you drive up and pull up to Fox, you know what it's called? Work. It's not called play. That's when you're on your South Bay El Segundo Knights jacking up threes. That's play. Why don't you ask Andy Reid if they have ping pong tables in the cheese soccer room? I will.

I have my phone. Text Brett Veets right now. Hey, do you guys have a basketball hoop at the facility? Is there any fun allowed? Video game consoles. I guarantee you most teams have this. No? You sound perplexed.

I would be 50-50 on whether I'd allow him to eat at the facility. I want sit-ups, playbook, film, and get out of here. I'm sorry, that ping pong tables at work. No thanks. J-Mac with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. It's like when you pull up to Fox, it's called work. Coffee machines? Absolutely. Ping-pong tables.

I'm sorry. Some of you young sparkies out there is weekends are for fun, home is for fun, ping pong tables at work. What is going on? So let me say this. I thought it was cool that NBC had MJ on their coverage. he's 62 reminiscing

embracing the good old days the NBA is falling into a trap that baseball had for about 20 years there's a way to play the game it was way better years ago and no it wasn't that Pacer's next series they made a 30 for 30 on

was an ugly free throw shooting contest nobody can hit an 18 footer outside of Reggie Miller It was a bunch of bigs who couldn't dribble, didn't have handles, and couldn't shoot past like seven feet. But it made for a great 30 for 30. That it did. But last night, the NBA had 62-year-old MJ in the pregame and was hoping they'd get 40-year-old LeBron and 37-year-old Steph to get TV viewers. Baseball has done a rum. I gave up on regular season baseball for 20 years.

Baseball's done an unbelievable job in the last three years. sped the game up. They got rid of the grumpy old guys, the old veteran players. They just stopped worrying about the rearview mirror. And they started operating through the windshield. And L.A. Dela Cruz, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Otani, Betts. There is so, Paul Skeens, there is so much young, amazing talent in baseball. and they are creating games in London, the home run derby, a game in a cornfield, events.

Like, baseball deserves a ton of credit. For 20 years, I stopped talking about it. The last two, three years, I'm totally into baseball. The game's fast. There's more base runners, more stolen bases. You don't have to commit three and a half hours in the regular season to watch a game. You sit down for 45 minutes. You can get three innings if the pitching's good.

You know, I like the NBA. I've been watching it since 1972. but they have a little dilemma on their hands, and that is most of the best players are international and they're not wildly dynamic personalities. They come into the country, head down, sleep, ball, rinse, and repeat. They don't want to do commercials. They don't have big shoe deals.

I mean, they have some. They have some, but you don't have a Barclay. You don't have an MJ. You don't. Okay, so how do you solve it? First of all, promote, embrace, market, ant. over and over and over again. Get Tyrese Halliburton's not ready to play because he's injured.

Get him on all the broadcasts. I want Tyrese Halliburton 24-7 on every broadcast. The guy lights the room up. What else would I? Oh, Cooper Flagg. Put him on TV 30 times this year. 40 times Cooper Flagg. And my take on that, there's nothing against SGA.

Yokic Janus, great players. I mean, Yokic best player. Shen Gung, unbelievable. A lot of these international guys, we didn't watch them in college. We didn't watch them in high school. They plop into the league and they're unbelievable within like two to three years. Not big personalities. It's not their fault. The quality of basketball right now in the NBA is the best it's ever been. Everybody can handle the ball. Everybody can run the floor. Everybody can shoot. It's unbelievable how good the quality of play is. It is unbelievable.

So it's okay. Not everything has to be globalized to the max. You can say our domestic, and I think there's a lot of things that the NBA did wrong that they're trying. trying to switch, Adam Silver would admit this. Please embrace college basketball. College basketball's best players are now staying in college longer because of the NIL. Embrace March Madness. Put your arms around March Madness. Get Ant on TV, Cooper Flagg on TV, and get Tyrese Halliburton on every network,

Amazon, NBC, ABC, ESPN during your telecast. The kid is completely likable. He's engaging. He's funny. So my take is, the last. American MVP was James Harden in 2018. That is your reality. The best players are international, and they're unbelievable. I mean, KD is not the player Alperin Chen Gune is last night. Cheng is getting hit threes and pass and rebound. It's unbelievable how good these international

bigs are. Unbelievable. But we've seen the KD and the staff and LeBron and MJ 62 and they're all great, but you've got to turn the page on this thing. You've got to market your young guys. Baseball's done it. Take a page from baseball. They've done. a great job. So that's my take on it. I'm not anti-old guy as one with gray hair. I'm not anti-old guy, but I would put Cooper Flag on television. I would open with Cooper Flag last night. That's my opener. That is my opener. And my closer. And 38 times in the middle of the season. Here was Jason Kidd talking about Cooper Flagg's debut. He competes. His ability, make plays and he has fun of him why he's out there, I think so.

I think he can look for a great season from Cooper. He does have a high basketball IQ. I think when you look at the plays he's made, you know, on the offensive event and defense event, he understands the game of basketball for an 18-year-old. It will only get better with the more reps that he's playing. Yeah, just Halliburton and Cooper Flay. There's nothing wrong.

embracing the domestic product too, that's okay. That's okay. I mean, if we send our soccer players over to England and they're tremendous Christian Pulisic, but you know, over there, you know, they want to talk about their stars, their guys. That's okay. I mean, when you watch the Olympics, in Italy, they root for Italians. I got nothing against Canadians.

I want us to beat the Canadians. It's okay. It's not the end of the world. but I do think you need to embrace these college stars. They're not in college very long, and I think you need to embrace them. I'm not against, I got nothing against them. MJ, MJ's great. He's my favorite player.

But I just think it's interesting. You know, the decisions basketball has made the last couple years, and I've watched baseball, just take, embrace all these young guys and speed their game. Anytime you speed anything up, you're going to get younger viewers. The longer something takes in sports, I mean, over in the UK, I would imagine the demographics are better for young viewers with soccer than with cricket. Cricket takes days. Soccer takes like 95 minutes, right?

Like it just, my guess would be that's what the demographics would tell you that cricket has a little bit of an older audience. So, J. Mack, some thoughts on that. Yeah, this is a good take. There's a lot there. I will just say the embracing the old people. Remember, the NFL last year kind of screwed the job. Jets by putting Aaron Rogers in prime time because they wanted New York, Aaron Rogers, old quarterback.

Aaron Rogers, the marquee game again this week. So the leagues I understand wanting to usher in, you know, a proven commodity, a veteran. Aaron playing the Packers again is absolutely TV-merty. That's massive. Aaron with the Jets. Well, it was on TV all the time. I mean, hell, Aaron Rogers apparently delayed his going to the Steelers, remember? Because he didn't want them to be shoved into prime time a lot.

That's what these leagues do. but I don't know Colin this Anthony Edwards stuff I like Anthony Edwards a lot he has this weird habit where he just says the F word in every interview he's getting fined in the locker room because he can't stop cursing like

dude he's got to grow up a little bit no and I don't want to be old guy but like come on man stop cursing every interview well you sit down with him and you talk to him that's just you know whether it's parenting or managing I mean young people are they've got their own spirit and energy and juice and that's okay but I

again as I watch the broadcast last night. My takeaway watching NBA last night was Steph, LeBron on the bench, KD, MJ. My take was, guys, Cooper Flag should be, I want 40 minutes of Cooper Flag here. So those are all conscious decisions. When they do the scheduling at Christmas or opening night, these were all conscious decisions.

Who do we want? The best player for Houston is not Kevin Durant. No. It's Shen Goon and it's not even close. He was an All-Star last year. I think he's 23 years old. He's awesome. Yokic is the best player in the league.

By the end of this year, Shengun could be like third best player in the league. I'm serious. He's that good. Hey, real quick, you did note that these European foreign players, by the way, there's 135 of them in the league this year, a record. They come in and their practice, games, rinse, repeat. I think that's exactly what you said. Yeah.

Interesting. So, you know, no ping pong tables in the locker rooms in the NBA, huh? You just want all business. That's so you like the European players. Best players in the NBA right now are Euros, international guys. And here's what they do. They tend to be more loyal. That's why Luca was so devastated when he was traded.

I mean, American players like, yeah, we get traded. Like Luca was devastated. He was angry. Literally, they talked to him this summer. He was still devastated. And he went to the Lakers. He didn't go to a lousy, he didn't go to the Wizards. He went to the Lakers, which is better for him.

for business and he was still devastated. International players tend to be more loyal. They come over here and it's all business. It's bath. And by the way, season's over. First jet. Home. They want to go home.

I'm defending them. And they're unbelievable players. Way better than the Jordan era forwards and centers. Not even close. But so they're not dynamic personalities. Embrace college basketball. Halliburton is a marketer's dream. Good looking, funny, quick-witted, dad's a little cray-cray.

It's all great. Like, embrace it. Cooper Flagg, Ann. And swears too much. I swear too much. You know? People just don't hear it. I am proposing a massive NBA train.

Also, Russell Wilson. He's tired of getting ripped. Next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays in 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 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 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, well, 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where

Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in 10. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian went. I mean, she went down to three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me.

And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface because if she's so. Well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

Friday, the World Series begins on Fox as Shohei Otani and the reigning champion Dodgers. Take on Vlad Jr. and the Blue Jays. Game one of the World Series. coverage begins Friday at 7 Eastern on Fox Yeah, everybody thinks this is going to be a blowout I think you're nuts I ran into a guy at the train station this morning

His name was Mark and he used to play in a farm system I think it was Houston's farm system We were talking about the World Series And he's a big baseball fan And we were talking about this and I'm like These people, first of all, Toronto led all of baseball and hits So Toronto gets runners on And then they've got Vlad and Springer are the power hitters

but they get the table set for them. They've got a lot of runners on base. They got contact hitters. The Dodgers swept the Reds. They were overwhelmed. Shockingly swept the Brewers and disposed of Philadelphia much more easily than I would have guessed.

I think Toronto's better than all those teams. Go ask the Yankees. But I will say this. If the Dodgers sweep the Blue Jays or beat them in five, the Dodgers are the greatest baseball team ever, or in modern history. Because the Phillies were good. The Brewers were excellent.

The Blue Jays are better. And Cincinnati at least had talent. So we all know it's not about winning regular season games. Like the Dodgers, very obviously, when they got Blake Snell and Tyler Glassnow, they got those guys for September and October. They knew Snell had arm injuries. They knew Glassdown had struggled to stay healthy. So the Dodgers built a staff.

This is the advantage of the Dodgers money. It's not just signing Otani. the Dodgers have an advantage financially, and what they do with it is they go find pitchers that they don't need 30 starts from. They don't need 20 starts from Snell. They need four great starts in September and October. Same with the kid from Tampa.

So Andrew Friedman, everybody looks at the money and goes, the money is a great advantage because you get mokey bets. A lot of people could have afforded mokey bets. That's not it. Where the Dodgers used their money brilliantly is getting these high-end starters who do have a history of injuries that other teams are reluctant to spend money on because they need the starts.

And the Dodgers are like, no, we got Roki and Yoshi, we got a bunch of young arms, we'll get through it, we'll bring you on, you don't have to play that much in the regular season. We don't need that many starts. Be ready by September and October. That's where the Dodgers money is lethal against the sport. because Snell goes out against Milwaukee and looks like Sandy Kofax. They could not get bat on ball.

He didn't hit a ball to the infield past the third inning, which is why I didn't understand why they pulled him. So the Dodgers money helps in a lot of areas, but that's where it's lethal. That they can go get Glass Snow and they don't need them until September and October. Mostly don't need them. I don't remember how many starts Snell have it. It was like 10-11.

He didn't start that much. But if they dispose of the Blue Jays, I mean, this postseason, here's the run scored in baseball. Toronto 71. The Dodgers at 46. So the idea that you're going to just fly through Toronto, no way. They get on base. Nobody's put pressure on the Dodgers in the postseason.

There's nobody on base. Toronto will put pressure on the Dodgers. They'll make Dave Roberts. That bullpen will be up fourth, fifth, sixth inning the entire. series, my guess. I think it's going to be a very competitive series. I'll take the Dodgers, but they're not, this is not going to look like the Milwaukee series at all. Joel clatter on the corner. 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

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. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive.

I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jen, she's an outsider to win the French friend. And she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface.

Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Iheart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and hosts Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor.

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.