The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-1-Lakers-Rockets, Patriots, QBs, Dak Prescott

Episode Date: September 7, 2020

Colin explains the weakness of the Lakers and RocketsThe Patriots are extremely weak on offenseWhere QBs land and when they play mattersWhy Colin agrees with the Cowboys franchise tagging Dak PrescottGuest: Chris Broussard Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Back for Labor Day. Thanks so much for choosing us live in Los Angeles. Steamy hot Los Angeles. This is The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and I know I know, Collins got a beard. Joyce back tomorrow.

John Goulet, the veteran newsman joining us. It is great to have you in. We'll see how long this thing lasts. A couple of interesting stories to start our show today. And again, thanks for choosing us. A lot of choices out there. And I hope you've had a great summer. We took the week off last week. We're ready to go.

And football starts in earnest here Thursday night on Fox. But let's start with basketball. The Lakers beat the Rockets last night to even up the series at one apiece. This is going to be a very long series. And the reason it's going to be a very long series is these are two pretty good teams. Neither is great. First of all, the Rockets have a lot more shooters than Portland. They can spread the floor out.

And the old Lakers, who at times struggle to guard the perimeter, can't guard them all, Houston's going to win more games in this series. As for the Rockets, Russell Westbrook's inconsistency means the Rockets will remain inconsistent. They're not good enough to beat LeBron and A.D. and the Lakers three straight games. What last night showed me was, he's a pretty good team. but if Houston, they're good teams, but neither one of these teams can win the championship. That's what it showed me last night. If Russell Westbrook is your second best player, he has been in the NBA 12 years,

he is still the most out-of-control star player in the league. And now it's in his head. He can't even shoot a free throw. He's 42% from the line from the free throw stripe. So what that tells you now, it's all in his head. He didn't forget how to shoot free throws. I mean, he's never been a good three shooter. He's been a mediocre jump shooter.

He can't hit free throws. 42%. Now it's in his head. So if that's your number two player, and he is, you're not a championship team. What's it tell me about the Lakers? What I've been saying all year? Who's their third best player? Once again, even with the Hedels, it's how much can we put on LeBron's shoulders?

last night, every Laker starter, including AD, was negative plus minus except LeBron. What I like about all this, because I said LeBron is the most valuable player. And, you know, the way it works in sports, like college football, the South is better than the West. And that's, you know, regionalized sports. The Western Conference is better than the Eastern Conference. So whenever we vote on the most valuable player, I wish they would wait until the playoffs were over. because then you get to see how everybody stacks up. Stars against stars, right?

Stars against stars. How much better is LeBron James than all the other stars in the league? Anthony Davis is great but disappears in the fourth. Kauai is great when he's healthy. Yonah shrinks. Harden disappeared. Westbrook's a disaster. Once you put LeBron James, I'm blown away by his stamina.

I'm blown away the near 17. Michael Jordan looked tired by his second team. LeBron's on his fourth team on a different coast, and he is miles better than every NBA player right now except Kauai Leonard. I still contend get a basket, get a stop, minute left in a game, Kauai is the best thing we got in the league. But LeBron James running the floor, LeBron James hitting shots, LeBron James, when you need a stop, it is remarkable. But when you put all these stars and a little pressure on them, look at how they unravel. Look at how they shrink.

Look at how they disappear. And there's LeBron dominating another NBA playoff game. I've watched every single playoff team multiple times. You know what we've got of the eight, seven pretty good basketball teams, all with major flaws. And then we have the clippers, who at times are great, but then kind of apathetic, sometimes seem marginally interested.

They revert back also to pretty good. So the rockets now are only tied with the Lakers after winning game one. Here's the good news. It appears that Westbrook is showing signs of self-awareness after last night's mess. Hey, Russ, when they're trapping James the way they're doing on the wings, do you prefer to be in the middle of the pain

or like tonight it seemed like that you were just in the perimeter more so like early in the season where you were attacking off the catch? Yeah, I don't know. I just, right now I'm just running around. So I got to look at film and figure out how to be effective. He was just running around, missing shots, including those at the free throw line. All right, it's not when you've been together for a long time. It's not that you give somebody a great gift. It's that you're still remembering the end.

anniversary, remembering the wedding date, remembering the birthday. It's not the present, it's the commitment that means more. Tom Brady got another gift this past week, Leonard Fernette. So Tom Brady for years and years was in Foxborough with this very wealthy family. And every year for Christmas, he'd get like socks or underwear. Then he moved to Tampa. They don't have the fiscal means of New England, the history tradition or the trophies. But he's been there a handful of months, and they've now given him an iPad, a drone, and two PlayStation's. It's not just the gifts.

It's that they're showing a commitment to Brady. We're going for it. We're all in. We'll spend a little money. That's why he ultimately left New England. It's that they didn't even try. They didn't even make a run at a tight end. The most driven, most clutch.

most committed, most financially responsible, most coachable superstar at the most important position. And the last 10 years wasn't just about the lack of presence, the socks and the underwear for Christmas. They rarely showed an offensive commitment. He never had one deep threat after Randy Moss. How about a workable, healthy, young, tight end? How about a rising young star-wide receiver? Leonard Fernette isn't a superstar running back, but don't downplay what he is. Leonard Fernett had 76 catches last year with Gardner Minshue and over 1,100 yards with an average

offensive line. Leonard Fernett can play. He is young. He's got enough experience. He's been in a handful of big games. And he's a good player. He is a good football player. Sort of like Shady McCoy, who's much older, has big game experience, is a good football player no longer great. But that's why Tom Brady left. It's not just the size of the gift, but in New England, it's almost as if it was antagonistic. And even now that Brady's left, Bill Belichick has had more nice things to say about Cam Newton in the last three weeks than he did with Brady in the last 10 years. It almost felt juvenile and antagonistic, and they wouldn't listen to him on game plans. So it's not just Leonard Furnett.

Don't downplay. He's a real player. But New England is saying, dude, we've had this franchise here since the 70s. We've never had a superstar quarterback. And we know you're past your prime. And we know you're 43. But we want to show you how committed we are to winning.

Like, that matters a lot. And this is why Tom Brady left. I mean, the Patriots didn't even fake it. They draft another safety in another corner and another interior. defensive lineman. Yeah, the defense is great. But when you have the most clutch, dependable, coachable, financially, responsible, and I use responsible, because if you own or run a football team, it's nice when your superstar quarterback consistently takes a major pay cut. Could you have shown a little commitment? I mean, right now, the Patriots, if Tom would have come back, don't have a

functional veteran tight end in an emerging position in the NFL. So, uh, L. L.L.S. FG, as Tom would say. Our season starts Thursday. Leonard Furnett, now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer with Tommy. Coming up next, not just good, but great news for one rookie quarterback. We've got four first-round rookie quarterbacks, all living different life experiences, and one got really good news this weekend. Great show today.

Chris Brousard, next hour, Peter King, one hour from now where Colin was right. where Colin was wrong, and there's certainly plenty of both. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

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

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

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different

intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now.

Great to have you in. Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans on NBC, Not Fox. My bad, great to have you in again. So the Dolphins named Tua as the backup to start the year. It's very interesting. There are four first round rookie quarterbacks, all four in completely different scenarios. And this matters.

Ask Josh Rosen. Asked Lamar Jackson. Ask Josh Allen. Ask Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold. Where you land and when you're expected to play will overwhelmingly, unless you're an all-time John Elway Andrew Luck Talent will determine your career. So first there's Joe Burrow.

Hey kid, day one, you're the starter. In fact, carry the franchise. Ugh. There's Tua. You're going to start this year, but no OTAs, no camp. Why don't you sit behind 37-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick a total pro and learn. Justin Herbert, listen, we like you, but you don't have to play at all. Tyrod Taylor's good enough, has proven.

He can get us to the playoffs, just sit and watch and learn. And then Jordan Love, Green Bay. We're not really sure you're ever going to play here. You don't look great. We may have whiffed on this. We'll get back to you. Of all four, what would I rather be? I'd rather be Tua.

Because as a rookie coming in, I'd want to play. I do think you can learn things watching, but you learn a lot more and more quickly playing. Kyler Murray, a great example. The reality is, the best spot for all these rookie quarterbacks. I think the best coach of all these rookie quarterbacks is Brian Flores. I think their rebuild is closer than Cincinnati's.

And I think if you look at the schedule, I think it's really important to set up rookie quarterbacks for success. Joe Burrow may be the most talented. They're not setting them up for success. allowing Tua to back up 37-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick, look at the Dolphin's schedule. Very smartly. They don't want him to face New England and Buffalo in the first two weeks.

Two great defensive coaching staffs. They don't want to have him go to San Francisco, Denver, or face the chargers with those pass rushes as the dolphins are rebuilding their offensive line. But if you look at Sunday November 8th, That is my prediction. John, roll the tape. Let's archive it.

At Arizona, Jets back to back in Cincinnati. And then when you get Kansas City five weeks later, at least you get them at home, followed by New England at home, and then off to Vegas to play the Raiders, who don't have anything resembling a defense, at least last year. I love what Miami's doing. We're not putting you up against the Buffalo defense in Sean McDermen. We're not making you face, you know, Nick Bosa. We're not making you go to Denver, playing the high altitude with that press rush.

You know, Bradley Chubb and Vaughn Miller, we're not putting you through any of that. Get ready for Arizona with an offensive coach and a rebuilding defense and an offensive staff. And then you can face the Jets a couple of times without Jamal Adams, C.J. Mosley. And at that point, the Jets are probably out of the playoff picture and playing uninspired football. Here's John Goulet with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

So when Cam Newton signed with the Patriots, most people's initial reaction was that him in Belichick might clash a little bit. Yeah. As it turns out, that is not the case at all. Here was Cam on WEEI this morning talking about his relationship with his new head coach. Honestly, been a mass made of heaven for me, just knowing that, you know, I'm at a place where everything is pulling in the same direction and everything is geared towards winning.

I think everything, every type of hysteria type that I had about Coach Belichick changed the day I talked to him. So Cam loves Belichick. Belichick has had nothing but praise for Cam's energy and enthusiasm. By the way, Belichick's lightened up. Cam maybe has grown up and here we go. It's interesting. And I do think it's the most, I think it's the first time I've ever watched that division. And I've thought, you've got another playoff team in their Buffalo.

And I think the Jets in Miami at least have a pulse, although I think the Jets have had their typical... It's a dysfunctional pulse, but it's a pulse. So it's like, you know, again, this stuff is all great. They don't have a deep threat. They don't have a functional tight end. Dante Scarnackia resigned offensive line coach. I think their defense will be good. But listen, it's a step in the right direction for both.

Belichick's lightened up. Cam looks like he's grown up a little bit. Got a little self-awareness. They both had to, right? They both had to go in that direction this year. Belich had to lighten up because he lost Brady. and Cam has to prove I can be the guy again. So they had to go that way.

Yeah, we have to be fair with Cam Newton here. He's working with nothing offensively. We have to temper our expectations. If Cam throws for 3,000 yards, stays healthy, 18 touchdown passes, nine picks, runs for 700 yards. He's their best offensive. Oh, by far, by far. So it took nearly the entire offseason,

but Jadavia and Clowny finally has a job. The Titans and Clowny have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to, $15 million. This reunites him with head coach Mike Vrable, who was the Texans defensive coordinator when Clowny had his best seasons. Clowny had some injuries last year with the Seahawks. He had just three sacks all of last season.

The Saints also made a late push to try to sign Clowny. I don't know if you saw this. They tried to basically do a sign and trade with a third team where it was reportedly the Browns would sign Clowny, eat $5 million of that money, trade him to the Saints for a second round pick. Because the Saints can't afford to sign him for what he's worth.

The NFL said no, so he signed with the Titans. Is this an impact move for the Titans who were in the AFC title game a year ago? My one takeaway is New Orleans going for it with Drew Brees. The Saints are like, and by the way, they should be. The Saints are- We now have Brady in their division. This is what the Patriot should have done last year with Brady. Is the Saints are like, we think this is the last high-end year for Breeze.

We're going for it. We're going to spend, by the way, I saw a story the other day. The Saints are so far over the cap the next couple years after this, they're going to have to like hit eight draft picks because they're just saying in the city of New Orleans, we got one Super Bowl. If we can get a second with Breeze, we don't care about a rebuild. We'll deal with a rebuild. It will be worth it.

And to that point, in New Orleans, I totally agree. Breeze already has his TV job lined up. That's right. So he's telling you this is pretty much it. And we're going to go all in. Yeah. And finally. Bears head coach Matt Nagy has officially named Mitchell Trubisky the starting quarterback.

Nagy said Trubisky won the job over Foles. It wasn't just handed to him. The Bears were so excited about this that they actually leaked it on Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend. A news dump. Yeah, he officially named him the starter yesterday. You have said repeatedly, you don't really get the Trubisky thing. I love the quote. because this is a general manager just trying to, you know, get the most he can out of a horrible draft pick.

But the quote from Matt Nagy was, Mitch Tribisky really improved his footwork during the offseason. We don't worry about his feet. We worry about his new alarm. His feet are not the problem. He's a great kid. He's a good athlete. I don't ever worry about his feet. The issue is, can he throw the ball downfield vertically with Chicago's talent, which is pretty good?

And the answer has been he can't. Yeah, last year he went eight and seven as a starter. But in those 15 games, he threw 17 touchdowns, which is crazy when you consider they have decent receivers, a pass catching running back, and a really, really smart head coach. The Bears traded a fourth round pick for Foles this season. And obviously, he makes a lot of money. The Jags are eating some of it, but he makes a lot.

By the way, Ryan Paces the GM. He whiffed on this pick. So look at who the Bears open up with this season. Crapy Detroit, crappy Giants, bad Atlanta defenses. So it makes Trubisky look better. Ryan Pace the GM. As Mahomes just signed a big contract, Deshaun Watson signed a big contract. The guy's pace could have had and didn't.

So if Trubisky plays okay, they move off him. They've already declined his fifth year option. So they'll say, I mean, listen, he did have a winning record. I mean, you know, Tribisky wasn't that much of a bust. This is a GM trying to save his butt. The downside for Matt Nagy, who's a great young coach, His career now is tied to Trubisky and Ryan Pace. Good luck with that.

John with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Chris Broussard is now joining us. Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Okay, so I'm watching LeBron yesterday. I'm absolutely amazed.

When you look at what is happening to the other stars, Janus, forget the injury for a second. he really shrank. Harden, I thought last night, and other games has disappeared. Westbrook unraveled. He'll be back, but he unraveled. You start looking at LeBron Year 17, and boy, I mean, Chris, I'm not seeing, he is as good now as he's been in years, right? He was spectacularly yesterday. You forgot to mention Kawhi. Kawhi yesterday, that's the worst game I've seen him play in years. It was really, it was stunning how bad he was because we just haven't seen that. a lot. But LeBron has been great. And I think Colin, after game one, and we've seen LeBron do

this in the past, he kind of gets the lay of the land for the series, right? He'll figure out the opponent in game one, okay, how do I need to play this series? And he talked about the speed that the Rockets play with. So I think he figured out, okay, I have to pace myself during this series because not only is he counted on offensively, but defensively, he's spending a lot of time on James Hardin and poor Russell Westbrook. I mean, I think Westbrook's waking up in the middle of the night with chills. Like, where's LeBron? LeBron!

Like, I mean, LeBron is just coming out of nowhere, knocking his shot into the stands and dunking on Westbrook. I've been seeing Westbrook treated this harshly in a long time. So LeBron has been fantastic. Yesterday, I thought he paced himself. I thought in the third quarter, they had a comfortable lead. He didn't put his. imprint on that. Maybe it was a mistake because obviously he usually got back in it, but he

had the energy and took over the fourth. And so, yeah, LeBron is, he's playing great, man. And when he plays that well, and obviously you get it from Anthony Davis, but a few other guys contribute, Danny Green hit threes, Marquief Morse came out of nowhere, playoff Rondo showed up. If they can get a few of these guys to give them something with the two superstars, they're going to be a tough out. You know, I said, I've watched every single playoff team multiple times. Miami has surprised me. Milwaukee's surprised me on the other end of the spectrum.

But I feel like there's seven pretty good teams and then the Clippers. And the Clippers aren't great, but they are occasionally great. And when they play really well and they're really focused, I think they hammer almost everybody here. Are you at all troubled by the inconsistency game to game by the Clippers where they can just completely handcuff a team offensively and then just not show up 48 hours later. I'm with you in that the like the clippers are my pick to win it as well as yours. And it seems like most people. So I do think they're the best team in the league.

But you're right. I mean, they're up and down. And I think they read their press clippings. Yeah. I think they get cocky. I think, you know, they hear everybody thinks they're the best team in the league. Then they go out and blow out Denver in game one and they relax. And that is a problem.

look, a team to beat them four times in a series is going to be difficult, but I do think the Lakers are capable. I think the two L.A. teams are the best teams in the league. Now, again, I've got the Clippers, but if they don't show up for two or three of the games against the Lakers, they could lose a series because the Lakers, if they play at their top level, then they're capable of beating anybody. They got the two of the three best players in that series, remember? And so, Yeah, the Clippers, some of it, Colin, in addition to their attitude, some of it is that they aren't used to each other yet. They've only played, I think, 14 games with their top players.

So they're still a little bit of working out the rotation, getting comfortable with each other. But mainly I just think that they relax and they pace themselves. And this is so different from what they were last year. Last year they were dogged. They played hard for 48 minutes. And that's how they stretched Golden State to see. games. This year you got two added stars. Kawai we know likes to pace himself. And so it's just a

different mentality that they have. But I think they can overcome it enough to win the title. Listen, championship windows, even when you have a bunch of great players, are never, they never last as long as we think, be it the Seahawks, the Heedles, the Warriors with Katie, Stefan, play. They never last as long. And then there are these great teams that we expect to win titles. the Sacramento Kings years ago, the Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash, are the Milwaukee Bucks that team that we kind of said they're going to get there and win a title. And you look at them, Chris, they're going to have, if they don't win this series, the Janus phase has got three playoff series wins in the Eastern Conference,

that we've seen what they are and it's not championship material going forward. I don't put them in, though, you made a good point with the Kings, the sons of Steve Nash, maybe even the Blazers, right? When they had the Shaq Colby Lakers down, they never got one. But I don't put them in that category. Instead, I put them in the LeBron Cleveland category,

his first go-round. And you're seeing everybody ripped LeBron. Oh, he needs help. He's got to go play with D. Wade and Chris Bosch. Oh, he's got to go back to Cleveland, but with Kyrie and Kevin Love. No, LeBron knew. You need help.

And Janus is in the same situation. In a strange way, I mean, I think LeBron's already validated himself with the championships and all that. But in a strange sense, this kind of validates LeBron. Because Janus was playing great. Yonis obviously going to be a two-time MVP, one of the few guys to win defensive player at the year and the MVP. They run through the regular season.

We've seen nothing like him. and yet he's going to need another star. Yeah. Chris Middleton, as good as he is, is not good enough. Antoine Jameson, Mo Williams, those guys weren't good enough for LeBron. You need a second guy, and if they're not going to get him in Milwaukee,

he may have to leave to get that guy. You know, for years and years, I think self-awareness is underrated in sports, knowing what you are, knowing what you're not. and I think most athletes have some degree of it, some sometimes don't. I'm watching Westbrook 12 years in the NBA, and he's running around out of control like a rookie. And I have never doubted it's hyper-athleticism. He's fun to watch.

I'd pay to watch him. I think he plays harder than any player in the league. I think he loves the game. But I'm watching him yesterday, and I honestly believe this, Chris. They were better without him on the floor. Like, he was hurting them as a player. Is it possible that as James? James Harden, Daryl Morey builds this thing, that they just say, listen, it's just not going to work.

This is just not going to work, and they would move him. Because I watched yesterday, and I'm like, I've just seen this too many times in big spots. Well, it's an interesting situation. I think what you can argue is that they were better off of Chris Paul. Yes. Because remember, that team was a pulled hamstring away from possibly winning the championship. I personally think Golden State would have come back from down three, to and beating them. But who knows? I mean, you can certainly argue that Houston would

have won that series had Chris not gotten hurt, and then you see what happens against Cleveland in the finals. But that's the argument. I don't think, since they can jettison Chris Paul, unless they can get another star for Westbrook, I think you have to ride this out at least another year. And let's look at the Lakers series. LeBron talked about how, man, they play so fast, you just got to get used to it. You can't simulate it, right? They're the greatest show on turf and all that stuff. Well, they're that with Westbrook. Take Westbrook off the court, and they don't play particularly fast.

Now, James Harden plays slow. PJ Tucker's a spot-up shooter. Gordon can penetrate and he's a great score, but he's not killing you with speed. Neither is Covington, Daniel House. So Westbrook, as bad as he was yesterday and he was bad, he still brings an element of the defense is just off balance, because you don't know what the guy's going to do. He's so fast and he's always in attack mode.

So there's a value there. But yesterday, what they did, Colin, they baited him into taking the three. Yeah. They just gave it to him and he has too much pride to drive. Right, right. He's sitting there with, you know, seven feet of space between him and the next defender. So that's always been his problem. It is what he is.

His greatest strife, but it's also his greatest weakness. Chris Brousard, great stuff, buddy. Good seeing you again. Fox, NBA analyst. Thanks, man. I like the beard, too. I like that. Keep it.

Keep it. I think that my wife likes it more than management. Oh, I like it, though. I like it. I feel like Hemingway. I'm an old sage full of wisdom. Chris Broussard, our buddy, good seeing you. Coming up next, two things.

I'm going to tell you, I've already given you my NFL predictions, all my standings, AFC, NFC. I'm allowed to change until Thursday. Okay. So I'm going to put them up again, and I want you to go to my Twitter and tell me, where I whiffed. I got three days to make changes, and I'm going to make a change.

I already know one change I'm going to make potentially two, so I'll have that coming up. Plus, Deshawn and Dak last two years, their numbers are shockingly similar. We'll put them out there for you. Why is one getting a big payday and one franchise tagged? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life,

mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. At this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't

realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person join me Keer games is we have real conversations about healing growth fathers pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Great to have you in top of next hour. Colin was right. Colin was wrong. Football. It's just such a weird time in America where during my vacation, there was a day when I was on the lake hanging out with friends. And all of a sudden I forgot,

oh my God, the Lakers are playing. And I'm a sportscaster. This is August, September is not when I've ever watched in the middle of the afternoon or late afternoon, have ever watched NBA playoff games. The NFL season is sneaking up on us because we didn't have a preseason. So generally, I get used to it. You bet a few games.

You have some fun. Football, NFL starts Thursday. So it is, I think it's for a lot of us, it's like we've gone, we have these weird schedules where only baseball is playing when they normally play. Everything else is sort of out of sorts and not quite there. And now the consumption of all of it, you're watching a lot of sports.

but they're all going up against each other right now. So it's a very weird time, and I found myself on occasion during my week off of just forgetting there were games on. This is something that's not forgettable. Deshawn Watson signs a four-year, $160 million extension with the Houston Texans. We now have multiple teams in the NFL, L.A. Rams with Jared Goff, Kansas City with Mahomes, Philadelphia with Carson Went, and Houston with Deshawn Watson, who have paid their star quarterback early and in two cases, Deshawn Watson and Carson Wentz, we've got major injury history with both. And yet, DAC is franchise tag. This is the deal mostly that DAC wanted. What is really interesting

about DAC and Deshawn Watson. Now, obviously, DAC's been in the league longer than Deshawn Watson. Obviously, Deshawn was a higher draft pick than Dak Prescott. But let's take the last two years. So they've both had some years in the league. What is shocking is how similar they are. Deshawn's won a few more games. They both have 52 touchdowns and around 20 picks. They both complete about 66, 66% of their throws, and one's passer rating is 100, and another is 98.4.

It's the same guy. There's a big difference, though. Deshawn Watson's done that despite his surroundings. DAC has accomplished that because of his surroundings. This is why I never bought in to all the Dallas reporters claiming that DAC was going to get big money. He has had a top two offensive line since he entered the league, a top one or two running back, a top three or four receiving corps. His head coach always been an offensive guy.

And as much as we roll our eyes at Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, they generally draft pretty well and have elite players my entire life. Dak and Deshawn's numbers are shockingly similar the last two years. One guy got there despite his surroundings in Houston, another got there because of his surroundings in Dallas. Maybe it says Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are much better run than we think, but this is specifically why if I give you a Mercedes, I want Mercedes results.

If I give you a top two offensive line for three or four years, if I give you top two running back for four years, if I give you all sorts of candy and fun on the perimeter, you know, if I give you offensive coach after offensive coach, you got to do better than one playoff win. I mean, it's so funny to watch people bang on Jared Gough. Jared Gough got to a Super Bowl. and had a chance to win it in the fourth quarter.

It's like people that bang on Jimmy Garoppolo. For three quarters, he outplayed Patrick Mahomes. He's pretty good. Dax still has all these, oh, man. That's why I always say about life. If you told me at 30 years old, you're a millionaire. But you were a trust fund millionaire. Not that impressive.

If you're like, yeah, I'm a child, a divorce. I went through a lot. I had to pay for my own college. And you're a millionaire at 30? Now that's something we're talking about. You may be a uniquely driven individual, good for you. But what you're surrounded

by matters. Josh Allen for Buffalo is a nice quarterback talent, but he's wild. If he didn't have a coach as good as Sean McDermott, he'd be a mess. Sam Darnold, I think, has much more talent and I'd love to have Darnold over Josh Allen. He was a much better college player. And coming out of the draft,

he was higher rated. But look at the dysfunction. The general manager, the first guy that ran the Jets, I mean, Adam Gays can't get along with any of a star players, and the first general manager was virtually incompetent. So good for Deshawn Watson. I think he deserves every penny of it. And by the way, I think the franchise tag is great for DAC. If he pops this year, boom, Pam, I got no problem with it. But I was a huge advocate of franchise tagging DAC. The stuff around him offensively is unbelievably good. It's very rare. I mean, look what Joe Burrell has this year to deal with.

We've got to be fair with Joe Burrell. He's going to get the, you know what, kicked out of him. Joe Burrell's got one nice receiver and an old, he's got one old veteran often beat up wide receiver at a good running back. In that division, that is five wins max, probably four. Where you land, the support you get matters. DAC has had unbelievable. You may not like Jason Garrett. At least he played quarterback in the NFL.

He wasn't one of these stages. defensive coaches, John Fox, who's hyper-conservative. I mean, Jason Garrett was a quarterback in the NFL. There's a lot of worse situations than that. Okay. Colin Wright, Colin wrong, top of the hour. So, I have until Thursday

to officially put in my NFL predictions. So put up what you want. I want you to watch these. Go to my social media accounts. So my updated predictions, I'll take the Bill's doing the AFC East and be the only playoff team in that division.

In the AFC North, I've got the Ravens at 16 and O. I may alter that. Cleveland's a playoff team. Pittsburgh, I don't buy. Everybody else does. And I think the Bengals are just not ready to compete in that division. Let's go to AFC South. I'm fascinated to watch Philip Rivers with that offensive line.

He's going to have nothing but time to throw. I don't love their perimeter weapons. We will see. We will see with the two rookies, Jonathan Taylor, the running back rookie out of a Wisconsin, keep your eyes on them. And Michael Pittman, the wide receiver from USC. I love both those guys. In kind of a weird division with a lot of dysfunctional, take the Colts to be the best,

least dysfunctional team. On the AFC West, again, I like Denver a lot, but they're bad at left tackle and their right tackle opted out. That is a problem. but I do think Denver is emerging offensively. Drew Locke, keep your eye on them, big arm, a little wild. I think the Chargers, Derwin James, injury does not help them. I think Kansas City wins the division, but I do expect a little pullback from Kansas City. I think that happens when you go to Super Bowls.

My playoff teams are the Bills, the Ravens, the Colts, the Chiefs, the Broncos, Browns, and the Chargers. Let's go to the NFC, where I think the Eagles win the division, and then I think it's just a bunch of me. Dallas 8 and 8. It could be a game above that. I wouldn't be shocked. I think Philadelphia's got the best coach, the best front office, and the most talented quarterback. NFC North, I have the Vikings and Green Bay both at 11 and 5. I think Chicago's got quarterback issues.

Some people see Detroit as a dark horse. I don't. I love Minnesota's roster. I think we've oversold Green Bay. They're not going to be 13 and 3. But good God, I'm seeing people now say they're a. 500 team or 9 and 7. They've got Aaron Rogers, Devonthe Adams, Aaron Jones. They're pretty good. In the NFC South, fascinating division. Carolina is going to be a really intriguing 7 and 9 team.

Running back, wide receiver, quarterback, offensive mind, they're going to spoil somebody's season. I think Tampa Bay starts sluggishly because of all the new pieces with Brady, but I think they catch fire mid-October on. As John and I talked about, the Saints are in Go for it mode. They are all in, and I think they're going to be rewarded. I think this is Drew Breezes last year before he goes to be a great broadcaster, and he'll be great. And then the NFC West, which is arguably the best division, I can't wait to watch this.

I think the Niners got it going. Seattle worries me. They've got really bad offensive and defensive lines, but Russell Wilson is a savior, and I just, in Russell, I trust. That's how I look at it. The Rams, I live in this city. I'm not quite sure what to do with the Rams. Here's why I like them.

Last year, we looked at it as a massive disappointment. They were 9 and 7 in the toughest division in football. I'm going to go 9 and 7. As of today, I may change by tomorrow. I may flip the Rams and the Seahawks. But it was man overboard all year. We were like, God, the Rams are a mess. They were 9 and 7 in the toughest division in football and had a chance to be 10 and 6.

Arizona, I just think they got a bad division. I like a lot of what Arizona is doing offensively. I may give them one more win. So Colin Wright, oh, my playoff teams in the NFC, Eagles, Vikings, Saints, Niners, Packers, Buck, Seahawks. There we go. 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 Headwry writer Street or Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented at all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

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

So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors, like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.