The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The Chiefs are the favorites

Episode Date: February 16, 2023

Why the Chiefs should be considered Super Bowl favorites for next seasonIt's way past time for Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy to be a head coach The Lakers are now playoff contenders  See 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,

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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,

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Thursday. It's going to be my favorite show of the week. Monday was pretty good. Live in L.A., it's the herd. Home of the Lakers. That was interesting last night, tasty. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening,

IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio F.S.1. I do not want to overreact. I do not want to be living in the moment. But did you see that last night? Got a team. Flexibility, Lakers. Lakers? You're impressed with the win over the Pels?

Really a head turner last. Anthony Davis is back in air quotes. Give me a break. All right. We got a lot to talk about today. We got lots to talk about. So sports and society, but let's stick to sports, are always trying to legislate even and fair.

Never been a bigger gap between the rich and the poor. You can't. Go ahead, tax the rich people more. Whatever. my entire life I've watched this in sports. Legislate, take away this, give to that in sports. And yet the Yukon Women Basketball, Alabama Football, New England Patriots, Golden State Warriors, have the most impressive dynasties I can recall in the last 50 years. I mean, warriors have been great for like nine, ten years.

Patriots 20 years. Yukon Women's Basketball, hell on that thing last. Bama football was the greatest dynasty ever. They are trying. Oh, NCAA, baseball. Everybody's trying. How many years in a row of the Dodgers won their division? They're not a dynasty because they only have one World Series,

but I mean, how many years in a row? You can't legislate even in sports. People aren't evenly smart, evenly talented, evenly inspired. You can't do it. Kansas City's a dynasty. And they're not going anywhere. They're smarter. They're more talented.

I mean, they're very unique. We have not had back-to-back Super Bowl. champ since 2004. They're in a very unique spot. Took them a few years to get it all right, but they don't have any holes in their roster. They have no big impending free agent

losses. They get the best coach back and the best arguable defensive coordinator back. Mahomes is young, ascending, doesn't have an ego. They have all sorts of young players' fourth most rookie snaps in the NFL. And next season, they get a quirky

scheduling break where they get the bills at home, the dolphins at home, the Bengals at home, and the Eagles at home. They get a huge scheduling break. So once again, they're going to be playing playoff games at Arrowhead. It was different with the Rams. You could kind of see it coming, right? McVeigh, Whitworth, Donald, all-talking retirement. They pushed all their chips in.

They were paying golf and Matt Stafford. You could see an aging roster. They gave up draft capital. You could see it was a little top-heavy. Top-heavy means in any industry it could topple. The Buccaneers the year before, your quarterback's 45. It's a weird organization. There's no history of sustained greatness.

It was an aging roster and then a bunch of free agents that had to get paid. Kansas City's different. They're different. Tons of rookies who aren't getting paid for years. A quarterback that's the best, a coach that's the best, a defensive coordinator who's seen every offense in the league. their staffs in A-plus, the coach in A-plus, the quarterback in A-plus, the draft capital, 11 picks, the GM just found a star running back in the seventh round. They don't have any big free agent dollars that are going to screw them.

They actually have a pretty good cap space situation. I don't see this going backwards. And I find the AFC is much easier to predict. In fact, this year in the AFC, I not only picked two divisions right, I got them purse. Perfect, one through four. It's not because I'm smart. It's a quarterback conference now. I can tell you right now, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Jacksonville are favored to win next year and should be favored to win.

They have star quarterbacks. NFC's wild. It's more rosters over quarterbacks. We know San Francisco and Philly are loaded, but Jalen Hertz gets hurt. This year he did. Minshawk him in. Gardner Minshoot. They couldn't win games.

So this feels very golden state to me. is that I've got brain power everywhere without a lot of egos. Mahalms and Steph Curry. You get great, but selfless, not a lot of egos, self-deprecating, married, kids. And that's where it all starts. You don't have a lot of egos here. I don't see any holes in the roster. Golden State this year has had a little apathy on the defensive end,

but you really think the playoffs come. They're going to be awful. I mean, they've been running this thing back for nine years, barring any injuries. they'll be really good again. I just think this organization, quarterback head coach, GM, ego, what blew up the Lakers dynasty? You know, if you start looking at what blows stuff up, it's apathy, it's ego. You can't sustain it because a lot of times you have a bad owner or a goofy owner.

You look at the Warriors and you look at the Chiefs, it looks the same to me. Here was Patrick Mahomes yesterday in Kansas City at the mic. Before we start this season, the AFC West said we were rebuilding. I'll be honest with you. I don't know what rebuilding means. And I'm rebuilding you. We're world champs. And before I give it to the main show, Travis Kelsey, I just want to let y'all know that this is just the beginning.

We ain't done yet. By the way, it's cocky. He's six Coors lights in and he's 27 years old. He's having fun. You're allowed one day of the year. Tom Brady did tequila almost fell into the water. Almost through the Lombardi trophy in the water. You got to have a few Coors Lights in the day you win and talk smack.

I'll give you that. All right. So I don't overreact. But all you Russell Westbrook fan boys, last night was the first game with LeBron, all the new guys, know Westbrook. Look at the assist numbers, the spacing. They played 10 guys, big minutes, flexibility, shooters, people willing to set a pick and

rebound, not about themselves. I know, I know, Colin, you don't like Westbrook. Don't know him as a guy. Don't like him as a half-court player. He's a guard that can't shoot, defend, set a pick, handle the ball. Yeah, other than that, he's fantastic. Did you watch him last night? This was a real team.

Ten deep. Youth. Rebounding. When Anthony Davis has engaged, he's a top 15 player in the league, maybe top eight. LeBron James is still a top six or seven player. That was a real team last night with a real bench, Reeves, Schrooter, Mobamba, Rui Hachamura. It's like real players. By the way, LeBron didn't even play a lot of minutes.

Rui didn't shoot well. either to Beasley. That was enjoyable to watch. The spacing. It wasn't toxic. It wasn't LeBron dependent. Addition by subtraction is a real thing. That's why the term exists.

Guards that can't shoot, defend, set a pick, bad handles, hurt teams. There's no reason to pick on Westbrook, but it is a reality of his game. LeBron played his fewest minutes that he has played all season. And yet it was the second or third best. I've seen them play. They played one game earlier this year at Milwaukee. They were on fire on a Friday night. This could have been the second, third best game they've played.

The West is wide, wide open. Even Golden State, due to injuries, is down a bit, not playing the defense. They did. So, I mean, listen, I look at the West right now, and I look at the entire NBA, and there's the big four. These teams should be favored for the final. It's Milwaukee. Boston, Golden State will get it right, and Phoenix.

I think KD is going to hit immediately. I think they're going to be sensational immediately. Those are the big four. Then there's a group I would call don't ignore. Very good. Philly, Cleveland, Denver, Memphis Clippers. Are the Lakers capable of getting into that group? Because you know health is a factor.

Jason Tatum in the finals wore down. they were leading that series and had control, and then they weren't. We know that Chris Middleton got hurt last year. Not the same Milwaukee team. Steph Curry's hurt. Warriors aren't the same. Chris Paul and KD. get hurt.

A lot of things could happen to that big four. Can the Lakers get into the don't ignore group? I don't know. LeBron played the fewest minutes. They didn't shoot the ball from three very well, even the free throw line, and they look good. Great early, good late, spacing, blocks. I mean, you and I know, LeBron's still a top five player,

and you and I know that AD when engaged, he was last night, it's a top 10 player. I don't know. Listen to LeBron. Seemed very optimistic after last night. Right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. I mean, it's going to take some time for us to get to know one another. But I know they play the game at a high.

level. I feel really good about what we have brewing, but it's going to take a lot of commitment from us going down the stretch. So I look forward to that. I just love who we was able to pick up. Let's look at the Lakers schedule. I see a lot of Ws here. I see the Houston Rockets and a lot of the Bulls and the Raptors and Orlando Magic and see Utah Jazz a couple of times. By that point, Phoenix will be resting Duran. At the end of the season, they play the Clippers and the Sons. Durant and Chris Paul will be resting. Kauai and Paul George will be resting.

Looks like a four or five, six game winning streak to close the season. I'm just telling you, you can see good early. You can see it quick. That looked pretty good to me. Multiple bodies, defenders, flexible, shooters, LeBron, not overly LeBron dependent last night. AD was even in a good mood. Man, good to be in.

in L.A. It's going to be a very interesting May and June. J. Mack, go ahead. Be cynical. Go ahead. Stop laughing. I think it was... Coward, over the mood for the Lakers after a win over the Pell's. I've been banging on them for four years. Yeah. By the way, I love the don't ignore section. The Denver Nuggets. Don't ignore them. Number one seen in the West by like five games. Number one in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Joker averaging a triple double. He's a center.

No big deal. Don't. ignore the Denver Nuggets. They're going to beat the Lakers in the first round. We will have to have a gentleman's bet on the show. I don't know what it would be. Nothing to involve hair this time. You putting your money on the Nuggets? Yeah, I will.

I'll back it up with my money. I think you should bet Creighton again, because I don't think that's a championship, too. Listen, Colin, you really don't ignore Denver and you love the Lakers? Oh, by the way, I forgot how many playoff series for Rui Hachimura? How about DeAngelo Russell? Very battle tested in the postseason, right? I don't know.

Rui's coming off the bench. All I need is 14 a night from DeAngelo Russell. I don't know. You guys think I'm crazy on this. I saw stuff I haven't seen in three years since the bubble team. Shooters, depth, rebounders, picks, spacing. I thought I saw Anthony Davis during a timeout last night texting his real estate agent. Look for me something in Dallas, Texas, or Portland, Oregon.

Give me a break. You love spending that time and long checkout lines at the grocery store. You just think I'm a homer. I've been banging on the Lakers for three years. I've been on them for three years. That was encouraging as heck last night. 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 which I'll say it. 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 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-tapped 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 yeah, yeah, yeah. 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 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. Now entering the No Bull Zone, sponsored by credible great rates and under the Bull. So there's been a lot of talk.

A lot of talk about Eric B.N. He was a great college football player. And I think I voted for Eric Beenemy for the Heisman when he was at Colorado. I believe I did. I think I did. And now he's an offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, the current dynasty in the NFL. But he's not getting interviews and looks for head coaches, not the kind you'd like. Now, there's a story today.

He's going to interview for the offensive coordinator job for the awful Washington commander organization. and leave Kansas City. So there he will call plays, and therefore then he will be qualified to be a head coach. Oh, boy. First of all, as a head coach, you do not need to be a great play caller. Brian Dayball did not call plays. He just won coach of the year. Nick Seriani gave up play calling.

He got the Eagles to the Super Bowl. So once you become a coach, I don't need your play calling. You have to be able to spot, seek, and find one. None of my bosses at ESPN were broadcasters, and none of my bosses at Fox are broadcasters. They have the ability to watch them, judge talent, and then say, I think they're good at that, a skill I don't have. Let's hire them. They were never broadcasters. Most bosses who have to hire, most CEOs who hire, Steve Jobs was not the great engineer.

Steve Wozniak was. Jobs was the visionary. Jobs was good with social conflict and figuring things out. He wasn't close to one of the best engineers at Apple. As an NFL head coach, can you build culture? Can you inspire? Are you organized? Can you manage other coaches?

There's a term in the NFL called walk-around coach. Many of the great ones like Jimmy Johnson, that's what they do. They walk around to units all day. tweaking. Bad habit. Stop that. Good habit. Repeat that. That's what they do. They manage coaches. Nick Sabin now overwhelmingly does that. He just coaches coaches, not calling plays. In fact, I would argue calling plays is often a detriment. Now, Andy Reed does. Designs draws them up. But let me ask you this. where are you going to learn more? Next to greatness with Mahomes and Andy Reid or calling plays for Sam Howell.

I guess my point is, why do you have to be a great play caller to be a great coach? 75, and I'm throwing that number out, it's probably higher. 75% of great play callers that become coaches get fired. They stink. So it clearly isn't play calling that makes you a great coach. It's humanity. It's leadership. Can you inspire?

My two qualities to be a great coach. And I don't know if Eric B. Enemy has them, but he certainly could. Can he inspire well and can he hire well? That's what makes a great coach. That's it. Do you inspire and do you hire at a high level? Andy Reed inspires and hires. You hear his players.

You hear players talk about Andy Reed. That's Andy Reed. That's why we win. And I know he hires well because he had spags. By the way, Doug Peterson was there. And if you go look it up, Peterson sometimes called plays, but Andy draws him up. It's Andy system.

He creates him. And then occasionally he lets you call him. That's not what it sounds like it is. I don't know if Eric B. Enemy is going to be a great. coach. Joe Judge got a head coaching job in the NFL. He won't an offensive guy or a defensive guy. He's a special teams guy. A year in, he was completely over his skis. Sounded good. Adam Gase, by the way, there's a great play caller. Players didn't like him. Matt Patricia, high IQ,

aerospace engineer. Players in Detroit didn't like him. He couldn't, he couldn't inspire. Adam Gase couldn't inspire. So are you secure enough as a human being? being to hire people, I always think this is a great quality. Can you hire people who are smarter than you or significantly better than you at many things? That's a good boss. There's the old saying, A's higher A's and B's higher C's. Is Eric B. enemy securing himself enough that he could go out and say, I don't know that.

I'm going to hire that. I think he is. But the idea that you learn more surrounded by. Washington and Sam Howell, then you learn from Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes in that organization, I don't buy it. We know the history of the NFL. It's one of the spots they're not very good at sometimes, oftentimes. But don't tell me you've got to be a great play caller.

Eric B. Enemy has played the game. He has had to in huge games at times make big, big calls. working with Mahomes. Phil Jackson, by the way. He didn't invent the triangle. That was Tech's winner. What did Phil Jackson do? What was his label?

The Zen Master. He got Kobe and Shaq to get along. Go read the book, Three Ring Circus. It's unbelievable how much chaos there was during the Kobe Shack run. I mean, every day at practice. He kept him together. Should have won four titles. Carl Malone got hurt.

He was the Zen master. Steve Kerr. By the way, very similar. Learn from Phil Jackson. He's always had a defensive guy. A Mike Brown, a Ron Adams. You do the defense. He's got Steph quarterbacking on the court.

You can't tell me Bienemy couldn't be a good head coach. I don't want to hear about the play calling. Dable didn't do it. Sariani gave it up was a better coach. Can you inspire well? Can you hire well? I'm going to guess Eric Bienerty can. J. Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. The BNemi one's really interesting. It's a fascinating discussion. I didn't hear a final answer. Should he take the Washington O.C.? No.

No. No. Listen, A, he deserves a chance to be a head coach. But secondly, the reason we're giving, I think is baloney. Listen, I would love if you did call plays at a high level. But the minute you're a head coach like Brian Daibel, I don't want you, Colin, plays. So the only thing with the Daible comparison, Colin, is he was under a defensive head coach in McDermott,

who was never going to overrule Daible when it came to an offensive thing with Alan. Right. And Alan came in and was like, eh, and then all of a sudden, boom, he's a superstar. That ain't on McDermott. That's on Daibald. How much can we attribute the Patrick LaHolmes greatness to Eric B. Enemy? And I think the only answer comes from people inside KC, and it's probably like 90%

and Andy Reed and maybe 5%. I don't know if he's going to work. But I've watched guys get jobs. Freddie Kitchens, Joe Judge. Yeah, but they're gone in a year or two. Do you want that if you're Biennesty? No, but he should at least be given the opportunity, considering he's coming like Joe Judge from a dynasty, a legendary coach.

And by the way, Bienemy was also, I don't know, I don't know why he had just done. He was a great college player at Colorado. I remember that. He, a lot, listen, a lot of people in the internet want to make it about, you know, he's an African-American coach. He's not getting a chance, blah, blah, blah. He interviewed for five jobs in 2021. And I looked at those jobs that he had interviewed for. One of them, the coach is going to stay on for sure.

Three of them, those coaches could get fired this year. So the question is, do you want to leave and maybe get fired in three years or do you want to wait for the best opportunity? No, I think you want the opportunity. If you're really good at something, you don't think you're going to get fired. I would take a job for three years and roll the dice. He's an athlete. Of course he wants the opportunity. Reed's had coaches like Childress left, Spagnolo left.

They had their chance. They failed. They came back. There's very few great owners, GMs, coaches, quarterbacks. There's about six of all of them in the league. And I'm not joking. There's about six great coaches, about six great coordinators, about six great owners. It's just the rule.

It's the real estate rule. There's about 10% great, 10% pretty good. And then it's just stuff, right? Yeah. And so I'm not saying BNME is going to crack into the great. It's an opportunity question, not a great question. He's just been around so much greatness in a dynasty. By the way, Mike Brown was the defensive.

Mike Brown in the NBA, they do a better job giving opportunities. Mike Brown was a coach, got fired in Cleveland. He went and coached the Warriors' defense, got another chance. By the way, the Warriors' defense isn't as good this year without Mike Brown. It's gone into the tank. So it's like Mike's getting second chances. My takeaway is when's Eric get his first? It's tough.

All right, let's go to Lamar Jackson, his future in Baltimore. Still kind of murky, no contract extension in sight. Ravens are expected to hand out the franchise tag, but the team did not give any assurances to prospective offensive coordinator candidates that Lamar would be their quarterback in 2023 before they eventually hired Todd Munkin. Fox bet has the Ravens the favorite at minus 200. So, you know, to the layman. Overwhelming thing.

You got to bet 200 bucks to win 100. the Jets are after that followed by Saints Colts dolphins lurking. Let me tell you some. Again, let's be clear. You and I both agree. 2030, he's staying in Baltimore. Yes, but when you look at all those teams, which one fits better, he fits in all of those. All of those teams would be significantly better with Lamar Jackson.

The Jets would be better tomorrow. The Saints would be better tomorrow. For anybody that doubts Lamar Jackson, go look at the teams on this list right now. Every single one would be significant. The Dolphins? Can you imagine I got Waddle, Tyreek, and Lamar? It'd be a track team. You know who wouldn't be better?

Baltimore. They would create her to like a six-win team next year if they lost them. If you want to know if a guy's a franchise quarterback, Jet Saints Colts Dolphins, immediately are playoff teams or at least feel like it. He solves multiple issues. Now let's remember the other side of that coin is, once you get him and you are better,

you've got to pay him. And then in a year or two, you've got to start shedding talent. Whether it's on the outside, in the trenches, just as we saw, Patrick Mahomes, they've got to lose some guys. And they rebounded quickly because they have a great GM. He became an MVP in this league with running back by committee and average receivers. They had good tight ends. They had the kid now that plays. Mark Andrews?

Yeah, Mark Andrews. But they had the other Hayden Hurst. Yeah. Okay. MVP of the league with average receivers and running back by committee and not an offensive coach. You guys can keep doubt in Lamar Jackson. Jets get him tomorrow. When you wake up tomorrow, if the Jets sign him overnight,

what would you feel like? I'm buying some futures in the Jets, but also I'm looking at Las Vegas tickets for the Super Bowl next year if the Jets get a Lamar Jackson. And by the way, the Jets would absolutely immediately be in the Buffalo Miami class the second he hires. They're not quite, they wouldn't be Kansas City. No, but they would be in the next group. Absolutely. And we both think Buffalo's coming down a little bit.

Yes. Next year. All right, next up, this is comical. The Cowboys, obviously they've got big decisions to make this offseason, especially in the backfield. So Tony Pollard, who had that bad injury in the final game of the season, he's an unrestricted free agent. And, oh, by the way, Zeke Elliott's contract is scheduled to count 16 million against the cap.

Cowboys legend, Emmett Smith, believes the team needs to keep both running backs. Here's Emmett Smith. I'm keeping both. I may franchise tag Pollard, and I may go for a contract restructure with Zeeke. But I'm keeping both, and the reason why is because we've got to get Pollard back healthy. We need Zieg. We need Malik as well. We need that three-headed monster right now to rotate. Malik gives us a chance to get Pollard time, to get back healthy again.

Now, it's possible, but did Zeke Elliott forget this big running back need that they are paying Dak Prescott a ton of money to be their quarterback? Is there any way they could get rid of Zeke's contract or are they trapped? I think they're trapped. My gut tells me Jerry will not let that happen. Again, I've never spent a second in the Dallas locker room. Everything you read and talk to. Isaiah Pacheco, seventh round.

They're running back. Elijah Mitchell, sixth round. They're running back. Remember for years, the Seahawks had that seventh rounder out of Oklahoma State. He got banged up a little bit. Is it Carson? Big kid. Carson, yeah, yeah.

Whatever's name is. But I'm with you. You can find running backs. anywhere. The problem is Jerry has an intimate relate. Him in secret tight. He talks him up all the time. Remember I said, you can't fall in love with a house? You can't fall in love with these players. This is a business. Yeah. You lose. I think

you can fall in love with a star quarterback and a star coach. Everybody else like. You can fall in love with Mahomes and Andy Reid. I'll give you that one. I think everything else in this league you got to like. Yeah, this idea that we need to pay both Zach and Pollard and Dax getting a ton of money.

And are the receivers good after C.D. Lambcom? I don't. They don't have a... Michael Gallup can disappear. I like him, but he can disappear. Yeah. All right, final story. This is a bummer. Ben Simmons. You and I have talked about him privately. He's really struggling right now. He is on that struggle bus, and he's not even relevant in the NBA right now. Kevin Durant and Kyrie are gone. Simmons has an opportunity to kind of, you know, become a star once again.

But Ben Simmons has no idea what his role is with the new... look nuts. Here's what he said. Everything's been changing all year, so it's really hard to understand what's going on. Hopefully we can find some rhythm and consistency. It's different. It's a different experience coming off the bench. So whatever the team needs from us, I'm willing to do that. Nobody wants to play

with him. K.D. was recently quoted saying I had to get out of there. I couldn't play with him. This is a lost cause. Dary gets executive of the decade being able to get rid of him. Philadelphia now is viable because he's not there. I was trying to think of a

Say what you want about Westbrook. Westbrook plays his arse off. He plays hard. He's trying. Yeah. Westbrook's got flaws, but he plays hard. Ben's in his own head. He's indifferent.

He doesn't know what he wants to be. The worst. He doesn't want to shoot the ball. He's passive. He knows everybody's looking at him and waiting. This guy was an all-NBA player in 2020. No, he's a complete bust. He's, it's a bust.

It doesn't work. I can't think of somebody who's fallen this far after beat. Like, he was a top 15 NBA player. No, people believed, I remember Doug Gottlieb told me this, basketball people felt he, after LeBron, he would be, he would be the greatest, like, one and done guy entering the league. Like, he had that kind of, it was a 610 point guard. He was like Magic Johnson. Who could defend and was a brilliant passer. He had kind of a LeBron feel like, I mean, like, he would immediately be an elite defender and elite passer at like 19 years old after LSU.

His frame was ready. But the big red flag early was in. At LSU, they didn't even make the tournament. Like, he didn't elevate the play. He's not a leader. He was like, that's weird. But then he came into the NBA. He was a good, all NBA, 20, 20, 13.

So that means you're like a top 15, top 20 player in the league. He's not a top 100 player right now, Colin. It's coming off the bench playing like 14 minutes a night. Wow. And McCall Bridges had a nice game last night. Ben Simmons, not so much. You know who had a good game last night? I don't know if you paid attention.

The Lakers. Pelicans buzzsaw came into town. Buzz off. Zion, Zion played right. Oh, no, he did not. That's right, Zion did not play. You guys can be cynical.

That's not the show I represent. I represent positivity and optimism. On a... Glass half full calling on a Thursday. Okay. Jay Mack with a news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly News. Oh, my God. New York's already picking on Aaron Rogers. I will be here to defend Aaron Rogers. Maybe not. Oh, oh, oh. We got good stuff today. You know that Eagles play they do?

People are finally being honest and speaking out about that rugby scrum. What, the fourth and one, third and one play? You don't want it? People already talking. They're getting rid of that thing. You watch. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hi, this is Jay Glazer, and you may know me for the world of football or fighting or even shows like HBO's ballers.

What you don't know is for my entire life, I have lived in something. I refer to as the gray. Depression, anxiety. So now I'm coming out with a new podcast. Unbreakable, a mental health podcast with Jay Glazer, where each week, while we talk about mental health, I hope to describe it. Give it words.

Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer 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 huge. 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my job, 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 had...

They 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 camp? 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 all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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.

Yes. 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. Sunday, the 2003 NASCAR regular. season gets underway

with the Great American Race. The Daytona 500 Sunday at 230 Eastern, only on Fox and the Fox Sports app. I'm going to ski Sunday. Come off the slopes and watch it. I hope you watch it as well. I will not be skiing next week.

My family will be skiing. I will not be skiing. Oh, that's so strange. I'll be hanging out inside, working on some takes, maybe an NFL mock draft. Okay, I'm okay with that. Do my taxes. So the Steelers. is Cam Hayward, an excellent player. He was on a podcast. He does not like that rugby scrum. The Philadelphia Eagles now use six or seven times a game that's an automatic first down.

I don't necessarily have a problem with anything that's an automatic first down, but the NFL has a history of not wanting things that are automatic. A great example is the PAT. The PAT was automatic, like 98%. The NFL said that's boring. Let's move the P. BAT back. It's now not automatic. You know, they want the kickoffs to mostly go out of the end zone, but they don't make it too easy to avoid violence, right? That's a lot of injuries on the kickoff, but they don't make it an automatic. There are still returns. It's still a big kick. PAT, move it back. We don't want automatic.

This is an automatic first down. The NFL has a history on this. They want to keep you in front of the TV set. They don't want things to be easy or you can't defend them. So Cam Hayward was talking about this, this kind of scrum thing the Eagles have found highly effective on his podcast. It's illegal and then they're never set. It's legal. If you watch it, the O linemen are never set. I'm triggered.

Do you think the role should be changed though? Yes, it should be changed. And there's never a given time. They hurry up to the ball. No one's ever set. They're rolling forward. I have this on tape. We can watch it.

I'm always. these fourth downs because no, it's always skewed to the offense. I'm just confused why they switched the rule. It used to be a penalty to push your guy forward. It's essentially like nobody really noticed until the Eagles were like, oh, this is unstoppable. It's not a Philly thing. The Eagles, like a good accountant, found a loophole in the system and now it's up to the IRS slash the NFL to react to it.

This happens all the time in business. It happens all the time in sports. It's not appealing optically or aesthetically. It's ugly. It's rugby. Nobody watches rugby. Nothing against rugby players. But the NHL, remember, when they removed the ban on two-line passing? Why? More scoring. They wanted stars. Major League Baseball just got rid of the defensive shift.

Why? Because they want more base runners, more activity, more offense. It was stifling offense. The NBA got rid of the hand check. It was stifling offense. The reality about this, it's not pretty. And if you don't put a stop to it by next year, you're going to have 90% of the league. hell, the league copied the wildcat, snapping a ball to a running back. You're going to have 95% of the league doing this a half a dozen times a game. And it's not pretty, and television pays all the bills.

I know you think you sitting in the stands pays the bills. No, it doesn't. It's TV because they can average out to a higher income for the TV viewers. Then they can't actual butts in the seats. It's a long story. It's boring. But in the end, TV rules it. That's not good television.

The defensive shift, not good TV. Since it's been implemented, TV ratings went down. The hand check. Again, you stifled offense. The NFL's a copycat league. They're always tweaking. They did it with a PAT. They did it with a catch.

It's ugly. It's going to be copied. And let's be honest about it. It's too automatic. If you can't stop something, it's not in the spirit of the game. I know, Philadelphia, you know, the Phillies lose a world series. the Eagles lose, everybody's picking on you. You deserve credit.

You have found a loophole in the system. And accountants do it. It's what they're paid to do. Find loopholes. The good ones can do it. And then the IRS reacts. You know, they even say it in like Olympic sports. The cheaters always beat the testers.

And then eventually the testers catch up to the cheaters. This is not cheating, but I don't think it's good in the spirit of the game. Here's another thing. I saw this story. I do try to avoid talking about Aaron Rogers. I make an effort every day not to. But Tiki Barber, former New York giant, he's a popular media guy, was talking about Aaron Rogers coming to New York and potentially playing for the Jets.

If he is that sensitive that he gets upset that people, reporters, opinion makers, influencers, whoever, want to talk about him. he is going to struggle in New York. And I don't know if it's the right fit for him. I don't know if I want him in New York, if this is going to be his reaction to things that don't matter. When you're doing something that feels odd to normal society, which is going to sit in the cabin in the woods for four days

and complete century isolation, it's just kind of, we're going to talk about it. I don't know if he'd work in New York or not. He would make the Jets better. And so winning in New York like any city matters. If you win, you know, Green Bay is small town America and a lot of people like Aaron Rogers because he wins a lot. They didn't like him as much this year because he didn't win as much. If you look at the history of who New Yorkers love, Joe Torrey, I wrote a list here, Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge, Mariano Rivera, Mike Messier, Eli Manning, two things stick out.

They're guys, guys. they're really focused on winning. You don't have huge egos. They're really into winning. And when they lose, they're terribly upset. New Yorkers want you to care. They want you to win. They want you to care.

New York puts their arms around small towns. The college Phil Sims went to no longer exists. Mickey Mantle was from rural Oklahoma. Aaron Judge, most great New York stars come from small towns, and New Yorkers love them. But they love them when they win, and they love them when they're all in. Arod, sometimes too into Aeron, didn't love him. Mello, into the wrong stuff. Didn't know what love him.

New Yorkers love people who when they win, feel pride and when they lose, they're pissed. And I do think Aaron's a little detached, sometimes comes off as aloof. I'm above you. That's not a New York thing. New Yorkers, I mean, I lived right between New York and Boston. And my wife and I much prefer to go to New York. feel a real connection there. And I've told the story before. Boston, there's a saying in the New England region called Fences Make Good Neighbors. Boston does what they do. They have history. They're not really

interested in accepting you in. If you move in the area, it's fine, but they've already got their social circle. Boston people hang out with Boston people. Even when they're 20, 30, 40, 50, New Yorkers are different. New Yorkers are different. If you can walk into the city tomorrow and make a better pizza, have a better gym, have a better company, they're all in. Because New York, people are from everywhere. They're from Russia. They're from anywhere in the country. They're from Canada.

New York is very accepting of people. You've got to be efficient. You've got to win in sports. They love their winners. But they always have your back once you win. Boston accepts you day one. And then eventually, even if you're great, turns on you. They turned on Manny.

They turned on Braille. They turned on Ted Williams. Boston turns on everybody. Bobby Orr's about the exception. You know, if you leave town, they're banging on you. I think Bobby Orr still lives in the area. But New York's different. Like, they'll be critical when you come.

But if you win and you care and you're a New Yorker, they'll defend you forever. My issue with Aaron is he does have that kind of personality. And I don't think I'm out of bounds here. He kind of has an austere. I'm kind of above you. I'm not really pulling. part of you. I don't need you. I'm going to do this in the offseason. It's very off-putting, I think, to a lot of people. Green Bay has tolerated it because he wins. But you're finding

when they didn't get to the playoffs this year, talk radio, the messaging on the internet is much more. We're done with them. So the Jets are not going to win at the Packers level consistently. Josh Allen, Belichick, Miami's got the right coach and weapons. That's a tough division. You can win, but it's a tough division. And if you look at the Messia's and the Phil Sims and the Aaron Judge and the Derek Jeter's, they're kind of guys, guys, they're all in.

They don't feel they're above anybody else. I mean, Eli Manning is American, you know, the Manning family is American sports royalty. Eli Manning is the most down-home, aw-shucks, regular dude in the world. Did you see the Brian Daibble video when the Giants announced him? The Giants put it on social media.

It's Daibble driving up. in his big truck. He gets out. He's gruff. He's not like wearing a suit. He's got his cup of coffee. He looks like a man's man. New York Giants fans love Dable. He is in every man. He appeals to every single person. New York's a big sophisticated city, but it's really hardworking people. They want you to care. They deeply want you to care because they care. The tickets are expensive. The drive to the stadiums are inconvenient. You got to care. You got to be all in New York. 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.