The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - More on Caleb Williams high praise, the difficulty adjusting to a new coordinator, Kevin Durant might be causing drama, Matt Hasselbeck

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

Colin talks to for Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck about Caleb Williams high praise, adjusting to a new coordinator, the sports scene in Las Vegas, Fernando Mendoza, and more Thoughts on the social media drama Kevin Durant might be causing the RocketsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome in Hour 2 on a Wednesday. a brief sabbatical, a very, very short hiatus for a few days. J. Mack will take over starting tomorrow. Matt Hasselbeck will join us in a couple of minutes. We are live at Chicago. It's 65 degrees. People always ask me, how are you going to handle the winter?

I'm like, apparently it's over. That was it. I may go play volleyball in the beach today. Incredible. So, you know, I used to live in Vegas. I always, I've been in the last year, how many stories, last two years, Vegas is dying. Vegas is dying. I don't think Vegas is dying.

I think Vegas is pivoting. And I think I saw a story today where Las Vegas tourism is dipping, but Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders stadium attendance is increasing. And that leads me to my point on what's happening to Vegas, because I lived there for seven years, I have friends there. I just talked to one two days ago. And I don't think Vegas is dying. I think in the 50s,

Vegas was mob guys in the rat pack. And then 70s and 80s, it was boxing, got more global Baccarat players. And in the 90s, it became families and gigantic pools and dining. And then in the early 2000s, it was nightclubs and bottle service. and Residencies for Stars.

And now it's a grown-up city with pro sports and UFC and Major League Baseball and the NHL and the NFL. And not as many people drink. So free drinks and smoky casinos is not the turn on it apparently used to be. Vegas is a grown-up city with pro sports. In this country, what makes you a grown-up city? When professional leagues and advertisers go, yeah. I mean, even the sphere. It's not about going to shows.

Go to Vegas. Now you go for pro football and you go for the sphere. I mean, they're building the sphere in other parts of the world. So I've been hearing the story of Vegas is just dying. I'm like, no, it was a better spot for the A's than Oakland and a better spot for the Raiders than Oakland. Sorry, Oakland didn't keep up. Vegas is exploding in the right ways. So it used to be all about gambling.

The economy in Vegas is not as. uneven as it used to be, as lobsided as it used to be. And Vegas has reinvented itself. I mean, I lived there for seven years. It reinvented itself. At one time, Steve Wynn said it's for families. And then he realized families, kids don't gamble. So I went back to gambling.

And then it's nightclubs and bottle service and residency. And it was mob guys. And it was giant pools. And now it's a real city. And you're a real city when you got multiple pro sports teams. With that, Matt Hassel joining us live. 18 years in the NFL, his Seahawks

played there for a decade, won a Super Bowl, and he's in a good mood about that. So I want to do two things. Can I just ask a quick question before you go? So when you lived in Vegas for seven years, was that bottle service time, or was that like the family time? Okay, this is great.

So when I live there, the mobsters, Tony Spilatro, was still alive. Over the course of my seven years, he got whacked in a cornfield. So when you see the movie Casino, my first couple years in town were the end of like casino, where the mob guys got whacked and then it became very corporate. And it was about cheap breakfast when I first got to town, 99 cent breakfast. There were none of those when I left seven years later.

So it became about boxing, gigantic pools, unbelievable spas. And then after that, it was bottles. service nightclub and residency. I was hoping to envision Colin Cowherd bottle service guy, but okay, you got that in Chicago now if you want it. There you go. That's right.

So we talked about this yesterday. Sam Darnold has succeeded at the end in Carolina, Minnesota, Seattle, and I think he'll be fine with the new offensive coordinator. But there's a real growing belief that they're not going to franchise tag Kenneth Walker.

He is not a pass- receiver or a pass pro blocker, kind of a one-trick bully out of the backfield. I love him. But do you worry that losing him and Clint Kubiak, it's how long does it take to get C-legs? When you had a new coordinator, how long does it take? Yeah, it's a big thing losing your coordinator, especially when they're really good, like Clint Kubiak.

And, you know, I think the big concern was who's he taken with him? But Mike McDonald's done a great job of keeping continuity. they lost the, you know, essentially they lost Clint Kubiak and the quarterback coach, and that's it. You know, maybe a senior advisor, offensive line coach as well. But, no, the continuity is there. And I think it was kind of a surprise pick going outside the organization, getting Brian Fleury as the O.C. And, you know, the tight, you know, he's coming from San Francisco as the tight ends coach. I think he's got an edge to him, though.

I mean, when I think of him as a coach, you look at the guys he coaches, you know, and George Kittle. I think George Kittl is one of, he's got like a Gronkowski quality. about how he plays. He plays with a smile on his face with an edge, very physical. He's a playmaker. So when you think about what Mike McDonald has talked about, what he wants to be identity-wise offensively, it's a run-the-ball first kind of team.

And another future star that he has that I don't think really broke out in the way that he will is tight-end AJ Barner. So I do think that this is going to show up to be a tight-end heavy offense. And you mentioned Kenneth Walker. Yeah, I don't think they'll franchise him, but they could transition tag him.

They could sign him to like a three or four year deal. You know, so there's other things on the table to keep him in play, especially with Zach Charbonnet being out with a serious injury this offseason. We were talking about Caleb Williams. And I said there was a story this morning that came out of NFL.com where they said, Caleb Williams is the best quarterback in the NFC North. And I said, okay, let's forget resumes. I don't care about what you did.

Let's talk about 2026. So if you go back and look at, and I think, Matt, when you talk quarterback, you have to consider their health and their cost. So Caleb does not get hurt, and he's 3.5% of the cap. So last year, he was the fastest quarterback, not Lamar Jackson. Last year, he had the longest completion. He is the lowest interception rate since he entered the league, and he was second to Matt Stafford on big plays.

And so I look at Caleb, and I'm like, okay, so he is fewer interceptions than Mahal. Holmes and Lamar and Josh, and lots of that is because he's a small cap hit and he's got better players around him. Okay, like he's got, there's no question. Bills have no pro bowlers on defense. Part of that is the $54 million annually to Josh Allen. So I said, is it outrageous to think? He doesn't get hurt.

He doesn't throw picks. He's an ascending player, no cap hit, better roster. The Caleb Williams enters next year is a top three or four quarterback. Does that just sound absurd? sir to you. Yeah. I thought you started out saying NFC North. Listen, there's a lot to like about his game, a lot. His improvement from year one to year two has been astronomical. Like, I've been very, very impressed. They built the team up. Ryan Poles built the team up around him in an impressive way, started up front. Ben Johnson, his impact on Caleb has been incredible.

It's fun to watch, exciting. Caleb's got a clutch gene that you don't know if quarterback has it until you put him in that situation. Two minute, fourth quarter, like games on the line. He doesn't flinch. He makes plays. He's got all those types of things. But I think like some of the things you talk about, availability is really important. Sure.

Touchdown interception ratio. Yeah, that is huge. I mean, Aaron Rogers has been the best in the game at that for years. He's got a quality like Aaron Rogers that way. You know, really I thought you were talking about just the NFC North. Like, would you rank him number one in the NFC North? And I do think there's an argument to be made there if you think about play caller quarterback together. Play caller quarterback together, would I put the Chicago Bears number one?

That's an interesting thought. You know, lasted the year before last, if you would have said to me, Ben Johnson, Jared Goff, I would have said, yeah, that's your, that's your gold medalist. Absolutely. But there's an argument to be made for LaFleur and Jordan Love. However, then you go back to some of the other things you were talking about, just availability. You know, I do believe that's underrated and important. But, no, I mean, if he can continue to improve the way he did from year one to year two to from two to three, then, yeah, I think this guy's the limit.

But that's not always the case. Some guys, sometimes after that first year of success, it doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to have another great year right after. You know, you bring up a good point that I didn't, which is when I consider quarterback, I said, not considering what they cost is like doing your family budget. and not counting the Maserati payment. It's like, no, that's going to eat away at your nanny. You're not going to go out to three vacations. Like, you have to count everything for your budget,

including that second car you like to show off to your golf buddies. And my take is you have to consider what a quarterback costs. You're adding another element. You have to consider the play caller. So now if you give me Ben Johnson, he's almost free, he doesn't throw picks, number two in big plays. He is right now the number one bet for MVP next year. So it's crazy as it sounds.

Everybody's projecting he's going to put up monster numbers. Yeah, and I could see that happening. I would also just say that, you know, just having gone through my career, one of the things that is absolutely true, every year is a little bit different. Every year is just different. And so would it surprise me if he came out and had the exact same kind of success that he had this year? No, I guess it wouldn't. It would not.

But that doesn't guarantee it. Like, I would tell you straight up, two years ago, the best quarterback, you know, one of the best quarterbacks in the game, top three in my mind, was Jaden Daniels. Like, he was so impressive, like incredibly impressive. And then the next year just, you know, it wasn't quite the same. Drake May was the runner up for the MVP this year. His year before, it was nothing like that, nothing at all. I mean, he backed up Jacoby Perced for probably six of those games. I mean, and just didn't have that much success.

So every year is different. I think that the arrow is trending up. up. And when you have a franchise quarterback, which the bears feel like they do, then that can also help in free agency. You get guys looking around the league like, hey, where do I want to go? I want to go to a team that's on the rise. The bears are on the rise. I want to go to a team with a franchise quarterback. And I think that everyone really feels like, hey, Caleb is that guy. So yeah, you can definitely get momentum that way as well. You were lucky. You played for the well-run. You had good coaches, smart team in Seattle. Also, Green Bay. But you played for the Titan.

and the Colts, and you had a different journey. And I was saying this week, I don't worry about Fernando Mendoza. I do worry about Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders because I said, find me the quarterback in the last 20 years that goes to a bottom tier franchise and succeeds. And everybody goes, Joe Burrow. And I'm like, and he hasn't made a playoff three straight years. Like at some point, once they paid him, the roster's then. Well, C.J. Stroud. And he has regressed in the last two years.

I don't worry about Mendoza. I think he's Matt Ryan Plus, and Matt Ryan was very good. But you, in your career in the NFL, I think the gap in locker rooms, travel, coaching, training is pretty broad. You have always talked about your good experiences on this show. Was their experience, or did you have teammates that talked about organizations that didn't have it buttoned up? And like, did the story shock you? Yeah, for sure. I mean, you go back to the controversy that was this NFL PA report card in the NFL kind of going at it in court and saying, hey, we don't like that. We don't want the players sort of grading the team. I mean, this is what you did back in the day with your cell phone. You know, what's it like where you are? You know, back when I played, it was things like nutrition and, you know, some of those type of things. You know, the one place I was, you know, like I parked in the parking lot. By the time I pulled into my parking spot, the chef in the kitchen was already working. on my veggie omelet. Like, that's just how it went. You know, another team I was on, you know,

I'd come in the building, one of the first people there. There's an igloo cooler with like, you know, two hour old like breakfast sandwiches that were just sitting in there. You could grab one if you wanted. Like it was just, it just was like a different experience. You know, lunch was provided at one place and another place it was, you know, you'd be in line at subway with your coaches, like with your cleats on. It just was a totally different vibe. So I do think there, there are certain teams that are cutting edge. They're ahead of the curb. They spend money to make money.

They make it feel like this is not work. Like we're just having fun. We're out of family. It's contagious. And then, you know, then there's other workplace environments that are not that way. But I think that the main thing that I would point to for success is, you know, particularly, like in my experience with, you mentioned the Packers and the Seahawks. Like the football people were very much in charge. There was no owner coming in and saying like, hey, I went to this alma mater, I need to draft that player or something like that.

Which that can happen throughout the NFL where you basically aren't on the same page on draft, on free agency, on players you're going to keep and some of those kinds of things. So not every team is the same that way. Yeah. So what do you do now in the offseason? It's a good question, Colin. I'm just trying to figure it out. Like the football season was so fun. Luckily, I've got a middle daughter who plays lacrosse at Stanford,

and they're having a run right now. They're a top five team. So big matchup, Syracuse versus Stanford and girls lacrosse this weekend. So looking forward to that. But no, listen, the Combine will be here shortly. I'll be at the Combine. I'll be working with some of the wide receivers and quarterbacks at that. You've got free agency right after that.

You know, a lot of these coaching staffs are being filled there. I think it's fascinating. 10 new head coaches, 21, 22 new offensive coordinators in the NFL. That's kind of why I say every year is different. And so I really think that being an NFL fan, you can do that 12 months a year, 365. Let me ask you this on the way out. Aaron Rogers, 42 years old. Do you think he comes back to Pittsburgh?

I said earlier he's got a very casual timeline in a very urgent league. Everybody likes answers now. Everybody's intense. And he's kind of the, he's a little bit of a Hollywood kind of like. lifestyle kind of like, let me see how it lands for me. Let me get into character. I need time off. That's his personality. If you are in business with Aaron, that's his personality. He's out front about it. He's totally authentic about it. He doesn't deny it. He's kind of very L.A. chill, Malibu chill about it. Would you bring him back if you were the coaching staff?

Yeah, I think he wants to play football, but with a caveat, only somewhere that plays in his offense with his verbiage. Someone that age, I lived it. You don't want to, try to learn a new language. You don't. Like, if it's in Pittsburgh with Mike McCarthy or someone that runs that same offense, yes. If it's not, then no. He doesn't want to get in the huddle

and have to think about red, left, swap, tight, clothes, Z, right, right, G, you corner, half back, flat, on one, ready break. Like, he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to wear a wristband. He wants to own the offense. And so it's got to be in that kind of a system for him to come back in my mind.

Good stuff. Good to see anybody. Good to see you too. Matt Hathelbeck, 18 years in the NFL. So at one place he played that you came in and they had three-hour-old sandwiches and an igloo cooler. And I'm looking at his resume. He didn't play for the jet, so it's not them. Well, I know it wasn't the Packers and the Seahawks.

So who are the other teams? Colts are the Titans. Listen, T.J. Hushmanzada told me stories about the Bengals. Bengals. I have two stories about the Arizona Cardinals. Oh, only two? And Michael Bidwell, that are, it's just, you know, you think, oh, billionaires, they'll be very secure. You know, these people make $12 million a day on their dividends, you know, on their stock portfolios.

You'd think they'd be very secure, and it's just not that way. I remember thinking this years ago, I wish somebody, maybe I should do this sometime, put somebody on this. I don't have the time for it. But if you found every owner and how, what are their top two businesses? And are there certain businesses that lend themselves to being good owners, like real estate or tech or like you, is tech a good? Because tech people maybe sort of removed. They're not big personality. You know, Jerry's in like oil catter and real estate.

And those people, that's a very social, Stephen Ross, Miami. real estate. It's deal-making. I would think real estate is deal-making. You'd be kind of good at that. Stan Cronkey is in real estate and land ownership. That's deal-making. I would think that's a great billionaire to have in the building, a real estate guy, a deal-maker. Would tech people be? Now, Mark Cuban was tech, but he was also very progressive. He was all about finding new ways to do the same old thing. So I thought he was an above average owner. So I don't know. Remember your favorite movie

Moneyball? The cheap A's owner? I mean, I've watched it 50 times. He made the players pay for soda in the soda machine. Remember that scene? And eventually he, the players complained David Justice famously on the airplane. And eventually he made a trade and made the other team pay

for the soda machines because he didn't want to. Some of these guys are just cheap, man. It's really not a smart way. Your employees, you want them happy, right? You don't want them unhappy and angry. And some of these owners are just doing a terrible job. Yeah, I mean, there are some college programs that do a better job. When Nick Saban was at Alabama, I had somebody in the league, a general manager, go,

and he was scouting, he was a GM, and he went down to Alabama, and he's like, they have it buttoned up better than we do as an NFL franchise. If you go to Oregon, if you're drafted out of Oregon to like Arizona or the Jets, you're downgrading in facilities, very likely. I'm not kidding. That's like real, Colin. Go look at the Oregon. Have you seen the videos Oregon puts out? It's not just Oregon. A lot of people are upgrading. But like Arizona,

Bengals, Jets, these guys, they just don't care. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the I-Heart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube. And you can be a part of it. Pay attention. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button.

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What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called. Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we, how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Lever, help make you funnier.

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And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jen she won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now,

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Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Yeah, we were talking about Caleb Williams with Matt Hasselbeck and I said you have to consider what you're paying it.

You have to have an adult discussion. The final eight teams in the NFL playoffs this year, final eight teams, four quarterbacks were on their rookie deal, Caleb, Drake May, C.J. Stroud Bownecks. Two were on discount deals, Sam Darnold Matt Stafford, and two were really expensive. Josh Allen, the most talented guy in the league couldn't get to the Super Bowl in a year that Mahomes, Burrough, and Lamar Jackson didn't make the playoffs, and the other one was Brock Purdy. So to me, everybody wants to talk about best quarterback based on what? Resumay.

I mean, then nobody can ever be better than Mahomes, who has not played great football the last two years? Who's the best quarterback? Well, am I going to consider cap space, your coach, armed talent, mobility? I'm watching this great play by Caleb Williams. That was the play of the year in the NFL by Caleb Williams to scramble. By the way, he talked on the Max Crosby podcast about Ben Johnson did not love to play initially. Here he is.

Ben, he's watching me, and he goes, he like tilts his head back. And I already know his mind is like, what the fuck is he doing? And so I'm like, all right, I'm not to just, you know, gain a little depth, trying to wait for somebody to pop open. And I turn around and I see everybody. And there's a six foot six tight end. And then there's a shorter cornerback. My only thought was put this ball in the back of the end zone. When I let it go, I knew it was a touchdown.

So that's why I got up and just went straight to the sideline. I was like, yeah. It's a little home run try. Yeah, that was something else. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

We've never talked about the Philadelphia Eagles in quite some time because nothing's really happening there except stuff that you're totally shocked by, Colin. Reports are now indicating Philly has promoted their past game coordinator, a gentleman by the name of Parks Frazier. He has been upgraded to quarterback's coach, replacing a veteran who had 20 years of experience. Why does this matter? Well, one Eagles writer said, Frazier has never been in charge of a position group in his NFL coaching career over nine seats. seasons. That's like having some guy in the building for nine seasons and like pretty much never promoting him to a position group leader. And now he's going to be alongside Jalen Hertz. Like we always try to project on this show for the benefit of the audience and ourselves, bad teams that will suddenly get really good.

Last year we picked New England. We got that right. There's also always without question a great team that falls off the cliff. Washington was that team this year. Kansas City was that team. There were two teams that we thought, you know, their Super Bowl bubble last year, and they were bad. Doesn't it feel like this thing in Philadelphia? If it unraveled by late October, just completely unraveled, you wouldn't be shocked?

Late October, what about like March and free agency? If they start losing guys, like, I don't know. It's just, I haven't read one positive article out of Philadelphia since I got eliminated. have you? I can't think of one positive thing. Very strange, Colin. All anybody's doing is bashing Harts, bashing Sariani's decisions. All we keep saying is the GM is outstanding. Can he fix the coaching staff? What are we doing? No, it's, you know, for years and years, I've noted that the Eagles do things bad teams do. I mean, they move off successful. They move off quarterbacks after signing them to big deals.

they fire very quickly, Super Bowl winning coaches. You know, they take big risks. They paid big money for a running back. A lot of what they do, bad teams do, but the Eagles are well run, so they compensate for it in other ways. But it feels like they are, doesn't a lot of this come down to a very simple truth? Is that other, in the coaching fraternity, Nick Seriani isn't highly thought of. So guys are leaving the staff. People want to retire.

People are moving off. I mean, the whole off season is, what in the hell is this coaching staff? Yeah. Does McVeigh ever have a problem finding coaches? Does Kyle Shanahan or Kevin O'Connell? Kevin O'Connell calls Brian Flores. It's like, boom, it's good. Like the best, Jim Harbaugh, he needs an offensive coordinator.

Mike McDaniel's like, yeah, I'll sign up for it. The better your coach, the easier it is to build. a staff. This staff is ham and egging it. It's just, I mean, it is bailing water, life preserverer here, unproven guy here. What does that tell you? I mean, do you think when McVeigh would have this much trouble creating a staff? That's why you can't judge coaches just on winning percentage and trophies. It's more that Don Corrielle never won a trophy with San Diego. He was a great coach. So I, this thing feels,

it can't be this hard to build a staff. It's the Philadelphia Eagle, one of the best own best run franchises in football. And yet this staff is to be kind, suboptimal. All right, let's move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Colin. Mike

Evans, unbelievable career in Tampa. One of the best receivers in the league, great red zone threat. There's talk he could retire. But now, according to his agent, he is going to return for a 13th season. However, it's unclear if he's staying in Tampa or going somewhere else. Now, listen, this guy's had 11 straight seasons with 1,000 yards. He's still very good.

He's not like still a top five. I don't know about a top 10 anymore, but he's still very good. I think he could help a contender. I mean, if you're Buffalo, you're just getting Josh out on the horn. Please recruit this guy to Buffalo. Because if he doesn't stay in Tampa, and they have some good receivers, Somebody's going to get a good one of Mike Evans. He's a pro.

Does he get Hall of Fame votes? I would say yes. I think he has to, right? Obviously, last season and I had some injuries, only played eight games. So some people are going to be like, well, I don't know if I want Mike Evans. Listen, he's going to be motivated to chase a Super Bowl.

Hasn't sniffed one in Tampa. Final story, Con, let's go to the NBA. Obviously, the Lakers are dealing with some injuries. But despite that, they're 33 and 21, fifth in the West? Colin, give them some props. They've only had LeBron, Luca, and Reeves for 10 games. That's incredible.

Here's LeBron on the Mind the Game podcast, breaking down the state of the team as they head toward a playoff run. We're playing good ball at times. The number one important thing for us is back to our, it's health. Yeah. You know, we finally got healthy, you know, with AR coming back, and then Luca goes down with the hamstring. For us to be, you know, I think 11 games, 12 games over 500 right now, top six seed in the West,

I think it's pretty damn good under the situation that we've been in, but we've got to keep going. Well, they're built actually for the regular season because as we've stated, the regular seasons about offense, the post seasons about defense and situational basketball. So there are a little bit of a fool's gold roster. I know I'm very negative Nellie on the Lakers, but offensively, you're going to be. can win a lot of games in this league offensively. Where the Knicks worry you is Jalen Brunson, Carl Anthony Towns, pick and roll defense in the postseason.

So I think the, I mean, a great example is when they played Minnesota last year in the playoffs. A lot of people thought the Lakers could steal that series. They were not competitive because Minnesota has much greater athletic wings, much better rim protector. And so in the end, they went and played Minnesota. and remember, J-Mack, when you play a team four, five, six, seven times, you can hunt players. And that's the Lakers problem. They have several guys defensively.

Teams like Minnesota, OKC, San Antonio will hunt, Denver, will hunt their defensive players. So, yeah, I get it. The defense isn't great. Defensive efficiency, Lakers currently 23rd in the league. You know who 24th is, Colin? Who? The Denver Nuggets. Now they've had a million injuries.

I get it. But so have the Lakers. Ten games together for Reeves, Luca and LeBron. I know this is not popular. But they also, Denver has an elite defensive player, Gordon. Gordon, and he's missed a lot. They have the world's best offensive player, Yokic. Yeah.

And they also have Yokic and Jamal Murray have played together forever and won a title together. So the construct of that team, you don't have to love Denver, but I have the best offensive player in the world. And I absolutely have an elite defensive guy in Gore. I mean, essentially the playoffs in the West, people don't want to hear this. It's going to come down to health. SGA's hurt. I don't know if you're reading about this.

There's really no timetable yet for his return. They keep saying weeks. We'll see what happens. Yokic has been hurt. Aaron Gordon's hurt. The clippers are banged up. Lakers. The only team to watch is the Spurs, I think.

I honestly think the Lakers have a shot in the West. I know you don't laugh. Ha, ha, ha. If they're healthy, I'm not betting against Luca and LeBron. Last year in the playoffs, you forget. Austin Reeves was not even close to all. 100% clearly defensively he was labored. I think they're going to be

a threat. I don't think they come out of the West. I got the spurs. But don't sleep on those Lakers just yet, Mr. Cowherd. All right. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Matt Hasselbeck. Lance Zerline, I talked about him yesterday.

Dad worked in the NFL. He works for NFL.com. He's a sports radio host in Houston. He has, his draft preview stuff is so good. And we've had fun this week, talking about Mendoza and what I think he's going to do. And we got into this yesterday where I said, as much as I love him, look at all, name the quarterbacks that go to a bottom four or five franchise and flourish.

And it just doesn't happen much. Joe Burrell briefly. C.J. Stroud briefly. And C.J. Stroud has a very good coach. And Joe Burrell has a good enough coach, in my opinion. So that's what I worry about with Mendoza. It's just, I mean, it's Andrew Luck had some success initially. and then they couldn't protect him, bad roster, out of the league.

So it is, the draft's going to be great. The draft will be great for sure. Live in Chicago, it's the hood. 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. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called.

Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling

you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action

with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast,

I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenshin win. I mean, she went down to three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface.

Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer 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 or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person

join me Keer games is we have real conversations about healing growth fathers pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Cross state rivals tip it off on Fox College Hoops Friday. Braden Smith leads seventh ranked Purdue in a Big Ten battle against Indiana.

Friday night, 8 Eastern, only on Fox. You know, as much as everybody criticizes the NBA, the NBA has a little bit of the UFC issue. And it's UFC, Hollywood, NBA, or star-driven vehicles. A UFC, when they had John Jones and Connor McGregor in their prime, they had a pay-per-view business. Dana White's a smart guy. He's like, I've got a bunch of good fighters. I don't have a Ronda Rousey.

I don't have a John Jones. I don't have a John Jones to me is the best UFC fighter, pound for pound ever. I don't have a Connor McGregor, who's wildly controversial. I've got just a bunch of good fighters. fighters. Well, it's harder to get people behind a paywall for that. Right. I mean, even like a Howard Stern, when he went behind a paywall, you lose like 25% of your audience, right? You just lose them. And so you really need stars. Well, same with Hollywood. People don't go to a theater except for like Tom Cruise. So, you know, they, that's why they've done these remakes and the Avengers.

You can collaborate and put six semi-stars together into a movie, and that gets people back to a theater. And so it's the same thing with the NBA right now. There've only been about seven, eight players in my life that were face of the league. Like Kareem was the best player in the league for a decade, but he wasn't a face of the league because he was prickly and stoic. Wilt was too flaky to be face of the league. MJ was a face of the league. Baird and Magic, Steph Curry, LeBron. I don't know if Kobe ever was. Shaq and Kobe felt like it for about four or five year period. The Lakers kind of felt like the face of the league. But it's one of the, it's one of things where part of the NBA's issue is that like they,

that's why Cooper Flag is so important. He feels like there's something there, but what does face of the league mean for the NBA? I always say this about politics. People complain about, I mean, before Bill Clinton, the Democrats were lost, and then they found their rising ascending star, and then they weren't lost overnight.

And the Democrats felt kind of lost pre-Obama. and then they found their guy and then they weren't lost. And same with conservatives and Trump. Oh, they're swimming. Trump loses. They're in chaos. Oh, he's running again. And suddenly they control the Supreme Court and the White House.

Sometimes it falls into your lap. Generally, NBA face of the league, it's just unique. Like, magic, the smile, Lakers, his style of play. Magic is a once in a Laker story. I mean, a lot of the Lakers' best players haven't been as likable. You know, Shaq, incredibly likable, so much fun. But he started with Orlando. They had to trade for him.

And a lot of great players, Dwight Howard, don't have the personality. Aunt doesn't want to be it. Jason Tatum's great. Doesn't have an aura. It's very rare when you can get a curry or a LeBron or like Michael Jordan was just naturally cool, the earrings, the suits, the look, the smile, the game. Some of it's just, it all adds. That's when for years people were saying, oh, Jason Tatum's the face of the league.

I'm like, stop it. He's not cool. He's a nice guy. He's kind of quiet. Sometimes he disappears on the floor and Jalen Brown's taking all the shots. And I like Jalen Brown. But Jalen's not dominant enough to be a face of the league. Is Wemby potentially a face of the league?

Could be. Got a little attitude, got a dominant game. But like so many, everybody's complaining about the NBA and the style of play. The bottom line is if the next Michael George. and walked into this league, it would solve a lot of problems. The baseball is team-driven. The NFL isn't anything driven. Maybe gambling.

Like NBA, UFC, Hollywood, or star-driven vehicles. And UFC, Dana, watch a smart guy. It's like, I'm going to move out of that pay-per-view thing. Pretty good timing. Right? Because he knows. Think of how well-run the UFC's been. How many Connor McGregors have they had?

One. Yeah, I mean, it's hard. There's just not that many people that walk into music. I remember for years and years and years and years I watched American Idol. I mean, that thing was on forever. And it's like there's just, there's not that many people that are great and have star power. Carrie Underwood. And there's a lot of people that had great voices.

I was a dotry fan. Like, I like more rock. I loved him. But that was kind of my voice. I wouldn't listen to Carrie Underwood's talent. But how many people in the history of the voice? in the history of American Idol had the look, the sound, the voice, the charisma, the swagger, the small. And there were tens of thousands of people in America that tried to get on a thousand people who were super talented,

and it creates two or three stars. And a lot of them don't last long. So it's just a lot of, whenever I see a political party saying, we don't have this, we don't have a, you find your Obama, you find your Connor McGregor, you find, you find, you, find, you your Michael Jordan and it solves all these issues. It solves them overnight. If Michael was so cool and so unique and he had the game and the smile and the look and the attitude, he just solved all their problems. I mean, don't kid yourself. When Michael walked into the NBA, it was a domestic league.

It was magic and bird. But they had, I mean, people were tackling everybody. A lot of owners were unhappy with the league. And you couldn't sell merchant. Then suddenly Michael walks in. it's Gatorade, it's, you know, it's Nike shoes. Suddenly all the problems of the NBA. When Michael came to the Bulls, they were, remember that documentary?

And they were called like the cocaine cowboys or something. Michael didn't know. He walked into rooms. Guys were doing blow and all that stuff. And Michael solved all the problems. The NBA had problems during Michael Jordan's run. He just, we just, you overlooked them. Yeah, he solved them off the court, on the court he couldn't win for the first six years,

Couldn't do anything in the playoffs. Look, even Caitlin Clark. Yeah. The WNBA was irrelevant. One player from Iowa shows up. Yeah. And it's all of a sudden, suddenly we're flying private. But don't you think, Colin, that this is a cyclical thing in the NBA?

Every 15 years, you reboot the stars. They move out. We just saw this with the NFL. Remember the concern? Oh, my gosh. Brady and Manning are retiring. What's the league going to do? These guys are battling every year.

The NFL, baseball is team-driven. If the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves are good, the sports good. Yeah, because a pitcher only pitches every five days. That's right. And the NFL isn't really driven by anything, kind of TV-driven. If it's on TV, we watch and we gamble. But there are, like I would say college basketball can be brand. It can be Kentucky, Kansas, Yukon, Duke, Arizona.

You know, you want your five or six blue blue bloods. I don't knowva. You like your Blue Bloods playing in March Madness. The ratings go up. Michigan's going to be a big hit this year with Arizona. And they don't have a big rating. Michigan doesn't have a star. They've got a team that's awesome and they look great.

They don't have a star. I think the NBA's fine is a lot of this consternation comes from just social media where people are engagement farming left and right bashing the NBA and oh my gosh, they're in trouble. Like it's just massively overblown, Colin. You know that. Stars are created. We didn't, Anthony Edward, he was coming out.

Remember out of Georgia? He couldn't win anything. He played at Georgia. He didn't win anything. Nobody watches Georgia basketball. He said he liked football more than basketball. He had to look in the game, but he didn't want to be the guy. And so again, by the way, I'm told here the Bulls were called the traveling cocaine circus.

There you go. There you go. Michael Jordan in the documentary laughs. He didn't know that. But I would say is it's very difficult, even if you're as good as Dana White at finding stars. Well, then you have to develop them. And then you have to cross your fingers that they are work ethic. obsessed and then the audience buys them. It's really, really, when I was in Vegas out of college

and you had Sugar Ray Leonard and Hearns and Hagler, I mean, boxing had about a 15-year window where there were like stars everywhere. And what are they got now? They got like YouTubers who are trying to be boxers because they have big followings online. Like that's where this stuff is cyclical. I think the NBA is going to be just fine. Cooper Flagg has star quality. The NBA talent is through the roof. Yeah. But to hit on a star and it's a lot of it's luck. I mean, you need Mike, I mean, Steph had the game, the attitude, the talent, the skill, the uniqueness.

But he wasn't a star until like year, what, five or six? Like, this stuff takes time. I mean, Jordan came in at like 21 years old because he was at UNC for three years. So it took him a couple. So by like 25, he was an NBA star, right? So it's going to take Cooper Flag a few years. I mean, Michael could not win a playoff series pre-Pippen. So he had his time.

He could sell shoes and sell Gatorade. But I think a lot of it is we can blame Adam Silver. Maybe this is my broader point. We can blame Adam Silver. But David Stern, who was a marketer, a legal counsel, a shrewd guy, he got lucky with Magic and Bird. They ended up going to the Lakers, the Celtics, the two iconic friends. The two iconic franchises.

I mean, it's to be a star in music, in movies. Was Patrick Ewing a star in New York? I guess. Pat Riley felt like. Pat Riley, yeah. He felt like the star, the suits, the attitude, the look, the swagger, the hair. Hour three on a Wednesday coming up. Hey, guys, it's us and the Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast. Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know... Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from... Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to deep cover the family man on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Someday into right now with

Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free.

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