The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-2-Dallas Cowboys, MLB's "Unwritten" Rules, Desmond Mason & Stanford Routt

Episode Date: August 18, 2020

Colin believes the Dallas Cowboys are one injury away from being awful defensively, The MLB doesn't embrace their young stars, and are often upset over "Unwritten Rules" being broken. Desmond Mason & Stanford Routt also join the show this hour Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, 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. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam 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.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 IHeard 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the Heard at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go, hour two.

We are rolling right along, live in Los Angeles. It's the herb. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio FS1, Joy Taylor's joining me. Got a lot of stuff today. A lot of stuff to talk about today. It's easy now. This job now for me is just driving up, having a coffee, and talking.

I had about five and a half months I was just making crap up. You know what I'm thinking about that this morning. I'm like, man, we really have we have so much sports now. Oh, no, I know. We have really like not even gotten to really talk about NFL camps yet.

I'm doing that right in a year. Yeah. We have so much sports now. I was literally thinking this morning like, how do we do that? You know what, though? It shows you. It makes you, it makes me appreciate.

I think, you know, it makes me feel almost, bulletproof. We went five months with no games, and our ratings on radio exploded. Our podcast numbers exploded. Like, we did better. Advertisers, we were over where we were last year in sales with no sport. So it makes me think, this show works with no games. Other shows deteriorated, like fell off a cliff. The other place I used to work down 40% across the board, we're not. It's like, I think now when I drive to work, honestly, I feel like it's, this is like easy street. I got games.

It really is. I just can't believe that we did that. When you really stop and think about it, it's really crazy. God, thank God for Tom Brady going to Tampa. That gave us 40 shows. Cam Newton. Thank God for the NFL. Yes. The draft. I mean, we were just begging for twisted ankles on

stars. We needed stories. No, it was really something, though. We did it. Yeah, we did it. Cowboy defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy, good dude, veteran player 32 years old. season-ending ACL surgery. That stinks. I've said this in the NFL. Every dollar counts. Every dollar counts. Hard cap. Can't manipulate it like the NBA. Every dollar counts. Spend rarely, infrequently, and only spend the big money on great players. Mahomes, Travis Kelsey, Chris Jones,

Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner. If you're going to spend big money, spend it on the right guys, and spend it infrequently. 99% of the players in this league are not worth a point in Vegas. Not a point. The quarterbacks are worth somewhere between 4 and 12. But the Dallas Cowboys have just been handing out candy to everybody. Everybody get paid. And a lot of times, they're really good players, Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence.

They're not superstar players. They're top heavy. saw the Rams do this a couple years ago. And now what happens when you're top heavy? You start to have to take chances on guys who are a little older, Gerald McCoy. Older guys get hurt. On personality issues, they all eventually unravel. So Dallas's defensive line is now old Gerald McCoy, boom hurt out year.

Retired Alden Smith, not a long-term solution. Cross your fingers, it works for a year. Everson Griffin, who's talented, older, but there's been some mental health issues, so the market for him wasn't big. There's also Randy Gregory, I think it's somewhere on the roster. When you have all these big contracts, A, you have very little depth. One or two injuries can just blow everything up.

It did with the Rams. You get the wrong injury, season over. That doesn't happen with, like the Baltimore Ravens are a great team. They don't have a ton of big contracts. you could lose a starting corner, Earl Thomas, Mark Ingram, and a right tackle. Baltimore would still probably be co-favorants in the AFC because they're not paying a lot of people huge money. Ronnie Stanley didn't get paid yet. Lamar didn't get paid yet.

I think Earl Thomas is one of their biggest contracts. So Dallas now is a situation where when you're top heavy, you don't have a lot of depth and injuries, which of course happened in the NFL, are unbelievably punitive. Dallas has now one more turned ankle from because remember there are secondary stings. So it's not like Baltimore where if you had defensive line injuries, the Raven secondary is filthy. You know, there's some secondaries in this league. New England secondary is good. Baltimore's secondary.

Buffalo secondary is unbelievable. Or if you had a defensive line issue, you've got the corners and the safeties and the coverage skills to be okay. They'll bail you out. That's not going to happen in Dallas. The weak spot of this team is a secondary. So now you're one injury away or one personality conflict away from being awful defensively. And just praying Jalen Smith can have 130 tackles. And also throw in to Marcus Lawrence gets hurt a lot, very good defensive end, but you paid him a ton for a good player and he gets hurt a lot.

And throw in that you did not address your primary need with your first round pick, C.D. Lamb. He's a good pick probably, but he didn't address your needs, which were all on the defensive side. not good for Dallas. FYI, McCoy Torres Quad Tendon, not his ACL, my bad. So one of the things, one of the things people say often to me, well, why do you talk so much NBA? You talk a lot of NBA in NFL,

but I get the NFL why the NBA. And one of the reasons I do is because young people love the NBA. Young people, and I think it's important as I age to have young people working with me, young people watching me. I don't want to be the cranky old sportscaster. So I'm on Instagram. I'm on all those young platforms.

Not TikTok yet. I'll get there. The point being is the NBA not only does a good job to find young talent, they celebrate it. They put their arms around. LeBron's like, I love that guy. I mean, Luca came from overseas.

Five games in, LeBron's like, who is this Luca? John Morant, Tray Young, NBA veterans love the young players. I mean, they just love them. And it's cool. NBA, they just put their arms. NBA stars, they're like, I love this is my, I'm a Zion guy, I'm a John Morant guy, I'm a Tray Young guy, I'm a Luca guy.

I love that. Baseball is the opposite. They just put a wet blanket on everything. Fernando Tatis Jr. is a great young player for San Diego. He's a great player. Last night, because the game was too lobsided and the pitch count was 3 and 0, he swung at a ball. and he hit a Grand Slam home run, which would have that home run for this young superstar gave him the league lead in home runs. He's a fascinating player.

He's a star. But everybody was mad that he hit that home run because there's an unwritten rule in baseball. I don't even act. God, I hope I don't. My wife doesn't have these. Can you imagine being in any relationship when my wife was like, four o'clock on Tuesdays? I get the remote. Why?

That's the unwritten rule in the marriage, huh? In baseball, there's an unwritten rule, which nobody really talks about, but if you're up by seven runs and the eighth inning in the count is three and no, you can't swing. What, huh? Basis loaded? Yeah, I don't get it either. The unwritten rules of baseball. So this young start of something amazing, and his own manager didn't like it.

Here's the Rangers manager after he didn't like it either. I think there's a lot of unwritten rules that are, you know, constantly being challenged, I think, in today's game. So, yeah, I didn't like it personally. And like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis. So just because I don't like it, doesn't mean it's not right. But I don't think we liked it as a group. NFL players are not snowflakes. Hockey players are not snowflakes.

NBA players are not snowflakes. They don't protect your feelings. That's not what they do. If you can't get me out, that's a you problem. If you can't stop me dunking, that's a you problem. If I can run in for another touchdown, that is a you problem. baseball players are apparently 365, 24-7 snowflakes, that they get their feelings hurt when you can't get a guy out

and your staff can't stop the greatest young talent potentially in the sport. One of the things I loved, Kevin Durant a couple years ago, was in a game and the warriors were crushing Washington. And Kevin Durant actually said, get me off the floor. Washington quit playing hard. Durant's like, I'm not, this is too easy for me. So Durant did the opposite of the baseball thing. He's like, I don't want free points.

Don't groove stuff in for me. You're not even guarding me. This is too easy. Take me out. Baseball's the opposite. You got a big lead on me. Protect my feelings. No swinging at the big, bad baseball pitch.

Baseball. You could learn something from the NFL. Listen to these star old quarterbacks in the NFL. just they love Mahomes. They love Lamar Jackson. Listen to Russell Wilson talk about Kyler Murray. They light up. They love new talent. In the NBA,

got NBA stars, the Durants, the LeBrons, they always put their arms around. They all pick favorites of their young players. This kid is an amazing rock star. Let it be. Stop unwritten rules. You know, it's funny, the only unwritten

rule that I can think of in basketball and football, these are the This is the only singular unwritten rule in the NBA and the NFL is, don't take my knees out. In fact, NFL players have acknowledged I'd rather get a concussion than a knee injury. And that gets very controversial. The media gets freaked out. But NFL players are saying, you mess with my knees, you mess with my livelihood. You'd knock me out upstairs.

I'll be back in 10 days. The only unwritten rule in the NFL and the NBA is, hey, you don't go for my knees. Don't ruin my career, don't ruin my bankroll, everything else. You dunk on me a minute left leading by 28. That is a me problem. In baseball, throwing to a young star because you can't get him out, apparently is the young star's problem? I don't get it.

I mean, young people want to want fun and they want to be around young people. Like, pull the wet blanket off occasionally. let young people emerge and star and support them. And exhausting, exhausting. At least the potteries have good young stars now. Years ago, they had all sorts of them. Coming up next, Desmond Mason, is for all those Westbrook and Hardin haters,

you may get your wish because Oklahoma City is a handful, and they're not missing any of their star players. And Chris Paul's had one of the, maybe the most significant year of his career. injured, older, playing babysitting kids, and you should get MVP boats. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd

weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my 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 job. dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two. different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Games, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

On FS1, Paul Goldschmidt and the Cardinals take on Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and the Cubs. Coverage begins at 7 Eastern on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. Desmond Mason played in the NBA for 10 years. He is also an artist. He does abstract expressionism. And I'm expressing myself all day, and I'm very abstract. So this is why he's a great guest for me. And he's going to join us now via the Coward Global Satellite Network.

He played with Durant, Westbrook, Chris Paul. Look at that beautiful art. That is, you're a talented dude. Is this your art gallery or are you at home right now? No, no. My wife and I, we're at our house in Cabo. We're running for some good weather and some relaxation. Good for you.

So let me start with this. You've played with stars. You've played with Chris Paul. I've always loved Chris Paul. I think he's feisty. I don't think he's easy always to play with. And I'm okay with that. I think he's a very good team player.

And I know he's worn some guys out. He is now leading a mostly very young OKC team against Houston. Who do you like? And does OKC match up with Houston, Desmond? I like O KC. I like OKC in the series. Obviously with Russell Westbrook and James Harden, they have some talented offensive players.

But I like OKC. I think they're a pretty versatile team. The young guys are starting to find themselves. They have a rhythm. And Chris Paul is proven over and over again. He's a great leader. I played with him. He was a rookie.

He was rookie of a year. We were a team that was moved from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I came in from Milwaukee. in that trade. It was Pages Stoyakovich and Tyson Chandler and David West, a lot of talented guys, J.R. Smith. But Chris has always been a leader in the game. He's always been a pass for his point guard, and if he needs a score, he will. I think OKC comes out of this series because

it's a fight over who's going to shoot the basketball. I think Russell's going to take it a little bit personal, which I don't blame him. I've been in that situation before trying to beat your former team. But I think OKC right now has their head in the right place. Let's talk about that. I'm one of the few people on Earth. I prefer Chris Paul over Russell Westbrook. They're very different personalities, but to your point, I think Chris is a past first guy and better defensively.

If I said to you, Westbrook, Chris Paul, today, who's had the better career? Your thoughts would be? You know, it's hard to say that. I think Russell Westbrook's career is still intact. I think Chris is on the back end of his career. If Russell falls apart the next three to five years,

then I think it's an argument for Chris Paul. But, you know, when you're talking about a walking triple double in Russell Westbrook, You're talking about a guy that has consistently made people better around him and Chris Paul. That's a hard one for me. I think it's a story that's still in the writing right now. So I blame Porzingas for the ejection because my takeaway is if you were one speeding ticket away from losing your license, then it's on you as a driver. It's no longer on the police.

And I think once Porzing has got the first technical, dude, you can't get near a skirmish. You can't get close to it. But what was your reaction having played in this league for a decade on the ejection? You know, I think the league is getting a little soft in that position. I think when you look at the playoffs, it is common knowledge that the intensity ramps up. It's known amongst players that the referee allows, the referees allow a little bit more leniency on fouls and physicality and skirmishes like these. I understand you want to control the game and keep people from getting into a fight, especially in the situation with the bubble and all those things.

But I think it was a little extra. I think the referees, they cost Dallas that game. I think that's not, one of those texts should have never happened for sure. Dallas is interesting. They're very young, and this year they're two and 12 in close games. The Clippers have veterans. They're eight and three in close games. So take me to your career, because with five minutes left, it was so obvious.

I mean, just Kauai and Paul George and Patrick Beverly took every big shot. Take me to the youngest team you played with and a veteran team you played with and how they are different late in games. I'll go a veteran team first, and that would be my first year as a rookie with. We had Gary Payton, Van Baker, Brent Barry, Richard Lewis, Patrick Ewing, David Wingate, Curtis Ellison. and that was a team where you knew at the end of the game, everybody knew that Gary of Venn was shooting the ball, and you knew it.

It was go get a rebound if you want a shot, if the game was close. I go to a young team in a situation when I was with the Milwaukee Bucks, and I was the veteran and Michael Red and Joe Smith, and we're in the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons, and we go and be Detroit in Detroit. And we're thinking to ourselves, we got this under control. You know, we was a one in an eight seed.

We got this under control. well, we didn't win another game because Chauncey turned it on. Rashid turned it on. Rip and Tayshan, Ben Wallace, those guys, McDice, they just turned it on. And we realized that we weren't ready. So I totally understand where you're going with that. Dallas is a young team. What makes them scary is that they're young and they don't really see that.

They're a little naive in a situation. But the clippers are the clippers. I mean, you can't deny that. You know, Kauai is a fascinating player. I've been saying this now for the last couple months, and my audience is going crazy. I said, if he wins a title with the Clippers, so he's going to win a title with San Antonio, the MVP,

a title with Toronto, and he's going to go to L.A. And by the way, so he did it in Canada. He did it in a system in San Antonio. Now he does it for a historically losing franchise. We're going to have to start putting him in top 10 lists, and nobody likes that because he's never been an MVP. He doesn't play 82 games. But I look at him, and I'm like,

I think he's the best. get a bucket and get a stop guy in the league with five minutes left in a basketball game. Last night's a great example. He was great defensively. He gets you a bucket. As a former player, if he wins for the Clippers, where do we put him all time? Like, nobody will have ever done that. Yeah, you know, the game is so skewed because sometimes points put people in those positions.

It's, you know, how many points did you score in your career? How many championships did you win in your career? So I think it's a tough question. I think he's definitely in, I don't know if he's in a top 10 conversation. But when I look in the history of the game, you know, top 15, top 20, you have to give him that.

You have to give him that. Top 10 is, that's a very elite group of people. And some of it comes just with flat out scoring. You think about it, Carl Malone. I mean, it's Carl Malone. He's in my opinion, Carl Malone is at top 10. I mean, from a scoring standpoint, he deserves to be in the top 10 and what he's accomplished.

So I think I'll quite, I will go top 15, top 20. I'm not sure if I would go top 10, but he's in a conversation because he's a talented guy with both ends in the floor. So you've got to give him that love. Yeah, great defensive player, and he was great down the stretch last night against the young Dallas team. So it's funny, we saw the Lakers in the regular season, and then we watched the Lakers in the bubble, and they looked old, and they couldn't hit three pointers. And, you know, I was talking to Rick Buecker earlier, and I'm like, I don't know what Laker team I'm going to get. I really don't in this series. Portland's got better shooters.

They've got Nerkich's, they got size. They're a veteran. They're unlike Dallas. They've been in these playoff games. They're not intimidated by the Lakers. They've beaten the Lakers before, you know, Dame's 52nd playoff game. So should I look at the Lakers and say, okay, they're a number one seat in the West, or should I look at them today and go, they struggled in the bubble. They weren't good to last week of the regular season or the bubble.

What are they going to be tonight? I think they'll be fine. I think the Lakers are a team that, you know, it's a long-haul team. It's not about, I mean, I think the Lakers can lose game one and still get it done. I don't think it's going to be a sweep by any mean. I think Dames is focused. Got C.J. McCullough, big fellas back. And they're just playing really good basketball.

The Blazers, they're confident. But with the Lakers, you have so much. leadership and so much talent. And LeBron has proven year in and year out that he can take over a series, a game at will when he decides to, not just by scoring, but by getting everybody else involved. I think the Lakers are just still trying to get back to chemistry. They had it. And now, as the Milwaukee Bucks are doing and some of the other teams,

they're having to rebuild chemistry in the bubble, no fans. That vibe is different. I think the Lakers will be fine on them. By the way, I think the league, I've been saying this, I think the bubble's been a home run. I think of all the sports that have come back, UFC and the NBA have been unbelievable. Are you surprised at the intensity of the games?

Maybe it's because the guys aren't flying now. And travel in the NBA is such a beatdown, Desmond. When I watch these games, I cannot believe the energy. It's like March madness. Does that surprise you? No, no. Actually, well, it surprises me that it has been so successful. But, you know, I do.

I think the energy's high because guys haven't been playing. They've been just anxious to play basketball. They're healthy. If you had any injuries, you had plenty of time to get yourself back in good health. If you were a little bit out of shape, you had plenty of time to get yourself in shape. I think a lot of guys came back at tip-top, you know,

shaping for them. Look, a lot of guys drop weight, a lot of thin guys gain weight, a lot of muscle mass, body fat was cut, because it was literally just work out and stay away from people day in and day out. It's been a huge, and I agree with UFC is the same. same. Basketball, the NBA, and the UFC have done a great job of transitioning through COVID

to continue a season. That's beneficial not only for the players and the organizations and the leagues, but for the fan base as well. That's beautiful art behind you. Did you major in art at Oklahoma State? What did you? Studio art for sure, yeah. That was what I did. I travel with my portfolios. I did the same in the NBA. I traveled with my portfolios on the road, and I stayed out of places with female dances and chicken wings along with other things. But yeah, no, this is my life. And this is what I do. I travel around.

I do shows globally. I collaborate with companies. But now my wife and I, we're just relaxing. We're expecting our new little guy in December, a son in December, which will be our third. And so we're excited about that. So maybe 20 years from now, you'll be talking about him. What a pleasure to have you on the show. Talented guy.

Ten years in the league and a beautiful artist as well. Great family. Desmond, have fun. Thank you so much. I love having you on, man. Colin, thank you so much, man. Have a good. We'll be safe.

You bet. Abstract expressionism. That is the artistic style of Desmond Mason. He doesn't go to, he doesn't get chicken wings. That's not what he's about. He's about abstract expressionism. Joy Taylor with the news. No.

No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. an abstract painter as well? Yeah, she does. Yeah, that's what she does. It's all through the house. She's got artists and her family,

steel work in Michigan, and she's got a lot of, you know, she told me one time out of the blue she was related to comedian Tim Allen. I'd been with her like five years. I said, I'm thinking about writing, I'd have this sitcom thing. She got, yeah, yeah,

Tim Allen's my cousin. I'm like, I've known you five years. You could have mentioned that like four years ago. Well, you know, it's good. Have stuff, you know, just keep it new. Keep it fresh. Yeah, exactly. So the Celtics got the winning game one against the Sixers,

but Gordon Hayward went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He limped off the court to the locker room with three minutes left in the game and was reportedly seen leaving the arena on crutches with his foot in a boot. And the Celtics announced today that Hayward suffered a grade three sprain and is expected to be out for four weeks. Yeah, yeah. So that's really bad news for the Celtics. Now, if they get to the finals, he'd be back, right? Yes. Well, so essentially

Yeah, it would be the He'd be back for the Eastern Conference Finals. Maybe before that, depending on how long the series go. They don't have a ton of size so they need him. Like I think the Philadelphia series, they can win without him. But then it gets, I'm sorry, you're not. Yeah, I think they'll be okay for this series.

You're not beating Toronto without him. No way. This is a big loss, big loss for them. Especially the band bleat's playing. Well, also Gordon is just, I mean, he's a very smart player, veteran. in like he's a he's a big presence for them he had 12 points four rebounds and four steals and 34 minutes his his his third injury that's kind of recent obviously four weeks isn't tremendous but remember he broke his leg in 2017 missed the entire season he fractured his left hand in November of 2019

he's expected to miss six weeks it ended up being four weeks so hopefully they can get him back sooner but big loss for the Celtics yesterday so lebron has already said his first round matchup against the blazers won't be a walk in the park and if the lakers get past portland things are going to get any easier, but he says he thinks this title run will be the most difficult of his career. This is the toughest, you know, championship run for me personally, from a circumstances of just being in here. I don't take anything for granted, especially being in the NBA. It's my 17th season. I don't go into any season saying, okay, playoffs, playoffs, championship, championship, champion.

I just, I'm all about the process. He's talked a lot about, you know, just the mentality of being in the bubble, being away from his family. His family will be in two weeks? Well, so after the first round of the playoffs, then people can start bringing their families in. I don't know how much or how many people, players are actually going to bring in. I mean, obviously they miss their kids and their family, but it's not an easy process to come into the bubble. You have to quarantine for, I believe, three or four days in the host. city, the teams have a city, then you have to quarantine for four days when you get to Orlando.

You know, if you're traveling with young kids, that could be kind of difficult. I don't, I don't, so, I mean, I think most guys are probably going to bring their families in, but it's, it's not just a simple process of just flying them down. Like, they still have to quarantine and get tested every day. And look, I know there's people who don't have a lot of sympathy for players right now, but this is not what they signed up for. Like, this is not real life. We're all dealing with extreme circumstances right now.

Like, nobody's complaining that they're being paid for what they do for, living obviously, but that doesn't make it any less emotional or mentally draining for them to be away from their families and be away from their homes and be in this unprecedented situation, which I'm really grateful for to have sports and that they are all committed to doing this and that everyone is doing an amazing job keeping it safe for everyone. If you are separated, though, the good news, if you're professionally motivated, it really does help. Like it's hard to be separated. Sometimes having no distractions can actually be a distraction, if that makes sense. Like if you're so far removed from your normal existence, which they are, that can be a distraction as well.

Now, they're playing almost every other day, so it's not like, and they're, you know, doing rehab in between and all that. So it's not like there's, I imagine, a lot of downtime in the bubble for players. But it is very interesting. Like, everyone talking about the bubble at the start was saying, you know, is there going to be an asterisk or are we going to really count this as a real championship? I'm completely on the other side of it now. I think this is not only going to count as a real championship, it's going to be one that we

look back on and say, like, what? What did they have to deal with and go through to actually win that championship? Finally, Tua participated in his fully padded practice for the first time of the dolphins yesterday. Interesting. There he is. He's reportedly being eased back into action with a lot of handoffs and short passes. You like to evaluate training camp footage? What did you think of that throw?

Oh, it's a bullet. I see. Unlike Burrow, there's no wobbly. Look at this. Perfect timing. Let's see more, too. Hold on. Hold on.

God, it's a rope. Let's see one more. Look at his feet. He's got great feet. Oh, my God. Perfect height. Let me see again. He looked healthy.

He looked healthy. And comfortable. Did he break that receiver's hand with that velocity? I know. Okay. I mean, he doesn't look good, though. This is a step in the right direction. His feet are amazing.

He's got great feet. I'm more inclined to think that Fitzpatrick is going to be starting at the beginning. Yeah, you will be that. All these guys. I wish, actually, Joe Burrow didn't start. You'll be good for him. All these guys are going to be overwhelmed. Give me a break.

This year, I would want that for Burrow. Normally, if you're the number one overall pick as a quarterback, you should be starting week one. That's kind of the point. But, yeah, this year, all these rookies could benefit from having a veteran. Is there anywhere I, I don't mean to push people to another network. Is it anywhere I can just get video all day of practice? That's a business.

They aren't even allowed to shoot all of training camp practice. I know I have to get some licensing arrangement, but God, I could just watch to a throw all day. long. Just evaluate this thing. I'm surprised the wrist wasn't broken on that dolphin white out. The thing's a rope.

I think it's so funny how much you love trading camp footage. The Cam Newton for the Patriots, I can't take my eyes off. Yeah, it is. It is kind of, it's just we're so ready for football, I think. Oh, God, I'm close. Anything is, I'm not evaluating it, though. I would bet two ants

running down a sidewalk at my house. I'll bet anything. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd law. He played for the Raiders, the Texans, the Chiefs, Stanford Rout. His thoughts on what he's seeing with all this NFL training camp stuff, Stanford Rout, good dude, right around the corner.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're just so, y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table

right now. So, you're finishing that sentence. And yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations

with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns. Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Snup, you can use the right tools for your job as a man. Revolutionary Company, Manscape, Skin Save Technology, Trimmer reduces cuts, get 20% off free shipping, code herd, Manscape.com, code heard. Stanford Rout, former NFL defensive back played for the Raiders,

the Chiefs, the Texans, eight years in the NFL. Joining us now live. Let me start with this. There's two teams in the NFL. The Bears may start Nick Foles over Trabisky. That's a real quarterback battle. Tua Ryan Fitzpatrick's a real quarterback. quarterback battle. By the way, Mario Deerick Carr could become a real quarterback battle. Have you ever

been in a camp, Stanford, where you didn't know who was going to be the starting quarterback going into a season? What does that do for a camp? It's definitely something that can be very tenuous on a lot of the players simply because you see the quarterback battle every day. You see that one started switching in with one team, you see the other started switching in with the second team offense, things like that. So it's definitely something that is a part of the NFL as a player and just something to watch. But yes, I've definitely been a part of it. And watching go from first game to preseason one start a second game, another starter, third game, which is the dress rehearsal, having the guy who's going to be the presumed starter is definitely something that's interesting to watch unfold before your very eyes.

So Gerald McCoy of the Cowboys, 32-year-old veteran defensive lineman, injured out for the year. and so you get into a situation in these NFL camps, you start to lose one or two starters. Does it change the locker room? Do players talk about it? This is not an area. They're hoping Alden Smith can help this year. DeMarcus Lawrence has been hurt more than once.

How do injuries affect camps for teams like the Cowboys? Well, whenever you have veteran players, they're not going to play too much in the preseason anyways, even though there's not going to be a preseason this year. So it's not going to be that much of a detriment. Now, when you look at the Dallas Cowboys, obviously a big blow to their defense, losing Gerald McCoy for the season.

But because they've signed Aldous Smith, because they've signed Don Terry Poe, because you still have DeMarcus Lawrence, a pro bowler, it's not going to be a detrimental blow. I'm sorry, it's not going to be a debilitating blow to their defense. I still think that they're going to be able to be very formidable on the front floor. In terms of COVID to you, there's different pro.

protocols. I don't know how much football, you know, you played with no fans. Like, does that have any impact on how you play and prepare? I think with no fans, I remember having Marquis Pouncey on my podcast recently, and I asked him that very question. He told me, he said, Stan, if you're a player, you're going to be able to play regardless of whether it's fans, no fans, things like that, because that's what we do. We're football players. We're programmed to go out there and make plays, no matter what position we are on the football field. So I don't think that it's going to have that much of an impact on the veteran players on the true dogs in this league.

Now, you'll have certain young guys that they're used to playing in the SEC, the PAC 12, things like that. So you know what? They need that roar. They need that euphoric feeling from the fans. But if you're a veteran, you're a guy who's been around in this league, you know how to do it because whether it's a fan or no faith, you still got to go out there, cover the receiver, tackle the running back, catch the ball, sack the quarterback, things like that. So I don't think it should have that much of an impact. So I like Cleveland this year. It all hinges on Baker Mayfield because their talent is exceptional.

They've got two stars at Tide End running back. They got their offensive tackle situation settled. And I've said before, now this is Baker. Now he's made a lot of mistakes. I think if he struggles this year, there's going to be a lot of people in the front office. They're going to say, you know what, there's just too much. He's not good enough to deal with the nonsense. What do you expect from Baker Mayfield?

He did admit the other day. I'll give him maturity points. He admitted, I lost myself last year. I was out of shape. Should I take that as maturity? Or should I be concerned that the second year in the league, he's already lost focus and put on weight? Well, I definitely hope that we can take it as maturity because this is a maker break year for a Baker Mayfield coming in. He's got a new head coach, obviously got a new system.

But he has a barrage. He has a multitude of weapons around him at the running back, tied in, receiver position. So if he's not able to make it this year, and when I say make it, I mean that Cleveland needs to be playing for a possible division title in December. If they don't win the division title, hey, we get it. You got the Steelers. You got the Ravens also in the AFC North. But in December, Cleveland needs to be playing meaningful games. And if not, I think that you might see the Cleveland Brown decide that, okay, you know what?

We've seen exactly what he is. We know what he is. He's the number one overall pick. and he cannot propel this team with this myriad of weapons around him to actually be in one of the tops in the AFC or the AFC North. So I think that this definitely can be a make or break year for Baker Mayfield. You know, it's interesting. Tom Brady goes to New England, whole new playbook.

He said the other day he's never even had an offensive coach in high school, college of the pros. He's always had defensive coaches. So it's a whole new thing. How long when you went to new teams? How long was it, Stanford, before you were comfortable with the playbook that you were just reacting and not thinking? How long does it take for a guy in the NFL that's been around a while? If you're somebody that's been around a while, for the most part, especially with me being on the defense side of the ball,

there aren't too many different coverages that a defense coordinator can call. You just have different names on different teams for their terminology. So for a guy like Tom Brady, he's been around this league for so long. It's only nine routes on the actual route tree that a receiver can run. So it's more about getting the terminology down, things like that. And as you can see, Tom Brady, he's been having these private workouts with a lot of his teammates all the way going back to April, May, things like that during this pandemic. So I don't think that it's going to be that much of a steep learning curve because he's already an astute individual. So I think that he's going to be able to fill into that position for the Tempe Buccaneer seamlessly.

By the way, no preseason, I was told years ago by a general manager that you need three weeks of hitting to be able to hit. You got to get the metal worked up. He called it the calluses. You need three weeks of hitting. Well, we don't have a preseason. And with COVID, guys are separated more. Is it possible in September when we see more injuries? Will it be more finesse football?

Will the tackling be horrible? How many practices, weeks or reps or games did you? need to feel like physically you were ready to play in a real NFL game. I would probably say, give me about a good two weeks of training camp, actually going one-on-ones with the receiver, seven-on-seven, things like that. Let me go ahead and come up and make a tackle and tie it in or running back. So I'd probably say for me, maybe six quarters of the preseason, but obviously we're not going to have a preseason this year. So I would go ahead and as a coach probably rev it up with a few more live drills in practice, what have you, just to

go ahead and then build up that callus because you see for so long there weren't any offseason workouts, no OTAs, no mini-camps, things like that. So guys are coming in behind the eight ball already simply because they haven't had any off-season work as a team in a team atmosphere. So it's definitely going to be somewhat of a trying time. You look at guys like Robert Alford or you look at Trey Wayne's already tearing their pectoral muscle. As you can see, Gerald McCoy. So injuries are starting to pile up a little bit, but I think that once guys go ahead and get their feet wet, as you can see, they just started padded practices a couple days ago in the NFL.

I think once that happens, everybody's going to go ahead and acclimate back down to norm, and then it's going to be business as usual. Stanford Route, former NFL DB for almost a decade. Good to seeing you, buddy. Thanks for coming on the show. Thank you, guys. Love being on. You bet.

Fox NFL analyst Chris Spielman will join us last hour. So now you're getting padded practices. You're getting a few injuries in there. But again, you get injuries every camp. Like, this is the cross your fingers time in the NFL. You just, cowboys lost. The issue with Dallas is they've taken some real flyers. I mean, Alden Smith was retired.

So that's what happens. I saw this a couple years ago with the Rams, where they had these big contracts. And I like Brandon Cooks, but you got to be very, very careful on that. You can pay Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones. Honey Badger has. been incredibly valuable to the Kansas City Chiefs kind of cinching up their defense. You just got to be careful.

They're very few guys. Like my rules always been pay a star quarterback and anybody that either protects him or elevates him. Left tackle, great tight end, you know, running back, not so sure. But, you know, Dallas paid Zeke early, Amari Cooper a little too much, Demarcus Lawrence a little too much, Jalen Smith early. And then you get into the situation with Dallas. They've got to take some flyers on the defensive front.

their secondary is not good. Gerald McCoy gets hurt. You're one more injury away from being a mess defensively. Having good linebackers and nothing else. Because Byron Jones, remember, was your best corner. He's now with the Miami Dolphins. So there you go. Good stuff.

Chris Spielman last hour. Putting the finishing touches in my house on my do-it-yourself projects, brought to you by lows and lows goals. Last hour, you know that one hour from now. Remember the face bracket? It never worked. It's the worst thing I do. I'm bringing it back today.

But I usually bring, you do it for football where it's a disaster. I'm going to do basketball. Quarterback face, right? Yeah, quarterback face. It's a disaster. It's the worst thing we do. I'm bringing it back for basketball.

Don't ask me why hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's

me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. It 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. 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. Thank you.