The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Perseverance for Pro Bowl QBs, Lamar Jackson in Baltimore coming to an end?

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

Colin reacts to the Pro Bowl rosters and how the quarterback class there represents resiliency. Caleb Williams is being called a “Pro Bowl snub,” but you can say the same for Jared Goff by that metric. The Lamar Jackson situation in Baltimore turns incredibly sour, and it’s safe to ask how long his marriage with the Ravens will last as he reportedly seeks more money. Colin takes a stand – Justin Herbert isn’t overrated and you can’t put him down because of playoffs, he’s electric with Jim Harbaugh.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What an exciting time. NFL games tomorrow. One hour from now, we're bringing Greg Co. Cell in. Top of next hour on a Wednesday to preview a very large and important slate of NFL games. So good to be here. So they named the Pro Bowl teams yesterday. And I want to start with that.

Once or twice a year, maybe two or three times, I'll speak to a high school or I'll speak to a college. And kids always ask for advice in broadcasting. And my advice is, don't get your head down. There's no one way to succeed. I mean, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, dropped out of college. Is that great advice for young texters? I don't know. It was for them.

There is no one way to succeed. Just be relentless and don't get discouraged. And I look at the six Pro Bowl quarterbacks, and I feel just the same way. It would have been easy for Matt Stafford to get discouraged. Let's look at all six. Start with the NFC. Matt Stafford, beat up for years in Detroit. Couldn't win a playoff game.

absolutely elite arm talent and finally meets his match. Perfect match Sean McVeigh. Then there's Dak Prescott, not an elite arm talent, not even a great athlete, meddling owner, but highly productive, maybe he's never had a great coach. Stafford got one. I'm not sure Dax never had a great coach. He's had good coaches. But Dax EQ, Dack Prescott's IQ, IQ.

overcoming injuries and the meddling owner, Pro Bowl. Then there's Sam Darnold, Reclamation Project. Second Pro Bowl, second team in two years. Wildly athletic, big strong. Man, is he aggressive? He throws some ugly picks. All three different stories. AFC, Josh Allen, out of Wyoming, couldn't get a scholarship.

Dad sending tapes out. Goes to the Bills, a sad franchise who needed a megastar, and he leaned into all his power. Then there's Justin Herbert. Did he make the pro ball because of his production? No, he made it what he's overcoming. Worst offensive line, according to PFF. His leading rusher has three touchdowns.

It's what he's overcome. His toughness has been hit more than any quarterback in the league. And then Drake May. Is he one of the six best quarterbacks? Is Drake May one of the six best quarterbacks? Well, for his age 23, he's way better than he's shot. should be. And he keeps winning games. And he, like, leads the league in completion percentage. Six different quarterbacks, all of them different skills. I mean, Drake May and Justin Herbert

are kind of similar, different conferences. But they're all different guys, different environments, different avenues. Herbert's had to overcome an atrocious O line. Several bad coaches before Jim Harbaugh. Josh Allen's got a defense. coach. Matt Stafford's got a brilliant offensive coach. It's like whenever I look at the list like Forbes Magazine will have richest people in the world. Elon Musk made it in aerospace. Bernard or No made it in luxury brands. And Warren Buffett made a stock market. There's no one path. But what does matter is not getting discouraged. I mean, Justin Herbert has been hit over 120 times. Very easy to say, I don't

feel great. I'm going to take this Sunday off. Matt Stafford, no playoff wins in Detroit. Kept his head down. So when I look at all these quarterbacks, just a huge component of success for all these guys. Here's the one thing they have in common. Leadership and toughness. All of them have that. Some have defensive coaches. Some have offensive coaches. One guy, Donald's on his fifth team. Matt Stafford is almost 40 and Drake Mays 23. They're all over the map. So here's my advice.

Keep plugging away. Don't get discouraged. Relentless, focused people who are good teammates. You'll succeed. Maybe in your 30s. May have to wait to your 40s. May hit it rich at 54, but it'll work. Here is Matt Hasselbeck earlier this week talking about two guys.

the Reclamation Project, Darnold, and the KG veteran Stafford. That whole division, Darnold, Stafford, and I would even put the 49ers in that group, those three teams right there, they've gotten great quarterback play all season long, and they could stand up to anybody. And that's why all three of those teams are still in play for the one seed in the NFC. Now, there's one quarterback you're not seeing here. and the headline I read this morning, I like this, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams among Pro Bowl snubs.

No, time out, time out, time out. Snub is pretty strong. Like Pulp Fiction did not win Best Movie. Was it a snub? Well, there was Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption. That's a pretty good year. We've had bad years. That's a pretty good year.

That's not a snub. You just lost out to other good movies. all six quarterbacks that made the Pro Bowl have better stats than Caleb. I mean, Darnold's got a 101 passer rating, and Caleb's got an 89, and that's with a brilliant offensive coach. Darnold's got a defensive guy. Caleb's got a brilliant offensive coach. So if you want to talk about a snub and his whole career could be termed a snub, it's Jared Gough in the same division as Caleb. Jared Goss got 32 touchdowns, five picks, a 109 passer rating.

People are like, well, you know, he doesn't run very well. He's a quarterback. So that's a snub. But if you look at Caleb's numbers, 89 passer rating, 58% completion percentage, 23 touchdown, 6 picks. His greatest stat, to be honest with you, 11 wins, 4 losses. That is impressive. And what's impressive is that it's Chicago,

and they can't get quarterback right. Caleb's season, if you really wanted to break it down to what it's been, a couple of things is fourth quarter comebacks and amazing individual plays, wow plays. So his movie's been okay, but man, there's been some great scenes in it. So Caleb's season is a little bit like M. Night Shyamalan movies. For a big chunk of it, you're like, I'm not really sure what's going on here. and then the last eight minutes you're like, I can't believe that ending.

That thing was, it really makes a lot of sense now. I never doubted it. What a great movie. He didn't get snubbed. Jared Goff got snubbed. You could argue. But even Goff, he's not as good in the pocket. I would argue as Matt Stafford.

And most of those guys move pretty well except Matt Stafford. But again, Caleb yesterday, I think the best part about Caleb beyond the record is that when Caleb came into the league, my takeaway was, I know he's great. I watched every college snap. Will Chicago screw it up? Green Bay gets quarterbacks. The Bears get defense.

Will the Bears screw it up? Here's Caleb on the Pro Bowl snub. I get drafted here. You know, told that I'm not a special player. I told that I'm not. you know, a good fit here. I've told that, you know, coach and I won't work. I've told, you know, I can't win here.

And so, you know, I know that's going to keep going on. But, you know, I do take a little satisfaction and things like that. My goal isn't to just get to the playoffs. My goal is to win and win big. You can hear. You can hear it. You've got a little jet fuel. He got a little chip on the shoulder, which I like, in fairness to the media.

Now, some media may have said this. My take has always been what Ben Johnson wants and what Caleb does is not necessarily a perfect fit. Now, I would say McVeigh and Stafford isn't even a perfect fit because McVeigh would love to move the pocket occasionally. It's just Stafford is so damn good in the pocket

that don't have to. I mean, the Detroit coaches would love Jared Goff to have some mobility. I don't think Ben and Caleb, I'm trying to think of perfect fit. I mean, Andy Reid-Mohms, I guess. but the truth is Ben Johnson and Caleb are both smart. They're both incredibly determined, and they're making it work.

And so I don't see it as a snub. I see it as his story, his movie this year, has been about great finishes and great scenes. First 15 minutes has Noah's been Oscar-worthy. So J-Mack, I do love, though, most of the young quarterbacks have, I will say this, sports fans over the course of my life have gotten smarter because they're just more information. So if you read at an average level, you know, there's just more stuff out there.

Sports betting is harder, I think, because the market's smarter. These young quarterbacks hurts and Dak and Caleb and Drake May. They are so good at the podium. They are, they know, you know, I mean, Caleb's kind of giving you that sly smile going, well, you know, I was told it wasn't going to work here. He didn't blast anybody. He just kind of put it out there. I get a little satisfaction out of that.

These guys are not only schooled in football. They're school at the podium. At the Cowherd School of Podium, put the hat on forward, and don't start forest fires here. Like bring the cooler, bring the temperature down. But I thought Caleb, he got a little smile saying, yeah, I was told it wasn't going to work. Whatever it takes for you to be great on Saturday.

or Sunday, I'm four. Yeah. Easy to smile when you're riding high and recovering on sidekicks and getting lucky as heck to be. I had the Bears last week. But you've got to be real. It's easy when you're 11 and 4. Let's see when some adversity hits how that goes.

Well, there was a little adversity early in the season. But when they got lost to Detroit by 30? Maybe. Yeah. Possibly. I mean, there were some operational things they had to clean up. I mean, it wasn't pretty in the first. It's just year one with Ben Johnson.

That's right. Yeah. That's good stuff. All right. Greg Kosell, 50 minutes from now. Can't wait for that. 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.

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Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets last night. Surprise, surprise, but what's increasingly not becoming a surprise is that Cooper Flagg had 33 points. He's 19. He should be checking into his dorm room as a freshman at Duke. his last 10 games, 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, great defender, 53% from the floor. I don't want to hear about 24-year-old Aunt Edwards who didn't want to be the face of the league,

or 27-year-old Jason Tatum who wants to be but doesn't have the aura. This is a kid that if he wants to be will be the face of the league. Talent, Duke, aggressive, mature, grown-up, he's got the ability to do things, which Zion and John Morant did too, but they're still kids. Cooper Flagg is 19, and on a game with Yokic, Jamal Murray, and AD, he let it in scoring. He should be a freshman at Duke, eating lunch with the rest of the students. So I don't think the NBA needs a face of the league. I've said that multiple times. I think it's overrated.

Ratings are up this year. They don't have a face of the league. it wouldn't hurt and it would be great if it was a Duke kid. I always said his comp was a much better, more aggressive Jason Tatum. He's a better defender now than Tatum was at this age. He's a much more aggressive score than Tatum was. And I think that aggressive thing, be it the late Kobe, Michael, Jordan, Larry Bird, the greats are aggressive.

When you've got to talk them into taking over, they can be productive. I don't know if they're great. So this kid plays with the maturity. sadly that I don't think Zion ever played with because I thought Zion had a chance to be the face of the league. He doesn't force things, but man does he want the ball in big spots? So it's just, you're looking at, and again,

the league doesn't need a face of the league. The ratings are up. If you really break down the ratings fairly, they're up like 19%. And the other thing I like about Cooper Flagg, and I see this even in broadcasting, too many guys are trying to be, tough and cool. Kevin Hart talked about this. Be smart. Cooper flag doesn't have to try to be tough

or cool. His talent is both. And I mean, look at his splits. Look at what he is doing. It took him a month to catch up to the NBA physicality and speed. 13 a game in October, 18 a game in November, 24 a game in December. He's 19. Field goal percentage, 41 to 53. These are massive leaps For a 19-year-old Here's Jason Kidd on last night On the back-to-back Understanding to his standards

He might not have played well Last night And so for him to come and set the tone for us tonight Again he showed up to stats She almost had a triple double But we played through him late And he found the right guys And executed on both ends of the floor

He is he really, and again, Jason Tatum sort of wants to be the face of the league, very good player, but I always said, I'm not sure he has the aura. Ant Edwards is like, I don't want to be it. Cooper flagged just by his game and his aggressiveness, it does help that he went to Duke. That's why I thought Zion could be the face of the league. I thought Duke and Nike really helped him. Jet fuel to be a star by 21, 22, and Zion had an amazing rookie season, but weight and

injuries, couldn't stay on the floor. God, this kid's good. This kid is something else. And J-Mack, you and I loved him at Duke. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Yes, indeed, we did. All right, Colin, we got some breaking news here. This is just dropping. A huge story just came out in the Baltimore Sun about Lamar Jackson. Now, there's a lot to get into here. I just buzz through the story here in the last 10 minutes. But bottom line is it's not good. It's not good for the future of Lamar Jackson and Baltimore.

Apparently he wants a new deal. Remember two years ago when I wanted the Jets to grab him? He was having issues with Baltimore. His mom was negotiating. He wanted the fully guaranteed deal. Didn't get it. Well, he has one more year before the Ravens could kind of move on from him if they want. But, Colin, some of the quotes in this article are pretty damning.

And this is from a long time. Credible journalist. Yeah, a credible guy that's been around the program, so he's getting fed this. Yeah. So there are rules, there are team rules, and there are rules for Lamar Jackson. Once the Ravens become critical of Jackson, he becomes more withdrawn. It's clear that Coach John Harbaugh has become tired of Jackson. Colin, remember, we've been talking about it, but I didn't put the pieces together.

It would be like a Wednesday in October, and Lamar's like missing practice. And then he would miss like a Thursday practice the next week. He's just like not there all the time. How about this one? How about this quote? He doesn't need to be up playing video games. I mean, part of the article says that he doesn't want to practice in the morning, so the team practices in the afternoon.

Now, is that because of video games? I don't know. Hey, sometimes you get into your stuff. He's falling asleep in meetings. Colin, this is not great. Now, I did look at this. His cap hit this year, $43.5 million, leaps to $74.5 million. next year.

24% of the Raven salary cap is going to Lamar. They already don't have a good offensive line. They tried to put pieces together, some young guys. None of it worked. His base salary goes from 20 mil to 51 mil. Hey, Lamar's getting paid. Great. I don't know what the future is, though.

The speculation at the end of the article is Lamar would love to be in Miami. We know he's from South Florida. Or Las Vegas, where, and the article says Tom Brady has a fondness for him, both of those guys need quarterbacks. Hey, hey, hey, this is interesting. This is a fascinating story. If this stuff is true, he's had injuries. I mean, he's not as dynamic as he was the first four years starting.

That is, and we know he's going to get less dynamic. Now, he may be better at the start of next year. But the truth is, Michael Vick told me this once. The first three years is one style. The remaining years after the hits, You're never quite as good as you were your last year in college and your first three years in the NFL. And Michael Vick has said that. He's like, you can't withstand these hits.

The practice, the hitting, the games, the traveling goes, it just wears you out. So, and I'm dead serious on this. Baltimore has such a great owner, such a great front office. They had six pro bowlers, I think, or something like that. They are such an unbelievable organization. And they have so much equity with fans. and I am a Lamar Jackson fan but I could

I would defend Baltimore if they Miami said okay we'll give you two number ones you know and two number twos and you moved off him and now for a year you know you're drafting a quarterback

with your top pick I would defend that if this is true two things can be true I love Lamar but it is ill because let's be honest We know what separates him. It's not the pocket stuff. Although he's always been better than giving credit for, it's the athletic ability.

Well, what happens with super athletic NBA guys? Westbrook, they age fast. Yeah. Remember Jose Reyes, the Mets baseball player? They age fast. Cam Newton, age fast. Stafford, Aaron Rogers is 42. You know, he just sits in the pocket.

And Stafford's old. Kirk Cousins old. Philip Rivers is 44. He's throwing for 300 yards. So if Baltimore said, listen, we've done it. It's a big cap hit. We think the window for greatness is closed. If I was Vegas, I'd go for it.

And if I was mine, because Miami and Vegas don't have the standards. Or to me, the ownership or the infrastructure of the Ravens, they don't. So, Colin, right out of the bat, I can tell you this. The Raiders are going to be drafting one or two. Would they dangle that Fernando Mendoza pick to the Ravens, obviously with more stuff for Lamar Jackson. Guess what? Guess it was a quarterback that John Harbaugh had in Baltimore before Lamar.

Joe Flacco. You know, Joe Flacco physically, big pocket guy, big arm. Why wouldn't they say, hey, let's just reboot with Mendoza. Cam Newton's last great year was 29. Do you know how old Cam Newton? 29 for Cam Newton. How old is Lamar next year? Turns 29 in about two weeks.

Okay, so think about that. Bo Nix's cap hit next year. 1.7% of the Broncos cap. Lamar's will be 24%. Denver's going to have six players on that roster that Baltimore could not afford. By the way, Caleb, Bears' cap next year, 3.6. 7 and a half times lower than Lamar's.

That's why the Bears and the Broncos, we've been saying this all year. Look at their rosters. You could argue there, I mean, there's like eight elite, nine elite players. Baltimore's got three or four. So I think if you're Vegas in a weak quarterback class, if you're Vegas or Miami, I would absolutely get on the phone and defend that.

How long does Pete Carroll want to wait for a college guy to get good? I don't know if Pete Carroll's going to coach Lamar, but somebody would. But I guess the final leg of this, Colin, like we just saw it in the division. Joe Burrow also very unhappy playing football. Lamar Jackson, very unhappy. Those guys had awesome runs. Earlier this, remember Monday, I said, it's over for those guys. their team.

Those teams need to reboot, rebuild. It's going to take some time, Colin. This is a long-standing reporter for the Ravens. What you and I are saying, if this is true, the Ravens are so well-run with so much equity from their fans, sell out games, is it time to take phone calls from Vegas and Miami, and it is a weak draft?

I think it's worth taking. You and I, I've said this before. Jason, at any one time in the NFL, there's only about six quarterbacks. I think Herbert's one of them. Josh Allen's one of them. The Holmes is obviously one of them. But a GM doesn't pick up the phone. There's another six quarterbacks who are really good, but you would pick up the phone

and listen to the offer. And then there's 15. You get on the phone and try to upgrade. Lamar has gone from that first group, if this is true, where you wouldn't even pick up the phone, he's gone to the second six, which is, I'll take the call and listen, if this story is true. Well, I don't doubt it at all. And here's the other problem for Baltimore, Colin, it's like, no, no, we'll just give

it one more year. Well, in one more year, he's going to be 30 in January of 27. And then it's like, what's the market for Lamar? You might just have to sell high right now and move on. I think the Raiders in Mendoza and the Miami Dolphins. You and I both think this is a legitimate story. very, very much so. So if it is, somebody is feeding this.

If it is, then I just think the best way to put it is, Lamar's gone from six guys that you don't even pick the phone up to the next six or seven to eight guys where you're not looking to trade him, but you'll listen. Yeah. You'll listen. John Harbaugh, it's me or Lamar. I don't know.

Anyways, all right, let's move on. Travis Kelsey, Colin, and the Kansas City Chiefs, very interesting subplot to this Christmas game tomorrow. It's probably his final game at Arrowhead. Andy Reid was asked about that, and here's what he had to say. I don't know if it is or not. I haven't talked to him, but I think his numbers and personality and the person, you know, I think speak for themselves, phenomenal person, great for the community,

has been great for the community. is everything you want from a player represented in an organization. Yeah, I think it's over. Listen, the games tomorrow aren't awesome. Any action from you on Broncos Chiefs, 13 and a half on the road? Have you seen that Dallas number tomorrow? Yeah, I already bet Dallas. But I'm looking at this Chiefs game.

I don't think the Chiefs totally roll over here, do you? Well, I think Denver's in a bad mood. So, and I think Denver's looking around at New England. I think Denver is, if they could, would pile on a little bit, a little extra touchdown or field goal. I think I actually think Denver's the side. I think Kansas City can say we're embarrassed. So what?

They just don't have the personnel. I think the Broncos awful loss with Jacksonville and New England breathing down their neck. I can see Denver saying, fellas, we got to write the ship here. Let's make not only a win, let's make a statement. Interesting. Huh. I need to see Rishi Rice if all these guys are going to play. I don't know.

Trent McDuffie, do they just say, ah, forget it, season's over. Probably nothing on me for that game. And finally, let's go to the Cleveland Browns and Miles Garrett. One of the interesting subplots here is, is he going to break the all-time sack record? I don't know, Colin. He's very close. He's one of the all-time great defensive ends. He's one sack away from the record.

A former teammate of Garrett believes he's the best defensive player ever. He's the best defensive pass rusher I've ever seen in my entire life. And that goes back to watching Reggie White when I was a kid when he was with the Green Bay Packers winning a Super Bowl. And so

I think what Miles is doing is amazing. And especially when you consider he's doing it on a team that's not very good. Well, that's a good point because the Browns usually trail late, meaning teams don't throw. So he doesn't get the opportunities because the Browns usually

trail with eight minutes to go. I think what you can make this argument that Miles Garrett has moved into a group of the four greatest defensive players ever. Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Aaron Donald, I mean, unblockable players, and I never thought there was a fourth. Those were always the three. I mean, Aaron Donald, there is video of Aaron Donald. Think about this, J-Mac. Of Aaron Donald in his last year being triple team where your offensive line coach goes, I got five guys. Three of them block Aaron Donald.

So Donald, Reggie Lawrence are the three greatest I've seen. Now, I think Ed Reed and Ronnie Lott, I mean, there's been another unbelievable, Dionne Sanders. JJ Watt is unbelievable. And a great broadcaster, by the way. He's a tremendous broadcaster. But I do think

there's an argument. And maybe J.J. Watt was also in this. J.J. Miles Garrett, you're in like, okay, can we do the Mount Rushmore thing? Do we have a fourth guy? And I think there's an argument, Miles Garrett, and he needs to, this is important. When you plan a bad team, you trail latent games. So Miles Garrett, you know, Dwight Freeney is a very good player. You know, Peyton Manning and the Colts led 80% of their games with six minutes to go. Dwight Frini could pin his ears back and go, they're passing. And the league was not as mobile for

quarterback. So you knew where the quarterback was, seven steps behind the center. So for Miles to do this, when you contextualize it, it's really something. Speaking of not mobile, Aaron Rogers this week, is there a world where Aaron Rogers just lays down to give Miles Garrett the record? He's just such a nice warm guy. Or Farr did that to Michael Stran. Yes, sir, re. Good memory. I think Rogers, I can totally see that happening, Colin. Out of respect. 100%. I may have to change, if my, you know, if Aaron does that, I might have to change my tune, a new chapter in the Aaron book. J-Mack with the news Well, that's the news

And thanks for stopping by The Hurd-Ly News There are Greg Kossel Top of the Hour There's so many good topics today I don't know which one to pick There's a cowboy topic that's fascinating You see George Pickens made the Pro Bowl

Well, you're rolling your eyes Well, he made the Pro Bowl Okay Well, it was wonderful. He made the Pro Bowl. Would he put that on your resume? Like, I. Yes.

It doesn't enhance his trade value, Colin. Well, he does it? It's only, did they only sign him? He's a one year deal. One year deal. So it's either like sign him, uh, franchise tag. So I, I, it's really, there's very interesting. It's a very interesting proposition for the Cowboys on George Pickens.

Plus, I like people to have takes. I'm in the take business. So I'm, there's a lot of bad ones. There's a lot of good ones, but don't ever listen to anybody. If you have a strong opinion and it's a theory, it may not work, it's unproven, you go ahead and have it. But I want to talk pickings and the worst take of the year. That's coming up.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's 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 a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad,

Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. The morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls,

We break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down.

everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Genshin win. I mean, she went down to three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now

and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the Eyeheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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.

There's some more great football coming your way in the Trust and Will Holiday Bowl. Noah Fafita and Arizona, take on SMU. Don't miss a perennial barn burner. January 2nd at 7.30 Eastern on Fox. Greg CoSell, 15 minutes. So I am in the sports opinion business. Don't listen to the old grumpy gatekeepers, the media critics.

You have any opinion you want. I love when people have theories, and they're not even necessarily going to work out, but it makes me think. I like anybody that makes me think. But there is one sports opinion that is just bad, and you can't have it. Even I, not an old grumpy gatekeeper, I will not accept it. which is, you know, Justin Herbert's never won a playoff game. He is overrated. Not acceptable.

So PFF ranked all 32 offensive supporting casts for the quarterback, the O line, the running back, the tight end, the wide receiver. Now, at the top, I think we'd all agree, Rams and Colts and Bears and Bills and Lions and Seahawks. But look at the bottom five. awful teams awful except the chargers who are not only not awful they're 11 and 4 oh I forgot Justin Herbert's never won a

playoff game it took Matt Stapper 13 years to win a playoff game I think I think he's pretty good took Peyton Manning 6 I also think he's pretty good Justin Herbert this year has been sacked 49 times he has been hit 121. There's nobody close to that.

He has a broken hand. His leading rusher has three touchdowns. It's the 32nd ranked offensive line. And they're 11 and 4. Oh, yeah, but he did lead a playoff game and his coach, a disaster, gagged away the second half. So as 20 and 25 is coming to a close, you can have any sports opinion you want,

Don't listen to the critics and the gatekeepers. The fun of sports and politics is debating. There's nothing better to debate than sports and politics. Say what you want, have fun. But you can't say Justin Herbert's overrated after this year. If you want, Jim Harbaugh is pretty intense. Jim Harbaugh becomes a stand-up comic. I mean, the guy literally can't wipe the smile off his face every time he gets asked about what Justin Herbert's doing this year.

And Justin Herbert, he's a superhero. He is a competitive maniac. There's something in his competitive fire. It just motivates him even more. Justin Herbert back to throw. Just a mighty man it. Yeah, I'm going to remember that play. So they throw dirt over top.

for me. There's almost something about him. As far as quarterback performances go, that was a Picasso. It felt like I was in a like we were in a movie where you know, the quarterback's doing these, and it's like, you get to the point

where we go, okay, this is getting a little unrealistic. I do have an update on his physical status. He's still a beast. I mean, it is unbelievable. 30 second ranked offensive. of line. Backups to backups. 11 and 4.

Broken hand. Leading Russia as 635 yards and 3 touchdowns. 11 and 4. He's gotten the you know what kicked out of him every Sunday. I mean, last week he didn't get

sacked. I mean, it must have felt like a weird out-of-body experience. He didn't take a helmet to the throat last week. Can't have that sports opinion. At least not after watching this. year can't not acceptable okay so um george pickens dallas receiver made the pro bowl and um i really do think the difference between like a great gm and a good gm and an average gm a lot of

times do you understand the difference between talents there's a lot of talent in pro sports and foundational players tim duncan's a foundational player zach levin's talented I would argue George Pickens is not a foundational player. And you got him for a third round pick and he made a Pro Bowl. Don't get greedy. He's not a foundational piece. Okay, Dallas already has C.D. Lamb. Ryan Flournoy is becoming really good, really fast.

And Pickens is starting to exhibit certain personality qualities that you saw at Georgia, in Pittsburgh kind of disappears so again 90% of NFL players and I'm talking about the good players are not foundational pieces there are very I've said and when it comes to the NFL pay huge money very infrequently Josh Allen whatever the Holmes whatever you know it looks like Drake May is one of those you pay whatever okay Caleb Williams keeps doing this yeah you don't pick up the phone. You pay whatever. But 90% of the talented guys, in fact,

even the pro bowlers, are not foundational. Miles Garrett's foundational. Okay. Penae Sue, that's foundational. You know, and you say, well, you're just right tackle. No, no, that's

foundational. That's foundational. Okay. Miles Garrett's foundational. Tyreek Hill, people thought, was. But the Chief's knew better. They won two Super Bowls without him. Miami didn't win a playoff game with him. So, I mean, the best GM in the league arguably is John Snyder in Seattle, moved off D.K. Metcalfe. Seattle is vying for the number one seed without him.

Without him, he was not a foundational player. J.S.N. feels like that's a foundational player. runs the route tree, great hands, doesn't matter the defense, mature leader. JSN fields, and there's not, Jamar Chase is foundational. Tyreek Hill is talented. Well, what's the difference? Consistency, maturity, getting along with your quarterback and your coach, not throwing people under the bus. I'll tell you, Pooka and Nakua had a bad couple weeks. Dude, little less live streaming, a little more leadership.

Okay? I know it's a fine line, but I think there's an argument with Flournoy becoming a real go-to guy. Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. Isn't that what they always say on Wall Street? Like, you got this stock for almost nothing. It doubled or tripled in price. Maybe now's the sell time. And that's not a knock.

I am not in any way saying George isn't a remarkable player. I mean, like seven games in, I'm like, oh, my God, I think you have to resign him. I know there's the temper stuff. I know that I think, but you let stuff play out. These are long seasons. The weather gets cold. The practices get hard. Players get dinged up.

The real truth comes out. We had that Lamar Jackson story, you know, 25 minutes ago. You know, as more information comes out, you have different opinions. That's what adults do. So, I don't know. I think I was, I'm watching the Cowboys the last couple of weeks, and I'm like, where George go? And I think Dallas knows it because if you noticed, it feels like they're making Flournoy a bigger part of the game plan.

That's what it feels like to me. Here's Pickens on his Pro Bowl. It definitely improves as far as like a career. As far as like contractually wise, like you said, I can just wait until the offseason. Definitely like I always said, the guys here, I feel like, and you can't get it. And that's why I always said it because you cannot get that everywhere. I kind of been at other places, top 30 viz when I was coming out in a pre-draft. The guys here is just a, and the culture here is just a little different.

So it's interesting. There was an NFL trade. J. Mack was highly critical of it when the Colts gave up two firsts for Soss Gardner. And I text, I text a GM that I trust, and he said his take was two firsts is a foundational player. Sauce Gardner is a talented player. He's not a foundational player. Now, Chris Ballard obviously disagrees with that. When you give up multiple firsts, like Matt Stafford, that's a foundational player.

Right, right, right. I always thought Calvin Johnson, the maturity, the size, the consistency, the physicality. That's a found, you can build for 10 years around him, gets along with coaches. Randy Moss is talented, but he could struggle sometimes with, you know, some of the relationship stuff. He'd get frustrated. I love Stefan Diggs. But again, over time, he's gotten frustrated. It fits.

It doesn't fit. There are very few guys in pro sports. Quarterbacks and maybe some left tackles. Herback left tackle a handful of Max Crosby. I'm not trading Max Crosby. I'm not. I'm not trading Miles Garrett. Jared versus becoming a star player.

There are a handful of guys you look at and you're like, okay, that's just not. I'm not. But a guy last week, Abdul Carter of the Giants, unbelievable talent. He's missed meetings. He lined up offside. The Giants had a defensive touchdown taken away. So you're already as a rookie to me telling me signs. You're just a talented guy.

You're not a foundational piece guy. Michael Strayhand, foundational. You got consistency, you got the maturity, you got the respect in the locker room. So it's not a criticism. Very few great players are guys you're like, let's sign them for eight years. I mean, it'll be like a baseball contract.

We'll give you four to five years. There's no doubts in the room. 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. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man 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 Podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring Patrick 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.

I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives. helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Psych! 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 Hypocrat, 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 an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.