The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The Lakers move on

Episode Date: April 12, 2023

Colin gives his thoughts on the Lakers beating the Timberwolves and getting into the playoffs He addresses his criticisms of Hawks star Trae Young What to expect from the Packers this seasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right, here we go. It is a Wednesday. We are live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be, and however, you may be watching or listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. That was fun last night. Sat home, made some dinner, and watched some NBA basketball.

If you're watching those games, J-Mack, the difference in intensity between even a playing game and the regular season, it's a different sport. I mean, guys were fighting through screens and jumping on the floor and LeBron James in Year 20 and undercutting a guy. It's like baseball stealing second base sliding into homehead first. The intensity last night is totally different level. Unbelievable games, besides the fact that we went 2 and 0 with the bets last night, of course. We did. Yeah, a nice little sweep for us.

All right, so let's start with this. In the history of the Lakers, I think it's fair to say, when they win playoff games or series, they're fun, their showtime, it's Kobe, it's West, it's magic, they write books about it, they do series about it. The Lakers have won a certain way. Jerry Buss, the late, great owner understood. You know, the Laker girls, the forum club, flash matters in a very distracted city with great weather, a beach, mountains, and a lot to do.

That's how they win in the playoffs. Until now. This team doesn't have a consistent number three score. Undrafted hustler, Austin Reeves is crucial. This is not a smooth, points come easy, offensive juggernaut. It's not. They got to win with toughness. They were tough last night.

They got to win with defense. They played defense last night. They got to get to the free throw line. They did last night. And they got to hit those free throws. And they did that last night. This is not a great team. But it is a better team than they were.

were at the trading deadline. It's very reminiscent of the Packers last year. Big Brand struggled early, played weaker teams late, and you confuse good team with better team. This team won't, they beat Utah a lot, Chicago and KD, not available for the sons a couple of times in Chicago and Minnesota. This is not a great team. Even with Anthony Edwards doing nothing last night, they got outplayed by Minnesota. Minnesota just forgot how to play offense. They scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers were only 15 and 22 against teams that made the playoffs. That's what they are.

That is what the Lakers are. There's a way they have to win. Now, I thought they would win last night, and I think they can beat Memphis in a long six or seven game series. But there is a way they play, and it's not the way the Lakers have played my entire life. They're still relying on a too old guy and a too brittle guy. And LeBron basically had to save the day. And that's just what they are.

It's a very, very limited offensive roster. The good news is they got a defensive-minded coach. They got players who create contact and get to the free throw line. And last night, they shot the ball very well to free throw line. Not from threes, not from the field, but part of playoff basketball is situational. Get to the line. Older teams, older players, hit your free throws. and they did that last night.

So I think a lot of people are like, oh, man, that was ugly. It was. But this is how they're going to have to win. Listen, they've struggled to put away Minnesota and Utah. In Utah, Anthony Edwards did nothing. Rudy Gobert wasn't there last night. It was at home and they were missing their best wing defender. And they had to go to overtime.

This is how they're going to win. It's a limited roster. And last night, it was just a couple of free throws. a little toughness. AD almost blew it, but let's not confuse this with previous Laker playoff teams. It's not going to be pretty. They're not a pretty team.

That's okay. You can win a lot of playoff series, but they're not going to match Phoenix bucket for bucket, Sacramento bucket for bucket for bucket, Denver bucket for bucket, Golden State bucket for bucket. That's the old Laker franchises. That's the old Laker team. That's showtime.

Those days are over. They can't do that. They don't have that in them. Thank God Charles Barclay. was honest afterwards. This notion that you can turn it on, you can't turn things. Because I thought earlier we were talking about how this was a great path for the Lakers. It was.

And this one game has turned you. Well, because they didn't deserve to win this game tonight. This is all about the wolves choking this game away. Well, yes, that was a big part of it. At some point, you're wondering, Minnesota, Anthony Edwards doesn't trust his jumper. Are they running plays? I think Darvin Ham has done the best job you can possibly do with the cards. He's been dealt, and that's going to be last night to Darvin Ham win.

He's probably rejoicing over it. It's defense. It's free throws, this toughness. Here's the coach after. Once you get to the end of things to have everyone healthy, to be playing in the type of rhythm we're playing in, to defend at the level that we're defending at, going into the most important time of the year, you can't ask for a better situation.

All right. Yesterday, I drove home. And I asked myself, self, were you too hard on Tray Young? I said yesterday, given the choice of Jalen Brunson and Trey Young to lead my franchise, I'd take Jailen Brunson. But you know, you start ad-libbing during a show. And then I thought, well, Jalen Brunson went to college for three years. he's older, the expectations are lower. And so I thought about this as Trey Young was lighting it up last night and Atlanta. We told you to take the points they beat Miami. Trey Young's a very unique talent. Top 10 in scoring, led the league and assists, very confident, and he is a big game player.

He may disappear in a Tuesday night, but he is good in a playoff game. He's good in big games. But he's a one-and-done college star, not fully formed, who is still a kid, with holes in his game and a huge ceiling. But he is just 24 years old. Sometimes I see Steph, sometimes I see Dane Lillard. But I want to ask you a question. Let me ask you a question.

Who is the last player to come into the NBA? Who has created consistent playoff success? Yeah, keep thinking about it. It's Jason Tatum, and he's been to one finals. Six years in the NBA, in a great organization. He's the last guy to be drafted, come into the league,

and we know every year they're going to win a couple of playoffs series. Jason Tatum, six years, one final. And you didn't even love the way he played in that final. This league is about old guys. From the day Steph Curry stepped on the campus at Davidson for three years until the first time he got to a finals, You know how long that was? Yes.

His ninth year. Michael Jordan, first time he stepped on campus at Carolina to his first final. His ninth year. Steph Curry. Michael Jordan. Trey Young is 24 years old. These one and done guys come into the league. They can't drink at the hotel bar.

They're not fully formed. Yeah, Jalen Brunson, I like more. Jalen Brunson went to Villanova, second rounder. They coach him hard. He's older. I look at Trey Young, and my takeaway is he's a kid. And he's a big time player. He's a top 10 score.

He gets the ball to other people. But just remember this. As I drove home, I went and looked it up later. Do you know he's gone further in the playoffs than Joel M. Bede? Do you know he's gone as far as two-time MVP, Yokic, and Denver? Age is your friend in the NBA playoffs. He's got a greater scoring average than Embed, Kyrie Irving, James Hardin, Jason, Tatum, and Kauai Leonard in the playoffs. Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, from the day they stepped on a campus to the day they made their first finals,

18 years collectively, nine each. It's not a kid's league. That's college basketball. That's the G League maybe. That's high school. That's AAU. This is a man's league. This is an old guy league.

In the history of the NBA, there's been one playoff scenario, one playoff season where the young guys flourished. The bubble. Why? Because the old guys missed their wives and their kids. And the Lakers were the only old team that year that flourished. Remember that young Miami team. Bam was a kid.

Tyler Hero was a kid. I think they had Duncan Robinson. It's like a kid team. We're like, how did they get here? Because they were single guys. You know, they were playing video games and hoops. They loved it. I remember hearing a story about that bubble where LeBron, he gathered the team around.

He's like, guys, we're stuck here. It was another great moment of LeBron leadership. He's like, guys, we all miss our kids. We all miss our wives. We miss our friends. Let's just get out of Orlando with a title. Let's just get out of here with a title and make the most of it. So as I was driving home, maybe Uncle Colin was just too hard on Trey Young.

That does not mean I'm rescinding my take that I'd take Brunson over Trey Young, but context needs to be added. These one and done guys, Trey Young's been fantastic. Big game scores a lot, elevate others. Little sloppy can be disengaged in games that don't matter, but maybe I was a little hard. inches, not feet, just a little hard on Trey Young. And J. Mack loves Trey Young.

You know, you know what I love is when you can step back from a take, give it some thought and realize, man, McIntyre was right. He was spot on. I was way too hard on Trey Young. Colin, both say last night I went to the game, Lakers. A lot of herd fans in the building. Let me say this. Wondering, where's Calhurt?

Hey, hey, well, I was at home. Here's the other thing. I will give it's so funny. The NBA's got a lot of critics. They set an attendance record, an all-time attendance record, and the TV ratings were flat. That's fine. If you're flat, that's a win these days with all the cord cutting and blah, blah, blah. It's a cable sport mostly.

But I'll tell you this, I'll give the Laker fans a lot of credit. Because that place last night from the TV perspective was crazy. And you talk about can you flip a switch in sports, NFL's different, hockey's different. your safety. I mean, you have to play hard every line you're out there in hockey. You get hurt. NFL, head and a swivel, have to play hard. But sports like baseball, sometimes in basketball, to watch the playing games last night,

the intensity of the fans and the players fighting through screens and LeBron in Year 20 racing down the floor. I mean, it was, I thought it was great American sports, great intensity, and I'm glad the NBA playoffs have arrived. I love that you had a good time. I know you don't like when we're rotation guy, but Darvin Ham kind of had a rough start to his playoff coaching career last night,

Coward. Ooh, well, it took him three quarters to realize, oh, DeAngelo Russell stinks tonight. I should bench him and Dennis Schroeder came through to say. Well, it's hard to just pull guys off the floor. I mean,

Golden State bailed on DeAngelo Russell fast because he's inconsistent, is too loose, plays with a casual nature. It's like Drew Locke, the quarterback in the NFL. He plays like Interceptional. don't matter. Like, he's real casual. DeAngelo Russell's way too casual and, like,

you can't be in the playoffs. Like, every possession matters. Like, every inbound play last night. Inbound plays became crucial. Almost decided that game. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotes. 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'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, personal health, personal health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

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And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. start your journey to self-discovery better helps convenient affordable online therapy 10% off today if you go betterhelp.com slash hurt herdd so um you know it's funny i just a couple weeks ago started reading a book by jeff benedict it really good access amazing stories i thought i knew everything about lebron fascinating stuff the book is called lebron and um almost through it i interviewed him yesterday you can go to my uh the volume

listen to the interview for 25 minutes. It's very good. He was just on the show last week with Joy Taylor. Very good book. Once again in LeBron's career, as I'm watching last night, he has to carry a roster of limited players, Austin Reeves, flaky players, DeAngelo Russell, hot and cold players, Dennis Schrooter, Malik Beasley, Jared Vanderbilt. He did it in Cleveland the first time he left. Miami for four years. They got old, very fast, and weird.

Cleveland, it was J.R. Smith in the timeout, and here we are with the Lakers. Last night, in year 20, he's diving on the floor, 30 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and hustling all over the place, and the Lakers still have to lean on him, and he has to save the day. Now, that's fine for a playing game. But he's an old man, and I just, I mean, DeAngelo Russell, nowhere to be seen on the floor late. They got him off the floor. Anthony Davis, bonehead foul late. Jared Vanderbilt, zero points.

Malik Beasley, where is he? It's very Tom Brady in New England. In the end, didn't have enough to work with. He's like, guys, none of my receivers and tight ends, they can't get open. He goes to a team with receivers and tight ends. Tampa in the end, they had no running game, the coaching wasn't working, the team got old fast, and Brady was the dependable one. It's like Tom Cruise.

It's the only guy that can get people into a theater anymore at 60 years old. And he keeps up in the ante on stunts and LeBron keeps up in the ante on performances to just try to stay at a certain level. But as you watched last night, and I read the Jeff Benedict book, it is interesting to me, is that it's such a parallel to Tom Brady. Is that, you know, everywhere Tom is in the end, Belichick couldn't keep up with drafting. They just couldn't keep up. They could not get him even average tight ends and receivers. They couldn't do it. And LeBron in Cleveland the first time, they couldn't get him a second all-star.

In Miami, at the end, D. Wade was falling apart and everybody was getting old. They were still one of the smaller teams in the league. And then Cleveland, at one point, he went to a final, and the only healthy guy was Matthew Delavadova, and then Kyrie did a Kyrie and got weird. And then in the Lakers, they had to reboot the franchise. He won a title, and here's what you're left with. undrafted player, a flaky player, DeAngelo Russell, who won't be here long. Jared Vanderbilt had zero points.

What in the world is AD doing? And here's LeBron giving you 30, 10, and 6 and diving for loose balls. It's like three things are certain in life. Death taxes and LeBron ending up with a weird roster that he has to save. And that was again the story last night. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. I'm surprised no mention of Carl Anthony Towns's first quarter struggles, Colin. He was good early. He was very good early. They got tired. I mean, Minnesota wore down without that bench. Yeah, no go bear. Didn't have a wing guy.

Anthony Edwards was, I mean, talk about lose your confidence in your jumper. He's a great player. Well, he's a great athlete, but he's got to figure out in the offseason. I think he's like 21 or 22. He's a kid. Like he's one of those. I mean, LeBron loses confidence in his jumper for the first 12 years of his career. Like Anthony Davis did not want the ball last night from the.

perimeter. He just, he did not want to shoot the ball. You know, Jared Vanderbilt guarded Jared Vanderbilt, like almost situationally, we'll have Vanderbilt in just to guard Edwards. Vanderbilt, that knows him. He played with, was in Minnesota prior. Good job by that on Darvinham. I'm not bashing him the whole way. All right, let's start with who's playing tonight. The Pelicans host the thunder. Not as exciting as, you know, Lakers last night, but both teams hope to keep their season alive. Pelicans without Zion Williamson, which has become a theme throughout his NBA career. He's had a hamstring injury. A hamstring, Colin, since January 2nd. Well, those hurt. They're sensitive. A four-month hamstring injury? It is dubious. Four months?

He has put on weight. The former number one pick has played 29 games this season. Again. But this is what's troubling, Colin. Listen to these quotes about whether or not he'll be able to return for the playoff run. Physically, I'm fine. Now it's just a matter of, like, when I feel like Zion. You know, I know the atmosphere I'd be entered based off like the playoff experience. So now it's just a matter of when I feel like Zion. I don't feel like there are any specific benchmarks for being Zion. It's just a matter of like, you know, when I feel like myself. If I feel like Zion, I'll be out there.

Okay. So what's going on here? He's referring to himself in the third person three times. It almost feels like a scripted response. Does it not like the Pelican say, be careful what you say. Let's just say I want to feel like myself. And he was almost like repeating a mantra. Is this mental?

I don't think it's physical at this point. Well, we said this yesterday. What do you do? You can't move off him. They don't get free agents. So, I mean, it's just like... First of all, who's trading for him? Well, I mean, given up.

I don't even know what a trade package would look like for Zion. As I said yesterday, injuries happen to Biggs a lot more than we think. Blazers have had three of their young. stars. Greg Oden, Bill Walton, and Sam Bowie fall apart. Brandon Roy as well, right? Yeah. But I mean, big guys, weight issues, he plays with a torque and a violence

that is just, I've never seen anything like it. When he's healthy, he's a top five player to watch, maybe top three. Yeah, he's a wilt. I mean, the bottom line is it's a lot of Euro facing the basket centers. There's not a lot of yokech bodies out there, and nobody wants to take the charge from this guy. So he's

27 a night, 60% from the floor when he's on. But a lot of this stuff is very predictable. It was, you would still, if you had to draft today, you'd still, if he was available this year, you'd look at him and go, he's such a unique athlete. It's Chet Holmgren last year. We knew his body would break down. He was built like a straw. How many games did he play this year? Yeah, no, but I mean, if you have a bunch of picks in your Oklahoma City, like he's such a unicorn, the kid out of Gonzaga, you're like, I'm going to draft it. They should have drafted him. And then predictably, that's what I say. When

Kyler Murray looks too small or Bryce Young, those are fair question. on, this was what people predicted. Chet Holmgren, it's what people predicted. And you can't really pass on them like Victor Wambayama is 7-4. Never seen anything like him in the league. And by the way, if you look at Victor, that's not a 20-year NBA body.

No. It's not. But you have to take him. He's such a unique. He's a unicorn. He's a one-of-one. Pelicans are five-point favorites tonight. Anything there? Thunder on the road? I like, I'll get me honest with you. I'm going to take the thunder. Okay. We'll go a little head to hit.

lack of playoff experience. What's the points? Five. I take OKC and five. And what's the other game? Chicago's playing, aren't they? Yeah, I think we're talking about that later in the show. Chicago Raptors. Oh, boy. I'm not watching that. You're not staying home for that. Well, you know, I'll watch the highlights. I'm going to face time with the wife for an hour. YouTube? YouTube? Highlights. I don't know if I can get, I can't get through two and a half hours of Raptors' Bulls.

Yeah. You can rewatch the big short. I just watched that with two nights ago. Next up, one of your favorite quarterbacks, Denver Broncos, QB. See this story? Russell Wilson. This is awesome. So the Broncos began voluntary offseason program yesterday.

Yeah. A local reporter Mike Kleis, Cleese of Nine News reported, Russell Wilson was among the first to arrive. 5 a.m. 5 a.m. That's impressive. He's entering his 12th season. He's showing up at 5 a.m. Obviously, he had the worst season of his career last year.

And now he's got Sean Payton. What's the excitement level? 5 a.m. You know, Jets probably wish their quarterback were show. Oh, right, they don't have one. Ravens probably, oh, they don't have a guy, yeah. Pretty nice to have your quarterback in there. Early.

In April. Like everybody gets all the Russell Wilson is washed people. They're going to go hiding on social media now because you and I know he's not washed. He may not be an A, but he's not washed. He could be an A. Matt Stafford is a. Like Matt Ryan looks washed.

Is the offensive line healthy? Well, they went and addressed it in free agency. That's a big question right now for. I think their O-line will be fine. They went and got a right tackle. They got a guard they already liked. The left tackles back from injury. I think they'll be fine.

Only thing I don't like is is Giovante Williams. There's some chatter that his injury is kind of serious and he will not start the season for the. He was a dynamic running back. Really good. That would be a big loss, obviously. All right. Final story. Joel Clatt released his latest mock draft on his podcast with Joel Clatt show.

I don't love this. Check it out on Fox Sports. You don't love it either. I don't love it. I'm not a huge fan of this one either. Sorry, Joel. He predicts three QBs will go to start the draft. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Drumroll, please, the Colts trading up to three to get Anthony Richardson.

Now, what do we say yesterday? What is the history? If you are drafting a franchise, if you're drafting a quarterback, if you're moving up for a guy to save your franchise, it doesn't work. Mahalms, the chief sorority in the playoffs. Lamar Jackson, the culture coach was set, great foundation, and Josh Allen, they already had made the playoffs with Tyrod Taylor. Right now, the Colts don't have a left tackle they love, a quarterback they love, the number one receiver they love, they need another corner. This feels like a swing to save the franchise, and I'm just saying, history is, it does not work. If you come and you don't know if the coach is good, and you don't know if the roster's good, listen, Anthony is such a unique physical presence.

understand people moving up. And again, what else do they do? They're kind of trapped here. I mean, what else do they do? I would, I think there's an argument to be made. If I was Indy, I would trade down, get more picks, I'd get my left tackle, I'd get an edge rusher, I'd get another receiver, and then next year, because in the AFC, they're going to be bad next year. With Anthony Richardson. Are they going to be Texans bad? Oh, no, Texans will be better than them, I believe. There's a lot of draft stuff to say based off this. But, Colin, to look back at what clad had. If Bryce Young goes first, do the Texans take C.J. Stroud because from all accounts, the Texans like Bryce Young. So do they pass on Stroud at two and say, we're not taking a

quarterback in this class? Because remember, they signed Case Keenham, Colin. If you're not drafting C.J. Stroud, then get the hell out of the number two spot trade down and fill your roster. Well, assuming somebody wants to trade up for C.J. Stroud. Who's trading up for C.J. Stroud? I like him. Sorry, C.J. Stroud. He's not trade up worthy, is he? No. So my takeaway, if I'm Houston, and they may wait to the last day, but if I'm Houston and not taking a quarterback, we'll get more players. I think the Texans have had a very good offseason.

The other thing is, we like Justin Fields a lot coming out of college. I thought he was a better quarterback at Ohio State than C.J. Stroud was like 15 in the draft. Way more dynamic as an athlete. Better prospect than Stroud and breaking nothing away from Stroud. So what is Stroud doing it too? Like we need to step back and be like, wait, what are we doing here?

I agree with you. And the other thing is the Arizona Cardinals, remember that story early? I think you had it yesterday. Six teams interested in trading up. If we look at that list, do we see any quarterback needy teams? Arizona's clearly trying to drive up the value of Richardson, because he can't do it with Levis. Nobody's taking Levis third. We just got to be aware of smoke screens. Didn't Detroit solve some of their corner issues? Well, remember, they dumped Akuta yesterday, so they did in free agency, but one of those might be a one-year Band-Aid. And Gonzalez, obviously, is very highly thought of. The other thing, Bijon Robinson, at 10,

10? I don't get that. Would the Eagles draft a running back? No, go get it. There's two good... They just let go. So Paris, so both the top offensive linemen are not going to go in the top 10? All of a sudden, it's not a premium position. They're not sexy to talk about Bejohn Robinson. Paris Johnson could be a... I mean, when you watch Paris Johnson, a lot of... I don't know this to be true. I'm not a scout, but people feel he is easily the best offensive lineman at left tackle. Well, who doesn't need a left tackle? It's about six teams in the league that don't need a left tackle. How many contracts for Paris Johnson versus Bejohn Robinson?

Running backs get one basically to start their career, right? And then after that, it's like, well, we'll see what happens. We're not paying them. Bejohn's an interesting case because is there an argument to be made? So here's my argument for Bejohn Robinson, is that if you're a really good football team and you can get running backs anywhere, but you need a pop player now. Like now, they went and got Rashad Penny from the Seahawks. But if you're like, listen, we're in the Super Bowl thing, and we need a pop player.

player. You could make an argument. Philly's like, listen, we got everything. We don't need anything. Let's go get a game changer at running back to support. We have a great offensive line, and you can make that argument. Because Rashad Penny's not available for 17 games. He'll play for like 11. Here's the Eagles running back depth chart. Richard Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, who was like instrumental at times in the postseason. No, he's a great backup. Back up. Yeah, exactly. Number three, Boston Scott, a bowling ball of a running back. They like him. And number four, Trace Sermon, who I think.

wasn't you the kid from Oklahoma? You don't need a great running back. How many times do I have to tell you? Well, as I've said before, I would go draft the Northwestern offensive linemen. Perfect. That's the easy one. Like Philadelphia feels obvious to me because Kelsey you got one more year with. So go get the Northwestern guy, high functioning smart kid comes in and one year he takes over for Kelsey.

What happens when Lane Johnson goes down for four weeks in week eight to week 12? You're screwed. You are in deep, deep trouble because they're awful without them. No, you and I agree on this. Our draft, now you have Anthony Richardson going one. may be moving off that, but we'll see. Well, there's something from Chris Mortensen. I think we'll talk about it next down.

What happened? I don't want to talk about it yet. Well, he basically said the pick is going to be Bryce Young at one. And he's like a, I mean, he's been around the league for like, you know, a long time. You know Mortensen. Yeah, of course. So Bryce Young's going to be number one. And there's a story that the owner, Teper.

Loves the parents. Had a closed door meeting with Nick Saban that was lengthy. Like not even his head coach or GM in there. Teper the owner. Who's calling the shots there? The GM or Teper. Probably the owner, right? Yeah, it's price young.

You don't give old DJ more than a bunch of picks for raw guy, a bathroom selfie guy, an average guy. That being said, let's just remind everybody to a tongue of Aloa undersized, Trey Young, underside. Like, there is some risk with these small quarterbacks of previous. Of course. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. A lot of stuff going on. on. Yeah, I got good stuff here. So, remember this past off season. It was this time last year that I started saying, I was begging all of you, take the Vikings to win the division over the Packers. They've got an offensive coach. They're going to win at least half of the close games. I begged you. I said, Minnesota is going to win the division.

I got nothing but cheeseheads. Tell me what an idiot I was. I said, no, the Green Bay, it'll battle for the wild card spot. I think I had them in. They didn't make it. It came down to the last quarter. They would have made it in. But I said, Minnesota is going to win the division.

So I, you know, like a Swami. You're literally now watching a wizard on television. So I'm going to give you, I'm going to go back to the same division and make a prediction. And I'll beg you once again to listen to my wife. words. I nailed Minnesota and I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen to the Packers this year because it's a story out today and I'll get to that in a second. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. What do you get when you combine a three-time manager of the year at a three-time national sports writer of the year? It's the Book of Joe

podcast. Hey, this is Tom Verducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network, and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden. And we're going to be around to talk a little bit about managerial decisions, playoff games, and what may have occurred into the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. I can't wait for this, Joe. We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League Baseball. Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Listen to the Book of Joe podcast on the Iheart radio app, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars. fan so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This Saturday, Real Football for Real Fans, is back to

2003 U.S.FL season opening kickoff weekend starts the new season, Saturday at 4.30 Eastern on Fox. I'm not going to get into what we were just talking about. Oh, boy. I think I just, J. Mack, literally his head is spinning. I'll get to it in five minutes, maybe, and I'll tell you what we were talking. I'm going to need to walk off the set if you say this stuff you're going to say. This is wildly inappropriate, Calhurt. Come on. No, I'm totally right. So by the way, Charles Barkley last night said none of these games are watchable. We all know who's going to win the East. I'm going to say something similarly about sports. So I'll get to that in a second. So David Boktiari's Aaron Rogers' best friend for the Packers, great left tackle, getting older,

redid his deal, he'll be around for a few years, great player, Hall of Fame level player eventually. And he basically said that Aaron's going to be a jet. Don't worry about it. It's over. He's going to be a jet. So he is going to be a jet. If David Boktiari is saying it, then that's coming directly from Aaron Rogers. He's going to be a jet.

So last year's Packers. and I predicted they'd be in second place, which all the cheeseheads, you know, big, yap, yap, yap, yep, all disappeared when they didn't make the playoffs. But last year's Packers were noisy. They had a weird offseason. Aaron Rogers wouldn't participate in the offseason with a young rookie wide receiver. So it took them until like December to get their act together. Let me tell you exactly what's going to happen.

It's going to be the opposite this year. So there's no Aaron. There's Jordan Love. First of all, Jordan Love wants to prove he can play. right he's been told he's a backup a lot of doubters a lot of cynics a lot of iroles he's going to be totally engaged the young receivers who feel ignored by aaron are going to totally bond with jordan love and matt lefleur the head coach it's his offense now he's not splitting it with aaron rogers who sometimes wouldn't even show up reportedly to meetings that erin scheduled

also green bay is going to draft another tide-in and a receiver very early in the draft so it's going to be a very young offense and Lafleur can mold it and Jordan Love's going to connect. They're going to be very focused, very determined, and very prepared early in the season. And also, nobody has any catalog on Jordan Love. Nobody's seen him play. He had 26 snaps last year. Ten was the most in one game. Nobody knows what he can do and what he can't do.

You know his body. You don't know his catalog. What he can throw, what he can't throw. Back shoulder seam. You have no idea. So last year, Green Bay, because Aaron wouldn't commit to the offseason, predictably, predictably, we did it on this show, was choppy until December and got their act together. Then Christian Watson finally developed a real relationship, which could have happened in September,

and Aaron showed up, but he didn't these Aaron whatevs. It's going to be the opposite this year. They're going to be a real feisty September-October team. Very feisty. Jordan Love's going to be absolutely, they're going to be the most committed they have been in the offseason in four years. It's Lefleur's offense. Lefleur wants to prove.

I can win without Aaron. Jordan wants to prove he's legit. The young players are going to bond with the young coach and the young quarterback. And then after a really, really solid September, October, everybody's going to have film after seven or eight games on Jordan Love, and they're going to see what most people think. He's got a pretty low ceiling. He's not a top 12 quarterback.

He's certainly not a bottom six. But he's somewhere around the Tannahill area, which is okay. People are going to find his flaws. They're going to see his weaknesses, the throws he can make, the throws he can't. And for the first time in his career, he's going to be running a franchise and going to a losing streak. How does they react? Even Aaron Rogers' first year as a starter after Fav didn't react particularly well. And Green Bay is going to end up in the exact same place they did last year,

battling for a wild card spot in the final week of the season. They're going to finish 9 and 8 or 8 and 9, depending on how that last game goes, and it's going to be the opposite of last year. Last year, not committed in the offseason. This year, completely committed in the off season. Last year, Aaron ran the show. Matt, listen. This year, Matt's going to run the show and Jordan Love's going to listen.

Last year, Aaron wanted old guys, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins. Those guys are gone. The receiving corps is going to be kids. They're going to draft another receiver. They're going to draft another tight end. Robert Tonian's now gone. So what's going to happen at the end of the year? They're not going to be as dynamic offensively in the NFC as Philadelphia or, let's say, Detroit.

They're not going to be as dynamic defensively as San Francisco or, say, Dallas. And they're going to be eight and eight and eight going into the last weekend. Thereabouts, battling for a wild card spot. Jordan Love, 26 snaps last year, 10 and one game was the tops. I think they're going to be the same exact result of last. year, but you're going to flip it. Good early, struggle late, absolute ceiling. Because remember what happened last year, they got hot at the end of the year, and some

of that was they played a bunch of dogs. They played bad teams. It wasn't that they were like the Lakers. Lakers aren't a great team now. They're a better team than they were. Green Bay wasn't a great team last year. They were just better than what they were early in the year. They struggled right in the middle.

So there you go. I begged you to bet the over-under on the Vikings, and I'm telling you right now, this is what they're going to look like. So wherever the over-under is, if it's 10, bet the under. Heavy. You said the Packers' wide receiver room was kids. I think that may be being generous. Do you want me to read you the five names that the Packers have at wide receiver right now?

Yeah. Christian Watson. So he played one season. Romeo Dobbs. After that, Samurai Torre. I think he had a touchdown catch last year. Someone named Bo Melton and then Jeff Cotton. Those are their receivers.

Yeah. For Jordan Love. Yeah, well, they're going to go get a tied-in and a receiver. It's going to be a very young receiving group. In a weak receiving draft, they're going to grab a receiver. Well, also, what you want to get is a mature receiver. Like Jordan Addison is like a grown-up, totally committed, maybe not a burner, but Jordan Addison would walk in and give you 55, 60 catches.

He's like a grown-up. Like, he runs the route tree. He's not immature. He's quiet. Head down. Like, I would go get a guy like that who can come in and play immediately as a rookie. And, by the way, you get about 15 guys in the NFL every year out of college at wide receiver that are productive.

Jordan Addison, his ceiling, I don't think he's a burner. He's probably a top of the second round receiver, but if you're Green Bay late and you can get him, they also, I think they would go after a tight end like Mike Meyer at the kid at Notre Dame who can block and run or Kincaid out of Utah who's not the blocker but can get up at the field. They're going to go get a very young offense, but they have a good old line, which is not young, and they have two excellent running backs,

and they've got an experienced coach. So they're going to be young at wide receiver. If you're going to be young in the NFL, that's not a 10. terrible place to be young. Can I ask you? So Bakhtiari's quote said looks like a rebuild. This is the one guy who has seen Jordan Love in practice now for three to four years? So what was the quote? Rebuild. Looks like a rebuild. He's seen Jordan Love in practice for about four years now. Yeah. Offensive lineman, veteran, says that about the team. And you still think

they're going nine and eight? No, I said eight and nine or nine. Okay. It's the NFC. It's a seven-win team in the AFC. It's a seven and ten team in the AFC. It's a seven and ten team in the AFC. It is an eight and nine team or a nine and eight team in the nfc i will uh go ahead to head on that one i'll get the under under eight wins jordan love you you're getting this i'm sure in the control room jordan love coward this is going to be fun what well you you got you have to admit now well i also get to admit aaron rogers will be with the jets and he'll be thriving and i'll be laughing at the packers who have jordan love okay so here's my last night charles barclay was great he came on the air and he said can we just stop with this we all know who's going to win the

the east. Boston, Milwaukee. Like we all know in Philadelphia. Nobody's beating those teams. Now, I do think Cleveland matches up pretty interesting with a couple of teams, but it's one of the things we like about Barclay. You know, networks want you always say their games are great and the teams are great and the leagues are great. And they're not. And so I just said this and I'll get huge blowback by this. We were saying this during the break is I think there's only been four great sports movies ever. The best sports movie ever made is Moneyball. Seconds Rocky. Those are great movies, not great sports. movies. Moneyball and Rocky are great movies. Then two other that are great sports movies,

I wouldn't call them great all-time movies, are Miracle and Bull Durham. Field of Dreams was hokey. It made us cry, but it was a little hokey. Bull Durham is fantastic. So there's been two great sports movies ever made. Rocky is just a great movie and Moneyball is a great movie. I don't buy into football movies. I need authenticity. There's never been an actor who looks like a football player outside of Bert Reynolds. Longest yard, you could probably throw in there as a fifth. But there's only four movies that I really, like if they're on, I'll keep watching. But I don't think sports movies are good. They're not authentic. You're asking actors to be athletes. You and I are in sports. We know the truth about sports. They're always sanitized.

They're not real. So I just don't buy sports movies. So there's only four I've ever loved. I would throw longest yard in there, probably fifth. That's the only football movie. North Dallas 40 was okay. But longest yard was genuinely fun. You're not talking about the Adam Sandler one, right? You're talking about the... I'm talking about the Burr Reynolds one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm just going to toss a couple of...

I can say Brian's song, but does that even qualify as a sports movie? That's the first movie I cried at. Lassie and Brian's song. Wow. Okay. So I'm just going to toss a couple football movies with... I'm just going to tell you I don't like them. Amazing actors.

Someone on the set said, remember the Titans. And that's an amazing movie happened kind of in my backyard where I grew up. Yeah. Denzel Washington. Love him. If that's ever on cable, I'm planting my... and then calling my kids over to watch it with me. You've never seen it. It's called Remember the Titans, and I always forget the title. So it doesn't stick to me.

I don't like football movies. Okay. Sandra Bullock, good actress, the blind side. Not interested. A lot of stuff that's not true. It's about recruiting college football. That's right in your wheelhouse. Yeah, but there's, it's a Michael Lewis book. And it's a Michael Lewis book. Now, the book's fine. But you know what? That's one of the only thing Michael Lewis has ever done. I haven't read. I get sports all day. I don't want sports in my movies. Okay, hold on. Rudy.

No, I'm just kidding. I don't even think that's a great movie. No, no, no. Sorry to everyone. It's not a great movie. It is a heartwarming sports movie. Okay. That would classify with the longest yard at like five. And then Friday Night Lights.

Not interested. High school football, not interested. Hour two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast.

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