The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - The direction the Lakers are headed with Luka Doncic, the Big 10 is dominating at the top level

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

Colin Cowherd has serious questions about the direction the Lakers are headed with superstar Luka Doncic and why the results might not live up to the hype The NBA is being ruled by international players at this point The BIG 10 is showing they are better at the top levelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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.

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And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. She can win. She's an outsider to win the French win. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any service. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Iheart 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.

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Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. Sam Darnold's stopping by the show. My guy, Sammy, Slinging Sammy D. Coming up in a couple of hours on the show. We're live. We're in Chicago. It's the herd.

Man, the weather forecast. I'm not sure if I'm in Nassau, in the Bahamas or Chicago. It's getting warm. It's heating up. I'm going to get my, do some tank top shopping, board short shopping. It's great to have you in on a Tuesday. So I always have this kind of belief that if something's truly going to work. You know, I met my wife. I remember the restaurant. I was like seven, eight minutes in. I'm like, oh, this is great.

This is going to work. She's great. It's funny. She was smart. She was a great sense of humor. And I was like, oh, and it's the same in sports. Like Christian McCaffrey got traded to the Niners midseason. He had 13 touchdowns for the Niners alone and led them to the NFC championship.

When KD went to the Warriors, first 18 games, they're 16 and 2. Messy, inner Miami worked instantly. The Heedles took 15 games. Randy Moss goes to the Patriots, seven touchdowns in the first four games with Tom Brady. Stuff, if it's going to work, relationships, business sports, it can't take forever. It can't be that hard. You can't have to go to therapy four times a week. The relationship doesn't work.

So I'm reading a story this morning about how we're a year into the Luca trade and that J.J. Reddick is frustrated. LeBron's frustrated because the Austin Reeves, LeBron James, Luca trifecta, it's still not working out that well. How the hell long is it take? It can't take this long. And that's my opinion. It's not on 41-year-old.

LeBron to make it work and it's not on undrafted Austin Reeves to make it work. It's on Luca to make it work. But he's got that heliocentric style where he's got the ball in his hands and he doesn't always elevate other teammates and he is hard to play with at times. And two things can be true. The Lakers stole him from the Mavs. It was a great trade. And secondly, he is aging quickly. The numbers don't lie. He gets four times more technicals now than dunks. His athleticism is regressing. He's not 27 years old yet. He's still four or five days away from 27. He should be going into his prime. And you think, oh, the great athletes, they all age equally. No, Big Ben and Cam fell off a cliff. Brady was obsessed with working out and Brady could play today. LeBron,

D. Wade, obsessed with being in shape. Steph Curry, obsessed, age better. And so the Luca a dauntage thing, I always said my comp was always Carmelo Anthony. It's getting truer by the day is that he doesn't attack the rim. He's not going to contribute much defensively. He spends way too much time barking at officials, which if he was an elite defender I'd be okay with. But if you're not going to try on one end of the floor, then don't play a victim to the officials and the zebra's, right? Like you can't just be a one-dimensional jump shooter. And like I'm watching Wemby last night, he can beat you seven different ways. He can beat you without scoring. And Luca now can only beat you with scoring. People used to say, well, he's Larry Bird. No, Bird made all

defense three times. Larry Bird made every teammate he ever played with better. We're a year into Luca and the Lakers. And LeBron's admitting it. J.J. Reddick's admitting it. Lucas is not really working yet. How long can it take? LeBron's, LeBron James is one of the smartest basketball players in the last 20 years. Everybody plays well with LeBron. Austin Reeves is not a ball hog. He's undrafted. He's a hard worker. He's a shot creator. He's a free throw getter. You can't work with that. And people say, well, you know, Luca did make the finals. Well, Carmelo Anthony had one great playoff run. But two things can be true. Yesterday I had Chris Broussard on, and we talked about this. Is that, you know, you're, for a pro athlete,

your body is a retirement account. The more you put into it, the more you have left at the end. And I look at Luca right now and I'm like, I don't know, you keep telling me. he's in great shape. Men's Health magazine put him on the cover. He looked in great shape. And then the season started. And now he doesn't attack the rim. He gets a lot of technicals. He no longer dunks the wall. It was a great trade. I'm not denying it. But Chris Broussard struck on something yesterday. And I think it's absolutely true. I don't know if he's ever going to win a championship. And it's not because he's not individually good enough. It's because of the way he plays. He is so hard to build a

build around because he's so ball dominant. And we've seen ball dominant players, but ball dominant players that shoot and score a lot are really tough to build around. Steve Nash, Chris Paul, they're ball dominant, but they were past first guys. Even LeBron, when he was really in his prime and ball dominant, it was a challenge to build around him. We're a year into the Luca deal, playing with one of the smartest guys in the league, LeBron and Austin Reeves a very good collaborative teammate.

And they still can't make it work? That's on Luca. That's not on the old guy or the undrafted guy. So whenever you're a public figure, you could be a mayor, you could be a talk show host. You could be any, you know, whatever. There'll be criticism. My favorite criticism is Colin, you change your opinion. My take is new information, new opinion.

So I'm looking today at Daniel Jeremiah, former NFL scout, Chargers broadcaster, comes on the show, great podcaster, his mock draft, his first 20 picks. There are two SEC players. Two. College football has completely flipped. Five years ago, they had 10 of the first 20, and Bama and Georgia and LSU, all. all the big uglies, all your big linemen, defensive end, defensive tackles, your top linebackers, all felt like they were come from the south. But we predicted it on this show about four or five years ago.

I said, NIL is going to change it. Northern schools are bigger. Northern universities have better endowments. SEC schools, their boosters are car dealers. Big 10 schools, their boosters are car makers. Three straight national championships. two of the top four odds-on favorites to win next year's championship, big 10 teams.

And now dominating, dominating the top of the NFL draft. That was like Alabama, Georgia, LSU territory. It's unbelievable what's happened. And I say this all the time. You go ahead and be rigid. New information, new opinion. I'll give you an example of what makes sports amazing. Just think about sports.

in the last five years, and this is probably like four, three or four, last five years, think of the massive changes in sports. New opinion, when you have new information. Caitlin Clark has literally changed the entire economy of the WNBA. The WNBA couldn't make money. They had downsized to smaller arenas. And Caitlin Clark enters the WNBA. She gets him on private jets.

players now get endorsements. The WNBA now has leverage, and they're working on the new CBA, and the players are not rolling over like previous years. Think about Shohei Otani, gets on the freeway, moves up I-5, angels to the Dodgers, and we have our first baseball dynasty since the late 1980, 99, 9,000, 2001 Yankees. So Caitlin Clark, in five years, has literally, changed the economics of the WNBA.

Otani gets on the freeway, goes north, and we have a baseball dynasty, first time in 25 years. How about Scottie Schaeffler? For years, everybody said, who's the next tiger? Well, we found him. Scotty Schaeffler, four majors. He's already got 20 tour wins, and he's 29 years old. We have found our next tiger. How about this?

International stars, seven straight MVP's. international stars now control the NBA. Would you have guessed that five or six years ago? All the MVP's, all the really compelling bigs. Where are the great domestic bigs? We got some wings and guards. And the other thing is, as we started this rant, the Big Ten is officially a better at the top,

better overall, deeper conference from the SEC. So when people say, you know, change your mind a lot, my take is, that's because sports constantly changes. We've had a massive sea change. Baseball four years ago was unwatchable. Pitch clock. Increasingly watchable. Here's Urban Meyer on the SEC Big Ten flip in the sport. The Wolverines in Ohio State proved that the Big Ten is better at the highest level.

But what's happened, Colin, now there's depth in the, there's never been depth in the Big Ten. It used to be the Big Two and Little Eight back when I grew up. Now all of a sudden you got Indiana, Oregon, and you're not even counting the Wisconsin's in Michigan States who used to be very good. Penn State was down. The Wolverines were down. So, yeah, I think it's not only the top. Now, and this is actually so hard to believe, the depth of the Big Ten is greater than that of the SEC. And we know they're better at the top, because.

as Michigan, Ohio, State, Indiana, and two of the four favorites to win next year's national championship are Big Ten teams. I mean, I've said it before. Take out Texas. Where would the SEC be today? The Texas oil money, A&M and the Longhorns, is saving the SEC. So, J. Mack, I know you love the Spurs. Wembe put on a little bit of a clinic last night, not even having to score and dominating in Detroit.

Detroit is really good and really young and needs one more really good score. They try to, you know, they attack the basket because they don't have a lot of great shooters. And Wemby's like, no thanks. That's not going to work. So Detroit does not match up well with Wemby and the Spurs, and you saw it last night. You saw an elite East team and Elite West team. And Wemby's a nightmare for a team like Detroit that needs to score and attack the basket to score. Is Detroit elite, Colin, are we sure?

100% sure. In the east they are. Okay. I saw a team last night that did not have a second score. Kate Cunningham got locked up by Castle. They're also insanely young. Half the roster feels like 20, 21, 22. They're really a year to two away. They're really young. Okay, so over under two and a half series wins in the playoffs this year for Detroit. Under, they'll win two. They're not going to win a third. Yeah, I think they win first round for sure. I don't know that.

The Knicks have a lot. Listen, the Knicks can score low. They can score pro. perimeter. The Knicks aren't as good defensively. But it does for your like shooting team. Yeah, I mean, if I said you OG had 28 or Bridges had 24 or Brunson had 36 or Kat had 28, the Knicks have more ways to score than the Pistons do.

So even though in the regular season, Detroit is kind of hammered New York, when you get to a five or a seven game series, you cannot be that Kade Cunningham reliant. I mean, he is really the centricle, the center, the North Star for their entire offense, complete

goes through him. So again, we know this to be true. Regular season basketball, some teams can flex. The Pistons are young. They play really hard. They play real defense and their physical. That plays really well in the regular season. When you get to the playoffs, you know this. You have to have have second, third, and four scoring options. Yeah. And the Pistons just don't. Yeah, Wendby put on a, Pistons are three and O against the Knicks and everybody's like, oh, they're going to dominate them in the postseason. Now, if I get to play you seven times in two weeks, they're going to be fine. Nick's will be fine eventually. I think Spurs are going to the finals, man.

That team is so fun. So the Duncan Spurs were boring. We would agree, right? They just Popovich, they just weren't. No personalities. This team is not boring. Wembe is blocking shots and talking trash. I love that.

By the way, no more face of the league conversations, okay? It's Wambi Njava. It's his league for the next decade, right? We can agree on that? I think so, yeah. I mean, I think Yokic right now is the best player, but in terms of face of the league, he's much more willing.

He's got the aura. I mean, last night, he didn't really score until late when they were fouling him. He didn't score. He dominated the game. That's what like a Luca can't do. He dominated the game without having the ball in his hands.

Assists, steals, blocks, rebounds. He alters every shot. Detroit's built to score at the basket. And you just can't against Webby. Yeah. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

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We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. 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. Oh, 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, 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, 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. 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. Jen she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice 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 athlete 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 Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. You know, quarterback, even first round quarterbacks, about 50% of them drafted, miss. Some miss badly, but they don't get a second contract.

They don't get extended. In fact, you have to go back to Peyton Manning in like 19, was it 98, where the number one quarterback picked ended up like getting to a Super Bowl with a team that drafted him. Like, it just doesn't happen. So, and I've always said I'm a traits guy. Arm size. I don't care about your college record.

I really don't. I think arm strength, it's got to be good. It doesn't have to be Josh Allen or Caleb Williams. but one of the things I've always docked points from for quarterbacks is if you're trying to be cool, Shadour, Johnny Mansell, Drew Locke, Cam Newton, Jay Cutler had it. Cool. Guys trying to be cool are saying, look at me.

People that are collaborative are saying, look at us. I like look at us guys. And so when people bang on Fernando Mendoza, they say he's like quirky and it's a little crue. fringey and it's a little nerdy. And my take is like Peyton Manning and Brady when they were playing mostly. I mean, Tom pre-Tampa was almost dorky the way he was obsessed. He was a good-looking guy, but he was just obsessed with football.

Like, hey, I'm not going to have a beer during the season. Andrew Luck loved him. You know, you can say what you want about Kirk Cousins. He threw for 45,000 yards. Cam Newton threw for a little over 30. One was cool. One wasn't. So I was asking Matt Hasselbeck yesterday about Fernando Mendoza and some people are put off by his hyper optimistic personality.

And here's what Matt said. This is what works in a locker room, okay? Excellence at your job. If you're able to be the best in the world at what you do, we respect that. The locker room respects that. The other thing is your work ethic. We just respect that. I don't care what locker room you're in.

We respect that. You're giving it everything that you. you have. And then, you know, the other thing is just the authenticity. Don't be one guy over here and another guy over there. Lean into who you actually are and just be authentic with that. And the locker room will love you. The fan base will love you. Just strive to be the best quarterback that you can be. All this other nonsense. Like, it's not what it's about. It's not what's about. Being a successful quarterback in this league, a lot of it is caring about the right things. And Johnny Mansell distracted. Cam Newton brilliantly.

talented, kind of distracted. You got to care about the right stuff. So the combine starts this week, Thursday, and everybody's nitpicking all these guys, Mendoza's not going to throw. He shouldn't throw. Nobody questions his accuracy or arm strength or size. He doesn't need

to throw. He'll el-aise the interviews because he's so grateful and has so much humility. But more than anything, he just cares about the right stuff. He's just an authentic grateful kid that cares about the right stuff. Here's Here is Raiders GM's John Spitech on what they look for.

Who would that be in a franchise quarterback? A leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer. Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything to their teammate, you know, a selfless person, somebody that's going to give their team everything that they got every time that they're out there prepare the right way lead the right way i think there's a there's a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level yeah almost sounds like fernando mendoza of indiana j smack with the news no no no turn on the news this is the herd line news all right the combine's

happening this week in indy colin and a lot of reporters are struggling to get there because of the snow Nick Siriani made it no problem. And interestingly, Nick Siriani was asked about the A.J. Brown situation. You know, these coaches, they always want to say the right thing. According to a report, Siriani said he can't guarantee whether or not Brown will be on the team, but he does want him to stay in Philadelphia. All right. So he's sitting on the fence.

Hey, we want him. I can't guarantee anything. Now, our staff dug into it. They say that a $29 million dead cap hit, if Brown is traded. He's signed through 2029, no guarantees after next season. So I'm sure when they're talking, they love to get one more season out to A.J. Brown. Yes. Hey, let's love it.

One more season, then we can move off him. No issues. But, Colin, can you deal with that crap for black, a better word, for another season? I don't think, I mean, listen, I don't remember A.J. Brown being terribly difficult in Tennessee. I don't. Vrable went to the podium and was crushed when they had to move him. I think the dilemma in Philadelphia is the quarterback who is an inconsistent distributor of the football, and it is an offense where the coaching staff has decided we're better when we throw less. I think if you put A.J. Brown with Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow, the drama, I mean, he's an absolutely

all-time gifted player, and I think it's frustrating because pro athletes have a shelf life, especially football players, because of the physicality and regulated level of violence. I think he's frustrated out of his mind. I don't remember him in college or Tennessee being disruptive. And even in Philadelphia, he's not classically disruptive, but I think it's very frustrating for him, and I think more and more people are pointing to Jalen Hertz saying he's not a, you know, he's not like a galvanizer in the locker room, he's not one of the guys, and add on to that, he's an inconsistent thrower of the football.

I think that's very clear. My only issue with that is they go to the Super Bowl the first time with Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown. It's an awesome season. Hertz cooked. He was incredible in the Super Bowl. They lose. They go back to the Super Bowl with Jalen Hertz this time.

Sequin Barclay's there. AJ Brown's happy, no issues. And they win the Super Bowl. So now they don't win as many games. Major problems. I'm reading a book on the sideline. There was. two years ago? I don't think this is a new thing. I thought two years ago, I remember coming on the

air saying, I can remember Eagle fans pushing back when I said, guys, read the leaves here, read the body language, read the quotes after games, there is something in this locker room. Drama will ensue. I said this two years ago. In fact, I've been on this for about a year and a half. I would move him. I would have somebody, somebody would pick up the salary. He's just too good. Somebody with a young quarterback would pick up that salary. Like I would say Drake May right now, Drake May throws a great deep ball. Drake May throws a great deep ball. And by the way, I mean, New England, I mean, Seattle went last year and got somebody not

nearly as talented or as layered as AJ Brown, and it helped them win the Super Bowl and over the top receiver. So, AJ Brown has a market, especially if you have a young quarterback on that rookie deal. Could you get a one for AJ Brown, a late one? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Interesting. Because I think New England has a late one.

All right, let's move on to Joe Burrow, Colin. Now listen, this would be my favorite story of the offseason. It might end up being that. So according to a beatwriter out of Cincinnati, Joe Burroughs unhappiness last season had a major impact on the Bengals front office. Yeah. Apparently throughout the building,

there is a sense that Burrow is telling people this is a paramount offseason ahead, adding Burrow just wants a good defense. He doesn't want to feel like he has to be perfect and score 42 points in a single week. So Gerboro making noise. Colin, here's the only reason I don't think this is a huge deal. Show me the team that has moved off a superstar quarterback because he won it out. Because of the way the salaries and the Players Association set up, they can just tag Burrow when he's unhappy and then keep him a second year.

So, I mean, Burrow would have to basically quit football. to get away from the Bengals. Does he hate it that much? Because he did insinuate he's not having fun. No, I, can I throw something at you? Please. And this is just, it's a little bit of a theory. So Aaron Rogers wasn't always, as he was ascending into his stardom, wasn't always distracted guy,

taking the summer off guy, I'm going to disappear guy. Aaron became that as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning started stacking Super Bowl trophies and he couldn't get there a second time. And suddenly, he sent off this, hey, football doesn't define me. Okay, that's always been. Joe Burrow, and I love Burrow. Joe Burrow, over the last couple years, he goes to Europe, he's into fashion, I'm going to disappear. Joe Burrow is giving off that same Aaron vibe, which is his contemporaries are getting

the Super Bowls, winning MVP's, having playoff success. And I think Joe Burrell, for self-preservation, for his sanity, is saying, I can't define myself by football because it would drive me crazy. Aaron in Green Bay suddenly became, hey, man, I have more to my life than football. And I think Joe Burrell over the last couple years has gotten into fashion, kind of disappears in the postseason. It's not a criticism. I think it's the way to preserve your sanity. It's just, okay, I know I'm as good as my contemporaries. I think I'm more talented than a lot of my contemporaries,

but I didn't get the great ownership. I didn't get a deep, layered elite front office. And so I think it's really, really hard. I mean, what if I was trapped in a company and I just felt like I can't compete? I don't feel that way, but if I did, I can imagine how frustrating it is to wake up every morning, driving to work, knowing like, I'm at a major disadvantage to Mahomes, to Josh Allen. I mean, in Buffalo, Sean McDermott is a good coach, and they moved off him. Buffalo's like, we got to get better. So I feel a level of sympathy for Joe Burrow because of the plight he's under. It's not good management.

It's not a big front office. the Rams, the Eagles, the top drafting teams put much more into their research, development, drafting, scouting departments, and it stinks to be Joe Burrow. So there's a lot there. I am just curious, do you think like Burroughs a little upset they didn't fire Zach Taylor?

Colin, show me the coaches who have survived three years of no playoffs. It just doesn't happen. So you got no defense, you got a coach who, nobody thinks he's an elite coach. The story you're telling me is he's putting pressure on the front. Office, yeah, make the team better. He likes Zach Taylor. He's fine.

I've always said with Zach Taylor. He's fine. That's not the issue. I give Zach Taylor a pass. Go look at the size of the scouting department for the Bengals and go look at the size of the scouting department for the Eagles of the Rams. It's not a fair fight. I mean, there's a reason the Rams draft really well. Or John Snyder's Seahawks draft perpetually very, very well.

They've got better resources and better ownership. I mean, fine is not going to cut it for me. I mean, Joe Burrow had the greatest season of any college football quarterback ever. He went to the Super Bowl in year two. Fine doesn't work for me if I'm Burrow. I like him being demanding. So do I. Lo.

The NFL would take a major hit if he just walked away because the freaking Bengals can't get their act together. Woof. Final story, Colin, college basketball. Good one last night. Kansas Houston, unless you had Houston like me. Kansas was great, but Darren Peterson was not amazing. He did play, which is nice. Played 30 minutes at a back-to-back, scored 14 points.

but afterward, it's weird. Huge win. All anybody wants to talk about is Darren Peterson, not playing basketball, the injuries, and here he is talking about the recent criticism against him. Darren, there was a lot of outside talk about you last week. What was that last five, six days, but like for you personally?

Kind of normal this year. Somebody's had something to say, probably after every game this year, so I don't really pay attention to anymore. I actually like that answer. Now, a lot of consternation about can you make him the number one pick? Well, he's going to be a top three pick. If he doesn't go number one, it's not because he's a bum.

It's because Boozer is excellent at Duke. And the kid out of BYU may be a better player. So it's a stacked draft like last year. Hold on. A better player. They placed off head to head and Peterson ate his lunch. I mean, it was not really close. I love to bansett. Peterson is dealing with injuries.

I just saw a story of the other. other day, he's not getting the elevation he got, like in high school. So, I mean, I think he's in, I think he reminds me of Kobe. And he's going to go top three. But, you know, he's just too talented to not go number one, two, or three. So you mentioned Kobe. And, you know, he'd kind of be the opposite of Kobe when it comes to wanting to play and desire if you're to believe the stories. I mean, Colin, he's barely played this season when it comes to minutes, games. Half of the availability. Bill's self seems to be at wits end with what to do

with the situation, his coach. So, I mean, you got these NFL draft scouts saying you have to be naive, not to be concerned anonymously, of course. I can be concerned about something. It doesn't mean I want a divorce. It doesn't mean we can't work on it. It doesn't mean it's the end of time.

I think, yeah, I mean, it's in odd. He's just not available very much. I mean, I've watched Kansas play with him and without him. I don't think they're a great team. to be honest. They're better now than they were two months ago, but I've watched him, and all I know is he's a remarkable talent. He's young. He's in the spotlight. It's a highly pressurized situation to play basketball at Kansas or, yeah, I mean, it's like one of these,

there's four or five programs in the country. Kentucky's won, Duke is won, Carolina's one, Kansas. It's a lot of heat from the students. It's a lot, and I'm not pandering to him, but he's too good not to draft early. He just looks different than other really good Players. Yep. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? 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 are out there. but this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name

Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. 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 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 acapella 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.

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. Jenchian went. I mean, she went down in 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice 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 athlete 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 Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The fastest racing on earth returns to Fox. Alex Palo, Joseph Newgarden, and Patot Award lead the way as the 2026 Indy car season launches in St. Petersburg.

Sunday, noon Eastern, live on Fox. Have you noticed how defensive the Canadians have gotten? Listen, I know you haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1993, and it is your sport, and I know the United States beat you in men's and women's hockey. It's okay. But I'm seeing like people, Canada, I'd rather be concerned. Canadian and win a silver than being American and win a gold. Your GDP is half of California. Settle down.

Like, like, like, you know, don't be precious. You wanted to win gold. You didn't. You outplayed us and had to settle for a silver. You got to own that. You got to own that. There's no reason to be defensive about it. It's like we weren't, you know, we weren't mocking you.

It was great. It was close. We won. Canada's getting very insecure. I think this whole hockey thing, and they've been knocked off their axis a little. You know, you don't want to go to Twitter and say, I'd rather be Canadian and win a silver.

Maybe that's why you finish with a silver, if that's how you think. I don't know. So this is interesting. So they came out, when I show up for the show in the morning, they lay out 15 stories, and we pick half a dozen to talk about.

I was looking at the end. NFL free agent spending. So the free agency, the combines this week, free agency starts up in a couple weeks. And listen, the New England Patriots use free agency to fortify their roster and get to a Super Bowl. I'm not anti-free agency. I think a lot of bad teams overspend on free agency. I think you have to use discretion. The Rams use it. The chiefs use it. The Eagles use it, but not nearly as much as the Jets and the Giants or the Raiders. So you can, you can, you got to use some discretion with it. But the Cowboys are ridiculous. In the last six total seasons, not only have the Cowboys spent the least amount of money in free agency, and I mean they have

spent one-fifth of what the Texans in the state of Texas have spent, one-fifth. But they have the lowest average per free agent, $3 million, and they've only spent $54 million. on free agency. And to give you some sense of it, there are basically almost every team in the league spends at least 120 million in that six-year period. The Cowboys are at 54. And this goes back to what we call that internal insular bias where they validate Jerry Jones, doesn't want to hire a real GM, they validate their picks by paying their picks. And a great example of this is when they went and got Trayvon Diggs about five, six years ago. They drafted him, and he led the NFL in Picks.

He made a Pro Bowl. And then they gave him a bad, massive extension. And now he's not a cowboy. And the Seahawks, Tariq won the corner, also led the NFL in picks for a year. He was a pro bowler, and he's probably, after being part of a Super Bowl winning team, they're going to let him go. Why? Because you can't fall in love with players.

You can't reward them because they have a big splashy season or they make a Pro Bowl. You can pay basically four guys in this league. Your quarterback, your left tackle, and a great defensive lineman, edge or interior, and one great weapon. Seahawks should pay JSA. You know, Bingle should pay Jamar Chase. Vikings should pay Justin Jefferson. You can pay one great weapon, quarterback left tackle, and somebody on that defensive front. I would pay Devin Witherspoon or Patrick Sertan, a great corner.

I can't pay a second corner. I got to go, that's what Kansas City has been telling you this for years. You know, that's why Philadelphia went and drafted a couple corners out of college. They're both great. I guarantee in five years one of them won't be there. You can't pay both corners. It's hard to pay both tackles. And they're the insurance policy for your most important position of the quarterback.

So it's just interesting to look. I'm looking to put that graphic up again. The lowest free agency spending in the last six years. Next lowest is the Ravens. And a lot of that's because now they're paying Lamar Jackson, some big boy money. Okay. So you're going to be limitations. They also draft very well in Baltimore, but they're like 15, 20 percent more than the cowboys.

So that is remarkable. So you know we like on this show. Jay McAnill debate on this, but I like changes. I think sports is fluid. Stuff's changing. I like the way baseball added the pitch clock. I like the way the base is bigger. During the regular season, you go to extra ratings, they'll put a guy at second base.

It's weird. but it speeds the game up and the ratings and the attendance has gone up. Bit of a renaissance for baseball. So this is interesting. We got into this discussion this morning. The UFL, and again, these second-level leagues professionally, can take all sorts of chances.

So the U.FL rule changes. The tush-push band only need one foot in on a catch like college. I don't think that's a terrible rule. Most punts in the opposing territory are banned. And the one that's interesting to me is 60 plus yard field goals now are worth four points. And so I am all for changing and tweaking. But here's the problem with that rule and the field goals.

Remember a few years ago when the NBA discussed having a four point shot? And my take was, all right, we've already got two minutes. any three-point shots? Why incentivize players to shoot more balls 33 feet from the basket? Don't incentivize the part of the game, which is already too common and too repetitive. The reason I don't like changing the structure and the scoring of any football is now you're in, I don't like this rule, even for the UFL. You're incentivizing taking your best athletes off the field and putting in your worst athlete. Like when baseball went to the universal DH,

what they really said is, we want a better athlete, getting at bats, not watching a pitcher bat. You know, Tonny can hit. You know, there's always like one pitcher

in Major League Baseball that can hit his weight. Like, there's maybe one. But the truth is, fewer kickers on the field in football, the better football is. Going forward on fourth down,

is strategic and riveting. Watching an unathletic guy go wide right in a wind in Tampa in December is not good television. So I am for never incentivizing something that's less athletic. I love the universal DH. I like going for it. The tush push. I don't think it's great television.

People can get hurt. But it's football. It's the best athletes. It's your quarterback. back. So, and I know J. Mack probably loves this thing, but I think we have too many field goals. In fact, we have

more field goal attempts in the last five years than in any five year stretch in the history of football. Meaning the kickers are on the field more now than they've ever been on the field. And it's like, no. No, I want kickers on the field less. You could argue

if you got rid of the kickoff, I'd be okay with it. Wait a minute. If you limited field goals, I can live with it. Do not incentivize more of them. Kickers are on the field because they're better than they used to be, Colin. Remember Mark Mosley won an MVP? He was toe kicking. Literally kicking with his toe. Like, we've got great kickers now. Of course you should incentivize 60 yarders.

Well, how could you be against points? What's wrong with taking the points occasionally? Well, because I also think field goals are often settling. I think... From 60? I think teams that go for it, the more aggressive teams that go for it over the course of a season are rewarded analytically. Greg Olsen talks about this all the time. You should almost always go for it.

A minute you hit the 48-yard line, either side, go for it. I thought two weeks ago we were applauding the Seahawks coach for not going for it and we're killing Sean Payton for the double-fourth down decision. If you have a great defense and you face an over-eastern. Overwhelmed quarterback. Drake May, Patriot O-line Super Bowl. By all accounts, kick field goals. Great defenses. I mean, if you look at this year, who kicked a lot of field goals. It was teams with great defenses. So I am four field goals in big games, in big moments when the opposing quarterback is not a threat, is overwhelmed. In the Super Bowl, it made total sense. But on average, over the course of a 17-game season, I think you're much better off going for it. aggressive and that galvanizes the locker room.

It gives, and I also think if you do it early in a season, like say this about Dan Campbell. I thought he was hyper aggressive, but he built an entire culture in Detroit, a losing franchise around being aggressive and going for it. And I do think it kind of changed the attitude to the locker room. Yeah, but it also like shrunk their Super Bowl window because he's on tilt, trying hard for a fourth down for like the sixth. Wasn't there a game where he tried, like seven fourth downs? are like, bro, kick the field goal.

Take a couple points here. It's not the worst thing in the world. Listen, I'm pro-be-aggressive. Go for it occasionally. But he's taking it to the max. It's getting a little silly the way he's so aggressive. And yes, there are some coaches who are too conservative and only kick field goals. Besides the four-point field goal.

Colin, the one foot down for a reception? That you could talk me into. Yes. College football, it's amazing. In the NFL, you're like, okay, his butt is down, his elbows down. knee. It's like if it's one foot down, that makes it much easier. Again, for the consumer, I worry about this, though.

If it's only one foot down, I mean, it makes it harder for corners to cover people. But it is right now. As it is right now, it's hard to find a team with two good corners. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to find a team that doesn't have three, at least semi-talented wide receipt. We have a cornerback shortage in the league and receivers everywhere. Yeah. Tight ends are now splitting out wide.

Kyle Van Ney is joining us live. Sam Darnold here, too. 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 Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me. with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless, and at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs' tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define

Roland Garris. She's an outsider to win the French win. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Iheart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart 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 IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.