The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Sean Payton is setting the tone

Episode Date: February 7, 2023

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick sharing the secrets to their unparalleled success with the Patriots and why we might never see it again New Broncos HC Sean Payton is setting the tone early for Russell Wilson Looking at the career of LeBron James as he approaches the all-time scoring recordSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, J-Mack joining me, Nick Wright in one hour. You know, I was thinking this morning after our Tom Brady exclusive. A lot of things that Tom Brady talked. talked about. And then he left our show, J-Mack, and he did his podcast and brought up another gym. And I think it's something you and I, as dads, have to go through all the time. Do you know what that is? Taking out the garbage? Cleaning up dog poop, being a chauffeur to your kids.

Those things ring a bell, maybe? No. So we'll start with this. Brady and Belichick, very complimentary of each other on his Let's Go podcast with Jim Gray. And there's a very interesting moment in that podcast that Brady brings something up. And I don't even know if Tom realizes how important this is. And I think we're losing a little bit of this in football. It was a key element to greatness in football. are we losing a little bit of this element? So let's have Brady, his soundbite on his podcast, talking about Bill Belichick.

For me, there's nobody I'd rather be associated with. And I think that from my standpoint, I think it's always such a stupid conversation to say, you know, Brady versus Belichick, because in my mind, that's not what partnerships are about. He's not afraid to have a hard conversation, too. and we didn't always agree, but we always respected each other. I know he respected me for the job that I did, and I certainly did the same. We had hard conversations. Is this generation of football player willing to have those?

Or are you going to scrub your social media account because they want to franchise tag me? Which, by the way, you collectively bargained. You negotiated it. as players. Franchise tag is part of the negotiation. You agreed to it. See guys scrubbing their social media accounts. We have elevated, especially quarterbacks and high school football players,

seven-on-seven drills, gassed up all day on social media, participation trophy generation. We know that to begin with. Now you go to college. There's bidding wars, tens of millions of dollars for an unproven college quarterback who was really good in high school. There's a lot of good high school quarterbacks. football players increasingly, and I've said this, I can feel the NBA bit by bit seeping into the NFL. I love both, but they're different cultures.

And there is a reason, and this is substantial, that in a sport-like football where people tackle each other, we just had a 20-year dynasty, where careers last fewer than four years. We had a 20-year dynasty. In basketball, they don't tackle each other. In fact, they got rid of the hand check. You can barely brush each other. And yet, dynasties last like three years. How is it possible?

Because in basketball, you can't have the tough conversation with your star. Warriors were walking on eggshells for every moment after the first title of the Kevin Durant relationship. Belichick was barking at Brady. until the very end. It lasted six, seven times longer than NBA dynasties do now. I worry about that. In a sport where, let's be honest, there's a clock on it, sometimes on the sidelines, there's really hard conversations.

And we all sort of understand that, right? But what about the hard conversations outside of the game? Kyler Murray was pandered to. Arizona is now a disaster of a franchise. franchise. Russell Wilson, Denver, pander to. Yeah, bring all your coaches in the building. A disaster. Pandering doesn't work even with stars. Remember, NFL MVP's don't win Super Bowls. It is a collective. It is a team. Brock Purdy at the most important position. A seventh round pick. The last guy picked got him to the NFC championship. You have to have a team. You have a

team. It's a collective. The quarterback needs protection from his blindside. A running game. The right coordinator. Football players understand that. You go back to Troy Aikman, Jimmy Johnson, Belichick and Brady. You go back to Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Knoll. Those are years of tough conversations, not just on the sidelines, in meetings, in rooms. Like I understand in politics and sports and business. Sometimes cultures are too toxic. I mean, used to be able to grab players and slam them into the turf. That wasn't right.

The NFL didn't take, like, concussions seriously. That wasn't right. And there are moments that have been just too insensitive in business and sports. I agree. But what I worry about is the pendulum has swung so far the other way. I wonder if Baltimore is having this very issue, that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are struggling to have a hard conversation, which is Lamar, last two years, you've been hurt at the end of the year.

You've been a bad playoff quarterback. We don't care what Cleveland played Deshawn Watson. They're a terrible franchise. The Browns have been looking up at us forever. We don't care what they do with Deshawn Watson. We think you're better than Deshawn Watson, but we're not going to let the Browns set the precedent. I'm not saying that the, NFL shouldn't get better with concussions. I think they have. Even this year, improve.

I'm not saying the NFL shouldn't listen to players. It's not what I'm saying. It's a relationship, head coach and quarterback. But I do wonder when Brady says that to Belichick, and Belichick talked back to Brady about this, they had hard conversations, like really hard conversations, not just in games, all week, disagreed all the time. Tom didn't rush to scrub his social media account. Ask yourself this. Why does the NBA where careers last longer?

They've taken away the hard foul. They've taken away the hand check, the forearm in the back. Did dynasties last so briefly? Because you can't have the hard conversation. Pat Riley, LeBron James. Pat's like, no, we've got to have some real conversations here. LeBron didn't want him. He was out.

And LeBron's great. I'm not denying that. But ask yourself, how do we have a 20 year? 20 years. Average career, three and a half four. How do we have a 20 year dynasty? The Patriots won with a great receiver. They won without great receivers.

They won with a great defense. They won with good special teams. But they weren't the best team, but they were the team always willing to have hard conversations. It matters. It really does. and I worry that sometimes that's why I love this next story. Sean Payton yesterday. I loved every second of this.

Sean Payton yesterday, new coach of the Denver Broncos, very excited for this, was asked by the media about Russell Wilson's personal coach being in the building. And not only do I love the answer, but Sean Payton leaves no wiggle room, There is no pause. He's rolling his eyes and shaking his head as the question is answered. Here it is.

Russell Wilson had a personal coach, Jake Hughes, in the building with access, who wasn't on the staff. Yeah, I'm not too familiar with that. How do you feel about players having their own people off the staff in the building, access to players? Yeah, that's foreign to me. That's not going to take place here. I mean, I'm unfamiliar with it, but our staff will be here, our players will be here,

and that'll be it. hard conversation with Russell Wilson. And by the way, it's different now. Because Pete Carroll had been fired twice in the NFL as a head coach and had a losing record before Russell got there. So there were a lot of people, I was one of them that said, you know, maybe. Russell Wilson saved Pete Carroll's career. Then things changed.

Russell left and Pete still made the playoffs. And Russell was a disaster in Denver with a moment. much better roster. Here comes Sean Payton, who won winning record with Taysham Hill, Teddy Bridgewater. Forget Drew Brees where I won a Super Bowl. It's all different now. Listen, it's okay. I've seen my entire life.

Really great quarterbacks briefly have a really bad coach. But it never looked that bad. Hell, Baker Mayfield with Freddie Kitchens, look better than that. and Baker's not Russell Wilson. Justin Herbert came in with a coach that got fired and the worst offensive line in the league, 31 touchdowns, 10 picks as a rookie. Tom Brady went to Tampa, a dysfunctional organization, won a Super Bowl and a pandemic when they had no preseason. I'm not saying last year had to be great and pretty and efficient, but it was awful.

It's one of the worst offenses at league history. And I know Nathaniel Hackett was over his skis. It's okay. He's probably a great guy. Been told he's a great guy. He's just not an NFL head coach. He's an NFL coordinator. And maybe a great one. Maybe he'll turn the Jets offense around. But it can't look as bad as it looked in Denver. It can't be that bad. And it was awful. And so this is the classic example. No pandering by Sean Peyton. He would not mince words. He would not pause. He left no wiggle room. Yeah, I'm unfamiliar. familiar with that. That won't be happening here. No pandering. It's why the NFL is king, because MVPs don't win Super Bowls. It's a collective. It's a team. You coach hard. You talk hard. You make people uncomfortable. It's understood. And for the record, the player almost always benefits from it. Kyler Murray needs harder coaching. Russell Wilson this year needs competent, harder coaching. Brady acknowledges, I needed hard coaching. I loved hard coaching. That answer by

Sean Payton was absolutely perfect. He wouldn't even acknowledge the full question. Yeah, we won't beat. Nope, I'm not. That's for that. Yep. No, there's no. Uh-uh. We're not going to do that. That's exactly the way to handle it. The relationship has now changed. For years and years, I thought, you know, maybe Russell's saving Pete. Then Pete made the playoffs with Gino Smith, and I watched last year, coaches in the building, too many people in the building, the NFL do not pander. Tough questions, hard conversations. The player, for the record, almost always wins with that.

Andy Reid is acknowledged on this show. He'll bark at Patrick Mahomes regularly. And Patrick loves it and Patrick benefits from it. 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 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

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. Great to have you in today on a Tuesday, Nick Wright, top of next hour. So, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I grew up with, played forever. He was the Iron Man before LeBron James. and LeBron's about to surpass his all-time scoring record.

And he was interviewed a couple days ago on ESPN, and he talked about the accomplishment. Still mind-boggling to myself. I've never said I wanted to lead the league in scoring or for sure never said I wanted to be the all-time leader in scoring. I've never, it's never been like a dream of mine and to sit here and actually be on the board. brink of it happening. This is

it's pretty crazy. For me to be in the company with such a prominent, dominant force like Kareem was, it's an honor. So I always viewed Bill Russell as a defensive player. Even though it could score, I viewed Dennis Rodman as a rebounder and a defensive player. That was sort of his label. And then when I think of many of the great scores, MJ and Kobe and Dirk

Nevitsky and Carmelo Anthony, I think of them as offensive players, right? Carl Malone, offensive players. I've never viewed LeBron as an offensive player. I've always thought he's a stronger, more athletic version of Magic Johnson, and he's going to become the top scorer ever. Most scorers can really define their game on one or two go-to shots. LeBron doesn't have one. He doesn't have a go-to move.

he's not even a great perimeter shooter. He's good. He gets hot. He can be streaky. But he's very hot and cold, especially from deep. I've always thought the most amazing LeBron's stat is not a professional one. It's his last two years of high school. LeBron averaged about 28 points a game as junior year in high school.

So your first thought is he must have averaged 50 as a senior. No, he averaged just one point more. That's it. because LeBron's never really been about scoring. He's being completely forthright and honest here. And what's amazing is who he is surpassing. It'd be one thing if LeBron was surpassing Michael Jordan. You could make the excuse to defend MJ.

Well, MJ did retire for baseball for a couple years. MJ, then he retired a second time. He went to a cruddy team and didn't really passionately care. No, that's not what's happening here. LeBron is surpassing the Iron Man of Basketball before him, Kareem. And Kareem had the greatest shot to this day in league history, the unblockable skyhook, which he could hit with ease. In his last year, I imagine.

I don't recall his last year, but I recall the end of his career. Nobody was blocking the skyhook. Whereas players like Jordan at the end or Kobe are not as vertical, At the end, nobody's blocking Kareem Skyhook. And he was LeBron before LeBron. He played forever. And I view Kareem as the greatest individual score ever with the greatest shot. The fact that he's going to blow by him is amazing to me.

And I know there's a lot of critics out there. I get it. There's a lot of critics out there. But the league now is better than ever. it's now truly international. There are players playing now that were not in the league years ago, not just because of, you know, the time, the generation. The NBA was not an international league. It's more global.

It's longer. It's faster. The coaching's better. The players are greater athletes. There's more guys that can elevate and block shots. Now, I know they've eliminated the hand check, and that certainly helps. I'm not in any way, you know, taking that point. out. I'm not. I'm not eliminating that. It is easier to score today than it was, but it's not like

anybody was blocking Kareem. It's not like Kareem was facing a lot of peers. Early in his career, he was just simply bigger and more athletic than anybody else on the floor. But it's pretty remarkable to me that LeBron James, who I don't really view as a score first, though he's a great score, I view MJ as a score. He could play defense. I view Kobe. and Dirk as a score, wilt as a score, Kareem as a score. I always thought LeBron was like a stronger, faster version of Magic Johnson. Both had jump shots. Don't love either.

You know, Magic's jump shot was quirky looking and LeBron's, he goes cold very fast. Then he activates his, you know, drive to the basket game until he feels comfortable again. Then he goes back out to the outside. and heats up again. He's bailed on his jumper multiple times in his career to go score at the basket. But it is something. He doesn't have a go-to shot. He's hot and cold from the perimeter.

And he's a great distributor. And he's going to blow past Kareem. Like it's something. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You think he gets it tonight against OKC?

Be smart to milk it an extra day. I think it, yeah, I think he should milk it. Yeah, definitely milk it. Do it against the bucks. Janice. Oh. One of those. I think it's a Bucks Wednesday.

Someone will check me if I'm wrong. Is that in L.A.? Yeah. Because the last time they played, they played in a Friday night, if I recall, Milwaukee. Remember when the Lakers beat him on a Friday night in Milwaukee? Well, Lakers Bucks is going to be a big ticket

if that's a game Wednesday. Oh, not only because the scoring thing, it's the Bucks. It's Yonis. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, let's get to the Super Bowl. Just a few days away. Patrick Mahomes still has that high ankle sprain from the Jags game. Obviously, he looked great in the AFC championship,

but we don't know if he'll have. is mobility back for Sunday. Here's Mahomes on that ankle. You won't know. I mean, until you get out there in the game, I mean, I'm going to push it. I'll try to leave it on the line. I think y'all saw that in the last game that I played. But it's about relying on your teammates. And I've got a lot of great teammates around me and not trying to do too much. But I definitely will be in a better spot than I was at last game. You know what? Yesterday started changing my pick to Kansas City. I did. I started, yesterday I kind of started going in looking at a lot of the numbers.

Andy Reed, two weeks to prepare. They've been in this game multiple times. Philadelphia loses the coin flip, falls behind, gets a little anxious. In regards to Mahomes' ankle, if he's not 100%, he's going to be facing the team that's number two in pressure rate, number one in sacks. They had four guys with double-digit sacks. And if you remember the 49ers Super Bowl, where they were chasing him all game long, Eagles basically goes seven deep on the defensive line.

Remember Jordan Davis, who they drafted? did the great college player. Robert Quinn, remember they traded for him? We said he would have an impact at some point. It hasn't happened yet. And Domican Sue is like third string. Like, they've got depth on that defensive line to get after Mahomes and they don't have to blitz, Colin. If Mahomes is not close to 100%, this will be way tougher than Sam Hubbard and whatever the Bengals have. Well, Kansas City's offensive line, Creed Humphrey is the first or second best center, Joe Tunney's first or second best guard, which the Trace Smith has ended up being a real steel for them.

They've got more than capable left tackle. Pretty good offensive line by Kansas City. Pretty good. But the Eagles have the best defensive pass rush in the league. This is a lot of elite matchups. Eagles offensive line we consider to be the best in the league, right? Going against Chris Jones and Clark, this is just such a good game. Yeah.

A lot of the best players in this game are on the lines. You basically got also the two MVP leaders for BCC. basically the entire season. Jalen Hurtt, a quarterback, and Patrick Mahomes, who's eventually going to win the award. So I did bet the over yesterday, over 51. You think there'll be points? Yeah, because even if you don't like Kansas City, if they trail late, they're going to throw the ball a ton and they're capable of scoring quickly. So, yeah, that's, I think the over is probably the play. I am interested. First quarters of Super Bowl historically have been a little slow. Oh.

Did you listen to my podcast on the way into work today? Because I did bet this as well. Yeah. It's nine and a half is the line. Would you go under or over? I'd go under. It's going to be in that seven three range. Well, last year, remember Rams Bengals, there was no scoring for, I think, the first six or seven minutes,

touchdown and then a field goal in the final 30 seconds. Here is what, here is what, here's interesting about this game. We talked about this yesterday. We know what Kansas City wants to do. Kansas City wants Philadelphia to force them to throw the ball. They're going to, because what they don't want to do is have Mahomes set on the sideline and watch Miles Sanders run for 150 yards and Hertz run for 80. So that's what they don't want to do.

So you know what they want to do. Kansas City wants to score and take a lead. So you could see Andy off a by coming in, very aggressive offensively, very creative, with new looks, put the Eagles on their heel. Kansas City wants, now you say everybody wants to play with the league, but it may be the only way Kansas City win here, which is get ahead.

Well, I know, but you're talking about, like you said, if you do trail late with this Eagle D-line and they know you're passing, that is a tough matchup. These are two of the best coaches with the scripted plays, first quarter scoring. I think Chiefs are fourth and Eagles are fifth or vice versa. But these two teams get the ball,

and they're opening, drives are dynamite. So I took the over nine and a half. I could see 10 or 14 points in the first quarter. Boy, a lot of disagreement between us on the Super Bowl. No, I just think the way to beat Philadelphia is force that defense to not know what you're doing late. If Kansas City trails by 14 to start the fourth and that D-line knows they have to pass, game over. They'll just, they'll create too much of a pass rush. If you can keep Philly's defensive front on its heels a little, And you do that with a lead. If you think back to the Super Bowl Niners' Chiefs,

where the Niners did that the whole game, and then finally they uncorked the big play to Tyree Kill for, I think, 60 yards. Who's making that play for the Chiefs now? Because Tyree Kill, he ain't there. By the way, he killed the Eagles in their last meeting. Chief's Eagles last year. I mean, he had like 180-yard three touchdowns. Who's that guy in this game?

MVS? Juju, is he even back? I don't know if Hardman's going to be able to go. Cadarius Tony probably not going to play? They got some injuries at receiver, Colin. Got to check that injury report this week. All right, next up. What are we doing?

Nick Siriani and Andy Reid. They have some history together. I was not aware of this. Siriani was in KC in 2012, and then Andy Reid arrived. They fired Romeo Cronel. Siriani was the wide receivers coach, and Andy Reid fired him.

Something Siriani still remembers. Here's what he said. Andy came in because we weren't good enough in Kansas City. He stepped in and did an unbelievable job. Do you always have this little chip on your shoulder? Sure, yeah, I do. But that's who I am as a coach and as a person. I want to make sure I'm working my butt off to get as good as I possibly can.

And sure, you hold some of those things. Colin, they were 2 and 14. Okay, Andy Reid takes over. He's not keeping the wide receivers coach, you know? No. Siriani can act like he's Tom Brady getting drafted in the sixth round, but the reality is you're going to get canned. Yeah, years ago I went to a therapist.

His name was Peter. and he said something to me that I've tried to remember is that we tend to exaggerate how good days are when we're young and how bad days are. So Nick Seriani probably goes back to that and thinks, Andy just ran me out. The truth is, terrible team, you wouldn't keep a position coach. You just wouldn't do it.

So Seriani said that Andy treated him very well, but in his mind, he has created this scenario in which, Oh, he didn't respect me. It's incredibly healthy for professional success. It's not necessarily as healthy for personal happiness. But I think we tend to do this as we see these slights when we're young. And they're not really slights. Just companies have layoffs and companies make moves and companies hire somebody new and they bring in their own people.

If I started a company tomorrow, I'd bring in some people I'm familiar with. So it's funny that he's created a chip, but it's really self-created. There was, of course, you would be let go. It wasn't anything to do with Nick Seriani. So you remember I started the Big Lead website, right? I remember it very well. Yeah, you blew it up once. I sold the site, and then eventually they spun it off to another company.

So four years ago, this other company takes it over, and they talked to me about staying on, Colin. And ultimately, I'm like, yeah, we're crushing. We have a great game plan. We're doing well. And they come back to me, and they're like, okay, thank you for your service. You're fired from the site you started. And at the time, I was crushed like the New York Post. writes about it. I'm like, what the hell are they doing writing about this? I was devastated for

about a week and it ended up being one of the greatest things ever. Right. Because I spun it forward, started doing digital stuff here at Fox, picked up more stuff here at Fox and now here I am on the show. And yeah, career's going good. So you got to you got to spin it forward. Siriani, let's not remember it as the worst thing you. Yeah. And that company at the time was probably new owner comes in, has their people, looks at it and thinks we don't want to pay him and him and him will just pay our own people. It was nothing against you. But it's humbling getting fired. And in your mind, you created this. Oh, you don't respect me. I'm kind of back. You don't respect me. No, no, I'm definitely one of those guys, yes, especially on the basketball court. Final story,

speaking of hoops, the Mavs made the move for Kyrie Irving over the weekend, and Luca Donchich gets a wingman. Jason Kidd, who Kyrie Irving looked up to, said it was his favorite point guard going up. Here's Jason Kidd talking about Dallas's title chances with Kyrie in the mix. You look at his journey at other stops, just understanding he's won, you know, where he's gone. And so just understanding, we feel that the talent and his abilities to make us better or something that we need it. And so we feel that getting him is going to help put us in a position to win a championship. Speaking of revision, it's history. Kyrie Irving has won where he's gone?

What? What did he win? Oh, let me ask you this. What did he win in Boston? You're anti-Kyrie. I'm not anti. I'm a realist. That's what I am.

Did he or did he not with LeBron win in Cleveland? Yes, they won a championship. Did he or did he not? They actually won some games in Boston. It didn't go as well as they thought. Yeah, because he feuded with the young guys. Jason Tatum. But they won some games.

Did he or did he not this year? They were winning. Brooklyn. They won some games. Yes, after he did some nonsense on social media that ended up having to walk away from the team. Seems to me like he wins. Stop it. I could win, no, I can't win games in the NBA.

But I'm saying like a lot of guys win games in the NBA. Is Kyrie Irving, I'm going to ask you point blank. Is Kyrie Irving a winning basketball player? Whereas Zach Lafine's not, I can, and Russell Westbrooks, not in the postseason. I can argue to defend Kyrie. in the postseason, yes, he can be a winning basketball player in the postseason. I watched that journey with Cleveland multiple years. Westbrook, because NBA playoff basketball, as you know, becomes half-court basketball.

Kyrie's an exceptional half-court player. He creates his own shot. He's an excellent shooter. Westbrook is not. Westbrook gets a lot of freebie stuff in the full court. So the idea, Zach Levine, again, a lot of freebie stuff in transatlose. transition. My argument to Kyrie, in half-court playoff basketball, he can be a lethal player. No doubt about it. Luca can be a lethal half-court player. It's interesting how Kyrie's

had such a charmed career, huh? He gets to play with LeBron James, who is the greatest basketball player to walk the planet. He gets to play with Kevin Durant, who is probably top 20 player all time, top 15. He played with Jason Tatum, who is certainly a top three player in the league right now, top three or four. And now he's playing with Luca Donchich, for my money, is the best player in the league right now. Sure is fortunate how Kyrie Irving always gets to play with just unbelievable talents, huh? Lucky guy. It's like me. I get to work with you. You're very lucky. You know, just one of the premier radio guys in the country. For the record, he won a championship with LeBron James. You can't blame him for, you can't blame him for Brooklyn. Hardin came in

out of shape. You can't blame him for Brooklyn? Hardin quit on the team. Why don't we ask James Harden, what him and Kyrie Irving were fighting over in the locker room that Hardin said, get me the hell out of here. That's the reason Hardin left. Kyrie, he definitely screwed up Brooklyn. A lot of people didn't like that vaccination. How many demand a trade in Brooklyn? Two. How many playoff series did he win, Colin? He got swept by the Celtics last year. Well, Celtics were great last year. A great team. You're on like defending Kyrie down. I'm just saying. Okay. He is kooky. But there's.

Don't tell me he's not an asset. Don't tell me he's not a great player. He's a great talent. Okay. I'm rooting for Luca, so unfortunately I have to root for them. Bottom line, if they play tomorrow, are you watching it? I'm watching it. Totally into it.

Totally into it. I watched Uncle Drew, which was a good basketball movie. Have you seen that? With Kyrie? I have not. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd Line News. I don't have to love everything about somebody, but I can acknowledge they're good at blank. That's okay. I mean, there's a lot of people that drive me crazy, but I can say, boom. That, that, that, I, in my business, there's people that can drive me crazy, but you say, oh, they're really good at that. They're really good at that. It's like, you know, it's like, Draymond Green, he punched a guy. He's terrible. He's the best defensive player in the league the last 10 years. That's not even debatable. If you watch the Warriors play, he's the catalyst on many possessions. You have to love everything about him.

He's not an elite score. What's the average seven a game? But defensively, catalyst, on-court intelligence, a nuisance to other stars. I used to defend Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman did a lot I didn't like. In his prime, he was great, rolling into magic and grab it and push it. I don't have to love everything about everybody. But Kyrie, offensive player, baller.

like unbelievable talent. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up On Game. What is Up on Game, you ask?

Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 a little kill? 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 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 cracks. 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. We're going to the Super Bowl. Take a look at our amazing set in Arizona.

We'll be there Thursday and Friday right outside State Farm. Farm Stadium. Great guests getting ready for Eagles and Chiefs. Catch it all this week right here on the herd. Very powerful set. A lot of wimpy sets out there. This is not a wimpy sets. A lot of power. Have you seen the guest list yet? I have not. I am only concerned about what's going on up here and what I talk about. The guest list is the guest list. Whatever it is. So I saw this yesterday. Field Yates. That's a great name. Field Yates. I love that name. It's a good football name too, isn't it? It covers football. He has the Chiefs and the Eagles.

He's showing the similarity. And for our radio audience, they were both 16 and 3. They both scored 546 points. They both have six all pros, including a Kelsey. And they were both their conferences, respective number one seat. And Andy Reid coached both. So the NFL's always been a copycat. league. I mean, at one point, I always think this is funny, the wildcat caught on.

It wasn't that long ago where you hiked the ball, not to your quarterback, to a running back, even New England experimented with the wildcat. And they had Brady. So this league has been copying each other. College football, everybody looks a little different. It feels like NFL, if something works, everybody copies it. So the NFC's last two teams, the Niners and the Eagles are about great rosters. They have unconventional quarterbacks. Jalen Hertz runs more than historic averages as a quarterback, and Brock Purdy was a seventh round last guy picked on the board.

The NFC was about great rosters. The AFC's last two teams were about great quarterbacks with offensive coaches, and their rosters have some holes. So my question, if Kansas City wins the Super Bowl, does it send the message that and I think this is a strong current message in the NFL, if you have a great quarterback and a great coach, it doesn't matter about the roster. I mean, last year, McVehan Stafford,

they had holes in the roster. They had a great coach. Quarterback was playing great. They won the Super Bowl. Cincinnati had holes all over its roster last year. They had an offensive coach, good weapons, great quarterback. But if Philadelphia wins, Jason McIntyre has suggested this,

Does it send the message that don't pay a fortune for your quarterback? Keep drafting them. And if you get a guy that's competent and you have a stacked roster, you can win in this league that way too. Just keep drafting competent quarterbacks and don't pay them anything. Because the Niners roster is only possible because they don't pay Trey Lance and they don't pay Brock Pretty. And the Eagles roster is only possible because Jalen Hertz hasn't gotten the bag yet. So I do think it's something that Jason McIntyre submitted a couple of weeks ago, and it sounds crazy.

Like, don't worry about the quarterback. Don't worry about it. Just draft one every year. And eventually you'll get somebody that is competent. Could be Max Duggan at TCU. And you don't have to pay him. If he's competent, you got the right offensive coach. Stack the roster.

Jared Goff got to a Super Bowl before they paid him. After they paid him, couldn't beat the Niners. So here's my question, though. Is it possible that as we view Kansas City as great coach, great quarterback, a lot of holes in Philadelphia, just about the roster mostly? The Kansas City is a little more talented than we think. So I do this before every big game. I do the top 10 players. Let's go to 12 with this one because there's so many great players in this game.

The top 12 players in this game. It's only a 7 to 5 Philadelphia advantage. And three of the first four and four of the first six are chiefs. Mahomes won, Travis Kelsey, 2, Jason Kelsey, the best center in football, and maybe all time is three. Chris Jones, Lane Johnson, Creed Humphrey. Those guys are, those are Hall of Fame level, best at their position. And then it's a bunch of eagles. A.J. Brown, Hassan Reddick, who I overlooked in the NFC championship, J.

Hertz, Darius Slay, Joe Tuny, a guard for Kansas City, and Brandon Graham. So it's only seven to five. Now, you can say, well, A.J. Brown should be higher. There's a lot of good players in this game. James Bradbury is a very, very good corner. Frank Clark is very good. There's a lot of good players. You get to the end of it. It's just, you know, I got to put Joe Tuny on there. He's arguably the best guard in football. He's got to make the list somewhere. And I looked, overlooked Hassan Redick and got burn for that, so I'll put him back up there. But is Kansas City better than we think? We view the Eagles as having a dominant roster, but they score the same number of points,

and Kansas City had to play the playoff Jags twice and the playoff Chargers twice and the Cincinnati Bengals twice and the Buffalo Bills. I don't know. I just just a thought on that. I need to see that list again because I thought I saw Jalen Hur. Hertz somewhere around number eight. That can't possibly be right. So, okay, Jalen Hertz is nine.

So the guy who was the MVP favorite for most of the season, who has the second best Super Bowl odds to be MVP, Jalen Hertz, who's going to command a massive contract because of how good he's been. Maybe. This year making a big leap from last year. He's the ninth best player in the Super Bowl? Let me ask you this. Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, is arguably the greatest quarterback ever.

Kelsey, the greatest tight end ever. The other Kelsey, the greatest. the center ever. Chris Jones, the best interior lineman in the game. Lane Johnson, arguably best right tackle in 10 years. Creed Humphrey, the second best center, although he grades is the first. A.J. Brown's a top six or seven elite receiving talent. We don't consider Jalen Hertz a top five, six quarterback in this league. Wait a minute. He was the MVP favorite for much of the season. Oh, interesting word. Much of the season. I mean, until he got hurt in like week 13 or whatever. saying today.

Right. Today, I'll give you Mahomes. At 80%. We don't know that he's 80%. Well, did you watch him in the game against? That was nine days ago, wasn't it? Well, well, I'm saying this list is based on what I'm seeing now. I'll give you my homes, obviously.

I'll give you Jason Kelsey. Oh, thank you. Yes, Kelsey. Thank you for giving me the best quarterback. I'll give you both Kelsey brothers. I can't put Chris Jones ahead of Jalen Hertz. I cannot. Can Jalen Hurd?

I put Lane Johnson ahead of Chris Jones. When Lane Johnson's out, the Eagles offensive line, it just falls apart. He is a transcendent player. Lane Johnson isn't currently healthy. Chris Jones ate Cincinnati alive. By the way, do you know what Jalen Hertz's playoff passerating is? My staff just told me my ear. I mean, he's played in three games.

92. Two of them he was hurt and one was against the Tampa Bay defense last year on the road. 92. In his first playoffs. 92. Listen. Okay. Maybe I'm taking crazy pills.

Not his best player in the game. In this game, yes. He's not 100%. Bold. Hour to next. 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 I-Heart 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 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 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, unfills 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.