The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Lakers are just not a good roster, What will 2026 hold for Lamar Jackson?

Episode Date: December 31, 2025

The Lakers get blown out by the Pistons and Colin focuses his attention on head coach JJ Reddick and the true issues in Los Angeles. The eight best teams are left in college football and that suits Colin just fine. Returning to the rumors surrounding Lamar Jackson and a fraught future in Baltimore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. New Year's Eve. I don't know about the rest of you. Party time tonight. Buckeyes. Cains.

We are live. It is Wednesday in Chicago. the herd wherever you may be and however you may be watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Greg Kohlsell, one hour from now. You know, you learn something as a dad when you have kids. You know, you can only threaten them and their video games so many times. You have to find different things to use as levers.

So the Lakers get housed last night. They get crushed by Detroit. And JJ Reddick's banging on the officials. Well, it's not. the officials. The Lakers actually shot more free throws than Detroit. Detroit shot 63% from the field. It was the second worst defensive performance by any NBA team all year. Players guarded by Luca and LeBron shot 68%. But JJ Redick is discovering what dads know. You can't keep ripping the kids and you can't keep ripping the team or they'll tune you out. And so after the game, of course,

J.J., well, I've already used Ripped the team lever. What J.J. Reddick is finding out. He's the seventh coach the Lakers have had since Phil. None of them lasts more than three seasons. And J.J. Reddick is now 31 games in. Trapped. With a completely utterly flawed roster

built by Rob Polinka. You don't have a multitude of three-point shooters. No rim protection. You're not athletic on the wing. the last seven NBA champs, there are things that you have to have. You have to be at least solid defensively. That's what Denver was with Yokic. Multiple three-point shooters, athletic wings. They don't check any of the boxes.

And he's trying to pull every lever. But this is what Laker coach is. They're not a viable team in the West. And he's already ripped the team and threaten them with hard practices. So, you know, I look at this. and time and time again, when Phil was here, the Lakers' biggest issue was you had the late Jerry West, you had Phil over the course of 20 and 30 years.

It's the buses. It's Pat Riley. You had all these smart people, and could you keep him in the same building to get along? And the answer, you know, Riley goes to Miami. Now you have coaches, I think Frank Vogel's pretty smart coach. Mike Brown, he's now doing a good job with the NICs, and J.J. Reddick schemes are great.

You know, the Lakers are 10 and O in clutch games this year. 10 and O. But J.J. Reddick can't get them into clutch games because they get blown out because they can't guard anybody. They also need to be younger. And it's the second third oldest roster. The West is all about youth and multiple three-point shooters and athletic wings and rim protection. And the Lakers don't check any of the boxes. So here is J.J. Reddick.

He's like, yeah, he's officials. It's like, I mean, the pistons are not a good three-point shooting team. Last night, I'm looking at their three-point shots, 46%. I mean, it was layup line. It was practice shots. So I just feel like it's Groundhog Day. I've seen this before. It's always blamed the coach in L.A.

Well, JJ Reddick's a scheme guy. If you ask coaches in the NBA, he's very good with schemes. So he's 10 and O in clutch games with an old LeBron. and a star in Luka that can't guard me. But the reality is they can't get into those close games. Good teams like Detroit blow their doors off. Do you know how ridiculous it is to shoot 63% in an NBA game? So last night, he rips the officials.

Well, I've used every other lever. I've seen other Laker coaches do this. They blame the roster. They never go, you know, could somebody just say this out loud? This roster is not a viable championship roster over the last seven to eight years. You start looking at it. It's not when they had LeBron closer to his prime, Anthony Davis, rim protection, KCP. That was, even though LeBron was getting older, like, oh, rim protection, dual scores,

little more athletic on the wing, three-point shooter KCP from the corner. That's what a championship roster looks like. This isn't close. here's Reddick after frustrated with the refs. I think there's probably a level of frustration when you're turning the ball over and you're feeling like you're getting fouled. There's frustration there for sure.

But I mean, again, I said it in here. We said it this morning. They're going to foul every possession. It's just got to play through it. Okay, so tonight, you know, there you look at it. And for the record, Lakers in December, I'm putting this up for the TV audience. It's getting worse.

So the question, and I think JJ Reddick can feel this is the team tuning him out. It was bad. Now it's getting worse. I mean, the longer a good coach has a team, the better you get. The Lakers are getting worse. They're old and they're tired of getting ripped. And I think J.J. Reddick, knowing that, okay, we've got to pull another lever.

The zebras were terrible last night. Now, Lakers shot more free throws. That wasn't it. Okay, so tonight, Miami, I like the points. game, 27-20. Ohio State Miami, maybe lower scoring. And Wall Street Journal did a story recently.

More people watched at least 10 minutes of college football this year than any other time. People are watching college football. And I'm one of those people that I don't care how we get there in life as long as we get there. And for the first time in my life, the best eight teams are last. left without question. That's what I care about. You guys keep telling me March Madness is great. 20 teams are unwatchable.

The first round average margin of victory in March madness is 17 points. But you get one or two upsets and you're like, oh, it's magical. It's awful. It'll blowouts and a lot of empty afternoon arenas. I get West Coast Oregon, flashy Miami, the blue bloods like Bam. Georgia, Ohio State. I get newcomers like Indiana and Texas Tech. I get everything.

I get Mendoza, the consensus number one quarterback. Ty Simpson, the underrated southern quarterback. Julian Sane, Dante Moore, could be one in two in next year's draft at quarterback. I don't want to hear about the labor. Show me the baby. I don't care how you got there. When I'm going on a nine-day vacation, I may get a middle seat, the flight's delayed, they run out of pretzels.

When my feet hit the water in Turks and Caicos, I'm good. Show me the baby. I don't care about the labor. Everybody spends so much time catastrophizing the how and why. AI, robots, we're all doomed. Or maybe like the Internet, the economy expands. and the smart people figured out. I look at college football.

I get everything. I get my West Coast power. I get my blue bloods. I get the new guys. I get the best quarterbacks. Tonight I get the former national champion. Doesn't feel like the margins are quite as big this year. Miami could upset them.

Don't think they will, but they could. We have all this mythology about how great the basketball tournament is, and there are blowouts everywhere. 17 points first round. Who cares about James Madison and Tulane? These playoffs in college feel more like the NFL playoffs. And you know why that's good? Because nobody ever complains about the NFL playoffs.

The numbers show it. The audience, the consumer likes it. They like the structure, the dependability, and the quality. And that's what I like tonight. I'm getting West Coast, Blue Blood, new guys, old guys, best quarterback, some young, some ready to play in the pros. I think tonight is close, but regardless, Notre Dame was not one of the eight best teams. They're not here.

Texas was not one of the eight best teams. They're not here. And I'm comfortable with both. Here's Joel Clatt on what he expects tonight. I think that Miami had the benefit of playing against a team that was overmatched, had an incredibly easy SEC schedule in Texas A&M, and a quarterback that really played poorly, and they won barely.

This Ohio State team is different. They've got absolute dudes on the outside, on the offensive side. They're going to have a whole month to prepare. We saw what they did in the playoffs a year ago. They've got a quarterback that throws it accurately in a defense that's the best defense since the 2011 Alabama team. What I'm really fascinated about, what if you look at the bracket, you can put it up again.

We had Michigan win a nanny. We had Ohio State win a Nattie. I've got a feeling we're going to end up with Ohio State in Indiana playing again for the Nattie. Big Ten, Big Ten, Big Ten, Big Ten, versus Big Ten. Now, I don't watch bowl games anymore, not even USC's, but it does feel like if you're one of the people that does, I've seen highlights. We've got a little changing of the guard in college football, J-MAC. Jamak, you came in this morning with a little chip on your shoulder with the Trojans. I decided after looking at the two deeps an hour and a half before the game,

and I couldn't recognize half the offensive players that I was going to watch a documentary on some streaming service. How the game turned out? I only watch the ending because, yeah, just an action play for fun. It's, what was last thing? Tuesday, let me take USCU's quarterback was ruled out, you know, transfer portal to action. And USC like up 10 in the fourth and then not tackling an overtime? Colin, it was third and 20. Just wrap up.

TCU ties it on a field goal. We go to double overtime. And three guys totally whiff. I mean, the announcers, I forget who they were, were just stunned. I mean, I think everybody was. The referee kept saying, it's not over. The game's not over. Because they thought, oh, he had to go out of bounds.

He didn't. TCU with the win. And Lincoln Riley, hey, he was taking some heat from some prominent media folks last night online. Your boy going into next year. Big season at USC. It's hard for me to take these bowl games seriously. I agree. I mean, Notre Dame got invited to one.

They're like, no thanks. Yeah. I was told USC, a lot of these coaches, from what I'm being told, they're only reason they want to go to the bowl games is the extra practices for their young players that don't play. So, all right, we got good stuff. Very interesting. A prominent NFL media member suggests a landing spot for Lamar Jackson of the Ravens

that would be really, really interesting. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports head. lines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book, and all the best guests.

Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

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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. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America. There's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War.

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We contain a spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Giamanka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea?

It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? that is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being,

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podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice, known to man.

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available on the IFart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Greg CoSell, 40 minutes from now. You know, New Year's Eve, you start sort of looking yourself in the mirrors. We come into the new year. Last year, I pulled way back on condiments. Way back. Really pulled back.

This year, you know, I was thinking, maybe I'm just too cold, too transactional. I should fall in love more. And I was thinking about these rumors about Lamar Jackson. A prominent NFL agent said, your eye on the Minnesota Vikings. The Baltimore son had reported that he wanted to play Lamar Miami Dolphins because he went to high school down there. And so I'd be okay with it. Like not every divorce has to be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Since he joined the Ravens, third best winning percentage in the league, number one point differential in the league,

number two in total points in the league eight years potentially seven playoff appearances four division titles, two MVP's mani ramirez didn't need to end his career in boston for it to be an amazing career in boston Lamar jackson can't beat josh allen and patrick mahomes not a lot of people can the last decade of the NFL

is it not basically the headline could be Josh Allen can't beat Mahomes and Lamar can't beat Josh Allen or Mahomes. A lot of people could not get through Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. I got news for you. It's hard to win a lot of majors. Even Rory just finally won his first master, 17th, 18th try.

So maybe I'm just too cold and transactional, but if somebody gives me eight amazing years in life, in any industry, it could be a personal relationship. Why does the divorce have to be ugly? Baltimore and Lamar have been exciting and dynamic. Second, third best winning percentage, more blowout wins than anybody else. If I could get out from under, Lamar's $74 million potential cap hit next year,

I would strongly consider it. Why would it have to be ugly? Who's beaten Mahomes the last eight years? Josh Allen in the regular season, not in January. So, and I like Lamar. I'm a Lamar fan. When he came out of college, I'm like, I'm not sure if that's going to work. I didn't think he was going to be a wide receiver, but he ran a lot.

And I thought, man, they work against Clemson. I'm not sure that's going to work in the NFL. And then after about his fifth start, I'm like, yeah, that's going to work big time in the NFL. And I've loved watching him play. But in the last year, let's be honest, he and Harbaugh felt a little weird. The report from the Baltimore son, longtime beat writer, a little weird. I always use this line. I've talked to a management about this throughout my career.

Weird doesn't age well. And when you have a relationship that's quirky and kind of odd, and it's always felt a little, you know, it's not quite Mahomes read, right? Like, it's, you know, stories, why is he not practicing? Maybe it's time. But Ravens Harbaugh, Lamar, potentially they win this weekend you got you got eight years and seven playoff appearances i mean joe burrow back-to-back years can't get into the can't get into the dance

here's mad hassle back on how he views the baltimore situation for whatever reason lamar jackson just doesn't look like lamar jackson this year you know i don't know if it's on the field off the field it's not the same tyler huntley um you know for for whatever reason when he's in the game they lean more on derrick henry they use they flowers in the the run game. They get a little bit more of what I think about Baltimore Raven football. Like, we're going to be the hammer, not the nail. We're not going to get too cute. You know, I use this a lot of times in my personal life. If you think you have trauma or a bad situation with one of your kids or your business, and you go, okay, let's look back the last 10 years. Would you have signed up

for the current situation? If I would have told you with Lamar Jackson, eight years, seven playoffs, two MVP's, 219 total touchdowns, several top 10 offenses. Would you sign up for it? There were people that weren't sure he was going to be a quarterback. Signed up for it. You'd have signed up on the spot for massive eight-year cap hits. So if it breaks up, it was a great run. Not every divorce has to be ugly.

J-Mack for the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Conlis go to the Philadelphia Eagles. Boy, that offense was really goofing around in Buffalo. Got that big early lead and sat on it. 17 yards in the second half, not great.

You think maybe? Siriani would say, all right, well, let's get it together in week 18. Let's put it on Washington early, get the offense right. But it sounds like they will be benching Jalen Hertz and the majority starters in week 18. Game doesn't really mean anything. I guess technically, if something wacky happen to the Bears, maybe they lose to the lions and the Eagles win.

The Eagles could move up as high as the two seed. But personally, I like this decision by Siriani to bench his guys. Rest them. Rest is more important. So we've talked about this. The Rams defense is really young. They need to keep playing. The Eagles, some of their best players are old.

They need to rest. Philadelphia is one of the few teams I look at. Like if I was New England, I do not want to rest. A lot of young guys, they're feeling it. New England, don't rest. player starters. Drake May can take more snaps. But I look at Philadelphia, and I think that's the one team I look at, and I think, rest your guys. Sequin Barclay, Hurts, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, those kind of players, they don't need another start. They need to get healthy, get ready, get

focused, and get better. Yeah, they had the early November by. So they've been, you know, they've had like eight straight games. Get some rest. What's the big deal? I don't think two or three really matters that much. You know, Colin, This is interesting because yesterday I was positing the idea. Listen, if Siriani goes, one or done, maybe you adjust him, maybe you move off the O.C. I don't know. What about A.J. Brown? Have you noticed things have been quiet around A.J. Brown lately.

What do you think that signifies? Is he happy all of a sudden? Ask yourself this. Go look at the playoffs right now. So if you're Philadelphia, the Rams do not match up with A.J. Brown. the Niners cannot create a pass rush Chicago again does not generate a huge pass rush

Green Bay no Micah Parsons Kenny Clark Philadelphia the one team that you look at with Philadelphia go that could be trouble is Seattle Seattle generates a pass rush they don't have the blitz they've got old

they've got new Seattle Philadelphia but actually if you look at how Philadelphia matchups against the Niners. They're not great at corner. Jalen Hertz with time to throw. If you look at the Rams, again, hit and miss back into their defense, small corners.

So I think Philadelphia all year long, we've sort of, you know this, Jemak. When you get into the playoffs, a lot of it is matchups. Lamar beats everybody. He can't beat Mahomes and Steve Spagnola. So I think Philadelphia, outside of Seattle, kind of matches up favorably. I mean, the Rams, prime example, struggle at center.

well, Jalen Carter, Davis. Remember when the Rams out played him earlier, and here comes the big Philadelphia nose, block kicks. So a lot of these good teams in the NFC don't necessarily, with Micah out, Green Bay is not going to generate a pass rush. That would be great for Philadelphia. Interesting. You think Seattle gives Philly problems.

I don't want to go too overboard. It's early. But since they're by, Seattle has had East Coast trips to Washington, Tennessee, Atlanta, Carolina last week. If they have to go back to Philly in the playoffs and your guy, SoCal guy, Sam Darnold, in the cold, frigid Philadelphia weather in January, no shot.

I'm not worried about Seattle at all. By the way, for gambling, I know nobody's betting Week 18 games like this. Tanner McKee, good backup quarterback. And you always like to say Philly has one of the best rosters. I think Philadelphia's aside here, should anybody feel like they want to. get involved. All right, let's go to the next story. And I love this one, Colin. The Dallas Cowboys.

All of a sudden, the George Pickens stuff is getting interesting. But one thing we never talked about, Colin, who is his agent? David Mulligetta, who negotiated Micah Parsons out of Dallas. Remember, Jerry Jones had the thing where he's like, I'll negotiate with the player, not the agent. Well, David Mulligetta reps Pickens. And Jerry Jones was asked about that. Here is what he said. I don't know. We'll see how it goes, probably both. But I certainly intend to be speaking with George and I always have, always do. Already starting badly, Colin. I'm telling you, Ryan Flournoy, C.D. Lamb, Turpin, go draft another one. I think the Cowboys have more than enough depth. I think George Pickens kind of gave you an example of a little DK Metcalf where you don't dispute the talent, the size. You don't. the explosiveness, the physical dominance. But, you know, not all movies that are good for the first hour end well.

And the George Pickens drama series did not end particularly well. Great start to the movie. I think I'd move off him now. And I didn't feel that eight weeks ago. Yeah. The Moologetta stuff I'm totally into, man. I love it because he is, he's not going to be happy. Hey, Jerry, didn't you learn your lesson with Micah?

Don't go to the player. Go to the agent. Why not? Why not? That's how it's done in the business. I can't talk to my employees. You think Fox comes to you to deal with you for your contract? No.

Well, I actually talk with people, yeah. Okay. I'm just saying, as I don't think you always have to include an agent. I think that the idea that you have to include the agent, I can tell you owners would rather not deal with agents. And, you know, the agent can often, I've had agents because I don't want to deal with my bosses. I'm doing content. So I just don't have time for it.

And it tells you there's a lot of game playing. But I have no problem with Jerry reached out of the player and saying, you want to be a cowboy or not. How many contracts do you think George Pickens has negotiated? I don't know. It's none of my business. You think you know the ins and outs? This is this guy's job. His job is to strictly negotiate deals and get the.

best number for him. Pickens should say, yeah, Jerry, sorry, I can't meet with you. I'm meeting with my agent. We'll bring him in the meeting. I think this has the, this is a fun all-season story now because Mooligan is such a hard ass. Isn't there a legendary story where Jerry met with Michael Irvin one time and Michael Irvin was getting older or something? Michael Irvin came up and, uh, you know, he wanted big money and Jerry said, I know Texas pretty well and I'm going to El Paso on that offer or something like that. Is there a funny old story? I don't know. Sounds good though. Michael Irvin's got some stories. All right, let's wrap up with college football.

Let's go back to your, that's your USC Trojans. Colin, if you're watching on the screen, this is the play that just got me last night. A dump off, right? Third and 20, one miss tackle, two, and this one. Oh my gosh, and then he breaks it and he's gone. Listen, the kid, Payne, I had to look him up to see if he was draft eligible for the Jets, like the mid-rounds. There was a hell of a play by the running back. He's tough, man.

This kid is. But this tackle, that's just abhorrent. was the first Big Ten loss of the exhibition bowl season. They started 6 and 0. Uh-oh. Afterward, Lendale White tweeted, do you all ever practice tackling? Or is it always just about offense?

I'm telling you, the buzzards are certain. Lincoln Riley seems like a nice guy. We both have some connections there. This is going to be the big year for him. He needs to deliver. He's lost now two lane and TCU and bowl game. Well, I don't care so much of it.

It's how you lose. you can't tackle. And this has been a problem for three years. Remember that? Was it the Pac-12 title game against Utah where they just couldn't tackle at all in that game? I think it might have been Utah. But this is just a problem that's just killed this team, man.

I don't know the solution. The one thing I've always said about Lincoln Riley. He's an offensive coach, and the offense is always exceptional. I don't worry. I mean, they're star running back. So walk-on. I mean, he gets walk-on. They have walk-ons on the O-line.

walk-ons at running back. He squeezes all the town out of the offense. Jaden Miava should not be this good. Jaden Miava is going to get drafted next year. He's good. I think he's good, man. He wasn't that good at UNLV. He's a young guy. UNLV. So my question is, and it still stands. There's a difference between being a great offensive coach and being a great head coach. And there are still legitimate questions around culture building and toughness and defense with Lincoln running. I think that's totally fair. I think he's good at offense. I think he's very, he has obviously galvanized some of the players. The team likes each other. These bowl games are kind of irrelevant. I don't judge anything on these stupid bowl games anymore. But I think the questions about Lincoln Riley are fair. Is he a culture

builder? Does he create toughness? He inherited Bob Stoop's momentum and did fine, but didn't necessarily elevate it to a new level. So I think all the questions about him are, legitimate. Just like the questions about Brett Venables are, okay, he's a great defensive coach, but what's the offense looked like? And you watched Oklahoma this year and the offense was dreadful. So two guys who do some things very well are very good. Venables very good with defense, Lincoln, very good with offense, but being Bob Stoops, you got to be good at both. Is there a Mike McDaniel whiff here that USC's kind of soft like the dolphins, you know, when they have to go to not a perfect setup?

And in just can't tackle, don't play defense? In Lincoln Riley's run at USC, they are number one passing offense in college football, number three total offense. So again, I've always said this. I will defend coaches who know their side of the ball. The Texans' offense may stink, but D'Amico Ryan's defense is money every year. I know D'emico can coach. Does he know the offense very well? It's all over the map.

So is this an issue with just identifying hard-nosed, tough guys to get to your deal? defense because the portal's got a billion guys in it. You're telling me they can't go out and just handpick and say, hey man, you want to come live in California, go to USC, make some NIL, just we need you to tackle and play tough physical football. I'm not wearing a blindfold here. I am not oblivious to the issues with Lincoln Riley's teams. Bad tackling, feel soft. If it gets cloudy, a little rain, they don't, they don't show up. I think those are all totally legitimate. Am I? Do I think USC donors, AD, former players should be happy where they're at.

No, I don't think it should take this long. Bob Stoop is won a natty at Oklahoma year two. That was a different era, though. Well, it should be easier now. I can go by players. No, that's fair. That's fair. Lane Kiffin.

How long did it take Lane Kiffin to win at Old Miss in the SEC? By the way, are you reading some of this Lane Kiffin stuff that's going on with this bowl game, Ole Miss? Oh my gosh. Jay Mack for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd, Since Lincoln Riley got to USC, number one passing offense in college football, 103rd defense. I'm watching the same thing you're watching. I think your criticisms are totally valid. Just get out of the USC Notre Dame argument. The criticisms are totally valid. I watched the highlights last night.

Bowl games now are backups and third string guys, but I think the criticisms are fair. I don't think they're cheap shots. You can't be 103rd in the country. defense during your run as a coach. If you're the number one program in Southern California, that's not good enough. It's all sorts of good defensive players in high school in the area.

It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news?

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how 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. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast,

where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is,

getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is,

you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit.

How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Geomanka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went.

on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No. I didn't want to manifest that.

I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that you, your dad has been living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then share. my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier.

We're not becoming. more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jordanano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me.

I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice!

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Pulturra podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There's some more great football coming your way into Trust and Will Holiday Bowl. Noah Fafida and Arizona take on SMU. It's a campus showdown in San Diego. Friday, 730 Eastern 430 Pacific on Fox. The LeBron James is shooting 65% from the free throw line this year. Even the freebies are hard. The Lakers are statistically better when he's not on the floor, not when he's on it. He's averaging 20 a game.

So statistically, yes, he's still viable. But it's not MJ to the Wizards. he's still more viable than that because it's a different era he's in better shape and i will defend lebron forever he does more things well than any basketball player i've ever seen he's the most um skilled top to bottom talent size skill if you add it all up teammate passing he's really the best i've ever seen i don't think he passes like magic shoots like bird is quite the twitchy athlete is Michael Jordan, not as aggressive as Kobe or MJ with a ball in his hands, but he's always done the league right, never gets in trouble. But I do think, I saw this this morning, the All-Star

voting came out. He was 15th. And that's actually good for LeBron, and it's good for the league. If LeBron was top two or three in voting, you'd have a real problem. He's not. He's below a guy that's a forward for the Blazers, and I'm not sure people know who that guy is in Portland. LeBron has moved into the career achievement stage like Al Pacino, you know, a little bit. People want to see Timothy Salome, but Al Pacino has the better resume. And so I think that's where we are with LeBron. And I think this new ownership group, remember when Bob Myers left the Warriors, his GM, because he didn't want to move off Clay Thompson.

He loved those guys. I think the bus family felt they owed LeBron a solid. Let's draft brawny. Let's give LeBron another extension. I think they struggled with it. And I think over the course of the last couple years, Jeannie Bus is like, you know what? I feel like we're just not really getting any better in the West,

and we're going to sell it to the Dodgers group. And I don't think the Dodgers group is cutthroat. They have a lot more money. They're R&D with the Dodgers. is amazing. But I think the bus family would not quite know what to do with this LeBron. And I think

the Dodger and New Laker owners know exactly what to do. LeBron's been great for the game. And it's actually great for the game that he is 15th in All-Star voting. There is no question. He's had his run. He knows it. The Lakers know it. The new

owners know it. The league knows it. It's time to golf. LeBron turning 41 yesterday. Here he is. Just go, I just have fun, enjoy the ride, because you never know what to come to

me in, so it goes fast. I'm solid. I'm solid. I'm living a dream. I'm solid. So, yeah, I mean, there you see it. It's point differentials, points per game, net rating. A little bit better when LeBron's off the

floor. It's okay. that's okay you can still put Pacino in a movie it's not going to drive ticket prices so you know I was looking at all the playoff teams this morning and we still have to watch the Seahawks Niners game and the Panthers Buck

it's a game you don't have to watch that but Raven Steelers I think is very good I'm going to take Baltimore to win Pittsburgh to cover I think Seattle's going to win I'm not very sure but I was looking over all these teams AFC NFC sorry to the radio audience but I've got them all lined up here And I do feel like this morning that you either have to have an elite coach, an elite quarterback, or both to make it.

There's really no exceptions here. I do think, however, there's a spectacular six. I think there are six coaches and that literally I feel like the toughest matchups in the playoffs are when you say to me, Sean Payton takes on Vrable. I really don't know who's going to win that game. it's much easier for me if you give me a Ben Johnson against the mediocre defensive coach. That's why picking the playoffs is hard, not just against the spread, it's hard, period. But I think there are six coaches in this sport right now that they squeeze more juice out of the roster. And they do that by every player on that roster, or almost every player, is about a half grade better.

Right? Like, Sean Payton can take a C plus guy and make him a B-minus guy. He can't do a full grade. This is what Phil Jackson did. He couldn't turn Brian Shaw into Derek Fisher or forget Kobe, but he could get the best Brian Shaw or Steve Kerr or Dennis Rodman. He could get the best out of every player. He would squeeze half a grade out of a player. and I think there are six guys in the league that do it and all except Andy Reeder in the playoffs. I think Vrable does it. I think McVey and Shanahan do it.

I think Peyton does it. Jim Harbaugh does it. Mike Frable. Now, I think Demico Ryan's defensively and Ben Johnson offensively also do it. I think these six are different. And, you know, I always say if you look at the Rams, why is the offense this good?

Stafford could not win a playoff game in Detroit. Puka was drafted in the fifth round. Tyler Higby, their top tight end most of the last several years, fourth round. Kairn Williams running back fifth round. Left tackles undrafted. It's the McVeigh Magic. They should not be this good. They just take mid-round offensive guys.

Who has undrafted left tackles? Sean Payton was talking about winning a division with Andy Reed and Mahalms and Herbert and Harbaugh. Here's Sean Payton. We actually didn't even talk about it. I haven't seen the hats of the shirts. My understanding is they're pretty ugly. We just didn't really talk about it. The focus was on this week's game and the Chargers and deceiving ramifications,

really trying to educate them relative to what's going to be important here down the stretch. I think we have more good coaches than we've ever had, especially on the offensive side. But, you know, I say people think you don't like Brock Purdy. And I always say, guys, the Niners passed on Brock Purdy six times. The Niners

didn't think he was worth a sixth round pick. So, you know, he's a little small, he's been dinged up a little bit, his arm's okay, can be a little reckless, certainly was at Iowa State.

I mean, that was the numbers. If a team passes on a guy six times and then gets magic in a seventh round pick, maybe the coach, maybe it's a, a Shanahan at McVeigh. It's a Vrable. I mean, I liked Drake May a lot. Did you really think he would be MVP this year? Really? How many have that ticket? I mean, I love Mahomes. I don't think

he'd be as good with Sean McDermott. Maybe he'd have a Super Bowl. Would he have multiple? I mean, even Brady's early career, Belichick was hugely influential. By the end, Belichick and his lousy drafting got in the way of it. But when you start looking at all these playoff teams that are in right now, what's the common thread? Not all of them are big markets. Not all of them are great with free agents. Not all of them are great drafting teams. You got to have a great coach, a great quarterback, or both. And because Peyton can lead with his chin and be outspoken, nobody wants to put him in that McVeigh class. Go look at the Saints before Breeze got there, before Peyton got there. Look at the Saints when Sean Payton was there. Look at the Saints.

now that Sean Payton's gone. And this is just, it's almost underreported. Look at what he inherited in Denver with Russell Wilson's cap hit. And they're going to make the playoffs in Denver. Back to back years with Bow Nicks, who half you don't like, in a division with Harbaugh Herbert, Reed and Mahomes. I'm sorry, put it up again, the spectacular six. There are six coaches here that, they got that Phil Jackson thing,

they just squeeze the roster. And I was told this years ago by a general manager that you can't, even the best coach in the world, Andy Reid can't take a C receiver and make him a B receiver. He can take a C plus receiver and move him up a half grade. But Rishie Rice is never going to be Calvin Johnson. You know, he's, can you make Rishie Rice B++? Like, Dak Prescott's really good. He's had multiple coaches.

He'll never be A-plus. But I think he's a B-plus quarterback. But I do think when you give him C.D. Lamb and good production in a run game, there's arguments he's been in that A category. Maybe lower A, but A. So, Jamie, anybody in the NFL, I think Ben Johnson offensively feels like that. Demico Ryan's and Mike McDonnelld defensively, but they're really great coaches.

Their magic spreads throughout the. the roster, not just their side. I think Ben Johnson will get in there if he's not already. Kevin O'Connell deserves to be in there. But it's interesting. So you have Peyton in there and Shanahan, right? And they have two quarterbacks in Bo Nix and Brock Purdy. And we now have two seasons of data on Bo Nix.

He's been good. We have three full seasons of data on Purdy. He's played four, but due to injuries three. And Purdy's been by far better than Bo Nix. It's not even close. Brock Purdy over Nix. So you like to say, hey, when I get new information, information, you kind of give a new diagnosis. Are you ready to give the diagnosis that Brock Purdy is an elite quarterback and better than Bo Nix? Are you ready to go there with three seasons worth of data?

Well, do you contextualize like injuries and durability and athletic ability? Bo Nix never gets hurt. Bo Nix hasn't been here. Yeah, like college pro like Brock Purdy multiple times. Also, Bo Nix, I would say late game last two. years has been unbelievable. I mean, B, Purdy, there's moments. I mean, they did win this weekend

without Kittle, but when Kittle hasn't played. And Trent Williams. But when Kittle hasn't played, Brock really hasn't been quite the quarterback. There is no individual wide receiver tied-end running back.

You can tie that same number to Bo Nix. Greg Kossel next. 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 get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, ho from a hypocrite, I'll be changing live. helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant,

recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.

From IHeart podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. I'm conkey, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more.

Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.